Posts by OldSoul

41

well they did not reinstate me!! dont know how i feell!

by Cordelia in

jw
friends

well any of u that read my post about reinstatement will know what im on about basically i put my letter in for my family ive been dfed since march and they so want me back,.

but the lovely elders took a month to get back to me and then said they were gonna leave it as i have the wrong motive as i am doing it for my family not jehovah, (which of course i am but they werent meant toknow that!

) thing is in my reinstatement meeting i knew exactly what i was doing i knew exactly what i should not and should say and said all the wrong things because i didnt want it,.

OldSoul

Cordelia,

he even said hed talk to me with just a bible no watchtower as i dont believe the f and d slave

I may have to revise my recommendation based on this snippet. Someone I know who has been baptized for over 45 years could not explain the teaching of the "other sheep" to me using only the Bible. No one has explained to me the teaching that the Faithful and Discreet Slave is a class of people using only the Bible, and I have asked elder bodies, 2 COs, many individual elders, and opened it up to any JW defenders here on this forum.

If he is willing to talk with just the Bible, ask him to base the beliefs of JWs on just the Scripture. Tell him you don't want to focus on the fun, happy stuff that is to come "in the near future" but that you want to focus on clearly understanding the Bible's foundation for certain basic doctrines. I'll be happy to help.

If any Witness uses only the Bible they will leave the Organization, because the Bible does not support the Organization.

Respectfully,
OldSoul

54

A Challange to Def'd.....

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

i, and many other well meaning posters here, have asked you dozens of questions.

you have dodged them all for the most part and spent your replies on personal attacks, or just plain refusal to address the questions posed.

your favorite retort is typically ad hominen attacks or a red-herring thown in for good measure.

OldSoul

AK Jeff,

I got the same response from defd, who assumed I was asking a "foolish and ignorant" question. "Foolish and ignorant" apparently equates to "any question that can't be answered using only the Bible." He then agreed to answer and changed his mind after deciding I am an apostate (big surprise there!).

It doesn't matter to him that I still believe in God or that I still have confidence in the Bible. I have developed a deep and abiding distaste for the Organization that seats themselves in the seat of Moses—as lawgivers. In his mind, "leaving the Organization" = "leaving Jehovah," QED "the Organization" = "Jehovah."

Respectfully,
OldSoul

4

Does "proselytizer in Christ's name" = "Christian"?

by OldSoul in

jw
friends

i am confused by a generally accepted perception that there is a need to proselytize to be a christian, or at least testify.

any information (preferrably in the form of scripture) that someone can give to shed light on this enigma would be very helpful.. respectfully,.

oldsoul

OldSoul

No, LittleToe. And that is the same principle I take to heart. I can't count how many times in the past year people have noted some spark in me they don't see in most people and have asked what caused it. I tell those who ask.

Brenda, you said in another thread that you are Mystic/Agnostic but you believe in Christ. If I may be so bold, what about your beliefs excludes you from Christianity? I can easily understand if that label of Christian would chafe you around the neck. Is there something you believe that makes you think you are outside the scope of Christianity, or do you just prefer not to be identified with the "thumpers?" Please, PM if this is too abrupt or personal for the forum.

I use the Bible a lot in my posts, but usually it is when I am answering someone's question who has asked on the basis of the Bible or when I am asking someone who professes confidence in the Bible a question. I don't consider myself a "thumper" because I am not proselytizing. Does the motive and objective have any mitigating force on whether use of the Bible makes someone a "thumper?"

I am curious about the unspoken "societal rules" governing these things, being in so long can blind you to how these sorts of issues are perceived.

Respectfully,
OldSoul

105

How do you defend your god's inaction?

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

this is a question for those that believe in a god or gods, particularly those described as "all knowing" or "almighty".. how do you defend to yourself that your god has not in any modern situation saved his people from anything?.

people of all faiths are regularly killed by various natural elements.

of course, if you knew such a thing was going to befall a person and you could do something to protect them, you would.

OldSoul

Dave,

Keep in mind that you are asking for personal beliefs and reasons. I am not asserting authority in this respect for someone else, I am not preaching to anyone about what they should do, nor would I ever attempt to clinically prove the truth of my basis for belief.

I know God exists, from personal experiences that I do not believe anyone can substantiate in a laboratory or experiment. God is not a "thing" in terms of our understanding of the word, anymore than gravity is a thing. God cannot be "identified" as a thing, but God exists nonetheless.

God can choose impact our "physical" realm (dimensions: 3s·1t) as well, again, I believe this from personal experience. I expect I will have other experiences like this, but since I cannot predict when or whether it would not be possible to test or falsify, therefore it cannot be clinically proved.

Since I am aware that these beliefs are based on personal experience, and since I do not claim authority based on these experiences, and since I do not believe these experiences can be proved or validated by someone else, I am not delusional. I believe, but I'm not stupid.

Respectfully,
OldSoul

64

How many mistresses can a JW elder have?

by Gill in

jw
friends

since finding out more about the wtbts over the last year, it has come as no surprise to me anymore that the deceptive actions of the mother (wtbts) are seen in some of her children.

the need for double thinking, self deluding beliefs and sneaky, twisted belief and thought patterns that i have noticed over the years in so many jws suddenly makes sense and is no longer scandalising or suprising.. so when i was told of the behaviour of a 'fine, upstanding, pillar of the community, brother' i simply shrugged.

however, the results of his behaviour are not something to simply shrug your shoulders over.. it turned out for the last thirty years of his being married he has conducted affairs with another two 'sisters' in the congregation.

OldSoul

Good for you! That is excellent and encouraging to hear.

Now, about that empathy thing...

OldSoul

4

Does "proselytizer in Christ's name" = "Christian"?

by OldSoul in

jw
friends

i am confused by a generally accepted perception that there is a need to proselytize to be a christian, or at least testify.

any information (preferrably in the form of scripture) that someone can give to shed light on this enigma would be very helpful.. respectfully,.

oldsoul

OldSoul

I am confused by a generally accepted perception that there is a need to proselytize to be a Christian, or at least testify. Any information (preferrably in the form of Scripture) that someone can give to shed light on this enigma would be very helpful.

Respectfully,
OldSoul

9

Happy Happy Birthday - Yesterday's Child!

by BrendaCloutier in

jw
friends

and many many more!

OldSoul

I dunno, why?

Just kidding!

HIPPY BARTHDAY!!!

105

How do you defend your god's inaction?

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

this is a question for those that believe in a god or gods, particularly those described as "all knowing" or "almighty".. how do you defend to yourself that your god has not in any modern situation saved his people from anything?.

people of all faiths are regularly killed by various natural elements.

of course, if you knew such a thing was going to befall a person and you could do something to protect them, you would.

OldSoul

LittleToe: Be still and know "I am" God.

What unmitigated Gaul!

I think I understand what you are communicating here, but I don't think there is enough groundwork laid for someone else to cross the bridge. Not even sure the bridge has been built yet.

SNG,

It works very much like predetermining what reality is limited to. If you start from that perspective, you are bound to arrive at conclusions that establish your initial assumption because you are predestined to exclude anything that would lead outside your paradigm.

The same is true of the perpetuated concept that God is like something we know of. If we restrict God to a paradigm of our creation and invention, we will bind "Him" to our own concepts of morality. That would indeed be creating God in our image. However, LittleToe and some others here have dispensed with that starting point. You don't understand why God "hasn't acted" because you are only looking at it from one predetermined and unwavering vantage point.

Has no good come from the Tsunami? What about the recent earthquake? People who once were fighting with one another (as recently as a week ago) are now sharing, hand-in-hand, with trying to rebuild lives, develop new dreams and hopes for the future. Did people die? Yes. Would you prefer that everyone live forever? How will you feed them? Where will you find them shelter? Should nothing suffer? We find suffering throughout existence, but you want me to explain why a Creator allows human suffering.

"All things are lawful...but not all things are advantageous." The same applies to all things being possible. I believe God can destroy everything and start over. Why doesn't "He"? Do you want that, really? I don't. I want to love and learn and experience life until I die.

There is more in heaven and earth...Our philosophies have always gotten in the way of our understanding, they have only added to our knowledge.

Respectfully,
OldSoul

21

"Jehovah saves groups not individuals"

by Rayvin in

this is what my dad told me .

i mentioned how i didn't want to attend a congregation where people were claiming to do good works in the name of god and knowing that they were doing opposite.

he says " well, when the last days come.. when ever that is... jehovah saves groups not individuals" well what we're in the wrong group dad?

OldSoul

Aw, (((Rayvin))), I'm so sorry.

That conclusion, although utterly ridiculous when matched against the teachings of the Bible, comes from the words of "God's Channel of Communication," the JW equivalent of the Pope. They don't claim to be infallible, but they claim magisterium just the same and their "current truth" is considered infallible and inviolable until it changes. Ask him about three people in particular: Elijah, Saul of Tarsus, and Enoch. There are hundreds of others in the Bible, but those three should be enough to make the point.

Respectfully,

OldSoul

64

How many mistresses can a JW elder have?

by Gill in

jw
friends

since finding out more about the wtbts over the last year, it has come as no surprise to me anymore that the deceptive actions of the mother (wtbts) are seen in some of her children.

the need for double thinking, self deluding beliefs and sneaky, twisted belief and thought patterns that i have noticed over the years in so many jws suddenly makes sense and is no longer scandalising or suprising.. so when i was told of the behaviour of a 'fine, upstanding, pillar of the community, brother' i simply shrugged.

however, the results of his behaviour are not something to simply shrug your shoulders over.. it turned out for the last thirty years of his being married he has conducted affairs with another two 'sisters' in the congregation.

OldSoul

R6Laser,

I think you are missing a key element here. She wasn't 29 years old. She had been having an affair with this guy the entire time he was an elder (30 years). She was already at a point in her life where the idea of starting over was an emotional barrier in itself.

You have a bit of difficulty with the concept of empathy, don't you? You admit that intense emotional pain is what leads to suicide, yet you don't see how that could be largely caused by losing your lover, your friends, your family, and your faith all at one fell swoop. She could have possibly maintained emotional stability is it was just the one item, but all at once? Give me a break! This was cruelty on the part of many.

Respectfully,
OldSoul