Posts by TheListener

42

Feeling Sad After Uncovering TTATT

by pale.emperor in

my initial pangs of unease and doubt led me to research some things.

well, a lot of things really.

i've never felt comfortable using the bible to try to calculate dates (1914).

TheListener

Pale emperor, you are not alone. I felt similarly when I discovered TTATT. I lost all my friends and a lot of my family. I wasn't prepared for a life without the witnesses, had no idea I needed to be. I went from a feeling of smug superiority and a desire to help save people's lives to being free but mostly alone with and not having all the answers anymore.

At first I spent a huge amount of time researching every doctrine to see if it was something real or not and then I spent a long time being afraid I was wrong and God was going to kill me at armageddon, which I imagined would be starting any time. But, in time I made some new friends, saved my kids from the cult and have a pretty good life going on.

Learning TTATT is really overwhelming but you can and will get through this. Use the board as a helper and you might want to find a local counselor to speak with as well.

Feel free to PM me any time.

2

Disagreement with Mom

by Darryl in

although df'd for almost 20 years my very much still a jw mother and i would have a discussion about my return to the org .

from time to time.

that ended when i revealed myself to be an apostate.

TheListener

You make a really good point Darryl. That is one of the things that my wife and I agreed on when I was still a dub (she still is). Why would the elders be in a position to protect their families and maybe a close friend or two but the majority of the congregation would be left in the dark and not even know the extent of the danger in the congregation.

Sorry that your conversation cost you the remaining part of of your relationship with your mother. That's a whole other disappointing and disgusting subject.

71

Confusing Opinions with Facts

by cofty in

in a discussion about the best flavour of ice cream everybody's opinion is equally valid.. in a discussion about the shape of the earth or the origin of species everybody's opinion is equally irrelevant.

only objective facts and evidence matter.. confusing these two categories is a common feature of conversations in this forum.

people deserve respect, errors do not..

TheListener

Thanks Cofty. In all seriousness I know very little of evolution or abiogenesis but I found the small amount of reading I did really informative.

I always thought evolution included the whole concept of nothingness to us. I didn't realize that there was a study of something called abiogenesis, which can overlap evolution but can be very separate as well. Very very interesting (hence the mind blown part).

No sarcasm intended at all. My first post was a poor attempt at humor as opposed to sarcasm.

71

Confusing Opinions with Facts

by cofty in

in a discussion about the best flavour of ice cream everybody's opinion is equally valid.. in a discussion about the shape of the earth or the origin of species everybody's opinion is equally irrelevant.

only objective facts and evidence matter.. confusing these two categories is a common feature of conversations in this forum.

people deserve respect, errors do not..

TheListener

Cofty, I posted in a somewhat lighthearted way about something I learned and that's how you repsond? Too serious man, too serious.

71

Confusing Opinions with Facts

by cofty in

in a discussion about the best flavour of ice cream everybody's opinion is equally valid.. in a discussion about the shape of the earth or the origin of species everybody's opinion is equally irrelevant.

only objective facts and evidence matter.. confusing these two categories is a common feature of conversations in this forum.

people deserve respect, errors do not..

TheListener

I don't usually read the evolution threads but I did this one and I just wanted to post and say - abiogenesis - poof! mind blown!! Whaaaaaaat? We don't know how life actually started but just how it changed once It began? WTF man, I had no idea.

Thank you board.

69

All 2016 Convention videos in English and all Talk outlines for download

by Watchtower-Free in

all convention videos in english and all talk outlines for download.

http://avoidjw.org/2016-regional-convention/

TheListener

OMG OMG OMG!!! I don't even believe this stuff and I found it emotional....maybe there is a tiny bit of JW lurking in my brain box somewhere.

Like I said earlier, there will be no living with my wife for the next several months after she sees all this - and remembers that her husband and kids won't be there with her. Jesus this is going to cause me grief.

147

Challenge to Creationists

by cofty in

in response to the 37 threads in my evolution is a fact series - see bottom of op for links - perry posted a link to an article "44 reasons why evolution isn't true".. i offered him a challenge on the thread and by pm.

predictably he is totally ignoring it, so i am offering the challenge to any evolution-denier who thinks they have evidence to support their position.. please present one specific piece of evidence for creationism.. my task will be to refute it with evidence within 24 hours.. then i will present one piece of evidence for evolution and your challenge will be the same.. all posts must be as succinct as reasonably possible.

entirely in your own words, without copy-paste, videos or links.. please post your interest to take part and we will set it up before the first actual post in the exchange.

TheListener

Wait!? Cofty, you believe in evolution?

I never would have guessed.

45

RC Was Worse Than I thought...

by JW_Rogue in

i was visiting with my family and it seems the rc was worse than i thought.

now they all seem to think that "we are so close to the end" and that the "brothers are really preparing us for the gt".

some even saying that soon our message will change to a judgement message for mankind and talking about how we need to improve "everything we do".

TheListener

The more they work the rank and file up, and imho the convention videos alone will really work up the dubs, especially the more emotional and unstable ones, the greater the disappointment and frustration a year or two or three from now when nothing has happened.

The message of judgement stuff is just more hype to get everyone excited and donating before becoming apathetic once again. Seriously, how much crazier could their message be? Armageddon is coming any day, billions will be killed by God and eaten by birds and we'll live in a paradise petting pandas??? Crazy Crazy

27

Old Relative Not Happy About Push To Use Ipads Etc

by disillusioned 2 in

i was in a close relatives house yesterday and she was having angry and resentful at the push to use electronic devices at the meetings.

she was talking to another relative of mine who has just got an ipad to use.

this relative of mine is very elderly and obviously prefers to use her bible and other books.

TheListener

I have several older relatives. I've posted their tech stories on other threads before. Basically, they have no real clue how the stuff works and as soon as something needs updating or doesn't work exactly right they're up @#$S creek without a paddle.

Prologos is right, my relatives talk to the younger ones after the meetings to get help with their tablets and phones.

They are on a fixed income but managed to buy several tablets since it's a necessary expense for the ministry.

On the surface they love the technology but if you dig a bit deeper or listen when their guard is down in the evening (since I'm out they try hard to never speak bad about their religion when I'm around, but when you're with them enough they can't help but let their real personality slip out) and you will hear them complain about how confusing the technology is and how they miss having all their printed copies with their study notes available and how they keep running out of memory.

They also seem to end up with multiple copies of almost every WT piece of literature. They don't seem to know how to save the files for future use and I've heard them say they've had to study the same WT more than once.

My wife, not really older, uses the tech but very limited. She likes her printed copy of most things but since asking for a printed study WT, according to her, is embarrassing and the same with the CLAM thingy she uses that electronically. No idea what she does in service - which she seems to do as little of as possible.

One last thing, the older dubs I know seem to think that their use of the tablets and technology is waaaaay superior to the way others are using it and that they are somehow in the forefront of the electronic revolution. Hearing them speak can make you sick.

23

Cover of the September 2016 Watchtower.

by jwfacts in

the cover of the 2016 september watchtower has an islander couple preaching.

the brother looks like he may be fijian in a traditional skirt standing in a river, doing a presentation on an apple ipad.

i can't imagine there are many families that can afford an ipad in the pacific islands.

TheListener

That looks like an older picture that was photoshopped.