rebel8

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Posts by rebel8

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  111

  "We Already Forgive Him" - What Does That Mean?

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the children of one of yesterday's shooting have told the media that they have already forgiven the killer for what he did.. dylaan roof has not apologised for what he did.

  he hates black people and probably regrets not killing even more.. what does it really mean to forgive?.

  if the legal system asked the victims relatives what they want done next would they ask for dylaan to go free and unpunished?.

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  rebel8

  Forgiveness is like forgiving a bank loan.

  • You have to be the bank in order to forgive it.
  • It means all is zeroed out, as though nothing further is owed to make it right.
  • It is a favorite of religious people who claim it makes you a better person. And they seem to seek opportunities to publicly 'forgive' criminals. (If you truly forgave them, you don't need accolades for it.)
  • They claim you need to do it for yourself, for your health and for your relationship with god.
    

  Acceptance is an entirely separate matter:

  • You do not have to forget or forgive. You can remember it and still move on, not focusing your energy on it.
  • You do need to do it for yourself, for your health.
  • You don't need accolades for doing it.
    
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  91

  Why using Jehovah for God's name is as good as using Yahweh

  by oppostate in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in another thread i wrote some notes about why using jehovah in english is as good as using yahweh.

  i'm starting a discussion on this topic because it sounds quite ignorant to hear people talk of the monk who started using it in latin without really understanding why the monk did so.. the spanish dominican monk, raymundus martini, in 1270, didn't get hoodwinked by an old jewish superstition about pronouncing the divine name with the vowel points of another word.. 1. first the vowel points of adonay and jehovah cannot be the same for grammatical reasons.

  you just can't use the same vowel points because some vowels aren't paired with some consonants in pronouncing hebrew words.

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  rebel8

  
  
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  43

  Evidence of God.

  by Jaewook kim in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sugar water will show blue light over the sun.. salt water will show red light over the sun.. our body components, salt sugar water.. blue blood vein and red blood... definition of our body in his form.. this is the evidence, of our god..

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  rebel8

  Oh honey. (( ))
  
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  Happiness is....

  by FreeGirl2006 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  having brunch and then getting a massage instead of sitting at the grand poobah session several blocks from my house.

  it always irritated me how the convention was always scheduled for july 4th weekend and now it doesn't matter.

  not trying to rub salt in the wounds of you poor ones who have to be bored or angry by turns at the rc this weekend, as i did decades of drone seat warming.

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  rebel8

  It is good to remember the old days and how much better times are now, with our freedoms. (Just went for a swim and now I'm off to a massage too!)

  One brother told me I was too smart and needed to hide that.

  My take on the "sister bashing" is more of pity and criticism for accepting an inferior social role rather than vitriol, but YMMV.

  I was just recalling being told being an intelligent girl was a liability in the borg. Boys wouldn't be attracted to me because they would feel intimidated or worry I wasn't going to be a subservient wife.

  @ several points I was instructed to ask boys questions, even if I knew the answers, just to make them feel smart! I'm not sure if I'm more intelligent than the avg sista or if I'm just worse at hiding it.
  
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  18

  Is the Org Putting Elders in the Firing Line?

  by The Searcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in view of the conti verdict of negligence by the org, are elders who are selected by the c.o.

  now in a precarious position?

  "charity trustees face potential liabilities in a number of ways.

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  rebel8

  What country is that document from, OP?

  Obviously it's a good thing for "trustees" to take personal responsibility seriously. I am and have been on boards--those that do understand it act in a more responsible/legal fashion. It's a good thing.

  And we can help make a difference by advocating for enforcement of such laws.
  
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  67

  How do you feel about exJW's who resist our efforts to effect change?

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've met a few.

  i'm not talking about the jw who, whether df'd or not, falls off the radar and just gets on with living a normal life - good luck to them and may there be many more!.

  i mean the former jehovah's witness who is now enjoying all the benefits of a cult free life thanks to the efforts of many bloggers, posters and activists, but is critical of the efforts of someone close them to free more jws.

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  rebel8

  To each his own.

  Some people do "activist" type stuff to heal themselves, not necessarily to reach others. I cannot take issue with that. This is a dangerous, deadly, harmful cult--so what if they get a little heat (as long as it's ethical/legal)?

  Other people do ineffective, potentially harmful things because they don't understand how to do something much more effective. If they put themselves out there on the forum stating they're going to do those things, I figure they must be open to discussion about it.

  Others have worse motives, such as for personal gain. If that's the case, they deserve ridicule.

  In the absence of poor motives, illegal/unethical activity, and acts that will make things worse, I say live and let live.
  
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  23

  Should I hit send button as is? Change? Or just hit delete?

  by Lied2NoMore in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so after being deleted because of my comment on her instagram post by my sister-in-law i got a text from her stating she didn't want a debate on instagram and the scripture i posted would not apply to satan, they are worried about me, go see elders, return to jehovah, or else you won't get life, etc etc.... i'm ready to respond with the following reply:.

  so....hit send?

  make changes?

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  rebel8

  If your aim is to convince her of a single point about a scripture applying to Satan, restrict your response to that.

  If your aim is to both convince her of ^that point and, in doing so, chisel away at a blockade of critical thinking, restrict your response accordingly.
  

  If your goal is to vent your frustrations with the cult without regard to preserving a relationship with this individual, post your original reply (which is a laundry list of complaints).

  Either one is fine, depending upon the
  
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  6

  Independence Day

  by rebel8 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  happy independence day to those in the usa.

  i can't help but think of our own personal struggles for freedom today.. "question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."1.

  --thomas jefferson.

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  rebel8

  I never watched 4th of July fireworks as a jw--it was forbidden.
  
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  52

  Try Other Religions

  by Sofia Lose in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  sometimes i get a strong curiosity to start dabbling into other religions, other faiths, you know?

  really different ones such as islam, judaism, hinduism, etc.. has anyone here looked into something else?

  has your spirituality been satisfied by any other than christianity?.

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  rebel8

  I tried Catholicism. It was good for me socially and it's a way for me to connect with my culture. It also provided a small sense of healing because I was forced to dissociate myself from it when I became jw. And it's a nice story. Pre-Easter stuff and xmas eve mass are opportunities to meditate on how awesome it could be if the good parts were true. But they're not.

  I explored Buddhism, Wicca, Voodoo, new agey stuff, even herbalism but was unable to believe because it's obviously untrue. I wanted to believe, truly.

  I read about other religions out of interest--again, failed to believe because of the obvious untruth.

  So I'm a Humanist. The quiz agrees.

  Your top result is
  Secular Humanism
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  6

  Independence Day

  by rebel8 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  happy independence day to those in the usa.

  i can't help but think of our own personal struggles for freedom today.. "question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."1.

  --thomas jefferson.

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  rebel8

  Happy Independence Day to those in the USA.

  I can't help but think of our own personal struggles for freedom today.

  "Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."1

  --Thomas Jefferson

  It's too bad the colonists didn't take the opportunity to use this new freedom to completely separate religion and politics. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel03.html