Posts by rebel8

19

Spiritual Welfare

by wheelwithinwheel in

jw
friends

this year’s “don’t give up” convention encourages theocratic welfare.

brother pioneer is doing a lot of carting and having trouble making ends meet.

his landlord doesn’t get it and decides to evict him and his wife.. .

rebel8

I have nothing else to say that hasn't been said, but I'll say it anyway.

someone in your congregation who is putting Jehovah first but suffering financial difficulties under Satan's system

Imagine your neighbor comes to you and complains about his kid. The kid doubled up and graduated early from high school so he wouldn't have to do schoolwork for the final year. Then he decided his permanent life plan is to have a part time job and use his salary on gas, driving around the neighborhood, knocking on complete strangers' doors to sell magazine subscriptions for charities (no commission or pay). He is able-bodied but just chooses this lifestyle.

And then he says it's the devil's fault he is struggling financially.

17

Is a born-in brought up in a JW home like being a child inmate being raised in prison?

by Still Totally ADD in

i bring up this subject because of all the restrictions children have to endure in the jw cult.

they are made prisoners of mind and body.

being forced to do things that are not natural for children to do.

rebel8

I was a child during the 70s/80s apostasy scare. Back then they were so hardcore.

They would tell us demons will enter your brain if you daydream--the only way to prevent that is to constantly think about their publications. This scared me and I tried to comply. I would say silent prayers while walking down the hallway or riding the bus because I was afraid Satan would take that moment of mental idleness as an opportunity to possess me.

This and many other aspects of their teachings created a mental prison.

What a sick thing to do to a child or any person.

17

Oh wow...now I have seen everything! "Junior Pioneer"??

by stuckinarut2 in

.

rebel8

In the past, I have posted on websites like that regarding the Society's request to not make things like that and how obedience is required. (I find focusing on adherence to their rules is a great way to highlight how the religion creates an intolerable lifestyle, especially when followed fully.)

Also, it would be beneficial to current jws to have this material removed.

I just went there to do that and noticed these are free--still not ok per wts rules, but may not end up getting a DMCA takedown notice.

50

A JW explains Blood Fractions

by OrphanCrow in

i was looking around from some information on the wt's stance concerning the use of stem cells, and i came across this article on a defending jehovah's witnesses blog.. rather than informing the reader all that much about stem cells, the author diverts the conversation into a discussion of "blood fractions" (*note: the term "blood fractions" appears to be another one of those wt bloodspeak terms coined by the wt.

"blood components" or "blood products" are the terms used more frequently by the medical world.

"fractions" implies tiny amounts).

rebel8

Logically, as blood is broken down, at some point the components logically cease to be blood. If this logic was not correct then EVERY molecule which had ever been part of blood would still be considered blood and could not be ingested to eternity. Such a view would be unreasonable and completely illogical.

No, it's not unreasonable or illogical. Blood products were directly derived from blood, not metabolized or decomposed and absorbed into something else that was then consumed.

Also, some of these products have a lower safety rating...so which is it? Either you are taking credit for your 100% abstinence doctrine resulting in protection from HIV, or you're not.

We can illustrate this with someone who used blood products to fertilize their fruit trees. Now, would it be hypocritical to buy and eat the fruit just because it contains some of the molecules from the blood? That would be unreasonable and completely illogical

Seriously, what the actual....

They DID ban use of blood-based garden fertilizers and eating the produce grown with it! This activity fell into the category of storing and then using blood, which was a direct violation of doctrine.

4

Mass walk out during convention

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

just dreaming this will happen at a convention.

.

http://abcnews.go.com/politics/notre-dame-students-walk-mike-pence-commencement-speech/story?id=47545854.

rebel8

Just dreaming this will happen at a convention.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/notre-dame-students-walk-mike-pence-commencement-speech/story?id=47545854

16

Laws in the 1000 year kingdom?

by CitizenofEarth in

hello there.. tried to bring this up with my family.

didnt go well - they cling on to the utopia that the org paints, so i am gonna put this topic to your attention.

i would love to hear what you guys/girls think about this - god or no god i find this interesting.

rebel8

I imagine it as a dystopian assembly (I know that was redundant).

They hide away in stadiums so they can control the living and avoid exposure to diseases caused by corpses. It takes the birds 50 years to eat the corpses, so they are living dorm-style in grey concrete stadiums with no privacy, fresh air, etc.

The bros go around gathering preserved food and bottled with masks so they don't catch disease. And that is what they all eat.

The toilets won't flush and there is no heat or air conditioning because electricity and water treatment plants stop running. Combined with the fact that fresh air is limited indoors, and they run out of deodorant after the first few years, it completely stinks. Soon the stank and sewage create dissidents and a splinter group leaves the stadium under prohibition from the elders. Satan kills them after the 1000 year imprisonment because of disobedience, while the obedient all die, overpowered by each others' body odor and disease.

50

Im "Going To Die In Armageddon"

by pale.emperor in

3 missed calls from my jw brother last night.

i didnt answer because he's actively shunning me and when he does ring it always to preach to me about how we're so close to the end and how i should "humble myself before the mighty hand of god" .

he then texts me saying "we need to talk".

rebel8

I believe Google Voice lets you use custom voicemail messages depending upon who's calling you. You could use this to play certain messages only to your brother.

"Hey bro! Here is a recording of a GB member stating Armageddon was going to occur in the mid-1970s! You will be treated to various recordings like these each time you call. The next one will be a judicial committee of a rape victim. Now either listen to them and wake up, or stop calling me unless there's a family emergency."

44

Lot's Wife - Connect the dots - JW.org

by Funchback in

yay!

now kids can help draw lot's wife getting destroyed.. .

rebel8

DISGUSTING

35

"would you drink a glass of water if it had just a tiny bit of poison in it?"

by stuckinarut2 in

no doubt we have all heard that well used "illustration" in public talks etc over the years:.

"if you were handed a glass of water that looked pure, but were told it has just a tiny drop of poison in it, would you drink it?".

the society has used that illustration at length to say we should avoid all influences of every part of the world.. but, as we know, the society has had a track record of errors, false ideas and doctrines.

rebel8

Arsenic in water? We’re adapting

Over 400 years ago, alchemist and physician Paracelsus said: “All substances are poisons; there is none that is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.”...Some years ago, a death occurred due to the overconsumption of carrots. People have died from drinking too much water (water intoxication). Too much oxygen (vital for life) results in cell damage and can lead to death (oxygen toxicity). Likewise, even for extremely toxic substances such as snake venom, there is a dose below which there is no detectable toxic effect. [source]

52

last convention before global attack on witnesses

by Phoebe in

jw
friends

so it's not enough that i'm dealing with post traumatic stress/anxiety and panic attacks all related to my life as a jw (50 years baptized -- i stopped going a couple of months ago) at 3 a.m. i get an email from the other side of the world.

'you have to go to the convention.

bro sanderson says we must watch the news, things are happening.

rebel8

Can anyone share their personal experience to help me?

Sharing of personal experiences can definitely be therapeutic. It makes you realize you are not alone. There are no doubt many in active and inactive threads on this forum.

I left with severe doubts but more along the lines of, "I don't know if they actually have the truth or not, but I know for sure I would rather be killed at Armageddon (coming any day now) than to live forever with jws." I knew for sure I didn't want to worship a god who called them his people.

And that's where I started. I let myself feel what I needed to feel. I exposed myself to opposing points of view--a thing dubs didn't do back then--and then put them into perspective.

I had anxious discomfort continuously for quite a while as I sorted out beliefs vs. reality. They fell away one by one, and honestly it was painful.

Years later, I started to work as a counselor and just happened to have some jw clients. I noticed they went through the same sorts of things I went through (this). It is a grief process the same as any major loss.

My advice is to focus mostly on personal wellness and getting well/happy emotionally first. Be a good person. Enjoy the 'gift' of life in a positive way.

If there is a god/goddess/gods worth worshiping, and they someday check in on you, you're in good standing because you have made good things from the 'gift' of life. If there is no god, then great, you have still done the right thing and become happy along the way.

Doctrinal stuff comes later. You will have to figure that out, but there is no hurry. Let them float by as though you are watching boats pass you on a river. Pick one to pay attention to at a time and take breaks in between. When you pay attention to one, start with the evidence and be courageous as you ask yourself tough questions about what is really true. Example: Are earthquakes getting worse?