Posts by rebel8

30

Child abuse or consenual relationship?

by pratt1 in

a few years ago my brother - law admitted that at 14 he had a sexual relationship for 5 years with the wife of an elder in his congo.. he was at 19 dfed for an affair he had with a fellow student.. he never told any one about the affair with the married sister, but now 10 years later, this sister and her unsufferable husband are planning to become assistant co. .

my mother - law, who is still in the"lie" now knows about this affair and has made the statement that she has probable asked for forgiveness in her heart therefore the elders do not need to know of the affair.. my brother - law is going through his own issues and because of the way he has been treated ie.. shunned, basically disowned by most of his family, he wants to expose her and her husband who he believes knew about the affair.. i've recommended that he discuss this with his therapist and that he should think about why he feels the need to expose her now.

by the way this sister is 2 year younger than his mom.

rebel8

I'm not sure about your local laws, but here 14 is the legal age of consent........

The age of consent in NY is 17. http://www.ageofconsent.com/newyork.htm

98

"I prayed for you"

by Scully in

if you aren't a "believer", does it bother you when someone says "i'll pray for you" or "i prayed for you"?.

one of my colleagues is an incredibly kind and sweet person, and i know she says it because she believes she's doing something good on my behalf.

i always say "thank you for thinking of me", because i know that's the spirit she's intending to convey and that she cares about the situation i'm in vis-a-vis my jw relatives, but she knows i no longer believe in god (at least not in the sense that she does) - i wonder does she think that a few prayers are going to change my mind?

rebel8

This topic has been discussed on etiquette forums and yes, it is considered rude. It is better to say "I'm thinking of you" or something similar.

25

Please help me prove the wts wrong

by gringojj in

my wife was born in the jw religion but was never baptised.

she is currently studying and is on the road to baptism.

i am an atheist, and i have little comprehension of the bible.

rebel8

Here is a site for you that may be helpful. In particular, pay attention to the UN NGO membership section and the purchase of Rand corporation stock. This will help you show your wife the WTS is hypocritical. Hypocrisy is inconsistent with the claim that this organization has been led directly by God Himself for over a century. www.jwinfo.50megs.com

PS- After you show her the hypocrisy, you may have an opportunity to show her this group and its tactics are consistent with cult behavior and tactics. www.factnet.org

32

AN EXCUSE TO HATE?

by Terry in

i ask this question rather seriously.

isn't religion actually an excuse to hate?

you quickly learn us vs them and who is who.

rebel8

People who want to hate (out of agression, fear, or lack of self esteem/confidence) are often attracted to structures which facilitate acting in a hateful manner. Religion is one of several such structures.

29

left out in the cold

by donald in

jw
friends

hello im new to this...my wife and i are still baptized....but weve not gone to meetings regulary...for some time now...even though we still go to the memorial.....and we are wondering if to go back.....here without being too specfic is our story.

i was rasied in the truth...she was not...she got baptized...about 3 years after we were married..i was made a m.s.

in 1990...but becuse of personal reasons i stepped down shortly after..i conecentrated on raiseing my family..and had to work 2 jobs to support them......3 children.....then a few years later my wife left me for some one else...and then i got very sick...and was told my kidney was failing....a elder came to my house and told me that if there was anything i neede that all i had to do was ask...well...a few weeks later i asked this elder...if he could get a couple of young brothers to hep me get rid off some boxes of stuff my wufe had left behind..because i could not lift them...he told me in a reproachful tone...get your family to help you...this after he had told me weeks before...to ask him for help........i thought at the time its no big deal....but then something else happen to call into question all about jw.

rebel8

Donald, My advice is to fade away and never look back. This organization is terribly hypocritical. Granted, most (all?) human organizations are hypocritical, but then again, WTS claims to be the one and only true organization being led directly by God Himself for over a century. Does God Himself make mistakes such as these? Visit the links and you will see documentation of these hypocritical actions.

Support for the war effort appears to have been embraced in 1918 by the Watchtower Society, who praised the United States? set of laws and suggested a specific day be set aside to pray for a favorable outcome to World War I.?WATCHTOWER, 6/1/1918, pg. 174
The Watchtower Society joined the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organization in 1992. According to United Nations documents, the Watchtower Society filed applications for membership that required pledging support of UN principles and agreement to disseminate information publicly in support of the UN. The WTS membership status came to public knowledge via a newspaper article in 2001. The newspaper alleges that the WTS then made a hasty withdrawal of the UN, in response to public outcry. The WTS apparently claimed they were inadvertently listed as a UN member after applying for a library card, a claim which the UN states is untrue.
In 2002, it appears the Watchtower Society owned a significant percentage of stock in Rand Corporation, a manufacturer of military equipment, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission web site.

WTS is a billion dollar publishing company whose finances are secret and have little known humanitarian expenditures. Even rank and file members are called "publishers"!

Visit this link--it will open your eyes. http://www.factnet.org/rancho5.htm?FACTNet

Here's a story board. Your experience is not unique. http://www.network54.com/Forum/217065

41

I hate living with effing psycho parents

by tsunami_rid3r in

jw
friends

i have a mom who would rather me not go to college, keep me locked up in the house, and just serve jehovah.

i have a weak dad, instead of her being subjected to him, he's subjected to her.

he's on my side on most of the part but he's just weak on setting her straight.

rebel8

tsunami--sorry to hear what you're going through.

When I was your age (doncha hate it when people say that--blech), I was in a similar situation. My mother was the de facto head of household and boss of me. She was a control freak and was physically abusive as well. (Didn't stop the physical abuse until I held her hands back and said "never again"--on my high school graduation day!)

I too thought I needed my parents in order to attend college. I ended up leaving my mother's house at 19 with little $ and the clothes on my back.

Here's what I would do differently, if I could go back in time, FWIW:

Obtain "emancipated minor" status. This means your parents legally cannot make any decisions for you, nor are they responsible for financially supporting you. (This may not be the best choice for you--only you can decide--just sharing my own experience.)
Move out asap. Find a friend at high school whose parents would have been willing to let me live with them, move in with grandparents, anyone else but in my abusive mother's house. I would have reported my mother's abuse to the authorities if I had to.
"Emancipated minor" status, I believe, would have allowed me to obtain a great deal more financial aid and go to college. I would have taken the college entrance exams and applied to college--wouldn't let anything stop me. (Believe me, it's harder to go back in a few years, and it put my career that many years behind everyone else's. The effects of not going to college immediately after high school are long lasting.)

9

The itch of the ascetic

by El blanko in

jw
friends

have you ever had the itch to slim down your possessions to only those that are needed?

.

i get it from time to time, but wonder whether it is part of my neurosis.

rebel8

I actually do have it from time to time, but possibly for a different reason.

I have lived in the same town all my life, and for various reasons have been unable to move away (long story). I hate this area and have always wanted to move. (The job market is sparse and we have winter-like weather for 6 months of the year.) Whenever I feel like I've gathered too much stuff, I feel trapped somehow...as if it's going to be a barrier to me getting outta here...even though I know it's mostly illogical....I get a strong urge to get rid of everything.

It may partially be a throwback to my JW brainwashing during childhood...being told time and again how "material possessions" tie a person down.

Spring gives me the urge to downsize, too!

4

interesting stem cell news..

by candidlynuts in

i havent seen this on the tv news.. its too full of the one or two sensational stories that they are covering... seen this on msnbc website and i hope they keep pursuing this because stem cell therapy seems to be a remarkable treatment for a lot of illnesses... msnbc.com.

scientists grow adult stem cells from nose .

aided by catholic church, research avoids ethical problemsreutersupdated: 11:59 a.m. et march 24, 2005. .

rebel8

I know I'm reviving an old thread....but just had to comment on this as it's an interest of mine.

So the RC church objects to embryonic stem cell use and funds research in developing non-embryonic stem cells...the outcome of which would serve for the greater good, to all humanity, not just RCs....how often have we seen the WTS fund any research at all? they'd never even fund research into developing treatments they themselves don't object to for the good of their own members...

20

Opposer Bragging Time: How People Have You Saved From JW?

by Check_Your_Premises in

i have been an opposer for 3 months now, i have already taken out a bible study by providing info by proxy.. i think i will put a notch in my bible!.

what methods have you used?

how many people have you helped leave?

rebel8

They seemed shocked yet smiled at me!

Were you dressed like your avatar pic when you did this? Maybe there's another reason for the smiles, LOL!

20

Opposer Bragging Time: How People Have You Saved From JW?

by Check_Your_Premises in

i have been an opposer for 3 months now, i have already taken out a bible study by providing info by proxy.. i think i will put a notch in my bible!.

what methods have you used?

how many people have you helped leave?

rebel8

I helped one person leave the dubs, does that count? Then along came the internet...

I've talked to about 5-6 of people online that I believe I had a significant role in "stumbling", LOL. (Speaking of people I spent an extended amount of time talking to, not just a comment here or there on a forum.)

Then there are the untold millions (I wish! ) that have visited my website and read my posts on the dozens of forums I participate in...who have silently been discouraged from further contact with dubs....