Posts by Rod P

I have to tell you that your picture looks the spitting image of my scottish father while he was alive. It was like seeing him come back to life. By the way, he loved beer.

Rod P.

31

No increase so far for the Society in the United States

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

from september 2004 to april 2005, there has been no significant increase in the number of publishers reporting for the 2005 service year, which began last september.

september 2004 - 990,551

october 2004 - 993,476

Rod P

Dark Night,

Interesting comment about the longer Jehovah waits the more people he will have to destroy at Armageddon.

I would add, "the gospel must first be preached amongst all kindreds, tongues and peoples, and then the end will come". In that context, the longer God waits, the more people there are that will never have heard of the Gospel. Seems to me God's fighting a losing battle, if He's going to rely on the JW Organization to get the job done. LOL

Rod P.

12

Are emails from JW's who know you've left cries for help?

by kwintestal in

jw
friends

as a jw, i always wondered why someone would leave 'the truth'.

obviously though as they were df'd or had da'd themselves you couldn't just go up to them and ask what the deal was.

yesterday we got an email from a friend of mrs. kwin who moved 3 hours away last fall, basically saying "i missed not seeing you at the assembly.

Rod P

Kwint,

Well, if you are not concerned about facing disfellowshipment, etc. then perhaps it would be good to reply to any JW who approaches you, and giving them the benefit of the doubt.

State your position as you see fit, leave the door open to them to respond to you further from a sincere, human standpoint, and then wait to see if that's the basis on which he/she is approaching you or your immediate family members.

If they come to you as a JW in an attempt to get you to "repent and return to the fold", then you can politely but firmly reiterate your position. But at that point, they will have played their hand, and you will know where they are coming from.

The point is, it may well be that the person communicating with you may actually be "crying out for help", or wants to share his/her doubts with you. This is why it is best not to prejudge the situation.

There are a lot of things going on in JW land these days, and I happen to think that a lot of JW's are becoming "closet doubters" about a lot of things. You never know, but I for one am standing at the ready for anyone who wants to reach out. Then I will wait for them to reveal their motivations.

All the best with your decision.

Rod P.

16

One Year!

by whyamihere in

it was my jwd birthday yesterday, and i just wanted to say thank you!

it has been 1 year since i have gone to a meeting.

i have all of you to thank, because of your support it has saved not only me, but my kids as well.

Rod P

Hey Brooke,

Congratulations. May you have many more JWD Anniversaries.

I agree with you. You have done your children a huge favour and provided them with a legacy of opportunity amidst normalcy. Of that you should be proud.

Rod P.

49

No Clapping at Wild Statements at DC????!!!!

by hamsterbait in

jw
friends

i just read a post that said the audience was not obediently clapping at the convention when the speakers made wild statements (presumably with the rising nazi voice).

did anyone else notice this.. will others look out for it at their dc and tell us?.

i'm not going.. bwaaaaahhhhhhh.

Rod P

Well, I guess we have all had some interesting experiences with clapping the JW way. I got pretty good at clapping on cue, even though it felt silly to do it. Let's just say I was being supportive.

However, now that we have left the troof, perhaps we may need to revisit the whole question of Clapping, but this time from a new perspective. So..............

What is the sound of One Hand Clapping? (from Zen Buddhism) Well, I know that sound. To hear it, you need two people. One person raises his right hand in the air, and then slaps the other person's face. (Go easy here!). That is the sound of one hand clapping!

Rod P.

40

What really bothers me about my JW research.

by ithinkisee in

jw
friends

some of you may know, but i have been on a serious journey through watchtower "theology", and by association, have gone back all through the history of christianity.

i know many on this list have gone thru the same thing.

i have checked out probably 100 archeological, religious, and history books from the library.

Rod P

IthinkIsee,

That was very well put, and I applaude your research.

Yes, it is the simple things that condemns the WBTS/GB the most. It is one thing to be human and make sincere mistakes, and then correct them when discovered. I could understand and forgive and handle that.

But when brutal policies are imposed and enforced on their own sincere and believing members which destroy lives, break up families, and cause deaths and incarcerations needlessly, all based on wrong or erroneous interpretations of scripture, then I feel anger and disgust towards them. Then there are the lies and the cover-ups of the actions of the pedophiles in their midst for the sake of their own Organizational Image. Is this not the Image of the Beast?

It is even worse that in the wake of this endless trail of destruction, they feel no remorse, no sense of wrong-doing, no pangs of moral conscience. In fact, it is all our faults for questioning and not believing. For them, the end does justify the means, no matter the cost. The whole system, and the leadership at the top is just SICK and PSYCHOTIC.

It boggles my mind how they sleep at night, or how they can look at themselves in the mirror each day, knowing full well what they have done and continue to do.

Rod P.

22

Wandering during the meeting is it getting worser? Or maybe betterer!?

by mkr32208 in

i was forced to go over to the hall near my house to pick up my g-mother in laws wheelchair for the assembly.

she keeps one there that reclines for when she goes to the hall (usually once a year or so!

ha) anyway she needed it so i had to go get it!

Rod P

Is it possible that you are considered to be present or "in attendance" at the Kingdom Hall, but you have to go there at the start of the meetings? Then afterwards, when the meeting is in session, you can sneak off to the parking lot. Sort of like "keeping up appearances" where it counts the most, and then when you get the chance, escape.

Kind of like high school kids who have to go to school and attend classes to avoid being marked "absent", but then after the attendance roles are taken, they skip out.

Rod P.

60

Up to our elbows in Newbs on JWD

by IP_SEC in

jw
friends

wow, what's going on here?

i look at all the new folk here that seem to have joined in the past 2 months and are posters who are under 100 posts and i gotta wonder why.. has something happened in dubland recently to cause a lot of folk to reach out?

if you are new here at jwd, how did you find us?

Rod P

I stumbled on JWD doing a search on Jehovah's Witnesses in January /05. I have been out of JW's since 1966 (but lived in a religiously divided home with a JW wife until 1973).

Anyway, exploring JWD subjects, I was attracted to one about Depression, recalling my battles with this back then. One thing led to another, and next thing I knew I was telling my "life story", and how I overcame depression, and rebuilt my life in a whole new direction.

Then I started trolling around the JWD and was utterly amazed at the wealth of knowledge and experience that was on this site. This led me to new insights about all that I had been thru, especially the ashes of my JW exodus.

Next thing you know, I found opportunities to contribute to this forum too, and I hope that some of it has proven useful along the way. Anyway, now that I'm hooked, looks like I'm here to stay.

About the 2000 or so Newbies since January 2005 (less those who have renamed themselves- which I think is pretty minimal), I just want to say WELCOME ALL NEWBIES! COME ONE, COME ALL!

Are the number increases accelerating? I think there is a trend demonstrating that that is the case. It must be striking terror in the heart of the WBTS/GB. Ever heard of the Snow Ball Principle- Getting bigger and bigger, faster and faster, as it rolls down the hill? I think that's what's happening here. Also, I suspect there must be thousands of JW's around the world right now who have some serious doubts and questions, but do not feel quite ready or able to make the move out of the ORG. The family ties and connections could be too great, and the price they would have to pay is too high. So they sit there and fester and fume in their doubts, wishing they could do something about their situation. As a way to let off a little steam, they come to places like this JWD forum on the internet. And before you know it, they begin to feel like they are discovering enough evidence and wisdom that confirms how they have been feeling and why, and also gives them the realization that they are not the only ones going thru this, and they are also not alone. This strengthens them, which turns into a kind of catalyst for action. Next thing you know, they begin to express themselves on places like this forum. Voila! Here comes a lot of Newbies! And that's a great thing, IMHO!

I feel with every fiber of my being that we are doing a good thing here, helping people to see all the lies, inconsistencies, corruption and damages that have been done by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society/Governing Body to so many thousands of sincere individuals over the years, and continue doing so to this day. This is not bitterness; it is a fact! The proofs are all around us on this JWD forum. It needs to be exposed for what it is, and at the same time, for those who decide to leave the ORG, they have a place to come to for support and understanding and acceptance.

Another thing about this forum: It is not just limited to JW religious discussion. There are a lot of other interesting topics, from news events to politics, from science to cosmology and evolution, from atheism to philosophy, from ghosts, witchcraft and demons, from mathematic paradoxes and puzzles to games, favorite sayings and expressions, from new alternatives for spirituality to the critical examination of other religions and cults, and on and on and on. You know, if this was all catalogued and organized, I think this could turn into an online University education, and Simon ought to start offering graduate diplomas to anyone who reaches at least Jedi here, while others go on to get their masters and phd's for higher levels. LOL

Rod P.

17

Can disfellowshipping a person be harmful to their spirituality?

by JH in

jw
friends

the jw org wants us to be almost perfect.

the slightest fault that we do, we are treated as if we are entirely bad, then we get df'd.. it's an "all or nothing" way of thinking that can be spiritually dangerous.. example: if a jw is caught smoking, and becomes df'd because of this, that person may feel free to do even worse sins, because they can't be more df'd than they are right now.

so disfellowshipping a person for something as small as smoking or playing lotto, can be counter productive for the sinner.. it's like puting a person in jail for a petty crime.

Rod P

It might initially, until they pick themselves up off the floor, brusch themselves off, and start over. For some, they may never recover.

Thinking about it, I think it may be more about the question of the harm it causes to their Self-Esteem.

Rod P.