Posts by truth_about_the

31

Is there a difference between a "wrong expectation" and a "false prophecy"?

by booker-t in

jw
friends

as many of you posters know by now that my mom has been a devout jw for 40 years and just cannot accept the fact that i am no longer a jw and feel that i am being deceived by apostates and will be destroyed at armaggeddon.

well the other day we had another knock down debate about "false prophecies" and the wts.

my mom insist that the wts are not false prophets but merely had many "wrong expectations" the same as other bible writers and disciples of christ.

truth_about_the_truth

Wrong expectation = when the WT gets it wrong

False prophecy = Everyone else

7

BLOOD card - in a nutshell

by TheEdge in

i know they are renewed yearly, and here's my dilemma......my mother being a devout jw (and me well faded) - i know i am named on her card as next of kin (she mentioned it a few weeks ago) and over the years she has always asked me to stand against the blood issue on her behalf if she's unable to do so.

i have always agreed, because whatever i believe, i also respect the belief of others too.

now i'm wondering what exactly is on there........is it a flip flop?

truth_about_the_truth

In a nutshell, taking blood fractions has become a conscience issue. In the past, this was unheard of. Anything in any way associated with blood was a no-no. The 4 major elements of blood (red blood cell, white blood cell, platelets, plasma) are still not allowed. (The WT, not the medical field has defined what these 'major' elements are)

Why is it presented in such a complicated way? it's to hide the fact that basically blood transfusions have now really become a matter of conscience. Why do they want to hide this under a veil of confusion?

Can you imagine what would happen if they flat out came out and announced that taking blood is now your personal decision? Current and former JW who have lost loved ones in the past would sue them for every penny and the public outcry would be enormous.

So to minimize the damage, they have introduced a new DPA which replaces the old blood card. Now YOU have to choose which fractions your conscience allows you to take on the DPA. That way if anything happens where you lose your life because of blood complications, the WT is not liable. Are you kidding me? Last I checked, most of JW are not experts in the medical field. How are we supposed to know which fractions should be considered 'holy and unacceptable'? I have to reason that 99% of JW who fill out that form will accept all blood fractions that wont get themselve DFed when their loved ones lives are on the line.

As for the 4 'major' components that are not allowed? That's a joke.

Ex: If I need plasma (which is 97% water) to live, would you consider that blood?

White blood cells are transferred from mother to child when breast feeding. Is the baby drinking mom's blood?

The doctors can always find a way around these idiotic technicalities if there ever is an issue. So basically, blood transfusions have become a personal decision and if you die because you refuse any blood component, it is your responsibility. If you filled out the DPA, you cant sue the WT society.

You'll never read that in the WT though. Instead you get the encrypted version.

16

Any ex-bethelites here?

by truth_about_the_truth in

jw
friends

.

i just joined the board a few days ago.. just wondering if there are any ex-bethelites here from brooklyn.

is so, when were you there?

truth_about_the_truth

Thanks for the link blondie...i've checked that out before. It's really informative.

mamas,

you can get a description of my current state in my debut post here http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/24/83857/1.ashx

To summarize, not df'ed still "active" but fading. What caused the change from 'spiritual giant' to 'spiritually weak'?

It was a gradual thing but mainly, there are too many rules from the FDS that go against the spirit of true christianity. The more research I did the more inconsistencies I've found.

The one that struck a chord with me personally was the DF doctrine since it has affected a close family member. There is a clear misapplication of the scriptures that are used to support this. It is clearly there for self preservation purposes of the org. as a whole not because of love of neighbor.

Another one is the blood issue. How is a symbol of life (blood) supposed to outweigh life itself by allowing someone to die in order to uphold the sanctity of the symbol? Didnt make sense.

I didnt like the way that GB or other responsible members of bethel were glorified. Not what Jesus taught.

Didnt agree with the concept of a FDS coming in between us Jesus and Jehovah.

What really did me in was that I couldnt be outspoken about my concerns without fear of being stigmatized. We should all be free to voice our concerns and opinions. Isn't that a human right that was given to us by the Creator?

I read Crisis of Conscience and In Search of Christian Freedom. Nuff said.

There's a lot more but thats pretty much in a nutshell. I'll post more subjects in the future piece by piece on issues that caused me to become this way.

Sorry to hear about the fact that you've been shunned. It's not a "loving" thing to do. Jesus never shunned the sinners of his day but built them up. Keep that in mind.

16

Any ex-bethelites here?

by truth_about_the_truth in

jw
friends

.

i just joined the board a few days ago.. just wondering if there are any ex-bethelites here from brooklyn.

is so, when were you there?

truth_about_the_truth

I just joined the board a few days ago.

Just wondering if there are any ex-bethelites here from Brooklyn. Is so, when were you there?

92

A religion with nothing to Celebrate

by eyeslice in

jw
friends

how sad that the witnesses have nothing to celebrate.

the more i think about it since i stopped going to the meetings, the more i feel that spirituality and religion are about opportunities to give thanks and to celebrate life with family and friends.

christenings or name giving ceremonies celebrate the gift of a new life to a family.

truth_about_the_truth

I've heard this one before, "We are so blessed because we dont have to waste money and worry about buying gifts at christmas. What a hassle."

45

Special announcment 20 march fore JW ?

by happy man in

someone informed me today that in two months time there will be a "special announcement" to all congregations.

everyone must be present at the kingdom hall for it.

my elders already know what it is, but won't tell me.

truth_about_the_truth

Blondie seems to be as informed as those in the inner core of the org.

Could it be that blondie is actually a bethel 'heavy' in disguise?

Come on you can tell us...

12

Manuscript style public talks because of littletoe?

by truth_about_the_truth in

jw
friends

i downloaded and heard the "da" talk by littletoe and man all i can say is that it reminded me of that phrase in that def leppard song "it's better to burn out, than to fade away!".

that was tremendous.

i read on another thread that this is the reason why the new public talk outlines are now more manuscript than before.

truth_about_the_truth

I downloaded and heard the "DA" talk by littletoe and man all I can say is that it reminded me of that phrase in that Def Leppard song "it's better to burn out, than to fade away!"

That was tremendous.

I read on another thread that this is the reason why the new public talk outlines are now more manuscript than before. I do remember the society doing an overhaul of the outlines sometime in 2002 back when I was still doing them. Is it true that the society crapped in their pants when they found out about this and came out with new outlines to prevent something like this from happening again?

For those here that are thinking of calling it quits and haven't yet, instead of fading away how about leaving the society with another decision to make before you leave? On your last day of field service, come up with a presentation like this:

"Hi my name is ----, one of JW. This is the last time I will be visiting your home because as of right now I no longer consider myself as one of them. JW believe that you and your family will be eternally destroyed at armageddon because you are not one of them. Unless you convert now, you will die. If this message appeals to you, I'll have this person (point to your service partner) visit you again. I no longer believe in this and it does not appeal to me." Then walk away.

What's next then...memorized field service presentations that the society will be have to enforce? Actually they are pretty close to doing that now with the "suggestions" in the KM. But those "suggestions" will now have to be enforced as mandatory usage verbage. Who wants to go out in service now????

24

Have you noticed an oddity at indoor conventions?

by truth_about_the_truth in

every time i've attended a dc in an indoor arena, i 've noticed a u.s. flag hanging on the rafters or somewhere prominently displayed.

of course it is a permanent fixture of the arena.

anyways, since national flags are symbols of idolatry.

truth_about_the_truth

dh,

thanks for noticing. sorry if you were eating chicken while you were posting on this thread.

46

First post

by maidden in

jw
friends

but weirdly enough, i've been mentioned here before, when one of my posts at lj (about whether or not subjection to the organization is relative) caused a bit of a war among ljjws.

i found this forum googling my username, actually.

i was wondering if anyone here has any theories as to why it is that, the more meetings we skip, the less we want to go.

truth_about_the_truth

poipoi,

if you really want to find out if you've broken a rule or have done something that is not encouraged..go tell your elders you have been reading/posting on this site. See what happens.

I have no problem with the society in itself not being perfect but if you claim to be the mouthpiece of Jehovah, you BETTER be perfect. Otherwise you are misrepresenting him.

If you are an org TRYING to lead ppl into serving Jehovah, just say so admit that you are not perfect and leave the "chosen, hand-picked by Jehovah" stuff out. You are leaving yourself wide open for blasphemy when you screw up. Kinda digging your own grave when you make such tremendous claims.

24

Have you noticed an oddity at indoor conventions?

by truth_about_the_truth in

every time i've attended a dc in an indoor arena, i 've noticed a u.s. flag hanging on the rafters or somewhere prominently displayed.

of course it is a permanent fixture of the arena.

anyways, since national flags are symbols of idolatry.

truth_about_the_truth

Yeah, especially after 9-11 with all the patriotism going on.

i guess they're damned if they do and damned if they dont. They choose to keep the hanging idol and hope no one notices the inconsistency and compromise. It's working so far.

truth_about_the_truth

Posts by truth_about_the_truth