Posts by Twitch

51

Just found out my older brother has passed away

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

i have just found out that my brother (who was one of a bunch that shared this login) has died.. he and his wife were living in another country where they once pioneered.

i didn't see him that often.. such an empty feeling.....

Twitch

Sorry for your loss.

People drift apart, even siblings.

67

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

by nicolaou in

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.

Twitch

Good thread.

I'm more of the "live and let live" class these days. I do have mixed feelings about it at times. There's a lot of color gradient to every situation and I've not walked far in that many shoes. Different people connect and process in different ways. I try to honour that.

10

Exodus- Ridley Scott film

by Diogenesister in

hi all, any thoughts on the ridley scott film exodus :gods and kings my people?

generally, its more or less as i would envision it.. love the representation of gods spirit/angel as a child of ?10 - great age, they have not lost their innocence but are aware of the dark side of life, question everything are bitingly honest in their assesments and you can often have surprisingly adult conversations with them.

of course in all this they are often very very funny(i may be biased as my kids are this age!!!).

Twitch

I liked it; a rather entertaining movie.

The bit with a spirit messenger being a child was reminiscent of "The Last Temptation of Christ" albeit in that one, the girl was supposedly Satan. In both cases, the protagonist was plagued and/or inspired by voices of "people" who weren't there. That bit is likely more true than any the story itself.

I can see how bible adherents would take offense to this and other narrative departures, but whatever, I thought it was good.

7

Some physicists believe our universe is a giant hologram

by EndofMysteries in

i wasn't entirely serious on older posts that our whole universe could technically be a computer simulation and this next thing isn't claiming that but it seems to nudge it closer to that possibility.

as taken from here http://www.vox.com/2015/6/29/8847863/holographic-principle-universe.

"the idea isn't that the universe is some sort of fake simulation out of the matrix, but rather that even though we appear to live in a three-dimensional universe, it might only have two dimensions.

Twitch

Wrap yer mind around this one just for fun :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqeqW3g8N2Q

15

JW's and Violence

by TD in

jw
friends

my wife and i have recently gotten hooked on the history channel's series, vikings.

(my wife is full blooded norwegian....).

to be honest, the show is quite graphic in spots, but certainly no more so than a history book i own of the same time period.. anyhow, we made the mistake of mentioning the show if front of jw's last night and they were all thoroughly shocked that we watch it.. i tried pointing out that big chunks of the ot are not materially different and that even the confrontation between david and goliath would get an 'r' rating if it were visually portrayed in any detail at all.

Twitch

I'd say it's likely denial and a "head in the sand" mentality when confronted with the actual visuals that go along with the reality of what happened historically and what they hope to happen, albeit even by god's hand indirectly

15

How strong were you in “The Truth?”

by John Aquila in

when you were still asleep in the watchtower organization and had no idea of ttatt.

what would you have done if you were in a serious accident and all of a sudden you woke up in the emergency hospital room with all the brothers and sisters at your side and your spouse cheering you on to be faithful to jehovah.

then the doctor comes up to you and tells you that you are about to go into surgery because there is no time to lose and the only way to live is to take a blood transfusion ?

Twitch

When you were still asleep in the Watchtower Organization and had no idea of TTATT. Not one bit.
What would you have done if you were in a serious accident and all of a sudden you woke up in the emergency hospital room with all the brothers and sisters at your side and your spouse cheering you on to be faithful to Jehovah.
Then the doctor comes up to you and tells you that you are about to go into surgery because there is no time to lose and the only way to live is to take a blood transfusion ?
Would you have been willing to die and leave your family just to stay faithful to Jehovah? Or would you have succumbed to a lack of faith and taken the blood?
Aren’t you glad you never had to deal with it?

Well, though not exactly the hypothetical question posed here, I'll share my somewhat related experience.

I was born in. When I was 10, I had an appendicitis attack and went from normalcy to excruciating pain within a couple hours. Off to the hospital we went. Examination, waiting, this room, that room, the IV, seriousness. But what I remember most vividly is the conversation with my parents and the doctor on what was happening and that I'm going into surgery. Then the doctor left and my parents told me I wouldn't need a blood transfusion. To be honest, I hadn't even thought of it. Sure I knew the stance on it and what I heard and read in the company policy guides but it really hit me in that room on that bed. I could live or die here and there's a conscious decision here that may decide the outcome. I'm powerless. I just want to live. And I recall thinking amidst the pain my parents telling me that I won't need a blood transfusion, a good thing. Like it should even be a thing I thought. Fast forward, this room, that room, the mask and thinking whilst counting, this could be it.

The surgery happened, I was fine. Life went on. I was 10. Much has happened since then. Time does heal.

Strange thing looking back, so long ago.

75

What was your eye opening moment?

by WasOnceBlind in

if you had to pinpoint the time or experience that finally made you open your eyes, what would it be?.

i think for me it was the time i saw my dad shun his brother who he had not seen in decades just because he was a da'ed jw.

i thought to my self "no way jesus would do that.

Twitch

I would rather throw in my lot with many of the people I have had the privilege to know and love in the "world".

StrongHaiku,

Yes, I came to that crossroads at the time and made the same decision. I regret nothing

75

What was your eye opening moment?

by WasOnceBlind in

if you had to pinpoint the time or experience that finally made you open your eyes, what would it be?.

i think for me it was the time i saw my dad shun his brother who he had not seen in decades just because he was a da'ed jw.

i thought to my self "no way jesus would do that.

Twitch

If you had to pinpoint the time or experience that finally made you open your eyes, what would it be?

I moved away from home at age 18 and was well on my way out the door mentally by then. My teens were a struggle to reconcile what I was taught/believed and what seemed rational to me and a more reasonable worldview. The problem of evil (and other more specific JW doctrines) caused considerable cognitive dissonance in me fledgling mind. One experience that blew the doors wide open was that I began dating a 24 yr old single mother who had a completely different but challenging life to that point. Despite hardships, she was a beautiful and caring person who never hurt a fly and although not religious, was searching for meaning. The kicker was that as good a person as she was, she and her infant son were essentially doomed at the soon to be released carnage of the Big A. This was a major confirmation that something wasn't right with the JW belief. Though her and I only lasted a few short but intense years, I'll never forget that experience and how it (and she) opened my eyes to many a wonderful and thoughtful thing.

141

Schoolyard bully mentality

by FusionTheism in

i'm not naming names, but i just want to encourage people on here or on reddit or twitter, and tell you that you do not have to tolerate people who act like schoolyard bullies in the way they speak to you online.

i think anonymity is a big part of it.

they feel like there is zero accountability so they can be a bully all they want.. i recommend just ignoring or blocking anyone who is verbally abusive or treats you like schoolyard bullies treated you.. life is way too short to spend any time dealing with those kinds of people..

Twitch

Lordy...

Well played, V, well played. That post almost deserves a red X over it. I'll be watching out for you when I'm near the watering hole, er, produce section at PriceChoppers.

And with that, I'm out. A pleasure as always Miss V. And thanks for the virtual chess; all in good fun ;)

141

Schoolyard bully mentality

by FusionTheism in

i'm not naming names, but i just want to encourage people on here or on reddit or twitter, and tell you that you do not have to tolerate people who act like schoolyard bullies in the way they speak to you online.

i think anonymity is a big part of it.

they feel like there is zero accountability so they can be a bully all they want.. i recommend just ignoring or blocking anyone who is verbally abusive or treats you like schoolyard bullies treated you.. life is way too short to spend any time dealing with those kinds of people..

Twitch

Ah yes, of course

So, do you like grapes?

lmao