Posts by jimakazi

82

Are you an Irritating Bastard?

by gumby in

how many of you ex witnesses out there became irritating bastards to family and friends when you left the organisation?

did you push your believing mate right out the door with your verbal assaults?

did you send out a long letter to all of your witness family and friends telling them what a lying cult the watchtower organisation is?

jimakazi

Yes but what about people who become JW's and then become irratating bastards by telling every one they know that they are going to die unless they join the borg? Actaully a great technique to issolate them from the "opposed" spouses and friends - leaving just the love bombing JW's to fill the empty spaces.

I think those who escape and try to show the others what is wrong are much less irratating. I guess it's really irratating if in the deep recesses of a largely inactive JW brain there is the recognition that if they listen they too will leave, but they are in a comfrotable zone where all thinking is done for them, and armagedons just arround that never ending corner.

13

Tertiary education

by Spanners in

hi, my sister is a jw and last year was her final year of secondary school (17/18 years old over here), she received the prize for best student overall in the whole school.

she's always wanted to go to university and become a lawyer and now since becoming a jw has changed her mind and is working in a restaurant clearing tables.

which is a bit of a joke, because she'll end up stuck in that job for the next 30 years.. she doesnt want to go to university because "armageddon is coming soon so theres no point".

jimakazi

5/8/1989 Pages 13-14
What Career Should I Choose?
University Education—Advantageous?
Most pioneer ministers support themselves with part-time work. But what if later on you need to support a family? Surely one would never regret devoting one’s youthful years to God’s service! Still, some ask, Would it not make sense for a youth first to obtain a university degree and perhaps pursue the ministry later?
The Bible, of course, does not spell out exactly how many years of schooling a Christian youth should obtain. Nor does it condemn education. Jehovah, the “Grand Instructor,” encourages his people to read well and to express themselves clearly. (Isaiah 30:20; Psalm 1:2; Hebrews 5:12) Moreover, education can broaden our understanding of people and the world we live in.
Nevertheless, is a university degree always worth the huge commitment of time and money it demands? While statistics indicate that university graduates earn higher salaries and suffer less unemployment than high school graduates, the book Planning Your College Education reminds us that these statistics are mere averages. Only a minority of university graduates actually receive sky-high salaries; the rest are paid wages that are far more down to earth. Besides, the high incomes attributed to university graduates may also result from such factors as “unusual abilities, motivation, area opportunities for employment, . . . special talents”—not simply the amount of their education.
“A [university] degree no longer guarantees success in the job market,” says the U.S. Department of Labor. “The proportion [of university graduates] employed in professional, technical, and managerial occupations . . . declined because these occupations did not expand rapidly enough to absorb the growing supply of graduates. As a result, roughly 1 out of 5 [university] graduates who entered the labor market between 1970 and 1984 took a job not usually requiring a degree. This oversupply of graduates is likely to continue through the mid-1990’s.”
Further Facts to Ponder
A university degree may or may not improve your employment prospects. But one fact is indisputable: “The time left is reduced”! (1 Corinthians 7:29) For all its presumed benefits, would four years or more in a university be the best use of that remaining time?—Ephesians 5:16.
Would a university education steer you toward or away from your spiritual goals? Remember, a high income is not a Christian priority. (1 Timothy 6:7, 8) Yet, a survey of U.S. university administrators described today’s students as ‘career-oriented, concerned with material success, concerned with self.’ One group of students said: “It seems like all we talk about is money.” How might being immersed in an atmosphere of intense competition and selfish materialism affect you?
Universities may no longer have the riotous scenes of the 1960’s. But a decrease in university bedlam hardly means the campus environment is wholesome. Concluded one study of campus life: “Students still have almost unlimited freedom in personal and social matters.” Drugs and alcohol are used freely, and promiscuity is the rule—not the exception. If this is true of universities in your land, might living there thwart your efforts to remain morally clean?—1 Corinthians 6:18.
Another concern is the well-documented association of exposure to higher education with decreased “adherence to core religious tenets.” (The Sacred in a Secular Age) The pressure to maintain high grades has caused some Christian youths to neglect spiritual activities and thus become vulnerable to the onslaught of secular thinking promoted by universities. Some have suffered shipwreck concerning their faith.—Colossians 2:8.
Alternatives to University Education
In view of these facts, many Christian youths have decided against a university education. Many have found that the training offered in congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses—the weekly Theocratic Ministry School in particular—has given them a real edge in finding employment. Though not possessing a university degree, such youths learn to be poised, adept at expressing themselves, and quite capable of handling responsibility. Furthermore, while in secondary school, some take courses in typing, computer programming, auto repair, machine-shop work, and so forth. Such skills may lend themselves to part-time employment and are often in high demand. And though many youths disdain ‘working with their hands,’ the Bible dignifies doing “hard work.” (Ephesians 4:28) Why, Jesus Christ himself learned a trade so well that he came to be called “the carpenter”!—Mark 6:3.
True, in some lands university graduates have so flooded the job market that it is hard to obtain even commonplace jobs without additional training. But often there are apprenticeship programs, vocational or technical schools, and short-term university courses that teach marketable skills with a minimum investment of time and money. Also, there is a factor that employment statistics do not take into account: God’s promise to provide for those who give priority to spiritual interests.—Matthew 6:33.
Employment prospects and educational systems vary from place to place. Youths have different abilities and inclinations. And while a career in the Christian ministry is recommended as being beneficial, it is still a matter of personal choice. You and your parents must thus carefully weigh all factors involved in deciding how much education is right for you. ‘Each one must carry his own load’ in making such decisions.—Galatians 6:5.
If, for example, your parents insist that you attend a university, you have no choice but to obey them as long as you are living under their supervision. (Ephesians 6:1-3) Perhaps you can continue living at home and avoid getting caught up in the university scene. Be selective in your choice of courses, for example, focusing on learning job skills rather than worldly philosophies. Guard your associations. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Keep yourself spiritually strong by meeting attendance, field service, and personal study. Some youths who have been obliged to attend university have even managed to pioneer by choosing a schedule of courses that made that possible.
Choose your career carefully and prayerfully, so that it not only will bring personal happiness but will enable you to ‘store up treasures in heaven.’—Matthew 6:20.
2/1/1967 Pages 75-6
Fruitful Christians Manifest Godly Contentment
10 Some persons who have been bearing godly fruit, however, turn aside from that right course, and this is often because they are no longer “content with the present things.” Young people, for example, are easily influenced by the materialistic outlook of the world around them, and especially is this true if their parents are inclined to value highly the ability to command a big salary in the business world. As a result, they may set their hearts on the education that is offered by the world’s institutions of “higher learning.” Their desire is not simply to learn a trade so that they can work with their hands and not be a burden on others; no, they want to be in an upper-income bracket. (1 Thess. 4:10-12) But what is wrong with that? Jesus frankly said that it would be more difficult for a rich man to get into the Kingdom than for a camel to get through the eye of a sewing needle. (Luke 18:24, 25) Rather than being content with “sustenance and covering,” those who devote themselves to getting a “higher education” usually want to be able to enjoy “the rest of the things” that money can buy. (Mark 4:19) If they are going to succeed in the education they have set out to get, they have to work hard at it. Study of the Bible, association with the Christian congregation and participation in the Christian ministry are curtailed. Worldly associations predominate; worldly philosophy fills their minds. What happens? Perhaps not what they expected, though they would have known if they took seriously what the Bible says. (1 Cor. 15:33; Col. 2:8) It may even come as a shock to their parents. Why, just recently a man who wanted his boy to have a “good education” so that life would be easier for him found that, in just one year at college, the boy had lost his faith—something that no amount of money can buy.

Thanks to Shaun's research.

13

Tertiary education

by Spanners in

hi, my sister is a jw and last year was her final year of secondary school (17/18 years old over here), she received the prize for best student overall in the whole school.

she's always wanted to go to university and become a lawyer and now since becoming a jw has changed her mind and is working in a restaurant clearing tables.

which is a bit of a joke, because she'll end up stuck in that job for the next 30 years.. she doesnt want to go to university because "armageddon is coming soon so theres no point".

jimakazi

Sadly true. Too do the education thing is a demonstration of a lack of faith, and probably more to the point at university she would be exposed to new ideas, learn how to think, and may QUESTION the JW's faith. It doesn't stand up to a lot of questioning.

12

Where do these numbers come from???

by upside/down in

.

i hear these random, dogmatic numbers all the time.... noah preached for 70, 90, or now it's 120 years.... noah worked 40, no 70 years on his ark.... even as a dub i wondered where these wacky numbers come from... says who?.

help me out please and give me examples that you've noticed of unverifiable numbers!.

jimakazi

Ok you want to know how to come up with these numbers. My theory is:

[1] Read the bible till your eyes ache...

[2] Read it agsin till your brain hurts, then read it again...

[3] Drink lots of alchol

[4] Write down what ever comes into your head...

Divine inspriation!

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?

jimakazi

No field service - now there is a plus.

Now if I could only get back the hundreds and hours wasted. I guess in retrospect I'm damn happy I didn't have any sucess in converting people to the borg. And when I left one of my friends left too - to quote him "You always were a thinker, and if it was the truth you would have stayed, so when you left I thought I'm not wasting my time and got out of there".

47

Motive of some Posters

by love2Bworldly in

jw
friends

"are you hiding what you truely are?

are you embarrased for what you have become?

sure sounds like it to me.

jimakazi

Why would God be concenred with us? More likely he will be pissed with the JW's teaching a bunch of crap [in his name] that requires you to not use your "god given power of reasoning".

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?

jimakazi

I'm one of the "newbies".

I only decided to do some research after my mother had to have a major operation to see what was really siad about the blood thing by the medical experts. I found a number of sites related to JW's, and this one seemed the most interesting, well balanced & generally rational [not drooling, bug eyed, ranting anti JW].

I leaned stuff from here I had never even realised about the JW's and hell I just got hooked. I went from being a neutral fade out, to a more polarised postion; against! You will find me raising topic's that will be fun to raise with JW's just to let the seed of doubt set in. My wife who has never been a JW intially thought from the title of the site that I was looking to get involved again - when I explained the site she was much happier.

By the way I tried to load a photo but no luck [it were scare all children except mine - perhaps thats why it won't upload].

Thanks ..... Jimakazi

36

Meat eating preditors will eat grass like a lamb!

by jimakazi in

jw
friends

i am always a little pi***d when i see jw illustrations showing lions and tigers in the close vacinity of samll children, lambs and other meaty treats with no safety barriers.

[why this is paradise is beyound me - these anaimals smell].. so if we assume an intelligent creator, why would he create large meat eating preditors if he really ment them to eat grass?

every thing about their make up is about specialistation, from teeth, to jaws, to how their stomachs work.

jimakazi

I love the "wise" answers to the questions from readers that Blondie posted. I remember my mother telling me when I rasied such questions that I thought too much, and as I dared question the teachings of the JW's that I was actually questioning Jehovah.

I have no problem with that - "hey big guy, Jehovah, why do the JW's manintain all your wonderful creations like sharks [OK some are not so wonderfull] and the land based preditors all ate grass once, and will eat grass again"? may be he can post on this forum seeing as direction via the holy spriti seems pretty ineffectiver these days.

A couple of further interesting points:

[1] Basically the 1st Q from readers answer bascially proves the Noahs ark story to be an impossibility - food, and sewerage being 2 very big issues.

[2] And if animals ate grass early on why does the fossil record not support this, T-Rex for instance did not have the mechanisms for effectively processing vegetation, he could however do the meat thing pretty well.

[3] I have heard them go on about how wonderfully Jehovah made the entire ecosystem, it's basically completely interlocked, and mans interference is screwing it up. The ecosystem replies on soem fish eating single celled plankton, and other fish eating them, with great whites at the top of the food chain - thats right there is a food chain. So are we to believe that all these complex systems wre put in place following the flood, damn the big guy must have been busy. Maybe he wore himself out which is why armagedon is taking so long???

Dudes and dudettes; we have it in our power to really really mess with the heads of any poor JW that come across our paths - bring it on!

34

Prince FANS ONLY Please!!!

by prophecor in

despite the purlple ones' religious persuasion, at this time, whats your favorite song and / or album?

i'll start.

the album purple rain is my favourite, one of my favourite songs, however is " i could never take the place of your man "

jimakazi

I remember at one district assembly they talked about just how bad lyrics at become; using as an example "one popular musisian even signs of a woman maturbating in a hotel lobby" - we all knew the lyrics off by heart "Darling Nikki".

Prince is very prolific - however he has so many great songs I'll just list the albums that rank for me:

[1] Purple Rain [purple rain, darling nikki, when doves cry]

[2] Sign of the time's [if I were your girl friend]

[3] Diamond and Pearls

36

Meat eating preditors will eat grass like a lamb!

by jimakazi in

jw
friends

i am always a little pi***d when i see jw illustrations showing lions and tigers in the close vacinity of samll children, lambs and other meaty treats with no safety barriers.

[why this is paradise is beyound me - these anaimals smell].. so if we assume an intelligent creator, why would he create large meat eating preditors if he really ment them to eat grass?

every thing about their make up is about specialistation, from teeth, to jaws, to how their stomachs work.

jimakazi

Hi MidwichCuckoo

All vegetarian? So why don't they do it now, if this is how Jehovah wants them to act in the new order?

Hell if I know it was a vegetarian paradise [is this an oxymoron?] I would have hit the eject button sooner.