Posts by AllAlongTheWatchtower

23

Post the weirdest conversation that you had with a JW

by jambon1 in

jw
friends

there are quite a few but the one that got me wondering wtf i was part of was when an elder explained to a group of us that he wanted to actually see the worldly people being executed when the end comes.

i thought to myself "you unbelievable bastard".

AllAlongTheWatchtower

My wife had been studying with the JW's for a while, and I was just beginning to decide I wanted to do something about it, so I started trying to tweak the JW's nerves by asking them questions...one of them was "So, if Adam and Eve were the only people, how did they fulfill the command to "be fruitful and multiply"? This was a back and forth conversation over a period of weeks, as the JWs kept stammering about and saying "we'll get back to you"...consulting elders, most likely.

Eventually the original question expanded to include "Then why did Cain have to be marked to prevent people from killing him, there WERE no other people" and "Who was Cain's wife then?" which lead to "Did Cain have sex with Eve to beget Enoch?". The culmination of all this was when eventually, after about a month of this back-and-forth of questions and answers, the JWs triumphantly informed me they had found out the final answer to the whole problem: Cain DID have sex with Eve, back then Jehovah had not yet banned incest, the only reason to ban incest was because in later days, when the race had become "less pure due to sin", Jehovah knew it would cause genetic problems. His original design was so perfect, that it was ok for them to have incest to populate the earth, because there would be no genetic problems.

48

What is your favorite TV show?

by averyniceguy in

AllAlongTheWatchtower

House, and Heros. Used to also like Rescue Me, but can't see it anymore as I no longer have cable. Ditto for Monk. I've been a big fan of Law & Order SVU at times too, but the show lost it's chemistry when they reduced Mariska Hargitay's role, in my opinion.

23

Jesus last word......on the "cross"

by new boy in

jw
friends

it was either.

"this a hell of a way to spend easter sunday".

"please god......protect me from your followers".

AllAlongTheWatchtower

Please dad, that night with Mary didn't mean a thing, nobody will ever find out anyway. Who's Da Vinci?

Not going anywhere for a while?

18

Question for my friends on the other side of the pond

by loosie in

jw
friends

is wanker a bad word in the uk?.

or is it like telling someone there are a goober?.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

"ok, whats the uk definition of a tosser?" -zev

Ok, I'm American so I may not have this absolutely right...but basically "tossing" and "wanking" are the same...it's a reference to masturbating. Considering that in US slang the term "salad tosser" or "toss your salad" is a reference to anul-oral sex, I think some may also use it in a homophobic sense, as well.

AATW, of the 'learned lots of weird sh** as a chatroom admin' class.

14

Jesus death and resurrection

by Sasha in

trying to get these dates straight.

ok. passover nissan 14, jesus had the passover supper and announced to his deciples he would be dying.

so, that was this past monday., the next day he was killed (correct?

AllAlongTheWatchtower

The World Wide Church of God, Int. has an interesting theory about the death and resurrection of Jesus. It says that the prophecy said he would be dead "three days and three nights." (Matthew 12:40) (The Society has explained away this by saying that in the Hebrew idom it could mean "parts of three days.")

"WWCG,Int. lists the following:

Tuesday: Christ eats passover with disciples

Wednesday: Jesus is crucified around 3PM (Preparation day for the annual, not weekly Sabbath.

Thursday: High Sabbath, first day of unleavened bread the day after the "Day of Preparation."

Friday: High day Sabbath

Saturday: Weekly Sabbath (Jesus rises from dead near sunset)

Sunday: Women come to tomb "while it was still dark." Jesus had already risen.

What do you think? Does this theory have any credence?" -Pahpa

I grew up in the WWCG, they are a seventh day sect, and the above information is part of their doctrine to debunk mainstream christianity, Sunday worship, and easter, all in one fell swoop. Simultaneously, it reinforces their belief and teachings that Saturday is the correct day to worship. When I was a kid, I completely believed all this, and used to use the "but the bible says 3 whole days and 3 whole nights" arguement against mainstream christians who questioned or debated me on Easter. Later, I became atheist, but this teaching was still influential on me, in that I could not accept most mainstream religion because it was 'wrong', according to what I had been taught. Now? I have no idea, but I hate the WWCG just as thoroughly as most here hate the WTS, and you can take my word for it that anything they say should be taken with a grain of salt, lest you find you wallet lightened.

116

Convince me

by Liza in

i am highly considering becoming a jehovah's witness.

i have been raised in the congregration, but left it when i was a child because my mom left too, but we still retatined the core belifs including the ressurection and the blasphemous pagan influence on mainstream churches.

my mom has recently returned to the congregation, and it has helped her a lot.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

"So, I have read all your replies, and here's my request: Is there a website that pits the NWT Bible agaisnt a thoughougly translated Hebrew\Greek to plain english Bible? Even before I found this website I wanted to find a third party Bible, or perhaps many of them." - Liza

http://bible.cc/genesis/1-1.htm

The above link is to a site that gives each bible verse, as translated by 10 different versions. Completely searchable, etc. (The link points to Genesis 1-1, you can go on from there as needed) You might find that useful, however, as to a way to pit the NWT against other versions on a comparisonal basis, I'm not sure there is such a thing. The reason being, that only the JWs are really interested in the NWT, nobody else really takes it seriously. Also, the JWs are rather secretive about their bible and other literature unless you're interested in joining them. ( http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/99001/1.ashx Something I've posted about before here on the site, when I attempted to find the NWT or other JW literature in a bookstore and noticed it was not available in that way). That's two red flags in rapid order.

Regarding your original post Liza:

-Why can't I love Jehovah my own way? I want to become a psycology researcher\fiction writer\illustrator when I grow odler and get out of college. But I think my work will promote love toward God and his wisdom.

JWs don't believe in using any sort of mental science practioner, so being a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, therapist, etc is right out with them. There may be 'new light' which now allows them to seek the services of such, but it's still looked down upon, and those who do so are considered "weak in the faith", to actually BE one is even worse. Higher education is viewed as useless, since "this system of things" will soon end, there's no need to waste your time and money on it, both are better spent in the spreading of "Jehovah's word" and filling WTS coffers. Furthermore, completing college might make you all edumacated and uppity...downright haughty, vain, proud, and sinful even! Remember, the MEEK shall inherit 'paradise earth'.

23

THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER! Fable or Fact?

by FireNBandits in

.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

Heh...I just read the other topic on this subject, where the kid got suspended from school...got a kick out of the term 'spagnostic'.

39

Anybody here ever FASTED before?

by avidbiblereader in

jw
friends

i usually fast three to four times a year, i am going on my third day now.

i get tremendous health benefits from it as i purge my body of impurities that we eat, drink and otherwise.

i feel much clearer mentally and physically.. has anybody else ever fasted, for how long, how did it help you and what did you do?.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

I remember as a kid growing up in the Worldwide Church of God that there were certain times of year with special days we were required to fast on...'The Day of Atonement" for instance. Over the years, certain doctrines became a bit muddied...Armstrong had always taught that the Saturday sabbath was of great importance, and sacred; no work was to be done on Saturdays. At various times this was thought to mean that it was ok to cook ahead of time on Friday, then eat on Saturday, but for a period of several years at least that I can recall, it was taught that EVERY Saturday one should fast, so that no work was done at all in connection with 'the sabbath'.

As to the health benefits of fasting...I'm a little skeptical. I remember at the time having an occasional epiphane or some deep thought or another and attributing it to fasting...but in hindsight, I wonder was it really because of fasting, or just because I was a brighter than average kid trying to struggle through boring sermons with an active imagination. Also, I was always a bit heavier than average, partly because I was a big strong kid, but also partly because I had a tendency to overeat. I think that I developed some very bad eating habits and behaviors in those years, at least partly because of all the fasting. I remember vividly the all-you-can-eat buffets members would go to immediately after dark (in the WWCG they taught that with holy days, fasting, etc, time was to be kept from sundown to sundown) following the all day long ordeal of sermonizing. Hell hath no fury like a congregation of WWCG descending upon the buffet tables on a Saturday night.

All that being said...even after I was out of the WWCG, I have tried fasting a few times, even went as long as a week once, just to see if I could...it was...interesting. I think you get into an altered conscious state, similar to what happens under the influence of some drugs. Whether that is a desirable effect or not, and whether you can handle that or not, varies by the individual. I've known lots of people over the years that could barely handle reality as it was, without trying to recreationally alter it, whatever the method.

41

wow, what a response!

by Matt_fs in

i simply asked a friend of mine to explain to me deut 20:20-22 and he wrote this:.

"its really quite simple what i think about deut.18:20-22. i don't.

the hebrew scriptures describing aspects of the original law convenent ended when the new convenent came into place by means of christ's death.

AllAlongTheWatchtower

I simply asked a friend of mine to explain to me Deut 20:20-22 and he wrote this:

"Its really quite simple what I think about Deut.18:20-22. I don't. The hebrew scriptures describing aspects of the original Law convenent ended when the new convenent came into place by means of Christ's death."

...im going to be replying to him, anyone have some good comments i can make? or some real hard hitting questions?

-Matt_fs

I assume you actually meant 18:20-22, the part about false prophets? Cause arguing with a JW about why the OT god instructed Israel to not cut down certain trees seems a bit pointless...

As to questions/comments you can make to him...I am, and have been an atheist for many years...yet I used to be a whole hearted believer, and certain groups of christianity used to annoy me by how they simply dismissed the old testament. I would ask your friend if the OT law was done away with, then what of the ten commandments? What of the blood policy? Why pick and choose, if you're going to accept some of it, why not all of it, and start following the tenet of clean and unclean meats? Or the keeping of the (Saturday) sabbath? This picking and choosing of what parts of the bible to follow was a major contributing factor as to why I became atheist, so many groups out there who were happy to tell me how to live (their version), yet I soon realized, they were dipping from the scriptures where it was convenient for them, and ignoring them where it was not. The JWs are an even worse example of this, they've printed their own version of the bible, complete with new mistranslations and adaptations, made to order.

Sorry to digress a bit...didn't realize after all these years that this issue could get under my skin. Done ranting. Anyway, since the atheist view is highly unlikely to help your friend, here is a link you might like, which you can use to show that the OT law was alive and well in the NT:

http://www.moseshand.com/questions/p24a.htm

25

why have jws got so many women among thier ranks?

by cyrus in

jw
friends

any answers ive got ideas but would love some input from u guys first thanks peeps...?

AllAlongTheWatchtower

Maybe the governing body wants to convert to Islam, and they're seeking the perfect 72/1 ratio? (All those virgins have to come from somewhere, lol.) Seriously though, I think the poster who said that it's mostly women who are at home when the "service" comes a knocking probably has it right. I know that's exacly how it happened in my case, I was away at work, and the JWs kept coming and knocking at my door...my wife eventually got tired of/felt guilty for turning off the tv and waiting quietly, and started letting them in to talk.