Posts by JWdaughter

12

Taking the Bible "too" literally

by Coded Logic in

i once heard it said that the only people who care about what the bible says are the village priest and the village atheist.

it seems to me most believers only care about "god's word" in very general terms and think it's all up to interpitation (religion a la carte ).. it the watchtower especially good at making agnostics and atheists because of their fundamentalism or is this true of many ex-religious groups?.

.

JWdaughter

This isn't about me, Coded Logic. Its personal. Dogmatism and extreme views definitely make one question everything.

19

A LETTER FROM MY MOTHER...since learning TTATT

by Blackfalcon98 in

so ive recently: joined the forum, read cofc, began reading combating cult mind control.....and today i gotta letter from my mother.

i thought i'd share it with others so that i can gain some hidden insight, and perhaps just to encourage someone else here who has relatives who are still mentally locked in.

dear blackfalcon98.

JWdaughter

Well, is this about more than the goatee? Does she know the direction you are going in other than your rebelliously growing a goatee? . She seems kind of reasonable for a JW mom (just sayin').

32

How would you respond to this defense made on behalf of The Watchtower's Child Abuse lawsuits?

by adjusted knowledge in

details of the society's child abuse policies have been published in jehovah's witnesses' publications, although more specific guidelines are only made available to elders, or on request.

press releases issued by the watch tower society's office of public information confirm that if a person accused of molestation repeatedly denies the charges of his victim, and there is no other witness to the incident, "the elders cannot take action within the congregation at that time", but would report to authorities if required by local laws.

our families jehovahs witnesses and child protection.

JWdaughter

If a new policy was instated, I would feel encouraged.

"If you know or have strong suspicions of child abuse by anyone towards any child, immediately report it to the proper authorities with as much urgency as possible. Afterwards, if the alleged abuser is a JW, then please come talk to the elders so that we can be sure to make ourselves aware of the proceedings and ensure the safety of the children in our congregation/organization"

Elders are not policemen or doctors. I think many are humble enough to recognize this and I think most would appreciate not being judge and jury of (essentially) a child victim or an adult who may be being accused for reasons that are not about abuse or who may be in fact guilty and is suffused with much bigger issues than they are prepared to deal with.

Will that ever happen? Doubtful.

12

Taking the Bible "too" literally

by Coded Logic in

i once heard it said that the only people who care about what the bible says are the village priest and the village atheist.

it seems to me most believers only care about "god's word" in very general terms and think it's all up to interpitation (religion a la carte ).. it the watchtower especially good at making agnostics and atheists because of their fundamentalism or is this true of many ex-religious groups?.

.

JWdaughter

If one critically examines the bible and has been told their whole life that it is literally all absolute truth, then it is insupportable. If one is allowed to use real reasoning skills and thought,then they can come to terms with some of the trickier issues in the Bible on the basis of principle.

I think that the WT makes it such an all or nothing issue, that when people reject the WT, they often can find nothing else that 'works' either. The bible has issues and if your whole FAITH system is wrapped up in its literally being truth and the whole word of God, then it is a stumbling block.

I struggled, but in spite of (a lot of ) things, I could not lose my faith in the creator. That never required any book for me, even though I tried to discmiss and ignore God. I left the WT young, maybe I didn't have it "inculcated" into me enough that there was no where else to go. My innate and instrinsic understanding is that there was always God. All the WT stuff was easy to reject.

13

The tale of Angelo and Dan! Have you heard this one??

by DATA-DOG in

long story, short; angelo was bad, he went to prison.

dan was bad, he went to prison too.

dan became a dub and studied with angelo.

JWdaughter

It doesn't seem that unlikely or outrageous. A lot of people get religion (real conversions or otherwise) while in prison and there are JWs that do that kind of thing. Its smart for a prisoner as they will have a built in place to land when they get out and a bunch of people who are going to trust them and open up their lives to them. Its an old story, not just a JW thing.

OTOH, the WTBTS likes to have a consistent lie going around.

10

New Monthly Report Suggestion!

by The Searcher in

just an idea for the weekly g.b.

conclave to consider - unless it's too christian for them to think about!.

paul wrote this to the "israel of god" - galatians 6:2 " go on carrying the burdens of one another, and in this way you will fulfill the law of the christ.".

JWdaughter

It's really a good idea. They could totally up their FS hours just by being NICE to the people that they already LIKE and approve of. Of course that might help retention in the cult-not a good goal, unless it helped turn the cult into (dare I say it) part of Christianity.

They will say that it is not something that they need to track. And for the WTBTS, it isn't. It isn't revenue producing for them, nor is it bringing anyone new in. But for JWs, it would be wonderful.

One think they COULD consider though is something that marketing/advertising folks know already. It is much cheaper to retain customers than to get new ones. If they could stem the tide with some old fashioned good deeds, you would likely see a numbers shift more dramatic than a new date for armageddon.

11

A fourth generation JW on the way

by Xanthippe in

to my nephew,.

your other aunt phoned my non-jw cousin, so i know your wife is expecting a baby in the new year.

congratulations!

JWdaughter

For the nephew:

You have family that loves you now and will love you if you leave the JWs and the WTBTS. You have other family that will reject you if you leave. You are smart enough to measure the value of that kind of love. Think about the kind of parent that you want to be and make the hard decisions now, while you are young and you haven't twisted anyone elses future yet. Decide to truly love, unconditionally love. Your aunt and your cousin will support and love you either way, but unfortunately, are only allowed to be around you conditionally. That is a sad situation to bring a child into deliberately.

There are a lot of people that will offer support and encouragement, churches and community and faith groups that do not mock faith or God. The world is just like a kingdom hall in one way. It is good, bad, ugly, flawed, beautiful, challenging. . . .lots of good and bad and indifferent. You will be dealing with individual people for the rest of your life whether you are in or out of the organization. The thing is, most of "the world" is aware of its imperfection. JWs think they are "it, baby". They are just as flawed, but more in denial about it than any group of people I have ever known. They give lip service to being imperfect human beings, but find that their flaws are somehow more righteous than that of any other religion or group. That is a really obnoxious trait and JWs can't see that in themselves.

My best to you and your little one. Babies are truly a blessing from God and you will have a different view of the universe once yours is born.

M.

3

Systamatic Ritual Child Sacrifice

by hopeofglory in

for those who deny the satanic ritual child abuseamong the elite in society.

senior canadian cabinet minister exposed as participant in ninth circle sacrificial cult along with mafia-tied catholic cardinal both men named at february 22 cult ritual in rome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tybpu74hhvc&feature=youtu.be.

JWdaughter

Written by a crackpot for crackpots. I bet loyal JWs love this kind of crap!

24

Giant ship vs Noah's Ark

by Simon in

take a look at this giant ship that's been built and imagine if would still be large enough to house all the animals on the planet for an extended period of time.. the ship, with modern materials and tools, would take a single person nearly 8,000 years to complete.

how many more people designed it and supplied the materials?

imagine how many trees would be required and how long it would take to transport them alone.. still think noah's ark is feasible?.

JWdaughter

That's one big catamaran!

79

JWStruggle post: Bethel Layoffs Reveal a Kingdom without Clothes

by Londo111 in

http://www.jwstruggle.com/2013/07/bethel-layoffs-reveal-a-kingdom-without-clothes/.

despite everything, i still have a lingering admiration toward those who serve or have served in bethel.

it is not that i believe it is gods organization in any way, shape, or form.

JWdaughter

My mom had an elderly sister in her hall that "took in" a former bethelite who was to help her out at home a little in exchange for a place to live and utilities. The woman harangued her so much about everything that she ended up asking her to leave. She wasn't doing what she was asked and she was judging her about how much time she spent in service or missed meetings.

The elderly woman recently passed on at about the age of 95. She had been through a lot in her life, obeyed the WT and rejected her kids when they left and everything. . . and this kicked out ex bethelite judged her for not getting in her time and for expecting that she did the laundry that she had agreed to do. . . anyway, the elderly woman was one of the kindest and most generous people in the hall(kids notwithstanding, of course), so being asked to leave her house was pretty much a scarlet letter for the ex bethelite. Never heard about what happened to her, but her arrogance did not serve her well.