do you use it anymore?
do you care?
do you cringe when you hear it?
Thank you so much for that info Ian, I printed it out, and might mail it to some people. I've researched this subject and found out about this info, but I like the way yours is put together. If only the R & F knew who they are really praying to, they'd be shocked!
IC
after spending years with the witnesses, and the knowledge we have now, is there a religion that matches our biblical knowledge and experience?.
i think that we are way beyond any religion that exists, and that's why we stay out of religion today..
JH, I'm with you on that, for the first time in my life I see clearly. I've come to the conclusion that Religion is a tool that has been used for keeping the people under control and giving control to those that invent the religious system. I have also realized that some people need religion in their lives to keep them in check, and without this belief system they would be completely out of control, believe me I've seen it happen. Other people live perfectly good lives without religion. They are kind, they raise their children to be respectable members of society etc.
As to your question, is there a religion that matches the biblical knowledge and experience we've attained? HELL NO, I am done with that BS. What I do believe is that there is a Creator, or Creators because I don't believe that all of this happened just by accident. Why we were created? I don't know, neither does anyone else on this earth, if they say they do, they are basing it on some ancient book that other people put together from stories taken from other civilizations, but they didn't know either. What is real is that we are here now! lets make the best of it, set goals for ourselves and try to reach them, do things that will enhance our time here for ourselves and for others.
IC
i'd probably have a pretty well stocked backyard machine shop, complete with lathe(s), milling machine, welding gear, etc.
i'm a fitter and turner by trade, so it kind of makes sense...
definitely Traveling, I would love to go to Spain,Egypt, Italy, Greece, Rome to see all the ruins and enjoy the culture, I would also love to tag along with an archeologist and help excavate ancient stuff.
IC
.......or at least an attempt will be made on his life for insulting islam?
What is truly amazing to me is that the Pope can have the audacity to say anything about spreading religion with a sword, does he not know his own church's history? The christians spread their religion in the america's in exactly the same manor, you either convert and abandon your pagan ways or you die. The indians in Mexico and the Carribean didn't stand a chance, these people were tortured treated like savages, the women were raped and killed, the ones left alive were enslaved, their culture basically wiped out, all for a load of BS meant to control the masses and keep them obedient. All three major religions Jews, Muslims and Christians originated with the same book, the Torah or Old testament, and most of us know, these stories were made up, they are all wrong, but unfortunately they all believe they are right and will continue the bloodshed until they have killed each other off! I wish they would see the big picture, that we are all HUMANS, and we all share this same planet, It's time to move on and realize that these ancient stories are just that, stories, with no basis on fact.
IC
1) any bethelites who have been laid off who would like to share their experiences/impressions?
2) anybody know any bethelites who were laid off who'd like to tell the story?
3) anybody go to a congregation that has had one of these laid off bethelites assigned to it?
I know a couple that have been there for about 25 years and have been "reassigned". What a sham, they barely paid into the Social Security being pioneers before that and all, now close to their 60's having to start over will be HELL. They will have to cook their own food, wash their own clothes pay bills, clean their own place etc., they won't last long as special pioneers!
IC
i don't know about the rest of you, but in my geographical area, it seems that when a person is df'd, it raises their risk of suicide.
not only did i lose my baby sister when she was 21 this way, but in the last 5 years there have been seven people in the circuit who have taken their own lives.
some perhaps are considering it, or have attempted it and nobody reveals it.
To Loli and the others that have lost loved ones to suicide I am sorry for your loss, I have been thinking alot about this subject because of a thread that was posted yesterday, about how minors that get baptized can then be df''d and how dangerous that can be. I wish there was a way to bring more attention to this through the Media, maybe on CNN or MSNBC or maybe Oprah, something has to be done! Perhaps to just put it out there to those that have been DF'd that they can call a number for support or something, I know there are various support lines for XJW's out there. I believe this could help many people, once they call they can open up and share their feelings and if there are major phsycological issues they can be directed to the proper care. This is one way they can also be enlightened as to the truth about the "Truth", and be freed from the guilt that overtakes them when they are df'd.
I had a very difficult time growing up and dealt with abuse from my stepfather and had a very emotionaly devastating relationship with an MS in the congo when I was 15, I attempted suicide on various occasions, it seemed as the only way out, I thought hey, I will just sleep for an instant and wake up in Paradise ( I can't believe I ever thought that way). What saved me was my Mom, and self help books I would get at the library, and of course my faith in Jehoover at the time.
IC
is there any truth that people under the age of eighteen cannot be held under a legal contract (which is what the wt views baptism as, a legally binding document to the society)?
the result would be that individual cannot be disfellowshiped since that person was underage and above all, never even signed a document.
is this applicable in the us at least?.
This really boils my kettle! I think it should be an illegal practice, this is a very dangerous situation for a juveniles to find themselves in, they are cut off from all their freinds and family and basically treated like they are garbage, I bet many have committed suicide over this. This may have also caused quite a few to endanger themselves by getting involved with drugs and lewd behavior.
The IRS should investigate this corporation and they should lose their tax exempt status(I can only hope), they provide no charitable benefit to society whatsoever and they endanger many lives not only because of the BS Blood issue, but also the phsycological trauma caused through DF'ing.
IC (of the I hope I live to see their demise, class)
I know a young ex-JW boy who was baptized at age 14 then df'd about a year and a half later, this is really sad, thankfully he had his mom to comfort him.
IC
do you use it anymore?
do you care?
do you cringe when you hear it?
I cringe when speaking to active JW freinds and family and every other word out of their mouth is Jehovah (ie thanks to Jehovah, if Jehovah allows etc), I no longer use the name because I have researched enough to know that the Jehovah of the bible is not the true God, he was some trible God the hebrews had. El, Yaweh's father gave Israel to him as his inheritance which is also stated in the bible somewhere in Psalms I believe. Today, I just refer to the Creator as "Creator, "God", "Goddess" or whatever I feel at the moment since no one really knows if it was a he a she or a them who created us, and it doesn't matter anyway since I also found where the Hebrews got their stories, wisdom literature and myths from.
IC
while thinking about more bible related legends depicted in films, a rather obvious one came to mind...the ark of the covenant.
do you think it still exists, hidden somewhere?
or do you think it was captured and destroyed following one of the defeats of israel?
It might have existed but not as what they claimed it was, I agree with what Terry said, how convenient that no one could see what was inside that box, they even provided a story to freighten the crap out of them if they were ever curious enough to want to open it, clever, clever. If that story was true, then whoever intended to steal it would have been killed trying to get it, or maybe Jehoover might have stricken them down, but instead it just disappeared! These days after seeing all the crap the Isrealites wrote I don't believe anything they say, their stories and lies have caused alot of bloodshed, starting with the Adam and Eve nonsense.
IC
