Posts by coffee

166

MUST READ AlanF's email to Knocking.org

by sf in

this is a must-read that, hopefully, will stay an "active topic" for all seekers and lurkers, by bumping it to the top as often as possible.

alan wrote it in randys {dogpatch} thread regarding knocking.org documentary and in reply to the email mr. engardio sent to barbara anderson.

however, it is so vital a read that it indeed needs its own thread:.

coffee_black

bump

88

Apostates - blood on their hands?

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

don't you think the witness leaders would have given up the blood doctrine and 1914 by now had not apostates made such big things of them?

haven't they been painted into a bit of a corner where, if they tried to adjust things on blood now, everyone would come down on them like a ton of bricks?

if apostates were not so vigilant in watching the witnesses' every move, perhaps the governing body would have tried to drop the dubious doctrines by the back door, like so many others that they have discarded when they did not feel to closely watched (organ transplants, for example).

coffee_black

That's like saying that if the police would quit trying to stop criminals, that the criminals would change their ways.

It is arrogance and pride that keep the organization from changing the policy...and a severe case of the blind leading the blind. If they realize they are wrong, then not changing the policy is nothing short of murder IMHO.

By the way, my dad died because of the watchtower policy on organ transplants. The powers that be in the watchtower will have to stand before their maker and answer for themselves. I would not want to be in their shoes.

Coffee

75

The first time I've been "down" b/c of JWD...

by upside/down in

jw
friends

i've had good and bad days since stumbing onto jwd... and i've learned more in my short time here than in the last 20 years as an "active" and true to the bone...dub.... but today (tonight) i'm really sad... the tone of almost every thread i read has gotten "ugly".... i love "spirited" discussion, but this is different.

it feels like forum anarchy.. is there no yielding anymore...?.

maybe it was just too much happened today... or solar flares or something... i don't know...don't care.... maybe my new found "love" for my country (not the blind patriotic crap) and life coupled with the obvious animosity toward this love by some...well just bums me out.

coffee_black

(((((U/D)))))))

I know exactly how you feel. I stumbled on a couple of political threads a while back... and it literally ruined the day for me.... I stay away from those threads now. I even avoid reading the postings of some members because they sound completely irrational to me. I enjoy debate, but that's not debate...and not worth the effort to respond. I think some find politics to be a substitute for the the energy they put into the organization...and you can see the same behavior that dubs display when defending the borg. It is scary... but fortunately there are lots of threads that don't involve the same hatred that political threads seem to evoke....

Coffee

21

Live 8! Like Jehovah's Witnesses, all talk and no possible action.

by free2beme in

jw
friends

as i enjoy these concerts this weekend, where i got to see pink floyd perform.

i am reminded all the more how much us humans like to put on a good show, but really get very little done.

these artist have spent time, money and effort to end world hunger in africa.

coffee_black

Who said anything about not giving????!!!! The problem is that when it's over, the stars go home thinking their job is done and that they have accomplished what they set out to do. I doesn't end there. Follow through is just as important...but by that time the news media is finished with the story...sad. No, they didn't ask for money...but each received gift bags valued at $12,000.00 each. Add that up, and that alone would have made a wonderful contribution... I wonder how many did that. They all got a lot of airtime too... promotion that certainly doesn't hurt their careers.

They question I have is: When the dust settles, what is the real outcome? It would be nice to see media coverage of that aspect of it. Otherwise, it's just a concert that just makes everyone feel good... and our feeling good doesn't solve the problem. I'm for finding a way to get the aid to the people who really need it, and help them build successful independent lives... not just a temporary fix.

Coffee ...of the no longer naive class...

21

Live 8! Like Jehovah's Witnesses, all talk and no possible action.

by free2beme in

jw
friends

as i enjoy these concerts this weekend, where i got to see pink floyd perform.

i am reminded all the more how much us humans like to put on a good show, but really get very little done.

these artist have spent time, money and effort to end world hunger in africa.

coffee_black

I hope they learned from the experience of "Live Aid". Yes, dh, they did cause harm. The money that was supposed to help the poor went to the corrupt government that used the money for their own benefit, and actually prolonged the misery of the people it was supposed to help.

Sure, it is wonderful to help others....just make sure it's done responsibly...and follow where the aid goes... and if it really does what is intended. I share the frustration that some stars use charities to further their own careers... If it was as simple as raising money, the world would have conquered poverty years ago.

Coffee

38

I think its sad

by Alexander in

i wouldn't be here wasn't it for a link on google on the moscow ban that led me here.

i am shocked by the hatred many of you display in your posts.

some claim that we break up marriages, yet some of the happiest couples i know are faithfull brothers and sisters.

coffee_black

Too bad you won't listen to the other side of things. I used to think like you. I dedicated my life to Jehovah...and then discovered that the organization I trusted viewed my dedication to Jehovah as a dedication to them. It never was. In my 38 years as a jw I witnessed many families torn apart because of the organization. If you stay in long enough, you will see the same thing. I left because I could no longer trust them.... I never lost my trust in Jehovah...just my trust in an organization that would use my love for Him to manipulate me to further their own interests. It's a business... That's all it is. It cannot give you salvation, nor can it take it away. They have neither the power nor the authority. When you stand before your maker, you stand as an individual...not as a group. You cannot hide behind the skirts of any organization. Only God can read your heart and determine your standing... not a group of elderly men in Brooklyn.

Coffee

20

WTS and the mass media

by greendawn in

jw
friends

given the extend of the abuse that the wts perpetrates on its members isn't it surprising that they don't get a lot more negative mass media coverage?

i wonder why that is, is it because they have helpful, powerful connections or because being so rich they can buy them off?

some extensive publicity in the mass media would cause them serious harm.

coffee_black

1.The Watchtower has a huge legal department and threaten to use it.

2. The main stream media is terrible at objective reporting. They are more interested in ratings than finding real facts. The watchtower is too small to make big news and produce the ratings they are looking for. To most people the watchtower is just a pimple on an elephant's behind...(as my bf says)

Coffee

17

Why would someone who has disassociated allow their child to be taken to KH

by Agnes in

jw
friends

i just read the listeners post about baptisms at the district conventions and didn't want to disrupt the thread.

i'm curious, why would someone allow their child to attend the kh or district convention and possibly be pressured into getting baptized?

agnes

coffee_black

When I was divorced, I was still a dub. Visitation was agreed upon at that point. When I stopped going, my x still attended and took the kids with him. Later after I left, my daughter refused to go, but my son still attended with my x. As time passed, he decided that he no longer wanted to go...and at that point, my x brought out the big guns. At one point he called the police to force my son to go with him. My son was about 12 at the time and was really traumatized. My x persised, and the police were forced to side with him, because whatever he chose to do during his visitation was up to him. It was really tough to work through, and I didn't have the money to fight him in court...which is what it would have taken. The good news is that neither of my kids are dubs...so he won that battle, but totally lost the war.

Coffee

3