Posts by daniel-p

81

An Elder wrote anomously...

by Butterflyleia85 in

jw
friends

i realize as an elder that i am speaking out against the very organization i try to faithfully represent, but i personally think that the governing body is wrong by teaching that only what they teach us, as printed in the watchtower publications, should be considered to be the truth.

theyve made the expression of any personal opinions or group debates over their official versions of biblical truths subject to disciplinary action often leading to someone being disfellowshipped.. .

that is why i feel that i must keep my own identity somewhat anonymous.

daniel-p

Stop being stupid and amateurish; unless you are a professional comedian, you are not funny. Stay away from satire or parody if you don’t understand how to present them properly. Don’t create videos or write on your blog after you’ve just finished off a six-pack or a joint. Get rid of the stupid baseball cap and shave if you are going to appear in your own videos. Speak and write clearly in acceptable English; lose the slang and profanity. You do not help your cause by becoming a stumbling block to the very people you are trying to reach because of your obnoxious use of language and bad behavior.

Quite a tirade... but a little shrill and very self-righteous. What do you think will turn off people more, cursing or arrogance? The former is superficial and is a stylistic choice (even if it indicates a lazy or vulgar "style"), but the latter reveals the very core of a person, their disdain for others.

The real reason you are still self-righteous is because, as JWs, we learned how these surface qualities made us better than others; that by not swearing, dressing nicely, and being clean-cut, we gave glory to Jehovah, and were therefore superior to others. But you know what? It was not real. What it really did was re-enforce conformity and provide a pretext for controlling others. As an elder, surely you had/have a hand in enforcing these superficial rules in order to preserve that conformity.

Let me ask you this: Did Jesus ever turn his nose up at anyone because of their dress, speech, or manner? Of course he didn't.

And yet, the GB has trained JWs worldwide to do such a thing, encouraging the idea that those things really matter in the eyes of God. In the end, so much emphasis on those outward mannersisms only distracts from the more important things, the truly Christ-like qualities that you should be developing. Of course, being an elder, you have likely spent MUCH more time admonishing others from the platform than admonishing yourself.

I wonder, is it a good thing if a person realizes the truth about the "Truth," if they still believe they are more special than others and act like a complete ass?

Basically, you should stop thinking you're the first one to introduce these pearls of wisdom. JWD is full of highly intelligent, cogent, thoughtful, and kind people who have contributed way more than you ever will. You haven't "figured it all out," you've just scratched the surface of the Truth, and more importantly, you haven't even turned inward yet. That's when things really start to fall apart.

You're not the first elder to leave the witnesses, and you sure as hell won't be the last. You're just one of many, and our individual stories are really not all that important. What's important is our ability to help others and our ability to healthily redefine our identities after losing our faith, to make it to the other side. You haven't made it anywhere yet. Your world is starting to crack apart, and you don't trust anyone. As a means to protect yourself and reaffirm that you still have your center, you condemn those who've left before you and found another path. This is because it's still too dangerous for you to consider a totally different paradigm.

44

How Many Here Actually "Studied" The Publications?

by minimus in

jw
friends

when i was a teenager i extensively studied nearly every publication.

i especially enjoyed looking up the root words meanings in the hebrew and greek of the bible language.

it gave me the flavor of a word and its origins.

daniel-p

the problem is that they are so dumbed-down it precludes any "studying" of such material.

41

How Do Jehovah's Witnesses Feel About Handgun Ownership?

by Cold Steel in

is there anything that keeps a jw from buying a gun for personal protection?.

has the watchtower issued any edicts on this?

just curious.. .

daniel-p

It largely depends on the prevailing sensibilities of the area. In rural areas, where hunting and gun-related culture is more common, it can be quite acceptable to own firearms. In other areas, however, it can be seen as a "stumbling block."

56

Fort Hood Under Attack!!!!

by minimus in

jw
friends

at least 3 people have shot and killed a number of those in the army base!

one has been captured and at least 2 are on the run and still shooting!

!.

daniel-p

(CNN) -- Two gunmen in military uniforms shot and killed as many as nine people and wounded as many as 20 at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, officials said.

One of the shooters has been apprehended, Fort Hood spokesman Sgt. Maj. Jamie Posten told CNN.

"At this point we're looking for the other shooter," Posten said. Asked for a description, he said, "we're trying to develop that information."

The shooters were wearing military uniforms, but it was unclear whether they were soldiers, said U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas

President Obama has been informed of the incident, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters.

Watch developments live

Fort Hood was asking people on post to stay away from windows, CNN affiliate KXXV said. The incident took place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area, the station reported.

Video: Army: More than one shooter

Video: Deadly shooting at Army base

RELATED TOPICS

Fort Hood

FBI agents are headed to the scene to assist, said Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI office in San Antonio. He had no other details.

On the Fort Hood Web site, the word "closed" is posted with the statement, "Effective immediately, Fort Hood is closed. Organizations/units are instructed to execute a 100 percent accountability of all personnel."

Fort Hood is the Army's largest U.S. post, with about 40,000 troops. It is home to the Army's 1st Cavalry Division and elements of the 4th Infantry Division, as well as the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 13th Corps Support Command. It is located near Killeen, Texas.

Fort Hood is home to the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program, which is designed to help soldiers overcome combat stress issues.

In June, Fort Hood's commander, Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, told CNN that he was trying to ease the kind of stresses soldiers face. He has pushed for soldiers working a day schedule to return home for dinner by 6 p.m., and required his personal authorization for anyone working weekends. At the time, two soldiers stationed there had committed suicide in 2009 -- a rate well below those of other posts.

3

Former JW Survey -- This time with results!

by Opus92 in

jw
friends

out of the many responses i received, i was only able to use 177.

) responses were tossed if:.

any of the questions were skippedanswers were vague (e.g., "i quit attending at age ###, but i stopped believing at ###.

daniel-p

Wow, we're very even as far as sex goes... that really says something about the people seeking out other ex-jws. There are more women in the religion as a whole, but by this survey, it would seem there may be equal men and women leaving and seeking out ex-JW company.

43

What's the worst you ever experienced while preaching?

by Newborn in

jw
friends

i was once threatened with a rifle.

that was scary...but hey...what didn't we suffer for the good news.

.

daniel-p

There was this one time I was out in service with a group and the sister driving her car for us had a last bit of territory to do before the end of the day. It had just started raining, but we decided to do this one last door. So we pull up into the driveway, and she and I get out and go up to the door. It's her turn to talk. This big burly guy answers and he is gruff. The sister is very flustered and easily intimidated... and just makes matters worse by being overly apologetic. The guy is obviously bewildered by her behavior and gruffly dismisses us and closes the door. By this time the rain is coming down steady. So we get back in the car, and in her eagerness to leave his property, she backs into his chain link fence, bending the pole to the ground. She freaks out, gets out of the car, and starts trying to push the pole back into position, which sin't going to happen because it's made of steel. She goes back up to the house, tears streaming down her face in the pouring rain, and explains what happened. For a second, it looks like trouble, but then he just puts his head in his hands and shakes his head. She crying, and finally he just says its okay and we can leave.

Yeah. Pioneering. Good times.

13

How JW's Label each other (size the other up)

by xelder in

my experience has been that among jw's, its very important that they understand each others spiritual status.

this is accomplished within the first 5 min of meeting a new person.

this is necessary so that they know what kind of person you are.

daniel-p

Good thread.

In my experience, an impromptu vetting goes something like this:

Brother Elder: "So, which congregation you go to?"
Brother Unknown: "Molester's Haven."
Brother Elder: "Oh nice, do you know Brother Feely?"
Brother Unknown: "Yeah! Isn't he a great brother?"
Brother Elder: "He sure is. We go way back.... So, how long you been in the Truth?"
Brother Unknown: "Oh, I was raised in."
Brother Elder: "I see..."
Brother Unknown: "Went to Bethel back in the 90s; pioneered for a while...."
At this point, Brother Elder is still on gaurd. From his persepctive, Brother Unknown obviously has a history, but his current congregational standing could be anything.
Brother Elder: "Boy, that was quite a Watchtower article we had last week, wasn't it?"
Brother Unknown: "Sure was... very good counsel."
Brother Elder, warming just a bit, continues: "The way these kids go around with their Facebook and MySpace accounts... they're playing with fire, you know... they need to understand the dangers involved."
Brother Unknown: "Yep."
Brother Elder, still not completely off-gaurd, cuts right to the chase and says: "So... you still pioneering?"
Brother Unknown: "No, I quit a few years back. I'm working full time now, had a kid... you know how it goes."
Brother Elder: "Mm. This system of things definitely tries to keep you busy, doesn't it?"
The conversation has slightly shifted. Brother Elder used the word "you" in his last comment, turning the topic in a more personal direction toward Brother Unknown. This is done as a means to re-assert the hierarchical Elder-Publisher relationship.
Brother Unknown: "It sure does. Hey Brother Elder, it was nice talking with you, I think my wife's calling me over to our seats. See you around!"
Brother Elder is at a bit of a loss. His attempts at classifying this new brother weren't very successfull. Brother Unknown doesn't arouse any undue suspicion, but he feels that there may be more to this person than meets the eye. He will keep an eye on him, and might nonchalantly drop his name to other elders in hopes of getting more information.

15

Reading the bible and loving it

by digderidoo in

jw
friends

after looking at some read the bible in one year plans, i have been toying with the idea of giving it a go.

i don't know if anybody has come across these plans, but each day of the week you put about 15 minutes aside and read a bit from the ot, a psalm, an epistle and a gospel.

eventually after a year you've read the lot.. although as a jw i have read most of the bible, i only did it within the constrains of referencing from a wt publication.

daniel-p

Me too!... this is the version I've chosen:

43

What's the worst you ever experienced while preaching?

by Newborn in

jw
friends

i was once threatened with a rifle.

that was scary...but hey...what didn't we suffer for the good news.

.

daniel-p

Lets see, I was 18 years old, driving the car in service, and we were shot at while driving away from this one house in the country (after we knocked and no one answered)... I floored it down the dirt road and scared my passengers more than the gun shot actually did ricocheting off a rock near our car.

Another time, I was about 16, I went to this door way out in the country (most of our territory was rural), and lo and behold it was some kind of gathering of lesbians. They all gave us the evil eye as their queen came over and started to chew us out with no provocation whatsoever, telling us how she enjoyed oral sex with women, and other things that she thought would shock us.

When I was about 14 I experienced my first dog scare. We were walking toward a house and out of nowhere this huge animal started charging us. I turned and ran, jumped over the fence and hightailed it down the street. Ever since then i was always overly careful with dogs, and never took any chances as others did all the time.

But the worst thing was getting into some big go-round with Born Again Christians, who I think are actually more crazy than JWs, if such a thing can be.

Good times.

151

There's A Ghost At My Place Of Employment

by finallysomepride in

ok some of you will laugh at this, but it's true, there is a spirit that haunts the premises where i work.. it has spoken to me once when i was locking up, it was 1 single word "hello", i looked around and saw nothing, i ignored it, set the alarm locked the door & went home.

other times i have felt something brush passed me as i have entered the building early in the morning.

the experience that got to me most happened the other nite when i was called back to the store by security, as i pulled into the drive way there was a man standing at the rear of the building, in the split second of looking away he dissapeared, there's no way that he could have run off the property in that split second.. what do you think?.

daniel-p

All I'm saying is there are too many people with too many experiences to be able to say the supernatural/paranormal don't exist.

Well, I think that's a perfectly reasonable thing to say. There are too many people with supernatural experiences to say that there is no merit to their experience. However, what exactly, is the value of those experiences? What inferences can we derive from the evidence at hand? We can't say that the supernatural definitely does exist based on those experiences (for reasons discussed above), but we can say that many people have extra-ordinary, hard-to-explain experiences causing trepidation and fear.