Posts by whyizit

28

Dis-association letter

by Suzie in

jw
friends

ok, i have thought about it too long and hard and came to the conclusion that this really is something that i want to do!

i don't know exactly how to write my letter to dis-associate myself and exactly who i should send it too.

i was readding somethings before that had talked about people sending a copy to there old friends to let them know as well.

Having never been a JW, it kind of boggles my mind when I hear someone ask if they can still KEEP YOU anyway, even if you don't want to be a JW any more. And that they would have the "go-nads" to try to harrass you in to staying, after you have decided to leave.

I think I would include a little tid-bit such as: "I am recording all phone calls and logging all visits. If I am harrassed or hounded, I will get a restraining order. I have made my descision based on the reasons I have given, so please respect that. You will not change my mind."

I've left former congregations (not WTS) and simply explained (when asked) that I felt I was suppose to be in another place. They wished me well and invited me to visit any time or return any time! I still feel loved and accepted. Never been shunned. Never been harrassed.

Just an observation of someone on the outside looking in. It seems so intrusive and cold hearted.

26

Fluff - what would you do?

by serendipity in

jw
friends

.

if some rich relative died and left you a fortune, what would you do with your life and why?

for starters, i'd tell the boss "take this job and shove it, i ain't workin here no more.

whyizit

#1-I would make a large donation to a Christian charity (or divide it among several).

#2- I would invest in cult awareness and counseling groups in areas where there seem to be NONE.

#3- I would go back to college to be a lawyer and would do pro-bono work as much as possible for those who have been injurred or taken advantage of by such mind-control groups.

#4- I would pay off all of our family debts.

Freedom in Christ is a great thing. If some people mis-represent God, that is not His fault. If these same people come to know the true Yahweh and they know Jesus, think what a huge impact they could make on the world. They often have dedicated so much time to "religion" and "rituals", that if they dedicated it to the needy and those in bondage to false teachings, it could turn lives around for the better. They definitely have the dedication, they just don't have the true gospel--YET! :0)

3

How to Quit Church Without Quitting God: 7 Good Reasons to Escape the Box

by yaddayadda in

jw
friends

found the above titled book while surfing amazon.

looks worth a read, might buy.

anyone here read it?

whyizit

Haven't read this one, but another good one to consider is:

Bad News Religion by Greg Albrecht (The virus that attacks God's grace.) "A convincing, liberating exploration of how we, in the name of religion, have shifted the focus from the work of God to our ability to become worthy of salvation. The result is bondage and defeat rather than freedom and grace."

The author is a former Armonstrong member. It is very enlightening. Really gives you insight on the dangers of legalism.

6

To save a friend from the cult.....

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

imagine you can provide him/her with just one single chapter of any book available.

no explanations.

he/she would promise to read and think about what it says;.

whyizit

I agree with everyone else. The "one thing" seems to depend upon the person individually. If they have a locked mind, then it may be that there is nothing you could show them that would sink it. At least not at that moment. Once the seed is planted though.........anything could happen down the road.

The one WTS book exerpt that I read, that I thought would make a difference to me, personally, if I were in the JWs, would be : The Finished Mystery 1926, page 85 It goes to great lengths to explain how the leviathan is actually a locomotive! Gives Scriptural references, brackets of description of what the different parts are, etc.... it just floored me. I thought that any JW who would read that, would have to wonder what the heck kind of logic that is.

But that is just my opinion. Some people just can't see the forest for the trees, so all you can do is your best and hope it will make a difference one day.

32

When trying to talk to a JW what is the best method?

by omerp in

jw
friends

if there is someone whom is a long time jw, how do you bring him back into reality or is that possible?

how do you make them reflect that it is possible that they are wrong about the bible track society?

anything you say they alway twist it around anyways with their prepared answers.

whyizit

Books I highly recommend:

Anything by Randy Watters (See free minds web site.)

By Steven Hassan: Combatting Cult Mind Control and Releasing The Bonds

By David Reed: Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse By Verse and How to Rescue Your Loved One From The Watchtower

By Ron Rhodes: Reasoning From The Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses

My personal favorite: By Wilbur Lingle--Approaching Jehovah's Witnesses In Love

11

None of the 144,000 lived in Jesus day?

by LovesDubs in

jw
friends

.

somewhere in my head i recall someone saying that since there was no proof or record of them being baptised that the so-called (the jws word) "christians" who died in the lion's pit were therefore not of the 144,000!!!

how do the jws justify there not being 144,000 true christians from 33ce to 1900??

whyizit

The book of Acts mentions at least 100,000 people saved, and that was only the beginning growth of Christianity. Estimates have it that there were at least 250,000 Jews in the early church, not counting thousands of Gentiles. Also there were 250,000 martyrs, who would surely be included in the 144,000. (In the WT book Finished Mystery, 1917, Charles Russell said there were 861,000 martyrs.)How could there possibly be any openings left when Charles Russell came on the scene, if this teaching of only 144,000 going to heaven is to be presumed true?

Just my thought on the subject.

53

Would YOU kill someone if you felt they really deserved to die?

by gaiagirl in

jw
friends

could be anyone, osama bin laden, oj simpson, pat robertson, someone who personally hurt you or your family, anyone at all.

would you pull the trigger, throw the switch, etc, which would end someones life?

would it make a difference if no one would ever know, versus everyone knowing?

whyizit

If I felt with absolute certainty that they were going to kill someone in my presence, I think I could do it. I would rather severely incapacitate them, but if there were no other choice, and it would prevent others from being killed, I would feel obligated to protect the innocent.

The most intolerable cruelty I can imagine involves perverts with children. I think I could be on the board to remove these people's sex organs, and although it would be a difficult job at first, I could get used to it. Just like a farmer castrating pigs. Snip-snip! :0)

19

Is is easier to just forget about religion as a whole??

by EC in

jw
friends

i feel like i am getting bitter and that is onr thing i do not want to be...but this whole religion, god thing is gets to be too much... .

i do believe there is a creator, but have no idea what the purpose is.....i've tried the whole jesus thing, but really that doesn't make too much sence to me either....so where does that leave me???

in limbo....so i would rather just forget it all... .

whyizit

YES!!! FORGET RELIGION! But, PLEASE, do not for get GOD. If you pay close attention to Jesus in the Bible, He was always anit-religion and pro-relationship. He always got on the Pharisees about their religious-ness. It was all rituals, rules, and regulations. Love on condition. Jesus blew a big fat hole in all their religious "stuff" and brought it all down to 2 commandments.

A really good book to read on this subject is by Greg Albrect called Bad News Religion. I think there is a website too. He used to be in the Armstrong religion. He basically lays it out. Religion is not what Jesus was all about. And he proves it through the Scriptures. (Not just paraphrasing a sentence, but by having you read the entire context.)

He made a statement that really touched me. He said "Do not give up on God, just because humans did such a bad job of representing Him". I thought that was very appropriately stated. If we paid more attention to the Bible and to what Jesus had to say, and less to what our human counterparts want to make Him in to, and what they would have us believe the Bible says according to them, then we all would be a lot better off.

I hope you can take a break from religion and get some mental rest. Prayer is good, but maybe you are not ready for that. One day, you'll find what God REALLY has for you. Keep me posted on your journey!

Whyizit

22

Is "spiceant" an active JW?

by rassillon in

jw
friends

i have been reading his posts and although he claims to have just met the jws a couple of months ago, he "sounds" like a jw.

comments?

whyizit

Hi, Spice Ant!

I, like you, had lots of questions about the blood policy. Never really received any good straight answers, though. Just a lot of Bible hopping and reading things out of context. Like Acts 15. It's talking about Jews and Gentiles in fellowship. It mentions specifically where salvation lies. Doesn't say a word about losing it or gaining depending on a belief about blood transfusions.

The WTS used to forbid organ transplants and vaccinations also. Now they are allowed. I asked my JW friend if she would let her child die rather than receive a blood transfusion. After going through a big rig-a-ma-roll about "how do you know it would save him?", etc... I gave this scenario: You son just sliced open an artery and has lost a massive amount of blood. There is no blood-less hospital nearby. The surgeon comes out and tells you, "we have the bleeding stopped, but without a transfusion to replace the blood that has been lost, he will NOT make it." What would you do? First of all, she said she would sacrifice her own resurrection and have the blood transfusion given. Then she back pedals and falls back on her non-JW husband--he would never let him die for lack of a blood transfusion, so that is a way out also. Hmmm....that doesn't sound like someone who is completely convinced that the blood policy is 100% correct.

Then I ask: "How about this one, your son needs a blood transfusion and he is 18 yrs old. He refuses. He dies. You are proud that he didn't go against Jehovah's wishes, however, you are going through enormous pain from the loss of your only child. 2 months later the WTS gets new light and blood transfusions are okay after all. How would you feel?" She asked me why I would ask that...."Because I just wondered how the people who let their kids die for a lack of vaccinations (in order to obey Jehovah), felt when the WTS decided vaccinations weren't bad after all? It was no longer considered disobedience to Jehovah. Do JWs get their kids vaccinated NOW? Yes! If the blood rule is changed, will they get blood transfusions? Did the Bible change back then? When people died from lack of vaccinations or organ transplants? Did Jehovah say an organ transplant was cannibalism, or DIDN'T HE? Or did some guy in the upper ranks of the WTS get it wrong and lots of people lost loved ones for nothing? That is all I am asking."

No response. Oh, well!!!

7

Anyone have a technique to explain mind control, without implicating WTS?

by whyizit in

jw
friends

every once in awhile i will be talking to my jw friends and the subject of other religions will come up.

they love to take jabs at other religions, as most of you know.

i remember one time we were talking about a cult (not wts) and i mentioned that this guy i knew got kicked out for smoking a cigarette, eternal damnation loomed over his head, while this other guy received a very minor reprimand for screwing some other guy's wife.

whyizit

Every once in awhile I will be talking to my JW friends and the subject of other religions will come up. They love to take jabs at other religions, as most of you know. I remember one time we were talking about a cult (not WTS) and I mentioned that this guy I knew got kicked out for smoking a cigarette, eternal damnation loomed over his head, while this other guy received a very minor reprimand for screwing some other guy's wife. Like it was no big deal! How crazy is that? (Jaws dropped! I knew I touched a nerve, without ever saying a word about the WTS.)

I was thinking that maybe I could use this same approach by clueing them in on some mind-control techniques that might give them a heads up on what they are doing and have had done to them. How would YOU tactfully and nonchalantly approach this subject and what specific mind control techniques would you find it most useful to mention?