The fact that one can spend a lifetime with people
and within an instant have very few to absolutely no real friends or family.
It has to be one of the saddest things to me.
I cannot think of any other situations in life where this happens.
Amnesty Vendor
JoinedPosts by Amnesty Vendor
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Amnesty Vendor
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Amnesty Vendor
I would like to understand the science behind cigars and scotch/cognac.
Why do these usually pair well together?
From a practical standpoint, do they really complement each other? -
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Glaring contradiction between 1995 new light and Society's authority as FDS
by yaddayadda inin the 15 october 1995 watchtower the society brought out 'new light' that although christ sat down as king in 1914, but he did not sit down on his 'glorious throne' mentioned at matt 25: 31 in that year.
i cant understand why the society bothered to make this change in 1995?
this change was in some ways more damaging to them than the generation change, because the society essentially sawed off the branch they were sitting on by announcing this 1995 new light.
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The Hebrew Text Of The OT -OR- The Septuagint; Which Does GOD Prefer?
by FireNBandits inthe nt writers, when they quote the ot, mainly do so from the lxx, the septuagint.
a majority of the ot quotations in the nt are in fact from the septuagint, only a minority from hebrew.
when the nt writers do use a hebrew text it generally isnt the masoretic text, but another form of the hebrew text.
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Amnesty Vendor
My goal was not to shoot down anyone's belief system or hobby,
but I (like many here) studied and sincerely believed this stuff.
Once I started questioning WT, then the dominoes would not stop falling.
By the way: What is 'too old to thump melon'? I like that phrase! -
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The Hebrew Text Of The OT -OR- The Septuagint; Which Does GOD Prefer?
by FireNBandits inthe nt writers, when they quote the ot, mainly do so from the lxx, the septuagint.
a majority of the ot quotations in the nt are in fact from the septuagint, only a minority from hebrew.
when the nt writers do use a hebrew text it generally isnt the masoretic text, but another form of the hebrew text.
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Amnesty Vendor
We all spend and have spent time, times & half a time looking through letters, copies of letters & interpretations of letters.
Isn't this much like 2000 years into the future, taking a few of a person's emails from today and then studying all contextual info and linguistics to understand what they meant?
At least with emails, we could get a reasonably accurate copy of the original.
At our very best, just how accurate can we possibly be with ancient texts & dead languages? -
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The Stanford Prison Experiment & Bethel
by Amnesty Vendor inhttp://www.prisonexp.org/links.htm .
it is noteworthy that even the psychologists got lost in the roles of this experiment.
no wonder witnesses go into non-thinking robot mode.
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Amnesty Vendor
http://www.prisonexp.org/links.htm
I am fascinated by the similarities that were learned by the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment & my years at Bethel.
It is noteworthy that even the psychologists got lost in the roles of this experiment.
No wonder witnesses go into ‘non-thinking robot mode’.
I must admit that I was definitely part of the machine during my faithful years as a JW, pioneer, bethelite, elder, etc.
Although I am sure that the organization as a whole displays similarities, the institutional intensity of bethel was particularly of interest to me.
Do any other ex-bethelites see the same?
While certainly not trying to excuse them, perhaps the GB has created a monster that grew into something that they could not control.
Here are just a few notes from the associated FAQ:
• Q: What was the purpose of the Stanford Prison Experiment?
o A: The purpose was to understand the development of norms and the effects of roles, labels, and social expectations in a simulated prison environment.
• Q: Were the guards given any special training?
o A: No. The guards were given only a brief orientation telling them to maintain law and order, avoid physical violence, and prevent prisoner escapes.
• Q: Did personality scores predict which guards were most abusive?
o A: No. The most and least abusive guards did not differ significantly in authoritarianism, Machiavellianism, or other personality measures. Abusive guard behavior appears to have been triggered by features of the situation rather than by the personality of guards.
• Q: Did any of the participants suffer lasting trauma?
o A: Despite suffering extreme emotional stress during the experiment, all participants appear to have regained their baseline emotional states after the study. Extensive follow-up testing revealed no lasting trauma to participants. -
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Why does the WTS insist everyone sign up for the Ministerial School ?
by RULES & REGULATIONS ini never enjoyed giving # 2 talks.
i never enjoyed being at a podium and speaking.
i took drama in high school just to get over the fear of being in front of people and speaking.
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Amnesty Vendor
On a positive note!:
Since leaving the WTS and associating with the business world,
I have found that public speaking expertise is in high demand.
The confidence and basic topic delivery skills learned in the TMS,
can lead to successful opportunities in professional circles.
This is one way to turn a bad experience into something positive.
Just something to keep in mind! -
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Name Things Witnesses Make Big Deals Over
by minimus inhave you ever seen a witness get absolutely giddy over placing a measly tract with a neighbor and get up on the platform and tell the "experience" of how the neighbor actually said that he'd read it!
big deal!!!.
in our hall, they loved to applaud over the dumbest things!
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Amnesty Vendor
I am sitting in front of a TV with the remote in my hand,
when suddenly a commercial preview for the latest terror movie appeared.
A fine witness brother snatched the remote from me, saying:
'I can't believe that you're letting demons in this house!' -
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Video of last night's Memorial protest at Kingdom Hall
by kool aid man06 inenjoy.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8zcz-eabi8.
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Amnesty Vendor
I do hope that this type of activity helps the protesters in getting over the pain they feel from WTS.
As for me, I have already spent the lion's share of my life serving and sacrificing for the WTS.
Now I cannot commit my remaining days working against them.
If there is indeed a just god, he will handle the matter. -
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What do so called wprldly people think of Witnesses
by Axeman inthe wt would have us believe that worldly people admire and respect witnesses for their fine conduct.
not my experience when i left and sought candid expressions of what they really thought about the witnesses i found for the most part rather than admire them they think they are a little weird that there is something wrong with them.
those that do have a personal experience to relate tell of the negative effect the religion had on a family member that got involved with them.
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Amnesty Vendor
Interesting thread.
I was actually somewhat surprised at the impact (or lack of) WTS is having on the world in general.
All of those years inside, I would have sworn that EVERYONE knew when we were having a convention, a special tract campaign or even our presence in their neighborhoods.
After leaving, I eventually stepped over a tract on the street and realized that this was a special effort by the local JWs.
Absolutely, NOT ONE of my neighbors had the slightest clue what was happening.
This was just more 'junk mail' to toss out with the grocery store coupons, which actually caught more attention.
Years ago, I was privileged to give a special Sunday talk where a tract was released. What a Joke!
How could they not notice the sparkle that we put on those stadium toilets?
We just gotta be servants of the true god!
I try not to think about all the years of the work and sacrifice that was made to support this kind of cr*p.
It is really too sad.