Posts by Shador

26

New Song - "Blinded By New Light"

by RayPublisher in

the generation wasnt right (repeat).

Poll: What do you believe now?

by Lunatic Faith in

jw
friends

i have been noticing we ex-jw's are very different in our choices of beliefs once we leave the wts.

some choose christianity, others flee christianity.

some find they can't beieve in anything any more.

After freeing my mind from the WTB$, I have to admit, I was at a loss for a bit. I went through a brief athiest period, but I now hold a personal belief system, largely based on Asatru (Germanic/Norse Neopaganism), also incorporating, in whole or in part, the following Precepts (obtained from.... another source):

Any religion or teaching which denies the Natural Laws of the Universe is false.
Whatever People’s perception of God, or Gods, or the motive Force of the Universe might be, they
can hardly deny that Nature’s Law are the work of, and therefore the intent of, that Force.
God and religion are distinct, separate and often conflicting concepts. Nature evidences the divine
plan, for the natural world is the work of the force or the intelligence men call God. Religion is the
creation of mortals, therefore predestined to fallibility. Religion may preserve or destroy a People,
depending on the structure given by its progenitors, the motives of its agents and the vagaries of
historical circumstances.
The truest form of prayer is communion with Nature. It is not vocal. Go to a lonely spot, if possible a
mountaintop, on a clear, star-lit night, ponder the majesty and order of the infinite macrocosm. Then
consider the intricacies of the equally infinite microcosm. Understand that you are on the one hand
inconsequential beyond comprehension in the size of things, and on the other hand, you are potentially
valuable beyond comprehension as a link in destiny’s chain. There you begin to understand how pride
and self can co-exist with respect and reverence. There we find harmony with Nature and with
harmony comes strength, peace and certainty.

I also believe that it is entirely possible that all the entities we call "gods" and "goddesses" are not supernatural but are highly evolved alien beings. Much like ourselves, there are both evil and good ones.

22

What good is punishment after you die?

by Lore in

jw
friends

when your child disobeys, you punish him.

simple answer: so he will listen next time and won't disobey again.. if the child has a learning disorder and is incapable of learning from the punishment, odds are you will stop punishing him and will deal with his condition in other ways.. we punish children in order to change their behavior.

if the punishment does not promote a change in behavior the punishment is useless and possibly evil.. .

Shador

Hell would be about par for the course for YHWH.

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it, a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” - Richard Dawkins

28

for those who went to the 9/11 WT on apostate post here

by darth frosty in

jw
friends

just would like to have a place for those who went today to post their experience and the reception of the 7/15 study article on apostates..

Shador

Went. Didn't comment. Made me angry and disgusted. Really wishing I could get some big financial break so I could move out of my parent's house and start my fade.

9

Kingdom Hall Observations

by howdidtihappen in

i've done a thread on this before, but i've made new observations at the hall (trust me, i just go now for entertainment value and baptism has been put off until forever) thus have new questions i want to ask the "great crowd" here.

i might be imagining it because i've become so skeptical of jehovah's witness behavior, but when i ask them certain things, they shut down as if i'm heavily criticizing or they imply that only "spiritually up building things" should be spoken about.

it's bizarre.

Shador

- A servant or whoever organizes seating was hell bent on me not sitting at the back. I told him "why would i want the front, it's not a concert." (he didn't see the humor) He said they were reserved but didn't say for who. I'm more comfortable at the back, (close to bathroom and exit.) but he wasn't straight forward with me about WHY I couldn't sit there. I didn't win.

Never heard of this. It's usually encouraged to leave back seats for latecomers or parents with young children, but I never heard of it being enforced like that. Sounds like someone with a big head.

- I was wearing a skirt to just above the knee, but I was also wearing boots up to the knee, so my knees weren't showing. 2 elders on their way to the stage made a point to look. Are they just perverts or am I breaking some rule I don't know about?

Yes they quite likely were perverts. Wouldn't surprise me. Skirts above the knee are frowned on, however.

- Before the meeting i was talking to a girl who said her husband was in the car park taking off his bow tie. "WHY?" I said. She said it could upset someone and "sometimes the elders pull us back a bit about that stuff." WTF?

Elders following the lead of the FDS and making up rules. I have seen brothers giving parts on District Conventions wearing bow ties. Not forbidden.

- What's the deal with the high heels?! I was wearing flats and felt pretty out of place. It's like every woman in there except the elderly had a 4 inch or above heel on that they couldn't walk properly in. Don't get me started on the makeup...

Probably just personal taste there. Meh.

-Is the main enemy of this religion the Catholic church? Because they were brought up in a negative light all throughout the talk. Jehovah's witnesses don't get a mention in a catholic church, they're not even acknowledged as a religion. A destructive sect, yes. Oh, i sorta got schooled on not saying "church." "I thought you were a witness until you said church *fake smile*." Whats wrong with that word?

Someone once told me that a lot JWs (at least in North & especially in South America) are ex-Catholics. To be fair, the Catholic church has strayed pretty far from the simple gospel of Christ. Veneration of saints, the lavish lifestyle of the Pope, etc. They make themselves a pretty big target, and a number of Fundementalist groups (not just JWs) don't consider them "truely" Christian. While I remain "officially" a JW, I privately consider myself pagan, so I have no horse in that race.

As for "church", JWs don't use that term. For the building, they call it a "Kingdom Hall". The group of people is called a "congregation". So, yea, using the word "church" to refer to anything JW related marks you as an outsider.

- Not a question, but open to discussion. I got absolutely NO feeling from it. The songs were so dreary, and the talk on the platform was depressing (closing line: "Armageddon is imminent friends,be certain you've done enough to qualify for Jehovah God's new cleansed earth." APPLAUSE.)

Replacing true spirituality with empty formalism will do that.

7

What is the "Analysis Report" (S-10) form that CO's request from COBOE's?

by cattails in

i've heard of an s-10 form that elders are to have filled in called an "analysis report".... what is the "analysis report" (s-10) form that co's request from coboe's?.

what information is requested?

does it evaluate other elders and ms's and people with responsibilities in the congregations or the physical status of the kh itself?.

Shador

Ok, trying this with Firefox, as my postings from IE are showing up blank. It is basically an inventory: how many publishers, pioneers, Elders, MS, inactive, reactivated, etc.

I can provide a copy if you want.

Edit: Seems to work in Firefox. If admins could delete the two blanks, thank you.

7

What is the "Analysis Report" (S-10) form that CO's request from COBOE's?

by cattails in

i've heard of an s-10 form that elders are to have filled in called an "analysis report".... what is the "analysis report" (s-10) form that co's request from coboe's?.

what information is requested?

does it evaluate other elders and ms's and people with responsibilities in the congregations or the physical status of the kh itself?.

Shador

7

What is the "Analysis Report" (S-10) form that CO's request from COBOE's?

by cattails in

i've heard of an s-10 form that elders are to have filled in called an "analysis report".... what is the "analysis report" (s-10) form that co's request from coboe's?.

what information is requested?

does it evaluate other elders and ms's and people with responsibilities in the congregations or the physical status of the kh itself?.

Shador

38

Finally out of Hiding

by Shador in

well i finally came out and told my parents i did not believe in the wts doctrines.. for me the last straw was seeing honesty's simple clear proof of the wrongness of 607.

'course i couldn't remember all the refs last night but now i've printed them out.. told them about the ngo thing.

of course they said the "ebul 'postates" were twisting the whole thing.. my dad tried to "reason with me" thusly:.

Shador

My advice is to start getting ready to live outside your parent's house, and fast. ; Situations like this often go downhill after a person has made ;their feelings known about the org--at least that's what happened to a lot of us. ; Read the last few threads about Richie Rich's exit--lots of advice on getting your finances in order. ; Sock away some cash in the bank & get ready to move at a moment's notice.
Have you considered getting certified in medical transcription? ; If you've got that, you would be more competitive when applying for transcription jobs in facilities or doctors' offices. ; If you can get certified in coding on top of that, all the better.

Yea, I do wanna save up a little more. Working for this sister, I am pulling down $1500 to $2K a month. I have $600 in savings right now, but I would like to boost it to at least $1K before I leave.

By far the hardest part for me is the emotional attachment to my mother. I can't find myself being angry with her, because I know she is just decieved. As an aside, I think I mentioned earlier that I am the major breadwinner in the house. I doubt they could pay their bill w/o me, so I almost feel like leaving would be abandoning my mother to destitution. Even my stepdad is a nice guy, when he's not spouting JW doctrine. In fact all those who spoke with me are, I believe, decieved to some extent. It hurts because I like these people and they are nice people. They are also genuinely convinced that leaving is the worst decision I can make and think they are helping me. So I know that the hurt I see in their eyes is genuine and it tears me up inside. *sigh* If only my folks were away for some couple of days so I could just slip out quietly and not have to face their reactions in person.

As far as getting certified, I doubt I could do that from home, especially with my PC being taken away. I would have to wait till after I left. (All the more reason to hoard back some cash, eh.?)

11

They keep preaching urgency but the opposite is happening.

by lost_light06 in

i have not been to the dc yet this year but i have a feeling i know exactly what they are going to say.

do not lose your urgency, keep awake!, dont fall asleep in this old system of things.

basically the same crap we have heard for years, decades, generations (pre-1995 understanding).

Shador

In regards to the declining numbers, lack of urgency, etc. I am reminded of this verse:

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

- Acts 5:38, 39 NIV

Unless something radical happens, I think the WTBS probably has 10 - 20 years of life left in it at the outside.