I was just being a smart aleck.
Yeah, I forgot about that max. number of posts per day thing. I've never come close to making 25 posts in one day. That Gollum thread "shoot-out" really ate up your posts didn't it?
Posts by Arthur
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30Okay, this is what I am
by ElderBarry ini was forced to go to kh (to all of the meetings!
) from just a couple weeks before i turned ten until i turned eighteen.
it was awful and i was never baptized.
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30
Okay, this is what I am
by ElderBarry ini was forced to go to kh (to all of the meetings!
) from just a couple weeks before i turned ten until i turned eighteen.
it was awful and i was never baptized.
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Arthur
I'm almost out of posts!
What do you mean by that? Did someone give you a gift certificate for 50 free posts on this site or something?
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9
Paranoia vs. the Governing Body
by parakeet inin my more paranoiac moments, i wonder if the gb creates its myriad nitpicking rules in order to deliberately create a high turnover of jws.
the advantage to doing this would be to ease the way for "new light" doctrine.
the 1914 generation has passed; the generation after that is passing, and their memories are passing with them.
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Arthur
Or maybe it's just that I'm up late, and my cold medication has kicked in.
That sounds like some pretty good cold medicine.
Personally, I don't think they plan on changing the 1914 doctrine. I don't think there is any reason for them to. Besides, the new "What Does the Bible Really Teach" book highlights the 1914 doctrine. I don't think they would have included that into a new study book if they were planning on changing it in the near future.
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Okay, this is what I am
by ElderBarry ini was forced to go to kh (to all of the meetings!
) from just a couple weeks before i turned ten until i turned eighteen.
it was awful and i was never baptized.
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Arthur
I am actually very human and probly as sane as anyone here.
If you are as sane as we are, they better lock you up and throw away the key.
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50
THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?
by ElderBarry inwhen i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.
i didnt want to get burned.
i could have stayed that way.
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Arthur
Does anybody here have any good Mormom jokes?
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50
THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?
by ElderBarry inwhen i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.
i didnt want to get burned.
i could have stayed that way.
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Arthur
ElderBarry,
I was intrigued your initial post. I don't think I've ever heard anyone mix psychology, spirituality, and Lord of the Rings characters all together in the same post. Anyway, you do make some good points about letting go, however, you must understand that not everyone "moves on" at the same speed.
There are indeed many on this site that are angry. (myself included) This is just part of the recovery process. Some have not moved on because they are not ready yet. Many of us need to vent for a while. Many of us need to be angry for a little while so that we can let it out. Many of us have kept our true feelings about the org, about God, and religion repressed for many years. Now, we need to express those views, and share them with others. Many of us do plan on releasing such anger in due time.
It did seem to me as though you were trying to help with your post. However, I know that from my own experience, I have written posts in an attempt to "help", and it has been perceived by some as though I was being preachy and a little sanctimonious. Those people probably had a good point. I shouldn't try to change other people's minds, or influence them.
Being that this board is made up of atheists, agnostics, Born Again Christians, Catholics, and "I don't knows", we all learn to share our common bond: our departure form a cult-like religion. Most of us learn to respect each other as individuals even though we disagree.
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39
I NEED ADVICE ON WHAT TO RECOMMEND
by ElderBarry inhi.
one of the girls i work with, wenda, is studying with the dubs!
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Arthur
How about the Bible?
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Adam/Sin - Free will or Satan
by Hoping4Change injust a quick question:
the new "what does the bible really teach?
" book says that "satan caused adam to sin".
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Arthur
In the minds of JWs, this is just semantics. When they say "caused" it means that Adam gave in to the temptation that was presented by Satan. They say that Satan did not force Adam. They will argue that Jesus was subject to the same temptation (the offer of earthly kingdoms if he would perform an act of worship to Satan), but resisted Satan's temptation. Therefore, the act of Adam was an act of free will. (So they teach)
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Is there a named and shamed site?
by Afrancis ini would like to know if anyone has started a named and shamed site.
its that i know so much bad stuff thats happened in so many congregations involving elders, ministerial servants and others.
it would be great if someone could put them up ?
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Arthur
yeh i know what your saying but dont that contridict themselves? number 1) what is a genuine witness doing in here reading stuff? number 2) why would they waste their time in bringing down court orders if the beliefs are "wait on jehovah for he will bring judgement..."
1) Well, according to others on this site who have experienced this kind of thing, there are Witnesses who go "fishing" by doing Google searches under key phrases and names in order to "bring down" apostates who may have not been DFd yet. For example, there are elders who will do a google search under their own name if they suspect that former Witnesses are defaming them. 2) As far as litigation is concerned, the Watchtower Society and Witnesses will not think twice about suing those who are "enemies of Jehovah" or "apostates" if defamation is involved. The whole "wait on Jehovah" thing applies to JWs not suing fellow JWs; it does not apply to ex-JWs. Personally, I'm not trying to say what you should or shouldn't do. I'm not trying to be preachy or anything. I'm just saying that others who have tried such things have found themselves in a big hassle afterwards. Caution and good judgement is the key.
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Couple of questions...
by AnonyMouse insomeone gave me an explanation, but i didn't really understand it.
what is a dub?
and what does it stand for?
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Arthur
I'm just confused as to HOW this could have happened? Was there just a complete failure of thought? How can people fall into this? Don't they see the big picture? Can they not see they're being manipulated? And most of all, how can they be so fervent?
Mind control is complex. Unlike brainwashing, mind control is done with the full participation of the follower; however it can take on a form of brainwashing when used on children. For those of us who were born and raised as JWs, it is probably much more difficult to deal with the after-effects than those who converted later in life. From birth, we are heavily indoctrinated, and the JW world view becomes our entire reality. This coupled with the fact that there is enormous psychological reward and punishment used to mold and manipulate the minds of the average JW. The JW psychology with all of it's quirks and phobias becomes deeply ingrained. It is so deeply ingrained that it can take years for a former JW to purge themselves of all of the emotional baggage. This is not generally the case with those who converted to the JW religion as adults, and later on left.
Sometimes it's difficult to explain to people who have never been in a high-control or mind control environment. The reaction of most (if not all) former JWs is to look back and ask: "How in the world could I have believed in all of that?" It is indeed very complex, so complex that sometimes we ourselves are at a loss for words.