Arthur

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Posts by Arthur

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  6

  Aposta-Mag!

  by Kristofer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i've pondered the idea of making a one-time publication like the awake!

  magazine which educates the reader on jw doctrine, the brief history, false prophecy, biblical defense and an exposure of changing doctrines, cover-ups and lies.

  it would include a list of website links to keep the mag brief and they could go to sites for more indepth research.

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  Arthur

  This is indeed a good idea. I think it would be useful for those who have family members who are studying, or looking into the JWs. However, the JWs simply aren't very relevant to most people. To most people, JWs are an oddity, or a irritation to be brushed off. Many people do not have the incentive to educate themselves about the Witnesses because they already view them as a silly religion. For example, I personally have no desire to do any in-depth investigation into the Church of Scientology because I already know that L. Ron Hubbard was a nutball.

  So, don't be disappointed if many in the public don't show much interest. I still say go for it; however, trying to distribute this type of magazine to all households the same way the Awake magazine is; would cost millions of dollars. A more cost-effective method might be to sell copies of it exclusively to churches, and non-profit organizations while waiving the copyrights. You could encourage them to make photocopies of it and to distribute it freely to their congregants, and friends.

  Another more cost-effective alternative might be to create an online magazine. Many of the major magazines and newspapers offer online subscriptions to readers instead of them receiving actual issues in the mail. You could send out mass mailings avertising the online magazine; and offer an annual subscription. Or, you could send out mass mailings advertising the online magazine that can be read freely. You could make your money through offering ad space on the website, or by setting up the magazine service as a non-profit organization; and soliciting tax-deductible donations to the public.

  You will want to look into all of the legal aspects of publishing information on a major religion especially when it involves using their own publications. If you are charging for the magazine, this will raise some legal issues. A good law firm which specializes in representing the publishing industry should be consulted before the ground work begins, so that you can possibly avoid unecessary litigation that could put you out of business.
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  15

  The JW Borg: An Image For Your Archives

  by V in

  1. social
  2. humour
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  Arthur

  Akin to the Star Wars Death Star. Very cool. It just occured to me. Didn't Fred Franz look a lot like Emperor Palpatine? I tried to find pictures of both of them on the net to post here for comparison, but I couldn't find any decent ones.
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  18

  Exit Plan

  by choosing life in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is it better to fade or just move on with your life?

  i have been fading for over a year because most of my close family is still in.

  i would never meet with the elders or write a letter to quit.

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  Arthur

  I feel like I am suffering both physically and emotionally. But we have been together for over 30 years and I am in very poor health. All of this makes me just feel powerless.

  The emotional suffering is very common. Not to discount your own struggle; but there are several people on this site who have gone through some hellish emotional trials involved in fading away and trying to gain some distance from the org (myself included). One of the best things you can do is continue to read on this site regularly. Every once in a while, you will read about someone else's experiences and feelings, and will relate to them. I suggest you PM those people and ask for advice and support. You might be surprised as to what kind of friendships may transpire. I have found a couple of individuals who I correspond with by email for emotional support. Sometimes, that is what can make the difference.

  Sometimes, the best that we can do, is to get through each day - taking it one day at a time.
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  12

  (true) God

  by elatwra in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was reading auld souls post on a different thread and i noticed that in 1st chronicles the nwt has the word (true) inserted in parenthesis in front of the word god.1 chronicles 15:25-16:6. and david and the older men of israel and the chiefs of the thousands came to be the ones walking along to bring up the ark of the covenant of jehovah from the house of obed-edom with rejoicing.

  and it came about when the [true] god helped the levites while carrying the ark of the covenant of jehovah that they proceeded to sacrifice seven young bulls and seven rams.

  and david was dressed in a sleeveless coat of fine fabric, and also all the levites carrying the ark and the singers and chenaniah the chief of the carrying by the singers; but upon david there was an ephod of linen.

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  Arthur

  My guess as to why it was inserted was because the translators felt that the word "true" most surely belonged there; and thus felt justified in placing it there. One reason for this might be the fact that some Bible scholars believe that some of the "faithful men of old" did not worship Yahweh exclusively.

  For example, some Bible scholars have found strange anomalies in the accounts about Abram building an alter at the Oaks or Terebinths of Mamre. Judging from historical facts regarding this region, and from the anomalies found in such accounts, scholars have suggested that Abram was also a worshipper of the Goddess Asherah. There is plenty of archeological findings that show that many Israellites got involved in Asherah worship.

  When the WTS was producing the NWT, they may have decided to "nip this idea in the bud" by inserting the word "true" so that non of the "flock" became confused or tried to promote any "false" ideas.
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  18

  Exit Plan

  by choosing life in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is it better to fade or just move on with your life?

  i have been fading for over a year because most of my close family is still in.

  i would never meet with the elders or write a letter to quit.

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  Arthur

  But he taunts me with the fact that I can't find "anything better."

  He obviously doesn't get out very much. This is the product of living inside a psychological jail cell for so long. Pretty soon, the bare gray walls and bars look good because the prisoner can't immagine living outside of the safety of his cell.

  When Witnesses are so heavily indoctrinated to loath other churches; no wonder they can't immagine going anywhere else! This is a textbook example of mind control as written about by Robert J. Lifton and Steven Hassan. Did you see the movie "The Village" ? I thought that movie was the absolute perfect microcosm of JW life. The town "elders" had everybody so terrified of the "creatures out there", no one even had the desire to leave the village.

  I totally understand what you are saying about not being able to formally leave because of not wanting to lose your family. So many of us are in the same boat. In that case, you may just have to accept where you are at this point in time. Sometimes, staying where we are at the present point in time is the best thing we can do; until other options present themsleves.

  If you have not yet read the book: Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan; buy it ! It is one of the most enlightening books I have ever read in my life. (and I am a huge reader) You will have such a deeper understanding of the WTS indoctrination process. Understanding it is the first step in freeing yourself from it.

  My second piece of advice is this: The next time your husband taunts you about not being able to go anywhere else, I would simply tell him to shut the f**k up.

  But, that is just my humble opinion.
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  11

  Can someone explain this music video, "Little Birdhouse in Your Soul"?

  by VM44 in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  can anyone explain what in the world is the meaning of this they might be giants video, "little birdhouse in your soul"?.

  tmbg "little birdhouse in your soul".

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kjd2n2gvqw.

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  Arthur

  My god, this was a song and a group that I wanted so badly to forget about; just like bad food poisoning. But, VM44 has just resurrected it into my consciousness so that I can enjoy this artistic vomit one more time.

  Thanks VM44
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  6

  SAS software used at Bethel, What is it?

  by VM44 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  quite a few months ago here at jwd comments were posted by a governing body member in which he mentioned that some software named sas was "only a tool" used at bethel.

  can anyone explain what this sas software is, and what it is used for at bethel?.

  sounds like it might be expensive.. --vm44

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  Arthur

  It involves data management and integration.

  http://sas.com
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  5

  607 website - part 5

  by Jeffro in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  part 5 in the series .

  part 1: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/118445/2082380/post.ashx#2082380.

  part 2: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/118507/2083398/post.ashx#2083398.

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  Arthur

  Nooooooooooooo!

  Not this again !
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  3

  Guilt only on "Individual Basis"

  by KennyC in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  scapegoating is a practice of the old mosaic law and one of the influences of lying apostates and judaizers that the apostles fought against in the 1st century.

  in ancient judaism there were instances of group sin where their sins were written down and tied to the beast and it would be sent off into the wilderness as a representation of sins being forgotten and gone.

  jw's do the same thing with individuals, usually in the form of "apostates" being disfellowshipped.

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  Arthur

  The "Pioneer Spirit has been championed for decades as a good and necessary thing, even for those who are not pioneers. It is a product of sorcery and club-mentality derived from false teachers during communist infiltration of the organization (WWII and later cold-war periods until today) and the "Young Pioneers" group of the communist party straight from the King of the North. At least one sorcerer is still practicing his deeds and has moved up the organizational ladder in service to the Watchtower organization as a traveling minister.

  KennyC

  I am not questioning your level of honestly, but I would like to know where you got the above information. The above statements seem a little far-fetched. I have never heard anyone make a link between the term "pioneer spirit" and spiritistic practices. I have also never heard any former members say that any sorcerers were serving in high level capacities in the org. Would you be willing to state the name of this traveling overseer in a PM? I am not saying that you are dishonest, but these are some unusual claims. I would just like to know if you can verify these statements by telling us where you got the information.

  Respectfully,

  Arthur
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  31

  What do the endless debates with ThirdWitness etc prove?

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  there are currently long debates going on with 3w about the subtle meaning of words and how they are supposed to prove the wts has the correct doctrine.

  even as a jw i always noticed that it was impossible to prove a doctrine to people in the field.

  the fact that 2 christians can discuss topics endlessly without any conclusion shows me that god can not possibly be going to destroy every non jw simply because they could not be convinced of watchtower doctrine.. the bible says very little about doctrine, besides pauls discussions to show jesus is our ransomer and means for everlasting heavenly life.

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  Arthur

  greeendawn said:

  Of course they are not the only ones guilty of this but on the other hand they fiercely claim that they are the only true religion and demand accordingly.

  I remember reading a quote in a book that read: "Exraordinary claims demand exraordinary evidence". The statements that have been made by thirdwitness have only emphasized the fact that the WTS cannot provide the evidence that matches the level of their claims. Their "evidence" has been rather lackluster.