Doubting Bro

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Posts by Doubting Bro

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  15

  JW Malawi Girl Turns Down Scholarship To Study In China Because JWs Banned

  by Justitia Themis in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.straitstimes.com/breakingnews/world/story/stistory_568033.html.

  aug 18, 2010girl rejects scholarship by line end by line end left side bar story content : start .

  blantyre (malawi) - a malawian girl has declined a scholarship to study medicine at a chinese university over concerns that her religion is banned in the communist country, sponsors said on wednesday.. chikondi denemu, an 18-year-old jehovah's witness, turned down one of three full scholarships arranged by private radio station zodiak for students who excelled in their exams, station manager gospel kazako said.. ms denemu 'declined a golden chance of her lifetime because her parents were concerned that jehovah's witnesses are banned in china,' mr kazako told afp.

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  Doubting Bro

  This is very sad, especially given the background of this young woman. I hope she changes her mind before its too late.
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  54

  To DF'd people: have you gotten your yearly visit? Ever?

  by daringhart13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm really curious how many of those df'd have ever received a yearly visit........ .

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  Doubting Bro

  Interesting because the BOE I was on made these calls every year. Quite frankly, it was the most uncomfortable thing I ever did as an elder. These folks had been out for 15-20 years, I didn't know them at all and would routinely get blasted. I thought it was a strange arrangement because 1) most didn't walk away but were thrown out, 2) they knew where the KH was and if they were interested in coming back then they had the "option" and 3) shunning just makes people angry. I noticed that if someone was really going to be reinstated, they would typically come to meetings soon after being DF'ed.

  And this was my attitude as a die-hard JW. Now, I really see not only the damage that shunning does but just how unChristian the whole thing is. Even as rough as Paul was, he relented in Cornith pretty quick and saw the damage.

  The calling on DF'ed or long time inactive ones would probably be more effective if the shunning wasn't there. Who wants to go back to the meetings when no one will even look you in the eye? If they want to improve the numbers, they should really reconsider the shunning policy. It's just bad for business.

  Edited to add: I remember one individual that I was assigned to call every year. I actually joked around with him because we talked for a while the first time I meet him. I knew he didn't want to come back and he knew (he was a former elder) that I had a box to check. So we would talk about sports for a few minutes, I would ask if he wanted to come back, he would say that hell hadn't frozen over yet, and I would laugh and say ok, if you change your mind, let me know. It was very casual. I should dig up his number and have a real conversation with him now!!!
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  23

  Do you hate to hear a very long story?

  by asilentone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  Doubting Bro

  Posting on JWN from the meeting?? - Impressive
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  26

  A Fond Farewell

  by 5thGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i want to take this opportunity to say goodbye to all of the members on jwn and thank you for your support over the years.. circumstances have arisen that make it impossible for me to continue posting here.. i have truly appreciated your love and support during some hard times when i had no one else to talk to.. you showed compassion and a non-judgmental, christlike attitude for thoughts and feelings that could not be openly expressed to any of the brothers in the congregation for fear of reprisal.

  for that, i am so grateful!.

  thanks to the many of you that could relate to the pain and worthlessness that i have felt about myself for so many years because of my experiences and upbringing in the truth.

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  Doubting Bro

  5th - Sorry to see you leave but best wishes and stay strong.
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  269

  Have your JW Relatives Explained about Generation/Overlap Change to You ?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after reading on the way out's thread about his mom explaining the generation overlap to him it kicked this idea into my head to make this thread .

  i thought it would be helpful to see if anybody here has had jw relatives or friends try to explain this " generation overlap " theory to you as a faded or inactive witness and what happened in the conversations.

  so please feel free to post your experiences.

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  Doubting Bro

  I was making the point that based on the fact that it's been "almost 100 years [that] have passed since 1914, we now know that Jesus could not have had in mind a 20- or 23-year generation, so we can now infer that Jesus was referring to a period of time as a 'generation.'"

  Or the simplier answer would be that since generation is such an easily understood word, then perhaps the 1914 date is the incorrect starting point and not this inaccurate definition of the word generation? Nah, because if that happened, the GB would be in the position of having to pick a new time for the last days to start and that would be much harder to pull off than what they came up with. What a second, haven't they done that before? Why yes, I believe 1874 was the first WTS date that was to be the beginning of the last days.

  Your example about the definition of planets isn't a good comparison. Since when does the IAU order people shunned because they don't believe in their definition of planet? For that matter, when did the IAU claim to be spirit directed?

  Didn't the WTS greive the holy spirit when they originally defined the generation as the ones who saw 1914, then changed it to the wicked living in the last days, then changed it to the annointed in the last days? I would think that Holy Spirit would have guided them correctly at least one of these times? Why would they be directed to proclaim something that wasn't accurate?
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  49

  How many times (after high school) have you fallen in love?

  by UnConfused in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  and how far apart were they?.

  thanks.

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  Doubting Bro

  1 time - we've been married for about 15 years!
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  12

  Lessons Learned....

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  want to briefly address why i am here.. i did say i was done with jw forums.

  and i am in a sense.

  i would like to announce a couple of things.

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  Doubting Bro

  Glad you're back. I've always enjoyed your posts. Although I will say your choice of football teams is somewhat disturbing!
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  25

  For those who is still in the org, do you still study for the meetings?

  by asilentone in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  Doubting Bro

  NO, its a passive aggressive thing for me. I could underline the materials in 5 mins if I wanted to but I want people to see how uninterested I am. I don't even have the gumption to do a counter study to try to correct teachings. Probably haven't commented in a couple of years.

  Interestingly enough, I was one who tried to do a good job in studying. I would look up info not only in the WT pubs but outside sources like eSword. I would often comment on how other translations rendered verses (of course with a WT spin). What amazes me is that I would often read contrary info and just dismiss it outright! I recall preparing for the Daniel bookstudy and looking up historical info on 607 etc and just thinking the secular sources were completely wrong. It goes to show you that people will just dismiss the truth about the truth until they are ready to accept.

  My wife also doesn't prepare. I wouldn't say she ever really studied, just underlined and wrote scriptures down. But she hasn't done that for a while.
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  44

  Struggling

  by EmptyInside in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's just my personality to go the fade route, but i can't handle it anymore.

  i lost respect for myself.

  i won't write a da letter out of respect for family.

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  Doubting Bro

  Empty & 5th - I understand exactly what you guys are going through and I'm right there with you. I wish I had some words of wisdom, but I don't. Just knowing that others are going through similar circumstances can be of some comfort.

  When the choice is staying around a religion that exerts such high control (or anything for that matter that exerts that type of control) or losing the most important things in your life (wife and kids) there really is no good choice. I hate that the WTS forces that type of choice on a daily basis. I just heard of another family being destroyed because the wife doesn't want to be a JW any longer but the husband does. It can sap your will to live on some days.

  I wish things would reform but I know deep down that that will never happen. The future from where I sit is pretty dark.

  I guess all that we can do is take it one day at a time and hope that we'll be able to wake up those that mean so much to us.
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  11

  elder school 2011

  by inbetween in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we received a letter announcing elder school starting fall 2011, it will be one whole week !!!!!.

  the kms school for 1 1/2 days were already long enough, now 5 long days ?.

  what can possibly be taught in 5 days ?.

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  Doubting Bro

  TOH is right. I remember them reading something at the last CA regarding these special schools but don't remember the details. Here in the US, the 2 day KM schools are going to be held this fall.