Posts by Doubting Bro

77

Restore Honor Rally in DC --did anyone here attend?

by Ri in

jw
friends

i have been watching glenn beck for over a year and i like him...he says what most americans are thinking and feeling.

there is no doubt he has a love for our creator.

btw i was a jw for 10 years and left that religion for good...i have no desire to belong to another religion but i do consider myself a christian.. just wanted to know what your opinion is of glenn beck.

Doubting Bro

I thought everyone knew that Romney and Beck are Mormon. I do think the LDS is also a cult but not due to their wacky beliefs but due to the amount of control they use to keep their flock in line.

Also doesn't Keller see that he thinks everyone that doesn't subscribe to his version of Christianity is an "abomination" that is going to "burn forever in the flames of hell"?? Wow, this guy is a wack job and a hyprocrite. At least he's upfront with what he thinks will happen to those that disagree with him.

I do agree with him that most people don't know or care what the Mormon belief (or JW belief) system is despite their aggressive proselytizing.

Yes, Beck wants to sell his books and is paid a lot of money to attract listeners for the advertisers that are paying his salary. He's an entertainer, nothing more.

BTW - notice the similarities with LDS & JW? Except the LDS has done a much better job of positioning itself to prosper and be part of the mainstream without losing the control. If I were the WTS, I would try to take as many pages out of the LDS playbook as possible.

10

For those still "in" for whatever reason, how long did it take you to disconnect from the things you were taught?

by Crisis of Conscience in

i'm coming up on a year of when i first "woke up" regarding the org.

i still am "in" because i am trying to weigh out my options.

my wife is still mentally "in" and i know way to many people.

Doubting Bro

COC - same with me. It used to really bother me and for awhile I was paying even closer attention to the parts and then rebutting the points in my mind. It was agony giving talks because I tried really hard not to say things I thought were false.

Once I "stepped aside" from responsibilities, it became much easier.

Now, I rarely pay attention, just either read the Bible or daydream. Before and after the meetings, its easy because no one talks about "spiritual" things, so you can have a normal conversation.

I agree that this site is a great place to vent!

65

New elders' manual - a few more details

by sir82 in

jw
friends

per a recent boe letter:.

-- new manual will be softcover.

-- elders can keep their old elder manual if they choose.

Doubting Bro

Thanks Sir82. I still can't stop myself from having a morbid curosity about this stuff. Can't wait to see your review of the program!!

74

Ran over my dog today

by BurnTheShips in

jw
friends

she was chasing my car up the road.

i didn't notice her.

she is gone.. bts.

Doubting Bro

Really sorry to hear that BTS.

3

Hi everyone need info on JW policy!

by LucyA in

i grew up a jw but arn't now my mother who is jw and piosneering at the moment told me the society does not charge for use of the kh for weddings funerals ect is this true?.

if they dont why dont they?.

.

Doubting Bro

I've never heard of a charge being made or a gratuity being given to the person conducting the ceremony, unless you count being invited to the reception a gratuity.

You have to qualify which means you and your fiancee as well as all members of your wedding party have to be approved by the elders.

I would imagine that the couple would make a donation to cover the costs of the building use, at least that's what we did when we were married in the KH years ago.

I believe the same applies to furnerals in terms of making a donation.

I actually don't have an issue with that particular policy since there is a cost associated with these activities and they aren't really "congregational" sponsored events.

Mattieu - I've never hear of anyone doing a big cleaning but I could see that happening.

8

Blood Teaching Overt vs. Suggestive

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

blood teaching overt vs. suggestive is the title of a new blog article based on newly obtained information.

this is in the form of a brief email exchange followed by a letter from watchtower to a private individual.

it took a couple of days to track this information back to its owner, but with permission i share it with everyone at my blog.[1].

Doubting Bro

Wow Marvin. Thanks for sharing. I always wondered how the WTS came up with the arbitrary line. So they think that if you had a jar of whole blood, that it would separate into the 4 forbidden components? Where do they get this stuff from.?

If this is the rationale they've been using, they could easily parlay this into just saying whole blood is forbidden and the rest is a "conscious" matter. To me that the next step out of this mess for them.

And to think I was once will to die myself and allow loved ones to die because of this crazy policy. It give me shivers just thinking about it.....

22

How many JW's are doing bad things each year worthy of being DF'd?

by dissed in

jw
friends

for a religious group that claims to be above reproach, with a self proclaimed, excellent reputation for godliness, i don't feel that claim is quite true.. in fact, i think its a sham to make those assertions.

they trully should not feel they are different from any organized group, when it comes to its members following righteous standards.

true, the wt would like all to believe they are clean and morally straight, that they are different and not tainted from the world.

Doubting Bro

I recently heard the 100k world wide figure at a public talk. I know him fairly well and asked him afterward where he got his figure. He got it from the CO. I realize its all heresay but he must believe it. This guy is a substitute CO and is trying to get into the circuit work on a full time basis. Not that it matters, but he's generally not the type to pull numbers out of his butt.

I would say a conservative estimate would be 3 non-dfings to every 1 dfing.

My guess is that a large number are involved with things that would get them dfed by their own rules.

21

Evolution Saves The Gulf

by metatron in

jw
friends

oh, my god!

a massive oil spill!

it's the end!

Doubting Bro

But the Obama administration looks terrible in this. His approval ratings took a beating over the summer in large part to the inability of BP and the government to get the well under control. If they were going to manufacture a crisis, you'd think they make one up that they could solve quickly.

I know folks impacted by the oil and they all seem to think it's much worse than what the government will admit.

I agree there are plenty of things to be worried about and I just add this to the list.

128

"High-Control Groups"

by Consfearacy in

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/similar-religions-to-jehovahs-witnesses.php .

"it is important to understand that in most bible-based cults, although the member is aggressively taught doctrine, it is not the doctrine that holds him in the group.

it is the sense that the group is god's true people, a feeling cultivated by techniques of mind control.

Doubting Bro

Alice - I like your other avatar much better. Is this one Batman? I see the Bat signal above and the person looks like they're wearing a cape. Or it could be a mad wizard walking down the hall of his creepy mansion.

Bring back the hot witch!!

21

Evolution Saves The Gulf

by metatron in

jw
friends

oh, my god!

a massive oil spill!

it's the end!

Doubting Bro

I wish the governments conclusions about the damage were true but I think they're flat out lying. Remember when the gusher first blew, they estimated a much much lower amount of oil was being discharged into the Gulf than was actually the case. I think the administration wants to get this out of the news as fast as possible.

I find it very hard to believe that all the oil has been dispersed and everything is fine again.