Doubting Bro

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Posts by Doubting Bro

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  21

  The WTS, homosexuality, and the tax code

  by sir82 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how about that for a discombobulated thread topic?.

  i think we are in the midst of a new civil rights revolution - this time the oppressed who are overcoming prejudice are homosexuals.

  now new york has legalized gay marriage.

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  Doubting Bro

  I'm with undercover. I have never been able to understand why the promotion of religious beliefs is given tax exempt status. Freedom to worship/believe as one sees fit has nothing to do with freedom from taxes. If that was the case, then my paying income taxes violates my freedom of speech. It's a nonsensical argument.

  Religious organizations are even held to the same standards as other not for profits (in US). Of course, the famous Jimmy Swaggert case which ended up leading to the WTS going to a "contribution" basis on the literature is one example where the government did say that you can't run a commercial business under the guise of religion.

  And, didn't that Bob Jones university lose their not for profit status because they discriminated against minorities?
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  40

  FADERS: How determined are you?

  by VampireDCLXV in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after being here on jwn for a while, one does see a spectrum of sorts.

  there are people here in various stages of their exit from their lives as jws.

  some are full fledged kh and fs attendees whom we call "the conscious class".

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  Doubting Bro

  I'll never believe again that the WTS is God's earthly organization. I only attended to make things easier with my wife. She's a social JW so there's not much discussion on doctrine. It's like a Catholic that says " I was born a Catholic and I'll die a Catholic" without any real indepth understanding of the basic premise of the religion. I think that's the way many born-in JWs are like.

  Will I DA? No, not unless there has to be a major decision that would be life & death (ie blood). Or if they turned to mandatory tithing. No way in hell I'm giving them a cent.
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  142

  Undercover Brother Campaign- have you received your invite?

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  without specifics being mentioned as to what it is......(to avoid tipping off certain lurkers).. how many people know about the upcoming summer long campaign?

  please use this thread to confirm receipt of your campaign invitation.

  take care.

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  Doubting Bro

  IN
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  75

  Elder body removed – Watchtower letter

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  elder body removed watchtower letter.

  an elder body was removed last year in california.

  most folks have never seen a watchtower letter breaking this news.

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  Doubting Bro

  Cold blooded!! I've heard of whole BOEs being deleted but never actually saw such a letter. Usually when an elder is deleted or resigns they just send a form letter. I'm marking this to read the other documents.

  Yeah, why would these guys get disappointed? Seriously, if I were a believer and one of those elders, that letter would just rub salt in my wounds and likely make me an unbeliever pretty quickly.

  I'm so glad this is a public document so everyone can see just how vicious the WTS really is. They were deleted because they didn't want to sell the hall, right? Must have missed that part of the Timothy/Titus requirements.

  No way any holy spirit is with the WTS. Just another proof.
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  65

  I walked out of an Elder's Meeting

  by AlmightyDog in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  well here goes... i apologize in advance if this turns into a long and disjointed rant, but i just have to begin typing in order to keep from exploding.

  i realize that what im about to say could seriously jeopardize my anonymity, but i think ive reached the point that i just dont care.

  i want this to be over.. let me explain what caused me to rip up a letter and get up and walk out in the middle of an elders meeting two weekends ago.. our boe has been embroiled in a nasty fight for the past 2 years over a certain brothers business dealings.

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  Doubting Bro

  Wow Almightydog! I missed a few of your opening posts so a belated welcome. If it helps, these sorts of things are really not that uncommon. My first elder's meeting (I was about the same age you are now) involved a shouting match and got very personal between 2 elders. I almost quit right then but labored on for several years more. The more interaction a person has with the inner workings even on a local basis, I think the clearer it becomes that there is no Holy Spirit directing the WT.

  You know, if you want to fade or at least be a bump on a log (like me, I still attend but rarely go in service, never comment, don't even sing or applaude) you have the perfect excuse now. You can say that the BOE has stumbled you and that you're waiting on Jehovah to fix things. Until that time, don't believe you can effectively serve.

  Of course, da'ing is always an option but one with severe consequences if you have a wife and family.

  Whatever you choose, at least you have a place here to vent! Look forward to hearing more from you.

  Edited to add:

  I see that you said others on the BOE believe you're resigning because of the situation only. Use that to your advantage if you want to fade. Let them do the talking to the CO for you. That way, you can avoid revealing your true feelings if that's what you want to do.
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  94

  Another Elder

  by burnedout in

  1. jw
  2. experiences
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  Doubting Bro

  Burnedout - Greetings from another burned out ex-elder!! Your story also sound similar to mine. I'm in the same spot as Bluebrother - warming a seat from time to time, but mentally I'm free and what a relief.

  Enjoy your family and the reduction of stress in your life. Look foward to hearing more from you.
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  50

  Resigned

  by Franklin Massey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i finally resigned as an elder.

  my conscience wouldn't allow me to continue.

  i've battled for years trying to reconcile the fallacies of the wt society with my own personal beliefs.

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  Doubting Bro

  FM - Congrats on the decision. I can tell you that anyone who has been in your position can totally relate to what you went through. I know it felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders when I finally resigned. Brace yourself on being treated much differently by members of the local congregation. Your wife may be treated differently as well. I never believed that would be the case until I went through it myself.
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  77

  DC 2011 Strange omission from the releases

  by JWFreak in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there are 3 really basic releases for the dc this year.

  revised vol 1 of young people ask.................hmmm lot of work in that one.

  new brochure.

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  Doubting Bro

  JWF - Great to see you posting again. Hope all is well. We really appreciate your contributions!!!

  I agree that it's very odd that they had a book written but couldn't get final sign off and that the GB is fairly split. I wonder if that's why they haven't put any more on yet? If there's that big of a split between them, they likely wouldn't be able to agree on additional members.

  Do you have any idea as to who is allied with whom? I know Loshe is hard core but really not sure as to the others. Any insight you can share?
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  20

  Is May 21st the Judgement Day?

  by witnessofjesus in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  what you need to know about date setting by dr. h.l.

  willmington .

  no doubt one of the most anticipated day thus far in this century was friday, april 29, when william and kate were married at westminster abbey in london.

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  Doubting Bro

  I will say this, Camping got his insane message out to the masses much better than the WT has!! Ironically many JWs that I've spoken to about this have made fun of Camping and his group. Sort of like Lars above.

  Uh, pot meet kettle

  BTW - love the list of unfulfilled predictions!! The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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  23

  How Do I 'Come Out' To My Kids?

  by headisspinning in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  those of you who have been following my story know that i just 'came out' to my family about being finished with the religion.. does anyone have advice on how to explain this to the kids?

  their ages are 9 & 14 and they are very smart and fully grasp all the issues.. they are living with their father who has brainwashed them.

  so this is very touchy.. should i just keep being a good mom and just lay low?

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  Doubting Bro

  Scully - That may be the best written piece of advice I've ever seen. Headisspinning, I also think forcing your ex to abide by what the courts have mandated is your biggest issue at the moment.

  Kids at those ages certainly grasp what's going on. I think the indirect method of questioning and getting them to think for themselves is probably the best course. Obviously if they ask directly what your stance is you can tell them the truth, that you used to believe that way but after you really investigated the religion, you now think differently. Maybe give them one example and then drop it for the time being. The older one you could likely have a more indepth conversation with but remember how you reacted the first time the blinders came off. They could react the same way.

  Whatever you do, don't flood them with everything at once. If they really believe, they likely can't handle it.

  Of course, if one of my parents told me that I didn't have to go to meetings, etc at 14, I would have jumped for joy. I didn't really start beliving hard core until later.