Zico

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Posts by Zico

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  35

  Moving on...

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been reading this board regularly since it was introduced to me in march of this year.

  at first, i was finding it pretty difficult coming to terms with the fact that my whole life had been a lie, but really, i suppose there's not much point in worrying about this now, what's done is done, and i'm still easily young enough to make a life in 'the world' despite a slow start.

  the problem is that i have no idea how to go about.

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  Zico

  Thanks all for the suggestions! You've certainly been very helpful and given me a lot to think about. :)
  
  Nowman - Don't worry, I am a man! I do still live with my parents as well, it would be impossible to move out at the moment on my part time wage, but I am planning to work towards this once I am working full time.
  
  Grey Matters - I am still working for my uncle, I know I will have to find a job at another company if I am going to really leave. Right now though, I just want to concentrate on finishing with pioneering and getting a full time position.
• 
  35

  Moving on...

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been reading this board regularly since it was introduced to me in march of this year.

  at first, i was finding it pretty difficult coming to terms with the fact that my whole life had been a lie, but really, i suppose there's not much point in worrying about this now, what's done is done, and i'm still easily young enough to make a life in 'the world' despite a slow start.

  the problem is that i have no idea how to go about.

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  Zico

  Hi all,
  
  I've been reading this board regularly since it was introduced to me in March of this year. At first, I was finding it pretty difficult coming to terms with the fact that my whole life had been a lie, but really, I suppose there's not much point in worrying about this now, what's done is done, and I'm still easily young enough to make a life in 'The World' despite a slow start. The problem is that I have no idea how to go about.
  
  I was brought up in the Truth. I was baptised at 14. At 16, I left school, and worked part time for my uncle, who is a Witness, as a trainee electrician. At the same time I auxillary pioneered for 6 months, and then became a regular pioneer. I am now 20 and have been a regular pioneer for 3 1/2 years.
  
  I'm still a pioneer, because I'm too afraid to tell my JW family that I no longer want to be a pioneer. (Though I'm not doing anywhere near 70 hours a month now, but still reporting it!) I already know what I want to do, I want to complete an apprenticeship and start to work full time as an electrician, but how can I let them know that I don't want to pioneer anymore? Has anyone had experiences like this? I'm certain that when I tell them, they'll want to know why, and they'll press for reason, and I can't think of a valid excuse other than 'I don't believe it anymore' and I'm not ready to tell them this.
  
  This is just the first step though, eventually I want to leave it all behind, and go completely, but then I definitely don't know how to go this far. If I'm being honest, I'm really afraid of leaving. Being a good Jehovah's Witness, I never associated with worldly people, so all my friends are Jehovah's Witnesses, and all my family are Jehovah's Witnesses. How do you get out of the cult when your whole life is dedicated to the Organisation and the people in it?
  
  Any advice anyone can give me, would be greatly appreciated.
  
  Thanks for your help,
  
  Zico.
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  142

  539 BCE

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a quote from this site - http://www.2001translation.com/jerusalem's%20destruction%20587%20or%20607.htm says that 'most historians agree that 539-b.c.e.

  is the date of the overthrow of babylon, for there is much evidence pointing to this.

  so, it is called an absolute date.

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  Zico

  A quote from this site - http://www.2001translation.com/Jerusalem's%20destruction%20587%20or%20607.htm says that 'Most historians agree that 539-B.C.E. is the date of the overthrow of Babylon, for there is much evidence pointing to this. So, it is called an absolute date.'
  
  This is the main argument Pro-607 sites use to support their chronology. By then counting backwards from 537 to 607, this is their 70 years of desolation. My question is, how can they possibly use 539 as an absolute date based on 'much evidence pointing to this' but refuse to believe the 586/587 evidence? I have done A LOT of research on this, and I haven't found more conclusive evidence to support 539 than to support 586/587. Is there actually more evidence in support of 539? Because I can't find it if there is...
  
  I suppose it shows some people will never believe the obvious if they don't want to... Sad.
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  1

  607 - What Russell taught.

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was wondering if someone could clarify what russell taught about 1914, as i'm not completely sure.

  so, he first taught that jesus became king in heaven in 1874, and that armageddon would come in 1914?

  he started teaching the date came from 606, and changed this to 1915 when he realised there was no 0 c.e?

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  Zico

  I was wondering if someone could clarify what Russell taught about 1914, as I'm not completely sure.
  
  So, he first taught that Jesus became king in heaven in 1874, and that Armageddon would come in 1914? He started teaching the date came from 606, and changed this to 1915 when he realised there was no 0 C.E?
  
  When was the 606 changed to 607? Was this after WW1 begun?
  
  After Armageddon didn't come in 1914, did this then get changed to become the date of Christ's return, or was the date temporarily dismissed and reintroduced later?
  
  Thanks.
  
  Zico
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  14

  Things JW's say...

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since realising that this organisation doesn't have the truth, i've started to notice a lot of hypocritical statements from other jw's.

  they criticise others for doing the same things they do, though they don't seem to realise it.

  as i'm still a part of this organisation, it makes it very frustrating for me to hear these things, and not be able to shout out about their hypocrisy.

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  Zico

  Jourles,
  
  You're right, but he said the Muslims believe that they'll be killing people with Allah's backing, so I don't see how it is that different? Without really thinking about it, they still don't have an issue with the fact that their non-JW friends and family will die during Armageddon.
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  14

  Things JW's say...

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since realising that this organisation doesn't have the truth, i've started to notice a lot of hypocritical statements from other jw's.

  they criticise others for doing the same things they do, though they don't seem to realise it.

  as i'm still a part of this organisation, it makes it very frustrating for me to hear these things, and not be able to shout out about their hypocrisy.

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  Zico

  Since realising that this Organisation doesn't have the Truth, I've started to notice a lot of hypocritical statements from other JW's. They criticise others for doing the same things they do, though they don't seem to realise it. As I'm still a part of this Organisation, it makes it very frustrating for me to hear these things, and not be able to shout out about their hypocrisy. I suppose what really frustrates me most, is that just 6 months ago, I would have been agreeing with everything they say.
  
  An example of this happened earlier today. A Witness friend was telling me about some Muslim beliefs. He said that one of the big teachings of the Muslim religion are that they will one day rise up against the 'infidels' with Allah's backing, and kill anyone who is not a muslim. He described those teachings as showing a lack of love, saying how crazy it is that Muslim's would be willing to kill all their family and friends if those people weren't muslims.
  
  Now, I don't know much about muslim beliefs, so I don't know how true the above is, and I simply replied by saying that I'm sure there are some muslims who are peaceful and caring people. But on the inside, I was so annoyed, I just wanted to shout out and say 'Don't you realise that our religion teaches that Jehovah will kill billions of people who won't follow us!?' but it no doubt would have gone over his head.
  
  Has any one else got similar examples?
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  26

  What led you to think that the Watchtower had God's approval?

  by JH in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  .

  when you were a jw, what led you to think that the watchtower had god's approval?.

  just because they said so??

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  Zico

  For me the biggest thing was having the 'anointed' ones. I always thought the fact that we had anointed people who were supposedly certain that they were going to heaven was proof that Jehovah had blessed the Organisation. That was what my first post in here was about. This is where it was pointed out to me how illogical the teaching was that there could only be 144,000 anointed ones, and from reading posts by former anointed ones, it became clear that this really did not make the Organisation inspired by God.
  
  I also thought the teachings were infallible, and that all those experiences on the platforms at assemblies proved God's backing, but as has been mentioned, this was probably due to the fact that my Witness upbringing didn't allow me to properly question these things.
  
  When I was told about the 607 date, I just assumed it was true, it never occured to me to look it up until I was directed to this place. Now I know to question everything! Especially everything the Society tells me! :)
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  15

  Reading 'apostate' sites? - Can you be disfellowshipped?

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i would like to make it aware to some friends that i have read some 'apostate' sites, so i can share my doubts with them.

  i'm hoping that they'll keep what i tell them to themselves, but what i was wondering is, if i did this could i risk getting disfellowshipped if my friends told the elders?

  all my family and friends are still very much a part of the organisation, and so i am not ready to be shunned yet.

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  Zico

  Thanks for your quick answers everyone! I will have to be careful then, I think I will try your suggestion Bebu. Thanks!
  
  I never knew the elders had their own book either. Do they all have one? I will have to read this at some point, it seems very interesting.
  
  Zico.
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  15

  Reading 'apostate' sites? - Can you be disfellowshipped?

  by Zico in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i would like to make it aware to some friends that i have read some 'apostate' sites, so i can share my doubts with them.

  i'm hoping that they'll keep what i tell them to themselves, but what i was wondering is, if i did this could i risk getting disfellowshipped if my friends told the elders?

  all my family and friends are still very much a part of the organisation, and so i am not ready to be shunned yet.

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  Zico

  I would like to make it aware to some friends that I have read some 'apostate' sites, so I can share my doubts with them. I'm hoping that they'll keep what I tell them to themselves, but what I was wondering is, if I did this could I risk getting disfellowshipped if my friends told the elders? All my family and friends are still very much a part of the Organisation, and so I am not ready to be shunned yet. Are the Society so afraid of apostates, that the mere act of looking at apostate sites is deemed a disfellowshippable offence? Or is it possible that I could get away with this without little problem?
  
  Thanks for your help!
  
  Zico.
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  15

  Armageddon is coming! Armageddon is coming! I've got to tell the king!

  by Nosferatu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from what has been described in recent posts, this seems to be how the r+f are reacting to the wts's push for the big a. we've got a whole convention focussed on it called "deliverance is at hand", a new book entitled "keep jehover's day in mind", a campaign to invite people to the deliverance convention, a campaign coming up in september, and they're studying the outdated revelation book in 2007.. people on this board have mentioned that some r+f members are saying that armageddon is coming within the next few hours, and even the whole bethelite layoff excuse (going into the field) promotes all of this.. but there is no date.. the wts is doing the exact same thing that they did for 1975, but they haven't mentioned any date.

  they're getting the r+f excited about armageddon talk, but there is no goal.. how long do they expect to keep this up?

  they can't keep the jws running around for too long with high expectations, or they're going to burn out.. are they preparing for the year 2014?

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  Zico

  I know a guy who is convinced Armageddon will come before 2015. I don't know why. He says 'it's just a feeling.' He's going to be disappointed.
  
  Why would 2014 cause any problems?