Posts by done4good

33

First Post

by Rethinking in

first time posting, long time lurking.. came upon this site on accident a few years ago and dismissed it as a site for disgruntled people; however, in the past months i actively searched for it as it stuck in my mind.

believe it or not, i practically read all of the topics.

i felt, wow, i wasn't alone in my thinking and feelings about some things.. it all started years ago in my last year in high school and then into college.

done4good

Welcome, Rethinking. Stick around!

j

11

Brad Delp of "Boston" dies at 55.

by BrentR in

lead singer brad delp died today of unknown causes.

boston was one of my all time favorite hard rock groups.

they were in the process of recording thier next album.

done4good

I played the first album to shreds back in the day.

Ditto. Too young to die.

j

25

My husbands observation...

by megsmomma in

jw
friends

we were just discussing the whole thing about how only those jw's that live through the big a will be able to still be sexual beings and pro-create.

he said that the society is useing our most natural desires to scare everyone into staying in the org and hoping, above all else to live through the big "a".

and i was saying to him that if i still believed what they taught, i would kill him and my baby to save them.

done4good

thank god that the wacko psycho JW's....are few.

You sure about that???

152

Does Knowing the Truth Make you a Happier person?

by gumby in

many of us who were once jehovah's witnesses had a measure of happiness in our lives.

for me, i had a hope in the future, i had answers as to why we are all here, i believed in a loving god who looked after me and cared about me, i had answers to all of lifes big questions.. when i found out the truth about the witnesses, i was lost in a great big world and now had no answers other than the fact that what i once believed was "the truth" in actuality wasn't the truth.i now had to start all over in my search for truth.

for me, it wasn't long before i found what i thought was the truth since i always believed in the bible.

done4good

this IS what separates the average person from the jws. Most people are content to just live life, read a little here and there, and learn these things on an academic level, as they go through life.
I gotta say I totally disagree. I'm not a minority in this.

Gumby,

Sorry if that sentence sounded kinda pro jw, (after re-reading it it does read that way). I didn't mean it like that. The point I was making, is what many others have said here. Happiness is NOT dependant on knowing absolute truth. The closest thing we have to absolute truth is what science and history allow us to know. Kid-A makes a good point about self-actualization. That is what we really strive for. Not everyone gets to that level, though. For those that do not, the tendency is to find a level of satisfaction in whatever one's existence is.

Don't let fear of not "knowing" everything, or fear of no sky-god ruin your ability to find happiness. It's not a bad thing to not be satisfied with one's personal knowledge in this regard, (hence, the stiving for self actualization), just don't continue to look in the wrong places for it, if the pursuit matters to you. I know some of the more religious here would disagree with me on this, but there are times when my personal level of atheism does lend something to a discussion, even if it's not what is being debated here.

j

152

Does Knowing the Truth Make you a Happier person?

by gumby in

many of us who were once jehovah's witnesses had a measure of happiness in our lives.

for me, i had a hope in the future, i had answers as to why we are all here, i believed in a loving god who looked after me and cared about me, i had answers to all of lifes big questions.. when i found out the truth about the witnesses, i was lost in a great big world and now had no answers other than the fact that what i once believed was "the truth" in actuality wasn't the truth.i now had to start all over in my search for truth.

for me, it wasn't long before i found what i thought was the truth since i always believed in the bible.

done4good

One of the linegring "curses", that continues long after one leaves the org, is the "need" to have absolute answers to everything. This is an addiction somewhat, and probably is why we stayed in as long as we did in the first place. Learing to accept that we don't know everything is very difficult for the ex-jw, but very important to learn in the healing process. Remember, this IS what separates the average person from the jws. Most people are content to just live life, read a little here and there, and learn these things on an academic level, as they go through life. The information is out there, even if it isn't what we think we want to hear. It's not all that bad, though.

j

30

April 15 WT: Society acknowledges some find its teachings hard to accept

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

the april 15, 2007 watchtower revolves around the congregation, it's benefits and requirements.. the second study article is let the congregation be built up.

under the subheading sticking with the congregation the society acknowledges those who cannot accept a certain teaching even after doing research in their publications.. .

para 14 consider another possibility involving the congregation.

done4good

The analogy the org uses here is false. Nothing more than a strawman attack on the r&f. The issue is not a matter the r&f waiting for understanding of current doctrine, but concerns of changing doctrine of the FDS. What Jesus was supposedly referring to, (for those that believe, I don't), was in relation to a mis, (or non) -understanding of what he said. The org is not merely saying things here that are "misunderstood". They are perfectly clear in their explanations, for the most part. The trouble is the explanations constantly change. What Jesus was referring to in the above verses was not changed by him, (or anyone else), even if misunderstood by his audience.

j

28

Just finished The God Delusion

by Qcmbr in

..and found myself agreeing with 95% of what he said.

well who would have thought.

i would recommend everyone should read this.

done4good

Zeroday, those recommendations seem worth looking into, thanks.

j

28

Just finished The God Delusion

by Qcmbr in

..and found myself agreeing with 95% of what he said.

well who would have thought.

i would recommend everyone should read this.

done4good

I've said it here before, but I too highly recommend The God Delusion. Read it with an open mind. Dawkins is about 90-95% right, I found I disagreed with him on maybe only one or two key points. Misquoting Jesus, I would also highly recommend. This book explains how the textual criticism process works, and is very revealing about where and when much of what we presently call the bible came from.

j

23

Am I being persecuted by the WTS for my choice of beliefs? Is it criminal?

by misocup in

is dfing someone religious persecution?.

i do not believe what the wts says, i do not want to belong to that org.

because of that, i no longer have contact with my family.

done4good

Am I being persecuted by the WTS for my choice of beliefs?

From their perspective, NO. Nobody deserves religious freedom but the WTS.

j

19

Kingdom Hall wedding

by Wanita in

jw
friends

not a witness but have them as neighbors.

i have been studying watchtower publications for years and have spent lots of time in discussion with witnesses in hopes of having them read the bible without watchtower glasses on.

i will be going to a jw wedding soon and am wondering, since i'm not a witness, what to expect.

done4good

my advice byob

Been there done that at j-dub weddings!

j