done4good

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Posts by done4good

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  41

  Sheep and the Goats - The Light Gets Brighter

  by nmthinker in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  perhaps some of you remember a new understanding of the sheep and the goats in the epic march 2015 wt study edition - specifically the article "loyally supporting christ's brothers".. while this article was studied many months ago, it was instrumental in helping me wake up.

  during my study of the 2015 article i recalled that we had just revised our understanding of the sheep and the goats a few years ago and this caused me to research the real progression of the jw understanding of this parable.

  i put the results of my research in an excel spreadsheet.. .

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  done4good

  Only in WT land is being a sheeple considered a good thing.

  d4g
  
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  47

  Are we participants in this forum because of bouts of "loneliness"?

  by Wonderment in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i wonder how many of us here hold on to this meeting place out of "loneliness.

  could it be that we harbor feelings of "abandonment" and "loneliness" from being left cold and dry by the wt people and our families?

  perhaps we do have a need to reach out to people with similar experiences.

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  done4good

  Loneliness, no. Catharsis, yes, currently.

  In the past it was research, (when I started here over 9 years ago), and support. I was off the forum for several years between 2009 and late 2013 or so, and had little need for this type of exchange during that period. About two years ago certain life changes forced me to express my thoughts with respect to relationships with JWs, as I was deeply hurt by an old JW friend "just following orders" that decided to shun me. That experience taught me empathy however, and I try to offer such to those far less fortunate than myself, with respect to being an ex-JW, which is another reason I continue to contribute here.

  I have a wonderful family, a good education and career, and a good second lease on life overall. Nothing to be lonely about.
  

  d4g
  
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  113

  I just found out that my youngest brother committed suicide

  by SnakesInTheTower in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my middle brother called me a couple of hours ago.

  our youngest brother, josh, who was 38, was found by his friends in his apartment.

  he hung himself.

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  done4good

  So sorry to hear this, Rich. I have no adequate words...This will take time to process. Whatever you do, don't think that reacting or not reacting a certain way means you are doing something wrong. There is no "right" way to handle this...

  Jason
  
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  63

  Why does the Watchtower leadership slap its own defenders in the face?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  take the case of rolf furuli.

  i don't think there has been a specific thread on the hebrew verbs u-turn in the nwt, and how the society has responded to the work of perhaps their brightest and ablest defender in their history.

  so here goes.. rolf furuli has defended jws on multiple fronts in many different settings, on issues ranging from chronology, mental health, doctrines, bible translation and the blood issue.

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  done4good

  WT is an authoritarian system. Academics are anathema to authoritarianism.

  Fred Franz was a pseudo-academic, however was also one of the organization's authoritarian leaders. When he died, no one filled that vacuum, and the organization lost the ability to counter any academic arguments made against their theology. Authoritarian leaders don't accept being challenged, and also don't accept outside "help" from those whom they fear are more intelligent/better educated than they are. They are well aware that at some point these strong supporters could turn on them, once enough academic "digging" is performed.

  This is not difficult to understand. If someone performs enough research, it is not difficult at all to not only disprove JW theology, but also see that the origins of Christianity, Judaism, etc., all evolved from polytheistic, pagan religious systems. The WT leaders know this. Authoritarian leaders are propagandists, not interested in truth or the pursuit of it at all. Furuli may/may not be a true academic in the pursuit of fact finding, (he may be little more than just another self-proclaimed "expert", looking to have his ego stroked), but either way, he presents risk to an organization dependent on its authoritarian structure, simply because he is an outsider, and an educated one.
  

  d4g
  
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  9

  Dating a Religious Person - Thoughts?

  by Garrett in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  hello my dear friends :).

  i am here once again because you guys are pretty much the most awesome peeps ever.. i have a new dilemma that i'd like your opinions on.

  as most of you know, i'm an agnostic.

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  done4good

  If she is actually "religious" in the overt sense, I would say stay away. Religious folks at that extreme will eventually need to chose between you and their faith at some point, to some degree or another. However...

  In my experience with Catholicism, very few are like that. My wife's family is Catholic, (she herself is agnostic), and they are very accepting of the fact that neither of us are believers, (including a BIL who is a former Vatican priest). I really don't know of any modern Catholics that have such a polarized worldview. They tend to view most of their religious rites more as family tradition, than actual requirements to be "saved".

  All religion is toxic, but this one in modern context, is a good deal less than most.
  

  d4g
  
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  56

  One reason behind the slow steady decline of JWs

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hello first of all to those that remember me.

  i'm doing well, 10 years since my missionary trip to cameroon.

  i've met a couple of goals.

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  done4good

  ATJ - Who you knew and how you portrayed yourself was more important than who you really were.

  Is that not the JW way?

  Good to see you stop in, ATJ.

  d4g
  
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  6

  REFUGEES: when the LAMB lies down with the LION

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  refugees: the lamb lies down with the lions.___________________________________________.

  on this continent, the native peoples welcomed the early european settlers and nursed them through the winter.

  they shared and they traded.

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  done4good

  I simply don't understand how rational citizens can be made again and again to BELIEVE politics solves more problems than it creates.

  
  Terry, this point in of itself really is another grayscale issue. Politics in of itself certainly solves nothing. Politics are an unfortunate side effect of power and leadership. I don't think one needs to go to the extreme of being a non-voter or completely politically neutral, (these things really bring their own problems to society), just as I don't think being partisan in ideology is good for society.

  Government is a framework for a certain level of social order. It is necessary, or else you are simply left with anarchy. Not everyone can be a volunteer, not everyone can be a philanthropist. No one is a hero because they refuse to participate in the processes we have to work with, either. We need government, and the inherent politics that come with it to have any semblance of stability in society.
  

  d4g
  
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  6

  REFUGEES: when the LAMB lies down with the LION

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  refugees: the lamb lies down with the lions.___________________________________________.

  on this continent, the native peoples welcomed the early european settlers and nursed them through the winter.

  they shared and they traded.

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  done4good

  Nature is survival. Religion is not natural. Belief is immune from rational discourse. Absolute certainty that YOUR GOD is the only true god--well friends--that is the most potentially disruptive force within nature.

  There could not be a more spot on statement. It bears repeating.
  

  d4g
  
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  20

  We were shown how to google jw-org last night

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  so last night i went to the meeting with my family.

  had not gone in 2 weeks.

  as usual i sat down reading the bible.

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  done4good

  Exactly why they will lose the information war in the end.

  d4g
  
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  46

  Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

  hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

  the lett effect?

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  done4good

  Spot on OEJ. Good post.
  

  d4g