Posts by done4good

105

Is my clinging on to a belief in a Creator doing me any harm?

by KateWild in

i use the word clinging, as i feel that is what i am doing.

as far as my knowledge of science, namely chemistry is concerned, i am satisfied there is evidence of a creator.

i am happy to believe this.

done4good

Kate-

I have not read through this thread yet, but the short answer is no.

The important thing to remember is that it takes time to develop a belief system, once one has been lost. Since we do not live in a vacuum, we cannot expect certain preconcieved notions to just exit our conciousness, as if they never existed. In other words, if as a JW you were a believer, you will likely continue to be for at least some time after you leave. That is perfectly normal. When you add to that the very black and white thinking that comes with the territory of having been a JW, (another artifact of our mind that does not simply disappear when we leave), we are easy prey to want to adopt another belief system too quickly. Do not allow that to happen, and do not be too hard on yourself.

As you go through your own journey, things will become more clear.

d4g

112

Why are JWs so afraid of apostates?

by Magnum in

why are jws so afraid of apostates?

their view of apostates seems to be out of the realm of the ordinary, the natural.

its as if the words of apostates are supernatual or spiritistic as if apostates are some kind of jedi knights who can slightly wave their hands or twitch their eyes and bring one under a spell.

done4good

Magnum-What’s so powerful about the words of those who oppose certain or all parts of JWdom?

Magnum-They know that the words of many (most?) apostates are clear, simple, factual, logical, & revealing.

I believe you just answered your own question.

d4g

24

Books!

by dynamiterose77 in

i feel like i wasn't allowed to read a lot of books when i was younger, a lot of which i'm discovering are positivly phenomenal.. i was allowed to read edgar allan poe, who remains my all time favorite writer.

but, i've discovered the joys of stephen king, anne rice, joyce carrol oats, neil gaiman, george r. martin, david sedaris... and so so so many more.. i'm currently getting through "the shining" so i can move on to "doctor sleep".

i'm interested to see if anyone else that discovered the many joys of "worldly" literature, jumped immediately into what they weren't allowed to read... and what was your favorite?.

done4good

Even as a JW I was a voracious reader, (I am sure to some degree that did not help my cause there ;-)

While good pieces of fiction exist that we can learn from, I lean towards non-fiction of many different flavors. Physics, biology, psychology, history, sociology, economics, politics, etc.

Currently reading a great book on psychology on the NYT best seller list, Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. This one really is taking some time to get through, especially with much of the required reading I am trying to get this semester for school. Looking forward to May.

d4g

3

I ask the question: ARE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES simply IDEOLOGUES?

by Terry in

1. an ideologue is only interested in their own view of the world to the exclusion of fresh ideas or counter arguments.. 2. an ideologue is never satisfied with the personal opinions of others because they want to convert others to their own opinions.

3. an ideologue cannot compromise because everything is black and white.

if you continue to disagree they must label you as an enemy.

done4good

The system they adhere to is certainly idealological. The realization of this forced me out in late 2005. I saw the black and white thinking as logically flawed and not in harmony with reality.

d4g

27

New NWT - what's the REAL reason?

by wallsofjericho in

one thing i have learned over the years is there is a clear, distinct purpose to everything the wts does.

everything is done to accomplish a defined purpose.. did they really print millions of new bibles just to be more accurate?

after decades of toughting how much better the nwt was than any other bible?.

done4good

This is not about money. In the end, the lose money on printing, thus, why they are closing printing factilties, reducing magazine production, and so forth. It is surely not about building "enthusiasm", as that wanes quickly. It is about long term preservation however, and that is the reason for the investment.

I have not read it, do not own it, (or any bible anymore), but I am aware the text in many areas has been made somewhat more ambiguous. This buys them latitute to change doctrine to suit them, (and help preserve them), in the long run. Any other benefit is secondary to this purpose.

d4g

20

"And yet it moves !"

by Phizzy in

galileo is said to have uttered, or probably muttered these words in front of the inquisition after supposedly having reacanted his teaching that the solar system is heliocentric, as his predecessors kepler and copernicus had worked out.

(and a guy in 3rd century b.c greece !).

why was galileo unable to go back to his belief held by him in his youth, and nearly all people in christendom, that the earth was at the centre of the solar system and all the planets revolved around it ?.

done4good

Band On The Run-Do you think it is "willful" when people have no access to other sources of information?

It is not exactly either willfill or not. It is mostly fear of having their worldview found to be false. Unfornately, this is a very human response.

d4g

46

How long did you know TTATT while attending the meetings?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

i did not know anything about ttatt while attending the meetings.. .

ttatt=the truth about the truth..

done4good

Old Goat-

I really appreciated your perspective.

d4g

46

How long did you know TTATT while attending the meetings?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

i did not know anything about ttatt while attending the meetings.. .

ttatt=the truth about the truth..

done4good

LisaRose-Then something happened to cause me to have what my (now) husband calls a BGO, a brilliant glimpse of the obvious, it just hit me that they had no more idea about anything than any other religion.

I actually did have a similar experience before I left. I just could not see it through all at once to motivate myself to leave right then and there. I was never the same after that day however, and I stopped attending within 6 months.

d4g

46

How long did you know TTATT while attending the meetings?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

i did not know anything about ttatt while attending the meetings.. .

ttatt=the truth about the truth..

done4good

I knew nothing at all. I did not even consider researching anything until about 3 months after I left completely. I left because I could tell something was very wrong, (personal bad experiences have a way of doing that), but could not put my finger on it.

Only after getting a much clearer head after my departure could I begin to see it was time to closely examine what I believed.

d4g

35

Reverse Witnessing - Will NEVER work!

by MissConfused in

its been a while since i spoke up.

after a lot of 'tactful' questioning, i have come under the conclusion that witnessing ttatt with dubs will never work.

there is nothing called reasoning with them.

done4good

In order to be effective, "Reverse witnessing" needs to take place under a few guidelines:

1. Be empathetic and respectful.

2. Do not discuss doctrine. Keep things on a human level. Doctrinal discussions guarantee a closed mind.

3. Do not expect immediate results. Do expect at least some fallout at first, and do not overreact to this.

4. Know when to back off. This is really an art.

5. Be very selective in whom you decide to speak to.