Posts by OnTheWayOut

131

On the Relevancy of The Institutionalization of Sin

by Perry in

child murder, sodomy & corrupting the human genome are not new sins, they are old ones.

what is new is their institutionalization.

but even that isn't totally new.

OnTheWayOut

Did you know that a gay Sasquatch built the Egyptian pyramids? It's true.

131

On the Relevancy of The Institutionalization of Sin

by Perry in

child murder, sodomy & corrupting the human genome are not new sins, they are old ones.

what is new is their institutionalization.

but even that isn't totally new.

Sticking with the Bible, "in the beginning" God trotted out all the animals for Adam to find a suitable helper or companion or partner, because Adam was all alone. God already tested out goats and sheep and the like for Adam. So, if a man today doesn't find a suitable woman, it seems that God has already given the green light to try something else.

If you want to use the statements of Leviticus as God's Laws against gay marriage, then the same book condemns eating shrimp and rabbit and raw meat, crop co-mingling, wearing linen and wool together. I am sure I could list a hundred other things, but you should get the point.

While the writer(s) don't directly say it, it is clear that one of God's favorite humans (God doesn't kill him for murder and adultery and disobedience and all kinds of mischief) is David, and David had a gay love affair with Jonathon.

The words of Paul against homosexuality are there, but today's translations of the Bible overstate much of what is said with a different tone than Paul intended. It seems that Paul was condemning lusts and fulfilling selfish desires much more than denouncing homosexuality. He was against sexual exploitations such as prostitution and meaningless fornication. Allowing gay marriage should alleviate much of that. I don't deny that there is some homophobia in the writings. I just suggest that before using those words to focus on homosexuals, you better consider the larger context of sexual encounters in general that Paul spoke against.

My biggest problem with GOD SAYS SO as a reason to blast homosexual marriage is that the Bible has been used to justify oppressing women and blacks, justify slavery and the taking of child-brides. Deny it all you want, but if you want to say that the passages about Jesus make you a better person, okay then. But if you want to use the Bible as a whole to determine what is moral and upright, then know this- "People have used the Bible to subjugate women, support slavery, and spread homophobia."

In order to survive, Christianity has had to grow and change. According to many Christians, Jesus said so.
At Matt. 5:7, he said "Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

If you keep using old points of view in the church, when society condemned things such as mixing of races and equality of women and gay marriage, then your church is doomed. Just over 150 years ago, a black man was counted in America as three-fifths of a white man (or as almost a human being). Ask yourself if you want your grandchildren to look at your old point of view against gays the same way you looked at your grandparents old point of view against African American children attending school with their children or even marrying their child. Or try to think about what Jesus said, and grow with society.

If the Bible has truth to it, did Paul go beyond Jesus' thoughts here?

Matt. 19: 11-12:

“Jesus replied, 'Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it'.”

Did Jesus just there say that some people are "born that way" and it's okay? Did Jesus just say that some become that way, and regardless of how they got that way, others should accept it?" Say I am spinning this and I will say you are spinning what you say about gay marriage leading to child-victims and animal marriage to humans. It is clear that Jesus said that people who are not attracted to the opposite sex should not marry people of the opposite sex.

Personally, I think the Bible has become something that any group can spin any way to excuse their hatred of others. But if you don't see it that way, I wanted you to see how the issue is not as clear as GOD SAID SO.

21

The paradox of the WTBTS

by coalize in

on one hand, wtbts blame you if you choose to work instead of pioneering, and on the another hand, they ask crazily amount of money!.

isn't it paradoxal ?.

if every jw leave his job and pioneer, no more money!.

OnTheWayOut

Watchtower has kind of lost it's way. For the longest time, they were simply a religion backing a giant publishing company. The money was in the literature- the religion got free volunteers to sell it. Even when they stopped setting a price, the religion got the volunteers to donate for literature and make the literature at low cost.

Conventions were their sales seminars and donations were huge at these affairs. They must still make money at conventions because they are still their huge thing all summer, but more and more of them are "in-house."

As far as literature goes, it's not seeing the profits it used to. People don't want JW literature, don't donate for it. The main donations from members have been on the decline for a long time. They must still make money with literature or it would be gone, but they had to cheapen the product, print fewer pages, find some happy medium of how much to print and still get enough donations.

Pioneering is still encouraged because every single ladder-climber at every single branch had to get there by pioneering in some fashion. It's all they know. But I don't think they really truly want more people trying to push more literature anymore. "Sit or stand near your cart and don't bother people. Let the spirit bring them to you."

Although I am confident that they have plenty of money still, they have looked down the road and see that literature is not their future. They did the cash grab from real estate and congregations. They are still trying to put pressure on congregations to set a high monthly donation to Headquarters regardless of how much literature they receive and move for the printing company.

The saddest thing as far as I am concerned- even their messed up business model of getting out of printing keeps them in the black for the rest of my lifetime. We definitely need donations to dry up and lawsuits to pile up.

131

On the Relevancy of The Institutionalization of Sin

by Perry in

child murder, sodomy & corrupting the human genome are not new sins, they are old ones.

what is new is their institutionalization.

but even that isn't totally new.

OnTheWayOut

God says no

So, be prepared to accept other things when God says YES.

131

On the Relevancy of The Institutionalization of Sin

by Perry in

child murder, sodomy & corrupting the human genome are not new sins, they are old ones.

what is new is their institutionalization.

but even that isn't totally new.

OnTheWayOut

I have been trying to help snap you out of your fundamentalist funk, Perry. You really are reaching out for help when you share this crap. Do not worry so much about the kind of sex and relationships that other adults are having, and realize that many of the biggest "freaks" out there have been Christians.

If you don't like a society where personal freedom comes ahead of appeasement of Christians, then isolate yourself or get used to it because I would say that in America, people are starting to figure out that they shouldn't follow the morality of the Bible.

Personally, your latest rant disgusts me in that it reveals such a narrow view.

47

Songs celebrating leaving the faith? Not being a puppet, mind controlled, living life, etc etc

by aley63 in

i am looking for some songs that are in ref to celebrating leaving, seeing the light, realizing what you were told wasnt right, being happy w your life, etc etc.

all those emotions about being controlled and repressed, being told what you can feel or think or how to live, blindly following the "brotherhood ".

OnTheWayOut

Rascal Flatts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz1N8W8phec
"I'm Moving On"

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on

I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong
I'm movin' on

I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone

I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road
I'm movin' on

I'm movin' on
I'm movin' on

47

What are you up to this summer?

by Xanthippe in

jw
friends

i really enjoy hearing about other people's lives.

feeling a little lonely this evening so please tell me if you have plans for the summer months.

i may go to some outdoor theatre with my daughter who's home from uni; with a picnic and a bottle of wine.

OnTheWayOut

On July 6th, I will embark on a journey with "Zed is Dead" from the southern Lake Michigan area across the northwest in a Jeep convertible through the Dakota Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone Park in order to spend 3 days in Lake Tahoe with Flipper's Apostafest, then head back and stop at Bryce Canyon in Utah.

It's only 9 days but it'll be the highlight of my summer.

I'm ready to go, just have to take the pile of stuff in my attic and put it on a cargo rack on the Jeep.

96

Apathy trollies in my city.

by punkofnice in

is it me or are people giving them a wide berth?.

OnTheWayOut

I know that reality is that they are not highly motivated to "advertise, advertise, advertise" their message and people are not likely to be drawn to their trolley. I know that reality is that Watchtower doesn't necessarily want them to give away a bunch of literature and this latest method is mostly for keeping the members feeling they are still doing God's work.

I just wonder if there's a secondary plan to use the "apathy" of people as evidence that "the love of the greater number has cooled off" and the end must be seconds away.

13

Car group stopped by

by All for show in

jw
friends

a car group out in service stopped by.

we don't even live in the territory,not even close.

we happened to be outside with the kids playing.

OnTheWayOut

"Your child had birthday cake?!"

47

Songs celebrating leaving the faith? Not being a puppet, mind controlled, living life, etc etc

by aley63 in

i am looking for some songs that are in ref to celebrating leaving, seeing the light, realizing what you were told wasnt right, being happy w your life, etc etc.

all those emotions about being controlled and repressed, being told what you can feel or think or how to live, blindly following the "brotherhood ".

OnTheWayOut

And then this little ditty by Fleetwood Mac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKj1EFeU-cM

"Never Going Back Again"

She broke down and let me in
Made me see where I've been
Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again
You don't know what it means to win
Come down and see me again
Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again