Posts by OnTheWayOut

12

My Dad's Funeral

by Disassociated Lady 2 in

i had not seen my dad for 15 years because i had left the borg.

(i had been out 26 years but there was a few years when the jws permitted contact with outsiders and then changed their minds again).

they made contact with me again just before he was diagnosed with cancer.

OnTheWayOut

Thanks for sharing. I hope it helps to vent. Some JW's can be just barely decent enough then pull the rug out from under your feet.

25

What is the biggest problem with the JWS religion or the Watchtower Corporation from a sociological and theological perspective ?

by Finkelstein in

many have spent years associated with jws religion and having eventually left it for numerous reasons but if you were to directly pinpoint a source of the problem with this religious organization what would it be ?.

in my personal viewpoint it would have be the core operation of literature proliferation and other products associated with the wts.

corporation.. once you think about it everything is focused around the operation of the wts publishing house, its distribution and circulation of its published goods.

OnTheWayOut

If [I] were to directly pinpoint a source of the problem with this religious organization what would it be?

It would be the BITE method they use to be a dangerous mind control cult.

Behavior Control
Information Control
Thought Control
Emotional Control

They tell members what to think act and how to feel about it, and cause members' own mental growth to stagnate or stop. They withhold vital information that would allow members to see the real truth of things.

32

How Effective Are Anti-JW Internet Sites?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think that once you get on the internet and you see evidence that shows jehovah’s witnesses do not have the real truth, it can jolt you.

but i don’t think simply going on an internet site typically changes a person’s direction—even if the information is very damning toward the witnesses.

i think it takes time to eventually get out.

OnTheWayOut

I felt something was wrong about "the truth" and figured that I was spiritually strong enough to literally Google "Jehovah's Witnesses." I went to any and all sites in the links.

Randy Watters had a great site that included a thing called TALK SOUP which linked discussions on jehovahs-witnessDOTcom. Between that and jwfacts, I was fascinated by the things I learned. I had known nothing about Ray Franz or the Governing Body making decisions by a majority vote. The scam over a parking fee at conventions hit me hard because, although it never became a big issue, the exact same thing happened in South Carolina, and I always wondered why collecting money was so hush-hush.

You just never know what a JW needs to discover, but I agree that they are already generally ready to find fault with Watchtower.

53

When did Cook, the new GB member, start claiming to be anointed, and what are the implications?

by jwfacts in

kenneth cook was a "helper" in the writing department, which is apparently a role for those of the great crowd.

watchtower 15/10/15 p.3 states that helpers are of the great crowd.

"since 1992, the governing body has appointed experienced, mature christian elders to help its committees carry out their work.

OnTheWayOut

I truly believe it is just as the opening post suggests: a GB member starts saying how "they" feel that their helper is anointed and has great responsibility ahead of himself, so he starts partaking.

I believe that each GB member has, somewhere along the way, anguished over whether he is actually anointed or if it's all bullshit. I can tell you that I was a full-believing JW and I can only relate it to being appointed an elder.
I never worried about attaining the title and actually liked it when I wasn't an elder. But I thought holy spirit was working through the elders and when they came to ask me to accept the assignment, I assumed it was Jehovah working through others. I went through that "Is it all bullshit" period, but not until much after my appointment. I gotta think it's much the same for "anointed."

17

If the Bible is truly the word of God then why are their so many different Translations ?

by smiddy3 in

not only are their different translations from different denominations ,like the greek orthodox ,russian orthodox ,roman catholic .various protestant versions and others as well as the nwt of jw`s.. however various denominations print different versions of the bible which fair enough may only be minor differences yet at the same time they are differences to what they previously printed .?.

and some have serious discrepancies .. as if they are trying to get to the true meaning of what god or jesus christ actually said or meant ?.

are they for real ?

OnTheWayOut

Watchtower has said both that God protected "His Word" and that a great apostasy crept in and removed His name.

Because the words were written so long ago in times where the words literally could mean something else and the way the phrases were said could literally mean different things than would be expected, and because men edited the words later to fit their agendas (both in ancient times and in more modern times), we have the mess we have today.

The Bible is used to hate, excuse, and justify.

21

The effect Crisis of Conscience has...

by pleaseresearch in

would love to read this book one day and give it to my mum and brother who are both in the organisation.. so many people i see on videos claim that this book was the nail in the coffin.

but do you know anyone where it had no effect on them?.

OnTheWayOut

There are probably plenty who read CofC but were not ready to consider it seriously. And you can bet many upper echelon members have read it.

You have to be prepared to actually consider the material, then it devastates one's faith in Watchtower. Similar with pedophile news reports.

15

Those awkward magazines

by Addison0998 in

i’m sure we all remember those really weird, awkward magazines we were expected to place in service.

and it was before we are had the website or the thing on the back to fall back on.

imagine being a 12 year old girl, and having to place magazines on god’s view of pornography, sex, homosexuality.

OnTheWayOut

I never did magazine distribution as a kid. But as an adult, if I did not care for the subject matter, I highlighted the other magazine (Awake! vs. Watchtower) or some other article within. I typically focused on positive nature stuff from Awake!

But the term, "Those awkward magazines" really makes me think of articles that Watchtower corporation printed and now the articles are glaring reminders of their lies, contradictions, changes.

143

What Is Your Opinion Of Melania Trump?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think she’s very intelligent and dignified.

plus, in my humble opinion, i rate her as the most attractive first lady ever..

OnTheWayOut

She speaks simple and straightforward. I don't think she is dumb, but as far as 'most attractive ever,' I have to go with Abigail Adams who never had cosmetic surgery of any kind.

17

Watchtower attempts 997 mind trick segue to 1914

by Darth FayDehr in

fancy a mind trick?

here’s 2 for the price of 1; if you only want watchtower’s trick, skip to the next paragraph.

you may need to write this down or use a calculator:.

OnTheWayOut

I debated which name you would not guess, but ultimately wrote "Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz."

I will not bother with the Watchtower Biblical gymnastics, but your point is well received. They baffle with bullshit, and the average baffled member assumes they are brilliant.

50

Belief in God

by jdash in

when did you guys start to doubt your faith in god?'.

what made you doubt your faith in god?.

thanks !.

OnTheWayOut

I got up the nerve to google "Jehovah's Witnesses" and was enlightened as I followed all links in all directions.

As the lies about "the truth" came out, I assumed that "Christendom" would prove to be right and God existed.

After assuring myself that Watchtower was a dangerous mind-control cult, I wanted to know about the book they used to get their doctrine- the Bible. So my research expanded to history of and origins of the Bible and various Jesus theories. One fact stood out to me that made me look more- no group of Jews or anybody else ever actually lived under "the law" found in the Bible. True fact. (But I am telling you- not proving to you. I truly believe all people need to go on their own spiritual journey.)

I started including science in my study. The impossibility of the worldwide flood was fascinating. and THE BIBLE UNEARTHED (hxxps://www.amazon.com/Bible-Unearthed-Archaeologys-Vision-Ancient/dp/0684869136) was huge in helping me.

I took a couple of turns here and there. I added eastern thought to my studies and loved the philosophies. But I saw how the myths were similar. I really enjoyed videos on secrets of the Bible and books by atheists.

One huge factor for me was the philosophy found in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (hxxps://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Karamazov-Fyodor-Dostoevsky/dp/0374528373)
The price God has us pay is too high. Looking at that along with the Haiti earthquake and the Indonesian Tsunami that took roughly 100,000 children away from their parents, I was confirmed as an atheist.