zarco

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Posts by zarco

• 
  27

  has your life been "blessed" since leaving?

  by tigeress in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  while in the org we are constantly told that if we just tow the line and behave that will we be blessed and everything we want will come to us.

  personaly i havn't found that to be the case in the 30 years i spent trying to tow the line.. but now i've left wonderfull things are starting to happen in my life and i'm so very happy!.

  so i wondered, have you encountered more "blessings" or less since leaving?.

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  zarco

  trl,

  Can we trade lives :)

  best
• 
  63

  Have you Overcome Guilt & Fear Since Exiting Jehovah's Witnesses ?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  minimus had a great thread recently asking if any who were witnesses felt guilt as a jehovah's witness.

  thought i would build on that a little dealing with how you have moved on after being a jehovah's witness ?.

  one definition of guilt in the american heritage dictionary is : " self-reproach for supposed inadequacy or wrongdoing ".

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  zarco

  trl-

  Even good things I did as a witness were often with the aim of pleasing someone and not often out of a sincere desire. I very rarely feel guilt as an ex-witness because I find that I make much more thoughtful decisions

  Well said and welcome!

  zarco
• 
  2

  A Witness Child

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  our daughter is writing down some of her experiences growing up as a witness.

  i thought i would share a sample of her writing.

  it is fun for us to read, but a little sad to see the guilt she placed upon herself for doing normal kid things....... .

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  zarco

  Our daughter is writing down some of her experiences growing up as a Witness. I thought I would share a sample of her writing. It is fun for us to read, but a little sad to see the guilt she placed upon herself for doing normal kid things......

  This good news.
  Of the kingdom.
  Will be preached.
  In all the inhabited earth.
  For a witness.
  To the nations.
  And then the end will come.
  
  When I was three, I memorized the scripture in chunks and then recited
  them on cue on doorsteps. Colorful happy animal scene pamphlet in
  hand. I was excited when I got to ring the doorbell, and even more so
  when I learned something to say to my neighbors.
  
  I don't remember learning to read. My mother taught me long before I
  began kindergarten. I sang songs and read stories, learned to whistle
  and braid, nibbling on cheerios in the back of a Jeep wagon as our
  friends and family spread "this good news of the kingdom" along the
  dusty country roads of xxxxx. My favorite part was stopping
  at the library to pee and check out books. We staked out favorite
  break spots, like Cynthia's Pizza, or the fat, warm cinnamon rolls
  baked by Mennonites and served out of a trailer on the side of the
  road.
  
  By four, I'd memorized and given my first talk in front of the
  congregation. A skit describing the procedures of our Christian
  meetings. "And then anyone who wants to can raise their hand and give
  an answer," I remember saying, with my thibilate ethez and theethe.
  
  In second grade, I was dared to kiss a boy's shoe during recess. After
  school, I fell into sobs confessing what had happened to my mother,
  believing that I'd no longer qualify to live in Paradise.
  
  At nine, I was a God-ordained minister. Baptized by water immersion in
  a black speedo swimsuit with rainbow stripes sprayed along one side.
  The little girl in front of me tripped up the aisle on the way to the
  baptism pool, her fluffy skirt over her head. As for me, my little
  legs dangling, I stretched them as much as I could, trying to walk on
  the tips of my big toes in the four-foot deep pool.
  
  As a baptism present, I got a little green and white striped diary
  with a lock. I wrote the names of my best friends, stories about my
  pet dogs, and later the names of boys I liked and a recounting of the
  first time I was allowed to shave my legs.
  
  In fifth grade, I agreed to "go out" with a blond boy named xxxx during afternoon recess. We walked hand in sweaty hand back
  into the classroom from the playground. That afternoon, overwhelmed by
  guilt, I broke up with him on the bus ride home.
• 
  46

  Hostility to God's "name"

  by AwSnap in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was given the brochure the divine name that will endure forever, and was pointed to page 20 which is entitled "hostility to god's name?".

  it says that the word jehovah was originally in the hebrew scriptures but was taken out.

  is this true?

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  zarco

  Narkissos,

  Basically (and contrary to a widespread misrepresentation in popular "Bible studies") names don't mean. The function of a name (either of person or deity) is to point to someone, not to mean something.

  Even when names are identical with nouns with a clear meaning you don't normally think of the meaning of the noun when you use the name. If you have a friend named Rose, you will not think of the flower every time you call her name. And when you do, you will make it clear that you do by special expression. Functionally, "Isaac" only means "laughter" when the context explicitly recalls the meaning of the noun behind the name. In most cases where Bible texts (e.g. Genesis) play on "names meaning" what they do is actually a pun, or an artificial (popular or not) etymology projected on a name, not its "true origin" (if that means anything).

  This I believe is the case with Exodus 3, which "explains" yhwh by the distinct root hyh, "to be(come)". It is a late and artificial etymology. From what meaningful word (in which language?) the name actually derived is a matter for guesswork. One of the most common suggestions is that it might have originally been related to the idea of "blowing" (wind, storm, breath), which has a number of echoes in the Yhwh texts.

  Outstanding post!

  Thanks. zarco
• 
  39

  So you're out - first thing you did was.....

  by wantstoleave in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did you 'break the rules' full force?

  did you go celebrate a birthday?

  buy xmas decorations?

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  zarco

  We didn't change a lot. Before we outwardly faded, I got involved in the Obama campaign on a local level and voted for him. I think the only thing that really changed is that our evenings are wonderfully free for meaningful activity and we take hikes/walks on Saturday mornings instead of you know what.
• 
  105

  What exactly are JWs unique in?

  by isaacaustin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the wt will make the assertion that the witnesses have the truth (i.e.

  are god's org) due to a huge laundry list of items.

  of course, this ignores the fact that their teaching is that they were appointed over jesus earthly belongings in 1919. but, lets roll with it...the witnesses have the truth because they do not:.

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  zarco

  AE wrote "Remaining calm when under persecution and when being lied about"

  I do admire the many individual Witnesses who stood fast to what they believe when under tremendous pressure. It is profoundly sad when the beliefs that such ones are standing firm for change or are proved false. A couple of examples, (1) the change in the blood doctrine, (2) the change to allowing organ transplants , (3) the change in allowing civil service, (4) the discrepancy in how the Witnesses in Malawi and Mexico were directed and many more.
• 
  105

  What exactly are JWs unique in?

  by isaacaustin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the wt will make the assertion that the witnesses have the truth (i.e.

  are god's org) due to a huge laundry list of items.

  of course, this ignores the fact that their teaching is that they were appointed over jesus earthly belongings in 1919. but, lets roll with it...the witnesses have the truth because they do not:.

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  zarco

  lepermessiah - regarding the faithful steward you might find the research by Leolaia thought provoking.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/67457/1/Who-is-the-Faithful-and-Wise-Servant-Its-JOSEPH-of-course

  zarco
• 
  50

  Could WTS Become a Mainstream Religion?

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i read threads about reform and needed changes.

  i don't like the idea.

  i personally think that a harmful dangerous mind-control cult should not find some way to moderate slightly to keep their membership.

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  zarco

  I don’t think so. The Witnesses will always focus on the “end”. It is one factor they use for motivation.

  Focusing on the end and relying on god to fix everything does awful things to people. It shortens their perspective and seems to limit the motivation to make things better. If one thinks the end is coming soon and god will usher in a paradise, then that person typically does not (1) educate himself, (2) take care of the earth, (3) build businesses and relationships that last a lifetime and (4) live life in a way that strives to make things better now. I think this list could go on and on...

  A key difference between Mormons and Witnesses is – while both think it is the time of the end – is that the Mormons strive to be successful in this life because success in this life carries on to the next life. It lengthens their perspective. The results of a long term perspective are the exact opposite of that which are typical for Witnesses- businesses are built for the long term, they focus on education and live life based on good deeds that make things better now. I realize that the motive for doing such things may not be altruistic, but the results seem to make Mormonism more palatable to people in general.

  A change in perspective that leads to changing the current mindset and behaviors of typical Witnesses would be so profound that I don’t think it could be done in even a generation (a real generation).

  zarco
• 
  40

  Oct.15th WT- " Wanna Be Jesus Friend? Have to Support the Faithful Slave"

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  under the study article " you are my friends " ( indicating jesus naturally by his quote ) the wt society makes it very clear that the only way to be jesus friend is to come through them or else you won't be approved by jesus or god.

  translation : friendship with jesus = treating the " faithful slave " kindly = jesus approving you.

  our jw relatives will be studying this in december at their meetings.. under the subheading on pg.

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  zarco

  Mr. Flipper,

  Thanks for staying after these issues. Your post on the generation was excellent as well. It is amazing how bizarre these teachings are when you step back just a step or two.

  zarco
• 
  42

  Jury, err, Judicial Committee Nullification

  by Open mind in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just had a brain fart and i don't think i'll actually try this, but see what you think.. .

  i made myself a promise that i was done serving on jcs roughly 2 years ago.

  and, with the exception of a rubber stamp reinstatement charade, i've kept that promise.

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  zarco

  Please do not take this in the wrong way. But the sooner you live in accord with what you believe the better person you will be. Life is too short.

  Best,

  zarco