AllTimeJeff

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Posts by AllTimeJeff

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  10

  Do You Want to be Valid?

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know how you feel...... you come to this forum for reasons of your own.

  we all have as our default settings in our head that everyone else should think and see as we do.. sadly, or happily, the more you expose yourself to others, the more you experience the delicious irony that no one is the same, that god is so different to billions, or non existent to millions...... what we want though when we come here as former jw's isn't agreement, it's validation.. not that everyone else is wrong, but rather, just so that we matter.

  that our life wasn't in vain.

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  AllTimeJeff

  The leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses makes it their very first aim to take away your individuality a little at a time. That is why you lose your first name. You are either Brother or Sister. Born in's frequently are corrected to call older JW's "Brother elder" or "Sister pioneer". Totally saps you of you.

  In many congregations, you can't even call a fellow JW by their first name unless you aren't involved in theocratic activities.

  Little wonder that upon leaving that sickness, we first look for ourselves. If we don't find it quickly, we panic, and head directly for the first teaching or church that makes us feel good and validated, never realizing that we too quickly gave up the search for ourselves.

  The discovery of us is the most important thing we can do. Regardless of what it turns into, that respect for ourselves is essential. The lessons we learn on that journey should also teach us to respect the journies of all others too. That is why arguments on who got it right religiously as a group or viewpoint misses the greater point: What is right behavior spiritually?

  Is it more important to worship Christ or be Christlike?

  Is it more important to be "right" or be loving and accepting?

  Is it more important to be with a group, or to take the time to discover who you already are inside?
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  10

  Do You Want to be Valid?

  by AllTimeJeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know how you feel...... you come to this forum for reasons of your own.

  we all have as our default settings in our head that everyone else should think and see as we do.. sadly, or happily, the more you expose yourself to others, the more you experience the delicious irony that no one is the same, that god is so different to billions, or non existent to millions...... what we want though when we come here as former jw's isn't agreement, it's validation.. not that everyone else is wrong, but rather, just so that we matter.

  that our life wasn't in vain.

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• 

  AllTimeJeff

  I know how you feel.....

  You come to this forum for reasons of your own. We all have as our default settings in our head that everyone else should think and see as we do.

  Sadly, or happily, the more you expose yourself to others, the more you experience the delicious irony that no one is the same, that god is so different to billions, or non existent to millions.....

  What we want though when we come here as former JW's isn't agreement, it's validation.

  Not that everyone else is wrong, but rather, just so that we matter. That our life wasn't in vain. That our time as a JW can have a positive future even if it came from a smelly past.

  We thought WE were right.

  We thought JEHOVAH was right.

  Well, maybe it was JESUS.

  DAMN! Is nobody right?

  Well, I guess that misses the point. Again.

  Nobody, and I mean nobody, joins a religion without getting something in return, even if it is a signed check dated for some time well into the future.

  So fine. Be a JW. Or a fundie Christian. Claim all you want that Jesus loves you and will destroy all else. Or forgive. But please be honest and at least admit that your first interest before making sure everyone else was forgiven was to make sure that YOUR ASS WAS FORGIVEN.

  There is another way. Many different ways in fact. But all revolve around personal validation.

  So if you are tempted to take the easy way out and to have a vocal evangalist or Christian church/group do your thinking for you so that you can feel validated and feel that you belong, that is fine. But remember this:

  You were always valid, and you always belonged. :)

  You don't need a group or a god to have that.
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  54

  JW's who remain in the organisation but try to reform it - pissing against the wind

  by jambon1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i came across a website that presents decent argumentation against three main areas of jw doctrine.. http://jwreform.org/index.html.

  who do these people think they are?

  do they really believe that the wts will sit up and take notice of their objections?

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  AllTimeJeff

  " "What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted." - Eccl. 1:15

  But nevermind....that's just the Bible...."

  Well, it's not like the "Bible" was the only book/entity to notice the inconvenient fact that crooked things aren't going to be made straight.

  But nevermind, that's just me.
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  54

  JW's who remain in the organisation but try to reform it - pissing against the wind

  by jambon1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i came across a website that presents decent argumentation against three main areas of jw doctrine.. http://jwreform.org/index.html.

  who do these people think they are?

  do they really believe that the wts will sit up and take notice of their objections?

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  AllTimeJeff

  Outlaw, you deserve credit as always for cutting through the crap.

  People confuse the WBT$ with JW`s..

  Exactly. I know it is impossible to understand unless you have seen it, but the WTBT$/GB runs the business of Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses think they are being controlled by Jehovah, but are instead being controlled by the WTBT$/GB.

  Otherwise, I just wanted to say I love the title of this thread, because it says it all. What are you trying to reform, and worse, what the hell would you try to keep?

  Anyway, good thoughts....
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  16

  Dialogue program Sat.July 9, 2011...... examining the Garridos.

  by koolaid-man in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  former jehovah's witness presiding overseer and watchtower historian richard rawe will be discussing the garridos and their connections with the jehovah's witnesses on his bi-monthly program "dialogue".

  a panel of researchers will read news paper articles, play audio and video clips including an actual call to the watchtower organization asking if the garridos were associated with them.. the program starts at 6:45 est.

  it is easy to get on the program just dial 712-432-8710 and when asked for pin use 9925 .

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  AllTimeJeff

  "Jeff your falling behind we already examined the Williams sisters."

  Sorry. Maybe next time you can investigate sarcasm. I'm sure that's associated with JW's too.
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  16

  Dialogue program Sat.July 9, 2011...... examining the Garridos.

  by koolaid-man in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  former jehovah's witness presiding overseer and watchtower historian richard rawe will be discussing the garridos and their connections with the jehovah's witnesses on his bi-monthly program "dialogue".

  a panel of researchers will read news paper articles, play audio and video clips including an actual call to the watchtower organization asking if the garridos were associated with them.. the program starts at 6:45 est.

  it is easy to get on the program just dial 712-432-8710 and when asked for pin use 9925 .

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  AllTimeJeff

  I think I am about to follow my own advice that I am about to give Rick: Get a hobby.

  See y'all later. It's sunny outside and I am heading out of the house, away from my old JW experience, and I am going to have some fun today.
• 
  16

  Dialogue program Sat.July 9, 2011...... examining the Garridos.

  by koolaid-man in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  former jehovah's witness presiding overseer and watchtower historian richard rawe will be discussing the garridos and their connections with the jehovah's witnesses on his bi-monthly program "dialogue".

  a panel of researchers will read news paper articles, play audio and video clips including an actual call to the watchtower organization asking if the garridos were associated with them.. the program starts at 6:45 est.

  it is easy to get on the program just dial 712-432-8710 and when asked for pin use 9925 .

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  3. 
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  AllTimeJeff

  Michael Jackson and Venus and Serena Williams were/are associated with JW's. By all means, we should investigate that next.
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  74

  What is the most offensive/idiotic piece of WT literature you've read from the past 20 years (approximately)?

  by Chemical Emotions in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i think that some of the dumbest were ones that pertained to science- not all of them, but a few, particularly the ones about evolution.

  the most offensive (and also dumbest) were the ones about women, and the ones about rape.

  those were horrible.

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• 

  AllTimeJeff

  Haven't sniffed a new WT in 5 years. I smell clean....

  For me before I left, I guess the Revelation book is a good reference point on what Gilead is like. Everything is tied into the GB, and of course, it's all bullshit. That is offensive to the mind. The attempts at commentary on Isaiah too, very stupid and non practical and an absolute waste of time.

  The YPA book is very offensive because it causes mentally disturbed views of what should be a normal growing up process. Instead, you are essentially told not to look at yourself naked in the mirror and listen to all JW constituted authority, unless your parents aren't JW's, in which case you can disobey them....

  The updated Great Teacher book had that very controversial part on child molestation, which offended a lot of householders who read it. (and rightly so, that is a prime example of the GB thinking that their shit smells good.... There were many at Bethel who were genuinely confused as to why that wasn't taken so well....)

  I think Discreet Slaves points are good ones. Can't hold hands during a prayer? My ex wife would have been jumping up and down at that one....
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  122

  This convention blows

  by Anony Mous in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  seriously, half day in (already had an argument with the wife this morning about individuality in the organization in which she conceded that a lot of it is based on looks) and this is already getting on my nerves.

  i'll post a rebuttal based on my annotations later in the week but one thing i got to get off my mind: saying the feminist movement (women going to work instead of staying home) and the diversity laws (allowing for homosexuality - but also religious freedom, racial discrimination etc.

  ) caused a lot of the problems in our world right from the stage.. there are less people here than last year - about 500 less..

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  AllTimeJeff

  I'll be honest, I was one of the lucky JW's who had the right look, and got to work a lot at DC's. I could never sit there for 3 straight days. Or 4 like they used to be. They are a complete joke.

  GB 2.0 has taken such control of the message that there is no room for brothers to use outlines anymore. All of the talks are mostly rehearsed. Only a few trusted elders don't have to run their talks past the program overseer, etc.
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  12

  12 year old ministerial servant!

  by stillin in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just kidding....

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  AllTimeJeff

  Good point j hover. They do tend to be younger in Latin America and E Europe.