humbled

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Posts by humbled

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  6

  Why we can't vote our way to freedom

  by Brokeback Watchtower in

  1. social
  2. current

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8etv2mzhuy.

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  humbled

  I hear you Brokeback.

  Campaign finance reform for a start. Corporations own the candidates.

  Individuals who stay won’t be bought can file and run for office but cannot compete without money.

  Thanks for the video.
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  9

  The dishonesty of JWs vs mainstream churches

  by Wonderment in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most vexing matters confronting us as christians has to do with the apparent lack of honesty of so-called "christian" teachers on the many issues they frequently talk about.

  this should not be shocking to us since scripture tells us that "everyone has sinned.

  " (rom.

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  humbled

  The fact is that the knowledge we currently have is partial. No one knows everything.

  Dear Wonderment,

  That statement cuts us loose from the tyranny of religion with its “accurate knowledge”. Bible study is a deep dirty rabbit hole that generations of rabbits have dug. Was there an original excavation? How to know? To follow our own inclinations is all we can do. There can be no leaders. The scripture Matt. 23:10 “Nor are you to be called ‘teacher’, for you have one teacher, the Christ.”

  If that scripture is to be believed.

  After all the time l have been told contrary things by this one or that of ancient writings and various translations and traditional interpretations l am fed full of the unsolvable. All this telling me what Jesus said? It all begins to dissolve into laughter: Don’t listen to anyone, said the Christ. And how do we know he said this?

  Don’t listen to anyone.
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  43

  My Personal Atheist Manifesto?

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so, i have a guy that is emailing me after listening to my podcast series "this jw life" about my life story before, during, and after being a jw.

  this guy happens to be an elder and pioneer serving where the need is greater.

  i love this guy.

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  humbled

  Thanks for the response. I do hope you know I’m not hating on this guy. It’s just that there is a problem that staying in a position of power helps create degrees of difficulty for others. And yes he is abused also.

  I appreciate your illustration Comparing him to an abused woman with children. There certainly are no-win aspects to the scenario though. Believing there is easy out She may try to shelter and quietly teach a better way but as time goes on the children will grow they will be formed in a conflicted environment. When the day comes that she sees the sons and daughters become dismissive of her for being neither this nor that, perhaps abusive as the father had been, or just sad and confused, daughters angry at her indecisiveness then you wonder.. there will be injury anyway you cut it but... Being honest has its own power. The truth can make you brave. It is messy to be sure, painful too. But it seems to me in both instances there will be pain and a mess ...just one that is deferred.

  Not hating on the guy. Nor on the woman.
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  43

  My Personal Atheist Manifesto?

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so, i have a guy that is emailing me after listening to my podcast series "this jw life" about my life story before, during, and after being a jw.

  this guy happens to be an elder and pioneer serving where the need is greater.

  i love this guy.

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  humbled

  You have gently rapped my knuckles,Dub. And l will take it with this thought: the fear we lived with about reading anything outside was substantial. I am glad he has mercy on fellow sinners but that is not the same as letting his fellow believers know it is alright to let your mind examine other things.

  Of course l want the guy to go on and his openness is rare. But he is a leader and mitigating the serious rot of this religion makes his wearing two-faces more a hypocracy than say, someone like Addison who is suffering a fade that is tearing her/him up. The 2-faced living that is entailed is painful and he/she is trying to be honest, is not in a position of power. Is not leading others astray.

  I appreciate your pushback, Dub.
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  43

  My Personal Atheist Manifesto?

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so, i have a guy that is emailing me after listening to my podcast series "this jw life" about my life story before, during, and after being a jw.

  this guy happens to be an elder and pioneer serving where the need is greater.

  i love this guy.

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  humbled

  You've been able to pick and choose what aligns with your core values and what doesn't and created this hybrid JW culture for yourself. Obviously it goes against the direction of the faithful slave, and you have worked that out somehow internally to be consistent with who you are. —Dubstepped talking to the liberal elder

  You remark here on the fellow ‘s freedom in playing fast and loose with the Truth— thing none of us were allowed to do—hell, l read that they don’t even let others gently fade! Like the messed up way they treat Stuckinarut and Unstuck. Others took the Bible seriously had questions and were shut out. I can’t applaude the guy. l just see him as unprincipled-kind of stealing a ride.

  Well, it all comes down to one thing: Either "The Truth" is True, or it is not.
  Also, if he REALLY values Truth and Honesty, he wouldn't be able to stay in the Organization!—stuckinarut

  This isn’t sour grapes— l just think this liberal elder should lend his Crisis of Conscience to other thoughtful JWs and have a book club of outside readings. Then l would be impressed.
  
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  9

  meet ups or support ?

  by lonliwon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my wife and i have been long time lurkers here and are now members .

  we were wondering if anyone is aware of any groups or individuals that meet periodically within ( or a short drive from ) connecticut ?

  we aren't looking to bash the past ... just to connect with others who understand and move on .

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  humbled

  There was one that met in NYC earlier this year. A train ride away?

  The thread was up around ?March?
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  97

  Material such as the film at the end of this years convention confirms that I was right to take my kids out the religion

  by jambon1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it’s quite affirming to see the horrific material that they’re serving up at the convention this year.

  aside from blatant homophobia, the scenes at the end of the convention that are discussed on another thread stoop to new levels of fear mongering.

  it seems to occur to nobody inside the organisation that this kind of material could trigger fear, deprsssion, anxiety, stress.

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  humbled

  BoC— right on! This is such a powerful propaganda piece. It sets the trigger button ride up there for the Hitllers/the governing body to brush gently and explode people’s fear centers.

  Even using that hokey illustration from the book of Bible stories with Jesus on the Whitehorse and all their armies of heaven behind him—they make it work.When I think how quiet and ordinary -real -the rest of it was portrayed until that fantastical scene when Jesus comes and draws his bow. Mind blowing

  This

  is diabolical.
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  50

  Receiving so much hate recently....

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, as you all know, my wife (unstuck) and i are not df or da.. we just stopped attending several years back after my "apostate" online activity was found by a nosey employee of ours while she was working in our office (long story if anyone wants to know - it would have to be another thread).

  we never met with any elders - no congregation judicial activity occurred (as we would never consent to do so anyway).

  so our policy has been to be the same kind, loving, normal people we have always been.

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  humbled

  People who are kind and good to others deserve social torture and death for rejecting the Truth.

  I remember this teaching. It was the core of JW identity. Is why we were sent out to preach even if it took money we didn’t have any time away from our families from our mental health. “ Lives are at stake!”

  I read the whole thread it really struck me —for you guys, it looks like the jig is up. If I understand it they have discovered that you’ve been “out” for a while but you have nevertheless maintained a very warm connection with them. And that is terrifying to them.

  PaleEmporer mentioned cognitive dissonance as the force behind the hate. That is right. You guys have come too close to their hearts. Death death death!

  It is breathtaking.

  But you guys sound like you are in good shape. Glad you are going to just move on.
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  43

  My Personal Atheist Manifesto?

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so, i have a guy that is emailing me after listening to my podcast series "this jw life" about my life story before, during, and after being a jw.

  this guy happens to be an elder and pioneer serving where the need is greater.

  i love this guy.

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  humbled

  This has been a fascinating read. Your thoughts and then his remarks.

  This JW elder operates with uncharacteristic mercy but must not have had to pass judgement on a person who has read the same “apostate” books he has opened?

  Would he cast stones at a man or a woman who was caught writing what Dub wrote?

  When you see a group of elders become a dark mass when WT teachings are questioned you have to wonder would this elder would stand up, stand apart from the execution squad ?

  l had an elder who said he took to heart the admonition to “have the mind of Christ”. But in the end l would say he was a coward when l was in trouble.

  After all, this guy?—he is hiding now just to talk to Dub.
• 
  69

  murders at school

  by zeb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  at a school in santa fe in the us.

  many people killed and wounded.

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  humbled

  https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/2331236

  
  To say video games and social anxiety and bullying are the primary factors in profiles of mass shooters in schools would basically include every nineth grader in America, to parsphrase a psychologist in the above article.

  There are other things mentioned that I have wondered about. Isolation. And not knowing what to do to be a man. Because it is pointed out that these are young men. Also it seems to me that they are not minority students.

  So l wonder what these young guys do in a day? Are they mostly suburban? Do they interact with other kids by playing in the streets after school like we did when we didn’t have the country to run around in?Of course when I was growing up and when I had my children there were women that stayed at home so kids could run around in their backyards or streets. And we sorted out a lot of stuff ourselves. They didn’t have latchkey kids do much.

  We didn’t have a lot of money but when we lived in an Iowa town kids’ moms all worked. If they wanted to dig holes, run around and scuffle they had to have an at-home parent to ride herd on them-me. Like When l grew up kids ran around, sorted life out and moms were at home.

  Iam not saying moms shouldn’t have outside jobs. I am only describing the life l had when there were no school shootings. This didn’t mean that they were not kids that lived in isolation and did some deep internal suffering. There’s a guy named Seymour that we just avoided. There was a kid named Kippy who decapitated our pet rabbit and was really creepy. I’m sure at least of one these guys had trouble and cause a lot of grief when he grew up. But they didn’t shoot up the schoolmates.

  It seems that these kids have the burden of figuring out why they are alive. Our world of choices is maybe something they can’t get a grasp on. For a middle-class kid to figure out what they’re supposed to do with themselves these days maybe it is not as cut and dry it as it was 50 years ago.

  Just my thoughts.

  edit: l guess l was describing a sense of community.? It is a mind bender.