Posts by IsaacJS2

11

Article, might be useful if you're getting harassed?

by IsaacJS2 in

the article is at my site, here: http://www.atheistgeeknews.com/xjw03whyyouleft.shtml.

it's a list of responses about a few common reasons why exxers leave the society.

it's meant for people who "lock up" when they get asked a big question by their local inquisition.

IsaacJS2

The article is at my site, here: http://www.atheistgeeknews.com/XJW03whyyouleft.shtml. It's a list of responses about a few common reasons why exxers leave the Society. It's meant for people who "lock up" when they get asked a big question by their local inquisition. I thought I would ask for improvements and let people know in case it's of any use to anyone here.

Oh, and if it sucks, please don't kill me too hard!

Bear in mind that this is predominantly an atheist/exJW site. If you're deeply religious, you may not like everything in some of the other depts.

Thanks.

IsaacJ

12

The Churches Are Going JW Style

by Undecided in

jw
friends

i have noticed some of the local churches are beginning to call on homes in the neighborhood.

we weren't home but they left a little bag of stuff.

i went to church with my wife last night and they were trying to start a house calling work.

IsaacJS2

It's been happening here for years, but only infrequently. I always thought that Adventists went out door knocking somewhat regularly, but we have one only half a mile away and I've never see them in more than 13 years. Mostly, we get JWs and Mormons. They've been working the neighborhood at the same time on at least three occasions. I keep hoping they'll try Witnessing to each other and just end up locked in place. Sadly, it never happens.

If they get into a fist fight I promise to tape it and put it on YouTube for everybody, though! Any takers on who'll win? Place yer bets!

IsaacJ

9

JW called me while working at a call center

by IsaacJS2 in

jw
friends

this was kinda weird, so i thought i would share.

my wife (still a dub) went out last sunday to start pimping the next convention.

according to her, this promotion is just getting underway.

IsaacJS2

Every time someone says crap like that to me I immediately explain why I disagree:
....
We are living in the best conditions humans have EVER seen. Those living in a developed country are even better off and are described as having won the "Birth Lottery" because of how good we have it.
Anyone who complains about "how bad things are" needs to be sent back 150 years so they can see just how hard life was.

I agree totally. A lot of evangelists are going with the "see how bad it is these days" route to make converts, and JWs have been doing it for a long time. But it's mostly bunk. I couldn't really go into that with him as all our calls are recorded, but if we'd met face to face I might have told him that.

I'm proud to say that impressing people like this isn't too high on my list of priorities. But I've passed the point where being DFed or shunned as a bad associate bothers me much, either. Of course, I have to admit that I'm sorta hoping my aunt-in-law will get another bur up her tailpipe and try to convert me again so I can explain just how offensive her efforts are. (It will probably be our last conversation, but any way...) For the most part, I know there is no answer I could give them that will satisfy. The real reasons for leaving--the best reasons for leaving--simply will not compute with them. So for me, other motives are necessary to engage them in any real conversation, especially about their truth.

Everyone here knows what I mean.

IsaacJ

51

may need some help soon

by Missanna in

ok so i send my father a letter telling him several reasons i do not believe the witnesses are jehovah's organization.i also told my father at the end of the letter that i was setting some boundaries once and for all.

that i would not be emotionally blackmailed or verbally abused anymore that if he wanted to talk to me as a father then i welcome that and if he can't do that then i do not wish to comunicate with him.

i sent it about a week ago and was waiting for all hell to break loose but nothing happend.

IsaacJS2

I don't know if this will help, but my article on the WTS biblical proofs can be found at http://atheism.about.com/od/jehovahswitnesses/a/SixProofs.htm.

I also posted another version elsewhere on JWD. It's not as current, but you might look for that one as well. I think it should be under "Six Biblical Proofs" or something like that.

IsaacJ

___

www.atheistgeeknews.com

9

JW called me while working at a call center

by IsaacJS2 in

jw
friends

this was kinda weird, so i thought i would share.

my wife (still a dub) went out last sunday to start pimping the next convention.

according to her, this promotion is just getting underway.

IsaacJS2

This was kinda weird, so I thought I would share. My wife (still a dub) went out last Sunday to start pimping the next convention. According to her, this promotion is just getting underway. Her mentioning it that very morning is the only reason I knew about it.

Well, I am working at a call center right now. Not the greatest thing, but it's better than no job at all. Near the end of my shift, I got a call for a company that deals in realestate. The guy sorta goes on and on about how much it sucks where he is--which is killing my numbers, BTW. (Thanks, bro...) Then he starts talking about how even this property we're offering (which I, a call center flunkie, know zero about) could be just as bad with the drugs and the killin'. Anyone could see the ad on TV and move out there, so really there's no getting away from it. I offer to give him the customer service number so he can ask them about the neighborhood (so he'll go away) but he just starts the whole routine over again!

Then he builds up to the part about the lawlessness and immorality of the world today...and wants to know if I agree with him about the world's awful state. He asks me this one point blank.

My eyes got big when I realized he was probably an evangelist. The fact that the convention drive was just starting for the WTS clued me in on which religion he was probably with! I know some disabled Witnesses do this kind of thing to get their hours in each month. I told him I couldn't discuss anything non-business related, especially a solicitation--religious or otherwise. Finally, he backed down and told me he'd call again.

And I'm like, "You gotta be kidding me."

Some local churches have started going door to door these past couple of weeks as well. My wife had fun with them. I'm sure it gave her another hour to put on her card this month, too. Oh well.

Isaac J

___

www.atheistgeeknews.com

60

We've been invited to a JC

by besty in

for those of you don't know our story sweet pea and i stopped attending all meetings quite abruptly about 4 months ago.

since then we have had a few ill-advised conversations with jw friends and family stating our reasons - sometimes in emails.

also sp emailed a new friend on another forum her experiene with going to a new church.

IsaacJS2

I made up my mind a long time ago that if I ever went before a JC I would basically give them plenty of grief during the phone call about it, including the fact that I have no respect for their self-assuming authority to even call me in. I always thought that I would refuse to go, but that I would lay out my position to any and all of them that I could outside of their territory rather than submitting to their authority. Then, after addressing them with a long list of adjectives for words like "hubris" and "presumptuous," *I* will give *them* a choice. Either DF me, or I will DA myself in writing, because I can pass judgment over them just as easily as they can pass judgment over me.

Either way, no one enters my home (including my WT in-laws) while ignoring me or expecting me to act ashamed. End of story. They will have to walk around me at the store, averting their eyes, not the other way around.

Of course, you may have more at stake than I do. I have no WT relatives other than in-laws. They already have their little opinions of me, so that's no loss.

Anyways...

IsaacJ

5

"God is not great' BY CHRISTOPHER HITCHINS

by Shawn10538 in

jw
friends

i just wanted to share a great read with you all.

this is the title of christopher hitchins latest book.

what evr you think about his politics, he is a great arguer?

IsaacJS2

This book is 2nd only to "The God Delusion" on my list of favorite atheist reads so far. Even if I didn't give Dawkins extra points for pointing out the flaws in the Creation Book, I'd still put it in front. But not by much.

IsaacJ

71

Becoming officially recognized as Annointed

by B_Deserter in

i've heard there is a very secretive process the wts uses to determine whether or not they'll consider someone "of the annointed.

" from what i've heard it's a very rigorous set of questions.

can anyone here confirm this?

IsaacJS2

I don't think anyone mentioned this variation yet, but the congregations in my area seem to have slightly different takes on things than what a lot people here have mentioned in other topics from time to time.

I was told that you know you're an anointed when you are more interested in the parts of the Bible describing the Heavenly hope and such than you are in things that talk about the earthly hope. It's as if you are drawn to those things by some instinct, rather than the piddly little earth-bound stuff most of us losers are in to. And, of course, you just sort of "know" you're anointed like Neo from the Matrix had to "know" he was The One. Oh, and you must have done some big things for "the truth" or suffered for "the truth" in some way. That was the take from the local Elders back in my WT days.

::shrugs::

I keep hearing people mention things about questions being asked from time to time, but no one ever mentioned anything to me about questions either.

IsaacJ

6

Video for the atheists...pretty funny if you're an atheist

by IsaacJS2 in

jw
friends

this is a cool video that's pretty funny, but it's pretty much for the atheist crowd.

all i will say is that it's about why people should become atheists (which is why i don't know if everyone will find it all that funny) yet it also mentions the wt magazines.. http://www.compfused.com/directlink/4972/.

sorry if someone else posted if first.

IsaacJS2

This is a cool video that's pretty funny, but it's pretty much for the atheist crowd. All I will say is that it's about why people should become atheists (which is why I don't know if everyone will find it all that funny) yet it also mentions the WT magazines.

http://www.compfused.com/directlink/4972/

Sorry if someone else posted if first. I couldn't sign in for some reason the day I found it.

IsaacJ

16

BIG About.com on Dfing and "Fading"

by DannyHaszard in

http:www.atheism.about.com/od/jehovahswitnesses/a/witnessfade.htm here we can comment at the article and file this for evidence value as about.com is considered expert witnesses http://atheism.about.com/b/a/069061.htm comment belowfrom jehovah's witness to atheist: how & why jehovah's witnesses fade from congregations7 hrs ago | about.com

IsaacJS2

My personal experiance was that if I remained an agnostic (most JWs can't distinguish between that and atheism) I was one class of DF'd that was less tolerable than if I became a member of another religion. Kind of like in a divorce. You get another spouse and you're twice the villian. So my point is that shunning is not limited to those ex Jdubs that become athiests. carmel

Carmel, I just wanted to remind everyone that Austin's site is an atheist site. So all my articles will generally be directed at atheists, which is why I addressed the issue of fading the way I did. About's staff would give Austin a hard time for publishing the article if I didn't deliberately aim at atheists specifically. I definitely realized that fading isn't at all unique to atheists. Most of my articles should also interest believers as well, but to keep About happy, they will be addressed at atheists most of the time. I don't know if you've heard this before or not, but the distinction between atheists and agnostics depends on who you ask. The vast majority of atheists are agnostics by the common definition of these words. If you haven't heard this before, you might check here for a short explanation: http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutagnosticism/a/what.htm It can be confusing if you aren't familiar with this convention. But what ya gonna do? IsaacJ