esther

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Posts by esther

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  82

  Has anyone felt like leaving God altogether?

  by lookingnow22 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know that the answer is yes, but it would help me to hear your sentiments on this.

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  after you decided that the wbts, and thus jw's were not god's chosen earthly organization did you feel like you wanted to leave and forget god altogether?.

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  esther

  Kes, since I don't believe that the bible is God's word, how can I believe that Jesus was God's son, or our saviour?
  Jang, when I said that Paul was like the WTBTS, I didn't just mean his view of women, but also his views on marriage and his statements about the end of the world being just around the corner. I think he would fit in well with the GB.
  esther
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  82

  Has anyone felt like leaving God altogether?

  by lookingnow22 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know that the answer is yes, but it would help me to hear your sentiments on this.

  .

  after you decided that the wbts, and thus jw's were not god's chosen earthly organization did you feel like you wanted to leave and forget god altogether?.

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  esther

  I still believe in God, but not that the bible is his word. I cannot reconcile the God of the NT with the God of the OT. In fact, I can't even reconcile all of the NT. To me, the apostle Paul sounds very much like the WTBTS. So where does that leave us? I don't know what to believe any more, but whatever I do, I am not going to be led blindly.
  esther
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  3

  Jehovah Witnesses & Gambling

  by buffalosrfree in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the land of the indian, no pun intended, their are jdubs who think it okay to support the local casino whether via the restaurant or the slots or even bingo.

  the spin i got from some of them on it, was that they were going out to have a good time and spending $20 to $40 on the slots that they were going to spend any way was not in and of itself gambling.

  the preponderance of jdubs using the casino restaurants is spun out in the same way, just an evening out.

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  esther

  Buff, while I agree that the excuse for gambling is hypocritical, I am less certain about the Casino restaurants. After all, using the Casino restaurant is not actually gambling. Also, it is possible that using other restaurants could actually be, unknowingly, aiding someone or something of which we disapprove, maybe criminal activity, for example.
  esther
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  60

  jws hassle 3 yr old

  by Blackcat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  seems the jws are getting desprate for recruits, an article from a localpaper....... http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/story3.html thought you all would be interested!

  !

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  esther

  Anglise, you said "But I would never witness to a minor and even stopped those I was working with doing this on occasion, I reasoned that I wouldnt want anyone doing it to my children so why do it to theirs." I agree with you. That is how I felt. I wouldn't witness to teenagers, even, without their parents permission, even while I was pioneering.

  Mommie Dark, your said "We're NOT talking about these bitches knocking on a door and talking to a kid who opened the door. These children were in their fenced yard playing and these idiot dubettes approached them, knowing full well what they were doing. They should have asked to talk to an adult or just plain moved along without speaking beyond a pleasant 'hello' if the kid made eye contact." While I don't necessarily agree with your description of them, you are so right when you say they should have asked to talk to an adult.

  Prisca you said "I think sometimes we get so filled up with hate/bitterness/condemnation for the WTS, that we forget what we were like as Witnesses ourselves." It is not hate/bitterness/condemnation for the WTS, just plain commonsense, as LovesDubs said in her post.
  esther
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  4

  When it rains...

  by ozziepost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here in the eastern seaboard of oz it's raining today.

  have you ever considered that these rainy days are days of special activity to the witnesses?.

  in an endeavor to give at least one complete witness to all the inhabitants of this town, the brothers decided to preach there only on very rainy days, in the hope that they would not be bothered by the young folk.

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  esther

  ozziepost, I think that the Borg has a strategy for every type of weather. It is a beautiful day in this part of Oz, but I bet that won't keep them away.

  esther
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  17

  Marrying "Only in the Lord"

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the wt definition of "only in the lord" meaning only dedicated witnesses of jehovah in good standing greatly narrows the field of eligible mates.

  this has brought about some unusual unions because of the circumstances, involving people who would ordinarily not meet, let alone marry, if it were not for a shared belief system.. what unusual couplings have you seen in your jw days?

  how large was your personal field of possibilities and did it include some unusual options?

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  esther

  Mulan, you said "I met my husband at a party, the JW kids had a few times a year." The poor JW kids don't get much chance to do that nowadays. They can only have small parties, big ones are a no-no. No meals provided at conventions=no meal preparation=less chance to socialise with kids from other congregations. Get-togethers after the convention are frowned on=less chance to socialise with kids from other congregations. Perhaps the WTBTS is trying to cut out marriage altogether.

  esther
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  18

  Door To Door

  by ladonna in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my father a ms told me several months ago that jw's no longer do "regular door to door witnessing".

  he told me this as i said to him i cannot remember the last time i saw a jwitness at my door which was unusual.. has anyone any answers to this?.

  ladonna

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  esther

  ladonna, welcome,

  Door to door is still carried out here in australia. They were in my street last week. I believe other methods have been tried, such as witnessing in car parks of shopping centres, in shops etc. I don't think they are allowed into shopping centres here anymore. (and I know we spell words differently to you in the USA). Frankly, there are not many people at home any more, but I don't know if they preach any other way,

  esther
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  16

  Proposed Goals for AJWRB

  by Lee Elder in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  perhaps this forum can serve as a place for some serious discussion regarding the direction that ajwrb will take in the coming months.

  this document lays out proposed strategy and goals for ajwrb.

  we would like you to evaluate the contents and offer your views.

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  esther

  jschwehm, I think that is a good idea. If it is successful in the United States, maybe it could then be carried out in other countries around the world. Just think what could be achieved with that sort of coverage.

  esther
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  15

  How does one become a JW???

  by Downdog01 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  every source i've looked at is very vague and my witness friends just keep encouraging me to stop asking questions and come to meetings.

  my sense is, since i disagree so much with jw doctrine and the way it is presented in awake and especially watchtower that i'd never make it as a jw.

  still i am curious what the process is and what "tests" if any one must pass.. any info will be much appreciated.. thanks,.

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  esther

  Hi Downdog01, you asked about becoming a JW, and you also say, "I disagree so much with JW doctrine and the way it is presented in Awake and especially Watchtower". This is not allowed. Disagreeing with doctrine as it is presented in the Watchtower is NOT AN OPTION. In fact, you can be disfellowshipped for disagreeing with the Watchtower Society.

  esther
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  10

  Real vs. Imaginary Hatred

  by Farkel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  these are some observations about genuine hatred and imaginary hatred as it exists in the ever-goofy mindset of the watchtower organization.

  many thanks to jwd for getting me to think about this matter in yet another way.. firstly, the evidence that jws actually do hate not only the deeds, but the people who commit deeds they deem wrong is abundant.

  there are many, many web pages dedicated to this subject, and dozens of wts quotes to draw from.

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  esther

  Francoise, you say "I used to think the WTB&TS was just ignorant. Now I think they are evil, sinful, and iniquitous. On purpose." While I tend to agree with you, it is possible that one reason for inculcating hatred for 'outsiders' is the basic desire to keep the JWs united. If they are not united, the control of the Watchtower Society might be weakened, and that would never do. Of course, this goal is also, IMHO, extremely evil, but since the average JW has been taught to believe that unity is of primary importance, they probably do not see it in that light.

  Farkel, one proven way of uniting people is by supplying a mutual enemy. Let's face it, during a war, people who are bitter enemies normally will suddenly become allies and pull together when facing a common foe. So stirring up hatred against non-witnesses is a logical step for the WTBTS.

  esther