eyeslice

Joined

• started 157 topics
• posted 1,323 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by eyeslice

• 
  34

  Even if the bible is not inspired, is Christianity a good thing?

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i dont want to offend anyone that worships jesus, but am toying with a few ideas at the moment.. i am not sure yet about the inspiration of the bible.

  however reading franz' christian freedom gives me a lot more respect for jesus teachings and christianity.

  lets say that jesus was just a man.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  Religion should be a mentor to help people find their own spiritual path. As such, then certainly the basic teachings of Christ and other spiritual leaders are by definition a good thing.
  The problem is that these original guidelines are taken by religions such as JWs and changed from guidelines into endless rules and regulations were people are told what spirituality is rather than how to find it.
  Eyeslice
• 
  27

  How Many Came in via Door-toDoor Witnessing?

  by JW_Researcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  .

  what percentage would you say came into your old or current congregation(s) via the door-to-door witnessing?

  it is understood that your response is a guestimate.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  My parents were contacted at the door but that was way back in the 50s.
  However, I can't think of anyone in the past 10 years who came into through the direct door to door witness work. The message of JWs is increasing irrelevant in developed countries (hence the emphasis for the 'foreign language' field in these countries; get the non-locals)and is becoming every harder to peddal in developing countries.
  Eyeslice
• 
  42

  What are JW's leaders going to do when we hit the year 2014 and no Armaggdn

  by booker-t in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we are fast approaching the year 2014 which will be 100 years since 1914. what are jw's and the wt going to do if armaggeddon has not occurred by then?

  will they come up with a bunch of "new light" to do away with 1914 all together?

  will they suddenly announce that jesus came into kingdom power in the year 2014?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  This is a hard question given the precedent of the last decade or so.
  Whilst they have maintained a stance of most of the old doctrines, e.g. 1914, the UN beast that will destroy Babylon the Great, the new Daniel book, etc. there has been little or no new light that has shifted them significantly. Yes, there was the generation change in 1995 but to be brutally honest most JWs would struggle to explain clearly what 'this generation' is.
  The biggest problem is they have no theologians/theological direction and it easy is to work out why this is. Just think of what happened with Ray Franz. The more I have found out about Ray the more I realise that he wasn't a raging apostate but could have been a force for moderate change.
  No GB member is going to in initiate major change; the whole system is such that you become a MS by towing the company line, you become an elder, CO, DO, Branch Committee member, GB member by doing exactly the same. All of us know that - we were taught never to do things other than the Society's way and to never ever to question the Society.
  My guess is that over the next 5 years or so we will see a continuing of the major decline already seen in the developed world and even limited growth in the developing world. After that, they will carry on in some form as a very minor, slightly dotty, religious sect, much like the Plymouth Bretheren.
  Eyeslice
• 
  53

  What is on your 'current' reading list?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i mean stuff that is right now, this minute on your table or desk, not something you might read someday?.

  my desk is currently littered with;why won't they listen?

  ken hamwhat the cults believe.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  I'll follow Littetoe's lead. Here are a few the books a currently surrounded by:
  
  Bedside

  • Emphatic Diaglott
  • Moor's Last Sigh
  • Satanic Verses
  • The Invisibles (story of Eunuchs in India)
  • Pilgrim's Progress

  
  Desk

  • Pure Javascript
  • Core JSP
  • Struts Pocket Reference
  • Pure Java
  • John Volume 1 (by William Barclay)
  • Ravi Shankar (autobiography)

  
  Shelf in Study

  • How to Find God (Deepak Chopra)
  • The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
  • The Diary of Anna Frank
  • Great Expectations (Dickens)
  • City of Djinns (William Dalrymple)
  • Emma (Jane Austin)

  
  Eyeslice
  
  PS I love C S Lewis' Mere Christianity though I gave my copy away.
• 
  66

  Say something here, that you'd say in your JW active days

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'll start:.

  hey brother smith, how about if we go preach the good news tomorrow morning, hey?

  pick you up at 9

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  "It all about the effort you put in not what you get out"
  Said as elder father to kids to encourage them to do more in the field service, answering at meetings, etc.
  I hope they have got over it now.
  Eyeslice
• 
  13

  Nurse Stabbed on way To KH/Manchester UK

  by Latte in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/news/s/189/189164_maniac_knifes_nurse_on_way_to_church.html.

  poor girl!.

  this is scary.scary that such a nasty character is still on the loose!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  This poor girl has been very lucky.
  I know of an incident about 35 years ago, also in the UK. A sister was attacked by the mentally unstable son of a couple in the congregation. I don't believe the attacker was baptised but he did attend the meetings and hence was not unknown to the sister. She suffered stab wounds and was rushed to hospital. She was still alive and the doctors wanted to give her a blood transfusion. She died a little later.
  At the trial of her killer the defense brought the issue up that had the young girl accepted a blood transfusion she probably would have lived and the charge of murder should be reduced to manslaughter. I am not too sure of the exact out come of the trail but I do know that her killer is still in a secure mental institution and is still considered to be such a risk to the public that he will never be freed.
  Eyeslice
• 
  18

  Does God care for people in India and China?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  if only witnesses have the truth and only them will be saved, i guess that god doesn't care much for people in india and china (who represent together about half of the world's population).. out of the 2.5 billion people in both countries combined, how many witnesses can there be?.

  a rough guess: 1 witness per 100,000 population

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  I lived and served as an elder in India for a while.
  The only people we really witnessed to were upper and middle class Indians. The society (either the Indian Bethel or New York) does nothing to support or help the poor. Like other religions, we could have setup feeding centres, schools or hospital facilities but that is outside the only remit of the society, the preaching work. What a waste of time and effort!
  Another angle, I am sure that between China and India, each year more than 6 million babies are born. Given the Armageddon doctrine, this means that for every year that God holds back Armagedon to save a few more people by means of the preaching work, million more Indian and Chinese babies are born to be destroyed.
  Eyeslice
• 
  46

  How many left the JW cult after.....

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the age of 40?.

  seems like a lot have left after 1/2 or 2/3 of a lifetime.

  what accounts for that in your mind, if you left in later middle years or older?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  I quit as an elder and simply stopped attending any meetings at the age of 51 (2 years ago).
  After a life time in, it was as easy as that.
  Eyeslice
• 
  45

  How would you rate Jw's on a spiritual scale......

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  of 1 to 12. one being almost no true spirituallity, and 12 being as spiritual as possible in this life?.

  i give them about a three.

  really like a third grade spirituality.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  I agree with Blondie - it depends on whether you are rating individuals or the organisation.
  I have known a few really genuine people in the organisation who I would consider to be truely spiritual. On the other hands, I have met many more who have no idea what spirituality is outside of the context of JW dogma.
  As for the JW orgainisation itself, I would rate it a poor 2.
  Eyeslice
  PS I love Honesty's post here. If there is one thing to make JW elder squirm if they come 'shepherding' you it is to ask them about their own personal relationship with Christ.
• 
  50

  How Do JWs Show They're Hypocrites?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one thing that always pissed me off was when "faithful wives" used to blame their "unbelieving husbands" for making them celebrate birthdays, exchange xmas gifts, go to "worldly" get togethers, play the lottery, etc.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  eyeslice

  They preach love but they do not practice the true love taught by Christ.
  Instead, they judge others by own rules and regulations and, if it suits them, kick them out.
  Eyeslice