Having prayed to 'Jehovah' all my life I feel a little strange right now as whenever I use that name I think of being a witness and I don't really want to have those associations. Also it seems that friends and family think its a big deal that the Borg has taught us God's name and we ought to be eternally grateful to them for that alone! However, I have suddenly realised that even though my mother has a 'name' I always call her mum and would never dream of calling her by her 'name' as I wouldn't feel as close to her, so I starting to just call my creator my heavenly father - I do know a Christian who calls God 'daddy' but that is just a step too far for me just now.... Thoughts?
sweet pea
JoinedPosts by sweet pea
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12
What Do You Call God?
by sweet pea inhaving prayed to 'jehovah' all my life i feel a little strange right now as whenever i use that name i think of being a witness and i don't really want to have those associations.
also it seems that friends and family think its a big deal that the borg has taught us god's name and we ought to be eternally grateful to them for that alone!
however, i have suddenly realised that even though my mother has a 'name' i always call her mum and would never dream of calling her by her 'name' as i wouldn't feel as close to her, so i starting to just call my creator my heavenly father - i do know a christian who calls god 'daddy' but that is just a step too far for me just now.... thoughts?
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Did you make a new religion for yourself?
by White Dove ini'm associating with a church that i like very much, however, i find some things hard to digest, like jesus resurrecting himself.
i think the father did that, not him.
anyway, i am thinking that i can just keep associating for social reasons and some religious ones while reading the bible and having my own beliefs based on how i understand the bible and not blindly believe doctrine just because a big church teaches it.
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sweet pea
I can very much identify with you Whitedove, I think what you're doing is a natural response to where you find yourself right now and you must do what's right for you - we are all different but have lots to offer each other. I was recently recommended a new bible - the Life Application New International Version - its a fantastic non-sectarian translation put together by numerous scholars with a great commentary which will help you appreciate scripture for what is it and bring you closer to your God and Jesus. I am about to embark on an Alpha Course out of curiosity and wanting to keep my faith alive and to see if there exists a religion where we feel good about bringing the children up to have a faith. However , I also realise now that you don't need to go anywhere to worship you can be a spiritual loving being regardless if that is what you choose to be. One day I may not even believe in anything we've previously been indoctrinated to believe, I hope not but we are all on a journey, we just don't know where to. Enjoy the detour as someone once said to me. PS. Check out www.jwfacts.com and look at "Organisation" and "Faithful and Discreet Slave" and it will really help you get your head around whether they have anything to do with salvation. Also check out Pubsinger's posts for advice - he has a strong faith, talks a lot of sense and has helped me greatly. All the best with your journey.
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Are you: Disfellowshipped; Disassociated; Irregular: Memorial Attender: N
by mtsgrad ingood evening,.
i am a virgin to this forum do bear with me!.
i am curious who visits.
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sweet pea
Raised in the "troof", auxillary pioneered several times, father ex-elder. Inactive from about 6 months ago, quit going to meetings after the memorial, haven't missed them at all! Don't plan on being one of those that attends the memorial once a year either (why do people do that??!!). Jury's still out on whether me and Besty will be disfellowshipped for telling our nearest and dearest that the organisation is not necessary for salvation.... Have been labelled an apostate by one friend so far and I didn't even mention the UN or the recent child abuse settlements!! If we have the pleasure of being invited to a JC we'll probably DF the Borg for conduct unbecoming a Christian..... In one sense, feeling a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders but not enjoying the consequences of friends and family - looking forward to the future though.
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Who has the truth about 607BC??
by cultswatter inthe next link is a jw site saying that 587 is wrong and 607 is right.
http://www.jehovahsjudgment.co.uk.
the following 7 page document says that 607 is wrong and 587 is right.
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sweet pea
does anybody know the JWD username for the 607 apologist jehovahsjudgement.co.uk? I'd like to read the threads cheers SP
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Do you 'tidy up' before JW relatives visit?
by RollerDave ini've got an older sister who is a decent sort.. she remains within the congregation and is married to the po, but still treats me like a human being despite having inklings of my true views.. she was coming over to discuss a few family things so i 'tidied up' my ray franz books by turning their spines to the wall and carried a smaller and less obvious gun in my pocket than usual.. i viewed it as courtesy to an invited guest, but wondered if it might be a typical behavior.. any thoughts?.
roller.
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sweet pea
Yes Roller, we too have seriously tidied up this weekend due to visiting relatives, all is out of sight, but not out of mind!!
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Met/spoken to two former Jw's I knew this week
by cyberdyne systems 101 inwhat a strange week, first someone who posts here turns out to be someone i knew from many years ago, and we end up speaking on the phone to catch up and share our experiences, and then last night i'm in the supermarket when someone says hello to me and when i turn to look its another person who used to attend my old congregation.
his reason's for not going was the lack of love shown to him and the fact that questions he was asking were going unanswered - sound familier?
cs 101.
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sweet pea
I think its relevant to consider a couple of things here: 1 - think of the power of a community - not much by themselves but unstoppable together, even or perhaps especially when only loosely linked by a common goal - think about MySpace, YouTube, Linux and definitely Al-Quaida. 2 - The Tipping Point - a book by Malcolm Gladwell describing massive and sudden change. It's that ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease. They are social epidemics. The Tipping Point is an examination of the social epidemics that surround us. from his own website : http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html What do you hope readers will take away from the book? One of the things I'd like to do is to show people how to start "positive" epidemics of their own. The virtue of an epidemic, after all, is that just a little input is enough to get it started, and it can spread very, very quickly. That makes it something of obvious and enormous interest to everyone from educators trying to reach students, to businesses trying to spread the word about their product, or for that matter to anyone who's trying to create a change with limited resources. The book has a number of case studies of people who have successfully started epidemics--an advertising agency, for example, and a breast cancer activist. I think they are really fascinating. I also take a pressing social issue, teenage smoking, and break it down and analyze what an epidemic approach to solving that problem would look like. The point is that by the end of the book I think the reader will have a clear idea of what starting an epidemic actually takes. I agree with Sweet Pea (otherwise my life is a misery :-)) Each of us taking firm action - even if painful - will contribute to a massive outcome. There's thousands of us out there on the same page - lets capitalise on one of the few weapons we have against a cult - our own individual right not to play ball anymore.
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Met/spoken to two former Jw's I knew this week
by cyberdyne systems 101 inwhat a strange week, first someone who posts here turns out to be someone i knew from many years ago, and we end up speaking on the phone to catch up and share our experiences, and then last night i'm in the supermarket when someone says hello to me and when i turn to look its another person who used to attend my old congregation.
his reason's for not going was the lack of love shown to him and the fact that questions he was asking were going unanswered - sound familier?
cs 101.
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sweet pea
It's been great to catch up CS101 - it makes it a little easier to cope with all the frustration and hurt when you're deciding to leave to be able to talk about your real feelings/experiences and know you're not going to be judged or condemned forever more as an 'apostate'! I haven't grown horns or turned into an alcoholic/immoral/dishonest person overnight after all! I'm looking forward to seeing you again in the flesh soon. I do feel that we are on the verge of a 'tipping point' and that many more of us are going to be there for each other as the organisation falls apart.... If only more of us would be up front and make that move to leave according to an "informed decision" then maybe people would start asking "what's going on?" - it needs to be strong ones in the congregation though, those that we all look up to, not people like us who others point to and say "oh well, I'm not surprised, they're weak, on the edge, worldy, materialistic, etc, etc...". Anybody prepared to rise to this challenge?
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Me and my brother.
by nicolaou inan earlier discussion has been highlighting the differences between da'ing and df'ing.
xena said:i am sorry qadreena but i have never in the 20 some odd years i have been a jw ever heard of an unbaptised publisher being d/aed...marked as bad association yes..but d/a...no...but i guess stranger things can happen.... well that brought it all back.. actually xena the exact same thing happened to my brother in the early 80's.
he was only 14. he'd carried on associating with a friend of his who'd been disfellowshipped.
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sweet pea
ANY OF YOU LURKING ELDERS/PUBLISHERS (UN/BAPTISED) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SEE THAT THIS ORGANISATION HAS GOT IT BADLY WRONG AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SERIOUSLY DAMAGE PEOPLE. JESUS WOULD NOT HAVE TREATED HIS FOLLOWERS THIS WAY. ANY OF YOU BETHEL LURKERS - GET CHANGING THE POLICY ON DISFELLOWSHIPPING/SHUNNING NOW! Nic, an incredibly moving story, thank you for sharing it - I'm so glad it has a happy ending, however bittersweet that may be. It really does confirm that a decision to leave the BORG is the right one and I am so grateful that my two little boys won't ever have to face a situation like this.
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Death Knell -- the Internet for the WTS
by Francophile ini'm new here -- i confidently disassociated in 1994 (but really left the organization in 1992).
i was a ministerial servant and gave talks at conventions.
i'm not bragging, but just giving you an idea of my involvement.
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sweet pea
5go, can you elaborate on the WT change you are referring to? Thanks
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What Double Standards Exist With Jehovah's Witnesses?
by minimus into be a "good jehovah's witness" you must be able to live by double standards.
you have to know how to play both sides to the middle.
you have to speak and act one way with certain persons and another way with the others.. one example of how witnesses live by double standards:you cannot join the ymca because jws can't involve themselves with religious matters or else be shunned.
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sweet pea
How bout we can take blood fractions from the World Wide bank but we can't donate any of our own!