Posts by RollerDave

32

Book: Captives of a Concept-... Illusionary Concept That Holds JW's Captive

by Lady Liberty in

jw
friends

good evening everyone,.

just started reading the book by don cameron a former elder called captives of a concept-understanding the illusionary concept that holds jehovahs witnesses captive.

holy cow!

RollerDave

lol!

I recommend this book about every third or fourth post I make, it seems.

The flow of logic and the conclusions to which it leads are impeccable, the writing style is natural and easy to follow, and the layout is uncluttered and serves to enhance the material.

God love Ray Franz, and I have spoken to him a few times, but there are times his sentence structure might be a little bit daunting for the intermediate reader; but Captives just lays it out so simply even my brother Tofu could follow it.

I love how it doesn't even enter into futile arguments about the correctness of the WTS interpretations, just takes them as a given, and then proceeds to use WTS sources to blow logical holes in it you could drive a truck through.

It's a gorgeous and glorious romp through the zany madcap world of watchtower where even if you accept that they believe what they say they believe, and use no outside sources, the Emperor STILL has no clothes!

Everyone needs this book.

RD

49

Hello, I'm new here!

by Lone_Wolf in

my story is much like others.

i have found a faith to call my own, thankfully.

my parents don't agree with it, though they are very much still in my life, whether it's in my head or on the phone.

RollerDave

short but sweet.

Welcome lone wolf!

RD

54

My story- Here goes!

by Younglove1999 in

i've just been writing away the past few days about my thoughts and feelings since my husband and i decided to finally call it quits and stop going to meetings.

in fact, he's the one who told me about this website.

he's a lurker though, so i don't think any have heard from him.

RollerDave

Hooray for YoungLove!

Victory over ignorance and superstition!

Welcome and glad you are here. I really enjoyed your story and look forward to reading more!

RD

12

Inspection of Emotions 1919

by writetoknow in

inspection of emotions 1919. .

according to the teachings of jehovah witnesses starting somewhere around 1914 the first world war christ returned and upon his return he started the inspection of the modern day virgin class.

after a serve period of testing god chose his faithful and discreet slave class out of all religion on earth.

RollerDave

keep the pot, good luck with that! ;)

The book Captives of a Concept examines the doctrine of them being 'examined' with a thoroughness.

Very good read.

You make excellent points, they ARE hippo-crites (big fat liars)

RD

11

little flock - great crowd

by studier in

hello this is my first post here.... and i'm already asking for something .

i need wt literature on revelations, "little flock", and "great crowd".. where do they get this idea from?...

possibly a downloadable copy of revelation climax?.

RollerDave

Welcome Studier!

Glad to have you here!

To the best of my understanding, the two-class system is the result of the end not coming when Rutherford expected and there being a need to centralize control and authority and explain the numbers coming in that exceeded the magic number of 144,000.

Basically a stopgap expedient that became bedrock doctrine. Very Rutherford.

As to the pdf of the revelation orgasm, uh, climax book; can't help ya there, but I bet somebody does.

RD

41

You won't believe this: a KH turned into a church!!!

by observador in

about two years ago i posted here some pictures of a kingdom hall for sale.

that was quite something to me; had never seen something like it; never thought i would.

always thought that a progressive, ever increasing true religion would be always building and expanding, not selling.. but what wasn't my surprise when i passed by the other day and the damn hall had been sold; worse, the old, glorious hall had become a, gasp... a church!!.

RollerDave

How do they get the demons out of a former church?

Easy!

Have a garage sale! Demons can't resist clinging to low cost cast-off rubbish!

RD

42

Are You Sure That You Don't Still Think & Act Like A Jehovah's Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you still have jw traits left remaining within you?

be honest.

RollerDave

I've noticed something here on JWD.

As JWs, God is conflated with and merged into the identity of the WTS organization, most JW's won't admit it, but to them Jehovah ant the GB are one and the same, defame one and you've defamed the other. Loyalty to God IS loyalty to the WTS.

Once one has left the org and come here to JWD, I think more than a few have gotten over most JW beliefs but not that one.

I have noticed that there is a quality to some of the atheism I have seen here on JWD that suggests that the 'God=WTS' equation remains intact in the mind of the writer. The 'Jehovah' of the watchtower is so peculiar and unique to the witness mindset that some need to deny God altogether in order to deny the WTS.

This is not to say that all atheism I've seen here is of this variety, so don't get your atheist panties all up in a knot. I have no problem with you believing as you wish or arriving at a different conclusion than I based on the same facts.

You might even be right, no way of knowing for sure short of dying and I'm in no hurry.

But the certainty and self reassurance of some of the statements I've read, the rhetorical quality of it all, is sometimes reminiscent of the same sort of arguments I used to see used against babylon the great, the wild beast, and the spirit of the world.

Just found that interesting.

RD

42

Are You Sure That You Don't Still Think & Act Like A Jehovah's Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you still have jw traits left remaining within you?

be honest.

RollerDave

when I left I had so much zealotry, but nothing to believe in anymore so I poured my zeal into foolish causes so as to have an outlet for that part of my brain the JW religion actually appealed to. I have since gotten over the need to be a 'tru believer' one of the 'in crowd.'

Though I am still a bible believer and an unapologetic theist, I approach it in ways no JW would ever consider.

No, I think I've left most of that crap behind.

EXCEPT....

I still torture myself over whether I am 'doing enough' towards whatever my goal is. Self-examination can be a good thing; but the JW thing to do is to carry it to an extreme.

Am I doing enough in the field misery? Do I police my mental processes enough? Have I swallowed enough camel? strained enough gnat?

I tend to obsess about dishes, dusting, mundane things like that, but I recognize the tendency as being disconcertingly JW-like in its intensity.

I guess I could have done worse.

RD

28

Describe How A Jehovah's Witness Thinks

by minimus in

jw
friends

what goes through a witnesses' brain??

when they see a loved one die---what goes thru their brain??.

when a non jw tells them about their fun filled weekend, what goes thru a witnesses' thoughts?.

RollerDave

I think JWs think all the same things as non jw's, just like liberals and conservatives think the same stuff underneath it all.

Everyone seeks validation of their worldview and advancement within it. The filter may change from person to person, but it doesn't change the motivation.

The JW filter is one of the more pervasive ways to see the world, and influences more of a JWs life than most others, but has an advantage in that its almost self-maintaining.

There is perversity in the worldview that rejoices in calamity and measures success by misery.

Getting dumped on? It means you're doing it right!

Bad juju going down? could be the Big A, the ultimate validation... billions fed to the birds.... w00t.

Everyone thinks the same basic thoughts, we all just pass them through different filters is all.

Roller (of the 'reverse-osmosis mental filter' sheep class)

17

I had my loser freeloading JW stepsiblings evicted

by unbeliever in

jw
friends

some background is posted on the link below.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/122891/1.ashx.

last year my brother and i bought my moms house.

one of the things we insisted on is that she get her good for nothing stepchildren out of the house.

RollerDave

Right ON!

My family is so messed up, I wish I had the kind of leverage you anf your bro have to just say, 'this is how it is, deal with it.'

So nice to hear you drew your line, and are defending it!

I imagine this is the house you gre up in, and to have bastard use yer mom, get her to risk it, impose upon you and your bro, and then violate the terms be leaving the steplosers there!

You did right.

RD