B_Deserter

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Posts by B_Deserter

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  3

  any one know what is going on in vanderbuilt mi?

  by dogon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have not had any contact with people from vanderbuilt mi for some time.

  i was wondering if any one knows if terry schoder is still alive, she had terminal cancer a year ago when i last saw her.. all the people who kept me informed have moved away due to michigans economy going into the toilet.. also have not heard form bill clegg since he moved to deland and remairied, he is in his 90s and i do not know if he is alive or dead.. daryl kunde is another person i have not heard about he is in the vanderbuilt congergation.. i quit the jws several years ago and moved on but kept up on what people were doing.

  if any one knows the scoop please email me at [email protected] i would app.

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  B_Deserter

  I know someone in Vanderbuilt. Does the name Babcock ring a bell?
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  26

  "Jehovah ALWAYS has worked through ONE organization!"

  by Dagney in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many times have we heard this?.

  i would like to know if any of you have any good arguements refuting this.

  my brain is fried from two weeks of "fencing" with jw's.

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  B_Deserter

  Any witness that says this, I just say one thing: who was God's organization from the years 100-1879? That should shut em up.
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  38

  Is it true that the WT uses hypnosis covertly during KH meetings?

  by seatrout in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i personally am a sceptic regarding the validity of hypnosis as a form of mind control.

  i associate it with entertainment tricks pulled by stage performers.. i never experienced any weird happenings during my only two visits to a kh.

  is anyone able to refute me?

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  B_Deserter

  Not hypnotism per se. You won't be indocrinated by just a few meetings. What the religion does is appeal to people who have psychological problems. It feels good to hear that Satan is to blame for your inability to function socially, that when "the world" passes away, Jehovah will magically fix you. People with Bi-Polar disorder and Depression are filing in in droves, because the Witnesses offer a promise of unconditional friendship with 6 million people that are willing to die for you. That's a pretty strong appeal to say the least. I think if you're in the wrong frame of mind--death of a loved one, divorce, mental disorder, etc.--it's easy to become indoctrinated because the society's vision of the world is the same as your experience. However, if you are a well-adjusted, happy, intelligent person, then the message that "everyone is miserable in the world because it is from Satan!" strikes you as untruth because it is not your experience. Rational-minded people tend to see through the bullshit rather quickly.
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  21

  My disagreement with hubby on use of Jehovah's name around JW's...input

  by megsmomma in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, this weekend i had a jw at my door and i sincerely gave a anti-wintess to him during which i did tell him i feel closer to jehovah than i ever have and i still believe in jehovah, just not the society.

  my husband thinks i should have said "the lord" or "god" instead, because he thinks it sounds like i was being hypicritical in a way.. my take is that to sound like i knew what i was talking about, and to lessen the likliness of him turning his ears off right away, i should talk in a way he is comfortable with.. hubby thinks it is more beneficial to show you are free from their wording and say what you mean from your learning that jehovah is not god's only true name.. .

  what do you say when talking to them if you get the chance?.

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  B_Deserter

  The name "Jehovah" may not accurately represent the hebrew name of god, but neither do any of the other names in the Bible. Jesus was not the original pronunciation either. In fact, most names that have foreign origins have their pronunciations changed to fit the grammar chracteristics of the language it's being translated to, ergo, John becomes Juan, and Peter becomes Pedro. If you're going to insist on using Yahweh for God's name, then you have to insist on using the correct pronunciation for Jesus, Jehosaphat, Jehoram, and all other Hebrew names in the Bible.
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  56

  Birthdays—Simple Deconstruction of the JW Rationale

  by AuldSoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  to deconstruct the jw rationale surrounding birthdays, a few simple guidelines should be followed.. (1): don't waste any energy trying to convince a jw that birthdays are not pagan, if they suggest that, readily agree.

  whether or not the celebrations are pagan turns out to be a non-issue that distracts from the main point.. (2): stay focused on the fact that jws disfellowship people for celebrating birthdays.. (3): stress the point that there should always be clear scriptural reason for disfellowshipping someone.

  ask them often throughout the discussion whether this is the case, get them to reinforce this need to themselves.. (4): remember, the first goal is deconstructing their rationale, not giving them a new rationale, not convincing them that celebrating birthdays is a good thing.. once you have these well in mind, the deconstruction can begin.. jw rationale, in brief:.

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  B_Deserter

  I'd also mention wedding rings and baptism, how those have pagan origins, too.
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  37

  Do you think the society will abandon 1914?

  by B_Deserter in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it seems to me that they're slowly dismantling the date theology that ties the end times to this period in history.

  first, they updated the generation teaching to mean a figurative generation, thus removing the possibility in the near future when all who were alive in 1914 are dead.

  then, they abandoned 1935 so the annointed will never die off, and prove their belief that the annointed will see armageddon wrong.

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  B_Deserter

  It seems to me that they're slowly dismantling the date theology that ties the end times to this period in history. First, they updated the generation teaching to mean a figurative generation, thus removing the possibility in the near future when all who were alive in 1914 are dead. Then, they abandoned 1935 so the annointed will never die off, and prove their belief that the annointed will see armageddon wrong. It just seems to me that the abandonment of the 1914 doctrine will follow. Maybe not now, but I'd say in probably 20-25 years it will probably go. If they remove all specific dates from their theology, then they can sustain the "it's coming soooooon!" trip indefinitely.
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  70

  Most Ex-JWs R Not Active in the Anti-JW Community. Maybe 1%? Any thoughts?

  by Seeker4 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  yesterday i called a family on the west coast that were in my congregation 18 years ago.

  between parents, kids and marriage partners, there were six of them who had been witnesses.

  they have all faded, and have had nothing to do with the witnesses for at least 15 year or more.. yet, none of them is in any way active even in looking at the ex-jw sites online.

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  B_Deserter

  Perhaps a lot of ex-JWs see anti-witness activists as still being ruled by the WTS in a sense. They probably feel that not thinking about the witnesses will help them move on. I think though that a lot of us need help and support reintegrating ourselves into society. Most ex-JWs are already of the "worldly" mindset when they leave, so it's not as tough for them. It's also possible that most exJWs just don't hate the witnesses that much, especially if their transition was relatively easy.
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  34

  Going to anoher church?

  by KatyH81 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i just wondered if anyone has been to a church since fading, or getting out?

  and how did you feel when you went?

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  B_Deserter

  I'm an atheist but I feel tremendously good that if I choose to go to a church (for social reasons or on invitation) I am absolutely free to do so.

  A little word of caution though. A lot of people who leave get post-traumatic stress disorder, and they'll end up accepting pretty much anything that comes along. My brother got dfed and decided to try out a whole series of churches, ending in disaster every time. He ended up going slightly crazy (he believes he talks to God, it's so nuts I've chosen to limit my contact with him even though I don't have to anymore) and has his own religious views now.

  If you've left the JWs, enjoy the fact that you are free. Go nuts if you want, go to every church you can possibly find. You can do it with absolutely no consequences. Mind-blowing isn't it? Oh, and welcome to the board.
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  34

  Video from 2007 Convention

  by kwr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is only a few minutes long, but i thought people might be interested in viewing it.

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  http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=33bf935e94036b41979b&page=8&viewtype=&category=mr

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  B_Deserter

  I think the whole shouting/preaching outside a JW convention is counterproductive. Attacking Witnesses head-on like that is not going to breed any results. If you're trying to hand out flyers, no JW in his/her right mind would accept it right in front of everyone. In a way it's like outing a gay person before he's ready. I don't think any of us here left the org. in a blaze of public glory. Some of us were disfellowshipped and some of us left on our own, but the seeds of doubt were planted and cultivated privately, away from the scrutiny of the congregation.
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  34

  Video from 2007 Convention

  by kwr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is only a few minutes long, but i thought people might be interested in viewing it.

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  http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=33bf935e94036b41979b&page=8&viewtype=&category=mr

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  B_Deserter

  Lol, I remember that talk. At my convention the kid they put up on stage was really overacting it. It was like watching Susan Lucci give an award speech.