Posts by tenyearsafter

In regard to Lee Strobel, discrediting him because he was a mega-church pastor is a bit of a red herring argument. Lee became a teaching pastor after his conversion to Christianity, not a Christian so he could become a pastor. I have met and talked with Lee, and though you may not agree with the conclusions he has drawn, you cannot deny his sincerity in making the choice he did. For people to infer that anyone who converts to theism from atheism is "mentally defective" (sound familaiar?) or has an ulterior motive is disengenuous. If the same argument was presented against theists converting to atheism, there would be a call of foul made by the atheists out there. Why can't we agree that each person makes their own spiritual (or non-spiritual) journey in life without inferring that the opposing viewpoint is "shady" or in need of psychiatric treatment? In the words of the famous philosopher Rodney King, "can't we all just get along?"

15

Have any other religion flip-flopped doctrinally?

by stillstuckcruz in

i am attempting to see if a comparison can be made to other religions.

obviously we all know that jw's have fip-flopped on many doctrinal issues.

but are there any other religions and cults that have done this?

tenyearsafter

Worldwide Chucrch of God after Herbert Armstrong died. They were very similar to JW's during Armstrong's tenure, and after his death the church repudiated his teachings and embraced more orthodox Christian doctrine (ie: Trinity, Hell, etc.).

13

The Christmas Star??

by Butterflyleia85 in

jw
friends

so remember the bible story book chapter 86 men guided by a star... remember it said that satan is the one who must have made that star shine because it was leading the chief priests that was brought by herod who in fact wanted jesus killed!

matthew 2:1-23; micah 5:2. ok so i was reading out of my son's christmas book that his grandma gave him.

it has a part "following the star"...wise men heard about the birth of jesus, the new king.

tenyearsafter

This thread also talks about what the Star could have been...intriguing:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/203730/1/The-Star-of-Bethlehem-very-interesting

43

Brother Kavelin injured in Santa Monica?

by NikL in

jw
friends

we just received this e mail.

it may or may not be true but it is making the rounds in dubdom.. here ya go.... just a quick note to let you know that out of the 9 dead and some .

injured in the run away car incident at the farmer's market in santa.

tenyearsafter

Dagney, your post is blank.

29

How was the singing in your congro?

by karter in

mine as best abysmal.. we had brother ..i can't sing in tune but will sing louder than anyone else.. sister trained opera voice that sang a note or 3 above everyone else.. the rest were just down rite dreadfull..

tenyearsafter

Overall, terrible...but there always was the or two in the hall that were great singers. Unfortunately, that made the rest of the crew sound even worse! The fact that the pre-recorded music was dreary to begin with, didn't give the joyous noise much of a chance to begin with.

43

Brother Kavelin injured in Santa Monica?

by NikL in

jw
friends

we just received this e mail.

it may or may not be true but it is making the rounds in dubdom.. here ya go.... just a quick note to let you know that out of the 9 dead and some .

injured in the run away car incident at the farmer's market in santa.

tenyearsafter

Frank and I keep in close touch...he and Barb are doing well, and he has "moved on" quite well. We still have some great discussions about our JW days, but as most of us here have to one degree or another, Frank and Barb have gone on to enjoy life and their new found freedom. I will pass on that many have been asking about him...it would be great to have him post on some of his Bethel/GB experiences.

26

Had a Frustrating Discussion with Mom...

by tenyearsafter in

my 80 something year old mom is a die hard jw, but to her credit, she has not shunned me.

as would be expected, she is always "praying" that i return to jah and get reinstated.

is consistent...every time my wife and i see her, she always tries to steer the conversation to "how bad the world" has become.. today, she escalated the "theocratic attack" by coming out directly and asking me what i thought of world conditions.

tenyearsafter

Great suggestions everyone!

I will hope that a few things we talked about will get her thinking...she is a very intelligent woman. She is also alone...she just has my brother (a diehard JW) and me to rely on. The "brothers" have pretty much ignored her at this point since she is no longer able to go door to door or regularly attend meetings. The only time she gets to meetings is if my brother takes her. The elders think they did their good deed because they allowed her to have a phone hook up to listen to the meetings. She has been in her current house for almost 5 years, and I don't believe anyone in the congregation, other than my brother, has offered to take her to a meeting. When she is sick, it is up to my brother and I to take her to the doctor and arrange for her needs. I don't expect others to do this, but it amazes me how invisible she is to the congregation (she pioneered until she could no longer go door to door). I can only hope that she sees the lack of love and concern, and it resonates with her. She basically told me during our "chat" that I could never shake her faith or change her mind. I told her that was not my intention, but she should not expect to change mine my mind either.

I will use the suggestion of "Jehovah can read my heart", and let her get some comfort from it. In the meantime, I can just hope that she (and my brother) can open their eyes enough to at least think for themselves and ask themselves the honest questions.