Posts by freeman

the reason for this is that i started a thread really looking for personal experiences, looking for reasons those with a jw background would change their opinion on this.

i wanted to know why those that believe that jesus is god now feel this, whereas years ago they didn't.. i think it's a shame the other thread has descended into a debate between trinitarians and jw apologists, whereas only a couple of posters responded to my original post.

freeman

I remember the BS (watchtower explanation) that I so dutifully gave to a householder about what Tomas so plainly said, namely Jesus being his Lord and his God. It was what I was taught, but I never felt quite right about implying Tomas was just so astonished that he said “oh my God”, as is the custom today.

I was with a very sharp MS on that day, and despite my own shortcomings, I just knew he could rebuff anything the householder could argue. This MS, Rudy, was also my final study conductor before I was baptized. Rudy had what I thought at the time was an in-depth Biblical knowledge base. He could ever-so-quickly jump the appropriate passage, like superman, just in the nick of time. In retrospect, what I mistakenly surmised as a demonstrable depth of knowledge was in fact not deep Biblical knowledge, but rather excellent skills in the fine art of Biblical hopscotch.

What I (we) didn’t count on was that this person we were talking to at the door was a seminary graduate. This person had an advanced college education, not only the history of the Bible and the doctrines, but had in fact mastered the very languages it was written in.

Needles to say, we both got a real education that day. Hopefully for someone such as our dear Reniia, she will never run into such a person. However if you do Reniia, I suggest cognitive dissonance to help you cope and put your world aright once again. It did wonders for Rudy and me, I sure it could help you too.

Freeman

12

What's your 4th of July plans?

by Quirky1 in

jw
friends

i'll be batchen it while the jw wifey goes to the dc.....

freeman

July 4 th is a very special day to me.

Not only because it is my nations’ birthday, but because I was set free from the watchtower merry-go-round on July 4 th , 1987. I will celebrate with a barbeque, some beer, and later some brandy and a vintage (legal, rare, and very expensive) Pre-Castro Cigar.

Freeman

46

Things I learned at the 2009 DC !!!

by tresdecu in

jw
friends

unfortunately i had the "flu" friday and saturday.

but i made it to the sunday session to make an apperance.. on sunday, i learned that we are,... ready, this is a new one for me :"...on the doorstep of the great tribulation..." so close brothers!

so close!.

freeman

Any minute now, any minute now! it’s so close you could miss out if you even get up to go to the bathroom; it’s best to just hold it in.

Freeman

2

wake up and smell the troof

by DaCheech in

jw
friends

(lets try this again and see where we go).

every day, more and more witnesses are coming here because the wt has put burdens on them.

(unlike jesus where he said his load was light!).

freeman

Amen!

Freeman

32

What Was It That Finally Got You To Leave The Organization?

by minimus in

jw
friends

what pushed you over the edge?.

freeman

The thing that did it for me was when I was strong-armed by the elders. My crime was missing too many meetings because my weekly flights to Washington DC and Greenbelt MD were conflicting with the Borg schedule. Out of all the people in the world, I was selected by NASA to test and validate the security of the then most expensive satellite in the world, the Hubble Space Telescope before it launched. I thought that was kind of a special honor from the government, who the hell get’s a call like that, this is something you don’t easily turn down, this was my dream job!

I explained to the dear inquisition panel (elders) that this consulting job (which paid me more money then I ever made in my life and was helping to pull me out of debt in a very short timeframe) would be over in about a month and that I would then take off my NASA security engineer hat and return to my real life as a (cringe) TV repairman, back again in regular attendance at the ever so important meetings (double cringe). I was writing the final report for this project, I had only 30 days to go on this project, 30 lousy days, they couldn’t wait the 30 days, and they said I had to make a choice, meetings or the NASA dream job.

The day I was given this ultimatum was coincidently on July 4 th , 1987.

I won’t tell you directly, but see if you can guess which path I chose.

Here is a hint:

Each year July 4 th is a very, very special day for me, not just as an American celebrating a holiday, but as someone who truly gained their independence on that date and started to live free!

Freeman (who’s very name reminds him of that special day in July of 1987)

35

Sabellianism/Trinity

by JWdaughter in

has anyone studied the heresy that led to the teaching of arianism?

it was an opposite heresy called sabellianism.

it is exactly what the wt has been saying is "the trinity", but which was thoroughly discounted and rejected by early christians.

freeman

Interesting thread Point, counterpoint, I remember myself participating in this silly ping-pong nonsense too. I don’t do that anymore, I just let my rather large friend (800 lbs and very sensitive about his weight) do all the work for me.

Using a snippet from another thread:

I’m reminded of their (witnesses) argument(s) with John 1:1. They go through all sorts of acrobatics with Greek grammar, God or “a god”, Theos, ho Theos etc. However, they have a much bigger problem then that in the very beginning of the sentence. It seems this Word fellow shares something rather significant with this God fellow. It seems they both were in attendance somewhere at the very same time, maybe they were watching a movie or went to a ball game together; no big deal lots of us do that with our friends. Oh wait, I see it wasn’t a ball game or a movie, it seems they arrived in a place called “the beginning”. They both existed in the beginning at the same time, not the little fellow first, not the big fellow first, but at the exact same time, in equality. Yes, that’s the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, that Word fellow is just as old that God fellow!

The very dyslexic Freeman

(Who thanks his English professor who drilled him on sentence structure until his eyes bleed)

6

Two Classes of Christians

by UnDisfellowshipped in

the watchtower society teaches that there are two different classes of christians -- one that will live forever on earth, and one that will live forever in heaven.. * where does the bible teach this, anywhere?.

the apostle paul wrote this:.

ephesians 4:4-6 (nwt): 4 one body there is, and one spirit, even as you were called in the one hope to which you were called; 5 one lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one god and father of all [persons], who is over all and through all and in all.. where does paul say that there are two hopes and two bodies of christians?.

freeman

Actually the witnesses destroy the validity of their own argument with the very scripture they cite. When they cite John 10:16 (NWT): “And I have other sheep which are not of this fold, (that is a demarcation, a distinction, however it does not proceed on to become a dichotomy (a branching off) as they have fooled themselves into believing, rather it ends with of all things a union, both groups end up in the same place!

I’m reminded of their argument(s) with 1 John 1:1. They go through all sorts of acrobatics with Greek grammar, God or “a god”, Theos, ho Theos etc. However, they have a much bigger problem then that in the very beginning of the sentence. It seems this Word fellow shares something r ather significant with this God fellow. It seems they both were in attendance somewhere at the very same time, maybe they were watching a movie or went to a ball game together; no big deal lots of us do that with our friends. Oh wait, I see it wasn’t a ball game or a movie, it seems they arrived in a place called “the beginning”. They both existed in the beginning at the same time, not the little fellow first, not the big fellow first, but at the exact same time, in equality. Yes, that’s the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room, that Word fellow is just as old that God fellow!

The very dyslexic Freeman

(Who thanks his English professor who drilled him on sentence structure until his eyes bleed)

56

Candy To A Jehovahs Witness: Anti - Depressants.

by shamus100 in

and why do people go on anti-depressants?

why do most people get depressed?.

most people get depressed because something is wrong in theyre lives.

freeman

You may want to do some research for yourself, but it is unfortunately an established fact that mental illness, including clinical depression is far more prevalent in Jehovah’s Witness then the general population. I have never read a study that nailed down precisely why such is the case, but the fact that it is true really sucks.

References:

Kjell Totland "The Mental Health of Jehovah's' Witnesses." Journal of the Norwegian Psychological Association
Ursula Sack. Case Studies of Voluntary Defectors from Intensive Religious Groups (Ph.D. Diss. University of California, 1985).
Janner "Die Forensisch--Psychiatrishe Und Sanitatsdienstilche Beurteilung bon Diestrweigern," (The Forensic, Psychiatric and Military Medical Assessment of conscientious Objectors), Schweitz Med. Wschr., Vol.92, 1963, 89-826
John Spencer. "Mental Health Among Jehovah's Witnesses," British Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 126, 1975, 556.
Elmer Koppl. Die Zeugen Jehovas; Eine Psychologische Analyses. (Ph. D. Thesis Germany, 1985).

That’s just a few, many more exist.

Freeman