Fadeout

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Posts by Fadeout

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  30

  I'm new!

  by uhoh08 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone.

  this is my first entry but i just wanted to know if any of you been able to convince your friends to come out of the "truth" and realize the society for what it really is?

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  Fadeout

  Hi Uhoh, I managed to deconvert one family member. Hopefully more in the future.
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  35

  Help! I am afraid that I will join Satan...

  by EvaZ in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is my first post on this forum.

  i am a forty years old women, and i have been a christian all my life.

  i am thinking about joining jehovas witnesses since god has told me that you got the truth, the real truth.

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  Fadeout

  A few relevant points here...

  1. According to the Bible, God has killed WAY more people, spilled more blood, and committed more genocide than Satan ever has. So whoever is talking to you, it ain't Satan.

  2. They're both made-up characters anyway.

  3. Edgar Allan Poe wrote rather extensively on this subject... he called it The Imp of the Perverse. Basically it's that tendency in all of us, to a greater or lesser degree, to do things simply because they are wrong or harmful.

  If you really fear that you will act on some harmful obsession, I'd add my voice to those of the others who recommend seeking out a professional counselor.
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  65

  10,000 Line Up For a Walmart Job

  by sammielee24 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  10,000 apply for a jobat one new wal-mart!

  by judith moriarty.

  1-11-8 candidates having raised tens of millions of dollars and traveling around the country in luxury buses or private jets, arguing over who has the most 'experience' - who is a mormon (therefore disqualified) - who's not a 'true republican' (ron paul) who's picking on hillary (edwards) - who can grab the evangelical vote - who is totally ignored (kucinich) - who claims 911 makes him the protector of us all etc, (rooty)...meanwhile, the real story of what is happening in america - evictions, foreclosures, unemployment - is being totally ignored.

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  Fadeout

  Thanks, DantheMan for posting these comments from the UFCW website...

  "The world’s largest and richest retailer—with more than $250 billion in annual revenue--can afford wage increases."

  Typical socialist rhetoric... actually, that probably doesn't give socialists enough credit. Hey, geniuses, the point of business is not to figure out the maximum "we can afford" to spend. The point is to maximize profit. Take a beginning economics class. No wonder the average consumer debt is measured in thousands of dollars. People think in terms of 'what can I afford,' and they assume businesses are thinking the same way. Unlike you, businesses actually tend to consider what in their best interests. If you did the same, perhaps your life wouldn't be so crappy. But that's probably too much to ask, what with your busy schedule of asking rich people to adopt you and all.

  "Wal-Mart could pay each employee a dollar more per hour if the company increased its prices by a half-penny per dollar. For example, a $2.00 pair of socks would then cost $2.01. This minimal increase would annually add up to $1,800 for each employee."

  Again, a beginning economics class would be of great help here. The assumption that a price increase will cause revenue to rise while leaving sales volume miraculously unaffected is, frankly, idiotic.

  It is a testament to our technological development as a society that even persons of such simian intelligence can successfully operate a website to disseminate their infantile views to the world at large.

  See? Turned it into a positive there at the end. ;-) Didn't want y'all to think I'm too grumpy.
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  27

  My Comprehensive Introduction

  by Fadeout in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry since im not dfd and still have family in the org id like to remain in contact with, i have to keep this deliberately vague..

  raised a jw, i was never considered zealous but was always good.

  the kind of guy that gets encouraged to reach out for privileges.

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  Fadeout

  Thanks for the friendly welcome everyone.

  OnTheWayOut: “Don't be hard on Ray. He was writing and researching from a Christian point-of-view and was heavily influenced by his missionary work.”

  From what Ray says in his books I get the idea that he is as close to an ideal Christian as anyone. I have nothing against Ray at all; I’m eternally grateful to him.

  Freudian Slip: “You seem like a really interesting person.”

  Sorry if I gave that impression. A long, boring discussion of numismatics should set the record straight.

  Smiles_Smiles: “Male or female it doesn't matter but it seems like you might could use a little lovin'.”

  Not that there’s anything wrong with that... but to me it does matter. ;-)

  Isnrblog: “Watch the alcohal thing.”

  Don’t worry... I’m not nearly as bad as Lot... or Noah... or your typical first century Jewish wedding guests. I have a limit and stick to it, but I enjoy it unabashedly. Mmmmm... beer.

  Observador: “The #1 rule if you hope to enlighthen a JW is: Don't attack Jehovah, or Jesus, or the Bible. Attack the organization using their own holy book.”

  Absolutely. I have already “converted” one family member doing just that. And I hope to have similar success with others. For the record, the “big gun” I used was the UN issue.
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  27

  My Comprehensive Introduction

  by Fadeout in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry since im not dfd and still have family in the org id like to remain in contact with, i have to keep this deliberately vague..

  raised a jw, i was never considered zealous but was always good.

  the kind of guy that gets encouraged to reach out for privileges.

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  Fadeout

  Oompa, those would be totally badass names for American Gladiator. Dumb and Dumber was great. Jim Carrey is one of my comedy inspirations as is Chris Farley. Hey, just 'cause I appreciate intellectual stuff doesn't mean I don't share the lowest common denominator.
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  27

  My Comprehensive Introduction

  by Fadeout in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry since im not dfd and still have family in the org id like to remain in contact with, i have to keep this deliberately vague..

  raised a jw, i was never considered zealous but was always good.

  the kind of guy that gets encouraged to reach out for privileges.

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  Fadeout

  Sorry… since I’m not DFd and still have family in the org I’d like to remain in contact with, I have to keep this deliberately vague.

  Raised a JW, I was never considered “zealous” but was always “good.” The kind of guy that gets encouraged to “reach out for privileges.” Fortunately parents did not demand more.

  I can’t complain; home life was good, Mum was loving but depressed, Dad was non-JW, alcoholic and incapable of normal interactions with adults but OK with kids. We weren’t dirt poor; what more could I really ask for?

  I was always smart… damn, I was too smart. Started reading at age 2, Scored straight 99s on my assessment tests when I first entered school in 6th grade (homeschooling is good for some parts of the brain but not for others).

  Never was good with people. Ate lunch by myself through my senior year of high school… who does that!? Even Napoleon Dynamite had Pedro.

  I realized in 1995 that the generation change was a disturbing development. I was a teenager, thoroughly indoctrinated and did not have the internet, so the fact that the rest of the religion was “the Truth” kept me believing long enough to make the mistake of getting baptized, because I was getting to that age where if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to hang out with the other JWs anymore.

  Only after a period of missing meetings did my doubts really progress. The indoctrination sessions are very important for keeping the credulity meter in the red. In the interests of having knowledge both pro and con, I read CoC by Ray Franz who immediately became my hero. I read his second book as well which really got to the heart of a lot of issues. And yet, this man, who saw through the elaborate WT deception, could not follow his arguments to their logical conclusion and see the Bible itself for what (I feel) it really is—a great work of human literature.

  I’m in my 20’s, I’m a musician, I tend toward libertarian views, I’ve never dated (anyone), I enjoy The Simpsons, Futurama, South Park, sketch comedy, playing sports, science, business, debate, philosophy, classic literature, and alcohol.

  Life is not fair. Life is not cruel. There are no blessings, and no curses. Life is like the ocean. There are forces at work (intelligent or not I can’t say) more powerful than any of us, and if we act in harmony with them we can achieve anything. If we work against them our best-laid plans may be for naught. And yet the element of randomness is ever-present.

  One of the biggest adjustments is changing one’s view to see other people as just people, rather than evil scum who need to be exterminated. How you say… it takes you down a peg. We all have different values, different sets of principles. If I am offended that someone judges me despite the fact that I live by my principles simply because they use a different set, how can I rightly judge someone else based on the fact that their values are different than mine? More important to me is that one actually lives by their own values… “To thine own self be true.”

  I’ve had my fill of hypocrisy after my years in the WT. P.S. I'm really not a jerk... I just don't know how to do smileys on this God-forsaken board. Also, my sense of humor tends to be drier than the martini you should picture me holding... see y'all round.
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  216

  I'm a Pioneer Married To a Wonderful Brother Reaching Out to be an MS...

  by cognac in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  and petrified... i just recently became a pioneer and always had nagging questions in the back of my mind.

  so, i decided that when i have get a study i would research all the questions as i go along so as to prove everything in the truth... i got 4 studies in about 2 months.

  all was fine, until i reached i think chapter 6 in the bible teach book about the resurrection.

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  Fadeout

  Hi Cognac! I am new to this board as well, but not new to doubts.

  I'm about two years removed from making the decision to learn about forbidden information, and one year into a successful fade.

  For Matt 24:14... yeah that was a sticking point for me too, because who else preaches like the Witnesses? Then one day the scales fell from my eyes and I thought, 'Wait a second. The Catholic Church has spread Christianity around the world for the last 2000 years. They have 1 billion members, in every nation. If that didn't fulfill Jesus' prophecy, do I really believe that our measly 6 million members are doing so?'

  Most everyone here has given you good advice... take some time to consider what you've learned, don't overwhelm yourself with too many topics at a time, don't discuss your doubts with others, and be grateful your husband has been so supportive.

  At one time I did consider going to the elders, confident I could back up my position with facts and Scriptures, and there was no way they could disfellowship me as an apostate for simply telling the truth. Now I realize that there's no benefit to such an attempt at reason; it would be like debating with O'Brien from 1984. I would be denied even going out in a "blaze of glory" because judicial proceedings are closed-door procedures anyway.

  I am happy I have never shared my new knowledge with anyone who knows me personally, except for one trusted family member.
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  16

  Pleiadian Space God? Say it isn't so!

  by kurtbethel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  were these guys writing science fiction a century ago?

  is elron hubbard a latecomer in the biz?

  pleiadian space god

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  Fadeout

  "To just what stars or star groups these names refer we do not know today. Hence it is useless to indulge in unprofitable speculations. Incidentally, Pleiades can no longer be considered the center of the universe and it would be unwise for us to try to fix God’s throne as being at a particular spot in the universe. Were we to think of the Pleiades as his throne we might improperly view with special veneration that cluster of stars." -Nov 15 1953 WT

  Note the reason for the change: Not because God does not have a throne within a particular star cluster, but because we don't know to which star was being referred to (in Job) and if we knew we might improperly venerate that star, and, presumably, be stricken with leprosy.

  Also note that "Pleiades can no longer be considered...," proving the officialness of the teaching previously.
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  22

  WHAT DID NOAH EAT ON THE ARK?

  by badboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  any ideases?

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  Fadeout

  Dinosaurs. ALL the dinosaurs.
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  30

  Questioning the question of God's existence

  by DT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know if there is a god.

  if i knew for certain, this piece of knowledge could serve as a foundation for my world view.

  some people are confident they know the answer (both theists and atheists) and their world view is based on this faith.

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  Fadeout

  The primary reason the question is asked is basically, 'Hey, how can I cheat death?' Right?
  
  I mean, that's the reason for most religion throughout history... dying sucks, it's much better to believe that after death you actually just go to another realm and live on.
  
  A secondary reason is, of course, curiosity as to the WHY of the universe. Everything is governed by observable rules that apparently are never broken. Logic can explain everything around us... except why the hell it should even be here in the first place.
  
  There is no question that the creation of the universe required an awesome amount of power, and is a feat far beyond the capabilities of any life form we can hope to comprehend at this point. But is there an intelligence behind the creation of the universe? Certain facts seem to argue in the affirmative, such as the nature of matter itself and the precision of the rules that govern it.
  
  The facts also seem to indicate, however, that no powerful intelligence has intervened, at least on Earth, since its initial creation, ancient legends notwithstanding. This is the dilemma for any religion that believes in a "God" who cares about events on Earth.
  
  So "thinking people" (as Russell would say), if assuming that an intelligence is responsible for creation, are left with two primary options (with infinite others of subjective degrees of value), namely:
  A) "God", the powerful and intelligent "First Cause," created the universe and put laws in place such that it would be self-sustaining, and indeed, self-evolving, for a very long time.
  
  B) God created the universe and intended to continue interacting with it but tragically stepped in a bear trap and died of starvation 7 billion years ago. His remains can be seen to this day in the Pleiades.