Posts by Billy the Ex-Bethelite

i want as many minds put into this as possible.. there is a new argument among the extreme jw apologists, saying that even the disciples promoted mistakes.

they base themselves on john 21:23. keep in mind, i am not a believer but i want the answer from a believer's standpoint, please.. .

nwt:.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Good points listed already. Here's a couple of points I've used:

(Let's say I still think the bible is relevant.) The Bible contains many cautionary tales of the errors that MEN have made. Here the disciples jumped to a wrong conclusion. In 2 Kings 22:20, a "true prophet" told Josiah that he would be gathered to his "own graveyard in peace". But he didn't die in peace, he died in a war with Egypt. Another example that comes quickly to mind is the lying prophet from Bethel. So are we to conclude when someone claims to predict the future? They will be wrong. And from some of these examples, following these people can kill us.
(More accurately, since I don't think the bible is relevant.) Oh, so you're saying that Jesus inspired false prophecy among his disciples? Is this your plan to build my confidence in the bible by pointing out how it is chock full of errors? And that I should have confidence in the false prophecies of WT because the bible also has false prophecies?

42

No end to JW logic, Oranges can make you gay

by James Mixon in

i was told that today by a jw...no more to say.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Oranges make you gay? Utter nonsense!

We all know that it's bananas that make you gay, at least I think that's what these two dudes were trying to explain.

6

Wedding with a sad side

by StarTrekAngel in

so the family attended a wedding this weekend that we had coming up for a while.

the man getting married (a close relative of my wife) is the son of an (now) elder.

he was baptized young.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Their pitiful behavior is happifying to the cult leaders and their Bronze Age make-believe god.

I'm assuming that my parents wouldn't attend my wedding since I won't be marrying a "sister".

52

Very Offensive Statement Directed To JW Parents-Watchtower 4/15/2015 Page 11 Paragraph 9

by JW GoneBad in

wt is insinuating, worse yet, blaming senior jw parents for there not being more younger brothers reaching out to be ministerial servants and elders.

page 11 paragraph 9 reads as follows: .

"elders in affluent lands may face an added challenge: how to motivate baptized brothers in their 20s or 30s to get involved in congregation activities.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

We asked experienced elders in some 20 Western lands to tell us why they think some young brothers shy away from accepting congregation privileges.

A few things of note:

If there are "experienced elders", that means that there are also "inexperienced elders". So they admit that not all elders are up to providing an answer to this question that the Corporation wants to hear.
By "experienced", I'm assuming they mean "old". So they asked the old elders what's going on with these young people. In my experience with old elders, they're usually pretty clueless about what what's going on with any of the younger generation.
And the Corporation is looking for hearsay, rather than any direct answers. Clearly there was no direct inquiry of these "young brothers". Instead, they look for the old-timers to guess what's the deal.

Among the answers received,one stands out: While they were growing up, some young ones were not encouraged to pursue spiritual goals.

Again, more things of note:

First and foremost, they don't say it is the most common answer, or frequent, or even that they heard it twice. It's only stated, "one stands out." What does that even mean? Since they say, "among the answers received," what were the other answers and why does this one stand out from them? I would assume that none of the other answers suited the purposes of the Corporation.
And they say, "some young ones". What's the stats there? 2 or 3 out of thousands? Basically, this whole thing is what is called "a fishing expedition." WT wasn't really looking for any real reasons. They were only looking for some old-timers that would repeat what they were already writing this article about.
Clearly, they are only looking to the "born ins" to shoulder these "congregation privileges". This makes it pretty clear that there isn't much growth coming from "the field".
Since they are pointing at guys born-in that are 20s to 30s, they are looking for those that would be the age of my children... if I had any. Since I was coming of age in the 1980s and an obedient WT drone. I was obedient to the direction about the blessings of singleness and "responsible childbearing in this time of the end". Of the kids born in that era, their parents were "spiritually weak" and weren't "paying attention to the nearness of the end of this system." And there were those kids of single moms or with UBMs. Those of us that were "strong JWs" and were obedient, didn't have kids. So why is the Corporation surprised that the "young brothers" this age weren't "encouraged to pursue spiritual goals"? Their parents weren't interested in "spiritual goals" themselves. Why would this be a surprise to anyone at WT? Didn't they read their litteratrash and attend their crapventions where marriage and kids were not in harmony with WT's purposes.

150

Disfellowshipping Image

by naazira in

jw
friends

this photo can be found in the april 15 , study edition article titled:.

why disfellowshipping is a loving provision.

just by looking at this image we can see how quickly the barrier between the congregation and former member is put up, after the announcement that this sister is no longer one of jehovah's witneses.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

It looks like a real person surrounded by ghosts. The woman in blue is thinking, "I see dead people."

74

Jehovah's Witnesses 2015 Regional Convention Saturday PM experience parents shunning children

by Watchtower-Free in

clip 3 minutes long.

ron and brenda sutton ................warwick 3 children

it was the missed association with family that brought them back.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Wow, that looks like such a tired, depressed couple.

90

After 2 years my parents make contact. The end result is that I promise them to cryogenically preserve ONLY their heads

by paulmolark in

it has been 2 and a half years since my departure from the religion.

i was told by my parents from the start that i would never speak to them until i returned to jehovah dog.

a few months later they told people they hoped i died before the end came, then all of this culminating in them telling my inactive / fading sister that they don't consider me a child anymore and they have given me up to satan.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Religion is her chosen method of abuse. And the judgmentalism and hypocrisy of the cult makes it particularly useful to abusers.

Despite the fact that you were given the wonderful promise 2 1/2 years ago that you would be left alone, she had to come barging into your life with a hateful rant to trample the peace and prosperity that was blossoming in the absence of her and the crazy JW religion.

Yes that was evil, but I just do not really care anymore.

Then call me "evil", too. If she promised not to call, but then makes a bat$hit crazy call like that, she deserves whatever she gets.

As a fader, my family and circumstances are MASSIVELY different from yours. I understand and respect the efforts you made to try to fade, but your choice to DA is even more understandable and respectable. Cut that gangrene out of your life. While my mom can be somewhat controlling, I can't begin to imagine what life would have been like with such a toxic and abusive maternal unit. I say, "Three cheers to you for getting on with a successful life and family of your own!"

And as far as that call, the only reason it came is because you are doing everything RIGHT, and that drives your maternal unit and the JWs bat$hit crazy!