Posts by hybridous

77

Association: Am i being lied to?

by roxanesophia in

i don't hesitate to bring up with the girl i study with, my criticisms of the religion, and one of those is the association.

i keep reading on here that jw's don't make friends outside the cult, and this is what i used as an excuse for stepping further away from being baptized.

she tells me it's not true, and they can have what ever friends they want.

hybridous

I'll preface this with an apology, if it's out of line, but I feel that the question has been begged...

roxanesophia: What exactly is it you're looking for in life that you think these people might have? Any answers they claim to provide about anything at all is subjected to serious scrutiny on this very board. See for yourself if their canned answers hold up under fire.

Seriously, ask yourself, what they have to offer that you lack. Do you need other people to tell you how to run your life? What to think?

Take note of people born into this cult, who only offer their genuine experiences (without telling you what to do!). I personally know the 'dirty laundry' of 40-50% of a large Witness congregation, thanks to certain family connections. If you could just know the magnitude of the mental health problems these people have; the pills they throw down...

You would see these people in their fucked up, (mostly) self-inflicted misery and realize: they have nothing to offer.

If they had something great, wouldn't their lives be better? Wouldn't they be more prosperous? Happier?

Take some time and find out from yourself why you even travelled this far down a road that takes you nowhere. You're looking for something. Whatever you determine it to be - there is a better place to find it than from the Witnesses.

42

The Generation(s) That Wasted Their Lives

by undercover in

jw
friends

growing up as a jw, you see the world differently than most everyone else.

you see the world as something that is going to end very soon.

all that we know will be gone by the time we're adults.. when we were young, we were living in the last days and were expecting armageddon before we grew old.

hybridous

Great thread. Thanks for sharing these thoughts. I've had much of these, myself.

It's correct, that, as a 'born-in', the world-view that is foisted upon you is...um...disfunctional. And this is what I see as the great hurdle that the born-in mind must overcome. The born-in must find a way to discard the JW worldview before too much time and emotion has been invested in supporting it.

Once that inflection point point has been reached, all the exposed lying, all the false prophecies, all the non-sensical doctrine...none of it matters. Because now it's an emotional decision.

BBro sizes it up very well. Although I would offer that choosing to remain in the JW Org can be anything but the 'easy option'. The life of the devout witness has plenty of obligation and hardships. Maybe easier in the sense that if you stay in, you don't have the 'burden' of thinking for yourself, making your own decisions, and fully bearing the consequences - the 'burden' of free and thinking human beings.

43

Does your personal NEED or WEAKNESS give you the right to demand?

by Terry in

let's start at the old desert island, shall we?.

a group of survivors (just like the tv show!

) are marooned on an island with no way off.they are all sorts of people with various strengths and weaknesses.. the strongest among them do the hardest work.

hybridous

And you wonder why the cost of gas is so high?

It can't help but be high. The Government itself has a profit motive. To rely on this institution to meet our needs is insane. It has its own needs...it's own agenda. The profit motive of Government actively works against the people (who presumably want less expensive energy).

This monopoly on violence (a.k.a Government) does more harm than good...

43

Does your personal NEED or WEAKNESS give you the right to demand?

by Terry in

let's start at the old desert island, shall we?.

a group of survivors (just like the tv show!

) are marooned on an island with no way off.they are all sorts of people with various strengths and weaknesses.. the strongest among them do the hardest work.

hybridous

Satanus,

I would offer that it is not the 'speculators' themselves which needlessly drive up prices, but rather, their ability to operate in a system that absolves them of the consequences of their actions (not actually taking delivery on the items speculated on). Were this consequence enforced, most specuators would be strongly discouraged. But this seems tangential to the thread...

Terry,

I think that the thread's title is perhaps worded incorrectly? Anyone, anywhere, has the right to 'demand' anything. But you're really talking about the enforcement of such a demand. Does someone's need (percieved or real) merit justified action of others. If so, I guess the guy on the street is entitled to my wallet by force. After all, he probably has less money than I do...

4

Holy Spirit or Synchronicity?

by metatron in

jw
friends

in all the world, there are people who belong to various religions - and regardless of what religion they believe in, they often have remarkable personal experiences related to the pursuit of their faith.. when these sort of 'mini-miracles' happen, they may reason that god is supporting their particular brand of religion.

a catholic might think that the virgin mother or some saint helped them.

for a muslim, allah has shown mercy.

hybridous

The collective/communal human subconscious, or unconscious, as jung called it

a.k.a: that which lies in-between the Quantum intervals.

33

Quotes by Voltaire - Do you agree and Why?

by Lady Lee in

jw
friends

ok i want to stimulate some thinking.

i'm going to list a bunch of quotes attributed to voltaire - someone i had never thought to read.

but coming across a couple of quotes of his i thought they were rather profound.. so here is the deal.

hybridous

I always generally agreed with Voltaire - he seemed to have pretty accurately perceived the world.

This has always been one of my favorites:

"...So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so;
for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise,
to put shackles upon sleeping men."

It just seems to be ever poignant.

12

Jesus: His Disbelief in a "Christian" Organization

by metatron in

jw
friends

for many years as a witness, i could not understand how born-again christians could reject the notion of an organization in favor of spirit directed individuals.

however, a simple look at what jesus taught shows that he did not predict the sort of "organization" that the watchtower claims to be.. first, the society accepts that the parable of the sheep and goats refers to events at the end and not before.

however, they fail to accept what that really means!

hybridous

BTS,

What about Matt 16: 18 - 19 guarantees that such will be accomplished and visibly laid out according to human observation and satisfaction?

Respectfully,

HY

14

Overheard interesting lunch room converstation..............

by WingCommander in

as i just finished up my lunch, i thought i would relate this experience to you all.

i was sitting in the lunch room here at work and 2 ladies were talking.

what were they talking about?

hybridous

Thanks for sharing that, WC.

And yes, your projection of witness sentiment about that same situation is, of course, dead-on.

It serves to prove something I'm quite fond of saying: If JW are the 'Only True Christians' than Jesus himself was a liar. The end. Each contradicts the other, so only one can be correct. It great to make JWs have to choose which...

6

Developing Your Own Private Channel to God

by metatron in

jw
friends

sounds absurdly ambitious, doesn't it?

follow my thinking here and you'll understand what i mean.. i believe in the godhead concept, not a personal creator ( who would be a lunatic for making t rex, guinea worms and countless other horrors).

so, i see "god" in everything as consciousness fills the universe and maintains it.

hybridous

Metatron,

Private message sent your way...

45

How do you FOR SURE jw's Do not have the truth?

by whatistruth in

jw
friends

i personally believe they do not, but what solid evidence can you provide me so i can try to convince others?.

hybridous

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another"

- John 13:35

These are the plain words of Jesus Christ himself. Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be the only TRUE followers of Jesus on this earth.

I've spent time with Jehovah's Witnesses. So have most of you. What does your experience tell you? Mine tells me that Jehovah's Witnesses do not have love for EACH OTHER, much less the world at large, that His Father loved so much...

Therefore, the logic flows easily from here...

Either, Jesus Christ himself told a lie, or was wrong, OR...Jehovah's Witnesses are liars regarding being followers of Jesus Christ. These are the only 2 possibilities. Only one can be correct. In my experience, most Jehovah's Witnesses are content to essentially call Jesus Christ a liar, so long as their 'religion' appears correct.

So which is it, Witnesses? Is Jesus lying to me, or are you?!

And these people anxiously await a Judgement Day?!

That's how I KNOW they do not have the Truth. It's either THEM or Jesus Christ himself. Pick one...

That is all.