Posts by hybridous

3

Anyone for Dow Jones limbo?

by 5go in

how low does it go?

hybridous

One share of DOW = 1 oz. GOLD

It's been there before....it could go there again.

36

Unrealized hopes and dreams - crappy reality of life

by tartarus in

i am thankful to jehovah's witnesses who taught me the bible.

i still believe it is the word of god.

i have studied other spiritual traditions and have compared different teachings and haven't found one that gives such a positive outlook on the future.

hybridous

And how do you deal with the present reality without having the Watchtower as a support system if you're out or on the way out (or still attending, but tired of "waiting of Jehovah" to solve all your problems)?

I would submit to you that you never really had the WT as a support system. Oh sure, they might present themselves as such, but where the rubber meets the road, you're on your own. I'm sure you've had this comfirmed through your whole situation. I know I have. The WT isn't there to support you. YOU are there to support IT.

And when your 'faith' or belief or conviction or whatever...whenever those things fail you and you're weak and you need help...That's when you see their true colors...you see what they're really all about. They are only interested in you as you perpetuate THEM. It's not about you, and it never was. I really fear for the WT religion, should Jesus show up someday...

In any event, I feel for you; your story reflected my own in many ways. Part of the struggle is knowing the path you must tread, but it looks unworkable. I gained much comfort in knowing that many other people have walked in my shoes, and tread my exact path before I did. I didn't have to be the first one, wondering if I'm screwing up and damning myself should Armageddon show up next week.

At your disposal, are all the tools you will ever need for forming a life for yourself outside the WT prison. It seems that you have already faced youself in the mirror and admitted that you can't lie for God. What kind of God would ask you to?

As you make your own way down this path, and learn to rely on your own observations and natural reasoning, this board can be a great help. I hope you make extensive use of it.

10

Communicating With The Dead

by choosing life in

i studied in the "truth" book back in the 70's.

when we were talking about why it was wrong to communicate with the dead, the study conductor said it was because they were really demons posing as dead persons.

he also said that it would be mean on god's part if the dead were really still alive and god refused any communication with them.

hybridous

I remember this teaching, as i have dabbled with ouija boards when i was a kid. It really took the shine off the event.
Paul

Hi there,

I was puzzled by this comment, and I can't discern your original intent of meaning. Can you elaborate on what you mean by 'really took the shine off'' means?

Thanks,

hybridous

13

Does anyone have parents who have left the BORG after you did?

by Alexia in

im thinking about my mother today.

shes been in the truth for over 30 years now baptized in her mid 20s.

she had been faithful the whole time despite being married to a severe alcoholic (my father only studied) for 27 years.

hybridous

My mother (single) is totally wrapped up in this religion.

If I asked, she'd swear she's happy. But who knows how true that is. When she tells people she's happy, is it for the same reasons my friend and I would tell people it was 'our choice' to be knocking at their door selling religion on Saturday mornings?

We said it was 'our choice' (even though it WASN'T) because we were taught to.

The same way mom will say she's happy, even though I have my doubts. Happiness should'nt have to be realized through Herculean efforts.

18

Not what but why you believe.

by Anti-Christ in

jehovah's witnesses believe many things that are different then most christian religions.

i remember going door to door and people asking me all kinds of questions regarding my faith, they wanted to know what i believed.

what someone believes is important but what is even more important is why you believe.

hybridous

I don't think a person who goes thru life employing reason can ever really 'choose' what to believe.

I observe the sky to be blue, the grass to be green. Is there any real 'choice' concerning these observations? What I believe has been dictated to me by empirical evidence. My choice in believeing the opposite is gone.

In the end, once we start choosing what to believe, we have esentially abandoned reason. The reasoning mind is compelled by evidence.

19

coming announcement!

by buffalosrfree in

jw
friends

the much looked for (or so it seems) announcement coming to the finale of a watchtower study near you, may just be the thing about the book study and if so due to the time of year it is (at least in the northern hemisphere) it would make a fine opportunity for one and all in the congregation to meet say 6-6:30pm to participate in the field circus.

that way more people would be a home and therefore there would be more people to (irritate) talk to.

who knows, whatever it is, if it is in fact a change, it won't be for the betterment of the rank and file publisher.

hybridous

If you sum up all the latest changes, it is a mark towards a new era.

Hi there -

This comment is quite interesting to me...I was hoping you could elaborate.

Thanks,

HYBRIDOUS

13

Underage Apostates

by Wordly Andre in

jw
friends

i told my parents that do not want anything to do with jw's when i was 15, i stopped going to meeting (not that i was really going anyway), stopped going to assembly, even stopped the memorial.

at first it was guilt trips, crying, the whole what did we do wrong why are you doing this.

then the threats started, i will pull you out of public school and get rid of all your worldly friends that are a bad association, then it was well if you want to act like an adult then all you get is room and one meal a day we do not support those who turn their backs on jehovah.

hybridous

I hope you are moving on with life, it's hard sometimes to not think about our childhood and how we really didn't have a childhood. You know JW children are not children they are little publishers, you are not allowed to be a child. That's the dangerous part, because if you don't get out young you grow up physically but not mentally or emotionally and are unable to function or find it hard to function as an adult in the real world. I don't want to generalize but I think JW's who grow up in and stay in tend to be very naive about life in general. There are exceptions of course and I do think that anyone can adjust with time. It's just a shame to learn the thing you should have learned as a teenager at age 30.

I'm still trying wrap my mind around this statement....

There is something very, very different about us who were raised 'in' and got out...

22

Fading From the Witnesses- How Hard Did Your Family Try to Bring You Back?

by flipper in

jw
friends

i have been a fader now for 4 years , and at this point my witness family pretty much leaves me alone in that they don't try to push their beliefs on me anymore !

at first they did, the first 6 months or so.

my daughters showed me a video of korah talking against aaron, etc.

hybridous

How did it go? Ha!

They were all over me like files on shit. I had to beat them off with a stick!!

Just kidding (mostly). My people mostly 'get the hint' and tread lightly where I am. When they forget themselves, I put them in their place.

That's the only way this works. If you let them walk over you or browbeat you, you are a lost person. If you stand up to them and ridicule their nonsense (notice I didn't say to ridicule THEM), you may be able to enjoy a relationship on equitable terms.

66

A Mormon President?

by a Christian in

mitt romney is running for president of the united states.

i see one big problem with electing a mormon as president.

doing so will give much more respectability to the mormon church.

hybridous

Hi Shawn,

Yes, I believe that the Mormon religion is crazy. It's a particular brand of crazy that less harmful than the JW brand, in my opinion. The particular reasons for that have been pointed out already.

By all means, if that alone disqualifies him, I would urge you to act on your opinion and find someone you'd be comfortable with.

66

A Mormon President?

by a Christian in

mitt romney is running for president of the united states.

i see one big problem with electing a mormon as president.

doing so will give much more respectability to the mormon church.

hybridous

I think that the greater political success Romney has, the more damaging it is to his ~~cult~~ religion.

The one thing all cults fear is scrutiny. The more publicity Romney has, his religion of choice will also experience a corresponding amount of publicity and scrutiny.

Think about it...an undecided voter hears Romney's name and maybe a few points from his platform. This voter looks a little deeper to see if this guy is someone worthy of consideration. Somewhere along the way, Mormonism is going to come up, and this voter actually wants to know what it means to be a Mormon.

And now the cat is outta the bag...Mormonism, complete with it's shady history and nutty beliefs is now on the table for examination.

This hypothetical individual might even like Mitt Romney and agree with his platform, but what is done cannot be undone. One more person knows about Mormonism and probably read material from Mormon 'Apostates'. Cults thrive on ignorance, and a cultist politician does the most harm by opening his religion up to examination.

I'm a Republican, and I won't vote for Romney. It has nothing to do with religion. It's because he resembles a used-car salesman