Posts by winstonchurchill

76

Those who still show up at the meetings, How do you manage?.

by Mr Facts in

for those who still show up at the meetings, how do you manage?.

do you still offer comments and how do you actually muster up the boldness to gave talks and still do all of those craps?..

.

winstonchurchill

Please don't take it personally, BigMac but your post is a good example that shows JW's don't have the monopoly on intolerance.

I still attend and serve as an elder, and have my many and good reasons to do so. While I understand the flaws of the situation, the inconsitency and yes, the dishonesty to some degree, I have MY reasons. I enjoy reading the forum, but I participate less and less, as almost invariably I get beaten for "living a lie" and such common places.

Being part of a 'church' (and that's what JW's are) while not actually believing and supporting all said 'church' teaches, is something 90% of churchgoers in America do. I'm not that different. Romney is a Mormon and does not believe in magic underwear, Huntsman is a Mormon and believes in evolution, and two thirds of Catholic women use birth control.

Religion will not be banned overnight (BTW, that's something JW's teach will happen).

65

Things in the past that show you that your doubts started earlier than you thought

by sabastious in

i was just talking to my wife this morning about underlining or highlighting the wt paragraphs.. when i was 13 years old i would fight with my dad because i refused to highlight the answers.. the reason was because i wanted my comment to be genuine.

i felt that highlighting the "answer" made me lean on just using that as a crutch and not truly putting it in my own words.. i still hold that argument now, and i am 26. the only reason you would ever have to highlight something in a study book would be if you needed to remember it, maybe it is fairly complicated or subtle information that could be easily forgotten.. so many times in the wt the "question" has the same phrase that's in the paragraph!

it's literally like playing connect the dots.. so what i would do is not highlight during the family study.

winstonchurchill

Oh, don't get me started!

My non-witness dad (I refuse to cal him 'worldly'). I just never accepted that great man didn't deserve everlasting blessing form god, wheras the scumbags in the congregation were in the path of salvation.

In the 70's it was empahized in the WT magazine how people turned away from religious hipocrisy. But that's what I saw inside the congregation! And when a conversation goes on about suh hipocrisy, there's always someone who says "Well, that just proves Jehovah is directing us, because with so many imperfect men and the organization is still growing and working perfectly". I think to myself, well you could say the same about the Catholic Church.

41

I don't agree with that evidence, so I'll just ignore it. . .

by Flat_Accent in

just a little experience i had a while back.

thought it was funny so here we go.

(there's also a couple of links you might want to use for your own reference).

winstonchurchill

Flat,

Further to your point, nothing is easier than convincing people that a situation is horrible and it will worsen. It's human. We look at the past as better and fear the future (basically because we have to face it).

We look at the 50's with nostalgia, but when it was happening we deemed it as hard times, cold war and faced nuclear extermination.

That's why feramongering (WatchTower not being the exception) is so succesful.

That's why - I have to admit it- I have come to doubt the prophecy itself.

44

Higher Education compared to sacrificing your child to Moloch!

by Vidqun in

forthcoming attraction at the next circuit assembly.

for those that are interested in attending.

if you encourage your child to pursue higher education, you are sacrificing him or her to molech (cf.

winstonchurchill

I guess all the moderates of the GB are dead.

When Henschel and Sydlik died, all hope was gone.

41

I don't agree with that evidence, so I'll just ignore it. . .

by Flat_Accent in

just a little experience i had a while back.

thought it was funny so here we go.

(there's also a couple of links you might want to use for your own reference).

winstonchurchill

If I recall correctly (don't have a bible around here), Jesus said there would be earthquakes, along with other signs. He didn't say there'd be more Earthquakes.

So WT has been trying too hard to prove something Jesus didn't even say.

Now your mother is right when she says the prediction points to a bunch of things happening at the same time, not a 'spike' or 'surge' of one or two of those.

We also have to admit last 100 years have been pretty shaky and unique (two global wars are no piece of cake). This takes us to the endless discussion: There's always been war, and famines, and earthquekes, etc.

I'm not saying all this because I think I know the answer, or even have a clue of where we stand in terms of 'the end' (will there be an end?). Just my two cents.

22

On what scriptures does the WT oppose higher education?

by matt2414 in

recently the wt has taken a stricter stand regarding going to college and getting a higher education.

does anyone know what scriptures the wt uses to support this?

i can't find any in the bible.

winstonchurchill

Answer: None!

Bible warns against loving money.

WT built the fallacy that Higher Education is ONLY pursued by people wanting to become filthy rich, therefore a true Christian should not go to college.

They totally let out of the picture people going to college to learn, improve themselves, and yes, make a decent living. Which is -In my opinion- the reson the vast majority goes to college.

They also built the fallacy that you are exposed to 'bad companies' and critical thinking only in college. Young JW's will face that everywhere, even within the congregation (as far as 'bad companies'). I'd rather let my kids be around some 'worldly' friends than with some of the scumbags we have in our cong.

Again, no scriptural basis. That's why they don't ban it in writing, but then send their hounds (CO's) to say it from the platform, and privately threaten Elders to be removed if their kids go to college.

42

A Born ins challenge to develop a "post cult" personality.

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

a born ins challenge to develop a post cult personality.. mentally leaving the organization can be traumatic for a number of reasons.

one of the biggest challenges for born-ins in finding their pre cult personality is that our entire personalities are based on the religion.

there is no such thing as a pre cult personality for us.

winstonchurchill

Alligator, are you sure you are not me? You just described me!

42

A Born ins challenge to develop a "post cult" personality.

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

a born ins challenge to develop a post cult personality.. mentally leaving the organization can be traumatic for a number of reasons.

one of the biggest challenges for born-ins in finding their pre cult personality is that our entire personalities are based on the religion.

there is no such thing as a pre cult personality for us.

winstonchurchill

Sometimes I think being a born-in biggest effect on me is the inabilty to see beyond a few years. Where do I want to be in 10 or 20 years. We were not prepared for that (the end would come in 75, right?). So all was about short term goals (prefereably pionnering goals). We were not prepared to see parents get old and die; we were not prepared to plan, age, retire.

Por the past few years I've worked hard on getting past this limitation (and others).

47

Can anyone prove that birthday celebrations are forbidden by God?

by FaithfulBrother in

i know that there is no mention of any birthday celebrations in the bible besides the two which were celebrated by non-believers.

and it just so happened that on each of these events, someone died (one non-believer and one believer).

but does it mean that just because the bible mentions these two events, that all birthday celebrations are forbidden?

winstonchurchill

The weakness of the "reason" behind the birthday ban is shown by the fact that celebrating or attending a birthday is not a disfellowshiping ofense.

63

dirty trick at the meeting re facebook

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

my daughter told me about last weeks service meeting part on facebook.... the brother doing the parts asked for a show of hands who had a facebook account.. apparently a number of elders did.. (she did not put up her hand...in fact recently deleted all jws off her friends because she doesnt want them to know anything about her life).

i thought that was a dirty trick to pull.. oz.

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winstonchurchill

Aussie Oz: "The Watchtower will always stop just short of forbidding and leave it up to individual CO's and elders to be harder/slacker whatever the case may be. But what the society majors at is making it obvious to the rank and file what a 'mature christian' will do."

Exactly: Internet, College, going to the prom, facial hair... you name it. They won't go "Beyond what's been written", but then leave it to the militants to enforce the "unwritten".