Posts by Cadellin

9

1st Post-DF'd Encounter with JW in Ministry

by sd-7 in

i was waiting for the bus this morning (which didn't come until i decided to drive, then it showed up, naturally, after i already got on the road) when a jw approached the two people next to me, offering a tract.

she showed them psalm 83:18 first--same old, same old.

but hey, at least i admire her courage in sharing the scriptures with people, even if that particular scripture is, apparently, more important than any message from the christ that could possibly be shared with people.

Cadellin

It's pretty amazing, isn't it? I think you handled the situation just fine; yanking her chain probably wouldn't have made any difference and often just ends up being interpreted as "that's an evil apostate for you," thus reinforcing the indoctrination.

Examining own's beliefs without fear or restriction is at once exhilarating and terribly frightening. It's also really lonely; that's what I'm finding anyway (thank goodness for this place). We've set out on a journey that no one we know is willing to embark on. It's a process that leads to a kind of freedom, but the bonds don't come off without scarring. Still, it does get better, with time.

26

Memorial Attendance: "What's Going On?"

by sweet pea in

jw
friends

spoke to my dad today who attended the beckenham (london/kent) congregation's memorial - he said that for the first time the attendance was seriously down - 203 as opposed to last year's 250 and that penge (congregation that shares the hall) had a similar experience.

it's called the internet dad.. can we have a roll call of numbers from those that attended please?

(or if it's been covered already, a link?).

Cadellin

I'm willing to bets that the WT refrains from publishing the number of partakers this year...Any takers?

33

I finally did it

by doublelife in

jw
friends

i told my mom that i'm not going back to the meetings.

i wasn't planning on telling her that but i've been going through some hard times with my husband and just got fed up with her hounding me.

so she asked if i'll still consider going back to the meetings and i just flat out told her no and that it wasn't up for discussion.

Cadellin

Doublelife: Hang tough. Sometimes the easy fade can suddenly get harder (which was what happened to me) but I think you've already gone through a lot of the pain and can see your way through to clarity.

Sounds like your making great decisions. Hooray for you!

26

Real Peace and Security-When? Outline !!!

by yknot in

a wonderful darling man was so kind as to anonymously pm this to be shared with the board...... consider it 'food at the proper time'.

kudos for anony-brother.

for actual outline.... http://www.sendspace.com/file/o58i6h.

Cadellin

Since then, Satan has intensified his efforts to mislead man, and hatred, warfare, and other woes have increased
(Re 12:12)

Right. Like anyone with access to the internet and an ounce of common sense believes "hatred, warfare and other woes" are worse since 1914. If that's true, then why the population explosion??? This really makes me mad when they try to promote this illogical and unfactual dogma. Do they think the audience are mentally incompetent? The sad thing is, I tried reasoning on this with my (die-hard) parents and they just brush it aside.

41

International Conventions = $$$$. WTBT$ in bed with South Korean government

by Mattieu in

i remember the whole process of selecting a host city for australias last international convention.

the australian bethel played the nsw government against the victorian.

it was so similar to choosing an olympic city and the big boys from bethel knew how to play the game.

Cadellin

Mattieu, thanks for posting about this. My MIL went to the Hawaii Int'l convention this past year and I almost fell off my chair when I heard how much she was paying, just to fly from the west coast of the US and stay for 10 days or so (less, actually). It was easily twice what she could have otherwise done it for, especially considering she was sharing the room w/another sister.

What makes me so mad is that she's a widow on a fixed income, you know, the ones the brothers are supposed to look out for...

16

God's Love book - Prologue examined

by Mad Sweeney in

eventually i would like to do a deconstruction on the entire book but for now, lets start with the prologue, which claims to be written by the governing body of jehovah's witnesses.

if anyone feels this is useful, please let me know.

] in your life and thus keep yourself in gods love .

Cadellin

I like it, Mad! You're doing a pretty close analysis; I never cared for the tone of the book and you're helping me put my finger on exactly why.

52

Good books against evolution?

by bohm in

jw
friends

after reading 'the greatest show on earth' by dawkins, i have been intrigued by how biblical literalists explain the many findings that seem to support evolution and contradict various parts of the bible.

in doing to i have browsed around on aig but i have generally felt let down by the quality of evidence and interpretations they present.

so i would like to ask all non-evolutionists: if i wanted to learn more about the physical case against evolution, what books should i read?

Cadellin

Darwin on Trial by Phillip Johnson. He destroys the evolutionists, buries them

The only problem is, he's a lawyer, not a biologist. Be very wary of books written by outsiders to this complex field. There's plenty of them out there written by physicists, mathematicians, astronomers, etc. Look for the ones written by biologists, and even then, tread carefully. Biologist Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box was written over 20 years ago and much of his claims have since been refuted. Even still, Behe advocates common descent and the veracity of the fossil record. Likewise, Jonathon Wells' Icons of Evolution has been heavily disputed by his fellow biologists, certain of whom claim that he has badly distorted the facts.

I think this is telling. Evolution as a theory has been around for 150 years and continues to be substantiated by converging lines of diverse evidence. As Theodore Dobzhansky observed a half-century ago, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." And belief in evolution is NOT synomous with athiesm. You might want to check out (biologist and practicing Catholic) Kenneth Miller's book Finding Darwin's God.

18

Cadellin Gets Confronted by Parents

by Cadellin in

well, i knew it was only a matter of time before my parents confronted me on my "loss of spirituality" (their term).

i love them dearly and would rather cut off an arm than hurt them, so i was hoping (naively) that my so far successful fade might escape their notice.

we live about an hour apart so my lack of theocratic activity would go unnoticed.

Cadellin

Thank you, sd-7, thank you all of you. You give good advice.

18

Cadellin Gets Confronted by Parents

by Cadellin in

well, i knew it was only a matter of time before my parents confronted me on my "loss of spirituality" (their term).

i love them dearly and would rather cut off an arm than hurt them, so i was hoping (naively) that my so far successful fade might escape their notice.

we live about an hour apart so my lack of theocratic activity would go unnoticed.

Cadellin

Thanks, nugget. I think damage control is all that's left to me right now. I could never change them, nor would I even try. They have given their lives to this org In all fairness, they're both very happy and claim they wouldn't change a thing. Sigh.

18

Cadellin Gets Confronted by Parents

by Cadellin in

well, i knew it was only a matter of time before my parents confronted me on my "loss of spirituality" (their term).

i love them dearly and would rather cut off an arm than hurt them, so i was hoping (naively) that my so far successful fade might escape their notice.

we live about an hour apart so my lack of theocratic activity would go unnoticed.

Cadellin

Wobble and Palm: yes, you're totally right; they do love me and I understand their motivation totally. Thank you for your comfort; it helps TREMENDOUSLY to know I'm not alone.

Little sister: Yup, you're right as well--I could see the cult mentality kick in, honestly! And they both just glided over my explanation as if it were insubstantive. Thank you for being here.

Mickey Mouse: I'm not completely sure about that. I think its probably true with most but the ultra-zealous? I tried to slide around any ultimatums--and my dad did, at one point, as "Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God?" I'd been pretty honest up to then but at that point I felt the irresistible need to throw them a bone (okay, I hate that expression but it works) and so I said, "Well, I think so.." Damn it! Yup, I LIED. Just to make them feel a little better.

Besty: I appreciate you sharing that with me. Doesn't make me feel any better... It's really a no-win situation, as you point out. I was really DUMB to think I could find my way around it.

Thank you all; You mean more to me than you know. Mad, can you do me a coin trick????