I have not read it but just want to add that Franz in CoC doesn't come across as bitter or angry at all--in fact, his mild and logical tone was very impressive to me, particularly in contrast to the horrible vitriol that WT speakers reserve for so-called apostates.
Cadellin
JoinedPosts by Cadellin
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19
Amazing Read,Check this out!
by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara incurrently reading : 30 years a watchtower slave.
cannot put it down.. this book pre-dates ray franz book "crisis of conscience", written from early 20th century, shortly after the jehovah's witnesses were formed.
the author describes the original true background of the watchtower society as a multi-million dollar publishing company.
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confused with nowhere to turn
by Rebecca ini'm 43 and a divorced mother of 2. in january 2019 i met the man i thought i could spend the rest of my life with.
we were happy and even though our relationship wasn't perfect (like all relationships) i thought we had a chance and were building a life together with our young kids.
background on me - i've been divorced since 2012 after 12 years of marriage.
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Cadellin
Becky, I am so sorry for your pain. The religion can have a powerful hold on people. You have identified the situation quite correctly--he wants to re-connect with his family, not necessarily God. JWs shun, as you know, and in this case, the shunning is working. My suggestion? Pick up your life and move on. I cannot imagine how difficult or painful this will be for you, but unless you are willing to become a JW hook, line and sinker, there is probably little alternative.
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Rec'd a letter from my Dad - need some advice...
by Fadeaway3pointer infader here - last meeting was in autumn 2005. lurker on this site and others.
not one to get all controversial.. typical situation, pretty much a born in and left the church at age 38 and never looked back.. i'm 53 now, parents getting older - late 70s but very active, dad is still an elder.. parents, in laws, brother and brother-in-law still uber active jws.. my family (wife and 2 adult children) out since 2005.. we have stayed close to our parents - we have treaded religion lightly and have had a pretty good relationship and have kept our personal lives and beliefs/opinions separated from them.
this was intentional - as we love them and do not want anything to cause shunning since they are getting older and want to be there for them and we respect their beliefs.. got this letter today.
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Cadellin
Another thought--since you are NOT D/F or D/A, the normal shunning rules according to the organization do NOT apply to you. You might try responding and reminding them of that. In fact, you could couch it something like they are running ahead of the chariot in treating you as if you are D/F. Isn't this [the fact you have NOT been D/F] something to leave in Jehovah's hands and trust his organization will handle it in due time (gag)? They are, in fact, acting presumptuously in treating you as if you are D/F when, in fact, you are [and here you might drum up some quasi acceptable excuse, though if it has been several years, it might be harder. Still, you could say depressed/ struggling emotionally/ confused/ taking things to Jah in prayer, etc.]
Turning the tables.
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The sky is falling- maybe
by joey jojo ini am actually not a 'sky is falling' guy, but i wanted to comment on the australian bushfires.. you may or may not believe the science behind global warming, however i personally put more faith in verified, scientific data than the words of fat cat, self-serving politicians.
climate science has predicted, based on data, that we will see more prolonged, extreme weather events, higher average temperatures, rising sea levels due to ocean expansion and glacial melting.
and this is exactly whats happening.
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Cadellin
It boggles the mind that there are still those who think climate change is a hoax. Not sure what it will take to wake them up. I'm sorry for what you are going through in Australia but I have no doubt that crises like that will become more common throughout the planet. Heartbreaking to think of this beautiful planet being devastated by human greed.
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Rec'd a letter from my Dad - need some advice...
by Fadeaway3pointer infader here - last meeting was in autumn 2005. lurker on this site and others.
not one to get all controversial.. typical situation, pretty much a born in and left the church at age 38 and never looked back.. i'm 53 now, parents getting older - late 70s but very active, dad is still an elder.. parents, in laws, brother and brother-in-law still uber active jws.. my family (wife and 2 adult children) out since 2005.. we have stayed close to our parents - we have treaded religion lightly and have had a pretty good relationship and have kept our personal lives and beliefs/opinions separated from them.
this was intentional - as we love them and do not want anything to cause shunning since they are getting older and want to be there for them and we respect their beliefs.. got this letter today.
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Cadellin
I'm so sorry. You mentioned in your post that you are a fader, so I assume you are not technically d/f or d/a, right? Yet your family members have taken it upon themselves to treat you as if you are. Isn't that great? I am in a similar position, where members of my family have decided to unofficially d/f me, even though I am technically just "inactive." Oh, the love!!
Sadly, as others have already commented, nothing you say or do will likely change anything. Being kind and loving when the opportunity arises might well "rake coals upon their heads," as the proverb says.
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Do You Think “Higher Education “Is All That??
by minimus inas jehovah’s witnesses, we were regularly told how awful a college education is.
i’m no longer associated with the religion but i am not so pro university.
it’s not because i think you are better off without a degree.
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Cadellin
instructors have easy pay increases (minimal work - some very minimal work)
Um...Might want to check your facts there. As a faculty member at a public state university myself, I can tell you that is absolutely not true. Most faculty I know, including myself, work their asses off. I am on this forum now taking a quick break from grading (and it's Sat. afternoon. That's what I do on my weekends). I'm lucky enough to be tenure-track and do have a good salary. But much of the teaching is done by adjuncts who are paid very low wages. Why do they do it? Because they really love their fields, they love teaching, and have a passion for helping others (Take that, Sanderson!)
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Greta Thunberg...what’s your view of her?
by minimus inshe certainly is passionate about climate change.
🤔.
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Cadellin
My opinion of her? Colossally brave, as attested to by the mean-spirited and, frankly, ignorant comments on this thread.
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Science and Watchtower's astounding ignorance
by Diogenesister inwell these goof balls at jwbroadcast apparently think the study of pure science means not having any "practical application".
oi vey.
sanderson may speak russian but he is so ill educated he appears to think that researching a subject and formulating a theory about it means that's the end of it - in other words he's saying it has no practical use.
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Cadellin
What a fucking idiot. I mean, wow.
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What The Fossils Say
by cofty inthe old creation book had a lot to say about the fossil record.
if i remember correctly it was some lie about all the fossils ever found would fit on a single table.
the reality is that there is an embarrassment of riches illustrating the evolution of life.
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Cadellin
I hesitate to wade in, particularly since both Hooberus and Sea Breeze seem resistant to information that does not align with their beliefs, but here goes...
The selection in "natural selection," does indeed refer to existing traits. Natural selection in and of itself does not bring about anything "new;" rather, you have mutations to thank for that (among other things). A trait, of course, has to exist in order to be selected. "Selection" simply refers to the advantage that a member of a species has as a result of a particular trait over other members of the species who lack such a trait. How is it that traits appear in one member of a species but not others? Mutations constantly create variation in the DNA, the vast majority of which are neither beneficial nor harmful but silent. However, from time to time, variation does crop up that helps a member of a species survive in the face of new or changing environmental conditions. It is the combination of environmental variation with trait variation that creates the right setting for selection.
But natural selection is NOT the only force at work in evolution! Researchers now know (and have observed) a variety of other factors that also play a role. I should add-Prothero's book was an eye-opener for me. I highly recommend it.
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What Do You Think About Banning Plastic Bags?
by minimus inwe need to save the planet so we have to stop using plastic bags!
in massachusetts, the new law will be going into effect soon.
if you go food shopping, you only cat get paper bags.. what is your opinion of the state banning plastic bags?
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Cadellin
I think if you are committed to a cause, do it 100% or 1000%. But don’t cherry pick what you will do for the environment.
I absolutely disagree. It is far better to do something for the environment (or for a cause) than do nothing. Simply cutting plastic use by half would make a huge impact. If a family just started eating vegan for two days a week, that would have impact. The fact of the matter is that life on this planet is about to get dramatically disrupted within the next few years if humans continue the status quo. As a species, we are burning through the limited resources our planet offers at a rate that is unsustainable and unconscionable.