Posts by mindmelda

508

Most-Ignored Scriptures by JWs

by Mad Sweeney in

the watchtower has been known for over 130 years as a great scriptural cherry-picker.

they pick out disparate unrelated verses and combine them to support the wackiest of wacky doctrines.. on the other hand there are many scriptures they almost never address, whether because they contradict wt doctrine or because they simply don't have a clue what they mean or how to spin them to the wt advantage.. one of these is revelation 19:1 that mentions a "great crowd" "in heaven.

" the only time it is ever brought up it is dismissed.

mindmelda

The Jews believed that anyone calling on the name of YHWH would be saved. I won't bother to quote the zillion scriptures on that.

The early Christians believed that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord would be saved.

Paul in the first chapter of Hebrews applies a scripture that uses YHWH to Christ and says this is the lord who will save you.

Therefore...YHWH was "the Lord" or Christ to Paul. I've never heard any Witness in 34 years of studying it intensively ever address that scripture or explain it away.

In fact, although they scrupulously restore "Jehovah" to every place in the Hebrew Scriptures where it was replaced by "Lord" and also in the Greek Scriptures where the writers quote from the Hebrew scriptures, such as Paul does in Hebrews, chapter one....they omit it there...why? Why that one omission? Oh, and look in your large print Bible...it says in the footnotes that "adonai" was substituted there for "Jehovah" in the scripture Paul quotes.

Well, in the older large prints like the one I have it does. God knows what they have in there now...probably changed it like they have edited Watchtower volumes that have conflicting doctrine in them.

Rework the JW teachings from A to Z, and I might be interested again someday. Get rid of the unscriptural homophobia, the unChristian obsession with Jehovah and the rules and rituals of the Jews, the denial of heaven to All who put faith in Christ, the extraneous teachings about dates that come from superstition and pyramidology and 19th century Adventism, and the confusion about the nature of God and Christ, and forbidding of things not forbidden, the cover ups and scandals, the....well, too long a list to spend all night writing.

But then again, why should I bother? I've found something that makes me infinitely happier than being Witness for 34 years ever did.

30

It pains me

by Weeping in

jw
friends

it pains me to have to say what i do.. believe me, i would much rather just say kind things and never offend anyone.

it really hurts me to get people angry at me.

i certainly do not intend to make people angry.

mindmelda

I wouldn't be excessively rude, but if you consider "I'm not interested because I've read and studied the Bible, not just with JWs...I have an uncle who is a Baptist minister who I love dearly, but after a million conversations, I don't share his beliefs about everything he says is in the Bible."

I'm actually a very good Bible student...I know the languages enough to understand some important things, I know the history, I know the important teachings of all the mainstream faiths. I've listened to Catholics, Lutherans (I have two good friends who are Lutheran ministers), I've talked to Rabbis, another good friend of mine is a Deaconess in a Presbyterian church.

And, after all is said and done, I'm still a Universalist Unitarian. I would never tell anyone what they believe is wrong or crap, because I believe that all paths will eventually lead to God if the seeking of him is done in earnest.

So, why would I have any problem with you? However, I have one tiny recommendation out of concern after reading that post. Try focusing on Christ rather than his enemy. I once spoke to Andrew Womack's right hand guy about that very topic. Womack is a televangelist, has his own ministry, but is rather low key. I like him. I think he's somewhat Charismatic. I actually love Charismatics because they just come out and tell you that Christ is a magical God! They do magic all the time for him. They call it spirit, but it's magic...no difference, really. I love those Charismatics. I love people who believe in the spiritual and the fantastical...I do.

But, he said that he used to expell demons once or twice a week...always wrestling with them, challenging them, teaching about how to be free of them, and then one day, he had an epiphany...it was his own doing! By thinking more about them than about Christ, he had opened the door to all that evil and negative spiritual energy out there that he calls the Devil and I call, well, negative spiritual energy.

When he stopped doing that...he never has since had one "demonic" experience. He said, Because a true servant of Christ never needs to fear the Devil. Never. You are stronger than he will ever be because Christ is. If you have his spirit inside you, no Demon or Devil would ever dare come near you or ever bother you.

According to him, if you're experiencing the fear of the Devil, it's because you are giving him too much credit and power over you...only you can allow the Devil in. Spend that time dwelling on your Savior Christ and find joy in him.

And remember, Christ never forced himself on anyone. He said, "Come to me"... not, "Get over here now, I mean it, get over here now or I'll come over there and get you!"

19

The Watchtower and Alcoholics Anonymous

by maputo95 in

jw
friends

many people have stopped drinking through the 12 steps of the programme of recovery of alcoholics anonymous.

can active 'jdubs' join aa to get over their addiction?.

mindmelda

I think sex addiction can be real, but it's not nearly as common as all these celebrities who are just exploiting women (or vice versa, I'm sure) would like to think it is.

The sexual addiction I'm familiar with is where couples cannot relate to each other except sexually...they fight all the time, never get along or talk otherwise, but have a lot of sex and actually can get off on the opposition and even violence. Sex based on conflict or hate is one form. Anything done out of rage, fear, guilt, coercion or compulsion isn't good. That's what sexual addiction is.

Unfaithfulness can have it's roots in sexual addiction at times, but it's not just about a person being unfaithful. Married or committed couples can have sexual addiction without unfaithfulness, as per above.

19

The Watchtower and Alcoholics Anonymous

by maputo95 in

jw
friends

many people have stopped drinking through the 12 steps of the programme of recovery of alcoholics anonymous.

can active 'jdubs' join aa to get over their addiction?.

mindmelda

I had a lot of support at the few meetings I went to...not AA, but a related group for survivors of abuse of any sort, A.C.O.A. Adult Children of Alcoholics. Everyone listened to my story there with no interuption and no judgment. There were people there who didnt have alcoholic parents, but addicted ones of one sort or another, and "religiousity" is considered an addiction. Booze not required. Yes, ACOA considers groups like JWs as cults and as encouraging religiousity or religious addiction. That is where you keep feeling compelled to perform acts of sacrifice,(giving, money or unpaid service, excessive attendance) ritual(obsessive prayer or other rituals your church uses) for a church, sect or cult out of fear, guilt and or compulsion. I'd say JWs qualifies myself.

Interestingly, having a parent who is a "religious extremist" or part of a cult and trying to force it on you or brainwashing you with it is much like being the child of an aloholic or drug addict, from what I was told. The symptoms in people who are brought up this way are identical. Anxiety, depression, PTSD, obsessive behavior, alcoholism, all sorts of things are connected to that. So, it's a very good idea to get some kind of help if you think you're suffering from anything like that.

ACOA is good if you're without insurance to cover more usual kinds of therapy, it's free. Donations are asked for but required.

I felt more of the same spirit with those women than I did anyoene at the KH. Religion was optional...you don't have to believe in anything but the group if you like. The way the meeting is set up gives everyone a safe place to talk about whatever they wished.

They have their own terms for things, but psychologically speaking, it's pretty sound stuff.

31

Demons!

by wildflowermeadow in

jws are obsessed with demons.

do you have any evidence spirits exist?

what about magic?

mindmelda

Demon rum...drink enough of it and you'll see a demon.

106

Anyone going to the TEA PARTY Tommorow?

by Cagefighter in

jw
friends

i will be there with the lonestar tea partiers!.

-cage.

mindmelda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F26vC_1_8xw

106

Anyone going to the TEA PARTY Tommorow?

by Cagefighter in

jw
friends

i will be there with the lonestar tea partiers!.

-cage.

mindmelda

I'd like a cup of Darjeeling, with one lump of sugar and some milk, if you please.

And a scone with butter and blackberry jam.

That would be the only tea party I'm interested in, I'm afraid.

56

Were You Ever Counseled Because Of What You Wore (or didn't)?

by minimus in

jw
friends

after reading the thread about what is acceptable to wear and not wear in a factory run by jehovah's witnesses, i wondered whether any here ever got counseled or in trouble because of their fashion sense or attire.

mindmelda

My husband used to wear a red tie with a black cartoon sheep on it standing in the middle of a flock of white ones. No one ever said a word to him about it.

It was his favorite tie. He always wore it when he could. If they'd said anything about it...well, they didn't. He also wore a short trimmed beard and moustache most of the time. *G*

56

Were You Ever Counseled Because Of What You Wore (or didn't)?

by minimus in

jw
friends

after reading the thread about what is acceptable to wear and not wear in a factory run by jehovah's witnesses, i wondered whether any here ever got counseled or in trouble because of their fashion sense or attire.

mindmelda

I remember the one time I was to give a part from the platform at a circus assembly. The brother looked our clothes, hair and nails over in minute detail. I felt like I was in the army. "You call that a shine on those shoes....drop and give me twenty!" I thought that was going to happen when one brother was told his shoes needed shined....because yes, people can see that from waaaay out in the audience onto the stage. *eye roll*

I was all right, because I was buttoned up to there and wearing something that had it had a full length skirt, could have passed in Victorian England.

I knew how strict it was going to be from other sisters who had done assembly parts, so I made sure I looked like a school marm from Little House on the Prairie. I even had my hair up in a bun. I could have been Amish, except for the buttons on my dress and jacket. LOL

159

Getting into Arguments with JW's...

by ForbiddenFruit in

i'm trying to fade away, but i sometimes find myself in discussions or arguments with jw family/friends/white haired virgin elders.

now, i usually have them beat on things but i'm not very experienced, so i was thinking if you guys could help me put together a list of completely unanswerable questions to pose to my jw friends/family/elders so they can stop bugging me.

if i keep asking them questions they simply cannot answer, then they might leave them alone.

mindmelda

I never argue with JWs. I don't ask them "ridiculous" questions, not in my opinion.

If they think the questions are ridiculous, maybe it's because that excuses them from answering.

Actually, Witnesses quit calling on me when I didn't parrot answers back to them from the Watchtower articles. I was told that unless I answered from the paragraph and didn't ask "irrelevent" questions, I wouldn't be studied with anymore. I was told that studying the Bible alone was inappropriate and "not the way the society studies the Bible with people" and it wouldn't be done that way. That's what I asked for, but was rejected so I agreed to study the Watchtower lesson with someone every week.

I never challenged any JW beliefs straight out, I just gave my own thoughts and read scriptures not in the paragraph, but that I felt were related and answered as best as I could.

The elder's wife who studied with me (I had been inactive for years, this was supposed to "encourage me back to activity") would get very upset with me...once to the point where she left in tears of anger and frustration. Finally, she told me she wasn't going to continue, I was told, "you're wasting my time".

Aside from her, two pioneers studied with me too...they all gave up and discontinued the study. I never once raised my voice, argued or insulted them.

I guess Witnesses DO give up. They did with me...three times. Well...four if you count my parents who have stopped Witnessing to me too. I'm not DF, or DA...I haven't identified as a Witness in about 8 years anyway.