inbetween

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Posts by inbetween

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  29

  Another Armageddon Thread...This Time May be for REAL?!?

  by Yan Bibiyan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  with the ensuing unrest in north africa and the middle east, i wonder if some "zealous" brothers and sisters are saying: "this is it!!!"..

  didn't armageddon suppose to start in the mideast?

  isn't the unrest moving closer and closer to israel?

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  inbetween

  talk about its getting close ? Oh yes, JW here see it as sign (as well as 9/11, Iraq wars, Haiti earthquake etc)

  any bad news are good news for the big slaughter feast someing up, and then pet lions and smiling faces all over the world....
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  64

  Call me paranoid, but its possible that this 30 hour initiative is a weeding out process....a cull if you will...

  by miseryloveselders in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we've discussed a few potential reasons why the wt is promoting april 2011 as a month of special activity.

  reasons include manipulating statistics, and trying to provide some kind of spark to increasingly apathetic and discouraged congregations.

  i'm sure there are others i'm missing too, feel free to include those.

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  inbetween

  There is a lot of enthusiams here in our congo as well. Our service overseer told me, what is probaly the real intention behind it: "It will many encourage now to aux.pio., who did not dare before"

  So its really all about the title ? Why sign up for it, if your heart moves you to do more , why not do more anyways ? why do you need a slip of paper ? Its simple, this slip of paper will be read during the meetings, you raise a level in the perceived spirituality parameter. Its all about appearance, really.

  We will have our co week afterwards, I`m sure, he would frown upon the elders/MS if at elast the majority did not support this new arrangement. He is that type of guy, mentioned more than once, that annual aux.pio for serving brothers is almost mandatory....

  MLE: you crack me up sometimes. ;-)

  oh and welcome tia.dalma.
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  21

  Blood Ban and Your Pets

  by compound complex in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how irrational the society could be was experienced by the sister-in-law of ex-bethelite william (bill) cetnar when .... at the suggestion of her veterinarian, she had a blood transfusion given to her poodle to prolong its life.

  she couldn't believe bill [cetnar]when he told her that the society would say she had violated god's law.

  at his urging she wrote the society on the matter and the response she received informed her that she had done wrong.

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  inbetween

  even at times, when I thought, the ban on blood is biblical and all, I always wondered about this opinion of the society on pets eating blood.

  It didnt make sense, considering some animals (mosquitos, ticks ) were even designed to live of blood from other animals...

  I get the impression, the society thinks, they have to have an opinion an all and everything....well in times it backfires....
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  126

  Bethel have just DENIED Jehovah's Witnesses shun ex members!!!

  by Amelia Ashton in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i can't believe it.

  probably haven't been out long enough to know they lie like this.

  now i just heard it with my own ears.

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  inbetween

  I agree with black sheep, to be careful what to say, otherwise holes in the argument are quickly spotted and the whole thing may crash.

  Current policy regarding dfd ones is:

  1) not related, if you continue having contact, despite (repeated) warning, you get yourself a JC with eventual dfd (happened in a case I personally know)

  2) close relative not in the same household, no sanctions, if contact remains private (not being promoted), but no privileges in congo (and you will be considered weak by others, who know about it)

  3) close relative living at home, privileges of servants may be reviewed, otherwise no sanctions. Strong advice, not to associate spirtually .

  Still the argument of the Bethel speaker regarding the mother, shunning her son, being a private matter is deceiving. Granted, she is not threatend with dfd, if she would have contact, hwoever, there is lots of literatur, that stress the point, how more important loyalty to jehovah is than to a family member. The stance of the society is clear: To remain faithful you should (have to) shun dfd ones, whether they are related or not. Otherwise you loose relationship to God and endanger your eternal outlook. Mindcontrol at its best.
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  29

  picture of JW child baptism ... link to news paper

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i won't post the picture as it may breach some copyright or something.

  here is the link.

  http://www.caller.com/photos/galleries/2010/aug/21/jehovahs-witnesses-baptism/.

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  inbetween

  thats so typical, the theory was in last weeks watchtower, the reality in the pictures above, its infuriating, really....
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  43

  Who or What Helped YOU Get Out Of The Watchtower Mindset?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  was there a person, a book, a situation that helped you see that the "truth" was not what it was supposed to be?

  ?.

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  inbetween

  for me it was all little steps during a longer peroid of time.

  While growing up as JW, I never got inot serious trouble, but on the other hand , I never was fond of service, but I agreed, that it is important. What i never undertsood was reporting, didnt seem right anyway.

  Later on, after learning aout 75, I was always disturbed, not that 75 happened as wrong prediction (false expectations excuse) but the fact, that the society long time never admitted their mistake, and blamed it on rank and file.

  despite my little concerns I advanced to MS and later to an elder.

  I considered myself always more liberal, and the point, that made me long time not really question the borg, was that sometimes the literatur seemed to be more balanced and open minded (in the 90`s mostly) than many elders in my old hall.

  Just one example: even as teenager I never agreed and undertsood the no-beard rule we had in the hall, however, searching our litertur I enver found a clear prohibition of wearing a beard.

  For a while, things in literatur seemed to move to a more liberal approach. i remember the Awake about pinatas, were it stated, that origin of customs alone does not matter, if today it is not connected to pagan things anymore.

  I liked books like ´Daniel and revelation, because at least they offered something interesting without meddling into personal affairs of Christians.

  But this course changed (at least my impression)

  A few years ago, articles were published, with rules and regulations again (what is uncleannes, toasting is unchristian, gods love book etc). Also the blood doctrine sounded strange, the diffreence between fractions and components.

  The tone at assemblies, as well as in some WT study articles seemed to become more condescending.

  This all led to an uncomfortable feeling, partly with guilt and fear.

  This i turn led to questions, which in turn led to research (particularly about blood), were I ended up at ajwrb.org, a webside I initially thought is from the HLC.

  What I read there opened my eyes tremendously, next came jwn, and what was so surprising, not only beliefs I had doubts before, crumbled, but also many other things, i was sure of, were refuted with often much more convincing logic, than the WTs ever employed.
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  27

  I finally made and account...

  by AiAi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, i have checked this site out every once in awhile as i was on my way out and as i found myself coming back more and more recently i decided i should probably become a member....

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  inbetween

  welcome, whats your story ?
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  69

  Could ''boredom'' at the Kingdom Hall be one reason why some members leave?

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  you'll find boredom where there is the absence of a good idea earl nightingale quotes (us motivational writer and author, 1921-1989).

  let's forget that most members leave due to the wrong beliefs,doctrines and practices of the wts!.

  i was bored out of my mind from the repetitive: talks,prayers,ministry school demonstrations,field service talks(peddle magazines),assemblies,special talks and watchtower magazine study articles.

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  inbetween

  why they still keep up the service meeting, i dont know, its sooo incredibly boring and repetitive.....

  I get even more bored preparing, when I have a part...

  agree with MSE, highlights are my highlight as well, actually the TMS is not so bad, some talks end up being quite interesting.

  my suggestion to the GB: (sure they listen to me ;-):

  merge the TMS with half hour talk and shorten the Watchtower study to half hour (by leaving all that nonsense and contradictory stuff, as well as the rules and regulations out of it) and make one meeting on the weekend.

  by this, the mental sleepiness will at least reduce a bit...
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  123

  An Open letter to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (Elders/ Ex-Elders)

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you are an elder or an ex-elder please add a comment.

  i hope that the governing body will see this.

  it is too bad it has to be on an anonymous forum.

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  inbetween

  completely agree, well written SIAM

  all this things are on my list as well, maybe two more points:

  a) hypocritical frowning upon higher education

  b) babtism of minors
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  26

  Observation -- Posters Don't Seem Clueless

  by Band on the Run in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm impressed with sophisticated thinking on this site.

  after all it is an ex-witness site.

  i wonder what changed in the former witnesses.

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  inbetween

  there are certain things you just normally never question:

  for example, you would never question those who raised you are your biological parents, unless !!! something happening from outside makes you question....for example that your mother was unfaithful, or that your father came to know your mother when you were already born etc...

  among those things as a born in is the claim, that WTS is Gods only org. Unless something "outside" happens, you never question this. You may realize some things do not fit, but in your mind you make them fit, and explain them away, since you have no doubt in WTS being Gods channel.

  According to my observations (please take it at what it is, a single viewpoint) it even seems that those born-ins with a higher IQ even seem to resist doubts or problems more than others, since they find ways, to explain away many failures of the WTS and to excel in being an apologist.