Thank you very much, Billy.
I just sent her an e-mail .
Posts by dgp
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40What can a divorced woman in her forties expect if she stays in the WT?
by dgp inpeople, another question from me.
i thank everyone in advance for their posts.. i know this is a difficult question, and perhaps one no one can answer.
but, let me post it anyways.
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43
Many JWs Have A Smug Punky Attitude...What About ExJWs?
by minimus inmany witnesses that i know have this attitude of superiority and "i'm smarter and better" than you.
are ex witnesses that much different?.
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dgp
We do resent being treated as birdfeed. Some of us love you guys enough to understand that you were taught to behave that way, and long for the day when that wall of superiority will disappear and you'll be able to really love a person on the basis of what he or she really is.
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How "worldly" people REALLY view Jehovah's Witnesses
by HappyGuy inwhen you are a jw it is pounded into your head that the "world" hates you, wants to kill you, runs around saying all kinds of horrible things about you, and would take away all your rights, freedom of religion, etc, if it could.. when i first left the wtbts organization i told "worldly" friends and family about being a jehovah's witness.
not one of them said anything disrespectful, rude, insulting, or even unkind in any way.
i could just as well have said "i'm a baptist", or "i like comic books".. a few people who know that the wtbts is a cult were concerned over my emotional health, but that was out of a sense of friendship.. i have never met anyone who on hearing the phrase "jehovah's witness" got upset or said "those xxxxx".
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dgp
Well, quite often I feel I am not really qualified to contribute to the forum, but this time I am a hell of a lot qualified to speak to you, guys. I am a worldly guy, have always been, and always will be.
I think everyone has contributed with something.
I'm sure it's not difficult to understand that, we worldly sons of Satan being like seven billion, Jehovah's witnesses are not seen in one single and simple way. There's plenty of different opinions about Jehovah's witnesses.
When I was a kid and the witnesses came to my door to preach, I felt they were religious people who preached a mistaken religion and that was it. I used to take some magazines from the elderly ladies who were giving them to me, gave a small contribution, and that was it. I had some witness classmates and we used to think the guys were cool. No particular animosity against them, EXCEPT when they became pushy and tried to force us to think the way they thought. That was when no one knew what to say in order no to hurt the friends, but all the same tell them we were not interested.
There are some people who think of witnesses as fanatics who do such things as abstaining from a life-saving blood transfusion and read the Watchtower.
The very religious think of Jehovah's witnesses as Satan himself. These cunning, incredibly pushy guys with their ties (even in very hot weather), always trying to sell you a magazine, who translated the Bible with a clear bias and now believe their own bias.
Some people don't worry about Jehovah's witnesses at all. They are simply people who knock on your door, and you have to get rid of them as soon as possible. Quite often you will pretend not to be at home; I'm sure you know it. It's not that we have something against you, but that we would like to avoid a problem. If you ever watched "Coming to America", with Eddie Murphy, you will realize that the golddigger father, John Amos, I think, slammed the door at the rich guy and claimed it was only "a Jehovah's witness".
As Mrs. Jones said, most of us have no clue about what the society really is and how it damages people. For example, an elderly lady who is my neighbor had no idea that witnesses don't believe in the Holy Spirit, with capital letters, but in the holy spirit. She was shocked to hear that.
If we the worldlies knew what goes on, many of us would help you out. So, if you, my reader, are a lurker, please know that we're not out there to take advantage of you. We will help you if you put enough trust in us, and if you tear down that wall that separates you from us and let us into your hearts.
When we get in touch with you, and get to appreciate the values in you, we don't believe they are due to what the society teaches. We don't believe you're the way you are just because you do as you're told. We feel very sorry that your lives are wasted in obedience to a publishing company. We are absolutely shocked to hear that some of you refuse to take a transfusion and prefer to die. We DON'T GET IT. We would like to help you out IF ONLY you were willing to.
Perhaps the only time that very severe criticism of Jehovah's witnesses is made is when a parent lets a child die rather than give him a transfusion. We don't understand how a loving parent would do that. Sorry if this hurts anyone, but that's the truth.
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40
What can a divorced woman in her forties expect if she stays in the WT?
by dgp inpeople, another question from me.
i thank everyone in advance for their posts.. i know this is a difficult question, and perhaps one no one can answer.
but, let me post it anyways.
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dgp
Ziddina, I just told the truth .
I alreay had some discussions with her about the society and she got me to go to a hall. I didn't like it, but said nothing. She had already found an elder who could "teach" me, though he is like twenty years my junior. We have no contact. I can still see her once in a while. I want to know what will become of her life to be there if the case need be. But, I don't think I stand any chances. And I would need to be very careful what seeds I plant in her mind.
There's no getting me into the society. I have read Crisis of Conscience, In Search of Christian Freedom, am reading Combatting Cult Mind Control, own Releasing the Bonds, the Orwellian World of the Jehovah's witnesses and Out of the Coccoon, and have been reading this site and many others for months. Still, I keep learning.
Thank you for your interest. If you have any more advice to give, please do.
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42
Logistical problems of the new system...
by highdose injust supposing that you belive in it... i used to always wonder, how on earth are we going to get from one country to the other?
i mean old type ships used to take months to get around!
what about land travel?
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dgp
The impossibility of a JW society standing on its own after Armageddon should be a good excuse for the young witnesses to go to college, I think. How could an elder dispute that the happy thousand years will need engineers, since trains and all that are only a taste of the new world?
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32
Did you ever think you would end up here?
by highdose inmeaning... on this website, no longer a jw or at least no longer beliving anymore?
i never did, even 18 months ago it would have seemed impossible, unthinkable.
even though looking back the seeds of doubt had been sown for some time, i just never allowed myself to think about them... vvv dangerous thing to do!.
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dgp
Well, I never ever thought I would end up here, either, and I've never been a witness . I never thought the day would come when I would be actively learning all I could about the society, since I am not in. I never thought I would ever set foot in a Kingdom Hall, or meet an elder, or anything. Yet I'm glad I met the person who brought me here. How I wish I could get her to see what I see , so she could be free.
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30
Ex-JWs, How Many People Have Left the WTBTS Due To Your Efforts?
by ziddina inand, while we're at it, what did you feel was the best technique/were the best techniques for 'awakening' jws to the problems/threats within the wtbts??.
i was initially awakened by the realization that the bible writers had no clue about how the earth really worked - which meant that their god had no clue, either.
when exodus 19: 16-19 was read in the kh, i realized (as a young child, 7 or 8 if i remember correctly...) that those bible verses were describing a volcanic eruption - and the isra-el-ites - and their 'god' - were totally clueless as to the true nature of that eruption and mountain.... that was my first eye-opener... then there was the fellow - a householder - who said to me when i was a cute kid at the door helping 'spread the word', "those people are using you!".
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dgp
If it's any consolation, you guys have helped someone not to get entrapped. Never been in, never will be. Me.
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42
Logistical problems of the new system...
by highdose injust supposing that you belive in it... i used to always wonder, how on earth are we going to get from one country to the other?
i mean old type ships used to take months to get around!
what about land travel?
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dgp
Guys, since we're talking about this, let me say that it's not only after Armageddon that the perfect JW society would not be able to stand on its own feet. It can't do it now. I wonder how it can be that the society teaches to despise the worldlies, yet it is very clear that it needs us: for converts, as pet peeves, to get the paper on which they will print their magazines, to get the printing machines, to make cars, et cetera. JW society can't exist on its own. If the rest of the world died, the JWs wouldn't survive. I wonder how it can be that JWs despise the worldlies but go to a cinema to watch movies made by wordlies about worldlies, for example.
This point should be so obvious that, in my humble opinion, more than one JW should leave the religion on this basis alone (not trying to hurt anyone).
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32
Women as second class citizens
by iMARX ini don't know about anyone else, but even when i was 14 or 15 i had an issue with the fact that women are weaker vessels than men and we are to be submissive to our "head" of the house etc.... people just assumed i was a moody teenager trying to be cool by disagreeing with those scriptures but i was a feminist in the making.. i even asked an elder's wife about it and i said to her: "you're a headstrong woman, how do you feel about this?
do you think you should succumb to paul's every word and do as he says all the time??".
she replied: "i hate that scripture too sarah.
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dgp
I read somewhere that religions rarely change from within. They respond to outside pressures. I think it's about time the WTBTS get's some outside pressure on its treatment of women.
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32
Women as second class citizens
by iMARX ini don't know about anyone else, but even when i was 14 or 15 i had an issue with the fact that women are weaker vessels than men and we are to be submissive to our "head" of the house etc.... people just assumed i was a moody teenager trying to be cool by disagreeing with those scriptures but i was a feminist in the making.. i even asked an elder's wife about it and i said to her: "you're a headstrong woman, how do you feel about this?
do you think you should succumb to paul's every word and do as he says all the time??".
she replied: "i hate that scripture too sarah.
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dgp
Larsinger, I like to be a man, and I love women. I can't be a JW if being "asexual" is what is required. We were born with the equipment for a reason, I believe, and I don't think the Almighty would have us be born with it so Satan could tempt us.