Posts by GLTirebiter

24

Coded Phone number for Kingdom Hall attendence.

by Joshnaz in

jw
friends

i just learned the the kingdom halls have a coded phone number for listening in on the sunday meetings.

for my area the phone number is 623-748-1908. when it asks you for the code dial 623293. you can enter the number of listeners and you are counted in attendance.

i just wanted to let everyone here know and see what everyone's thought's were..

GLTirebiter

My Ex wrote the number and code for her KH on the cover of our phone book, but I'm not going to post it. Why encourage anybody to harass them by tying up the line (multi-line service is not cheap)? Why give the elders Brownie Points for artificially inflated attendance? How can I insist they leave me alone if I won't do the same for them? As I see it, these private numbers and codes are a case of "Do unto others..." Sure, there's a human instinct to get even with those who have hurt us--but we can rise above that, with the Lord's help.

GLT

12

My Worldly" Aunt...

by jamiebowers in

jw
friends

called to let me know that she had it out with a jw relative about her nasty attitude.

my dear auntie was so worked up that she said to the jw, "not one jw i've ever known is happy!".

it's not as funny in written form as it was to hear her exclaiming this over the phone.

GLTirebiter

My dear auntie was so worked up that she said to the jw, "Not one jw I've ever known is happy!"

I couldn't say it any better than she did. Watchtower doctrine is so pessimistic: "The world is ending, and unless you give up life as you know it to do exactly as we say our god will make you die a horrible death, and even if you do you're still not going to heaven!" That doesn't leave much to smile about, does it?

48

College

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

i know i have threatened to do this before, like when i first left.

but i am thinking of going to college.

this time, i feel determined.

GLTirebiter

Yes Jeff, enroll and learn! Besides the practical and financial advantages, seek to learn for the sake of wisdom itself.

"And so I prayed, and understanding was given me; I entreated, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

I esteemed her more than sceptres and thrones; compared with her, I held riches as nothing. (...)

For she is to human beings an inexhaustable treasure, and those who acquire this win God's friendship, commended to him by the gifts of instruction."

(Wisdom 7: 7, 8 and 14; New Jerusalem Translation)

25

Just read one of them 'apocryphal books'

by sd-7 in

dudes.

dudettes.

apostates and loyalists alike.

GLTirebiter

Wisdom and Sirach

I'll second that recommendation. Wisdom and Sirach (aka Ecclesiasticus) have much to offer the soul.

89

Being Under Cult Mind Control is a Psychological Disorder - Steve Hassan

by flipper in

jw
friends

thought perhaps some newer members who haven't heard some of hassan's thoughts on mind control might relate to this from their own experiences in jehovah's witnesses .

even though mind control is initiated by the cult involved in controlling it's members - hassan points out - it actually becomes a psychological disorder which can entrap the victim himself or herself - all the while - as they are being controlled by the leaders of cults.. on page 55 of hassan's book " releasing the bonds - empowering people to think for themselves " it states what happens in a destructive cult , " in a destructive cult, the locus of control shifts to the group or it's leader .

the new recruit abdicates his ability to make decisions.

GLTirebiter

I recently had a conversation with a jw and they were astonished that I dared to decide for myself how I felt on a moral question.

They thought it was haughty of me to believe in my perception on the subject.

Compare this to how healthy parents behave. The most important thing parents teach their children is how to make good choices in new situations they encounter, how to think about and make moral choices when nobody is there to guide them and when nobody is watching. When the moral and ethical training takes hold, there is no need to worry about the decisions they will make. Sure they will make some mistakes, but those will be corrected, and are greatly outnumbered by the good choices.

Good parents want their children to grow into adults who will stand on their own feet and be capable of raising children of their own. The Watchtower "mother organization" won't let go. It wants them to remain dependent and helpless forever. Cults and dysfunctional families have that in common.

11

The Bible..A Handbook of Bad Morals..

by OUTLAW in

GLTirebiter

Try this link to the story.

47

Scans of Booklet

by chasson in

the crisis 1933.

GLTirebiter

I have not had a chance to read it all, but my first impression is how much Rutherford's bluster resembles that of any other demagogue. He is the mirror image of those he criticizes!

Thank you for posting this!

31

the first christmas...need help

by highdose in

jw
friends

hey everyone,.

i've decided for the first time in my life to celebrate christmas this year, just like everyone else around here.

trouble is i have no idea how to begin!

GLTirebiter

If you don't care about JWs knowing, then also start buying some Christmas lights to hang outside or even just inside your living room window(s). Plan to hang them Mid-November and set them on a timer so they come on automatically.

I like to celebrate the day-after-Thanksgiving by putting up the lights, and New Year's Day by taking them down. Between football games, of course!

116

Think ive changed...can see it quite a bit laterly.PLEASE!!

by angel eyes in

putting this out there.....going back 12months ago i was completely different to how i am now.

i am still loyal to jah and dont go against the scriptures, but even though ive recently returned to pioneering (only aux pio at present) i see im a little more laid back.. i think this has come through having to endure hell and back without any help, except jehovah, which im not complaining, im so glad his been there for me, for us both.

but i really believe that due to things that have badly and wrongly been allowed to take place etc its moulded me a little different to how i was.

GLTirebiter

I think this has come through having to endure hell and back...

Yes, AE, going though painful times does affect you and can make you question yourself, your previous behavior, and your core beliefs. Trying times have affected me and changed me, and I dare say they have done that to many others on this site.

The question you must ask yourself is this: Am I being true to what I really believe, or am I staying in a comfort zone? It's a wonderful situation when it's both, but being false to yourself just to ease the pain doesn't work in the long run. I'm not telling you to change; only you really know if you should do that. If you really believe the Watchtower's teachings then by all means follow them. I didn't ask my Ex to change her beliefs that I don't share, and I won't ask you to do that either. But I do suggest that you should look at yourself honestly, look at your beliefs honestly, and look at your relationship to God honestly. Base your decision on what you see there, so you can live at peace with yourself. That is the way to make decisions you will not regret further down the road.

I wish you a good journey on the path of self-discovery!

15

Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Use the Term "Manmade Religions"?

by Cold Steel in

over the years, and just a few weeks ago as a matter of fact, i've anwered the door to find jehovah's witnesses standing there.

in my discussions with them, they've usually mentioned "manmade religions" and armegeddon.

having looked into their religion somewhat, and more so lately, i have to say that the entire movement seems to be manmade and, if not, i certainly don't know where, or how, god could have had a hand in it.. what is there in the way their church was formed that would make it formed, created or established by god?

GLTirebiter

But now comes Charles T. Russell. No revelations. No visions. No divine guidance of note. Just a Bible student.

CT Russell received his revelation from the "stone witness": the great pyramid of Giza. The Society seems to find that embarassing; they don't mention it any more. I first read about it in chapter 15 of Martin Gardner's Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. Russell and others went to great lengths to force the dimensions of the edifice agree with their prophecies (such as measuring the passages in "Pyramid Inches", when regular inches didn't match the desired outcome). It would all be amusing, if not for the Watchtower leadership taking it seriously and getting their followers to blindly follow them down this dead-end path.