Freshstart: what an appropriate screen name! Welcome, and congratulations to you and your husband for not bringing your child up as a slave to the Watchtower. It sounds like you both realize the truth about THE TRUTH, and now can look forward to a rewarding life together. I hope you enjoy the forum, and will be around here for a long time to come.
GLTirebiter
JoinedPosts by GLTirebiter
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43
Hello - new
by freshstart inhi, just wanted to introduce myself.
born-in, as was my husband.
we were both baptized as teens, married when we were teens (he was early 20s) and we were both the "perfect" witnesses.
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This site is a bad site! I am ashamed that i have joined!
by MsPassach ini am so ashamed that i joined this site!
i thought that i would meet people here that honour jehovah here.
insread most of the people here are not here for the service of god.
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GLTirebiter
i thought that i would meet people here that honour Jehovah here.
I honor the Lord, the Christian God. His name is not "JEHOVA"; that is a translation error made centuries ago by a Catholic monk. The Hebrew name, represented by the English letters "YHWH", would be pronounced approximately as "Yahweh" in English. But we are not equals on a first-name basis with God and are commanded not to use the Lord's name in vain, so it is traditional (going back to Old Testament Hebrews) to use the title "Lord" instead as a sign of subservience and respect. In fact, assuming the vowels for "Adonai" (Lord) went with the consonants of the tetragram (YHWH) led to the corrupt translation "Jehovah".
insread most of the people here are not here for the service of God. they don't know what it means to honour Jehovah. most of them show by their actions trhat they are in the service of man and not the service of Jehovah. For them the service of man is more important than being loyal to the Creator of mankind...
Consider this carefully: whom do you serve, the Lord or a publishing corporation in Brooklyn, New York? Do you take directions from the commandments and the sermon on the mount, or from Watchtower magazines?
This site should feel so ashamed to carry the name of JEHOVA because this is definitely not a witness to Jehovah.
This originally was a pro-Watchtower site. That changed with time and exposure to other points of view. Hang around if you wish, if you dare--there is much to learn that is not printed by the Watchtower Society!
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Is There A Sin That Is Justifiably, For Excommunication Or Shunning?
by AvocadoJake ini know this question is a "slippery slope.
" but i am wondering if you belive there is a sin, that merits excommunication?
i vote child molesters and rapist and murding (a unjustifiable murder, serial killers, outright evil by community standards.
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GLTirebiter
It reasonable to "boot" somebody from the organization, provided it is done in a fair, evenhanded way. But WT disfellowshipping goes far beyond mere removal. It includes encouraging members to cause emotional pain to those in the organization's bad graces, and effectively slandering them with a public announcement at a meeting where the accused is likely to be present. The literal wording of the announcement is innocuous ("Tirebiter is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses"--not that I ever was!). But the sinister connotation those words have to those hearing them ("Apostate! Fornicator! Bad Association!") conveys a different meaning--a case of loaded language.
The WT policy on disfellowshipping has not always been so extreme. Aussie Oz has documented the history of how this policy has changed through the years, which you can read at freeminds.
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Is There A Sin That Is Justifiably, For Excommunication Or Shunning?
by AvocadoJake ini know this question is a "slippery slope.
" but i am wondering if you belive there is a sin, that merits excommunication?
i vote child molesters and rapist and murding (a unjustifiable murder, serial killers, outright evil by community standards.
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GLTirebiter
There is an important distinction between disfellowshipping and shunning, as practiced by the Watchtower and other high-control groups, compared to excommunication as practiced by most major religions.
On one hand: treating somebody as if they did not exist, limiting contact to "necessary family business", "hating with a true hate" and humiliating a person by publicly announcing their status as a grave sinner (thus seeding the local gossip grapevine with unfounded speculation about what the accused might have done). On the other: excommunication means limited participation in some religious rites, no restrictions on dealing with the person in everyday life, maintaining normal family and social contact, and limiting disclosure to those with a genuine, legal "need to know"--not making the situation a matter of public speculation.
The watchtower presumes the authority to dole out public punishment and humiliation; others seek to correct while leaving public punishment to the law of the land. What sins deserve a Watchtower-style shunning? I can't name one. Which deserve the more traditional excommunication? Offenses against the community of believers: acts of sacrilege, heresy, and the like. For offenses punishable by the law of the land, neither is appropriate: "Render unto Caesar" is the proper response.
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Who is Homeschooling - what works and does not?
by skeeter1 inmy in-laws really wished they had taken control and homeschooled their one granchild.
today, i witnessed a middle school bus stop bully and another group of teenaged girls smoking something illegal.
my 5th grader is headed to middle school next year.
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GLTirebiter
Unless you can teach well and have the time to do it.....don't homeschool your children!
I agree with that--and would add commitment to the list (see my previous post on this thread). Home-school parents have no monopoly on ineffective, uncaring teaching. Unfortunately, some teachers in traditional schools are merely marking time, going through the motions but accomplishing little in the way of education. You've had them, I've had them, and our kids have some of them too. You know who they are: they use the same lesson plans, assignments and tests for at least a decade, and are famous among the students for being easy graders. They are equivalent to home-school parents who toss their kids some workbooks and say the job is done. Both are do a disservice to the children entrusted to them.
(and he IS an opinionated curmudgeon)
There's nothing wrong with that! (RIP, Andy Rooney: America's best-known curmudgeon)
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MOTOWN HITS ,,,, we need another music thread!!
by talesin inpersonal favorites?
post the youtube .... .
i've been chatting with a friend, and lilstening to this tune ... i grew up listening to all the great mo'town hits, and this is one of my favorite songs ever.
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Who is Homeschooling - what works and does not?
by skeeter1 inmy in-laws really wished they had taken control and homeschooled their one granchild.
today, i witnessed a middle school bus stop bully and another group of teenaged girls smoking something illegal.
my 5th grader is headed to middle school next year.
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GLTirebiter
Look for a local support network that can arrange some field trips, curriculum help, state achievement tests, and compliance with the laws in your area. We have used both an independent home-based school and a "virtual academy" operating as a charter school in a nearby school district. Both of these worked well, but be sure to check into the quality of the academics and support system before you sign up. There are good ones and there are some that do as little as possible.
Several math programs are available, but also many awful ones. I agree with PaintedToenail's recommendation for Saxon math texts. See the reviews at mathematically correct to compare math programs.
The most important part of home schooling is your involvement. It is a lot of work for the parents; the patience and discipline to do that work every day is important for your child's educational progress.
I wish you the best if you choose home schooling. It is a lot of work, but it can bring tremendous rewards too!
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MOTOWN HITS ,,,, we need another music thread!!
by talesin inpersonal favorites?
post the youtube .... .
i've been chatting with a friend, and lilstening to this tune ... i grew up listening to all the great mo'town hits, and this is one of my favorite songs ever.
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GLTirebiter
The Funk Brothers: muscians behind the Motown hits
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Are you sure leaving the JW religion has made your life better?. Lurkers think twice
by mankkeli inon this forum, i have carefully read most of the experiences of those who left the jw religion, i have even read experiences that have dated back to 2001, i have read the different circumstances surrounding their exits and what ensued upon leaving.
for the majority, i observed they are better remainning in the religion than leaving.
what benefit is there to strain family relationship because you want to be free?, please tell me, of what value is that freedom?,.
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GLTirebiter
To be clear up front, I was never "in" the Watchtower organization--I am divorced from a Witness, and our children are also Witnesses. But the effect is similar to being DF'd or DA'd: in a word, heartache.
What do I get in return for the pain?
- HOPE! Life is no bed of roses, but now I have some control over where it's headed. I did not have that when family life was dominated by the Watchtower, meetings, field service and assemblies.
- INSIGHT! I see myself better now than before. Some parts of me that I had ignored for years are more important than I realized, other parts I was clinging to really needed changing.
- SELF RESPECT! I am far from perfect, but I am my genuine self--not pretending to be somebody I am not, somebody I would not want to be. Now I know that I am strong enough to pick up the pieces, clean up my act and carry on, which is much better (and healthier!) than hanging around doing the same things, wishing it will somehow turn out OK this time.
Has it made my life better? Though the losses are considerable, the benefits do outweigh them. So yes, I am sure!
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why JWs doesn't celebrate birthday?
by vientotz ini'm so curious, why they're not celebrating their birthdays?
is it just because jesus don't celebrate it and it's not written in the bible that they celebrated the birthday of jesus?
or is it written in the bible not to celebrate birthday?
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GLTirebiter
That's why I want to know what the bible really teaches.
What the Bible teaches isn't what the Watchtower Society prints in their booklet of that name!