Would love to read the story if it can be reposted.
Fernando
JoinedPosts by Fernando
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85
July 15th WT- Don't Research " False Stories " - Inspired by Satan !
by flipper ini know the poster lost generation made a fantastic thread on this july 15th apostate article, however - i noticed some very powerful points on pg.
17 paragraphs 9 - 11 which weren't brought out that i feel needed to be touched on.
as was brought out in his thread this article told jw's to avoid apostates because they are " mentally diseased " allegedly and to avoid their web sites, not read their literature, watch t.v.
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Fernando
Yup, flipper, agreed, the further back one goes the worse it gets!
Around 1951 Hayden C Covington invented the terms "true religion" and "false religion" after the ALL "religion is a snare and a racket" campaign meant that the WBT$ were excluded from benefits enjoyed by religious organisations.
They had to weasel around a direct question from readers but thereafter largely smooth sailing in selling this deception to the ignorant masses.
*** w51 8/15 p. 511 Questions From Readers ***
Why has the Watchtower Society suddenly approved the use of the word “religion” relative to the worship of Jehovah’s witnesses?—P. L., New York. -
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Everyone who disagrees with me is closed-minded
by Lore inyou know how witnesses will say they have to go to a lot of doors looking for someone 'with an open mind'.. they might even study with someone for months and then if they eventually call off the study they'll be considered 'closed-minded'.
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i find that funny..
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Fernando
Methinks this is a perennial failing we all struggle with from time to time in some shape or form - only the Watchtower leads the pack in the extreme category (despite articles exhorting the opposite).
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The 2012 JW Survey is now online!
by cedars ini'm delighted to announce that the 2012 annual survey has now been launched and is ready to receive your votes!!.
please visit www.jwsurvey.org and give us your votes at the earliest opportunity.
this latest survey is obviously available to all those who voted in last year's survey, as well as to those who have never voted before.. so, what's different?.
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Fernando
Hey cedars!
Will the 2011 survey results make it into a press release in some shape or form - something like "war of words"? One imagines rolling publicity could boost 2012 survey taker numbers. Sorry if I've missed any developments.
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Wish I didnt know....Part 1 My Story
by Wishididntknow in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> </w:worddocument> </xml><!
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[endif][if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><!
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Fernando
@Wishididntknow. The post above is blank. Maybe the Internet Explorer browser issue again. If so you may want to to try a different browser.
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Wish I didnt know....Part 1 My Story
by Wishididntknow in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> </w:worddocument> </xml><!
[endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:latentstyles> </xml><!
[endif][if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><!
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Fernando
Thank you for taking the time to share, Wishididntknow.
We applaud your courage, openness and honesty.
The fact is all of us humans are dysfunctional in one way or another. Religion doesn't help, and often creates more problems, by promoting harmful pseudo-spirituality which causes "cognitive dissonance" which can make us act in unhelpful ways as we struggle to deal with the mental distress caused.
Openly sharing the dysfunction in your life has tremendous spiritually liberating power since you are standing up and doing something the dishonest Watchtower finds impossible to do and hence they remain indefinitely trapped in their error.
In time you may come to discover that your "spiritual parents" were actually your "religious parents" (however well intentioned they may have been). Baby versus bathwater stuff... Sorry if I'm jumping the gun midway in the story - I'll shut up for now.
Best wishes on the journey.
Looking forward to part 2.
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Is my marriage worth saving?
by sacdfan inlong story - will make it short - i was a jw for 4 years.
hy husband took to it straigt away and has been a jw for 20 years - we were both converted by one of his workmates.
our 4 kids were all baptised jws and thankfully 3 escaped (2 disfellowshipped, one fading) - so my eldest son is still in with his dad.
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Fernando
Hey sacdfan!
Sorry to hear about the struggles. Sadly typical methinks.
Great news that your faith is getting stronger!
What about getting him to see the light by means of the Watchtower library itself!
Remember they claim to be "publishers of the good news"! (This phrase appears 257 times in the 2010 wt library – single and plural publisher/s)
My dear hubby, how many years have you been a "publisher of the good news"?
20 years you say! Wow you sure must know the "good news" quite well by now my dear?!
If someone in the field asked you to explain what the "good news" is in one word how would you respond my dear? (it's a "message" but let him struggle with this so that he can repent of his ignorance and of following spiritually blind humans instead of Jesus)
If we searched in the Watchtower library on computer how many times do you think we would find the phrase "good news" in the Bible my dear? (±152 times, must use quotation marks when searching, then select "Bible" to display only search results in the Bible)
How many of these references to the "good news" are by Paul my dear? (±85, ie more than half!!!).
How many times does Paul refer to the "Kingdom" in the same sentence as the "good news" my dear? (ZERO!!!! search string using sentence scope - "good news" kingdom)
If someone in the field asked you to explain what the "good news" according to Paul is how would you respond and which of the ±85 instances would you use my dear? (he'll be blank and has to wonder why this is the case after 20 years of door knocking to publish the "good news"!!!!)
My dear can you please help me explain from the heart what is "legalism" and its exact opposite? (appears only once in entire wt library in a great article that condemns this prolific Watchtower practice - g79 6/8 pp. 27-28)
My dear how can I understand the difference between the "good news" (Rom 3) and self-righteousness attained by "legalism" - following a set of supposedly "right" rules (Matt 23, whitewashed graves, clean outside of cup)?
Now you know that the male brain is wired as a "problem fixer". Use this to your advantage with the above questions - let him do the running and fixing he was built to!
This obviously and sadly is a process that can only proceed within his pace - most likely months.
However there is undeniable power and purpose hidden within the full, true and unabridged "good news":
"The spirit of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah is upon me [Jesus], for the reason that Jehovah has anointed me [Jesus] to tell [the] good news to the meek ones [sheep or wheat]. He has sent me [Jesus] to bind up the brokenhearted [spiritually deprived and unregenerated], to proclaim [spiritual] liberty to those taken [spiritually] captive [by religion/ists] and the wide opening [of the spiritual eyes] even to the [spiritual] prisoners [of religion/ists]" (paraphrase of Isaiah 61:1).
Greetings and blessings on the journey
Your brother Fernando
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Awakening of the young through education
by JWB inawakening of the young through education.
a recent special report (january 2012) by peter henderson and kristina cooke, of the news agency reuters, focused attention on a problem facing the mormons with regard to falling membership.
mormon elder marlin jensen said that he and other leaders of the religion knew that members are "leaving in droves".
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Fernando
Welcome JWB!
Yup, same story as WBT$.
Just loved a comment I read an hour ago (on JWN) that Russell did not know that Jesus started ruling in 1914 although Russell died in 1916!
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Help: Been Disfellowshipped for 6 Days
by weskerbouts insix days ago, on the 24th, the announcement was made.
the prior 3 weeks were an 'interesting' time after having come forward about my sin (problem).
(i have an addiction to pornography.
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Fernando
Welcome weskerbouts!
Sorry to hear about the way this was handled. Many here have gone through this "freaking out" stage to a more calm and rational place. Actually though I think you are handling matters more calmly and rationally at this trying point than many of us may have at the time.
You have your miracle - a major (albeit painful) event that is setting you free from religion/ists!
And its great that the bad experience has not turned you away from God, faith, spirituality or the gospel ("good news")!
The fact is you have been disfellowshipped because you have a conscience, and they are ignorant and blind to how they should have responded and helped. This is no way to treat someone who is addicted and wants help! But it is a great way to open your eyes to some unpleasant truths and realities about religion/ists.
In time you may be delighted to discover that "the truth" is a person (John 14:6) who absolutely delights in helping us out with our addictions! He is observing closely your journey out of religion and would be delighted should you choose him over religion.
I was addicted to religion (the Watchtower's version) and it's definitely worse than pornography, since one is actively worshipping the "god of religion" and snubbing the "God of Abraham". How on earth can one beat any addiction like that?
I would highly recommend seeing a good Psychologist and coming to grips with CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy). This is part of the secret to unravelling addiction (of any description). Our (addictive or aberrant) behaviour is underpinned by (addictive or aberrant) emotions and feelings, which are underpinned by (addictive or aberrant) thinking, which is underpinned by (addictive or aberrant) beliefs, which in turn is underpinned by a low SQ (Spiritual Quotient). Religion is not the answer! It is often the problem! Just read Matthew 23!
(CBT stops at beliefs and does not yet consider spirituality).
Oh and by the way religion is really anti-sex, whereas Jesus is pro-sex and anti-religion!
Fear, shame, guilt and embarrassment are not of God, they are from the enemy. Jesus loves setting us free from these demonic strongholds employed by religionists, so that we can journey with him whilst we are transformed from within, something supremacist window dressing religion can never accomplish.
Ray Franz' books are a MUST read! They are rather big and represent a journey in itself! He was the real deal mind you! For a summary of his book "In search of Christian freedom" you may want to read the Awake article condemning "legalism" and promoting its opposite. This brilliant article was most likely written by Ray (g79 6/8 pp. 27-28).
Since we humans may give conflicting or erroneous advice it is always best to go to the source - God himself - and on his generous terms namely those outlined in the generous, full and unabridged gospel message (the real "good news") as partly and powerfully described in Romans 3 and 4 where a right standing with God is IMPUTED to believers as an UNMERITED free gift, despite us still being sinners and making mistakes!!!
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My wife goes to my cousin's church to see her get baptized.
by garyneal inmy cousin has been messaging us on facebook, asking me if i would come to her church to see her get baptized.
i tend to ignore my cousin because of a bad experience i had with her mom and dad (my aunt and uncle).
i know it is wrong now and i feel bad about it now.
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Fernando
Thanks for sharing garyneal!
Isn't it great to be free to explore, think, reason, observe and contemplate!