Posts by Fernando

12

Outrageous, but yet funny line by zone visit!

by Beth Sarim in

so, i watched this recorded broadcast by one of the bigs,i heard this rediculous but yet humourous statement.

something like ''spritually sluggish is the same as wickedness or evel.

lol, get a load of that lol.

Fernando

What Mr BIG meant was being sluggish toward the Watchtower religion - a snare and a racket.

How lazy, careless and ignorant of Mr BIG not to distinguish...

70

Feeling sad over a wasted life in watchtower

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

it's been 12 years since i first read ray franz's books and the scales came off my eyes.

by that time i was in my forties.. since 2002 i went back to school and have worked with 3 very professional organizations.

but my biological clock is ticking away and while my peers are looking forward to retirement, i am only beginning.

Fernando

Personally I draw some encouragement from the late Nelson Mandela who was deeply passionate about change and social justice.

He took a few wrong turns and wasted a lot of time pursuing violence as change agent.

Then, after having a significant change of heart, his real career, as a highly respected and successful non-violent change agent began at the age of 75 and lasted around 20 years.

16

Understanding our CURE from ADDICTION to the Watchtower cult.

by Fernando in

would it be fair to say many of the posts on jwn are in essence about this?.

if we could better understand what worked for us, would we be better able to help others?.

where do basic human needs ("met" by the cult) end, and where does addiction start?.

Fernando

Would it be fair to say many of the posts on JWN are in essence about this?

If we could better understand what worked for us, would we be better able to help others?

Where do basic human needs ("met" by the cult) end, and where does ADDICTION start?

Could our (former) idolatrous worship of the VISIBLE golden calf (GB/FDS/clergy class/JW.org) be understood as an ADDICTION that was/is hard to overcome?

If so, did you experience your ADDICTION to the cult as a disease of the spirit?

If so, was the CURE spiritual?

If not, what was the nature of the CURE for you?

39

why didnt God just do this?

by sowhatnow in

for one thing, i cant get past genesis, but no matter.. when god told adam and eve if you eat from the tree youll die.

so why did he not simple let them die and not allow the offspring to?.

you see, if i was a god, and i told two people that, id let them die , .

Fernando

I've benefitted from contemplating the backstory and symbolism.

Both as a summary, and in detail.

The book "Two Trees" by Robert Ingleson presents a compelling and detailed backstory that resonates with my own challenging experience, journey and insights.

20

I need help

by tiredroadie in

im new here, and dont know much about jw, other than what im reading.

i have my best friend who is having bible study in her home with 2 witnesses, and she is soaking it in.

she is very defensive and is getting more and more closed off.

Fernando

Hi and welcome tiredroadie!

Our family stopped following the Watchtower after 4 generations and 4 decades.

We were asked a simple question by a believer:

"What is the gospel in one word?"

Of course we soon discovered for ourselves that the liberating gospel message (according to Paul, Moses, Isaiah and Psalms) could be found in the Watchtower library, albeit fragmented and not focussed on.

However we also soon discovered for ourselves that it is glaringly obvious that Watchtower followers do not have the liberating gospel message in their hearts or on their lips.

We also soon discovered for ourselves that there is nothing Watchtower leaders hate and fear more than the liberating gospel message according to Paul.

Maybe you could get your friend to "teach" you the liberating gospel message (or "Good News") according to Paul?

Maybe you could ask her to "help" you work out what percentage of the Bible's references to "Good News" are by Paul, using the Watchtower's own online library ( http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/s/r1/lp-e?q=%22good+news%22&fc%5B%5D=bi ).

Maybe at a later stage you could ask her to once again "help" you figure out how many times Paul mentions the word "Kingdom" in the same sentence as the phrase "Good News", and why (zero out of 85 times, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/s/r1/lp-e?q=%22good+news%22+Kingdom&fc%5B%5D=bi&p=sen ).

9

REPUTATION and disfellowshipping.....stories

by problemaddict 2 in

a friend of mine is getting disfellowshipped.

someone with a kind heart, and good rep. he knows how i feel, remains my firend, and we have respectful conversation.

without revealing too much, lets just say the reason he is being disfellowshipped is for family problems.

Fernando

Yup, dare to question or disagree, and the apostate Pharisees will move swiftly to discredit, marginalise and kill (aka d/f) their detractor, to preserve apostate clericalism and apostate magisterium.

2,000 years and nothing has changed.

41

What really woke me up: I started noticing most JWS are weirdos..

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

thankfully my parents are converts so they aren't wierd.

seemed pretty popular by all accounts.

they are "popular" jws even now.

Fernando

@kneehighmiah

I too believe that the young people today are smarter than we were and are not as easily duped by religion/ists.

Would this explain why PEW found that two-thirds of those raised as Watchtower followers, are no longer members of the apostate doomsday cult?

Greetings

Fernando

52

Changed: Head coverings for sisters, w15 2/15 QFR

by wifibandit in

does a female kingdom publisher need to wear a head covering if she conducts a bible study in the presence of a male publisher?.

in a questions from readers item published in the watchtower of july 15, 2002, it was stated that a sister should cover her head if she conducts a bible study in the presence of a male publisher, whether he is baptized or not.

further consideration of the matter suggests that a modification to this direction is appropriate.. if the male publisher who accompanies the sister while she conducts an established bible study is baptized, the sister would certainly want to wear a head covering.

Fernando

As Ray Franz explained, apostate "legalism leads to a morass of inconsistencies", requiring perpetual "adjustments", and flip-flops.

Jesus was possibly a little pithier:

The blind leading the blind.

10

Guilt, Regret or Denial

by game1914over in

in your time of being a witness, have you witnessed a jw experience death of a loved one due to refusal of a blood transfusion?

i know this is an extremely sensitive subject and can reopen deep emotional wounds.

if you're willing to share, i am interested.

Fernando

Fortunately this was not part of the drama our family had to endure in this doomsday cult.

18

How does forum moderation work?

by Simon in

we've had a few comments lately that show that people don't seem to fully comprehend the way moderation works or the point of it.. if someone point something that other people don't like or agree with then that is a difference of opinion.

live with it.. if someone posts something that is crude, insulting, contains bad language etc.

then it violates the posting guildelines and can and should be removed.. now, sometimes we won't immediately notice a post that should be removed.

Fernando

Thank you for the hard work and sacrifices in facilitating this much needed community.

Just a few simple rules are keeping a great balance between order and freedom.

I love the inclusivity that results from permitting a wide range of views.

JWN has been a valued and important part of my journey.

Best wishes to all.