Posts by JAVA

81

Nourishment for the Spirit

by Maximus in

jw
friends

my observation is that persons who 1) heal/adjust the most rapidly from their jw experience and 2) seem to have the most joy in life are those who read, read, read, in pursuit of what i call nourishment for the spirit.

i've really enjoy the pithy aphorisms you use here, which suggests you've distilled some wisdom from somewhere.

i'm going to ask your help in this thread.

JAVA

Interesting thread--thanks!

For a spiritual read, I enjoyed (and still do) Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. It's a classic of one person's journey through life, and reminds me of the hills and valleys traveled as former Witnesses. Hesse wrote many books, but this one's a must read.

Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, by John Shelby Spong. Spong is a retired Anglican Bishop speaking out about the problems fundamentalism creates for believers in exile. As many reading this forum knows, I'm a born-again agnostic, but this is one Christian book I recommend.

larc: You said,

I think for some Witnesses, that ignorance is bliss and they should be left alone.

I disagree for the following reasons: As you know, Jehovah's Witnesses are not just another religion following their bliss. A religion that enforces shunning harms others. A religion that interferes with medical treatment kills people. A religion that covers up child/sexual/domestic abuse needs exposed whenever possible. Ignorance might be blissful for some, but this religion harms, kills, and abuses. That Bad News of the Watchtower Kingdom should be preached whenever possible.

Just because a Nazi is happy and well adjusted thinking Hitler is a great guy doesn't mean we shouldn't mess with his myth because Nazism works for him. It's also not up to me to replace a failed myth. "True Believers" can always find another ism to follow without my help.

That's my Sermon on the Mount, Brother larc. Now what shall we do with the golden calf?

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

10

Your Caption Desperately Needed!

by Englishman in

jw
friends

.

your caption please!.

englishman.. ..... fanaticism masquerading beneath a cloak of reasoned logic.

JAVA

Sisters are no longer allowed to go door-to-door.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

42

Atheists at it again

by Rex B13 in

jw
friends

the site changed but the atheist proseletyzing continues.

isn't it odd how our two norwigs compliment each other in their attacks on god and the bible?

well, simon, you now have the honor of hosting a platform for the true apostates to spew their anti-god venom.. this kind of thing is sadly typical of those who leave the wts.

JAVA

Rex,

They (Athesists) ignore the mountainous evidence of the resurrection as a fact provable in a court of law

I can see why you haven't answered anyone since posting the above to the group. However, I need to be saved and want to see the "mountainous evidence of the resurrection" so I can become a believer. If you just tell me the court case number where the evidence is found, I'll be happy to look it up so I can be saved, too. Please hurry before "The End" comes, and God murders folks who don't believe like you. Looking forward to your reply, but please hurry before it's too late.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

17

Damn! Jesus had a BEARD! What do we do now?

by JanH in

jw
friends

questions from readers (w68 5/12 p. 86-8).

* when jesus christ was a man on earth, did he wear a beard?-k.a., u.s.a.. biblical evidence is the most reliable testimony to be found on this question, and a recent careful review of what it says indicates that jesus did indeed have a beard.. jesus, born a jew, "came to be under law" and he fulfilled the law.

(gal.

JAVA

Hi Jan,

In recent years in many lands a beard or long hair on a man attracts immediate notice and may, in the minds of the majority, classify such a person undesirably with extremists or as rebels against society.

I wonder when the Tower will grow up and see the obvious, whereas the "majority" do not paint others "undesirable" or "extremists" because they have a beard. JWs can't turn on TV or pick up a newspaper without seeing government officials, business executives, and other respected men wearing beards. The No Beard policy of the Tower is nothing more than another smoke screen to see who's foolish enough to follow the blind fossils of Brooklyn. But then again, the entire religion seems based on that.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

22

Episodes of Craziness

by JWD in

jw
friends

over the last ten years or so i`ve seen and heard things which when.

looked at objectively can only be termed `craziness`.however, in some.

cases these episodes of craziness might be viewed as wonderful testimonies to a strong commitment to jahovah.

JAVA

Hello RCat,

Something I learned a few years go is to never play by the Watchtower Rule Book! If you do, you'll get beat because that's how its designed, and you're still allowing the Tower to control you. If a JW refuses to treat you as a human by not speaking, make sure they feel the pain of that action. When that's done they don't know how to react because their dysfunction doesn't work in normal settings.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

22

Episodes of Craziness

by JWD in

jw
friends

over the last ten years or so i`ve seen and heard things which when.

looked at objectively can only be termed `craziness`.however, in some.

cases these episodes of craziness might be viewed as wonderful testimonies to a strong commitment to jahovah.

JAVA

JWD,

A cup of coffee (no refills) at a coffee shop will generally run anywhere from $3 to $5 a cup.

Yes, as many already know, I enjoy a good cup of coffee (or two). I didn't realize it was becoming so popular in Japan, and at $3 to $8 a cup, you should call it "Black Gold." I know real estate is high in your country, and it sounds like coffee prices are boiling over, too.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

113

Please Respond To Survey! 25 more needed please.

by Big Jim in

jw
friends

it seems like to me the majority of people who are in the truth, are were in the truth was a result of either a family member are a friend witnessing to them and not many seem to have been found in the door to door work.. from my years of associating with the borg i cannot recall many coming in the truth from the door to door work.. how were you sucked in?

for me it was my aunt who has now even though i am not disfellowshipped decided to write me out of her will to the tune of about $150,000.00 (maybe i should hang around a couple more years)dont think i will.. please respond .

thanks.

JAVA

My Dad. I'm still ticked off at him for that!

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

51

When did you think Armageddon would come?

by comment in

jw
friends

i was just thinking about this.

having been raised "in the truth" post-1975, i didn't grow up with any specific year in mind.

yes, there was the notion of "this generation will by no means pass away," but by the time i was old enough to think about that concept, the people who were born in 1914 (to stretch it out as far as possible, as the society ultimately did) were still only in their 60's.

JAVA

BTW Java - I love that 'leaflet'

Thanks Simon. I put it together a few months ago when You Know started in with his "Jehovah's only true religion" comments. Arguing with him was about as useful as sawing wood without a blade, so I came up with an in-your-face leaflet highlighting the Tower's successes and theme song. It took about an hour getting the links and formatting as you see it, but it was time better spent than arguing with the blind.

BTW, someone has already used it in court to show how the Witnesses view the world they live in. I'm not sure if they were successful in winning the case, but I would have enjoyed seeing the JW lawyer's face.

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

51

When did you think Armageddon would come?

by comment in

jw
friends

i was just thinking about this.

having been raised "in the truth" post-1975, i didn't grow up with any specific year in mind.

yes, there was the notion of "this generation will by no means pass away," but by the time i was old enough to think about that concept, the people who were born in 1914 (to stretch it out as far as possible, as the society ultimately did) were still only in their 60's.

JAVA

Hi NameWithheld,

It's a big shocker though to realize you ARE going to get old and die though isn't it?

I wonder if others struggle with that, too. It seemed surreal when exiting--I was going to grow old and die like everyone else. My parents studied with the JWs when I was 10, and it was the only religion I really thought about until I left 30 years later. At the age of 40 it hit me, I might just grow old and die. It didn't seem real.

I'm 54 now and don't think about it anymore (until reading comments like yours). Like most people my age, I'm planning for retirement and look forward to traveling and enjoying the freedom away from the work-a-day world. However, I wonder how others dealt with the "growing old and dying" issue as former Witnesses?

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop

17

How Many Ways Can You Spell Hypocrit?

by ros in

jw
friends

interesting profile in the 2/15/2000 watchtower (pp.26-29) praising a 17th-century orthodox church patriarch who was murdered and thrown to the sharks for attempting to effect reform in his church.

quote:.

cyril lucaris (b.

JAVA

How Many Ways Can You Spell Hypocrit, lets see:

WATCHTOWER
WATCHTOWER SOCIETY
WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY
WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA
WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC.

Of course there's also:

SHEPHERDING CALLS
GOD'S SPIRIT DIRECTED ORGANIZATION
GOVERNING BODY
"THE TRUTH"

--JAVA

...counting time at the Coffee Shop