Yeah, those were the days, my friend. Everything was so clear. In addition to proudly proclaiming the so-called good news, at the doors... even when talking to knowledgeable academics (sigh)... we were willingly engaged in conversation and 'competent' to give an expert comment on anything: hebrew and greek grammar, theology, medicine, psychology, biology, archaeology, geology, etc. That was the general spirit, not just a few zealous individuals (there still are some). Look at JWs now, the most evasive people in the world.
DrJohnStMark
JoinedPosts by DrJohnStMark
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26
Remember When Jehovah's Witnesses Took Pride In Themselves?
by minimus inthere was a time when a witness would proudly tell others that they were jehovah's witnesses.
now, more jws skirt away from expressing what they are and who they represent.
in the old days, you could comment at a meeting and express the research you did on a subject.
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7
The only honourable way to quit PIONEERING was to fake an ILLNESS!!!!!!!
by Witness 007 inyes if you told an elder or circuit oversear "i'm getting married and don't have much money for accomadation or a wedding etc so i'm quiting pioneering..." this is what our c.o said to my pioneer mate who did this.
{smugly} "thats okay brother, jehovah can replace you....." this pioneer after 4 years of full time service, took this as a slap in the face!
even though i was a faithful pioneer i still thought: "what an a.hole!
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DrJohnStMark
After I quitted pioneering I was treated as if I had some exotic contagious disease. By the caring 'friends' in the congregation. Most of whom had never even tried pioneering and never would. For many years I still was 'in good standing' but that was not enough... the gradient was negative.
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My Book of Bible Stories--extremist?
by sd-7 inin lands where there is no love of god or freedom, jehovah's witnesses are being persecuted for speaking about the good news of the kingdom.
why are these lovers of peace being persecuted?
god's word tells us: "all who are living in godly devotion in association with christ jesus will also be persecuted.
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DrJohnStMark
This cartoonish book is indeed designed to mess up the mind of a growing child. My kids tell that their "mother used to read a scary yellow book" to them when they were small. Ten years after the last wtBtS influence on them, they still were not able and did not want to watch the animation The Prince of Egypt, the story of which is horrifying to any sane person. Wonder when are we going to see law suits against the Watchtower on this.
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The Events That Caused Me to Start Pioneering (way back when...)
by AllTimeJeff ini was toying with the idea of re-writing my lifestory.
frankly, it would be long.
so i will just do some random experiences instead.
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DrJohnStMark
Same kind of memories, but related to the mid-80s expectations and the nie-mehr-schule campaign of the society, so they're to blame. But most probably, almost certainly, I would never have started pioneering without my ex. On the other hand, I earlier should have been able to prevent her from starting, but I did not. Even after I had started pioneering, I was all the time complained that I was not really taking the lead in the family, in both spiritual and practical matters, etc. It all ended in a burnout in less than a decade.
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Who's the best JWN liar? I'll start -- "we shun you cuz we love you"
by Fatfreek ina wisconsin man won top prize in the "world's best liar" contest.. the burlington liars club gave its top award to 58-year-old public health inspector jerry legro of sun prairie.
his lie: ""i just realized how bad the economy really is.
i recently bought a new toaster oven and as a complimentary gift, i was given a bank.".
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DrJohnStMark
J.F.Rutherford was the best liar. He might deserve an entry of his own in the Guinness World Records for it (even if he seemed to believe at least part of what he said): In the middle of hard times he bought two film star class Cadillacs and told the poor members of the sect that he bought them for Moses and David. Now that's ingenious!
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JW's a RELIGION based on PERFORMANCE! How dangerous is that???
by freewilly01 ini have come to realize that this religion is based almost solely on performance and that is the most dangerous.. i always felt that as a person or jw (while an active witness)that i was always just as good as my last assignment, comment at the watchtower meeting, feild service report.. this left me with a huge identity crisis in the borgorg......... i really didn't know who the hell i was?.
did any of you feel similair?
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DrJohnStMark
Very much so. I knew a few JWs who were absolutely burn out (R&F, MS and pioneers, very sincere). Because of the constant need to perform. I think I personally felt that for years even after I left the org (I was a born-in JW). And contributing to the misery: As JWs we were never satisfied, nothing we did was really enough, had to reach out for more, and the reward (that was uncertain at the personal level) was to become much later. Satisfaction postponed.
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Nearly 100 years of Devil's "short period of time" (Rev 12:12) - Ridiculous!
by yadda yadda 2 ini was reading this article on http://www.watchman.org/jw/1914hst1.htm and this paragraph struck me as particularly interesting:.
"apparently the society feels that the judgment period has stretched too far.
its been over 80 years since the judgment began in 1914. they are now saying the bible, "does not show that such judging would continue over an "extended period of many years" (watchtower, 15 october 1995, p. 22).
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DrJohnStMark
Yes, the Devil has been with us. That's why our life has been getting so much better during the last 100 years of so. As he promised in Eden.
Maybe JW's shoud take over and say the convenience of modern life and technology is due to Christ's reign since 1914... like Russell said about 1874.
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What Are You Reading?
by zoiks inok, here's my current list:.
i just finished the greatest show on earth by richard dawkins, and am almost finished crisis of conscience by...some guy.. currently in hand, i have:.
the power of myth, joseph campbell and bill moyers.
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DrJohnStMark
These are going now:
Paul Davies, The Mind of God (re-examining his earlier ideas)
Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita (also here)
Christopher Hitchens, God is not Great
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Will the Society Ever Print Another Evolution Verse Creation Book?
by frankiespeakin ini think if they do they will have to make many revisions now that information is so prevalent on the internet.
and with all that is known about dna and how it proves darwin was right i don't see how they could.
but i guess you can never put nothing past the wt and it's crack smoking writers to dig up something ridiculous to blur the lines of reality for the friends, for sure its got to be way harder to write such a book today and keep a straight face..
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DrJohnStMark
Farkel: The WTS is too smart to scuttle the doctrine by immediately referring to periods of time immensely longer than 7,000 years.
But they still continue to say "thousands of years"? Unnecessary, it seems. They might simply say that the creative days were "long" and let the those for whom it is important dig up more details in their bookshelf.
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Will the Society Ever Print Another Evolution Verse Creation Book?
by frankiespeakin ini think if they do they will have to make many revisions now that information is so prevalent on the internet.
and with all that is known about dna and how it proves darwin was right i don't see how they could.
but i guess you can never put nothing past the wt and it's crack smoking writers to dig up something ridiculous to blur the lines of reality for the friends, for sure its got to be way harder to write such a book today and keep a straight face..
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DrJohnStMark
Farkel: You haven't seen 7,000 year creative days mentioned in a long, long time. They now give some vague period of time, like "many thousands of years" when they refer to those time periods.
But never "millions of years" or even "perhaps millions of years" or more? Always just "thousands" whenever some time scale is given? If so, they know they're lying and covering up... do not want more noise on 1975, may be that simple. When was the most recent "thousands of years" in WT publications?