WalkTall

Joined

• started 31 topics
• posted 124 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by WalkTall

• 
  12

  Has the WT Study Review Been Discontinued?

  by WalkTall in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is anyone doing the wt study review anymore?

  i haven't seen blondie's wrap up in a while.

  is it on another site?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  Yes, I forgot to include my gratitude to Blondie in my original post as well. Taking care of yourself should be priorty one. I wish you continued improvement in your health and all the best that life has to offer. You have done so much for so many of us who feel angry, hurt, and confused by the continued deceptions found in the WT.
• 
  12

  Has the WT Study Review Been Discontinued?

  by WalkTall in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is anyone doing the wt study review anymore?

  i haven't seen blondie's wrap up in a while.

  is it on another site?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  Is anyone doing the WT study review anymore? I haven't seen Blondie's wrap up in a while. Is it on another site? I know it is a chore to do, but I can't tell you all enough how much it helps those of us still in who have to be subjected to this indoctrination session each week. Those times that I have gotten to read the comments in advance, has helped tremendously to get through the KH WT study and to see how they use language, misquotes, and out of context references to instill their false ideas and gain control of minds. When I first started lurking here, it was the dissection of the WT and the revelation of the propaganda techniques used that really opened my eyes. And I hope it can continue to do that for future doubting lurkers who are just beginning to open the door to reality. Does anyone know if it will be coming back?
• 
  22

  Yesterday's WT

  by WalkTall in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the whole wt yesterday, which was supposed to be about love, actually centered on how we should react to 'persecutors'.

  it was horrible to hear the audience comments...calling 'worldly people' everything from 'they are unkind and mean' to them being 'hateful and unneighborly'.

  i sat there and thought about how this 'us vs. them' mentality is the very thing that is contributing to the divisive and separatist world we live in.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  I think the insidious nature of their writing shows that the WT mag has the hallmarks of propaganda. The article appeared to be about showing love rather than retaliation, however, the true message conveyed is that anyone who is not a JW is your enemy.
• 
  28

  Tao Te Ching vs 22

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yield and overcome; bend and be straight.. empty out and be full; wear out and be renewed.. have little and gain; have much and be confused.. therefore, the true person embraces the one.

  and becomes a model for all.. do not look only at yourself, and you will see much.. do not justify yourself, and you will be distinguished.. do not brag, and you will have merit.. do not be prideful, and your work will endure.. it is because you do not strive.

  that no one under heaven can strive with you.. the saying of the old ones, .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  It wasn't until I started reading Wayne Dyer's book on the Tao that I even knew it existed. Having been a JW for so long, I didn't even realize that there were other ancient books out there that could teach us so much (dumb I know). It opened the door for me to realize there is so much ancient and modern wisdom to learn from. The Bible is included on that list, but it by no means is the only place we can search for understanding and life lessons. Farkel, you summed it up so nicely. Love the Tao!
• 
  22

  Yesterday's WT

  by WalkTall in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the whole wt yesterday, which was supposed to be about love, actually centered on how we should react to 'persecutors'.

  it was horrible to hear the audience comments...calling 'worldly people' everything from 'they are unkind and mean' to them being 'hateful and unneighborly'.

  i sat there and thought about how this 'us vs. them' mentality is the very thing that is contributing to the divisive and separatist world we live in.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  The whole WT yesterday, which was supposed to be about love, actually centered on how we should react to 'persecutors'. It was horrible to hear the audience comments...calling 'worldly people' everything from 'they are unkind and mean' to them being 'hateful and unneighborly'. I sat there and thought about how this 'us vs. them' mentality is the very thing that is contributing to the divisive and separatist world we live in. The WT is one of the top on this list, in my opinion, contributing to this sorry state, but all religions that claim exclusivity are promoting this type of thinking. Throw in nationalism, and we have a world of human beings that can't get along leading to strife, war, and injustice.

  So, although it seemed like an innocent topic about how to be loving to persecutors, it was actually teaching that it is okay to have a deep seated resentment and ill-will towards people who disagree with us or do not like us. The whole thing was so arrogant in its tone regarding getting others to accept the JW stand and point of view, however, wouldn't a real lesson based on Christ's teachings be about acceptance and tolerance all the way around? It astounds me that they don't see that.
• 
  8

  All This Real Estate Development-What Do They Have Up Their Sleeve?

  by WalkTall in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry, i put this topic mistakenly under beliefs.

  i meant to put it here.. i really can't understand what's going on.

  someone mentioned on another thread there is expansion going on at the wallkill farm.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  Sorry, I put this topic mistakenly under beliefs. I meant to put it here.

  I really can't understand what's going on. Someone mentioned on another thread there is expansion going on at the Wallkill Farm. The WT has recently bought 2 new large over 200 acres parcels for development of residence and factory buildings. Why? Everyone says it is because they are exiting Brooklyn. But I always thought that was what Patterson was supposed to be for. They are moving the printing of the magazines off to Canada. And the branch facilities in other countries do a lot of their own printing now. Not to mention all the layoffs resulting in decreased personnel. Do they really need all this real estate in the US for administration and to print a few books and Bibles?

  I just keep thinking they have something up their sleeve, but I haven't a clue what. Anyone else have any ideas?
• 
  3

  All This Real Estate Development-What Do They Have Up Their Sleeve?

  by WalkTall in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i really can't understand what's going on.

  someone mentioned on another thread there is expansion going on at the wallkill farm.

  the wt has recently bought 2 new large over 200 acres parcels for development of residence and factory buildings.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  I really can't understand what's going on. Someone mentioned on another thread there is expansion going on at the Wallkill Farm. The WT has recently bought 2 new large over 200 acres parcels for development of residence and factory buildings. Why? Everyone says it is because they are exiting Brooklyn. But I always thought that was what Patterson was supposed to be for. They are moving the printing of the magazines off to Canada. And the branch facilities in other countries do a lot of their own printing now. Not to mention all the layoffs resulting in decreased personnel. Do they really need all this real estate in the US for administration and to print a few books and Bibles?

  I just keep thinking they have something up their sleeve, but I haven't a clue what. Anyone else have any ideas?
• 
  32

  Women as second class citizens

  by iMARX in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i don't know about anyone else, but even when i was 14 or 15 i had an issue with the fact that women are weaker vessels than men and we are to be submissive to our "head" of the house etc.... people just assumed i was a moody teenager trying to be cool by disagreeing with those scriptures but i was a feminist in the making.. i even asked an elder's wife about it and i said to her: "you're a headstrong woman, how do you feel about this?

  do you think you should succumb to paul's every word and do as he says all the time??".

  she replied: "i hate that scripture too sarah.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  The issue of women is something that always bothered me. I was uncomfortable with thinking that my creator did not value me as much as a man. It never made sense to me and it is the issue that made it easier for me to open the door to questioning the Bible as being an inspired book.

  I always hated the illustration that the WT uses when talking about marriage and how a ship can only have one captain. Well, what if the captain is a woman? What if she is the one with the knowledge of how to run the ship? Should we let some clueless man run the ship aground simply because he has a penis? It is beyond ridiculous.

  Has anyone ever read Mary Russell's The Twain. It's an interesting read. I found it years ago on the Internet. Even if you are to believe the whole Adam and Eve story to be true (which I don't) she makes a point that I found interesting. The scripture (Gen 3:16) where God tells Eve that her husband would dominate her did not happen until after they had sinned. So it was more a punishment of sorts, that this is what would happen now that they were imperfect, rather than a command. He was acknowledging that the natural balance that he created was now going to be upset. Even looking at it from that aspect, you can tell it is not something that God wanted or promoted.

  So now I have come to realize that the Bible was indeed written by ancient Mediterranean men, for men, because women were not allowed to be educated and were mostly illiterate. So, naturally, they put themselves in charge and called it God's will. Take a look at modern conservative Afghanistan and we can see how this happened.
• 
  24

  Was the Apostle Paul the Rutherford of his day?

  by nugget in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was doing reseaerch on early days of the society and remembered a radio programme about the apostle paul from earlier in the year.

  the gist of the programme was that paul had remodeled the early christians in his image and that many of the restrictions and edicts from that time had little to do with jesus earlier teaching.

  for example the vilification of homosexuals and the denegration of women.. this made me think about how rutherford changed the early bible students and added restrictions to them as well trying to remodel the organisation into something he could control.. jesus spent time teaching about the kingdom, preaching the need for love, forgiveness and acceptance.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  WalkTall

  When I first began researching the Bible on my own, it was initially because of the way women were viewed. I couldn't in my heart ever believe that God preferred one gender over another. It just didn't make any sense. So I had a real grudge against Paul. But learning about how much of what is attributed to Paul was most likely written by others, and that there were also later scribal additions to what he did write, has calmed me down in my frustration of his writings. Unfortunately, however, most religions, including the WTS, take every word of his letters as coming from God, and have used them to denigrate women, homosexuals, etc. and to set up rule based religions. At the meetings and conventions I would say about 90% of scriptures used come from Paul's letters and the OT, about 10% from Jesus own words in the Gospels, and from James and Peter. The WT faith would simply not be sustainable on Jesus' teachings.
• 
  2

  What is the 'hidden wisdom', the 'deep things of God' mentioned in 1 Cor 2

  by WalkTall in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  while sitting at the meeting today i was thinking about how the wt simplistically compartmentalizes the bible.

  everything is tied up in neat little packages.

  it made me think that this is the way you would teach a kindergartner about the bible.

  1. 
  2. 
• 

  WalkTall

  While sitting at the meeting today I was thinking about how the WT simplistically compartmentalizes the Bible. Everything is tied up in neat little packages. It made me think that this is the way you would teach a kindergartner about the Bible. For example, today's WT study was about sin how it leads to death and Jesus died to save us. No discussion or reasoning on the fact that everything, including all animals and plants, eventually dies. And how so much written in the Bible are examples of the struggles of people living at that time, without advanced science, but trying to understand the totality of the human experience. That led me to think about how the Bible talked about the deep things of God, so I started reading 1 Cor 2. I'm not sure if 1 Corinthians is one of the books that has been revealed not to have been written by Paul, but I find the comments there of interest. It speaks about a sacred secret, a hidden wisdom. Verse 12 says that we received the spirit which is from God that we might know the things kindly given to us by God.

  What are your thoughts on what this all means?