Aussie Oz

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Posts by Aussie Oz

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  4

  Schnells 'into the light'...just couldn't get into it.

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just read scnells book 'into the light of christianity' and frankly for me, while having a little interesting background on russell, the rest was lost on me.. i understand some who leave the jws still needing to fill that gap with worship of god, or christ etc.

  but in his attempt to discredit the watchtower societies doctrines and teaching methods he went back to justifying hellfire torment!?

  hellfire!

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  Aussie Oz

  Just read Scnells book 'into the light of christianity' and frankly for me, while having a little interesting background on Russell, the rest was lost on me.

  I understand some who leave the JWs still needing to fill that gap with worship of God, or Christ etc. But in his attempt to discredit the Watchtower societies doctrines and teaching methods he went back to justifying Hellfire torment!? Hellfire! Well i guess he found his God was still as loving as ever. As far as i am concerned he was still as lost as ever. He had chosen to overlook his now cherished traditional christianity's own debauched lawless evil past.

  Go back through history and you will find that by the year 300 it was not possible to know if one was at a pagan or christian celebration unless told so! All the years of bloodshed through wars and inquesitions, crusades and persecutions are fancifully overlooked. And at the end over nearly 2000 years of mystery and mayhem he arrived at the churches of christendom being Gods vessels in diverse forms?

  Perhaps his second book was an attempt to promote the first transcript for 30 years, bring down the JWs. Of course the preachers of christendom showed him love, they wanted to stop the WT soc too.

  While i will never agree with the teachings of the JWs again, its not enough to send me back to Christendom.

  Perhaps i will find his first book more palatable!?

  Oz
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  44

  Does anyone find it too painful to read the WTS publications?

  by dissed in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  been out 13 years and even for research purposes, i find it way too painful to read this wt stuff.. and why?.

  all the painful memories it brings back.

  don't misread me, it has nothing to do with a guilty conscience.. it has to do with the real pain, the anger of being ripped off and lied too by the wts, the anger of seing how they have protected child molesters, sacrificed its followers by refusing blood transfusions, the treacherous way we and others were treated by the 'unloving brothers'.

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  Aussie Oz

  I still kinda get a bit spooked reading them for fear it will suck me back! But the more i learn the more i know i will never. So i keep up with the magazines because i need to know what rot my kids are being fed. I find now that when i read, it is with different eyes. Understanding eyes, critical eyes. And i see things i never knew were there!

  I see the truth when i read them... the truth that they are a cold corporation bent on control. That they treat the flock like mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed bullshit.

  Oz
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  18

  Is the GB Bloodguilty?

  by LostGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  no not about the blood issue, though i would say yes to that.. what i'm talking about is in regard to the preaching work.

  i recently commented on a thread that i thought field service was an inconvenient necessity when you are a witness.

  many active ones probably feel the same way today, as it is their ticket to paradise earth.

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  Aussie Oz

  I did a little survey last week on here, the result was that out of 43, only 9 converted from door to door work, 7 of those in the 1960s.

  The preaching work is not about converts. It is about keeping the flock so damn busy they dont have time to think.

  And even if it was the chosen method of God, it would still not be about converts... "this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth and then the end will come". It matters not whether anybody pays attention. Just the work.

  Oz
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  67

  Mental Illness with Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Hope4Others in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  this presentation goes over jerry bergman's research on mental illness with jehovah's witnesses.

  this includes over 8 different research projects conducted by different doctors.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urbxtvuat1g.

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  Aussie Oz

  My last few years with the JWs was full of depression. The last couple, really bad. My then wife wanted me to get pills for it and i refused. How did i recover?

  I left the JWs and her.

  The guilt of being a sinner, the being reminded that i am a worm, that i deserve nothing, the belief 'miserable man that i am' tore me down. When i left and realized that i was actually a good bloke, a decent human being and did not have to engage in futile preaching or boring meetings anymore, that i could draw and paint whatever i liked, that i could find love again, that i could actualy live,

  it vanished

  Oz
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  14

  Minors going door-to-door

  by doublelife in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just went to the silentlambs website and there is a link to criminalcheck.com where you can find registered sex offenders by zip code.

  so i typed in the zip code of the territory from my old congregation and i was surprised at how many people popped up.

  there was three pages of names and on almost all of those names i recognized the street address as one that i went door-to-door on.

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  Aussie Oz

  I understand that most victims are molested by somebody they already know rather than a stranger. That means they are still more vunerable at the Kingdom hall or family home than in the door to door work. Even then, they would probably be more at risk from the older person they are in service with as well. That said, my intent is not to minimize the risk of abduction either.

  Until the other week, i had always assumed that my little girl would be the safest in the world being raised in that religion. Now, i am genuinely afraid for her and plan to have a talk to her asap about the dangers.

  Oz
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  12

  Do you consider yourself to be a grownup?

  by highdose in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  although tecnicaly i am, i'm afraid i don't feel like it.

  wondered if i was in the minority or majority?.

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  Aussie Oz

  Not grown up at all. I refuse to act or dress like society thinks i should. I am not going down wearing tracksuit pants and cardigan!

  That said, i like being 'older'. The years have bought insight into life. When you are young, you can only be young. With age, you can be both at will.

  Oz
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  18

  an exchange today...something that tore at my heart.

  by restrangled in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i pulled up into my drive with a trunk full of groceries....hoping to avoid the jw's next door.

  too late, as i popped my trunk i hear behind me hello.. in general, i try to be nice, i let them introduce themselves and then let them know my mom is a current witness, i was raised one and i am out.. they dropped the witness stuff, and we introduced ourselves.

  i always shake hands....as a woman shaking hands i can always tell a sincere man.

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  Aussie Oz

  @cantleave

  I was out 10 years and still thought they were the truth

  Not everyone leaving does because they thought it was wrong. I beleived it was me that was wrong. Me that was broken. I just could not live up to the standards and lifestyle anymore. I lost my way, lost my wife, everything. It was three or four years before i could look in a mirror and say, 'i like you'.

  So, beleiving that it was me with the problem, i could not see it was the religion that was wrong. So i spent 10 years thinking, 'i know its right, i just dont want to be a part of it.' Thus for 10 years i was an apologist for them too.

  Until a month ago.

  I also think a large number go back because after a lifetime of insulation from society, when they leave they are simply not able to function in the real world. They go back, not for love of god or remorse but because it is safe.

  Oz
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  26

  How can a JW say that?

  by TD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  --that's a question i keep coming back to.

  it's probably a "human nature" question more than anything else, but perhaps someone who was a full-fledged jw (unlike myself) can explain it.

  virtually the entire jw belief system, even their name, revolves around their public ministry and this ministry is based on certain ideas and premises:.

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  Aussie Oz

  When i was in, i didnt think

  i just did.

  Did what i was told was right. Obey obey obey

  Like all the rest

  oz
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  102

  Come all Ye' Faithful... and tell us how God has answered

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  prayer.. billions of people have been praying for hundreds of years for peace.

  other billions pray for happiness for mankind.

  not one evidence exists that he hears or that he cares.. can anyone provide solid evidence that god answers prayers.

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  Aussie Oz

  I see prayer being answered as load of hoohah.

  If we think its answered in the way we want = god did it

  If we think its not answered, perhaps it is in a way we didnt expect =god did it

  If its not answered at all = we must wait on god (the good ol' god works in mysterious ways)

  I believe we have the power to influence what we 'get'. Karma if you will. So many good things come to us if we are open to them, so many of these things were once attributed to God.

  If in my times of stress i had prayed for relief, a happy wife and my cars (i have/had many toys) then i guess i would have said God answered my prayers. BUT i did not ask. I did it myself through hard work and learning to love myself.

  I have so many blessings in my life that i am truely thankful for, but not to 'God'.
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  21

  How's your decade been?

  by jookbeard in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for me positives;.

  getting married again.

  having a lovely baby daughter.

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  Aussie Oz

  i wonder what the years 1900 to 1910 were called?

  any history buffs?

  Oz