I agree it is addictive. However how you manage your time is your responsibility. If you feel you are goofing off when you should be working then do your work first then reward yourself with half and hour on the board when you have done what you need to. After all you won't be able to surf the web when the bailifs take your pc away.
Posts by nugget
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58Is it time to move on from this board?
by John Doe ini spend too much time here goofing off when i should be working.
i no longer read doctrine threads or much of anything in the way of jw issues.
anyone else with similar thoughts?.
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21
Dubs at the Door
by Farkel inknock, knock.... hh (householder): yes?
dub1: good morning.
we are working with a group of your neighbors today sharing some christian good news about the future.
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nugget
Very good. The best way to open eyes of cult members is to get them thinking about other cults. Priceless.
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Disfellowshipping, what else can they do in a case like this one? .....
by HappyGuy inokay, the disfellowshipping doctrine is inhumane, usually.
but, i remember a "brother" in jacksonville, florida, can't remember his name, i was 17 at the time, i think he was 18. this scumbag claimed to be a jehovah's witness.
we went to the same school.
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nugget
I think what is particularly problematic about disfellowshipping is that the congregation are told nothing more than that a particular person is no longer a JW. They are told not to ask questions about the offence as the person was not disfellowshiped for wrongdoing they were df'd because they were not repentant. Gossip is discouraged and if JCs are held correctly no one other than those directly involved would ever know anything. In addition if an axe weilding, drug dealing, sexual predator elder with murderous tendancies was sorry then it would be kept secret.
This makes Df'ng a blunt tool. Sometimes as in the case of Paulapollos the congregation is deliberately misled into thinking the DF'g was a result of something other than the original offence. So very often even if someone was DF'd for a serious offence how can the congregation protect itself? If you aren't involved directly how will you know someone is a paedophile, drug dealer, or whatever? A few years back a brother sat at the back along side my young family at every meeting, months later I finally discovered he was being investigated for abusing his step daughter. No one took the time to warn me it's all secret. He was finally DF'd but if the 2 witness rule was not met he may only have been reproved and I would still have been none the wiser.
Because of the whole secrecy thing DFing does not protect the congregation at all. Also because of the wide range of offences smoking, buying a lottery ticket, celebrating wordly holidays, immorality, drunkeness, drug dealing, questioning the organisation etc there is no real way to determine who is a more immediate threat and who isn't.
Everyone is lumped together and if someone is reinstated no one questions the past letting potential wolves start again in fresh congregations.
The best way to protect the congregation is to skip the kangaroo court and seek remedy through the legal system, if someone is in prison and convicted in court then that is better protection. There is no secrecy since everyone knows what they did wrong and even if they are released later people know and can make their own judgements.
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My experience
by spawn inthought i'd better say hi!
to say i was once a "worldly person" would be an understatement.
i consider myself to be a man who has "been there and done that" and enjoyed all the pleasures of the world.
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nugget
Spawn / little sister - the answer to your problems is BEER (well not quite yet for little sister).
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The Rise of the Conscious Class
by truthseeker in"i believe in one god, and no more; and i hope for happiness beyond this life.
i believe the equality of man, and i believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.
but, lest it should be supposed that i believe many other things in addition to these, i shall, in the progress of this work, declare the things i do not believe, and my reasons for not believing them.
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nugget
It is a shame we don't have a secret greeting so we would know when we met another of like mind it would be fun.
The only problem with being a member of the concious class is that you are concious and irritated. I find the meetings are a source of constant annoyance. I have to check material before we go to ensure that I won't be too tempted to put my hand up and say "wake up you people this is a total steaming pile of BS."
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Advice Needed!
by Cthulhu inso, as some of you know, the dubs in my locale have this story about me and breaking and entering and selling stolen goods, etc.
i've recieved several calls during the last few days.
they've even stopped at my job, again.
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nugget
I agree with yknot, they are using allegation as leverage. You can have no guarantee that once they receive the DA letter they will drop it. If their case is weak and based on conjecture than a solicitors letter is the best way to put an end to it.
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core doctrins
by inbetween inthe idea came up, when a poster (sorry cant find the thread) mentioned something about, that as long as the wts do not change core-doctrins, most jw would not mind.. changing things like "generation", "sealing of anointed" etc, they take as new light, and dont see any problem... it made me think, what actually are core doctrins for jw ?.
some say, teachings like no trinity, soul, hellfire, paradise earth etc.... while this is true, i think we must define, what are really core-doctrins:.
my definition:.
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nugget
This did make me think. I would say that the core doctrines are those laid out in the Bible teach book since belief in these is enough for someone to get baptised.
God is the Creator
He is not a trinity
Jesus is his son
There is no hell
People do not have an immortal soul
There will be a resurrection of the dead
A limited number go to heaven to rule as kings
The hope for the majority of mankind is to live forever on Earth
No blood
No worldly celebrations
After that we get into the dodgey ground you mention above. I think your definition is correct but the problem is you are not allowed to believe anything that goes against the published words of WTBTS. So if for example you don't believe in a worldwide flood or mankind being 6,000 years old then that is enough to get you DF'd.
Also in amongst these so called foundation doctrines there have been significant changes of viewpoint .
It just goes to show what a shifting sand we have been standing on all these years without realising it.
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Just don't know what to do.
by Weeping ini disagree on some doctrine with the organisation.
yet, i also know these are the kindest,most loving people on earth.
such people must be guided by the holy spirit.
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nugget
This board represents a wide range of viewpoints and ideologies. What is common is that everyone has the opportunity to research and arrive at conclusions with no coercion from others. This is what adds to the lively debate since an atheist and a christian can debate a point without it falling into acrimony.
Some who are now atheists were once devout JWs. However when they conducted research into the societies history, and the origins of the doctrines as well as the robustness of the NWT of the Bible they found deep seated problems. Some have questioned a scriptual interpretation of the world finding more substance in science. This was not a snap decision for many but a sincere search for answers and an atheisitic viewpoint seemed right for them.
There are others who like you find that there are specific doctrines that cause concern and although they may not have all the answers they are happy to remain believers in God. The question here is not whether there is a God, but whether he would use a channel such as WTBTS as his exclusive voice on Earth. As another poster said if a religion is going to demand as much from you as JWs does then they must also be able to withstand a high level of scrutiny. If a religon cannot withstand investigation then you have to question whether it has the right to speak exclusively for God and Christ. I personally have found this board to be extremely helpful and supportive in my attempts to determine what I believe and how I can best express my faith. Mouthy, Challam and others have been particularly helpful in this regard.
As JWs we are taught to judge other religons and viewpoints in a negative way. We are taught that the societies opinion is the only one that matters. As soon as someone contradicts what we say we stop paying attention to the words and look for a way in with our arguments. On this board we learn, debate and truly listen to what others have to say. You do not have to agree with all points of view but they will at the very least get you thinking.
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A Demon Experience?......This was/is very serious to me.
by awildflower inso when we moved here from maine to okc, six years ago this coming april, my daughter was 7. the military moved us so it brings a big moving truck to your house and unloads all of your stuff etc.
we had been settling in for a few months and my daughter starting telling me that she was hearing things in her room.
small things at first, just enough to prick up her ears.
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nugget
As witnesses we are highly sugestable Minimus' thread on demons shows this. This may explain some of it. When you believed your house was free of demonic influence your child believed. It doesn't explain it just offers an alternative point of view.
I don't know if demons in the JW sense exist but I do know that sometimes unexplained things can happen and I would not like to belittle your experience. I have had people recount first hand experiences that were difficult to explain and they seemed very sincere.
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Were You Afraid To Talk Out Loud For Fear The Demons Might Hear You?
by minimus ini know of many witnesses that were petrified that if they spoke about something out loud, the demons.
i swear jws think the demons.
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nugget
Yes I never admitted to deep fears because if Satan knew what they were he might use them against me. I didn't want to give him an unfair advantage. Sounds silly now but at the time it was a concern.