Posts by cofty

39

Is it possible to nullify a baptism?

by idk123 in

hope you are all well,.

i was wondering within the organisation if there are any guidelines or grounds for nullifying a baptism.

see i grew up a jehovah's witness and was baptised at age 13, i didn't get baptised for the right reasons, i felt pressured to because my friends were getting baptised at the same time.

cofty

Hi welcome to the forum.

When I was an elder 25 years ago there was no provision for annulment of baptism. I strongly doubt anything has changed since. Sadly the organisation pressure youths to get baptised specifically so that they can exert some control over them and make leaving a costly decision.

Are your parents taking a hard line? Sometimes parents are willing to maintain some contact with DFd children as long as they don't see you as a threat to their faith. Other's are unwilling to compromise. It's shameful cultish behaviour but at least you got out when you still have time to enjoy a good education and career.

15

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!!!

by minimus in

jw
friends

i’m wishing all of my friends here a great new year!.

cofty

Happy New Year everybody from North East England

20

'Jehovah's Witnesses' Label Added to Trolley

by cofty in

yesterday i noticed on four trolleys i passed (and had a long useful conversation at one but more on that later) they had added a label identifying themselves as jehovah's witnesses.

it was just a simple printed piece of white card stuck on next the logo.. is this a new requirement?

was it a directive from hq or i wonder if the local council require it..

cofty

Interesting. So not a local issue then.

Hopefully a PIMO will be able to tell us why. I would be willing to bet it has been forced on them for legal reasons.

9

Do you have a favorite picture?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

it can be beautiful landscape, etc... share it with us!

.

cofty

This is Hagar by the Scottish painter Andrew Geddes.

I first saw it hanging in the National Gallery in Edinburgh many years ago when I was still a JW. I had heard the story many times but never stopped to see it from Hagar's perspective. This work stopped me in my tracks. Look in her eyes and tell me you can still view Abraham as a model of faith.

I bought a postcard of it from the gallery shop and stuck it on my desk from then until long after I left the cult. It would be a gross exaggeration to say I was awakened by a painting but it definitely affected me.

20

'Jehovah's Witnesses' Label Added to Trolley

by cofty in

yesterday i noticed on four trolleys i passed (and had a long useful conversation at one but more on that later) they had added a label identifying themselves as jehovah's witnesses.

it was just a simple printed piece of white card stuck on next the logo.. is this a new requirement?

was it a directive from hq or i wonder if the local council require it..

cofty

I don't think it would be a decision of a local body of elders as the trolleys came from various congregations.

The local council probably would need to grant permission in city centre bit I'm not certain.

20

'Jehovah's Witnesses' Label Added to Trolley

by cofty in

yesterday i noticed on four trolleys i passed (and had a long useful conversation at one but more on that later) they had added a label identifying themselves as jehovah's witnesses.

it was just a simple printed piece of white card stuck on next the logo.. is this a new requirement?

was it a directive from hq or i wonder if the local council require it..

cofty

As in a label with " Jehovahs Witnesses" written on it?

Yes exactly, just made up on somebody's inkjet printer and stuck on - on all four trolleys in Edinburgh city centre yesterday. I doubt if they would do it unless they were told to. It's hardly going to increase interest in their literature.

I'm wondering if the council require them to make it clear who they represent.

20

'Jehovah's Witnesses' Label Added to Trolley

by cofty in

yesterday i noticed on four trolleys i passed (and had a long useful conversation at one but more on that later) they had added a label identifying themselves as jehovah's witnesses.

it was just a simple printed piece of white card stuck on next the logo.. is this a new requirement?

was it a directive from hq or i wonder if the local council require it..

cofty

Yesterday I noticed on four trolleys I passed (and had a long useful conversation at one but more on that later) they had added a label identifying themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses. It was just a simple printed piece of white card stuck on next the logo.

Is this a new requirement? Was it a directive from HQ or I wonder if the local council require it.

12

Spike in data use by smartphones

by mikeflood in

like since three months ago, my smartphone's data is reaching the 35 gb mark.

!!!

never watch movies in it, and beforehand used to be like 5 or 7 gb, any thoughts?.

cofty

Wow! You can look in your settings to see which app is using the most data.

I think it's Snapchat that is very greedy.

15

Those who want to believe in god

by JimmyYoung in

i find it funny how many people want to broad cast their religion on fb then whine whine when others critique it.

its like the ny times saying no one has a right to criticize its oped.

don't put it on the world wide web if you don't want others opinion on it.

cofty

DD - Pentecostals are fundamentalists. In every post I have made in this thread I have been careful to make a distinction. Fundies reject science and the results of the enlightenment. We need to oppose the dogma of fundamentalist christianity.

Millions of mainstream christians, such as Anglicans, Episcopalians, Congregationalists and Universalists, do not claim the the bible is infallible. They accept evolution, in fact some leading scientists are christians of this sort. They don't need to do mental gymnastics to accommodate reality.

I'm wondering if the problem in communication here is because fundamentalist christianity is almost universal in the USA and the opposite is the case in the UK and Europe.

I think we need to make a distinction between a Salafist Jihadi and the elderly lady shuffling off to her parish church.

15

Those who want to believe in god

by JimmyYoung in

i find it funny how many people want to broad cast their religion on fb then whine whine when others critique it.

its like the ny times saying no one has a right to criticize its oped.

don't put it on the world wide web if you don't want others opinion on it.

cofty

Absolutely. Especially if it’s harmful and an impediment to advancement. - DD

If you look at my first post on this thread you will that I am making a distinction between fundamentalist christianity and mainstream christians who accept the facts of science and scholarly criticism of the bible. My criticism of Jimmyyoung is that he attacks an easy target and tars all believers with the same brush.

In what ways do you think Anglican Christianity or Universalism is an impediment to advancement?