Expanded-Mind

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Posts by Expanded-Mind

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  23

  Waiting on Jehovah? yeah right

  by BlindersOff1 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what has been your experience with this?

  observations?.

  does it ever work?.

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  Expanded-Mind

  Good advise from Benjamin Franklin:

  "God helps those who help themselves" (Poor Richards Almanac 1757)

  ExpandedMind
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  23

  Waiting on Jehovah? yeah right

  by BlindersOff1 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what has been your experience with this?

  observations?.

  does it ever work?.

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  Expanded-Mind
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  17

  WTS position on DF'ed family members

  by harleybear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is the wts going to do if a non df'ed individual is the primary care provided for say an elderly family member or a handicapped child or parent?

  many of us are in the position that without our assisting these folks they would have no where to turn.

  does not the bible admonish a responsiblity to these loved ones??

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  Expanded-Mind

  Good morning!

  I just had to weigh in on this discussion. As a former JW and the father of children who are extremely loyal to the Watchtower Society, I may at some point in my life (hopefully decades from now!) find myself in the position of needing their help.

  So when I read this quote from the Kingdom Ministry that was quoted above "For example, a disfellowshiped parent may be sick or no longer able to care for himself financially or physically. The Christian children have a Scriptural and moral obligation to assist. (1 Tim. 5:8)," I could feel my blood pressure go up! :)

  I have read this quote before and it really angers me. Why in the heck is it these 'Christian children's' scriptural and moral obligation to assist a sick, elderly parent (don't get me wrong, I am glad they can at least do that much!), but prior to that sickness, at least according to the Watchtower, there appears to be NO SCRIPTURAL OR MORAL obligation to show any form of 'honor' to their parent by checking in to see how their parent is doing (but instead they must treat their parent as DEAD)??? Maybe if these children had checked in on their parent, the parent wouldn't have gotten sick to begin with...

  Talk about the Watchtower Society twisting things for their own purposes.

  Thanks for letting me vent!

  ExpandedMind
• 
  21

  Members of New Zealand Families Who've Left the Org...

  by bigmouth in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in the ten years or so since we (bigmouth and one of twelve) left the wts i've sometimes wondered about our family members and their children who might have also left and felt isolated.. i'm thinking of some big families and extended families particularly the preece's, collards, keoghan's, gibbes and tocher's.. if you know any of these families why not post here and say hello.

  you don't need to give your name and if you want to know who we are, just send a personal message and i'll tell you.. we have no need to hide from anyone now and it might just be nice to hear each others experiences and answer some questions..

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  Expanded-Mind

  Hello!

  I heard that a good friend I had when I was a JW (live in the USA), went on to become a Circuit Overseer in New Zealand... His name was Mike Krammer and was married.

  Do any of you know of him and whether or not he might have left the organization?

  Thanks...

  ExpandedMind
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  17

  Mormons at the door

  by jws in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so yesterday afternoon i'm minding my own business when the doorbell rings.

  i answer the door to find a couple of mormons.

  i get into discussions with them from my agnostic viewpoint.

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  Expanded-Mind

  I am hoping my comments will post this time... I usually use my IE 9 browser, so I went to my Firefox browser to give it a try... third times a charm, or so they say!

  Perhaps these two Mormons took down your address and, if not too embarrassed, will come back to visit you, giving you an opportunity to discuss this! That would be one interesting conversation!

  ExpandedMind
• 
  17

  Mormons at the door

  by jws in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so yesterday afternoon i'm minding my own business when the doorbell rings.

  i answer the door to find a couple of mormons.

  i get into discussions with them from my agnostic viewpoint.

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  Expanded-Mind
• 
  17

  Mormons at the door

  by jws in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so yesterday afternoon i'm minding my own business when the doorbell rings.

  i answer the door to find a couple of mormons.

  i get into discussions with them from my agnostic viewpoint.

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  2. 
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  Expanded-Mind
• 
  37

  Those of us who left the WT for less than noble reasons

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sometimes i feel like a second class apostate...not that anyone has ever said anything to make me feel that way, i just do, you know what i mean?.

  i left the jws because i just couldn't fight my flesh anymore.

  the battle inside was going to kill me literally.

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  Expanded-Mind

  Hi, Aussie Oz!

  I sent you a PM...

  Best,

  ExpandedMind
• 
  37

  Those of us who left the WT for less than noble reasons

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sometimes i feel like a second class apostate...not that anyone has ever said anything to make me feel that way, i just do, you know what i mean?.

  i left the jws because i just couldn't fight my flesh anymore.

  the battle inside was going to kill me literally.

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  Expanded-Mind
• 
  52

  Honest questions for believers.....

  by Paulapollos in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  over the last couple of years, i have done a lot of reading, and rather than answering my questions, it has made me think even more - particularly about god and the bible.. when i was kicked out of the wtbts, it was because of my personal belief in jesus.

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  Expanded-Mind

  Hi, Paulapollos!

  I also struggled with the same issues you noted in your original post. After leaving the Watchtower organization, I jumped head first into Evangelical Christianity. As I look back at that time, it is interesting to me that questions I had about the authority of the Watchtower Society surfaced and I began to ask the same questions of God, the Bible and Christianity.

  As do others, I believe in God but no longer consider myself a Christian. I am a Deist. I believe that God's existence is evident through nature and all that we can know --- or need to know --- about God is revealed through nature and science. I have pondered many of the arguments of atheism, and agree with many of the arguments, but when it comes to the existence of God, the arguments against it just didn't convince me. But the thing is this: I am not longer obligated to keep my head in the sand. I can take an honest look at any and all teachings and views --- from any person or group --- without fear.

  "It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry." Thomas Paine

  "The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size." Oliver Wendell Holmes

  Best,

  Expanded-Mind