I always loved that one! The Witnesses themselves have actually been passing that "crazy presentation" around in email forwards for years. I have a copy saved on my computer (along with other jokes, etc.) that I received from a Pioneer friend in 2001. The best part is, that we all knew it was rediculous even then! But being out and having perspective on it now, it's even funnier!
dandingus
JoinedPosts by dandingus
-
11
The perfect door presentation of "The Truth"
by WingCommander ini don't know if i, or smoeone else, shared this before but i thought it funny and odd enough to share again.
imagine if you will, if we actually presented what we all know to be true about the beliefs of the jw's at the door when we were witnesses.
after all, jesus message was to be simple; simple enough that even the poorest and most uneducated would be able to accept him and convert to christianity, no matter the flavor of kool-aid we were pushing.
-
-
-
40
Was Jehovah God Ever Real To You?
by minimus inwe were supposed to "love" jehovah god.
we were taught how wonderful a god he is and how fortunate we were to be his people.
of course, you can't see jehovah god.
-
-
dandingus
Was Jehovah God Ever Real To You?
Absolutely. The weird thing is that I kind of even miss feeling like he's there sometimes. I'm not saying he's not, but I can't prove to myself that he is. And thinking that he was watching over me and cared for me was comforting in many ways. He was as real to me as anyone I could see. When I prayed, I meant every word.
Jehovah was very real to me all my life. Then one day i found myself about to end it all and i realised that if Jehovah was there that he didn't care about me.
highdose, same thing happened to me.
-
26
How do you handle JW encounters?
by Girlie inso this past saturday, i stopped over at my parents' home to take care of some business.
as my brother dropped me off in front of the house, lo and behold, the witnesses from my previous congregation were parked right in front of my parents' home.
damn..... they were in a car group working a frequent rv who lives next door to my folks.
-
-
dandingus
Pepper spray.
keyser soze, LMFAO!!!! I love it.
-
36
Did You "Linger" On As Witness Hoping That All The Pieces Would Fit?
by minimus inblueblades/mall cop said in a post that he was "lingering" on as a jw for decades hoping to understand things about the "truth" that were still unexplainable.
(my words, paraphrasing).. i did the same thing for probably a decade, either hoping things in the organization might change or i might finally "get it", regarding some teaching or viewpoint that just seemed to make no sense.. did you hang on to the "truth" much longer than you should have?.
-
-
dandingus
My faith was waning for about a year before finally there was an event that drew the line in the sand and threw me past the point of no return. But I had my doubts, and it was all starting to unravel for about a year before that.
-
5
When did it happen for you? "Us/We" becomes "Them/They"
by Mad Sweeney init has only been around a year since i started investigating the borg and i wasn't really convinced that i had to get out until just a few months ago but it seems i've already begun calling the dubs "them/they" rather than "us/we.
" it wasn't really a conscious decision, either; it kind of just happened shortly after i determined to stop using the term "the truth.".
how long did it take for you?
-
-
dandingus
For me, it happened when I lost that warm, fuzzy pseudo-family feeling. It happened very quickly (in fact in one day). I had been feeling isolated, misunderstood, and alone for a while in my congregation. But there was a straw that broke my sagging back. In that moment, I realized that these people were no brothers of mine, did not care about me, and would stab me in the back (and did) in a heartbeat if they could get anything out of it. I saw that they were consumed by making rules and hypocritically clinging to the letter of the law (which was usually man made) and missed the spirit of mercy, compassion, and love completely. That was when for me I said to myself "they are no brothers of mine". First time I said "they". It was no longer "we", as I no longer identified myself with those people.
-
23
Do you hold any ''responsibility'' for the believing the WTS?
by RULES & REGULATIONS injehovah's witnesses are the only people that will inherit life on paradise earth.
only jehovah's witnesses have the ''truth''.
the wts is the only ''channel' 'to jehovah.
-
-
dandingus
I was a child. Why would we ever question that what our parents taught us was anything but the truth? They taught me the sky was blue, that the stove was hot, and so many other things that were right. Why doubt them about God? Weren't they the smartest people on the planet? Didn't they have all the answers? It takes time to grow up and make up your own mind to realize they don't have all the answers. But first you have to have a reason to question, and then the courage to question once you have a reason!
-
26
How do you handle JW encounters?
by Girlie inso this past saturday, i stopped over at my parents' home to take care of some business.
as my brother dropped me off in front of the house, lo and behold, the witnesses from my previous congregation were parked right in front of my parents' home.
damn..... they were in a car group working a frequent rv who lives next door to my folks.
-
-
dandingus
Very good question Girlie! It's extremelly awkward having to interact with them once you've left, especially individuals from your former Hall.
Typically I just ignore them when I see them. Not to be mean, but just to avoid having to go through the awkward conversation. There are a few individuals that I will never speak to again, but for the most part if the average Pub. actually recognized me and said "hi" I would respond politely enough.
Fortunately for me my appearance has changed a great deal from what people remember me as. My hair is long and I have a beard now. I even walked into a bar a few weeks ago and an entire family from my old Hall was sitting there. (Yes, they were all in a bar which is another matter entirely and I'm sure they kept that kind of behavior hush-hush.) I looked the mother and the daughter (who is my age) right in the eye and they didn't even blink. I just walked by and ordered my beer.
So I guess I have it easy. But I've had my share of awkward moments among them. Usually I just politely tell them I'm no longer going to meetings, and with their built in fear of anyone who's left, it's usually enough to end the conversation quickly without getting into a lot of ugly details.
I hope it gets easier for you. I've seen that the longer you are out, the easier it gets because the word gets out and eventually they'll just forget about you or stop talking to you when they see you.
-
21
Who created time?
by acolytes inif you read the genesis account it says god created this and god created that.
however nowhere does it say god created time.. acolytes.
.
-
-
dandingus
This is a topic that I was musing on heavily of late. Both Snotrag and Simon have valid points from Quantum and Newtonian physics. An interesting corollary emerges when considering the question of God and time.
Is God (if it exists, but that’s another discussion) bound by time? I think this is another way of putting your question “who created time?”. If God created it then he/she/it is beyond the boundary of that dimension and one would assume able to traverse it at will, having mastery over it as with any other created thing. In this scenario the past, present, and future are all accessible to God anytime he/she/it chooses.
But in this, the Biblical import of almost all “Christian” teaching breaks down at least from a causal perspective. Everything in the universe is a study in cause and effect. And so it is with Biblical teachings. Adam and Eve sinned thus plunging man into an imperfect state, thereby necessitating a ransom by a savior being sent to atone for our sins. If God is not bound by time, could he see the choice Adam and Eve were going to make before it happened? If so, why not simply prevent the “tragedy” from ever unfolding? Why make the choice to send his most beloved son to die a horrible, senseless death that could have been averted in the first place with a little physics magic on his part?
The logical conclusion to the Biblical narrative is that God, while mighty, is as enslaved within the confines of time as we are. Only then do his “decisions” and “actions” as related in the bible truly make any sense. And if we accept this to be true, what does that speak to the nature of time and the nature of God?
I invite your thoughtful discussion…
-
29
It looks like the new song book is bombing!
by Mickey mouse inhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/okay-is-it-just-my-hallor-can-nobody-sing-the-new-kingdom-melodies/292219582186?ref=mf.
-
-
dandingus
Wow, MickeyMouse, that's quite an exhaustive list. It was neat reading through the changes. I left in very early 2005 and I can still recall many of these melodies very clearly. Did anyone else notice a theme here? That they're removing all of the more "militant" sounding songs as well as those that specifically push Jesus as king? The one that surprised me was the "Marraige" song. What will they sing at weddings now? They also pulled EVERY song about children/young people. Are there new ones that take their place? Or did they just drop the topic entirely? Curiouser and curiouser...
-
70
Does Anyone Miss Being In The Jehovah's Witness Cult?
by minimus ini saw 6 jw zombies walking up a hill near where i live the other day.
they all were dressed nicely.
they walked together in twos.
-
-
dandingus
No one's posted on this thread for a couple of days, but I feel compelled to add my two cents. Unlike some, who responded to your question, Mimimus, with a glib "no" and ran away, I think it is a thought provoking and insightful question. I was a Regular Pioneer for 6 years and a MS who spent some time at Bethel and even went to an International Convention in South America before I left. I was baptised at 16 and was in until I was 24. I have been out for more than 5 years, but still have family who are witnesses. They barely talk to me, if at all, even though I was never disfellowshipped or disassociated. I just kind of walked out the door and never walked back in.
In doing so I feel liberated in a way, but I can definitely say that there is a great deal of confusion. I'm a scientifically minded person who now considers myself to be agnostic, but losing God has also meant losing the certainty and direction I had in life. Religion of any kind simply will not do any longer. And sometimes I feel like I've lost part of myself in all of that. Sometimes now it seems there's no point to it all, so why bother? Anyone else feel that way sometimes? So I guess I miss feeling like I was a part of something larger than myself instead of being out here on my own with no real sense of where it is I'm heading.
I would also say that for me it's the loss of every friend I'd ever known. Truth be told, many of them weren't really friends at all, just people who would use me and never give anything in return. But a few (very few) were friends for their part and I do miss them. I never really made friends in school with non-Witnesses (because why would we, that would have been aweful, right?), so they were all I ever had. I also miss the only girl I ever fell in love with, who is still a witness. And even though she married someone else now, she still has my email address and has been bugging me to come back to the church. She even invited me to the District Convention last summer, which was really odd after all these years being out. But the weirdest part was that I went. Just for half of one day, that was all I could stomach. And I'm sure I rocked their world a little since I now have a beard and long hair and showed up dressed head to toe in all black. :) But I still ask myself why it is that I even considered doing that. I'm not sure I have an answer.
So I would say "yes", and "no" to missing being a Witness. You can't unlearn what you have learned, so I don't think I could go back if I wanted to (which I don't). But there are certain things about that life, and who I was when I was living it, that I miss very much sometimes.
Great, great question. Thanks.