Posts by IsaacJ22

62

Name Actors/Actresses & Singers Who You Think Really Are Not That Good

by minimus in

jw
friends

some people rave about certain celebs as being so great and in reality, what's so great about them?.

i think harrison ford is a good actor but not great.

same goes for tom cruise.. patty labelle, i've seen a few times live.

Apostates Shut the door of everlasting life in Men's Faces

by mankkeli in

jw
friends

i was discussing with an elder today, and as usual the conversation drifted towards apostates and their line of reasoning, he angrily looked into my eyes with the scriptures in his hand and told me:.

(1) that apostates are destructive peddlers who shut the door of everlasting life on people as they are very sure they have no portion in there.

he quoted matt 23:13- 13 woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!

First, I don't think I'm shutting the door on paradise for me or anyone else when I criticize the Society or its religion. I simply think they don't know what the h*ll they're talking about. Just as they don't think others know what they are talking about.

Second, influencing people with cunning words? Like facts, for example? Everyone has the right to make up their own mind. To do that, they need to know every side imaginable. After all, according to the Society and many religious believers, this is the most important decision of this or any other era. What religion you pick will determine how you'll spend your eternity, right? Who are they to deny people all the information they need to make the choice for themselves.

Note, all this comes from an atheist. (Me.)

I don't usually get all fiery and stuff on here, but shame on that elder for being a narrow minded fool. Even worse is the fact that most of them probably feel the same way.

2

New XJW Podcast: Witnesses for Atheism

by IsaacJ22 in

jw
friends

for those who are interested, i've stumbled upon something pretty cool--especially for exxers turned atheists like myself.

i found witnesses for atheism via twitter (which i finally joined...sigh).. please leave them comments and let them know we're out here listening.

maybe they'll do more podcasts in the future.

IsaacJ22

For those who are interested, I've stumbled upon something pretty cool--especially for exxers turned atheists like myself. I found Witnesses for Atheism via Twitter (which I finally joined...sigh).

Please leave them comments and let them know we're out here listening. Maybe they'll do more podcasts in the future. :-)

41

How did you tell your mate that .....

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

you no longer believed that the watchtower organization was the truth, and that you were no longer going to go to the meetings or service?.

and a followup question... what was the response?.

IsaacJ22

I've been through this. My wife and nearly all my in-laws are JWs. My wife isn't very active by their standards, but she takes grief for it. She still believes, yet she seems to understand many of my objections to the WTS and religion generally.

Maybe you could sit down and have another serious talk about this and agree to some terms? It could be a set length of time to figure out a reason to stay or not, for example. I definitely wouldn't let the "where else are you gonna go" excuse be, either. The answer is wherever you want.

Of course, you can mention this to put the idea out there and then come back to it later.

16

Shepherding Call Coming Up

by dontplaceliterature in

jw
friends

well, my wife and i are supposed to be visited by a couple of elders soon, as part of a "regular shepherding program".

i am a ministerial servant in our congregation and our circuit overseer has been busting the boe's chops each visit lately for not having a program in place for shepherding.

it was previously done on an "as needed" basis, but i guess he cracked the whip pretty hard on this last visit so they are going to try to get down to business.

IsaacJ22

If I were you and planning to step down, I don't think I'd do it during a shepherding call. Paula's right. Unfortunately, confessing your own feelings upfront won't make the SC any better or shorten the length of your anxiety. Either way, you'll probably have to wait it out, man. I don't blame you for feeling anxious, though.

Besides, you'll only catch them off guard and turn what could be a routine visit into a real matter of concern. You're better off doing this when you're alone with them, though you may want to tell your wife before hand out of respect for her feelings.

Personally, I can't help but wonder if you're wife is afraid of the embarrassment it will cauce. So consider her feelings when handling this. It could make a difference to your marriage later on.

11

"All Scripture is inspired of God and Beneficial" .....

by smiddy in

did you just take that scripture at face value ?

beleiving it to be so ?.

was" all scripture is inspired by god" written down at that one time ?

IsaacJ22

I've read a few books on the Bible's history and "creation." But if you're looking for a religious commentary as opposed to a secular one, I won't be able to help you. I'm no longer a believer. Off hand, I don't recall enough to answer your initial question anyway. I would to do research. Which is what I suggest you do. There's plenty of info available for free online.

I still think you're asking very good questions, though. I think every Christian should ask those same questions, even if they don't arrive at their answers my way or don't come to the conclusions I have.

Good for you.

34

Are you an "apostate"?

by cedars in

jw
friends

i'm quite new to this site, and i've noticed that many of you are more than happy to call yourselves "apostates", even though many of you evidently believe in the bible and in jesus as saviour, etc.. i'm aware that the society brands anyone who disagrees with them as being an "apostate", but just because they choose to do this, does this mean we should be comfortable with being so branded?

should we "bend over" and take it?.

here is what the insight book says on apostasy:.

IsaacJ22

Sometimes, people can take ownership of a thing and the sting goes away.

"You're an apostate!"

"Yeah, and proud of it."

Kind of how being a geek has become something of a good thing. When I was a kid, being a geek was a lot like being a nerd. A dweeb. Etc.

For me, there is no sting. I'm generally moved to shrug my shoulders or shake my head at them, but that's about it. I'd prefer it if they left me alone anyway. Their interventions are a tremendous (and irritating) waste of time.

The only disturbing thing is how painfully effed up it is to demand that someone have a conversation with you about something that is THEIR religion--because it is no longer yours--then get bent out of shape when you tell them that you feel their faith is less than praiseworthy. And so, in retaliation, they call you an apostate that must be shunned. Even though they're the ones who started the converstaion you didn't even want to have!

Of course, I'm merely a bad associate officially. In truth, the difference is merely one of degree. It's a very cult-like thing to do. To me, it's just pitiful and obvious.

23

Migraines?

by skeeter1 in

so, i get a migraine a few times a year.

i usually take some advil and i'm fine.. but, this past month, i've had about 4 migraines.

one is coming on right now, and i'm about to take an advil.

IsaacJ22

Littlerockguy, one of the ingredients of migrelief is magnesium. I believe there are 3 ingredients. Can't remember what the rest are...

23

Migraines?

by skeeter1 in

so, i get a migraine a few times a year.

i usually take some advil and i'm fine.. but, this past month, i've had about 4 migraines.

one is coming on right now, and i'm about to take an advil.

IsaacJ22

I used to get migraines even before I started in school, but they were very infrequent. Then, through my teens, they only hit when I was under severe stress. I didn't know what they were, but they would completely immobilize me until they went away. Immitrex didn't work so well for me, but no one told me to take them early in the attack. (We have sucky doctors in Delaware...it's the malpractice mecha of the USA)

As mentioned before, it seems that sinus problems and insomnia go with many migraines. Your experiences seem to be suggesting that this is true, which is interesting to know. My grandmother also has all 3 of these problems.

Anyway, more things that help me with migraines:

Going outside and taking a walk, though this was too difficult when they first got severe. Sometimes, sitting in the bathroom with the fan on helps. Maybe something in the air here is bad for me. We also tried getting "air cleaning" plants.

Exercise (though I understand this makes them worse for some people...it used to make them worse for me, but no longer does).

Getting enough sleep and REGULAR sleep patterns. If I stay up late on a Friday because I'm off that weekend, I will likely have a migraine the whole weekend. Which sucks, BTW.

Migrelief, which I mentioned earlier, cut my migraine recurrences in half. But only after I took them for a couple of months. You may not realize it's working until you stop taking it and suddenly you have them all the time again. It works gradually. You can get them through Amazon.com with free shipping if you can't find them locally. They even mail them out every 30, 60, or 90 days if you want them with the free shipping and a discount.

I avoid artificial sweeteners. I probably have allergies.

Loud music. (Again, this would not have worked for me in the early days.)

Eat some food. Eating regular meals is a good idea, too.

With the last two, the effect can wear off quickly once you stop. But it can give you a break at least.

Visual imagery/meditation can be of some help, though it's hard to do this when the migraine is in full blast. Like so many other things, you have to start working on it as soon as you think you're getting one. You can try imagining that the migraine is a flame, then imagine the flame getting lower and lower. Then try breathing slowly through your stomach, which should lower your heart rate. You can breath starting with the stomach, then fill the lungs, and out with the air if you like. This sort of thing works with other issues, like stress and other forms of pain, too.

Try imagining that your JW in-laws are a fire that gets lower and lower...Oh. Sorry. Snuck that in.

23

Migraines?

by skeeter1 in

so, i get a migraine a few times a year.

i usually take some advil and i'm fine.. but, this past month, i've had about 4 migraines.

one is coming on right now, and i'm about to take an advil.

IsaacJ22

I just might be the migraine King. :) I used to have a suicide migraine for several years. That's a migraine that literally doesn't go away. Then I had them 3 to 4 times a week. Recently, they've almost gone away, but that could be the weather. They may come back this Winter. We'll see. A full-on migraine can be completely debilitating, as mine used to be. I couldn't work for a long time thanks to mine.

I tried Migrelief (must be similar to Migraleve as someone else mentioned). It's a cocoction of supplements/minerals. Not herbs. It takes a while of continuous use to work. I read about it in Psychology Today and thought I'd give it a try. It's supposed to take a couple months to work, and it works gradually. But now it works better than any migraine preventative my doctors prescribed. You can get it shipped for free from Amazon.com if you subscribe to it. That means you sign up to have Amazon send it to you automatically on a regular basis. (You can tell them to stop whenever you want, though.) You also get it at a discount if you do this.

Ibruprofen and naproxen sodium work better than any other over the counter pain killer. Probably because they're also anti-inflammatories. Most drugs seem to work best if you take them before the migraine get bad. Including Imitrex. If you wait until the pain is unbearable, they tend to be less effective.

Bear in mind that migraines are somewhat mysterious. They used to blame blood vessels in the brain, but that was disproven. Then they did scans that show that true migraines usually begin in the brain stem. It's like a pulse of electricity that shoots through the brain. Some brains are more susceptible in certain regions, so some people get nauseous, as I did. Others see auras. Etc.

Sometimes, sinus sufferers (me also) get migraines--or at least pain that can be considered a migraine. I seem to have multiple problems. Lack of sleep and migraines often go together. I also suffer from insomnia.

There are plenty of web sites that give info and advice on both insomnia and migraines. You might want to start checking them out.