John Locke

Joined

• started 4 topics
• posted 73 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by John Locke

• 
  25

  Richard Dawkins and Me,

  by cyberjesus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  last night i went to caltech to listen to mr dawkins.

  what a most pleasant man to listen.

  intelligent, assertive, witty, funny.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  Hey guys, I also like Dawkins more and more

  Do you know where to find announcements of his lectures?
• 
  172

  Top 10 reasons why JWs don't have the truth - please contribute

  by oldlightnewshite in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i thought it would be an interesting exercise to ask everybody on here what their 'top 10 reasons why jws don't have the truth' actually were.

  maybe we can see some correlating views/patterns/ideas that may help us de-programme the newbies that come on this site.

  if eventually most people have an outstanding gripe/concern it'll help everybody understand the ex-jw mindset a little better.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  I think I could still live with the first five reasons you mensioned in your list.

  For me the bigget reason is proud self-appointment of the organization as a sole channel of communication with god.

  And this pride, I believe, lead to other things such as lack of love (since we are already chosen and only our obidience to God and his repressentatives is what determins our salvation), manipulation with prophecies, dates and doctrines (God reveals light only through his appointed channal - FDS), problems with peadophilia is a result of constant effort to make organisation clean (to prove that it is chosen by god) in the eyes of outsiders and so on.

  As Ray Franz mansioned in his book, JW 'are the captives of concept' ant the concept is the organization.
• 
  17

  My grandma called me child of Satan

  by Newborn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my grandma is 85 and still a jw (i don't think she's one of the best though).

  i guess she's been hoping that i would come back but when we met this summer and she realised i'm together with a "worldly" man she understood i'm not planning to come back at all.

  (btw she shouldn't see me at all in the first place since i've left but she's been "tolerant" abt that).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  Sorry to hear that, Newborn. That's an example of how religin molged her mind. IMO, she's too old to make changes.

  I have extreme opposite case. One of my grandma's was never a witness. She didn't like my mam (she was my father's mam) to such an extent that when I was born she didn't come to visit me until I was about one year old. And as I understand it now she did it only because she didn't want to look bad in the eyes of other people (relatives). Even now when she calls to my father (usually to ask for money or for stuff like that) she never asks how her grand children are doing. As a result I have no feelings for her, she is just like a stranger for me.

  On the contrary, my another grandma (mother's mam) was a loving, caring woman, who would give her life for her children and grandchildren, she also loved my father and us so much. She also was never a witness, though believed in god. Unfortunetely she has passed away 9 years ago. Some of the sweetest memories of my childhood are associated with her. I miss her so much.
• 
  45

  Studying my faith away

  by the-illuminator81 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i want to introduce myself.

  i'm a 28 year old active, married jw from belgium.

  in the preceding months (i'd say starting from about march) i've been slowly losing my faith.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  At most only a few hundred of animals could be cared for in the Ark. So how could I deny evolution, stating that the 5-20 million species of earth were slowly evolving over hundreds of millions of years, but then preach that the same 5-20 million species evolved in only 4000 years from only a few hundred of animals?

  Nice point, the-illuminator81. Well, this doesn't prove evolution theory, but it certainly undermined credibility of Great Flood Bible story.

  Welcome to the forum.
• 
  25

  My Story - Abbreviated but still way too long

  by jamesmahon in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  as i have enjoyed reading everyone elses biogs here i thought it was about time that i put my own down.

  i have thought about why i want to do this and whilst i can pretend it is for the better good and it will act as a warning for others thinking of joining the witnesses, actually i think it is because i think it is just because it makes an interesting story and as will become apparent a good part of my life i had to live a lie and i now find it really liberating just to be really open with everyone.. i also thought about how to write it.

  was tempted to write it to the tune of the fresh prince but thought that might get a bit tough after about verse 38. then wondered whether i should do it in the style of one of those biography pieces in the awake but that would involve reading an awake to mimic the style and just couldnt be bothered.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  wow, 9 pages of word documet... will print it and read it later
• 
  35

  New Apostate here

  by skitt in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i did not know where to start, but figured the personal experience section was a good place to begin.

  won't bore you with all the particulars today....but i was raised in "it" (wont call it the truth, cause it ain't) from about 1968. baptized in 1985, faded about 2001.....woke up from the insanity after reading ray franz forbidden book a few years ago(crisis).

  only sorry i did not read it earlier....but there was that fear factor instilled in me.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  welcome skitt
• 
  27

  Help! I need advideQ Elders want to speak to me..

  by cia171 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as you read in the title, the elders from my congregation want to have a chat with me...which could be about to things...either why havent i gotten baptized ( since ive been in this since i was born...ive been tortured all my life lol) or either because i have a worldly boyfriend.. i dont know what to say in either case!

  i cant say i dont want to get baptized because i have to appear to like the religion til i graduate college cuz my mom pays for it and is pract blackmailing me with it, and i cant say tht i will cause i hate it!

  and about my boyfriend they will either give me advice about why not to be with him or convert him...so i dont know what to say to to pacify them and not let it get to me...so any advice?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  I am an unbaptized publisher but do not go into the field service (atend almost all meetings) for about a year. Recently had a conversation with our group oversier and he told me that I was walking on the edge. Can anyone explain me what could that mean? And what could I expect from the elders in the future? Well, I suspect that I am considered a bad assosiation since noone invites me anywhere but there was no other discussions with elders or so. Probably everythig is done behind my back. Will be greatful for you responce.
• 
  126

  So what music are you listening to?

  by BurnTheShips in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  right now, i am hearing foals' "total life forever".

  also been playing these albums a lot lately:.

  groove armada's "black light".

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  what about soundtrack from Invictus movie: 9000 days

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J1Xov0dB5Q ?
• 
  18

  the new generation teaching predicted circa 1991 !!!!!!!!

  by elderelite in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  holy shit!!!!!

  ray franz predicted the new generation teaching as early as 1991!!

  now this is taken from the 2007 edition, but that is still three years prior to it happening.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  He suggested its application to the generation of the "anointed" ones, a definition which would release it from being anchored to the 1914 date and allow for its extension for as long as any of Jehovah's Witnesses, whatever the date of their birth, professed to be of that "anointed class."

  Nowdays the idea is that generations overlap only once not many times... What Schroder suggested was manytime overlap
• 
  19

  Genuine Friends

  by ssn587 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is the wtbts concept of a genuine frined?

  i haven't ever found any in the jdubs, maybe some of you have.

  but was wondering what others think about the concept of a genuine frined in the jehovah witness organization?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  John Locke

  Tell you my story of looking for friends.

  Our foreign field congregation split into two groups and each group was attached to another bigger congregation about 60 km apart. So suddenly I lost contact with quite many brothers. At about the same time quite many brothers from other neighboring congregatins joind our group. So I wanted to make new friends. I didn't have big appartment to invite somebody for a dinner or so, that's why I decided to organize a day-trip (return the same day) to a nearby island and invited a couple of brothers and sisters from our group (including a merried couple). Two weeks before sending invitatin with detailed program I talked to each individual I wanted to invite and everybody agreed except for a sister who said that she might be busy with writing some report. In a couple of days I sent an official invitation to people I wanted to invite. Within next four day noone replied. Well, since almost everyone already egreed to come, I thought, OK they all agreed with my suggestions, though still it was a bit strange for me. After four days I received an email from the sister who was hesitating whether to come because of her report. Excerpts from her email:

  Dear John Locke,

  This looks good and it sounds like a fun plan. I have only one little problem, I talked to Brother xxx about the trip to the Island and he kind of discouraged me. He wanted to know who were going to the Island and i told him but by then, I did not know that yyy and zzz were going. The fact that both of them are going changes the whole perspective but why don't we (me, you, yyy and zzz) double check on Tuesday just to be sure that we are not doing something that will bring reproach on our dear God's name.

  Of course I trust you very much but even within the christian congregation we still have to be careful who we associate with... My dear brother, I hope you understand, right? I will talk to you tomorrow.
  
  Lots and lots of Christian Love,
  
  ???

  (br. xxx is an elder, yyy and zzz is a merried couple I mentioned before)

  Well, to be honest, that just freaked me out. Apparently that sister, without talking to me first, started to disscuss my plan with an elder. After conversation with an elder I realized that he knows even more about the trip then I do. And probably (don't know all the details) he tald to other people in the group not to go with me without telling anything to me. That might explain why nobody replied to my email.

  All this just broke me... That's how the friendship is conditioned in the watchtower. You cannot make friends if first do not ask an elder if this brother or sister is a good brother or sister. People are not able to deternine that for themselves. They need to know the viewpoint of someone with authority.

  And it's sad. I canceled everyting in the end since don't believe in frienship which is based on a lack of trust.