today

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  175

  The facts on crucifixion, stauros, and the "torture stake"

  by Leolaia in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  finally, i will look at biblical and patristic evidence bearing on the crucifixion of jesus in particular.

  we need to examine the earliest known descriptions of the kind of crucifixion adopted by the romans and the specific terms they used to refer to it.

  apparently the society believes that crux still meant "stake" in the second century a.d., when tacitus composed his annals.

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  today

  Leolaia thanks for the time you set aside to put this together and for its thoroughness. Wish I had known about this site years ago.
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  49

  Hello - I´m new here

  by Starfish in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  just wanted to introduce myself.... .

  i am a secret fader but since reading this forum i feel i am alot more confident about telling my family/friends that i don t go to the meetings and inactive.. my hubby is also a fader with me...we kind of drifted after my first baby was born.

  she is now 11.. it all started with my mom who started studying with my cousin when i was about 15. while she was studying i also started studying (i was about 16).

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  today

  Hi and welcome to the board. It's action packed around here. Think your going to love it. Curious to know, how are things with your mom?
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  24

  JWD vs. JWN

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was reading some of the older stuff and my, has jwd/jwn matured!.

  everyone has grown.. i sure do like jwn better than its predecessor!.

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  today

  That's why trolls are integral to any good DB

  Having never been a JW myself, I really saw the meaning of cognitive dissonance on this board through the trolls. Honestly some of the best information I have filed away came out of watching a hot debate with one of them. I know how insensitive they can sometimes be but there are times I wish we could ignore that completely and focus on the topic, refuting their argument point by point.
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  154

  Last Night's Intervention

  by brotherdan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm afraid of starting a new post because i've stepped on a few feet here with my last post... but i still love you guys.. last night i went home to find my wife and her friend on the couch with the bible, ready to show me how i'm wrong and exercising "apostate thinking".

  my wife said, "i am unable to fight you with the bible because you know more than me about it.

  but k** knows more and will be able to show you how you are wrong.. so my wife went into the other room so as not to be stumbled by my discussion.

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  today

  ...you and your wife will change together and you'll do it more quickly and wonderfully on a picnic blanket than hunched over old WTs chewing dusty facts.

  Romance her.

  Be the best husband you can be. Be a better husband than you ever were while in the Borg. Talk about being won over without a word? You can do it.

  Remember when you were courting how sweet you were. Like that.

  I'm now just trying to appeal more to her authentic personality while trying to keep her cult personality from coming out.

  I felt I would never be able to reach my husband, having never been a JW myself. I was reading voraciously trying to understand the doctrine so that I could refute it and get my husband to see the truth. But it was too much. So many errors, so many changes I couldn't keep track. It felt hopeless I would never be able to remember all this stuff. After my first post here I read the books recommended to me. Steven Hassan's books saved my sanity. I'm still researching and filing away info for later use but my main focus now is on loving my husband. I refuse to argue over the WT but I'll be ready to discuss it when he is. I wont force the issue. He's still aloof and standoffish but I'm not. I'm "love bombing" him . This Tuesday he didn't go to his meeting. He never misses. We spent a relaxing evening at home.
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  20

  I need to vent.

  by EmptyInside in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i needed to post here to vent.

  because, the person i really want to give a piece of my mind to is an elder and my, sometimes, self-righteous brother.

  twice in my presence, he brought up cases of sisters marrying unbelievers and how they should be "marked" because of marrying outside the "truth".

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  today

  So here is yet another biblical smackdown.

  Bane I just posted that I thought you were funny on another thread but this is quite aggressive. Why the hostility when someone is expressing the need to let off some steam and with good reason?

  EmptyInside it's unfair but don't let it get to you too much.
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  60

  Why are you here, Bane?

  by dgp in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was wondering.

  not that i have anyone in mind (except for bane).

  what motivates an active and zealous jehovah's witness to come to a website like this one and insult everyone for being apostates, et cetera?

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  today

  ...it did start out as a true JW site, until the owner began to see postings from Apostates that showed the inconsistancies of the WT dogma

  So the owner, Simon, left the Organization, but kept the domain name for a very good reason, to allow others to see the truth for what the WTS truly is...

  Wow. I'm still a bit new here. This is intriguing.

  This is Bane from the Batman comics. Hugely muscled, cunning, and downright a genius. He broke the guy no one could break. I break apostates and eat them for breakfast. I out muscle, out cun, and out scripturize them at every turn.

  Bane you made me laugh this is so funny.
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  154

  Last Night's Intervention

  by brotherdan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm afraid of starting a new post because i've stepped on a few feet here with my last post... but i still love you guys.. last night i went home to find my wife and her friend on the couch with the bible, ready to show me how i'm wrong and exercising "apostate thinking".

  my wife said, "i am unable to fight you with the bible because you know more than me about it.

  but k** knows more and will be able to show you how you are wrong.. so my wife went into the other room so as not to be stumbled by my discussion.

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  today

  my wife pretended to be interested in hearing what I had to say. I thought that it was great. But then I realized that she was deliberately trying to start a fight.

  Don't take it personal. I know that's hard but don't take it personal. This is one of the most important things I took away from reading Combatting Cult Mind Control. No matter what she comes at you with, when you find yourself getting upset, or short, or discombobulated remember you are dealing with the cult identity and not her authentic self. When I got this I felt such a compassion for my husband and I no longer react to his manipulation. Make your point with much love and gentility. She's hearing you, even if she has ulterior motives. I know about being tired and wanting to give up and having kids puts this in a whole other difficult category. Palmtree is right do something selfish rightnow, something to help you decompress if it's just going somewhere to have a beer. You have a lot of support here. There are quite a few people here who are rooting for you and your wife and praying that you guys will come through this together. Do something for her too, something that says I love you and your special to me.
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  28

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 07-18-10 WT Study (REACH OUT)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  comments.

  comments.

  you sow with a view to the spirit.

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  today

  Thanks Blondie for the time you take to write this Review. Gives me some incite into what my husband is hearing at the KH. Recently he's taken on a more "quiet spirit" and this past Saturday he was gone to the KH for about 4 hours in the afternoon. I think he's doing FS. Could it be he's trying to "Reach out for a Fine Work" and move up the ranks? Would the fact that he has an unbelieving wife slow his progress?
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  154

  Last Night's Intervention

  by brotherdan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm afraid of starting a new post because i've stepped on a few feet here with my last post... but i still love you guys.. last night i went home to find my wife and her friend on the couch with the bible, ready to show me how i'm wrong and exercising "apostate thinking".

  my wife said, "i am unable to fight you with the bible because you know more than me about it.

  but k** knows more and will be able to show you how you are wrong.. so my wife went into the other room so as not to be stumbled by my discussion.

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  today

  One interesting thing happened though. I brought up the double standards that the WT has had through the years. I gave her the experience of the Malawi and Mexican Witnesses that was discussed in Crises of Conscience. She was silent and eventually said...."That really disturbs me". I couldn't believe it. I thought that was the weakest and most unbiblical of my arguments. I begged her to read the book and assured her that it wasn't an angry hate filled book. She didn't commit, but I'm going to follow up.

  Your wife's friend may become your greatest ally in getting her to investigate the WT for herself.

  I actually brought up the fact that JWs are similar to other mind control groups in almost every single way. Obviously she disagreed and changed the subject. But I did bring it up.

  Steven Hassan's two books were so necessary for me to understand how a high control group recruits and enslaves the minds of their followers. Stunning to me that he didn't even know about the JWs when he wrote the first one Combatting Cult Mind Control. Read chapter 4 of that one if you don't have time right now to read the whole book. The Strategic Interaction Approach in Chapter 3 of his other book Releasing the Bonds is helping me to develop a plan. Just a short while ago I was feeling pretty helpless. These books were recommended to me here and on JWR and I inhaled them.

  It was actually interesting because I heard some defenses that I hadn't come across yet. She was very aware of false prophecies in the past. But she held that they were not prophecies.

  I asked my husband about the false prophecies and he said that it only happened once and that those people were not really JWs. I told him it happened more that once and I could see the surprise register in his face. Then he changed the subject. Now I wish I could ask him who were those people then. Wish I had been better prepared but at the time I didn't know about all this great information on the internet and now he refuses to speak to me concerning his doctrine. But I'm working on a plan and it makes me feel hopeful.

  Did your wife ask you anything about it afterwards? If she didn't ask you she's certainly asking her friend. You got some great points across in "your intervention". I'm looking forward to your next post.
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  22

  Been verrrry, very sad

  by xelder in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i last posted in mid february about my wife.

  we were adjusting to the new realisation of what the wts really is.. she has since left me, and i have been reeling ever since, but now after 5 months, i'm getting back some strength.

  i haven't been able to post on here because i just couldn't talk about it.

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  today

  Hi xelder. I pray you to continue to get stronger and stronger. It's good that you're posting here again. And by the way 50 is the new 30.