Posts by jws

19

"Get Over It!"

by The Bethelite in

jw
friends

this is what my children tell me... get over the whole jehovah's witness thing!

yes, they tell me they have gotten over the whole thing and they tell me that and i need to also.

my exgirl friend who was raised as a jw also has said the same thing.. my children say they got over it, however they are quick to point out how messed up their lives are now because of no college education and other missed opportunities.

jws

For me, the thought of JWs ebbs and flows. They were a cult. Growing up with them affected our lives. You can't always just "get over it". If somebody steps on my toes, I'll get over it. But that's a minor offense compared to the JWs.

Even if we're out, they are still ruining the lives of many others. How can we get over it when they still exist?

It still affects my sisters who are still in. Even after I left, when my dad was still alive, it affected our relationship and I had to walk on egg shells to keep talking to him. How could I get over it back then?

If people can get over it fine. I find myself consulted often by a friend who was NEVER a JW, but gets knocks on her door and wanted to know the best way to avoid them (I recommended she say she's disfellowshipped). But she's become interested in cults and asks questions or sends me things she's heard about JWs. Like the Melboure protests before I saw anything on this site. She's anti-cult, but her questions keep bringing things back to me. I feel like I'm helping her learn about cults, but it's still not letting me "get over it".

I think I'm better off than others. I feel as though I've completely left them behind while others in my family still had that guilt that they needed to get right with Jehovah eventually (which I helped cure them of). Their insistence on examining things to find out what's right and follow that, even if it was against what I've learned so far lead me to examine Christianity and religion in general and reject it.

But the upbringing has had effects good and bad that can't be forgotten and shaped me into the person I am today.

26

Wausau Wisconsin Bans Throwing Of Any SNOWBALL!

by minimus in

jw
friends

you can’t throw a snowball at a person as kids often do.

you can’t throw it in a park, at a building, anywhere.

comments please.

jws

smiddy3 wrote:

Whats the stats from people being admitted to hospital after being hit by a snowball ?

My guess is you don't live in a cold climate. I've seen people bloody before after being hit with a snowball. I don't think it's impossible that people had to go to a hospital. It's been a LONG time, but I remember stories about people being seriously hurt. But like I say, it's a bit too long ago to verify. But iceballs are a real danger and I personally recall people either bloody or hurting enough that they had to leave.

89

Do You Think “Higher Education “Is All That??

by minimus in

jw
friends

as jehovah’s witnesses, we were regularly told how awful a college education is.

i’m no longer associated with the religion but i am not so pro university.

it’s not because i think you are better off without a degree.

jws

For my field, computer programming, I learned basically everything I learned from school in high school. College taught me a couple of minor things that I went, "oh, you can do that too in the language". And I learned ANOTHER assembly language - something that I had already taught myself using 2 other CPUs.

Of course, I've taken several courses through the years to keep up on new technologies too.

College did help in other ways though. Barely hanging on to JWs at the time, it exposed me to new people, new ideas, lots of clubs and things to get you thinking in a way that a controlling cult didn't want me to explore. Plus other requirements other than my field.

I remember philosophy being a course and I don't remember whether it was an elective or required. I don't know that I was particularly excited about it. But after it started, I found it extremely interesting. The study of the mind and motivations and how people think. Why we do what we do and as a species, we often aren't so different from individual to individual. If I had explored that, there may be several career opportunities. As it is, I think stopping to consider people and how they think makes me a better program designer. What are you as a user most likely to want to see the most, where should I put that info on a screen/report? Part of that's how you do your job, but other things are psychology. Colors, etc.

Some things I never used. It was good to have general knowledge of chemistry. But I've NEVER sat down to write chemical formulas. The closest I've gotten is following a food recipe.

So there was the good, the bad, the useless, and the stuff I already knew. But I'm glad for the experience.

It makes a difference how smart you are to begin with as well. I was extremely good at programming. I placed in national competitions in high school. Every programming team contest I was in with other schools, we won and I wrote MOST of the programs. I'm in MENSA.

I've seen people hired at my old company who have had bachelors and masters degrees, but were horrible programmers. Their stuff was bulky, slow, took the long way around to solve problems. They just weren't competent. So schooling doesn't always fix what a mind isn't meant to do in the first place.

26

Wausau Wisconsin Bans Throwing Of Any SNOWBALL!

by minimus in

jw
friends

you can’t throw a snowball at a person as kids often do.

you can’t throw it in a park, at a building, anywhere.

comments please.

jws

Snowballs can be heavier than softballs or baseballs. We generally don't let people throw those at others to hit them intentionally. In fact, MLB players wear protective helmets just in case of such an incident.

Especially when melting is happening, those wet snowballs can clump together well. But also become very heavy.

Often when the snow is fresh and flaky, it won't even form into a snowball. It turns to powder in your hands.

But who's to say, this snowball is dangerous because it's this weight or that one's OK, because of it's weight? Or that one's too wet or mostly ice.

I'd say if it's not aimed at a person or property, allow it. Ie at a tree in the park. At the ground. At one of the empty playground items. Brick walls. But cars, no. People, no. Normal siding, no. Windows, no.

Like any other rule. Smoking at a gas station is probably OK if you're in the right circumstance. Far enough away from fumes or gas, wind blowing the other way, etc. But are we going to ask people to get all scientific about it or just tell them no smoking near the pumps?

18

How Many Here Are Estranged From Your Family Because Of The Witnesses?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do your jw relatives still talk to you?

are you now not very close?

are you avoided?

jws

Of 13 blood members of my family who were JWs at one time, 2 died while I was still a JW. The other 3 still talk(ed) to me. My dad died 10 years ago, but talked to me as long as I didn't discuss JW things.

My sisters and I have never been real close as they are older and getting married by the time I was 4 or 5. But I have seemed to notice even less communication lately. Of course they have their grandkids and other things going on. I have my kids. And they live in different states. I had just talked to them both a few weeks ago to let them know a family member had died.

16

Matt Dillahunty From The Atheist Experience vs A Jehovah's Witness

by pale.emperor in

this was cringe worthy, and yet hilarious to watch.

i'm sensing that this was a person studying with jws because she's so bad at defending the very basics.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0rcmjczeb8.

jws

The JWS state the total time of desolation which they calculate 537 - 70 = 607 BCE

Right, Finkelstein, but even the JWs agree that Babylon was overthrown in 539BC. Or they were saying that when I left in the 90's. But they have to make the end of 70 years (starting in 607 BC end in 537 BC). Kind of a problem if the king died in 539 BC. So as I recall, I remember them making up some story about the Jews not returning home right away. And it took 2 years to move back and THAT was when the 70 years were up. Contrary to Jer 25:12

16

Matt Dillahunty From The Atheist Experience vs A Jehovah's Witness

by pale.emperor in

this was cringe worthy, and yet hilarious to watch.

i'm sensing that this was a person studying with jws because she's so bad at defending the very basics.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0rcmjczeb8.

jws

redpilltwice wrote:

The difficulty with this move was that by the 1940's historians had proven that Babylon fell in 539 B.C.

And I think that's what the JWs believe now too. But, they say, Cyrus conquered Bablyon in 539 BC and it took the Jews a couple of years to pack and stumble their way back to Jerusalem. So, 537 is still right.

They completely overlook Jeremiah 25:12

“But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever.

There is an order of events here.

Seventy years fulfilled
Punishment of the king of Babylon.

They agree Babylon was overthown in 539 BC and the Babylonian king killed. That's #2 above. So #1 had to come in or prior to 539 BC, not 2 years later. How was the king of Babylon supposed to be punished 2 years after he already died. I thought the Witnesses don't believe in an afterlife. So tell me how he was punished in 537 BC when he died in 539 BC.

Of course, they can't. It's just all tricks they're trying to play to make the math work out to a year they think significant. And despite evidence to the contrary, they still claim the world changed in some major way in 1914.

6

Selling KH to another religion

by blondie in

jw
friends

i found this question box in the july 1969 km.

question box (july 1969, p. 4).

• is it all right to buy a church building for use as a kingdom hall or, when a new kingdom hall is built, to sell the former hall for use as a church?

jws

My very first hall's next occupant was some religion. If I'm probably mistaken, but I thought it was some sort of play on JWs like Jehovah's CHRISTIAN Witnesses or something.

Now if the JWs actually bought an ex-church, that'd be so much of an improvement. Maybe even some windows.

I'm part of a running club where somebody lays a trail and we follow it. A few weeks ago, I was in a neighborhood I didn't know. You listen for things like voices. Maybe somebody else found trail. But the voices were coming from people coming out of some building. I didn't know the area and it was some distance away and my first thought was that it was a KH and a meeting had just let out. But as I got closer, I could see big windows for entrance area and knew it couldn't be JWs. It doesn't look like a bunker.

31

Jehovah's Witnesses Announce Plans to Build Giant Media Center

by iwantoutnow in

omg!

this has to be more of "keeping the flock busy and excited" so as not to notice whats going on.. how did i miss this?????

the jehovah's witnesses announced plans to build a 1.5 million-square-foot audio-visual production center in upstate new york, two miles away from the witnesses' headquarters in warwick.

jws

Good point Pete. Next thing, it's movies. Christian movies are regularly appearing and they must think they can get their cut. With their version of stupid movies like "God is not Dead". And somehow, as if it's possible, their movies will be even more poorly written and more poorly thought out.

On the good side for them, I'm sure there are plenty of great actors in their ranks. Think of all of those JWs secretly living double lives and acting like good JWs.

9

JOKER

by peacefulpete in

i don’t think that the world needs that many brooding psychopathic avengers.

i don’t know that we need any........they’ve lost a lot of their original innocence, and they can’t get that back.

and, they’re stuck, it seems, in this kind of depressive ghetto of grimness and psychosis.

jws

Great performance (I brought my 16 year old son). But neither of us came back with a feeling of that was so awesome! I want to see it again.

There were good performances that might receive a lot of awards. But it was just upsetting and depressing. Like the feeling of watching a paraplegic at a run down nursing home for an hour. I suppose that's what a lot of good art can do. And to evoke those feelings means the director did his job.

But you just leave the theater kind of quiet and disturbed. On the other hand, my son and I saw Zombieland Double Tap and came out with smiles, talking about cool things and things we liked.

I HATE what modern cinema has done to the super heroes (and villains). I grew up with reruns of Adam West as Batman and George Reeves as Superman. The good guys were always selfless and good. The bad guys were always bad. Speaking of Jokers, I will compare every Joker to Cesar Romero, BTW. And the good guys always won. And lived.

Absolutely HATED Superman vs. Batman. Where Batman was basically a bad guy. Nowadays the good guys fight against each other. The bad guys have their own movies. I know. Life is complex and life is a scale. Nobody's going to be all good and nobody's all bad. But this is the f'ing comics, not real life, nor need it be like real life.

Plus the fact that each new reboot has to retell it their own way. Different from the way it's always been. Or that the writers can't seem to find any better villains than a bad version of the good guy. Like General Zod vs Superman. Or Black Panther vs. another guy in a Black Panther suit. And lots of other examples I could name.