jws

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Posts by jws

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  24

  Upon learning of a terminal illness would you return to being a JW to appease your family?

  by NVR2L8 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is an hypothetical question...i am doing well.

  but i was thinking about how my jw family, grandchildren and all will feel when their inactive grandfather dies with no hope of being reunited in paradise.

  of course there would be immediate rejoicing if i came back to the "truth" and a surge of conditional love from the "friends".

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  jws

  If I was dying, the thought of spending my remaining time in that BS just disgusts me. And would probably take time off of my already shortened life.
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  23

  Stupid armageddon false alarms

  by purrpurr in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  when i was 5/6 i remember being in the car with my jw mom and a jw sister.

  they noticed a yellow ish glowing cloud in the sky which really freaked them out and they both declared that it must be a sign that armageddon was here!

  they then spent the whole car trip declaring that the police and army were about to come and round up all of us.

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  jws

  I remember talk of Reagan being involved. That he would instigate nuclear war but God had to intervene before that. So it was gonna happen soon. Also that Ronald Wilson Reagan had 6 letters in each part of his name. ie. 666. So he must be the antichrist. So it was definitely the time of the end. 30 years later, not so much.

  And 1984 was supposed to be declared the year of peace by the UN and the JWs were all excited because that was supposed to be the cry of "peace, peace, when there is no peace" related to end-times.

  And I remember people flocking back to Kingdom Halls after 9/11 because surely that meant the end was near. 18 years ago. Yep, any day now.
  
  But I only come here occasionally, so I don't know about each and every thing.
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  13

  Department Store Santa Claus - Do They Still Exist?

  by RubaDub in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i remember when stores would advertise that santa claus would be there from 2-4 pm on a saturday or something for several weeks before christmas.

  you would see them everywhere.. do they still exist in your area?.

  maybe parents finally realized that having a drunk guy with a white beard getting his jollies off with young children on his lap was not a good idea.. just my thoughts.

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  jws

  I don't know about individual department stores, but the mall has one. And, working several years for a major anchor store and working with their real estate department, I know several malls have contracts in their lease for the tenants to pay for common things that would include a Santa. As it attracts people to the mall and thus customers to the tenants.

  So in a way, each and every department store is paying for the mall Santa. So it's kind of a department store Santa.
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  19

  "Get Over It!"

  by The Bethelite in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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.
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  26

  Wausau Wisconsin Bans Throwing Of Any SNOWBALL!

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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.
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  89

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

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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.
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  26

  Wausau Wisconsin Bans Throwing Of Any SNOWBALL!

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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?
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  18

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

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do your jw relatives still talk to you?

  are you now not very close?

  are you avoided?

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  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.
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  16

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

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  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.

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  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
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  16

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

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  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.

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  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.

  1. Seventy years fulfilled
  2. 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.