Posts by ABibleStudent

7

Chat with Elder and Mother

by awakening in

jw
friends

my regular weekly chat with an elder who is trying to keep me on the straight and narrow amazed me!.

we were on the subject of jehovahs blessing.

i said its my mothers belief that jehovah has blessed her and the family over their years of faithful service.

Hi awakening, Have you tried to just ask JWs simple questions like Billy the Ex-Bethelite did in his thread exJW Psychology 102--How to Ask a Question When Questions Aren't Allowed? I know that asking simple questions to help a JW's authentic persona to confront his cult persona is difficult - not impossible. It will get easier with practise and is easier than trying to convince JWs that they are wrong.

When you feel frustrated with telling JWs that they are wrong, look in the mirror and remember what Einstein said, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein". Then ask yourself, "Who is insane for debatting with a JW?", and try doing something different.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

75

I need help! Talk coming up and I need ideas fast!

by BU2B in

jw
friends

omg i am so distressed.

i have a talk coming up on tuesday, it is the number 3 "abiram.

why opposing god appointed authority is tantamount to opposing god himself"!.

ABibleStudent

Hi BU2B, I like your idea for the talk and it might also reduce your wife's suspicions.

I feel that you need a memorable punch line that maybe compares Moses times and feats to modern day religions like the Scientologists. Is it possible to mention the teachings of Jesus Christ in your talk? Something like, "Since we are Christians (or 'True Christians' to keep up the charade of being a JW) who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and do not follow false prophets like the Church of Scientology, we can tell the differences by the fruit of our leaders as Jesus taught us in Mt 7:15-20."

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

13

The great flood happened about 13,000 years ago....

by EndofMysteries in

i just learned this information the past couple of days but it seems it's been out the past couple of years.

many many articles about some asteroid/meteor event about 13,000 years ago.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-03/space-rock-impact-could-have-caused-ancient-cooldown-new-evidence-says.

ABibleStudent

IMHO just because there are flood myths around the world does not neccessarily mean that the "Great Flood" happened round the world at the same time. Is it possible that floods and tsunamis have occurred throughout history and around the globe, so that different civilizations created "flood" stories? Is it possible that early civilizations created "flood stories" to explain finding sea fossils around the globe and at higher elevations that were caused by geologic activity? Is it possible that flood and tsunamis occurred and that early civilizations created stories of a "Great Flood" to explain uncovered sea fossil remains after flood waters receded?

My point is that many civilizations having "flood myths" does not prove that the "Great Flood" occurred. It is unlikely that the "Great Flood" occurred around the world at the same time about 13,000 years ago because insufficient time would have lapsed between then and now to account for the diversity of modern humans. If it happened more than 1 million years ago, then I could not use the same justification to conclude that the "Great Flood" did not occur. According to Timeline of human evolution, (Archaic) Homo sapiens have been around for about 500,000 years.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

18

Need advice, really wanna play COD

by DuvanMuvan in

jw
friends

well my ps3 is downstairs because i had no idea how good games looked on tvs that weren't older than you are and i've run into a problem.

my mum doesn't know that i have "bad" games like cod, gta 5, legend of zelda and final fantasy (yeah ik last two aren't that bad but loads of religious stuff and magic) and it's getting harder to keep it a secret.. i was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how i should go about this.

should i just wait a while and slowly introduce the idea to my mum that i play these games or should i just come out and play them and act like it'a nothing?.

ABibleStudent

Hi DuvanMuvan, Start working either as an animal or child sitter or handyman around the nieghborhood. Eventually transition to other forms of work, so that you can afford to buy a TV/computer for your room and to save money incase your Mum kicks you out for not going to the KH.

No matter what remember to be respectful to your Mum, whether she is a JW or not, and play less video games and make more real non-JW friends.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

15

If the bible said two plus two equals 5 or 2 how would u respond, believers?

by Jon Preston in

jw
friends

so would you accept that as true?

or would you test it to see if it is, indeed, truth?.

ABibleStudent

I view the Bible as an assortment of information from Hebrew mythology orally communicated from generation to generation until written (e.g., Genesis), fables for living a moral life (e.g., Job), Jewish rules for living (e.g., Leviticus), chronological and biased accounts of Israelites' history (i.e., Kings), teachings of Jesus Christ and accounts of his life (e.g., Mathew through John) to accounts of spreading Christianity through the Middle East and then to Europe.

Is all of the Bible factual? No.

Can the Bible's message be missintrepreted? Yes.

Did Jesus Christ warn his followers of following religious leaders? Yes.

Did Jesus Christ advise his followers to intrepret the scriptures using God's greatist commandments? Yes.

Therefore some people will read the Bible and think that 2 + 2 = 4, and others will think that 2 + 2 = 5. It really depends on what people believe.

I prefer to view the Bible as a hodgepodge of information that can be used to inspire people - hopefully to live a more moral and happier life.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

6

daughter questions me about mothers day!

by Truthexplorer in

jw
friends

my daughter came home from school and said they are doing some cards at school for mother's day and asked me if that was ok. i looked and just smiled and said darlin, just make a lovely mothers day card and make sure to put lots of love from dad on it too .

ABibleStudent

Touché Truthexplorer!

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

27

I have made my decision

by Brother Mike in

i'm sure most of you have read bits and pieces of my story throughout the last year being on this site.

i've decided as a human being, and as an adult, i'm going to make the decision on whether to stay with the jw religion or leave it.

i of course have many doubts about the organization which has lead me to do research.

ABibleStudent

Congratulations Brother Mike on critically thinking for yourself. May the rest of your life be exciting and filled with wonder and happiness.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

19

Preparing for my next visit from my Elderette - Who (or what) is the Faithful & Discreet Slave, and why do JW's worship and follow a slave?

by Faithful Witness in

she is coming tomorrow afternoon, and i do plan to have a coherent mind and much better concentration this time.

i was suffering from hypoglycemia last time she made a surprise visit, and i was foggy and literally could not comprehend a simple sentence i was reading.

our plans are to discuss the topic of the fds.

ABibleStudent

Hi Faithful Witness, What do you think of the following counter arguments:

Faithful Witness - she is going to talk again about the analogy of a "jigsaw puzzle," and trynig to get a specific piece to fit just right. "It looks like it's the right piece, and it actually fits, but when I looked at it closer, I realized it was the wrong piece." I don't see her coming to a conclusion on this analogy, but merely using it as a method to confuse me.

Your jigsaw puzzles analogy can be used to solve problems using the scientific method of making systematic observations, measurements, and experiments, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses to determine if an hypothesis fits the facts/observations. Even an incorrect hypothesis can lead to the truth.

Have you heard of the problem-solving principle of Ockham's razor - all things being equal the hypothesis with the fewest assumptions is usually the correct one? More complicated solutions may ultimately prove correct, but—in the absence of certainty—the fewer assumptions that are made, the better.

Faithful Witness - "each person has to come to their own conclusion about what they believe..."

I totally agree with you about each person must come to their own conclusions about what they believe. If I decide to become baptized as a JW, how would other JWs treat me if I change my mind and no longer believe that the WTBTS is "God's sole channel" or tell other JWs that the Watchtower is wrong about what they teach? [Have a copy of the "When Someone We Love Leaves Jehovah", 15 July 2011 Watchtower (Study Edition), page 30-32] Would you shun your children if they no longer believe that the WTBTS is "God's sole channel'? (pause wait for your elderette to respond) Don't you feel that shunning people or not associating with them just because they believe differently than you is contrary to God's two greatist commandments?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

19

Preparing for my next visit from my Elderette - Who (or what) is the Faithful & Discreet Slave, and why do JW's worship and follow a slave?

by Faithful Witness in

she is coming tomorrow afternoon, and i do plan to have a coherent mind and much better concentration this time.

i was suffering from hypoglycemia last time she made a surprise visit, and i was foggy and literally could not comprehend a simple sentence i was reading.

our plans are to discuss the topic of the fds.

ABibleStudent

Congratulations Faithful Witness about caring enough to help the elderette to critically think for herself!!

If your elderette is anything like the brother who was willing to "Study the Bible" with me, be prepared for her to skip around and read verses of scriptures and not an entire paragraph nor an entire chapter. Rember she has an agenda to recruit you into the WTBTS and not to just share ideas and opinions about what is written in the Bible. Be prepared for her to change subjects and to use thought-stopping platitudes when she is feeling cognitive dissonance. When your elderette says thought-stopping platitudes, view it as an opportunity to strip away a layer of BITE control by asking her simple questions to overcome her though-stopping platitudes like the ones suggested in the thread As a JW, What statements made you "stop thinking?".

If you haven't read the thread exJW Psychology 102--How to Ask a Question When Questions Aren't Allowed by Billy the Ex-Bethelite, please do. With JWs it may be more important how a simple question is phrased verses what you ask to get past a JW's cult persona.

Your elderate will probably start off with either Mt 24:45 or a scripture in John to prove that Christians need an organization to guide them. Here are some potential counter arguments:

Why did Jesus Christ say that the first and greatist commandment is " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." and did not mention anything about an organization nor a religion in Mt 22:34-40? How can I love an organization when Jesus Christ said to love God with "ALL" my heart, soul, and mind? When scriptures appear confusing, shouldn't we follow Jesus Christ's teachings in Mt 22:34-40 and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirt like most Christians do, rather than believe in writtings by men about how to interpret the Bible?
Why does Jesus Christ use the past tense in Mt 24:45? Does that mean that God already selected the FDS ~ 2000 years ago, or was Jesus Christ giving a warning to religious leaders in Mt 24:45-51? Most christians who read Mt 21:28 through Mt 24 interpret them as mostly parables to teach christians how to behave in harmony with Mt 22:34-40 and warn them of potential consequences.
Ask your elderette simple questions that start with "How should I respond to a christian who would say that interpretation is not in harmony with Jesus Christ's teachings and God's two greatist commandments?"

Best of wishes for you and think about how to overcome thought-stopping platitudes to empower your elderette's authentic persona to become stronger and critically think for herself.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

P.S. - If you have a smartphone, it might be beneficial to have a saved link to Steve Hassan's How Big is the Phenomenon of Undue Influence? (2:01) video to help your elderette to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy conversations. Your elderette shouldn't want to bring reproach on the WTBS by acting like a dangerous cult member to non-JWs.

14

Ex-Jehovah's Witness success story

by Watchtower-Free in

this was just posted to facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/xjwrg3/10152073176825835/?comment_id=10152073536380835&notif_t=group_comment_reply.

by christina jones.

ABibleStudent

Thanks for sharing Watchtower-Free. I wish that more JWs would learn such a simple lesson as that little girl about how to critically think for themselves.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert