Posts by ex-witness

12

Satan is the best god to worship because.....

by XPeterX in

this is my point of view:.

he has much more followers than god.

his music is better than god's (metal,gothic,and anything related).

ex-witness

(ATTENTION: I'm not "preaching for Satan" but, since this is a site dedicated to truth, I like to impart some.)

Peter.... let's take a look at the actual "Nine Satanic Sins" written by Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan.

Stupidity - Stupid people do not succeed and are easily manipulated.
Pretentiousness - Taking pride in YOUR achievements is encouraged. Making empty claims leads to self-deceit.
Solipsism- the philosophical idea that only one's own mind is sure to exist. Solipsism is an epistemological or ontological position that knowledge of anything outside one's own specific mind is unjustified.(wikipedia)
Self-deceit - Worse than having someone lie to you is to lie to yourself.
Herd Conformity - Only when it suits your needs. Otherwise, self-expression and individualism is exalted.
Lack of Perspective - Remember your own important place in the world, without forgetting the world is bigger than you.
Forgetful of Past Orthodoxies - A whore yesterday is a whore today, it doesn't matter how new the dress is.
Counterproductive Pride - Never be embarrassed of your own accomplishments, but if it prevents you from getting things done with other people, it should be set aside for the time being.
Lack of Aesthics - Beauty and balance. Not what society dictates as beautiful, learn to identify true beauty.

I wouldn't say that following these is a bad thing, but to say "Satan is the best god to worship" seems a bit of a stretch. Why worship anything? Just be.

58

Do You Still Believe the Bible is God's Word?

by cantleave in

if so why???.

btw - i just see it as collection of old books written by men who reflected the thinking and knowledge of their time?.

ex-witness

The god of the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) was a vindictive, jealous, petty, perverted, genocidal, homicidal, childish deity entirely UNWORTHY of his creation.

If he was a child his toys would be taken away and he'd be grounded.

I've got no time to deal with someone like that.

16

They can't understand how I can be so inactive and yet such a good guy.

by Wasanelder Once in

i've been faded, inactive, for 6 years or more and the witnesses i know are astounded that i'm not in trouble.

they don't say it but its on their minds.

i do the things thier "brothers and sisters" don't do towards them.

ex-witness

@Quandry - Yeah. I used to live in Houston for 10 years. NEVER saw a witness "witnessing". Not even parking lots. Just those tracts stuck in phone booths.

@Wasanelder - Because they have been blinded to the real truth, they believe what the Watchtower and GB tell them. They actually believe that EVERYONE who is in the "world" is hateful, arrogant, deceitful, etc. Of course they do. They have to believe that the "world" is nothing more than Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome or the vice-like grip "The Organization" (Doesn't that just sound like some global entity that tries to control people, like in a James Bond movie?) has on them will weaken.

"Fade"? Really? That seems, perhaps just in my own perspective, to be along those same lines as "the Truth", "the World", etc.- a negative reinforcement of leaving their church. You're not "fading". You're growing.

15

Did you ever bribe someone not to tell the elders on you? Did it work or not?

by asilentone in

.

ex-witness

Wow. You'd bribe someone not to rat you out to false doctrine teachers? I can't even register that on the Pathetic-o-meter.

I was questioned by an elder regarding my sin (smokin' the herb "God made it. If he didn't want us to use it, he shouldn't have created it to GROW EVERYWHERE.") and the very first question was "Did you smoke weed with my son?" (Two things to note - one.. he wasn't concerned with MY spiritual welfare but his own son's. Two - he wasn't concerned with his son's welfare, but his standing in the congregation as Service Overseer)

My reply, as anyone who's seen Goodfellas would,"Nope. I was alone. No one knew about it." Remember what Jimmy said,"Keep your mouth shut and you never rat on your friends." (Incidentally, 3 of them left "The Organization" after I did. Oh... and I got reinstated smoking weed and taking acid for the entire year I was out. :) Was even trippin' balls the night I was reinstated.. had to go home before the announcement for "stomach cramps")

30

Don't leave, its God's organization....

by dissed in

jw
friends

recently, i've been seeing this argument displayed here more frequently by those still believing jw's.. usually in reply to arguments they can not answer well, like 1914, generation(s), etc.... its almost like, they are are having serious doubts as well, but their fall back is, "but its god organization....where else would you go......don't leave, we are so close to the end".

as one recently shared their experience with a jc.

the elders, when feeling trapped on explanations, fell back to this defense.

ex-witness

As a reformed "Dub" and devout atheist (wink) I felt I should chime in a bit. :)

Here's the big problem, as Richard Dawkins wrote in "The God Delusion" (Don't worry fellow ex-dubs and current ones, I'm not trying to promote atheistic teachings, just making a point)- ((quoting Sam Harris in The End of Faith))

We have names for people who have many beliefs for which there is no rational justification. When their beliefs are extremely common we call them 'religious'; otherwise, they are likely to be called 'mad', 'psychotic' or 'delusional'.... Clearly there is sanity in numbers. And yet, it is merely an accident of history(bolding added by me) that it is considered normal in our society to believe that the Creator of the universe can hear your thoughts, while it is demonstrative of mental illness to believe that he is communicating with you by having the rain tap in Morse code on your bedroom window. And so, while religious people are not generally mad, their core beliefs absolutely are.

Later, he brings up the point - Say for example there is a god. Wouldn't he have to be the Ultimate of Scientists, the Astrophysicist par excellence to bring into existence the universe and the microverse (relating to particles of atoms and quarks)? If that be the case, wouldn't a questioning, curious mind be welcomed at the gates of Heaven more readily than someone who believes dogma at face value? (Obviously he forgot to tell his Governing Body he likes questions. Probably because they AREN'T his means of communication.)

It makes no difference to me. I don't believe in a sky-fairy that once was wicked, jealous, blood-thirsty and vile and then turned into Jesus father, the benevolent Jehovah.

28

Elder's message to me, on me being disfellowshipped tomorrow.

by whereami in

jw
friends

it saddens me greatly to see all that has happened and to see my friends in this position.

for me its a great loss but i hope that it will only be temporary.

please allow jehovahs discipline to mold you and youre way of thinking.

ex-witness

As an atheist, I can only say I am truly sorry that religion still exists. It has been the most divisive, destructive, bane of humanity since pre-History.

I wish you and your wife, who I can only hope realizes the rarity of love and commitment of your marriage hasn't changed, the best.

My response to the elder would be simple:

"Thank you Judas. You betray me with a kiss?"

19

These words really made me mad!!!

by Sour Grapes in

a couple of months ago the brother giving a talk was bragging about all of the good work.

that the wtbts does thru their missionaries.

he said that all that the christendom's missionaries.

ex-witness

That's ONE of the major flaws of "The Organization" (Saying it like that makes me smile. It's ominous and foreboding.)

Pick ANY ONE "false relgion" (other than JW's) and they do 10 times the amount of charitable HUMANE work in one than all the JW's ever did since Russell. (Perhaps an exaggeration, but I DO remember as a child being chastised for wanting to send money to Jerry's Kids by an elder who said we could give them some money now, or teach them about the paradise, where their ailments will be restored.)

And if they are so on-fire about preaching, how come I haven't seen a JW in about 5 years going door-to-door, parking lot preaching or even at a donut shop for "Break"? Did they change the "uniforms" or something? It's like they are stealth solicitors. Very ninja. Which makes being a ninja uncool.

8

Elders = Pharisees?

by ex-witness in

jw
friends

riddle me this batman: .

why, in all the accounts of disfellowshipping (including my own ((got reinstated then quit))) do the elders seem more like the hypocritical, overly self-righteous pharisees than the cool refreshing temperament of jesus of nazareth?

rather than discuss, logically, at length any issues with the "accused", they badger them with points of "divine law" that i'm sure they don't adhere to as much as they demand of the congregation.

ex-witness

Riddle me this Batman:

Why, in all the accounts of disfellowshipping (including my own ((got reinstated then quit))) do the elders seem more like the hypocritical, overly self-righteous Pharisees than the cool refreshing temperament of Jesus of Nazareth? Rather than discuss, logically, at length any issues with the "accused", they badger them with points of "divine law" that I'm sure they don't adhere to as much as they demand of the congregation. And any questions brought up are referred to as the "spirit of Satan/the world/rebelliousness". The last time I tried to talk to someone about religion (now as an atheist) and brought out logical scientific facts that disprove any god's existence, rather than accept the data, they called me an "infidel" and "anti-christ". (Let it be known, I'm not anti-christ. I'm anti-god. I'm against anything that divides families, creates turmoil within communities and allows a permeation within it's ranks of xenophobic hatred. This is what your god does.)

85

Resurrection of Lazarus only mentioned by John, not others, why?

by VM44 in

why is it that the story of the resurrection of lazarus of bethany only is mentioned in the book of john and not in the other three gospel accounts of the life of jesus?.

the resurrection of lazarus was a major event in the life of jesus, but three writers failed to mention it, why?.

.

ex-witness

At the Council of Nicea, where they decided WHAT would be included in the Bible, they rejected many "gospels" such as the gospel of Timothy and Mary Magdalene. These were removed because in some cases, took the power from the male ruling class and in others, made Jesus sound like a mystic, a charlatan or were just made up stories (i.e. lengthening the wood for his father during a carpentry project, turning friends into toads.) Let's be honest for a second.

The men lived back then saw things, wonderous to behold, that their feeble first and second century minds tried to wrap around. So to take ANY miracle in the life Jesus at face value takes a HUGE imagination and a little bit of crazy.

I don't think he was god's son, as a non-existent god can only have a non-existent son. I do think, if he existed, he was a unique man who had a message of peace. (But really, he wouldn't have spread his message to the Gentiles as Jews felt they were unclean. Having been raised in that Jewish system, I'm sure that feeling was inculcated in him at birth. Just like JWs feel about the "worldly" people. )

40

The fundamental flaw with the WTBTS as "God's Organization"?

by Essan in

there are countless issues that people have with the society and which together have led to many people realizing that it is not what it claims and pretends to be.

these include things like the secret un affiliation, contradictory and hypocritical stances, (malawi vs mexico vs un/ngo), the ever changing blood policy and ever changing doctrine, failed predictions for armageddon etc, etc, etc.. but what is the consensus about what the fundamental flaw is?.

what i mean is, many jw's hear about these various issues and manage to make endless excuses for them, even though this involves gross hypocrisy and excusing the society for things they would never excuse in other religions and which the society itself has ruthless condemned other religions for over almost 100 years.

ex-witness

To me, simply put, the Fundamental Flaw (totally Matrix wording right there, love it) is expressed thusly: There is no "God's Organization" for there is no god. More and more evolutionary science and psychiatry are finding that religions are a throw back to pre-Civilization, possibly to protect in-group culture.

I'm sure Psalm 14:1 will immediately pop up in some minds, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no god.""

Ironically, the most brilliant minds, explorers of the diversity of micro-cosmic life, researchers into the epic distances of celestial bodies burning with unchecked fury (evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and cosmologist/astronomer Carl Sagan, for example) have been able to clearly, logically state there is no god. Would you call them fools?