Posts by FrankWTower

8

Donations to Charity

by FrankWTower in

jw
friends

for so many years i made donations to the wts for its worldwide work efforts.

i even factored it into my monthly budget.

i never felt like it was worthy cause.

For so many years I made donations to the WTS for its worldwide work efforts. I even factored it into my monthly budget. I never felt like it was worthy cause. How do I know? Because recently I started donating to charity for real causes. For example, I've been making donations to various organizations helping in the Somalian famine crisis. Everytime I donate I feel like I'm making a difference. It's a feeling I never felt while I donated to the WTS.

In the past three months, 29,000 children under the age of 5 have died of hunger in Somalia.

I encourage all of you to donate as well. We can make a difference.

16

I'm Not Spiritual

by FrankWTower in

jw
friends

i remember listening and thinking about other people and how spiritual they are.

some jw's eat, sleep and breathe watchtower.

and i used to think, "why can't i be like them?

FrankWTower

I remember listening and thinking about other people and how spiritual they are. Some JW's eat, sleep and breathe Watchtower. And I used to think, "why can't I be like them?" And I thought I could never be good enough. But thanks to the internet that the Watchtower likes to condemn so much, I learned that the Watchtower's teachings are wrong and that I'm better off not being a spiritual JW.

I just wanted to share that with everyone.

61

What made you leave "The Truth"?

by Chemical Emotions in

for me it was many things.

most concerned certain teachings that invloved genders, children, sex, sexuality and sexual orientations, disfellowshipping, apostates, blood, rape, and few other things, as well as the jw's unloving attitude toward so many people..

FrankWTower

Although I haven't actually "left" the WTS, I have already accepted it to be false. It's only a matter of time before I leave. I want to avoid falling into the "social abyss" between the JW world and the real world created by the Watchtower.

For me however, it was learning about science. Science contradicts the bible and this created a cognitive dissonance effect. So, in order for me to either confirm or reject either modern science or JW teachings, I bought a book about critical thinking, which would help me think clearly and reasonably. That pretty much put the final nail in the coffin for the Watchtower.

So to sum it al up: science and critical thinking.

14

June 2011 Watchtower & Poverty (public edition)

by FrankWTower in

i have a part this week about the june awake & watchtower.

after reading some of the paragraphs in the watchtower, i have this opinion to share:.

i really wish the wt would stop trying to teach witnesses about their biased views of history and economic theory.

FrankWTower

Oh come on guys. Don't you know that it's hard to leave the WT? My "eyes" were opened within the last 2 years. Coming out to my friends and family now would be a huge mistake. The void created by the WT is too big for me to deal with at the moment. I have to establish relationships with people outside of the WT. I have to find a non-jw girl (cuz i'm single) and a new place to live, i need to find a new job, (cuz i work with witnesses). I'm currently planting seeds of critical thinking in my family (if it took me 2+ years to admit that the WT is wrong, it might take them longer). It's going to take time. Telling them the truth would mean being labeled an apostate, my life would come crashing down. For now, I have to keep playing the role of good jw.

46

Apostates part from 2011 DC Symposium

by baltar447 in

i just got through listening to the part on apostates.

.

they basically ignored any true questions or critisisms in favor of an ad hominem character attack on apostates.. they made the assertion that "apostates" are 1-prideful, 2-ingrateful, 3-impatient.. anyone that's listened care to discuss the part?.

FrankWTower

Straw man anyone?

You have to expect for the WT to distort and rationalize things in a way that projects anyone leaving the witnesses as someone evil, confused, angry, and what not. I wouldn't expect an unbiased, fair view of "apostates."

14

June 2011 Watchtower & Poverty (public edition)

by FrankWTower in

i have a part this week about the june awake & watchtower.

after reading some of the paragraphs in the watchtower, i have this opinion to share:.

i really wish the wt would stop trying to teach witnesses about their biased views of history and economic theory.

FrankWTower

I have a part this week about the June Awake & Watchtower. After reading some of the paragraphs in the Watchtower, I have this opinion to share:

I really wish the WT would stop trying to teach witnesses about their biased views of history and economic theory. Every paragraph contains loaded language and generalizations about humanity and the causes for poverty. I would love to be able to stand in front of the congregation and tell them that in fact, the world is getting better every day. Even if you take into account environmental degradation, the quality of life for most people in the world is improving. Yes Watchtower Society, there is an answer to poverty; and it's not you or "Jehovah's kingdom."

This is from The Economist in 2008:

25 years ago in China, over 600M people were living on < $1/day. Today this number is 180M … meaning 420M+ people are now above this level.
Between 1999 and 2004, 135M people worldwide rose from < $1/day to above this level. This is more people, more quickly than at any other time in history.
In South Asia, the number of people without clean water has halved since 1990.
In 1975, 75% of people aged 15-25 were literate. Now the rate is almost 90%.
In 1970, the fertility rate in East Asia/Pacific was 5.4 and now is 2.1 In South Asia, it was 60 and now is 3.1. Overall, global fertility has fallen from 4.8 to 2.6 in 25 years. Africa has all but one of the countries with fertility rates above 5.0.
A World Bank study noted that every 1% increase in national income her person in an emerging country translated in 1.3% fall in extreme poverty.
In 2007, the global economy entered its fifth year of over 4% growth — the longest period of expansion since the 1970′s. Also, trade grew 9% despite all of the challenges.
Almost half of all humans lives in countries with growth of more than 7% per year (which doubles the economy every decade).
Inequality has risen in both rich and poor countries overall, but there are examples where this is not true questioning whether globalization is the main culprit of inequality. The Economist argues that lack of [quality] education is likely the biggest culprit.
In 1990, more than 25% of people in developing countries lived on < $1/day. At current rates, this will be 10% by 2015.
Income is not the only way to quantify improvement for the poor. Monetary measures understate the real gains from things such as lower child mortality, safer water, literacy and other social achievements.
A study shows that the number of conflicts (international and civil) fell from over 50 at the start of the 1990′s to just over 30 in 2005. The number of international wars peaked in the 1970′s and have been falling ever since. The death toll in battle fell from over 200,000 a year in the mid-1990′s to below 20,000 in the mid-2000′s. [The WHO has higher numbers.]
The number of incidents of terrorism has increased since 2001 although the number is still very small.

20

May 21st, 2011, Judgement Day?

by FrankWTower in

while on the subject of some wacko making yet another prediction, i found this info on time.com.. .

the onset of world war i freaked a lot of people out.

but it was especially trippy for the zion's watch tower tract society, a group that's now called jehovah's witnesses.

FrankWTower

While on the subject of some wacko making yet another prediction, I found this info on time.com.

Charles Taze Russell

The onset of World War I freaked a lot of people out. But it was especially trippy for the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, a group that's now called Jehovah's Witnesses. The society's founder Charles Taze Russell had previously predicted Christ's invisible return in 1874, followed by his Second Coming in 1914. When WWI broke out that year, Russell interpreted it as a sign of Armageddon and the upcoming end of days, or as he called it the end of "Gentile Times." History proved otherwise.

10

Books Missing From Libraries

by FrankWTower in

does anyone know if it's wt policy to exclude certain volumes of watchtower/awake magazines or other literature from the kingdom hall libraries?.

i was doing some research to confirm some of what i've seen online but many key publications are missing from the kh library.. other stuff i checked for was completely different from what's shown on scans and images from jwfacts.org and other sites..

FrankWTower

Does anyone know if it's WT policy to exclude certain volumes of Watchtower/Awake magazines or other literature from the kingdom hall libraries?

I was doing some research to confirm some of what I've seen online but many key publications are missing from the KH library.

Other stuff I checked for was completely different from what's shown on scans and images from jwfacts.org and other sites.

23

Jehovah's Witnesses & Higher Education

by minimus in

jw
friends

i believe that jws demonize higher education so much, that it makes them look like weirdos!.

you and your family are penalized if someone goes to college!.

when i tell any "worldly" (aka "normal" person) that witnesess view higher education with disdain and ridicule, i always get the same response:.

FrankWTower

Information control is a common characteristic of cult-like groups. Critical thinking skills and knowledge in general are a threat to the WT, therefore they have been discouraged for decades.

Where I live most JW children do go to college for either a bachelor's or associate's degree. However, I have yet to know about someone who has left the organization because of their education.