the jan 15, 2011 watchtower study edition has a study article that will be studied on march 7-13, 2011 (respect marriage as a gift from god).
in it the wtbts tries to minimize and distort the high rate of divorce among jw's.
in paragraph 4 it says in part: .
Yeah, in my old KH I can't even remember how many people were divorced. The ones who weren't were unhappy and sticking it out. Yeah, there were a few happy marriages but they were the lucky ones. Heck, NLW and I were one of those lucky ones. Being a JW just makes you stick it out longer in an unhappy marriage until one of you snaps.
NLW"s wife
.
Bored. Unhappy. Uncomfortable. With one crazy dude thrown in. Fun party there.
NLW's wife
It's all about the jugs...
NLW's wife
in greek, meaning to 'transform.'.
i remember giving a talk as a ministerial servant which included this analogy.
it was supposed to be an illustration of how one changes from the filth of the world to the beauty of being a christian.
How wonderful! I'm so glad that you have moved on to a happier place. I already feel better about myself once I stopped going and listening to all that negativity. It's amazing how it all just makes you feel like crap all the time.
NLW's wife
hi guys n girls.... i slipped under the jw radar just one year ago.
i wasn't happy going to meetings as i always felt worthless and everything i did wasnt good enough.
well having managed to miss a few meetings, i thought nothing of sneaking a look at apostate websites.
Good for you!!!
NLW's wife
hello everyone, id like to introduce myself a little.
ive been viewing the comments and topics on this website for about a month or two and have found it both interesting and enlightening.
i can almost relate to about anything to anyone on here.
Ding dong it! Why are there so many greedy chicks out there as they give the rest of us a bad name? Besides, making a nice wage and being a strong JW almost never happen in real life.
NLW's wife
just wrote a new blog post on the subject at freeminds, discussing why even creationists accept some evolutionary ideas without realizing it.... .
http://www.freeminds.org/blogs/a-gilead-grad-s-guide-to-leaving-jws/from-missionary-to-atheist-how-is-that-possible-part-2-all-about-evolution.html.
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Vidiot - I remember that project as well ... I encountered it about the same time. The Nature article suggested that Neanderthals might have 48 chromosomes, compared to human's 46. I pointed my mom at this research, and she responded with the trained cult reaction: "if any evidence casts doubts upon my beliefs, then the evidence is wrong." She keyed in on the article's discussion of how they worked to avoid bacterial contamination in the DNA samples, and suggested that they didn't do a good enough job. I then asked if this was the case, why did the article indicate that Neanderthal and human DNA has 10x the differences of even the most divergent present-day humans ... to which she had no particular reply. (Bacterial contamination would no doubt produce a far more divergent result.)
Of course, today the more complete picture is that Neanderthals did have 46 chromosomes, but they were none-the-less different from modern day humans in many ways. We still call them "extinct", not "ancestors". One of the great things about science vs. religious creed is that it is acceptable to say "I don't know." Science does not have the answers for everything, and our understanding will change as the evidence becomes more refined. The evolution theory as a whole seems unlikely to be disproved at this point. It's easy to imagine what evidence that disproved evolution might look like (a fossil of a modern day mammal in the Jurrasic period for example), and such evidence has never been found. By counterpoint, try asking a theist what evidence that God did not exist would look like.
just wrote a new blog post on the subject at freeminds, discussing why even creationists accept some evolutionary ideas without realizing it.... .
http://www.freeminds.org/blogs/a-gilead-grad-s-guide-to-leaving-jws/from-missionary-to-atheist-how-is-that-possible-part-2-all-about-evolution.html.
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Awakened - No, you are not alone. Reading "The Blind Watchmaker" was huge step for me in escaping the JWs. Evolution makes so much sense when explained accurately and backed up by real evidence. The strawman argument presented by the Watchtower makes scientists look like fools who can simultaneously discover amazing things about biology but can't see the "obvious flaws in their pet theory."
Since then I've tried to read or watch something to increase my understanding of evolution science on a regular basis. I recently saw a quote, although I can't find it now, to the effect that evolution informs and interconnects our understanding in multiple branches of science. It's reach has extended well beyond simply genetics, biology, and paleontology. Even in modern computer science, "evolutionary" algorithms are used to solve modeling, statistics, and control problems.
something i've never understood.
could someone please explain this to me and finaly answer this nagging question?.
An online diary is the short answer. As someone who reads a number of blogs and maintains one, I can say that common reasons include:
1.) Diary of daily life - Especially common with people who have a unique job/life/hobbies (a farmer, wood worker, cooking, avid book reader) or people who have young children (sharing stories with relatives)
2.) Discussion on random subjects - Professors and enthusiasts sometimes maintain blogs related to subjects in computers, biology, math, science, literature, hobbies
3.) News - People both agregate news on a certain subject or offer commentary (Pharyngula, mentioned about, is mostly of this type)
4.) Marketing - Companies maintain blogs of new products, contests, new services, etc.
5.) Entertainment - Humerous stories, comic strips (webcomics), etc.
Blogs, especially those related to unique hobbies and interests, tend to form communities which comment on each other's blogs, offering ideas and encouragement. It's a form of social media I suppose, but more content-heavy and less frivolous than sources like facebook and twitter.
Finally, nobody has mentioned vlogs (video logs). On YouTube, you can find people who create regular videos of any of the 5 types above. These videos are usually organized in channels, and viewers can offer comments or create their own videos as direct responses. Just like extremely popular blogs can earn you money (through advertising and referrals to online purchasing), vlogs pay money through Google text ads. One source recently estimated the income of the top 10 "video bloggers" and many of them landed in the $100,000+ range.
you really can't make this stuff up.
but an organization like the wt society bent on controlling virtually every aspect of the typical jehovah's witness life - would make this up to keep their control through the use of fear and guilt.
so- i thought i'd share what i thought was the strangest, most offensive, weird language dealing with what the wt society calls " disfellowshipping offenses " .
Vidiot - Interesting commentary on the meanings of fornication and adultry in ancient times. The slant toward property ownership of women and strict geneological records seems plausible. I always wondered why Hebrews just took the girl home and they were fine, but JW's have to get a government issued marriage certificate.
Regarding Mr. Flipper's original post:
#5 - I find the distinction between "casual touching" and "manipulation" rather funny. When I hear "manipulation" I think of someone operating a video game, or another task that requires dexterity and training. Doesn't this put women at greater risk of DFing? I mean, an inexperienced JW sister could probably figure out how guys work pretty quickly .. thus moving from "casual" to "manipulation" .. even with those 2 layers of denim in the way. But an inexperienced JW brother doesn't stand a chance of figuring out women with a bit of "casual touching", even without fabric in the way. Not to be offensive, but you give a guy a map and a flashlight and there's still no guarantees. :)
#10 - Ha ha, scary21 beat me to it. Baring a glandular problem, I'm pretty sure that one's weight does in fact indicate how much food they consume. I don't see this rule ever being enforced. Honestly, they'd have to DF at least 20% of their members in the U.S.
