Posts by pbrow

59

What can the leadership at Watchtower do to turn things around?

by UnshackleTheChains in

let's play devils advocate here.. put yourself in the governing body's shoes.

they are well aware of all the issues they are facing.

they know their numbers (they 'do the math' as they say in the us).

pbrow

+1 to stop shunning. I would add allow dissent.

Stop shunning and this church turns into every other religion. Stopping shunning would positively impact the mental health of every dub.

Still have "one true faith" Still have paradise to look forward to. Still have love that the world does not have. Still have this safe haven twice a week to help fend off worldly ideas. This is what almost every other church espouses.

Allowing dissent will certainly create an "acceptable" level of strife but in the long run people will accept that some congregants are not living up to baptism but not having to cut off family members or life long friends will turn this into just another social club like every other church.

I would argue that families that do not have to shun other family members would be more happy and therefor be more ready to give to the ever important world wide work.

pbrow

38

Is There Any Thing That Would Make A JW SERIOUSLY Question Their Religion?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i realize that jehovah’s witnesses have been dumbed down for long time now.

.

still, i think there must be something that would make them really question their beliefs, even their life.. i think that if witnesses were told they could take blood or that disfellowshipping was unloving, they might stop and take a hard look at everything they have sacrificed their lives for.. i know the organization has muddled these subjects before but the i think even die hard witnesses might start to second guess the governing body..

pbrow

I was a born in. Thinking talking snakes were real and the end of the world was literally coming any day now were normal for me. I asked questions as a child but when that gets pounded out of you at a young age you just come to terms with it and just go along.

When I had kids I resolved to not give the same old insufficient answers to my kids that I received as a child. Not until I really made an effort to "make the truth my own" did I realize that my younger self was right all along.... The reason to not play sports was bullshit. The reason i could not do boy scouts was bullshit. The reason I could not do holidays did not make sense. The further I dug, the more I realized the farce I had been raised in.

15 years later my kids have absolutely no desire to get baptized or become a dub despite being raised in the religion by their mother.

Break the bubble.... do not allow the jdub thinking to become normal for your children

pbrow

21

Is the Bible truly inspired?

by MrRoboto in

so i was reading the book of daniel, starting with chapter 4 (nebuchadnezzar's famous tree chopping/banding dream where the 7 times is introduced) but i noticed that when you don't cherry pick verses and just read straight thru - it really seems like some children's book that was poorly written.

even though the borg says that this book as written by daniel, chapter 4 is clearly written by "king nebuchad·nezzar to all the peoples, nations, and language groups dwelling in all the earth" after the tree chopping business.

) of the rest of the chapters seem to be written in 3rd person (odd, if you are writing about your experiences).

pbrow

I think if you would just take 5 minutes and check it... it says that it is.

duh

pbrow

edit... mroboto.... keep asking questions! This is awesome to read! You remind me of an extremely good looking person I know who, after leaving his church, asked many of these same questions!

21

quick question: When a governing body member dies, what happens to their spouse?

by Deltawave in

what happens to the wife after their gb husband dies..

pbrow

Hey sir... .that face looks like he knows he is getting away with the farm and he is taking full advantage of it!!

pbrow

oh... and its not luck.... that would be bad !

9

JW website speaks with forked-tongue!

by The Fall Guy in

i put this under the "scandal" section because it is both a scandal how the wtbts can flaunt its evil hypocrisy and an even bigger scandal that the u.n. and governments in general turn a blind eye to the treatment inflicted on anyone who questions or challenges the org's teachings and practices.

"the right to change religions is supported by the universal declaration of human rights, which the united nations has called “the foundation of international human rights law.”......of course, these rights carry with them the obligation to respect the rights of others both to maintain their beliefs and to reject ideas that they disagree with.

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/change-religion/.

pbrow

Fall guy... you are correct. Everyone has a right to choose. My grandmother and lifelong friends CHOOSE not to talk to me. They do not have a gun pointed to their heads. THEY value THEIR belief over the value of talking to me. Oh fucking well.

I agree that shunning is systemic in that dubs as a group of individual people believe not talking to you will help you come back to jah. What are you going to do? Force a group of people to not believe something?

"Hello, I am Agent Smith from the Federal Belief Enforcement Agency.... you can no longer believe that not talking to your son will help him to come back to your precious jah"

or try this one...

"Hello Mr Lett, I am Agent Johnson from the Federal Belief Crafting So As Not To Be Offensive Agency, we are going to help you with your understanding of bible principles so as not to have a policy that teaches people to not talk to their family or friends who have left your church"

Sounds pretty fucked up right? As a US citizen I will take the benefits and consequences of freedom of religion/thought over my government trying to dictate what i believe or who i can or cannot talk to.

pbrow

28

When You Were A JW Did You Ever Stand For The National Anthem?

by minimus in

jw
friends

as a witness i always found a way to not have to embarrass myself by sitting down for the national anthem.. i’m curious.

how many of you stood up for the patriotic song?.

pbrow

God its fucked up what we did as kids to avoid confrontation for things we neither understood or even did not necessarily agree with.

One more self realization nail in the coffin for fading when you have kids. Do not make this shit normal for your kids! Get them the fuck out of this church!

pbrow

9

JW website speaks with forked-tongue!

by The Fall Guy in

i put this under the "scandal" section because it is both a scandal how the wtbts can flaunt its evil hypocrisy and an even bigger scandal that the u.n. and governments in general turn a blind eye to the treatment inflicted on anyone who questions or challenges the org's teachings and practices.

"the right to change religions is supported by the universal declaration of human rights, which the united nations has called “the foundation of international human rights law.”......of course, these rights carry with them the obligation to respect the rights of others both to maintain their beliefs and to reject ideas that they disagree with.

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/change-religion/.

pbrow

The dubs certainly do not support your changing religion but they sure as fuck allow it. They have no other choice. I seem to remember very clearly being able to leave of my own free will when I wanted to. (I was born-in)

Dubs respect your right to leave. What else can they do? Stop you from leaving? The problem is you do not respect their right to not talk to you if they do not want to. I understand first hand what this implies, but make no mistake.... NO ONE has to talk to you if they do not want to.

When they violate the law, ie... the blood issue and children.. then prosecute them. But freedom of speech and freedom of religion allow for people to choose fucked up religions. Such is life.

pbrow

28

When You Were A JW Did You Ever Stand For The National Anthem?

by minimus in

jw
friends

as a witness i always found a way to not have to embarrass myself by sitting down for the national anthem.. i’m curious.

how many of you stood up for the patriotic song?.

pbrow

You stand out of respect for the ideals that the flag stands for. I was a born in but stood out of respect.

Kneeling or sitting is a perfect example of freedom of speech but make no mistake it is disrespectful to do so.

pbrow

17

13th Dec 2017

by zeb in

i have a 'financial advisor' email tell of massive changes coming to us (and thereby world currencies) on the above date.. does 13-dec 2017 mean anything to anyone.?.

he is talking about the removal of cash etc now if this is half way correct where does it leave the money machine of the wt?.

positive responses welcome..

pbrow

phishing would be my guess.

I got an email about a turkish princess that is in big trouble.... I am rushing out to buy apple itune gift cards at target right now!

pbrow

7

Shunning Unbiblical

by maccauk in

the word shunning is an old english word which has not history pre 18th century.

the practice of avoiding, hiding,ignore or reject was used in the bible against another according to the law.

the law was still in force up until the consumation of the age when jerusalem, the temple, the old covenants were all destroyed forever and when the messiah came back for his elect with the resurrected at the same time.

pbrow

Check out the January 8th 1947 Awake magazine where the orgs very own publication talks about how excommunicating / shunning has pagan origins.

When I was first waking up, this was a powerful article to read, if only because of the flip flop nature of the society's policies.

pbrow