Click on the site map tab then click the names (Richard Atkinson etc). What do you make of that?
Posts by Halo
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50list of apostates published on the net--are you on it?
by bigmac inhttps://sites.google.com/site/silence1492/facebook-youtube.
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37
Transfusion and Eating no difference?
by Marvin Shilmer intransfusion and eating no difference?.
today i added a new article to my blog addressing what watchtower says in public view about transfusion versus eating compared to what it admits in private about transfusion and eating.
its short and sweet, and of course documented.
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Halo
I have a relative who had a serious medical condition and was tube fed for most of a year. The tube was not into a vein, but into his stomach as the purpose was to nourish his body. If he had been given blood, transfused into a vein he would have died due to lack of nourishment.
Equating a blood transfusion with eating is a spurious illustration and is designed to deceive.
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60
What attracted you to the Watchtower?
by Christ Alone inwhat attracted you to the watchtower?
were you raised in it?
if not, what caused you to convert?
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Halo
I think that it is less a matter of one-upmanship and more a matter of building understanding. I feel that CA was asking the question to increase his understanding of another perspective. We can all gain from viewing things from a different lens. Sometimes I wish I could just say I was a born in and blame the previous generation/s, but I can't. No instead I have to digest the uncomfortable fact that my children grew up in the organisation due to a decision I made. One is still in and in my worst moments I blame myself for my broken family. I have got a lot better and while I will always know that I was the root cause, I have had to learn to accept the good intentions I had and move forward.
Our journey in and out of the organisation is our own, endeavouring to understand the perspectives of others and be supportive is all we can ask of each other.
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60
What attracted you to the Watchtower?
by Christ Alone inwhat attracted you to the watchtower?
were you raised in it?
if not, what caused you to convert?
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Halo
steve2 you make some interesting observations and I agree with some of your opinions.
I made a comment about the veiled judgement from born ins and the resulting effect this has on people like me commenting on a thread like this. If you review the thread you will see that the majority of comments are made by born ins, not those the question was directed at. For born in to have the views of converts is next to impossible hence the reason a born in asks the question. It is difficult to answer because it is complex and this is further hindered by the sweeping assumptions made primarily by born in. I understand you have your opinions about the whys and wherefores, but I have yet to see a thread that asks this question (or similar) that is left for converts to answer free from assumptions by born ins.
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60
What attracted you to the Watchtower?
by Christ Alone inwhat attracted you to the watchtower?
were you raised in it?
if not, what caused you to convert?
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Halo
The first questions they answered were my own, still not the right ones I guess. CA the thing that got me out was reality of shunning hitting close to home along with the exposure of a few skeltons residing in the wt closet. My deprogramming was extremely rapid. I had already done it once before when I left the religion of my birth and hd not been indoctrinated by the wt from babyhood. Anyway it's all like a bad dream now except for the reality of still having family in.
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60
What attracted you to the Watchtower?
by Christ Alone inwhat attracted you to the watchtower?
were you raised in it?
if not, what caused you to convert?
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Halo
There is no simple answer to this question because the reasons are varied and complex. CA I did do research before joining but because of my own upbrinbging, came from a premise that the Bible was truly god's book. The ability to answer questions from it is powerful in these circumstances. What I checked was the things presented in the study material eg Origin of Christmas, birthdays, cross etc. I also looked up scriptures in a variety of translations. The progress of the material presented is designed to elict trust and eventually cross checking everything becomes less important.
To be honest I am still trying to understand the young me that fell for it all and in my defence I didn't have the internett then and research was far more difficult. I definitely stayed too long, but the enlightenment I felt from feeling I was learning about the Bible from the jws, is shadowed now in the freedom I feel from shedding the indoctrination. After critically analysing the org, I moved onto doing the same to the Bible inself. I no longer need definitive answers and am content to view life as a journey where my ideas will evolve over time as I add experience and knowledge to the path I tread.
BTW there is a veiled judgemental attitude in comments from born ins that makes converts like me think twice about commenting on a thread like this. All the exjws I know personally were converts, don't know any born ins. Perhaps that is also of being a convert, "birds of a feather flock together " both in and out of the organisation, or more accurately I personally never felt fully included in the congregation. I am a woman with a husband who never checked into the org. Unfortunately I stayed long enought to have one of my children remaining a fully fledged jw.
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51
Voltaire
by Chariklo inalthough he has been misquoted, voltaire famously said.
"i do not agree with what you have to say, but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.".
how good it would be if this maxim could be held on this board.
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Halo
I seldom post for a reason. When I first woke up and sought solace and help, this site wasn't the best so In refrained from contributing. My thoughts and views underwent a rapid change in a very short space of time, the last thing I needed was condemnation during that time. I kind of knew that it would be emotionally unsafe for me to be open here and risk the responses that could come. In fact I used to read and feel that a lot of what was said was harsh. Anyway I have moved past that phase.
I was lucky to have a couple of people who had been inactive for many years, and I trusted. I was able to share my developing change in world view with them with kind considered challenges to my view rather than outright slamming. Some are not so lucky as me and this is where they share. Many here understand the journey a few do not. Commenting with respect, considering the difficult journey that faces most who leave the fold of the wt helps outright condemnation does not.
The greatest lesson I have learned is to be tolerant and accepting. Maybe some have forgotten. The evolution of my views was rapid and my own. We each need to accept that the speed and change is individual and takes time. Respect for the journey of the individual demonstrates that tolerance and acceptance.
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630
SAD news about OOMPA......
by redredrose inour friend, oompa, has passed away.
just recieved the news a couple of hours ago, and have almost no details.
it happened today or yesterday, he took his own life.
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Halo
Sad, sad news. I barely ever post but I read here frequently. OOMPA's posts always touched me, so sorry it came to this. RIP Eric
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The results so far - three months remaining for the 2012 survey...
by cedars ini mentioned recently about the 2012 jw survey, and how we are falling behind with the number of votes in comparison with last year.. you may remember that, in response to this situation, i uploaded the following video to youtube in an attempt to garner more votes.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wpcgclxqda.
you'll be pleased to know that, in the four days following the launch of this video, the survey received 76 new votes - boosting the total number from 936 to 1,012.. it's great to see that the video has had such a good response.
at the current rate (19 votes per day) we would surpass 2,700 votes by the end of the year - not a mind-blowing number but a great sample nonetheless.. after chatting with juan viejo2, we both decided it would be good to post an article on the website letting people know the results of the survey so far.. here is the link.... http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/the-time-left-is-reduced-your-2012-survey-needs-you-2.
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Halo
The thing I find interesting is higher education topping shunning as the belief most dissagreed with. It is only 1 percentage point, but I feel that as shunning is the control mechanism that keeps people in line and therefore has the biggest impact on people. Shunning along with threats to those with positons of responsibility effectively dictates the decisions around things like higher education and is the means by which we are robbed of our own conscience and free will.
Take away the threats and people act with their own integrity, according to their own conscience. This, to me is the biggest problem within the organisation. Freedom to persue higher education is important, however on the scale of things the absolute ruthlessness of controlling people through shunning is by far their worst trait. Emotional abuse with another name.
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A message from youtube regarding negative votes on Sparlock videos
by Amelia Ashton ini don't seem to be making myself clear these days.
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there has been so many "dislikes" on sparlock clips i received a message from youtube.. i asked for people to "like" the videos instead of "dislike" because this will also push the videos to the top of searches and hopefully get more views especially for jws searching from it .. i am now getting abuse.. please can people "like" the clips so the balance between like and dislike gets reversed.. ty x.
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Halo
Yes, Caleb abd Sparlock playing on that link. Before it was removed from You tube I showed it to a work mate, "that's cultish" was her response to it.
Thanks for the new link.