Posts by Hoffnung

57

STEVE HASSAN coming to Cult Free Radio on November 19

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

you read that right.

just finished talking to steve a half hour ago.. november 19 at 10pm est, steve hassan's interview will air on cult free radio on ustream.

i will also have a co-host that evening to discuss bite mind control and steve's interview.. https://www.facebook.com/cultfreeradio.

Hoffnung

Can you ask him about TheWork.com & Kathie Byron and the techniques they use?

Hoffnung

11

Kathie Byron, TheWork.com. Experiences?

by Hoffnung in

i just attended a "reducing your stress" training, sponsored by my company, and training staff used the methods of "thework", founded by kathie byron.

in order to reduce your stress, you have to inquire yourself and put everyting you believe in, in doubt.

by the end of the 2 day work shop, i have all my "cult" warning lights on.

Thank you for replying. I feel most of the stuff is quite usefull, untill the "turn-around". It felt like I had to put EVERYTHING into question. Since waking up from the Society's doctrine, I do not want to become that much unhinged, and risking to become a victim of some strong minded other person. Many techniques felt too confusing to be helpful. But that is just my experience & perception.

Hoffnung

11

Kathie Byron, TheWork.com. Experiences?

by Hoffnung in

i just attended a "reducing your stress" training, sponsored by my company, and training staff used the methods of "thework", founded by kathie byron.

in order to reduce your stress, you have to inquire yourself and put everyting you believe in, in doubt.

by the end of the 2 day work shop, i have all my "cult" warning lights on.

Hoffnung

Hello,

I just attended a "Reducing your Stress" training, sponsored by my company, and training staff used the methods of "theWork", founded by Kathie Byron. In order to reduce your stress, you have to inquire yourself and put everyting you believe in, in doubt. By the end of the 2 day work shop, I have all my "cult" warning lights on. Checking their internet site (www.thework.com) and reading some experiences on some forums, only seem to confirm my fears. Does anyone have an experience with "TheWork" or Kathie Byron? Is it safe to use? Your help is well appreciated.

Best Regards,

Hoffnung

106

The general atheist meaning of life

by mankkeli in

i have posted this on another forum where i mentor on spirituality and i am posting here again.. when things like spirituality are no longer present in one's life, they may or may not stop looking for meaning.

meaning is an essential part of human psychology, though some feel the need for it less than others, and even a few seemingly don't at all.

there also seems to be a trend that occurs: in the lack of a meaning of life, the brain tries to find one, because it sees a purpose for everything.. .

Hoffnung

I love the display of high morals by our dear Mankeli Salmela (PH.D.), especially in the replies to disagreeing board members. Unfortunately I was not able to find any publication for this author either... One might expect that there was something read all over Europe, it would have to be translated in something else than Finnish or Norwegian. I hope sooner or later we get a title or picture of the publication.

Back to topic, one might question what is the purpose of life of an atheist. Most probably there is no one-fits-all answer, there are so many possiblities. People engage wholeheartedly in so many things, with almost a "religious zeal"(nature-activists like Greenpeace or sea-sheperd, music, sport clubs, politics, charity organizations, etc...), that it becomes as fulfilling as religion is for others. Many do not have a "spiritual void" in life that needs to be filled, but are entire satisfied and balanced without religion.

It should also be recognized that not everybody who does belief in God, has found a purpose in life connected to that belief. As fading JW, I know that the JW meetings have gotten very low on the spiritual level, I was not getting any spiritual satisfaction out of it. The same can be said about the current output of the watchtowers printeries. To make the purpose in life dependent on it, is almost a guarantee to get spiritually exhausted. Unfortunately many find this out, when they are depressive and burned out.

The lack of moral barriers in the atheist-mindset, is a very weak argument, as the history of religion is full of deeds by people who did the most cruel things in the name of God. And unfortunately it is still going on. The criminal record of the Scandinavian countries, which are predominantly atheist, is way better than in many so-called more religious countries (e.g. Mexico, USA or Brazil). I believe you must be aware of that, if you live in Stockholm, or studied in Tromsö.

So I am afraid the ideas of our dear Professor do not have many legs to stand on. But that is just my 0,02 $.

Hoffnung

71

My mom and dad told me that I'm an apostate and that they want to 'limit their association' with me!!!

by Joliette in

jw
friends

a series of events led up to an arugment with my parents last night.

my mom and dad told me that they found my videos that i was doing on youtube, and they told me that i was an apostate.

they said that they would help me if it was an emergency, but other then that, they didnt want anything to do with me.

Hoffnung

Hi Joliette,

Sorry that you have to through all of this. It must be very though on you. The "balance" preached by Mankelli just shows how wacko the whole thing has become. You are feeling the darkest side of the Society full in your face. Keep your head up if you can. Maybe you can find a way of negotiating a kind of improvement in the relationship, but I am afraid most of it will be out of your hands. As long as you or the YouTube videos are a theme for the local gossip in congo, your chances for improvement are small. It is thought-and-mind-control at its strongest. We feel for you

Hoffnung

66

Eurozone crisis- the jw's are crowing about it like mad!

by highdose in

jw
friends

over the past few weeks i've been told that the eurozone will go into melt down and that this will be the start of armargeddon because the goverments will then turn on religon to get their money instead.. i have been told that the greek pm almost rejecting the greek bailout plan would lead to armargeddon.

of course much to the jw's disapointment the greek pm resigned and the greeks did accept the bail out.

thus saving the greek banks from collapse and thus the rest of the european banks.. i have been told that italys debt will mean they will plunder the vatican for its wealth!

Hoffnung

If worst comes to the worst, Greece and some other countries will quit the Euro, and devaluate their currency, with 20-30, maybe 50 %. This will have some impact on banks in other European countries, who have loans and bonds in these Greece, Italy, portugal & Spain, but we are still far away from a meltdown. In the US, you have poor states and rich states. The quasi bankrupcy of California did not cause the rest of the US going broke either.

Hoffnung

12

Acts 15:29 & Revelation 2:14,20

by allyouneedislove in

i have heard the assertion that acts 15:29 saying: "keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood" was a decree set forth as a recommendation to keep christian gentiles from stumbing christian jews.

the same assertion says that 1 corinthians 8 makes it clear that it is a conscience matter to "keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols".

however, revelation 2:14,20 seems to show that eating things sacrificed to idols is much more serious of a grievance.. .

Hoffnung

Acts 15:29 was a specific answer to a specific problem, which was limited in time and area. Brothers from Jerusalem had come to Antiochia (Syria) where Paul and Barnabas were at that time, making an issue about Gentile brothers not sticking to some jewish customs, like circumcision. Paul & barnabas went to Jerusalem, as the problem came from there, to discuss this issue with the local elders. The decision made there, had as sole purpose to improve the interactions between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, detailing some recommendations taken from the Mosaic law, in order that the feelings of Jewish christians would not be hurt too much, but Circumcision was deemed not necessary. The things mentioned in Acts were repugnant for jews, and even if they were christians, for them it was one bridge too far to see their Gentile brothers doing that stuff.

This same issue came up time and again in the 1st century congos. But as the issue at hand had differed slightly, as time and location were different, the recommendation concerning blood was not repeated, neither by Paul in the letters to the Corinthians, which were written only a few years later than Acts, nor in John's Revelation. The basic reason for the limiting recommendations was still the same, it was to protect the feelings of fellow christians, and the root motive was love for neighbours.

It was not because the meat was not suitable for consumption, it was due to teachings by sectarian people in the congo's, which made others stumble.

Hoffnung

14

"We Bring Them In The Front Door, Only To Have The Angels Throw Them Out The Back Door!A"

by AvocadoJake in

what do you make of this statement made by the elderette in her comment this week?

she is refering to the weak ones in the halls.

this is not an uncommon statement made by the pious ones..

Hoffnung

She is a first-class product of the Watchtower Society. You cannot tell people continuously they are something special, and then not expect them to look down on others. There are people who think like that in every congregation.

To be honest, if the angels are bringing new ones to the KH, they do a crappy job, and if they work others out the back door, they do a crappy job on that one too. There are quite some elders around here who can show them how it's done (the working out the door bit, I mean. Bringing people in... don't mention it).

I think angels have nothing to do with it. I find it so funny, Elders claim from the platform the Witnesses are guided and supported by the greatest power in the Universe, the Holy Spirit of God, however they can do nothing to stop Kingdom halls from getting empty. Looks like the greatest power is out of gas... or it is not guiding and supporting the Witnesses at all. You pick which one it is.

Hoffnung

28

Why do we have to 'prove' anything to God. (This point made at assembly today)

by PaintedToeNail in

the point was made at the assembly today, that we have to 'prove' our love for jehovah to him.

as i sat there, bored, this thought struck me as odd.

since jehovah is supposed to be able to read 'hearts', why do we as humans, have to prove anything to him, since he already knows us down to our kidneys and would know if we loved him or not.

Hoffnung

For Advocado Jake:

The Society loves to compare the relationship between God and his earthly servants with a Father-Son relationship. I do not know if you are a father yourself, bit if you are, can you imagine that your son has to do some work for you everyday before you will recognize him as your son? That would be a stupid idea, isn't it? Your son will always be your son, even when he would be a thief, a fornicator and do I know what! The only condition for which he stops being your son, is that your son HIMSELF says that he does not recognize you as his father. The same is true with God. We are his kids for as long as we do not claim the opposite. GRACE is the key-word and not undeserved-kindness. The idea that we should continuously have to prove that we love God, is nothing from the bible. It is an invention from Ted Jaracz. It is not christian at all. And Assemblies these days are boring as the north pole. I am glad I missed the last one.

Hoffnung

184

Please dont be guilty of committing the sins you have indicted the WatchTower of

by mankkeli in

please dont be guilty of the sins you have indicted the wt of commiting.

something is common to all on this discussion board, we are quick at castigating the watchtower.

although, i understand your reasons for doing so, but i will warn you not to be guilt of the same offense the wt had committed.

Hoffnung

Hi Shelby,

You are awesome. As always.

Hoffnung