Posts by Retrovirus

27

Pentecostal Madness: Panties, Wife swapping, aggression and epylepsy

by Wonderment in

though i have never been a pentecostal, i remember well the frequent stories i heard of this religious movement while going from house-to-house in the past.

i wonder if you guys heard similar stories.

one story i heard a few times was about the confession of some males going to pentecostal churches to peek at girls throwing themselves all over the floor in epileptic movements, and some mention the word "panties" being exposed as an attraction to them.

Retrovirus

Godrulz wrote:

Just because there are corrupt lawyers and doctors does not mean all are. Just because there are medical quacks does not negate the truth of evidence based medicine. Jumping to conclusions/stereotyping is not fair.

Setting aside that nothing religious is "evidence based", and therefore this is a false analogy. . .

This sounds to me exactly like the argument that people should stay in the wt and not be put off by a few "fallible" people.

There's not much to choose between dogmatic religions.

61

I hate JW jargon!!! (Alternatives please!)

by VampireDCLXV in

all of us who have any ties to the jws know that they have their own vernacular, their own slang.

sure, there are formal titles that we can't really get away from: pioneer, ministerial servant, elder, ______ overseer, governing body, the (watchtower) society, etc.

but there are plenty of other bits of parlance they use that i can do without.... for example:.

Retrovirus

"bible trained conscience" - unquestioning obedience to a few men

"honest hearted" - falling for the hype

63

Who's the most intolerant religious group?

by Wonderment in

i would like to hear people's opinions on intolerant religious groups?

who wins?.

somehow, i have this notion that pentecostals would win 1st place, followed by baptists, followed by jw's.

Retrovirus

Godrulz says

Some of you still don't get the concept that thinking one is right or actually being right is intolerant

I guess you mean "being right is not intolerant". The problem I see with your analogy is that religion is not evidence based.

Sure, you can believe you're right and still be tolerant. Most people do.

But some seek out people when they are likely to be doubtful and vulnerable, and push their views and agendas. They argue from a supposed position of superiority and cannot concede the least point in discussion.

Whether or not they are right, that is intolerant behaviour.

If by chance they are right, that will become apparent without such tactics.

68

As of today, I will no longer be one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

by Knowsnothing in

i spoke with my mother, told her everything, my doubts, my fears, my sins.

it came rushing out.

my mother is devastated.

Retrovirus

Hi Knowsnothing,

As a non-jw I cannot give detailed advice, but I've been in a couple of very stressful family situations. If your objective is to get through to your mother, it might help to slow things down a little. That would give you more time with her real personality, and hopefully reduce the chance of ultimatums resulting from the great stress you both feel.

Perhaps say that you want time to consider what the elders have said, and also time to talk it through with her. Be affectionate and reasonable. In discussions, take one topic at a time, and research it carefully first. I found jwfacts a great resource.

Best wishes to you in this difficult time. I respect your integrity and hope the situation turns out well.

Retro

39

Strategizing against the WTBTS

by Essan in

could we be doing more brothers and sisters?

i'm sure i'm not alone in wishing that there was more we could do to hasten the demise of the wtbts and to speed up the exodus of it's members.

and i'm sure i'm not alone in thinking of possible ways to do this.. one which i have been considering lately is to make use of the fact that many who leave the organization actually leave the area, move away, and start a new life.

Retrovirus

Essan, my experience was that "studying" with jws didn't help much. I kept asking questions, and they were honest enough to keep coming back and trying to research answers. But when they had to fall back on "don't know", it was always accompanied with something like "but I'll never let doubts about little things () keep me from Jehovah."

I guess if they are not ready to reconsider, no information will get through.

Is anyone doing something of helping the kids that are kicked out of homes for not wanting to be baptised and/or remain active? Like, helping them to find accomodation, work, higher education? Or even just mentoring and socialising?

142

Undercover Brother Campaign- have you received your invite?

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

without specifics being mentioned as to what it is......(to avoid tipping off certain lurkers).. how many people know about the upcoming summer long campaign?

please use this thread to confirm receipt of your campaign invitation.

take care.

Retrovirus

Can Aussies join in? Could I have a pm pls?

28

Considering Shunning my JW Friend

by InterestedOne in

jw
friends

i had a discussion with my jw friend during which i asked her why a rational person should believe the world is run by demons.

in response, she questioned the existence of objective rationality.

she said that we should "agree to disagree.

Retrovirus

I asked my conductor about the WT definition of the word "lie" and how it differs from the dictionary, and he said "that's a problem for Webster and not my problem."

The jw arrogance can be breathtaking! Might as well say "I have spoken"

InterestedOne, I'm very sure you don't want to hurt your friend, you have gone a long way to try to understand her and communicate with her. It's sad that she cannot begin to reciprocate, but maybe that's how it is.

109

Tonight I disassociated myself - after 24 years - had 2 hour meeting with Elder

by Intel in

i am now sitting at home.

my wife left with my little child.

my fault (i dislike the word "fault", but don't have a better one right now).. it feels strange, relieved and free, at the same time it was all very strange.

Retrovirus

As a non-jw, I cannot imagine the courage that you showed. All I can add from my own experience is the times I stayed in a situation to avoid confrontation - they are the times I now regret.

Best wishes, and you deserve another

28

Considering Shunning my JW Friend

by InterestedOne in

jw
friends

i had a discussion with my jw friend during which i asked her why a rational person should believe the world is run by demons.

in response, she questioned the existence of objective rationality.

she said that we should "agree to disagree.

Retrovirus

InterestedOne, I can relate because I saw my ex-SIL go this way. When we met, before she became my SIL, she seemed a stong, independent lady with a nice sense of humour. We became friends as well as relatives. Before her marriage she was "studying the Bible" ( ) with the jw and soon after she was baptised.

It made for an impossible marriage. My brother could and did compromise, but a jw cannot. Also my friendship with her eroded as she only seemed interested in converting me. Finally she set the local jws onto me. With the current Apostate Angst, she has stopped communicating entirely.

This "friend" of yours does as she thinks she must. She cannot leave the religion out of it because she must "give a fine witness" but she must also panic at every logical response, as it threatens her cult personality.

It seems that you will have to part ways, but if you can, do it gently. She is trapped and cannot be reasonable, but she can still feel hurt.

29

Has there been any recent counsel or articles advising JW's to avoid associating with 'inactives'?

by nicolaou in

i ask because over the last few weeks i've noticed a marked 'cooling off' from my brother and sisters.

i don't think i'm being paranoid - has anything specific been printed lately?

bloody faith!.

Retrovirus

Welcome, ChainedNo Longer!

You seem to have a lot of your close family "in", which makes this latest witchhunt very hard for you.

I'm a non-jw, and my jw SIL has now also declined to keep in touch since I failed to progress in my "Bible" studies. The jw ladies who were uber-friendly at the start of the visits have also disappeared. Ah well.

Hang in there, and I do hope that as others have suggested, once the present stridency wears off, believing jws will revert to more moderate behaviour.

I understand from another thread that you have at least one child, kudos to you for raising her/him out of the watchtower! That's a great thing to do for your child.

All the best, Retro