Retrovirus

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Posts by Retrovirus

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  25

  My experience with the "faithful and discreet slave"?

  by Blttex in

  1. social
  2. current

  who really is the faithful and discreet slave........ .

  funeral experience.

  i attended my first "worldly" funeral last saturday.

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  Retrovirus

  Welcome, Blltex, and thank you for a thought-provoking first post!

  Retro
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  46

  My husband MISSED the meeting today! Unheard of!

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  he decided to take me somewhere nice in the country for a day instead, and when he suggested it last night i was amazed that he would have even thought of missing the meeting!

  he was one of those guys who only missed a meeting, literally, if he had a spinal injury and couldn't move!.

  but, i've been sharing a little of the ttatt with him, teensy tiny bits that i can substantiate from the bible or other reputable sources.

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  Retrovirus

  Hi Julia Orwell, great progress and glad you two had a good day together! Every meeting missed lessens the indoctrination.

  Hi Niomar1 and welcome! I gather English is not your first language (actually it's not mine either ). You write

  but with these things i wrote before i have expressed my spontanous indignation as i realised what a sly trap is evolving behind your husband's back in this special time while he is more vulnerable

  These are indeed strong and harsh words. If you have been with Jehovah's Witnesses for any length of time you will know that they are taught and encouraged to approach persons in turmoil or suffering after a loss because the may be "receptive". They also present only the happy and positive aspects of their religion, so that the negatives are only apparent when the new recruit has become committed to beliefs and dependant on the congregation's good will.

  Do you also feel spontaneous indignation over these sly traps?

  If you are willing to discuss, we must take it to a new thread; Please start one, or if you reply I'll be happy to do so.

  Retro
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  68

  Raphael Aron in The Age newspaper: Jehovah's Witnesses 'a cruel cult'

  by WinstonSmith in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this popped up on the age website today, might have to buy the paper tomorrow..... http://www.theage.com.au/national/jehovahs-witnesses-a-cruel-cult-20130315-2g5x3.html.

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  Retrovirus

  Just found the article in my paper! BTTT especially for fellow Aussies!
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  11

  Anyone else having a bad week? Thought I was going to die!

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so, this week has been hell!!!

  it's been bad enough that all of our jw friends & family having been shunning us, 'unfriending' us on facebook and sending nasty emails to gojira...

  so i have a dog, zoey that likes to tattle on the others, even humans.

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  Retrovirus

  Hi NE! Thank goodness Zoey warned you :).

  For the rest, I cannot imagine how bad the "unfriending" must feel, and I'm so sorry Gojira is getting nasty emails. Hope you both find many new, real friends and fun activites out here in the "worldly" world.

  Retro
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  18

  One baptism...

  by NeverKnew in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just realized, i have to explain the joke so you guys will get it.

  in some churches, communion is open to anyone who has been baptised regardless of denomination or church affiliation at baptism.

  so, even though one may be confirmed or baptised at one church, it can be acceptable to go to another church and receive communion.

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  Retrovirus

  Thanks, Steve2,

  And to start, please let me apologise for the "parting shot". I have read many reasonable and informative posts from you and this seemed different, but I should not try to guess at reasons. The hot and humid night we had here in Melbourne didn't help me much.

  The group of Witnesses that blocked my path so that I had to slow for the child did happen - but only once, 3 years ago. I was seriously irritated then. I would agree it is not typical.

  Also, just to clarify; the OP was not mine; I don't know NeverKnew at all. I have been to many churches; my birth religion is inclusive and liberal, and have taken communion at several. From my perspective the jw practice of only a few select "valid" communicants is very strange and I think many would find it so.

  Retro
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  18

  One baptism...

  by NeverKnew in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just realized, i have to explain the joke so you guys will get it.

  in some churches, communion is open to anyone who has been baptised regardless of denomination or church affiliation at baptism.

  so, even though one may be confirmed or baptised at one church, it can be acceptable to go to another church and receive communion.

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  Retrovirus

  Well, I guess if you are literal minded you'd say that

  Well, I am

  In general, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't

  Only because of their arrogance and black-and-white thinking. And yes, I know it's the cult personality and many, most jws are really nice people.

  If they did literally accost you (please look up the word in the dictionary - it has an overtly confrontational meaning), you'd complain

  Disappointing to see that you taking an arrogant approach yourself. When I'm out walking and a group of people block the path so that I cannot avoid a child offering me a tract, that's accosting.

  Besides, there is a significant difference between approaching people in public spaces to proselytize and entering people's places of worship to feign puzzlement and outrage. Do you not see the difference?

  So my porch is a public place now? But yes, of course I see the difference. Nevertheless, as the OP made clear (the first line did mention "joke") there was no intention of doing that.

  Moreover, one of the most tired lines people give for their own crossing of the line in their behavior is, "Other people do it".

  Perfectly true, quite irrelevant. See above.

  Generally I enjoy your posts. Hope you feel better soon. Retro
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  18

  One baptism...

  by NeverKnew in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just realized, i have to explain the joke so you guys will get it.

  in some churches, communion is open to anyone who has been baptised regardless of denomination or church affiliation at baptism.

  so, even though one may be confirmed or baptised at one church, it can be acceptable to go to another church and receive communion.

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  Retrovirus

  Steve2 said

  Now if JWs approached you on the street and, unsolicited, boldly declared your baptism to be invalid, your reaction would be understandable

  But . . that's what they do, isn't it? Except for the "boldly" part. They accost people in the street and at their doors, unsolicited. They disguise the message "you are not a true Christian" until they have established ascendency in a "bible study". They invite unsuspecting believers and atheists to their "memorial" as a first step to telling them how bad and wrong their belief system is. And . . .is the baptism of a non-jw ever regarded as valid?

  In my case their only interest in my beliefs was to pick them apart and try to convince me of flaws. Of course, it wasn't a reciprocal exchange of views.

  Showing them how their beliefs and practices look to an unindoctrinated outsider might just give them a glimpse of the real world.

  Retro
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  18

  One baptism...

  by NeverKnew in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just realized, i have to explain the joke so you guys will get it.

  in some churches, communion is open to anyone who has been baptised regardless of denomination or church affiliation at baptism.

  so, even though one may be confirmed or baptised at one church, it can be acceptable to go to another church and receive communion.

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  Retrovirus

  As another non-jw, I think this be interesting. Any thoughts from jws and ex-jws?

  Retro
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  39

  Is it disrespectful to call God by his name?

  by BU2B in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this seems to me to be yet another flawed reasoning from the wt.

  god is supposed to be jw's "father".

  it always seemed a bit strange even when i was mentally in, the argument they used to support using the name jehovah.

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  Retrovirus

  I askedthe jw ladies who "studied" wit me about that, especially given the instruction and example of Jesus. Their opening and closing prayers were full of "Jehovah God" this and that, as if He needed reminding. They avoided answering directly, as so often.

  Slightly tangential, they justified "Jehovah" rather than "Yahweh" as it was the most popular usage in the world. I asked "in Satan's world?" Another change of topic followed.

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  43

  Recorded Judicial Meeting by 19 year old

  by BlindersOff1 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  .

  he runs circles around the dogmatic elders.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lko0vmqfyau.

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  Retrovirus

  From AnnOMaley's post:

  Some of his defense in the JC sounded disingenuous - he hadn't just been 'asking questions' in his videos, but he had been large as life, no attempt at disguise, 'brazenly' attacking the org and its teachings. His commentary about the JC segments showed how cocky he was about it all. How he expected to pull off a successful 'I'm just an innocent being picked on for asking questions' act, I don't know.

  Sure, he was no innocent. That's shown by the recordings. He had indeed been 'brazenly' ( ) attacking the Org, but his point that the Org trains its ministers to attack any and all other belief systems is valid.

  I think the videos were aimed at the public, rather than jws and be very glad to recommend them to anyone considering studying with jws.

  Retro