Franklin Massey

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Posts by Franklin Massey

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  20

  Volunteering

  by MrFreeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  does anybody here do any volunteer work?

  i mean real volunteer work.

  not the jw "knock on doors and annoy people" kind of volunteer work.

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  Franklin Massey

  I do regular volunteer work in our community. Youth sports facilities, homeless shelters, and public parks are just a few places I like to help.
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  30

  Facial Hair – a Perfect Fading Strategy

  by zarco in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  startfragment.

  so a brother wants to fade, but would rather not explain his reasons.

  lets say he grows a nice beard or goatee.

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  Franklin Massey

  I predict that neatly groomed facial hair will be more acceptable in the US in the next few years. It's already allowed in other parts of the world. Think shaved heads and brightly colored dress shirts. If enough brothers do it, it will become more normal.
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  65

  So I finished reading the Origin of Species last night.....

  by Mr. Falcon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ...oh my.. i am not trying to start a creation vs. evolution debate, but something else really did stand out in my mind upon reading this "infamous" book.

  and that is that the theory of evolution is a very complex and at times, logically interesting theory.

  it makes valid points as well as asking fair and legitimate questions of the theory of creation.

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  Franklin Massey

  I'm curious, did you get in trouble for reading that book?

  Official trouble? Like, "Bro. Massey, we need to meet with you about a matter that has come to our attention?" No. I mentioned reading the book to a group that I thought could handle it. A few close friends that are pretty laid back about things. I didn't champion Darwin or evolution. I was soft in my approach. I just pointed out that there are some aspects of evolution that tell a fascinating story. I mentioned that Darwin found evidence and then tried to make sense of what he observed and that his ideas made for an interesting read. Turns out I shouldn't have mentioned it at all. One Bro., an elder I have known for most of my life, still makes snarky remarks about my "love of Charles Darwin." Another guy asked me why I was trying so hard to be controversial. A couple that was there have backed away from me a bit after the conversation. They are still polite but they seem suspicious of me some times. I can imagine them thinking, "If he is into Darwin, what ELSE is he into? Witchcraft? Bestiality?"
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  66

  Heads up! Jesus is angry at the churches for their hospitals and feeding the poor......

  by miseryloveselders in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  next week's congregation bible study will explain and illustrate why christendom is toast, and how we can contribute to the joy of christ by supporting "the faithful and discreet slave.".

  the anger and the joy of the messianic king.

  10. like his father, our master is by nature happy.

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  Franklin Massey

  This is just my opinion: Helping the needy and actively making the community a better place to live gives a better "witness" to Christ than banging the heck out of someone's door on a Saturday morning and handing them a poorly written piece of literature. Not to mention the return on investment. As was mentioned above, the time and resources wasted in door-to-door (at least in more developed countries) is astounding. Mention it to a JW and offer a better idea of how to spread the message and all they can say is, "We just follow the direction of the FDS."
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  61

  Wow, This is Getting Tougher!

  by Franklin Massey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm having a really hard time giving my meeting parts.

  i had a service meeting part this week and i could hardly get through it.

  i am no longer convinced of some of the things jws teach and so i try to either eliminate those things from my parts, or reword them so that i'm not speaking about that which i do not personally believe.

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  Franklin Massey

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/206565/1/WOW-This-is-getting-tougher-II

  Thread has been moved. Use the above link to pick up the discussion.
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  65

  So I finished reading the Origin of Species last night.....

  by Mr. Falcon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ...oh my.. i am not trying to start a creation vs. evolution debate, but something else really did stand out in my mind upon reading this "infamous" book.

  and that is that the theory of evolution is a very complex and at times, logically interesting theory.

  it makes valid points as well as asking fair and legitimate questions of the theory of creation.

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  Franklin Massey

  I too learned all the JW tricks to argue away the evidence for evolution. Some of them are mildly clever and provide a person the self deluded comfort of feeling right about something which they know nothing about. But when I began deep research into the WT creation doctrine, I began to notice that it, like many other WT teachings, has done its own evolving over the last century. Then I started looking into the "scholars and experts" that the Society would quote to prove creation or disprove evolution and found that many quotes were out of context and many others were quotes from wacko Creationists whose "theories" have been totally disproven.

  The problem is, people still use the out of date material to battle evolution.

  I got in a bit of trouble when I told some JWs that I found Darwin's work interesting and compelling. I was barraged with passionately delivered misinformation and anti-evolution jargon. It was almost funny. Almost.
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  66

  Heads up! Jesus is angry at the churches for their hospitals and feeding the poor......

  by miseryloveselders in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  next week's congregation bible study will explain and illustrate why christendom is toast, and how we can contribute to the joy of christ by supporting "the faithful and discreet slave.".

  the anger and the joy of the messianic king.

  10. like his father, our master is by nature happy.

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  Franklin Massey

  When I read the paragraphs MLE quoted, I thought it was made up. It sounded like a parody. I checked my book. Yikes! What a joke.

  Yesterday I needed help getting a message about an upcoming charity event that my business is sponsoring out to the community (sorry I'm being vague but I don't want to give away personal details). I contacted a local community organizer for help. She told me, "One great way to get the word out is to contact the local churches. They'll add your event to their announcements on Sunday and I'm sure you'll get a great response from the congregations." I thought, "What a nice arrangement." Then I thought, "If someone contacted the local Kingdom Hall for help, we would turn them down. At best we would just tell them to come to one of our free public meetings with no promise of helping with their event."

  The choice to not participate in helping the community is one thing, but to say that Jesus is all mad at the Churches that do reach out is ridiculous. Watchtower elitism at its finest.
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  19

  WOW. This is getting tougher II

  by Franklin Massey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/206514/3/wow-this-is-getting-tougher.

  after the last comment from sweetbabycheezits, the thread disappears with no place to continue posting.

  i went to page one and added a comment to the thread but i can't see it.. suggestions?

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  Franklin Massey

  Thanks Leaving, I'll read it on my break today.

  SBC, I read some Mencken articles yesterday. Thanks for the tip!
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  19

  WOW. This is getting tougher II

  by Franklin Massey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/206514/3/wow-this-is-getting-tougher.

  after the last comment from sweetbabycheezits, the thread disappears with no place to continue posting.

  i went to page one and added a comment to the thread but i can't see it.. suggestions?

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  Franklin Massey

  Beware, thank you for joining in the discussion. Good points about finding solutions. This stood out:

  it can be okay to not know the answers

  I wish JWs were "allowed" to feel this way. Bible students aren't even allowed to feel that way. How many times have you heard of a study who has been through multiple books, knows the local friends, attends some meetings, lives a good life, but never takes the dip because of some small hangup on a JW doctrinal issue. I shouldn't even call it a hang up. They have every right to their viewpoints. But not to JWs they don't. If someone disagreess with a JW, then that person is wrong because if the Society says it's true, it's true. A JW is at risk even admitting that they maybe just aren't convinced by the current printed explanation of a doctrine. If you don't believe something JWs teach, then the problem is with YOU, not with them. That is unfair, dishonest, and a big part of why I'm struggling with having to dispense this stuff on a regular basis.

  This thread has been very helpful to me as it has made me realize that I can't go on like this for the rest of my life. If I don't change something, the best parts of my life will begin to suffer. What that change is and when it will happen is yet to be determined. I sincerely thank everyone who has read and/or posted on this thread.
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  19

  WOW. This is getting tougher II

  by Franklin Massey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/206514/3/wow-this-is-getting-tougher.

  after the last comment from sweetbabycheezits, the thread disappears with no place to continue posting.

  i went to page one and added a comment to the thread but i can't see it.. suggestions?

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  Franklin Massey

  Thanks! It's probably a sign from God that I shouldn't be on this site