Lee Elder

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Posts by Lee Elder

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  63

  Reasons why we hate JW's (as an org)

  by ashitaka in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my first reason is the fact that i was being controlled through the jw social structure, and having to fight to do anything....even whether to wear a tie or not.

  the preoccupation with appearance was so debilitating; that was all i was ever concerned with.

  and, as i'm not attractive, good in sports, or a conformist, i had very few friends.

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  Lee Elder

  I hate the fact that they brainwash the children into refusing necessary medical care and are perfectly willing to sacrifice these kids while they grapple with a timetable for disassembling their monstrous teachings on blood.

  Lee
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  61

  Signing Off on "The NET THANG"

  by JT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i would just like to thank everyone for the excellent posts that have appeared here on this site.

  i esp would like to thank simon for making this possible.

  i sincerely believe that the "net thang" will continue to play a role in helping jw who are sincerely searching for a confirmation that all their doubts and wondering over the years was not the result of them being spiritually weak.

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  Lee Elder

  Best wishes to you and your wife. Your contribution has been
  outstanding. I hope our paths cross some day.

  Warmest regards,

  Lee
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  26

  Memorial policy. Is that true all over?

  by Mulan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was interested in the post earlier today, about how the 'emblems' were not passed to the disfellowshipped people at the memorial.. does anyone know if this is the policy now, or was it an isolated incident?.

  my husband, a former elder, said he had never heard of that being done before.

  but we've been gone for 4 years too.. marilyn (aka mulan).

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  Lee Elder

  By the WTS own doctrine all members of the early 1st century congregations were of the anointed and had a heavenly hope. Pauls
  letter to the Corinthians discusses a situation that the WT
  interprets as the model for disfellowshipping. Did this man cease
  to have a heavenly hope? What is the scriptural basis for arguing
  that God would temporarily displace these anointed ones while
  they are shunned? None exists that I am aware of. Then again, WTS
  policies are seldom grounded in solely in the Bible. Even the pope
  would get red faced at the thought of assuming the kind of power and control some members of the WTS presume over others.

  Lee
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  7

  Your Support is Needed

  by Lee Elder in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ajwrb has been in touch with the canadian jw father, whose daughter has leukemia.

  we have also had a discussion with his attorney bob calvert.

  legal costs to fight the watchtower society are mounting and another appeal may be in the works.

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  Lee Elder

  AJWRB has been in touch with the Canadian JW father, whose daughter has Leukemia. We have also had a discussion with his attorney – Bob Calvert. Legal costs to fight the Watchtower Society are mounting and another appeal may be in the works. This is a situation where assistance is needed to carry on this important legal battle. We are asking that AJWRB supporters make their donation payable to: “Save My Daughter”

  Donations should be mailed to:

  SHUNNED FATHER
  Box 20161,
  Calgary Place R.P.O.,
  Calgary Alberta T2P 4J2
  
  Thank you for continued support.
• 
  21

  Good News from Calgary

  by Kismet in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the appeal court backed the decision of the lower court judge.. i am not rejoicing that the girl is necessarily getting the blood, tho i certainly like her chances for survival far better this way than with the 'alternative' treatment.

  i have long been of the opinion that people have the right to chose medical treatment as long as it is an informed decision .

  the court in their ruling support the fact that this girl did not make an inofrmed choice and was under intense pressure from the church, not her own belief.

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  Lee Elder

  This is potentially a very important development. I want to
  focus on these comments of the judge:

  ... the judge also pointed out that the teen has not looked "death in the face," because she's been told by fellow Witnesses that the blood transfusions are not essential to save her life.

  "Because of incorrect information and the behaviour of some around her she now believes that she will not die if she does not have transfusions," she said.

  The Appeals Court recognizes that the girl has been fed inaccurate information by fellow Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Society and that neither her (despite her being a mature minor) nor her mother are able to view the situation from a balanced perspective and make reasonable choices.

  Lee
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  21

  Letting JW relatives go....revisited

  by MegaDude in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some of you might remember i posted my thoughts on why, after years of shunning, and me continually trying to establish contact with the jw relatives that do this, i finally decided it was healthier for me to let them go and stop doing that.

  this was especially true in the case of my younger brother, who was more like a best friend.

  we spent a lot of time together before my extricating myself from the watchtower, including vacations and lots of weekends.

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  Lee Elder

  Very good post. In AA they frequently talk about the "Serentiy Prayer". I think its useful for these kinds of situations - even if you no longer believe in God.

  God grant me the serenity
  to accept the things I cannot change
  Courage to change the things I can
  and the wisdom to know the difference

  Kudos to you Megadude

  Lee
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  20

  I belive the watchtower will fall.

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i belive the watchtower will fall.. maybe not now but in ten or twenty years its really going to be struggling.. it will be obvious to most in a few more years thay armageddon is not coming , 1914 is wrong etc.

  "apostate knowledge" will become much more widespread due to the internet.. it is different to other religions in the fact that everyone is looking forward to armageddon in their life time.

  it is the driving force for witnesses and will cause it to die.armaggedons no-show will cause bitter disappointment .. those who have left already , and have taken their families with them have stunted future groth as this is mostly made up of children of believers .. people are becoming better educated and more knowledgeable in general.. all the elderly ones will have died, with no link to the past ,and no armaggedon enthusiasm will die out.. this generation of witnesses may be the last.. (then i woke up)or did i?

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  Lee Elder

  My gut feeling is that the WTS will slowly but surely slither towards
  the middle - gradually caving in on blood, shunning, holidays and other
  contentious issues that serve little purpose in the big scheme of things. A hundred years from now it will probably be as different from today's WTS organization as Russell and the Bible Students are.

  Lee
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  8

  The Watchtower's "N" word.

  by Lee Elder in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is no word in watchtower speak (theocratise) that carries more emotional charge than apostate.

  to be labeled an apostate is the lowest low worst than pond scum.

  in jw thinking, there is more hope for a pedophile or a murderer than for an apostate.

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  Lee Elder

  There is no word in Watchtower Speak (theocratise) that carries more emotional charge than “Apostate”. To be labeled an apostate is the lowest low – worst than pond scum. In JW thinking, there is more hope for a pedophile or a murderer than for an apostate. The word is probably analogous to the use of the “N” word.

  It is hard, perhaps impossible, for those not directly affected to appreciate the kind of pain inflicted by the use of these hateful expressions. When reading a thread from this site:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24168&site=3

  it dawned on me that some in ex-JW community are dealing with “A” word in a manner similar to that being used by some blacks to deal with the “N” word. We joke about “apostafests” and even take pride in the term. By doing so, we are probably trying to take the energy or power out of the word.

  On the other hand, when we consider the shameful manner in which the Watchtower Corporation (the Borg) has behaved towards its members – especially the children – it feels good to be able to say, “I quit – I cannot and will not support that. I abandon the cause – I’m an apostate or at least a Watchtower apostate.”

  Lee
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  38

  What - if any - Religon are you now practicing?

  by lydia in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know this seems like a dumb subject.. but i often wonder if many of us still believe and feel the need to worship - and not the borg either .

  so here is a poll.... what religious orginization - if any - are you affiliated ( this does not mean you had to join it)?.

  or - do you feel that everything is wrong due to the borg..and will you ever consider going to an organized religon again??.

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  Lee Elder

  I have not joined another religious organization. My wife and I have tried the "Church of the Sunday Morning Paper" as well as the "Church
  of Beer". It's a difficult decision especially when you factor in re-runs of "Mysteries of the Bible." We feel very pulled.

  I consider myself a liberal Christian and a Deist. I'll attend an occasional meeting at the KH, or convention to see some old friends. I have a hard time seeing myself ever joining a Church.

  Lee
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  25

  Defeating The Watchtower - What Does This Mean?

  by hillary_step in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i actually wrote this post in response to a poster recently dealing with the 'defeating' of the wts.. i have started a new topic with the post as i would like to hear opinions of what xjw's and others view as a 'defeated' watchtower.. "i am not quite sure what we all want from the wts.

  what does a person mean by 'defeating' the watchtower?.

  destroying it, selling its buildings, giving the cash back to the people who bought them?

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  Lee Elder

  "I am not quite sure what we all want from the WTS. What does a person mean by 'defeating' the Watchtower?"

  I suppose this means different things to different people. Some might reject the question altogether. To imagine that we can even be responsible for forcing the WTS to change its most dangerous and barbaric policies is unrealistic.

  To me, defeating the WTS is a matter of turning up the light of public scrutiny and educating Jehovah's Witnesses about how individuals and families are impacted by the WTS policies. The free flow of accurate
  information is a "defeat" of the WTS, since it can only thrive in a vacuum. Additionally, when the public and the governments begin to fully understand these issues, they will pressure the WTS to change - this too is a "defeat" of sorts.

  On a personal level, I have a hard time thinking in terms of "defeating" the WTS. I still have many friends and family members in the organization. I want them to be well treated by the WTS. I don't want to rock their world and turn them on their heads, theologically. I am in no more of a position to offer them "the truth" then the WTS is. I have no interest in destroying their golden calf; I just don't want it to destroy them.

  Additionally, I feel my own experience is more analogous to surviving a disaster than winning a war.

  Lee