Posts by libra

You are now free to live! The people outside the Org are not evil! You are free to begin to think for yourself, free to decide how to dress and how to act. Free to build real friendships. Trial and error is OK.

Welcome!

26

The Perils of Astrology

by Stephanus in

jw
friends

yes, i am going through a crisis...well, for a long while now, i have been reading forecasts for my sun sign (virgo) and my rising sign (pisces, 26 degrees).

i thought they were quite relevant to what i was going through, especially the pisces one...only to find out yesterday that during all that time, i should have read the aries forecast as my ascendant is at 26 degrees.

needless to say, i do feel very silly about the whole thing.

libra_spirit

Well you can tell from my handle that I do believe in some common shared traits that the people in different signs seem to share. However as to the planets I have to really wonder, when was netpune and pluto discovered anyway? If more planets are found will they be included? And lastly, just who is making it all up, who are the master astrolagers that make these claims? Who is writing the rules? As far a gravity is concerned, isn't the moon the most noticable field? The planet pluto must have such a small field that it couldn't even be measured or felt from the earth.

As a Libra, I have had my best relationships with Sagitarius women, I don't really know if this is just coincidence or something I can really count on. My most intense relationships have been with other Libras. It all seems very generally accurate, but I have never had a really reputable chart done on me personally and don't see the need to spend good money on this. I remember when everyone used to chart thier biorythms, you could get a PC program to chart them for you. Is there a PC program for charting your astrology charts? One could get a much quicker feel for things if it was faster to see the results. Do astrologers also inject thier own personal wisdom on things? If you had 3 people chart you, would the results be the same or different?

Think I will be watching for the microsoft compatible program!

9

To Sin or not to Sin, that's the question

by JH in

jw
friends

it's written in the bible that we are all sinners, right?.

it's written in the bible that god forgives, right?.

it is impossible for us not to sin, so what difference is there if we sin alot or sin a little?

libra_spirit

I don't like the sin concept much. I prefer to think of it as a "learn as you go" kinda life. You can not learn if you never make a mistake. Sin is really just a mistake you make because you didn't follow someone elses ideals. How can you know if the ideals are correct without trying both sides of them? The concept of sin insinuates the idea of a "faultless life." It is totally impossible, and it is a "black and white" comcept with a total disregaurd for any grey scale activities and or any learning curve. The sin concept is a setup to create followers that need to be instructed in what is good and what is evil. With this "sin" concept in place the only fruitage of life becomes guilt and a need for forgiveness. Why not just drop the whole sin concept and replace it with the idea of karma? If I screw somebody else then I will get screwed back, the payment will be made and done with. The fruitage of karma is learning, no need for guilt. When I start to do it differently then the results will change, only the learning is important.

34

Stereotypical ELDERS

by tazmaniac in

jw
friends

a while back we had a fairly sucessful posting history on stereotypical witnesses.

how about stereotypical elders.

i will start the ball rolling with two:.

libra_spirit

How about brother Jehovahmouth. Every fifth word from his lips is Jehovah. This guy needs Jehovah just to go brush his teeth.

And then theres brother shouldoftookriddalin, he is a bundle of nerves, can talk for an hour and say absolutly nothing. Makes up his own little slang expressions and uses them constantly.

Brother slicknslimy, gives you a big innocent smile while he is figuring out how to get rid of you so he can talk to somebody more spiritual then you.

41

Old board member here..an anonymous thread; Depression-a little help please

by aspiration in

jw
friends

hi.. i am a long time member of the board, but i am too embarrassed to put this under my username.

if people 'discover' who this is, please keep it to yourselves.

simon, my apologies, but please understand why i created the username.

libra_spirit

Asside form the good advice offered already I have a few thoughts.

I have found that participation on these kind of boards can bring up a lot for me. I go through a cycle of energy spurts, then I quit for a bit and go through a depression as it brings up many thoughts of my current situation or my painful past. Dwelling on these things too much can really sap me. Sometimes I try to escape into star trek movies for an entire weekend to get my mind shifted to anything that I can have some measure of control over. I know this sounds like AA, sorry, but to recognise the things you can not control, and then put your energy into the things you can control is good advice.

If you have absolutly no desire to venture back into spirituality, then what else is there? Plenty! You may want to find a physical hobby or project that is more likely to bring you to a state of JOY more often. Learning to dance, or fish, what really lights you up, what brings you personally back to life? I still have fond memories of the band I once played in after I finally got out of the Org. I have created many memories that bring me joy in the recall and a little shot of energy with the memory. I have to admit that even having spent many hours on support boards most of my fondest memories do not come from them. Getting free is just the first step to recovery. Generating "fun to remember" life expierences requires the ability to once again jump into life. Jumping back into life requires letting go of the scars of the past and once again opening your heart to a new begining. What opens your heart? Have you become too synical to reopen it?

I am glad you have seen a doctor, but what you are describbing, sounds like maybe a mid life crises. What have I done in my life? What reference do I base success on? What makes me feel fulfilled? What makes me happy? No longer pleased to know that others see me as good or stable, now I am confronted with "how do I see me?" How I percieve myself is now becomming more important then how others see me. And what I see, is not making me happy and not very inspiring.

Are you at a point of apathy? Rather then anger. Anger can be acted on, but apathy is the final giving up of something beyond your control. It is considered the lowest emotional state right above death on the tone scale.

Finding a level of humor in your life can help. Have you ever looked at yourself from outside, and viewed your struggles as someone else might? What the blank is that guy thinking? Who does he think he is? If you are expecting yourself to be as perfect as Jesus, holding yourself to a high standard, never having to learn the hard way, and taking it all so seriously, it can be helpful to begin laughing at yourself for your own arrogance. We Ex's like to still believe that we can change others, and are responsible for others decisions often feeling responsible for them. A very draining practice.

Note these are many of the personal thoughts and feeling I have had which led to an apathy for life, I am not trying to diagnose you ......... please see a theraphist if you can work it into your life. The drugs can slow down the process and make it much smother, but sooner or later I had to ask myself the question, why keep living? Where is the joy to come from? At 48 the reasons are much different then they were at 21 for me, but I kept expecting that they were the same. I go to the Unitiarians now, not to be converted or to fix some doctrine, but to feel Joy as a story is related. A real life human expierence shared with others. Spending more of my time in the emotional and accepting that part of me is an emotional being, is healthy. If I end up crying or laughing then the service was worth it. I am once again alive! When I loose that ability to open my heart and live only from my head I start to feel dead again. Good advice to realize this and start to care for myself and find activities that reenergize the emotions.

Well enough of my thoughts, I sincerely wish you the best and hope you find the answers!

(((Hugs)))

41

The Enormity of what Simon Has Done

by berylblue in

jw
friends

from another thread:.

simon is now probably britains public enemy number one in watchtower eyes.

his forum has helped so many escape from the organisation.

libra_spirit

Also my sincere thanks to you Simon!

Has it only been three years? Wow, seems like a lifetime now!

11

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

by Mary in

jw
friends

ok, i know that the watchtower teaches that when jesus was resurrected, he was resurrected as a spirit creature, while most churches teach that he was raised with his physical body.

what i don't understand, is why the wt puts so much emphasis on this, or why they would say it was not his physical body, he just "materialized" before all his disciples.

this is really a 360 turn around isn't it?

libra_spirit

You have hit on one of the main differences between the Old Testament view and the New testament view. Intresting to look these terms up in a scolarly bible dictionary. "Soul" in the hebrew refered to physical things, ie desire, hunger for food, long earthly life,etc. In the Greek "soul" referred to more spiritual things even including the statement that body and soul are not the same and are killed seperatly. Understanding that Jesus was dealing with only the Old testament or old Jewish belief system where "perfection in the flesh" was the pursuit and the soul "nepish" died with the body, his new view that the soul "psyche" did not die with the body, was not yet being taught, puts a new light on things. The JW's ofcorse want to oversimplify the whole Bible and would have us believe that the words translated from Hebrew and from Greek mean the same thing, but in fact the Jews before Jesus time had a little different feeling as to just what the "soul" was then did the Christians after Jesus time.

Did Jesus have a soul as describbed in the New Testament? If so it left his body at death where he voluntered to stay in Hell for 3 days, then it rose to heaven. Trying to combine the Jewish view and the Christian one, the Catholics have indicated that "some" a very few of the saints have been raised with thier physical bodies which have dissapeared or ascended into heaven. No other explanition is offered that I have found, it is one of those things that you must take on faith if you would choose to believe it.

63

Do You Know Of Reasons Why Some Got Removed From Their Privileges?

by minimus in

jw
friends

pioneer, ms, elder publisher???

?

libra_spirit

Brings up an intresting thought I have never considered. Since the Elders must "step down" does this not seem to indicate them to be in an "elevated position" over the Congregation? How un Christ like, shouldn't they be "washing feet" or some such other demeaning jobs? Sweeping the floor or at least trying to be equals. The idea that if an Elders son or daughter can be the cause of thier loosing thier elevated position no wonder the Elders kids get special treatment!

14

June 2203 K.M. anyone?

by Lisa Lefteye in

jw
friends

.

can anyone tell me what the first service meeting song was for june 16 and june 23rd?

lisa

libra_spirit

So I assume you are going to set up a profile on jwmatch.com is that correct?

LOL! good luck.

I have mixed feelings about jwmatch.com. On the one hand it does seem to give those still totally in the Org a way to find marriage partners and I wish them the best. On the other hand it might be fun to put up an add that is maybe more accurate and funny. In light of all those great gals who appear to measure up and have stated so in thier adds, I wonder if it would be ethical to infiltrate thier cyberspace.

After all what would it really acomplish, other then to prove that us Ex-JW's are liars........

Lets see mine might read,

Brother weak in the truth seeking a suck up gal to follow my every wish and command. I am into tight control, insist on an absolutely neat and clean home, desire all meals exactly on time, and never any lip. I try to follow the Elders in all petty matters of life, I try to ignor the failed Bible Chronology, I don't read any apostate materials except for a few million internet pages, and I love oral S##.

I wonder if there scanner can recognise insincerity?

Well somehow I don't think my add would stay up very long.LOL! I wonder if they would even refund my $100 yearly subscription?

libra_spirit

Posts by libra_spirit