Posts by Lieu

37

Stepping out of the shadows

by contramundum in

i have been lurking on the site for a few months and thought it about time i plucked up the courage to step out of the shadows and say hello.. i am in the process of fading after realizing all is not right with the organization i had trusted implicitly for over 40 years.

there have always been 'truths' i have struggled to accept entirely, even as a child, but was confident that trusting in jehovah, building my faith and remaining patient would be enough to settle any nagging doubts that remained, so i pushed any inconsistencies to the back of my mind and concentrated on being the best witness that i could be.. over the last few years, however, i have been preoccupied with a number of crises in my family and stepping back slightly from 'theocratic' activity has allowed me to re evaluate a number of concerns and research sources other than the sanitized wt publications.. my eyes are now wide open - i found things which have appalled me and left me feeling extremely let down and disappointed by people i had really trusted.. i tried gently raising a few subjects with my mum (who was baptized early '70s and still remains a staunch wt supporter) but she will hear no criticism of the organization.

i understand this because the best part of her life has been invested in the religion and to acknowledge it may have got things wrong would be to recognize the last 40 years have been a vain waste.

Lieu

Welcome! No need to lie. If anyone inquires just say you're taking some "me time" for theocratic/spiritual reflection, ALONE; like Christ did (on several occasions).

Use the 'we need to take time and actually meditate on what we learn' mantra.

WTBTS bombards everyone with gobs of material every meeting, every week, to the point no one has time to actually think about any of it. It's done purposefully to take up so much of an adherents time that they have no opportunity to actually understand or *gasp* think about what's being taught.

26

whats your take? When someone asks my wife what religion she is, she seems embarrassed to say she is a JW.

by goingthruthemotions in

so thinking back about the times when someone has asked my wife what religion she is.

she sheepishly and seems almost embarrassed to say she is a jehovah witness.

when someone asks me, i just say i am a christian.

Lieu

Never ashamed. I usually answered Christian when asked what religion.

I was never asked denomination: Protestant or sect: Jehovah's Witness

27

You Are Unsuitable!

by Divergent in

jw
friends

today's text -.

sunday, january 24. they collected the fine ones into containers, but the unsuitable they threw away.—matt.

13:48.. understanding the lesson of this illustration helps us to avoid being overly distraught or disappointed if a bible student or one of our children does not make the truth his own.

Lieu

Hilarious and sad really.
Not wanting to be involved with JWS = unsuitable
Leaving JWS = Leaving God
Not agreeing with unbiblical rules of men = Refusing God's rulership
So WTBTS has made itself = God.
(I thought they claim Christ is ruling, albeit invisibly.)
And since when has a fish decided to be unsuitable?
Aside from those obvious ridiculous comparisons, the parable has nothing to do with a particular group, it has to do with wicked people and good people. What makes one wicked or good is one's own actions during a lifetime.
But, sigh, what's to be expected from a piece of a verse so normally taken out of context, the JW way?

34

JW's Funerals, Forget About The Person! Let's Preach.

by new boy in

jw
friends

god forbid you would talk about the dead person at his funeral.

so what do most people get after living 70-80 years?.

a 5-10 minutes eulogy.

Lieu

Think about it. JW yearly memorial service. Are the many events of Christ's life spoken about or abstract WT beliefs on loyalty to the Org? Why would you expect anything different for a member's funeral?

Besides, how can the speaker say anything about members he doesn't really know outside of FS reports and meeting attendance?

Pretty much, she's dead hope to see her later. The end. Now, about Jehovahs Witnesses ....

Your death is a jump off for a JW commercial of sorts.

65

JW Expressions We Hate

by Socrateswannabe in

jw
friends

i was browsing through stuff on jw.org recently and ran across some expressions that really grate on my nerves: loyal love, loving-care, and loving-kindness, as in: "please exercise loving-kindness toward your servant.

" who talks like that?

they must be relics of the fred franz era.

Lieu

Repetition for emphasis.

Really? I just thought the speaker was drunk.

65

JW Expressions We Hate

by Socrateswannabe in

jw
friends

i was browsing through stuff on jw.org recently and ran across some expressions that really grate on my nerves: loyal love, loving-care, and loving-kindness, as in: "please exercise loving-kindness toward your servant.

" who talks like that?

they must be relics of the fred franz era.

Lieu

stuckinarut2 .... apparently it's your book bag. Lolz

"Sheep and goats"

Used by JWs to denote good and bad somehow making the only creature, the goat, holy enough be sacrificed for the forgiveness of sin & to carry away sin for the ENTIRE nation of Israel equal to evil.

No sheep was ever taken inside the Holy of Holies; only goats.

"Spirituality weak"

Used by most JWs to describe someone who may be depressed and someone who takes a job with hours that run into a meeting night.

24

Types attracted to the sect known as jehovahs witnesses.

by atomant in

l have observed the types of people attracted to the sect are many times unbalanced,unstable,emotionally insecure types.the jdubs seem to home in like vulchers circling the prey ,preying on the vulnerables.they tried it on me when my father who was an elder died.promising that if you become a dub you will one day see him again.l said how can you promise that when you keep making false misleading predictions.l was wondering if others have observed this phenomenon.

Lieu

I don't think they're different from anyone else who is looking for what they believe to be missing in their lives and join some group.

64

Would a loving creator give humans the gift of free will?

by Heisenberg in

they say ignorance is bliss... well, i wish that god did not give adam free will.

i am ok to not have free will if it means i will live forever in perfect paradisiac conditions.it has been explained that free will is a gift from god.

they say 'who would want to live life like a robot?

Lieu

Biblically. If it was given to the angels, why not humans too?

As for 'sin', it simply translates as 'to cause offense'.

152

If YOU had to make the decision, would you respect a JW relatives wish to refuse a blood transfusion?

by nicolaou in

a few years after i quit the meetings my mum needed her medical directive signed and witnessed and she asked if i'd do it.

i was surprised to say the least!.

i think she was just angling to include me and maybe find some lever to get me involved again.

Lieu

Sure, why not?

24

My Bthel Experince Part 19 The Last Chapter..(really) Bethel Overseers

by new boy in

there were other people who either killed themselves or tried to kill themselves while they were at "the house of god.

one person who did kill himself was richard wheelock, press room overseer ......he jumped out of a window at the watchtower farm one day.

it seemed, he was never quite the same after his wife "willy" died.

Lieu

Yeah, it's all about titles & power over others. Western ideals. (That's all most pathetic humans have.) Yet some claim to be different than say the Catholics. It's all the same; not what Christ wanted. At least the Catholic clergy are educated.