Posts by Millions

86

They really are pooping their pants over these latest "signs"...

by undercover in

jw
friends

i've seen a few threads/posts where some of y'all have heard from jw contacts and how they've stepped up their 'the end is close' rhetoric because of the earthquake/tsunami in japan.

i usually take those things with a grain of salt.

there's always some jw whose cheese has slipped that reads prophecy into every little thing that happens.

Millions

Nice thread, been thinking about this a lot lately, naturally!

I agree with this idea that it's the only time JWs can get genuinely excited. I'm amazed they don't burst into glossolalia as well whenever some major event goes down.

I have had an idea for a new JW festival:

Disasterstock 2011

Headliners:

Japan Earthquake/Tsunami

supporting acts:

Egyptian/Libyan/Bahrain Riots

Paedophile ring uncovered

New songbook (a disaster if ever there was one)

special guest appearance:

9/11 Twin Towers - reformed for this one-off show as part of the 10 year anniversary

Can you imagine the scenes of joy and euphoria among the masses of JW festival goers, as they pump the air watching these acts? Oh the tears of joy that will flow! Good times!

I think this is one festival that will run and run... $$$ ka-chingggg $$$

P.S. have you seen this article on the official site, classic example of if you throw enough crap at people, some of it will hit the target.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/200709/article_01.htm

Basically, it's not God's fault for designing the planet like he did, it's your own damn fault for living in Japan, for living in high rise buildings, for using concrete to make roads, and for not being a JW because the elders would look after you if you were. Now it all makes sense.

So I guess the new Watchtower complex in Ramapo will have mud tracks for roads and be constructed out of bamboo and be one storey only.

68

"Something in the congregation is hindering the flow of Jehovah's holy spirit" - witch hunt JW style?

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

has anyone else experienced something like this?.

in my mother-in-law's congregation a special pioneer was recently moved to the congregation and he gave a talk where he said he and the other elders felt there was a bad spirit in the congregation and there must be something going on that is preventing jehovah's holy spirit from operating properly.

but he didn't state explicity what the problem might be and now gossip is rife in the congregation about whether there might be a sinner or a traitor in their midst.. for many this is just the excuse they need to gossip and bad mouth others.

Millions

The only people I ever heard talking about something blocking the flow of holy spirit to the congregation, were people who were up to no good themselves.

I remember one elder I knew asking a few of us ministerial servants if we had any ideas as to whether something could be blocking the spirit, when I personally knew he had a terrible relationship with his wife, was jerking off to teen porn, and was spending increasing amounts of time with his bible study's baptised sister whom he eventually ended up marrying after faking a scriptural divorce from his then wife. Not that she minded, it was the best thing that could have happened to her in all honesty.

It's usually an admission of guilt, however the dream ticket is to find some other sucker to pin it all on, then you can get on with normal life again and noone suspects a thing. As long as there's a sacrifice on the altar of wrongdoing, any old sacrifice, atonement can be obtained. Amen.

8

Girl prays to CAUSE Japanese earthquake

by whereami in

jw
friends

faith... the ultimate excuse to justify anything!!!!.

.

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

Millions

wow... just wow.

Lental season? More like mental season O_o

172

The impossible delusion of evolution

by brotherdan in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1icjkwzeee.

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azmgkrkj5la.

Millions

What I always find slightly amusing is that people who believe in God, end up scratching around for facts to back up their beliefs, or at least to stick in the face of the non-believers.

The inherent nature of belief is surely that it is something one is so certain of that it doesn't matter what anyone or anything seems to indicate to the contrary, you still believe it.

I like apples and I don't like oranges, but it doesn't make me want to smash all oranges into pulp. I just don't buy them.

46

Pray for our Brothers in Japan

by doubtful in

this is my first post.

the first portion is my story, and toward the end, you will find the section pertinent to the title of this thread.

(starting with the portion in bold print).

Millions

Welcome doubtful, hopefully you won't be doubtful for much longer, instead you will be convinced! Convinced that it's all a load of crap ;)

How many pit props need to give way before you get the hell out of the mineshaft...

Praying for the brothers.... god, nothing would get my goat more when I was a JW than prayers for our brothers in war-torn or disaster-stricken lands. 'What about the other thousands of people affected?' I would think. Such sectarian judgemental attitudes prevail within the brotherhood. Save us and screw the rest please Father. Of course the real point of prayer is self-reinforcement of your beliefs. If you constantly read about something, pray about it, talk to fellow believers about it, try to convince other people of it, give talks and comments about it, you will have no time at all left to think about whether you actually believe it deep down. In fact you will end up convincing yourself of it.

Prayers, in essence, are a way of getting you to relinquish control over your own life and hand it over to a deity, and therein possibly to the person or people who claim to represent that deity. You put all your burdens upon that deity, you hand everything over to them, and give up your own volition. You become a far more accessible tool for your religion to use.

When I ceased believing JW doctrine, it took me a good year or so to stop that feeling of wanting to pray every time I came up against some obstacle or challenging circumstance in life. Eventually though you realise that noone is going to get you through this but you yourself, prayer is like a security blanket or a dummy, it makes you feel better even though it has zero practical function.

Something from an employment training course I attended:

No-one is coming to do it for you.

- There is no knight in shining armour.

- There are no fairy godmothers.

- There is no genie of the lamp.

- There was no Wizard of Oz.

BUT there are lots of people who will help you, as long as you help yourself.

92

Wanted to get reinstated... Almost ready to give up

by headisspinning in

jw
friends

i'd like to hear from anyone who was disfellowshipped but fully intended to go back as soon as possible and how that worked out or didn't.

i'd like to hear how soon you went back to meetings, how many letters requesting reinstatement you wrote, how you were treated, and how long it took you to get bitter and jaded.... or in the off chance you had a positive experience, what exactly happened.. really struggling here... thanks!.

Millions

Take some deep breaths, skip a few meetings if you haven't already, and just...

...think.

I'm sure your head is spinning, but remember one thing: you are not in a rush here. Don't believe the hype about the end coming, don't feel pressured to jump back in, let yourself think about your experiences in the cong, your doubts, your anxieties. Normally everything gets plastered over with talks and prayers and songs - don't let that happen this time, take some time out and have a good hard look at some of the cracks in the religion you may have been ignoring.

For your own sake and especially for the sake of your sons, don't run back with your tail between your legs and do something you or they may regret for decades to come.

There is life outside the JWs, more than you can ever imagine. There is also faith for those who want to retain it, very personal and genuine faith, not hemmed in by rules and elders and governing bodies. Instead of doing what they want and shelving all your dreams and aspirations and abilities until 'the new system', you can lead a fulfilling and rewarding life with the years you have on this earth, and your sons can utilise their talents to the max as well.

As a young man I bought into the Watchtower in a big way, following the lead of my mother. After over 15 years as a baptised brother and many privileges of service, I left the organisation to try and start my life over again, and to make up for all the lost time I had spent working for the society for free. You might be about to save your boys precious precious years of their lives, during which they can get an education, have fun, pursue their dreams, and develop their personalities opinions and interests. Not to mention the improvements in your own life, freedom, peace, relief, tranquility.

Just think about it :) I wish you well whichever way you end up going!

80

What Doctrines or JW Views Did You Not Find Too Believable?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the thought that a loving creator would violently destroy anyone not belonging to the jehovah's witness religion including billions of babies seemed just not right.. the fact that you could recieve some "acceptable" blood components but could not donate those same lifesaving yourself seemed strange.

you could recieve a blood fraction but you couldn't give it.. any others you can think of?

?.

Millions

What doctrines did I not find too believable? I didn't find any of them too believable, they were all only just about believable and even then they all required a certain stretch of the imagination!

Doctrines I found rather difficult to believe, if that was the intention (yes I am a pedant :P), include:

- that the seven trumpet blasts and the pouring out of the seven bowls of the anger of God in Revelation, corresponded to some insignificant convention talks in the USA between 1922 and 1928.

- that resurrected ones could never again be married.

- that spending thousands and thousands of dollars to restore the Hotel Bossert and other Brooklyn properties back to original condition was an acceptable use of dedicated funds and dedicated time, when the standard places of worship by contrast are constructed on a shoestring budget.

Can't face going over the murky past any further to pick out some more.

23

Ready for the big showdown!

by Pams girl in

thanks to all who have given me such support this past week, for your kind pms, and all your hints and tips for leaving..or slipping away.

hubby threw out all my wt and awake literature yesterday (going back to 1983, it was a lot!).

ive read so much, heared testamonials, done my research, taken on board your help and suggestions.

Millions

They are pretty unlikely to get heavy on you and call you anything like weak or apostate as you are not baptised. You are still in that category of person where they need to keep their smiley faces on and to 'give a good witness' by their behaviour, so that they don't put you off! LOL bit late for that now...

I think you are wise though to 'suck it and see' * , if you don't feel adequately prepared to combat the doctrine, then don't, just make your excuses and then do any research you need to at your own pace and in your own time. Nothing worse than having to learn all about something in order to prove it is a load of nonsense. Bit like the Trinity brochure ^^ (no offence trinitarians!)

Even so, it's clear you want to have a real go at them, so you damn well go for it! And your point is certainly valid, remind them of some of the many altered doctrines and failed prophecies, it will at least make them think, as that stuff is almost never referred to again once it has been changed.

And as someone who wants to continue worshipping God, you could always refer to how they have been actively discouraged from reading and discussing the Bible in groups outside of meetings and without WT literature. Which for any Christian is a shocking thing to demand, to not be allowed to read God's word by itself and discuss it with other believers.

( * lol reminded me of an assembly rehearsal once where a brother used that expression, and the C.O. afterwards gently said "oh and by the way... 'suck it and see'... any chance we could have 'play it by ear' instead?" :D)

23

Ready for the big showdown!

by Pams girl in

thanks to all who have given me such support this past week, for your kind pms, and all your hints and tips for leaving..or slipping away.

hubby threw out all my wt and awake literature yesterday (going back to 1983, it was a lot!).

ive read so much, heared testamonials, done my research, taken on board your help and suggestions.

Millions

Oh and if you need any tips on how the Welsh deal with that dreaded knock at the door...

http://wn.com/Unwelcome_visitor__Gavin_and_Stacey__BBC_comedy

;)

37

Hobbies

by MrFreeze in

jw
friends

being a jw, especially if you work, there is no time for anything else really.

work, field service, meetings.

wash, rinse, repeat.

Millions

I used to spend those long winter evenings folding panda tracts in various languages.

These days I play drums in a couple of bands and watch good films/comedy shows. And I just shelled out for a year's membership to my local sports centre. I SHALL go to the ball!