Half banana

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Posts by Half banana

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  205

  Hi Everyone. Answer to prayer countdown...

  by Stumpy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been lurking for about 3 months now and thought i'd better finally sign up.

  you have all been an immense help to me as i have come to realize that this isn't the truth so i want to say a great big thank you!

  what a crazy, emotional ride it is to finally face the truth about the doubts that i have carried for many years.

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  Half banana

  That's quite a read Stumpy, thank you!

  I sympathize with your sense of time wasted on that ignorant cult... how could we have been apologists for such baseless garbage? So good too that Mrs Stumpy came out with you on your exit.

  I have friends who outwardly appear to be JWs but know it is false yet remain in for the sake of family. I understand this reasoning but lost my beautiful wife to the org and two of my children by not going to the meetings anymore. I made a decision to not tolerate JW stupidity any longer. Bang go your family and friends when you escape the clutches of a mind-bending cult. For such a personal cost in my case, I can still say that leaving the JW religion was for me was both liberating and invigorating.

  Afterwards, and I'm sure the same goes for many posters here, you wonder how come you were duped for so long and why was the JW cult was so persuasive in the first place? No simple answers here but it did seem to initially offer a convincing and a totally embracing solution to all of life's problems. Like putting all of your metaphorical eggs into the one JW basket. Your emotional, religious, social and even intellectual eggs all together in one location. This means that if the basket of belief is broken everything goes at once.This is a big chunk of the fear in the FOG is it not?

  But what a relief to be free from this JW collective paranoia and to be free to enjoy the ups and downs of a natural life determined by our own conscience and personal choices.

  Good to have you here and all the best to Mrs Stumpy.
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  23

  Interesting article about the evidence of the Jewish Exodus

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the reality is that there is no evidence whatsoever that the jews were ever enslaved in egypt.

  yes, there's the story contained within the bible itself, but that's not a remotely historically admissible source.

  i'm talking about real proof; archeological evidence, state records and primary sources.

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  Half banana

  The Bible distorts nearly everything. Since the Israelites lived in a small and generally unproductive territory in the land of Canaan near to Egypt and since they were an occupied territory under Egyptian rule for many centuries; the idea of them leaving was just a political aspiration which became embodied in their literature, not a historical reality.

  Modern Jewish archaeology and text evidence dismisses the Biblical Exodus account as a factual event.

  It was an Israelite dream, like much of the OT.
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  19

  The Truth is not an ORG.....It's inside of you

  by tor1500 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the truth, the org is the truth...ummm...let's think about that...i was thinking that the bible is the truth & what it does is that it reveals the truth about you...the more you read the bible the more you may see yourself & your actions.

  you may be a person who judges people, the bible will show you what's wrong with that...viola, another truth revealed about you.

  you may be a prideful person, you read a story in the bible about that...again, it's another truth revealed about you.

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  Half banana

  Hi Tor, thank you for expressing your thoughts on the Bible and its value as a mirror for our behaviour.

  As JWs we felt disloyal to stray from this viewpoint but now as free moral agents we can look back and begin to see many absurdities in the Bible.

  One particularly harmful instruction is; "You must be perfect". Listening to advice like this as if from God, could send a person eventually into a mental institution.

  We now have universal education and internet information. These enable people to be informed and apply a logical analysis instead of the extremely limited thinking encouraged by Bible indoctrination.
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  4

  well well its te man hisself

  by zeb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  top o the morning to ye.

  its st patrick's day.

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  Half banana

  Well, d’ye know Zeb, it was good ol’ Saint Patrick hisself who got rid of all da snakes out of Ireland.

  Do you tink now if dey let 'im loose in Brooklyn, he could manage da same trick dere?
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  29

  Governing Body went from anonymous secret group to T.V Stars??? How?

  by Witness 007 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i grew up in the 1980's -90's it was rare to see a faithful slaves picture in 10 years of watchtowers.

  everything was anonymous.

  no one really knew there names except for the "holy oricle" fred franz.. now they are full on t.v stars with there own show.

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  Half banana

  I agree with your points DD.

  There is a sense of hubris in which the members of the governing body view their appointment for office. A privilege they think... but it is also a poisoned chalice.

  The first and overriding need at the start of the new century was to fix an enormous patch on the gaping wound inflicted by Fred Franz’s colossal error of the “1914-generation”.

  The way they attempted it was by getting the most affable and least assertive GB member Jack Barr to sell his soul to the devil and contrive an excuse. Using tried and tested Watchtower brand logic, he said to the long suffering and gullible masses that when Jesus used the word generation he “evidently” meant overlapping generations. (pause for vomit)

  This implausible claptrap has set the tone for the post 2000 GB. The Watchtower looked stale and backward. The glorious information revolution was under way and the Tower was under threat. This threat has in fact increased the pressure on the GB by exposing their dirty washing in public. For example their gross hypocrisy in denouncing the UN organization and secretly joining it. Another internet exposure is their total incapacity for a humane response to the children sexually abused in their midst.

  A rebranding was advised and carried through to forget the ugly, sterile and antique Watchtower logo and replace it with” JW org” on a heavenly blue background. (As the RC Church uses for its prime icon Mary). Perhaps with a new logo and flashy TV channel, the JW punters would be distracted away from the 1914 blunder and be seduced by the GB on the small screen?

  Forget Fred Franz and his intellectual garbage; dumb it down so that the most uneducated third world peasant can understand. The West and its sophistication have had enough of Watchtower prattle...the developing world is the new target area.

  The touchstone for success under GB2.0 is now that of loyalty to the GB. Sins can always be forgiven but NOT disloyalty to the seven baboons of Brooklyn.

  The public appearance of the GB on the JWTV extravaganza must have been seen as a public relations attempt to get the flock to be more familiar with HQ. However, they present as either oddballs or inept. I would imagine their PR advisers now think differently and must withdraw them offstage to redeem themselves away from the TV spotlights.

  Hubris is always answered by the Gods...
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  31

  Question for those still attending the Kingdom Hall

  by ToesUp in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this a question more out of curiosity, because we have not stepped foot in a kh in 3 years.. how is the attendance at the meetings/assemblies?

  i know the answer will vary due to location.. are you (especially elders) receiving any notification or communication from bethel or co's that there is an upsurge of people that are simply disappearing or out right dis associating?.

  thanks, in advance, for your feedback!

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  Half banana

  This is very encouraging!
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  23

  Interesting article about the evidence of the Jewish Exodus

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the reality is that there is no evidence whatsoever that the jews were ever enslaved in egypt.

  yes, there's the story contained within the bible itself, but that's not a remotely historically admissible source.

  i'm talking about real proof; archeological evidence, state records and primary sources.

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  Half banana

  Oppostate, your recording is playing fast and loose with facts and what purport to be facts.

  The primary assumption and fault here is that the author considers the Bible to be a historical record. The mention of Bible characters does not mean they existed. I bridled at the interviewee actually saying that a thing written in stone must be true! This evinces his shallow thinking. He also believes that Bible scholars are an academic fount of knowledge. He is wrong in this, the evidence for ancient history must be the work of historians who are aware of the textual evidence and the archaeology. He confusingly condemns academic scholars with the Bible "scholars". He also quotes (in the Biblical manner) the names of people and events such as the exodus as if they were real.

  His main fault is taking the Bible as the standard text and in the manner of archaeology up to the 1950's and 60's... he is trying to establish evidence for those events. He admits he looks at the Bible this way albeit not religious himself.

  Two things in his favour: the later dates for the pre-Classical world Egyptian history would relate well with the lateness of Bible writing, not the long historical depth normally implied. Second, his chronology does not challenge the historical period after 664 BCE (the burning of Thebes). I.e. the JW 607 BCE is still wrong.

  Nevertheless he projects the Indiana Jones approach to archaeology and not the boring but more evidence based academic one.
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  23

  Interesting article about the evidence of the Jewish Exodus

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the reality is that there is no evidence whatsoever that the jews were ever enslaved in egypt.

  yes, there's the story contained within the bible itself, but that's not a remotely historically admissible source.

  i'm talking about real proof; archeological evidence, state records and primary sources.

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  Half banana

  The Bible is a mess; it is full of contradictions and it contains epic narratives built merely on shaky rumours yet it is claimed to be divine truth.

  Much better to look at the ancient texts of the Israelite's much more organized and powerful neighbours who made meticulous records and actually controlled the land of Israel.

  The Exodus is not recorded by them and it most certainly would have been if it had occurred.

  The Israelites were mainly a poor and subjugated people given to inordinate exaggeration with a desperate will to achieve worldly ambition.

  Don't believe the Bible...it will only leave you confused if you do.
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  4

  MEMORIAL - Should JWs be commemorating the memorial of Christ's death?

  by deegee in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  1corinthians 11:25-26:“in the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “this cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the lord’s death until he comes.” (emphasis mine).

  the jws teach that jesus christ returned in 1914 when his kingdom officially took power and he began active rulership toward all the world.

  so the jws should have ceased commemorating the memorial of christ’s death since according to their theology, jesus returned in 1914.. http://mmoutreachinc.com/jehovahs_witnesses/1914.html.

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  Half banana

  A very good point deegee. Sorry, but I have to point out that your post smacks of thinking for yourself.

  What must be done at all cost is to stamp out this this dangerous practice of rational thought.

  You must wear a blindfold and ear-plugs and just believe in the seven baboons of Brooklyn...
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  22

  I no longer feel smart as a JW, I feel dumb...

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i don't want anyone to take this the wrong way but i use to at least feel smart as a jw.

  when i went to thursday night meetings, i at least felt like i was a student, that i was learning how to speak publicly, i could prepare my own comments, i could answer points that i learned from the weekly bible reading.

  i even feel like an "idiot" studying for the meetings.

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  Half banana

  I like your comments depressedsoul

  The Watchtower has gotten even worse. I'm not even sure the point of it anymore.

  It does seem to be functionally pointless. Their one claim for existence was to announce 1874 as the invisible coming of Christ! If it was created to serve the God of the universe (as if he needed helpers) then the JW organization over their entire history have instead pitifully misled mankind.

  It's more about gloating about the organization and doctrine, then actually teaching you something.

  The fact they gloat over the achievements and doctrines which they consider significant, indicates the lack of any external acclaim, for no one outside thinks them to be worthwhile. And the shameful and offensive boasting which so characterizes the org today, indicates the insecurity and inadequacies of a fumbling leadership declining in influence.

  All they know is blind dogma and indoctrination...archetypal blind guides is what they are.