Posts by Half banana

30

"Keith It is with Great Sadness that I write this Note!"

by The Bethelite in

jw
friends

i grew up with steve pare who is now an elder in southern california.

he sent me this note after i talked to him on the phone and sent him my book.. "the super-abundant blessings i have received in the advancing the earthly organization of jehovah have been fantastic !!!".

"jehovah is not behind in creating the paradise & his mighty of 9,000,000 will work with 20-50 billion to be resurrected & in 1,000 years the paradise will be done on time!!

Half banana

Like with everything thing else Blondie , the Watchtower was wrong. A recent serious attempt at arriving at the total number of humans who have ever lived is something like 110,000,000,000-- one hundred and ten billion. I guess this is just for Homo sapiens but since humans evolved we were breeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans (amongst others) during our 300,000 year history. So should we not include those other members of our genus (Homo) as well since we are their offspring?

A proper evaluation of what humanity is makes nonsense of the Biblical claims and demonstrates that the Bible was simply myth told in the absence of a scientific understanding of life.

The idea of cheating death is an understandable wish and is the reason for the presence of religion in most human cultures. But which is the more absurd: never dying or resurrecting billions and billions of the dead?

19

What is the inside info on "Reasoning From the Scriptures?"

by stillin in

i understand why the witnesses won't actually "reason" from the scriptures; because they will have to come to grips with the fact that others have their own reasons, scripture-based, for believing differently than the jw's.. the "reasoning" book was supposed to arm the r&f with solid scriptural backing that could withstand most in-depth conversations.

so, why is it gathering dust now?

was there some doctrinal issue specifically?.

Half banana

Yes Vidiot, it's impossible to reason with people who are forbidden to engage their brain. To start thinking and applying a critical evaluation of texts sends people out of the organisation. The GB have learnt this and are now very suspicious of anything which smacks of an intelligent appraisal.

My pet peeve is that JWs just look at the surface meaning in the light of the GB interpretation. They don't have a chance to learn that Bible texts are often from worldly sources, greatly modified and edited, and are the works of men of power compelling the powerless to conform.

Reasoning, they have reasoned is out! So just close your mind and OBEY.

7

How Can You Recognize True Worship?

by pale.emperor in

had to laugh when i read this in the good news from god publication on the website.. https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/good-news-from-god/recognize-true-worshippers/.

basically, watchtower just rattling of a list of things they (claim) to do when trying to identify "true" worship.. the closing question though, "which religion bases all its teachings on god’s word, honors god’s name, and proclaims god’s kingdom as mankind’s only hope?

which group practices love and shuns war?

Half banana

Like all JW propaganda the question is flawed and skewed towards the interests of the writer asking it.

The question has meaning only for JWs since they are to my limited knowledge the only group who bother about the whimsical issue of "true worship". (Adventists may?)

Why do they harp on this subject? Because they proceed on the basis of having dualistic worlds of Jehovah's and Satans. If you worship Big J, or so they make out, you are doing true worship and all others by default are guilty of "false worship".

True worship is only construed as a religious item because of the Hebrew prophet's condemnation of polytheism, calling it false worship. In its mind manipulation programme the Watchtower is ever eager to employ the cherished slogans of irrelevant Iron Age prophets.

If you step out of the JW tar-pit and think more clearly, the notion of true worship is a catch phrase which only a cult would dare to use, it insults all those of religions who are not JWs. Apart from that there is no realistic definition because worship is not qualified by its "trueness," It is a convention to respect that a worshipper worships with sincerity of heart not with the technical approval of a particular religious authority.

29

Magic

by Rattigan350 in

the april 2019 study edition page 20 has an article on resisting wicked spirits.

it says "magic refers to practices associated with the occult, or the supernatural.

it can include curses and the casting or breaking of spells.

Half banana

Belief in magic and the supernatural is absolutely essential If you are to be a member of Jehovah's Witnesses! How else could Big J magic back to life most of the 105 billion people who have ever lived?

Not only are JWs expected to acknowledge the supernatural but also the unnatural and unbelievable. If you can believe whoppers like a mass resurrection, you will believe anything. All religion is hocus pocus.

26

Everyone in a Cult, Doesn't Know They Are in a Cult

by The Bethelite in

jw
friends

that's the one thing they all have in common.

because as soon as you are aware that you are in one, you would of course leave it,.

so millions of people all over the world are in them and but of course are ignorant of this fact.. i was asked many times over the years in field service, the question.

Half banana

I agree Biahi. Charles T Russell was a religious fanatic carrying on making money from all of his questionable business activities including Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence.

He set a template for subsequent presidents and leaders of the religion he started including:

Sound finances first

Date fixations and gross disappointments of those dates

Useless moving the goal posts forward in time

Crazy marriages of the presidents

The idea, whether denied or otherwise, that the WT leadership were God's exclusive channel.

Each of the presidents were fixated on the end of the world with all doctrines fed into this primary belief. A belief which made money! Why kill the goose which lays golden eggs?

Russell had a celibate marriage, it looks like Rutherford left his wife and son and lived with one of his two diet advisers! Knorr's wife appears to have let it be known in Bethel that she was frustrated in her sex life and Fred Franz was clearly married to his apocalyptic delusions.

Russell made a lot of money as did Rutherford but keeping the org on the rails involved mind manipulation and a loyal flock groomed to believe the certainties of the president and later the governing body. Russell though got the attention through his effective use of media and wide syndication of his sermons.

So Russell was a preacher, with misleading and wrong information of course-- and his successors, climbing onto his bandwagon were cashing in on Russell's flawed success.

If God had an organisation would it constantly be forced to evolve like the JW org has?

26

Everyone in a Cult, Doesn't Know They Are in a Cult

by The Bethelite in

jw
friends

that's the one thing they all have in common.

because as soon as you are aware that you are in one, you would of course leave it,.

so millions of people all over the world are in them and but of course are ignorant of this fact.. i was asked many times over the years in field service, the question.

Half banana

It is disparaging to call someone a cult member, especially to their face. I have no problem with calling JWs a cult and over the years since I left, it seems that the general public are now using the same term to describe them.

Indeed who wants to be pigeon holed as a dim-witted and slavish follower of a dictatorial religious sect?

I think it healthy in the cause of exposing the JW leadership that we continue letting it be known they are a seedy cult.

Cults usually end badly by turning inwards adopting more extreme measures and privations, closing the doors to new members and shutting out the outside world. Then they either go ballistic and kill themselves or fizzle out till the last true believer pops his or her clogs. I hope the JW org will choose the latter route.

45

Do any of you born into the cult feel like your mental growth was stunted?

by rockemsockem in

being born in to me was devastating.

when you are a child born in and raised with the they vs us and they are evil and worldly and going to die.

not allowed to form relationships with anyone not one of you.

Half banana

Not so much mentally stunted as emotionally. However being restricted to a mental diet of slavish obedience to cult leaders does no favour in the reasoning department. Neither does the Watchtower curse put on serious education. But like banging your hear against a brick wall-- the only joy of being a JW was the great pleasure of stopping.

I find a resonance with Neverendingjourney's comments. There were some minor pluses like public speaking, for males only of course. The worst damage I reckon was to my sex education and attitude learnt at a vulnerable age as a JW. Learning guilt instead of the enjoyment of what otherwise would have been normal and exciting encounters with the opposite sex.

In summary, being a JW stunts you educationally, emotionally and sexually. If you want a normal life, avoid Jehovah's Witnesses like you would the plague.

12

chelmsford progress

by stan livedeath in

jw
friends

does anyone have an update on the developement in chelmsford?.

i'm always keenly slightly interested in hearing about jehovahs blessings..

Half banana

Is it just possible that there is a legacy of the legal entity IBSA at work?

The name at the British Branch HQ Mill Hill was "IBSA" at the 1990 (ish) development as I remember, and not "Watchtower".

Could this have to do with the old name for the WT giving certain financial privileges to the subsequent holders to the title or non-profit 'shareholders'. Or for that matter was profit involved and hence the need to keep alive the old name? I am without insider knowledge and only ask so as to explore every avenue.

Whatever! Chelmsford's earlier ambitions are surely now sunk and the need for the development is redundant. Watchtower hype is always a dud.

The upper echelon of bethel oldies are given an earthly reward of a retirement flat within the compound. But I guess the org will not loose out investing as they and all religions do by putting their true valuables in bricks and mortar.

21

Why the Catholic Church outlast Jehovah's Witnesses

by no-zombie in

many of us who are old timers in "truth", will clearly remember how we and the organization gloated when christendom began selling off their churches, as we saw many ending up becoming cafe's and art galleries.

i personally remember being told (both in general conversation and in print) that the fall of their congregant numbers meant that most churches were ultimately attended by the elderly and it was clearly linked to the "drying up of her waters" in reference to the fall of babylon and babylon the great..

how ironic, that this very situation has now befallen the society and our local kingdom halls..

Half banana

Good points Smiddy and SBF but why would JC teach his followers to pray for God's will to be done on Earth? Did God have a bad memory and need reminding or does he just like his subjects to grovel and implore him to do things?

Wouldn't a real almighty God carry out his will, willy-nilly?

Second point: the kingdom of heaven was categorically coming in full glory in the lifetime of Jesus' listeners as he foretold in Mark 9;1 so clearly 1914 had no significance for Jesus nor was there any question or hint of failure or need for a new date.

Christianity was ever an idiotic and superstitious cult.

98

One simple photo to sum up the heartless and hypocritical attitudes of many Jehovah's Witnesses

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

.

this was taken in london yesterday by a twitter user still managing his fade so i can't be more specific than that.

disgusting.

Half banana

Five hot-shot elder approved preachers of the JW kingdom standing there for three hours--looks pretty good on reports as read by the CO showing what zeal and compliance they get from this urban congregation.

What it really means is 15 hours of fruitless and pointless time wasting boredom. Wasting their lives where they could be earning a living for their families.

Surely this exercise in futility gives these individuals the chance to come to their senses and wake up?