The Rebel

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Posts by The Rebel

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  7

  How did you feel when "your book" was discontinued?

  by OverlappingGeneralizations in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i didn't know where to posts this, i hope "friends" is ok-.

  how did you feel when the book you studied in was deemed "discontinued"?

  for instance, when i was studying, i studied the knowledge book.

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  The Rebel

  The reason I was given was that the " knowledge book " replaced the " live for ever book" was because the end was SO So near.

  You see the " live for ever book" took two years to go through, however the " Knowledge" book could be completed in much less time....giving interested ones the time to be " Baptised" and so not " destroyed" at Armagedon....

  Back to your O.P.:-

  How did I feel about this?

  A) it made perfect sence.

  How do I now feel about this?

  A) I am not sure my language complies with forum rules, so I won't use any other word than B...SH.T

  The Rebel.
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  17

  " See ourselfs as others see us"

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the membership rule is simple, you join the organisation for life and undertake to serve for life.. my o.p is based on the poet robert burns who talked about the gift to " see ourselfs as others see us".

  i think maybe the hardest thing for me to leave, the jehovers witness " organisation" was to accept how my family and friends will now "see" me.. so my questions are how difficult was it to leave:-.

  a) knowing the reaction of friends and family?.

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  The Rebel

  Love the replys....which also clarify why I am not "HAUNTED"...as they hoped.

  Instead I have personal attitude, confidence, a feeling of being....but that is not to say it was an easy path.

  Remember to be a witness we needed to be " HONEST " " HUMBLE " and " HUNGRY "

  i guess I lacked those 3 qualities for success as a " J.W" now I am on " HIATUS " " HUMANE" and " " Happy" ....or at least getting that way:-)
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  41

  The elders of the 1980s are now in their 60s and 70s

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  having just come back from the uk and spoke with some witnesses to find out how my old congregation is doing, i realized i am now the age that my elders were when i was a kid.

  and i wonder what the elders who are now in their 60s and 70s are thinking when they look in the mirror and an old face looks back at them.

  many of the elders in my old hall are now retired.

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  The Rebel

  They may look themselfs in the mirror, but are they talking about the RC in Australia?

  I would answer your question by saying the elders now in their 60s and 70s may have had thoughts, but the difference between a thought and thinking is the same as black and white thinking.

  The Rebel.
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  17

  " See ourselfs as others see us"

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the membership rule is simple, you join the organisation for life and undertake to serve for life.. my o.p is based on the poet robert burns who talked about the gift to " see ourselfs as others see us".

  i think maybe the hardest thing for me to leave, the jehovers witness " organisation" was to accept how my family and friends will now "see" me.. so my questions are how difficult was it to leave:-.

  a) knowing the reaction of friends and family?.

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  The Rebel

  Yea I agree, Maksutov.

  You can tell how not down, nor numbed out I am now.....I am a lot happier now, and it's great to be at that stage. ( I understand though all circumstances are different, and sentiment and emotion are a good reason to stay in)

  And anyway, YES I agree, in all truth I think what ever the circumstances the Internet does make it easier.

  But back to the O.P I still do care how others see me. However I just received my " Tax Return " in the post, and their are other things in life to worry about 🎯

  The Rebel.
• 
  17

  " See ourselfs as others see us"

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the membership rule is simple, you join the organisation for life and undertake to serve for life.. my o.p is based on the poet robert burns who talked about the gift to " see ourselfs as others see us".

  i think maybe the hardest thing for me to leave, the jehovers witness " organisation" was to accept how my family and friends will now "see" me.. so my questions are how difficult was it to leave:-.

  a) knowing the reaction of friends and family?.

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  The Rebel

  The membership rule is simple, you join the organisation for life and undertake to serve for life.

  My O.P is based on the poet Robert Burns who talked about the gift to " see ourselfs as others see us"

  I think maybe the hardest thing for me to leave, the Jehovers Witness " Organisation" was to accept how my family and friends will now "see" me.

  So my questions are how difficult was it to leave:-

  A) knowing the reaction of friends and family?

  B) Was the price of having left worth it?

  I was lucky my wife's father who has spent most of his life as a witness, distributed magazines since he was a young man,and is still a witness, helped me when I spoke of my doubts by saying " you do what you think is right" .

  He always wears the same unfashionable clothes and has the same hairstyle from when I first met him. A true believer but a down to earth man. And even now I have left he never tires talking to me, and he never judges me. Not sure I would be outside without him.

  The Rebel.
• 
  6

  David Ackles. ( find your heart and loose it)

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how about a thread on underrated musicians, or underrated bands most of us might not have experienced.

  personally i love discovering new musical talent i missed.. the rebel..

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  The Rebel

  T Rex.

  listen to the song " 20th Century Boy" with Marc Bolan on vocals.

  Who even remembers Marc Bolan? dead aged 29. ( car crash)

  The Rebel.
• 
  20

  If God exists ....

  by iconoclastic in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if god exists, he must be a god of freedom.

  because he has endowed us with free-will, and never interferes with it (as confirmed by our own experiences).

  that means he wants everyone to make their choice and reap the fruits accordingly.

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  The Rebel

  Another example would be the bible story of Adam. If he was created perfect as the J.Ws teach, then how could he do anything imperfect?

  Is the answer really because of free will?

  I would say if Adam was born with " free will" then he could not be created " perfect" because if he was created perfect he could not do anything imperfect?

  How as J.Ws did we reconcile this.....Oh who cares, I have decided i have more important things in my life to be concerned about, and it's not worth arguing about.....

  The Rebel

  
  
• 
  20

  If God exists ....

  by iconoclastic in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if god exists, he must be a god of freedom.

  because he has endowed us with free-will, and never interferes with it (as confirmed by our own experiences).

  that means he wants everyone to make their choice and reap the fruits accordingly.

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  The Rebel

  Inconclustic.

  My point is we are not free to do what ever we want.

  A direct example would be " do you have it within yourself to commit the crime of rape?

  I would suggest a high % of the population, simply could not do this, because it is not within themselfs to do this.

  So I believe it is not a question of free will.

  The Rebel.
• 
  20

  If God exists ....

  by iconoclastic in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if god exists, he must be a god of freedom.

  because he has endowed us with free-will, and never interferes with it (as confirmed by our own experiences).

  that means he wants everyone to make their choice and reap the fruits accordingly.

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  The Rebel

  Are people really born with free will?

  Let's take RAPE as an example.

  Now we have laws as a deterrent because many people given the opportunity would rape. But also many who under-no-circumstances could rape. It is simply not within them selfs to rape another human being.

  The above is to illustrate the limitations to our free-will. If you think about it, there are just so many things we do not have free-will over, because we were not born with the capacity to do or not do the things.

  Therefore we need to be careful not to rush to judgement and judge. ( I learnt that by living under the control of the Watchtower, and witnissing how it discarded members who did not meet their understanding of sin and free-will)

  So to answer the O.P i do not believe we were created by a God with free-will, because I am aware that I am very restricted to what free-will does and does not allow me to do.

  The Rebel.
• 
  42

  i feel more confused than ever

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well i know i've been posting a lot of topics like this lately and i'm sorry if i sound whiny or annoying.

  my parents were asking me why i was so upset lately and i ended up just telling them the whole truth.

  i told them i don't believe in god or the bible because i don't have any evidence of anything.

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  The Rebel

  You do want you think is right?

  i think many families put pressure on children, and most families do this because they want what they think best for the child they love.

  Nobody has the right to make you be or do anything you don't want to be. Be who you want to be.....and with time, if you make your parents proud or not, we should all learn to accept our loved ones for who they are.

  The Rebel.