Posts by Boredposter

26

JW's make the big time news

by eyeuse2badub in

lifestyle.

ex-jehovah's witnesses break silence on shunning: 'my mother treats me like i'm dead'.

detroit free press 3 hours ago .

I think we agree Jeff on the extreme shunning as being unreasonable. What is reasonable then? Something else for sure. What is discipline? A correction, a readjustment. Some people might say tough love but even in tough love support is not withdrawn from people (outside of JW's). I think this question goes to the very core of what religion/myth is supposed to do. Yes, the big questions are supposed to be answered but there is also some sort of transformation that takes place in a person. Something a person can rely in even in the toughest of situations. Clearly, this hasn't happened for someone disfellowshipped. Why? That is the question and how can it be achieved? Taking all support from someone is obviously not the answer. But what is?

In my opinion disfellowshipping is the ultimate failure. It is the 'easy way out for elders'. A huge failure in helping someone to transform their inner self.

26

JW's make the big time news

by eyeuse2badub in

lifestyle.

ex-jehovah's witnesses break silence on shunning: 'my mother treats me like i'm dead'.

detroit free press 3 hours ago .

Boredposter

These articles always seem to show the two sides with a huge gap in ideology between them. Someone can read these two sides and agree with both. It would seem 'reasonable' to have to have some form of 'discipline' in a religion to hold people accountable.

However, JW.org needs to recognize the pscychological vulnerability of people who are shunned. Simply dropping all support to a person in such a fragile state is criminal. Most people are disfellowshipped after that person voluntarily seeks help for a problem they are having. They usually have some pscychological issues going on already. The action is simply a symptom of those issues. They usually already know what they have been doing is wrong (which is why they seek help with the elders). To take away support at that time is not the right course of action. There needs to be a reform put in place which gives a 'time out as they say) but also gives support.

25

The strange case of Gerrit Losch

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

one of the recent molest cases had a signed declaration of gerrit losch, stating he has no relation with watchtower and that he has no control over watchtower and he does not answer to watchtower.. this month he is hosting the watchtower broadcasting show, on a watchtower media chanel, with a watchtower president starring as co-host, with statements, media and music that have intellectual ownership and copyright by watchtower.. gerrit is asking on broadcasting for respect for “the slave”, just like jehova and jesus respect “the slave” and will even reward them.. are the writers of the statement too stupid to see the correlation between teaching and practicing?.

these man are proven liars.. how can hold this firewall stand?

it’s so thin.. a judge can see this mismach isn’t it??.

Boredposter

He may not answer to Watchtower but Watchtower is supposed to answer to him (since it is the governing body's legal tool). Therefore, it's time for the governing body to clean up that sh*t.

25

Is the USA too big?

by Diogenesister in

fred deftone on another thread about the tragic events at m. stoneman douglas school:.

the us constitution wasn't written for 50 states either.

the country has gotten too big and i think the solution is fragmentation.

Boredposter

No, the United States is not too big. Let New York be New York and Texas be Texas. This is why we are best as a republic. The states should have more say in local decisions and the federal government should have less say over the states. However, for security reasons we need to stick together because we are stonger together than apart. I believe Lincoln already showed us that.

28

Why did the Governing Body come behind the curtain?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

in the movie the wizard of oz, while the whole yellow brick road gang was being addressed by the great and powerful wizard of oz, the dog toto ran off to the side, pulled back on a curtain, and showed that a normal-looking humbug of a person was operating cranks and levers.

for a short while, the normal-looking man kept yanking levers and cranking cranks, and said into the microphone (which made the great and powerful wizard speak the same words) "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

i am the great and powerful wiz .

Boredposter

Wait, did you say they have been seen signing Bibles? Is that true? Isn't that creature worship?

12

JW.org Featured Artical: When Your Adolescent Questions Your Faith

by pale.emperor in

this is one of the featured articals on jw.borg at the moment.

could it be because the young ones are googling their parents religion?, seeing the bullshit?, and calling their parents out on it?

i hope so.. https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20120201/adolescent-questions-faith/.

Boredposter

My dad never had a personal study with me. He never had in depth talks about the religion with me ( or anything else). He did yell at me to get out of bed and get ready to go to the hall. He did yell at me if I didn't want to physically go out in service. When I eventually left he yelled at me again. Never once has he had a logical, intelligent discussion with me about any of it. He only knew threats.

52

Are Beards becoming more acceptable due to decline in membership?

by UnshackleTheChains in

i noticed a young brother with a beard being given more privelages within our hall.

when he first grew his beard, he lost his privelages.

but more and more recently he has been helping out a lot more.. the cobe is old school and a stickler for rules, but with the hall becoming more empty these days, and the need for young brothers, he seems to have relaxed on this particular watchtower/man made rule.

Boredposter

I believe all these rules came about because Fred Franz was in the business of creating a new religion. The rules stay because without them how different would JW's be from other Christians? The rules make the group stand out as different and make the followers feel that they are different.

93

Higher Education

by Brian J in

just spent 8 hours in a 1 day elders school last weekend.

clarification given: "moving forward any elder, ms, or pioneer who themselves or someone under their roof enrolls in higher education, may no longer qualify for privileges in the congregation.

their qualifications will have to be reviewed by their boe.".

Boredposter

Brian J,

Did they "clarify" what they mean by "higher education"? Is it four years of college? Two years? Is there a difference between going to a technical college or a liberal arts college? Will this be applied evenly across all states and countries? I have seen much back and forth on this issue and much talking out of both sides of there mouth.

102

If mathematics teacher made a mistake, would it mean mathematics itself is wrong!

by venus in

many people point to the irrationality in the depiction of god by the religions and their scriptures, hence jump into the bottomless pit of atheism.

in either camp, god is not a factor because religion is only a means that misrepresents god, hence religionists themselves are atheists (literally, those who live without god).

it is like saying there exists no earth because you found out your friend who taught earth is flat is wrong; or it is like saying mathematics itself is wrong because you found out your mathematics teacher made a mistake.

Boredposter

Venus,

I like that you pose questions like this. I think it makes people think.

Personally, I like the way Joseph Campbell talks about how different views of God are like "masks". We have many, many religions and doctrines. Also, many personal views about what/who God is. Obviously they cannot all be right. (People make their biggest mistakes fighting over their views on this). They are simply man's attempt to describe "the ground of being". They point to which is greater than ourselves. The reality of God is much grander than whatever we can imagine. Can we prove God exists in a tangible way? In a way that involves touching and feeling? No, of course not. Does that mean an immaterial God does not exist? I don't think so. Can we experience God? I believe we can.

Can math be a pointer to a "great mind"? I believe it can and does.

8

Watchtower Writings vs Christian Philosophers

by Boredposter in

watchtower writings used to have some meat to them.

they have been increasingly watered down and simplified.

i think we all recognize that.

Boredposter

Watchtower writings used to have some meat to them. They have been increasingly watered down and simplified. I think we all recognize that. So much so that the writings of the Watchtower are not much help at all because they are simply superficial and mostly concerned with outside appearances.

I have been 'out of the Watchtower' for several years now and therefore have had the chance to read and study different religions and writings in Christianity itself. I am increasingly amazed at how much better material there is out there. There really has been well thought out and well written material on Christian belief and living over the centuries.

As far as modern Christian writers who would you recommend? I myself will list several writers I have found helpful. Not to preach to anyone but to let those who may be searching know there are alternatives available that can be helpful. Several of these were in fact recommended to me from a former JW who frequented this site years ago.

Keith Ward

Dallas Willard

John Polkinghorne

Francis Collins

Marcus Borg

N.T. Wright

Alvin Platinga

J.P. Moreland

Adam Hamilton

I probably have forgotten some. In addition I highly recommend a book by Jeffrey Swartz entitled 'You Are Not Your Brain'.