Posts by truth_b

16

Old JW friend of my wife stoped by.

by dogon in

an old jw friend of my wife stopped by here in fla. i knew there would be some subliminal bs.

i had to keep quiet through all the this old system can not go on much longer and are you going to the memorial?

gag.

truth_b_known

103 years past 1914.

42 years past 1975.

Nearly 2000 years since the birth and death of Christ.

Any days now...

15

I try not to judge people by appearance..

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

but i am not sure how.. any advice?.

truth_b_known

I think this delves into the area of instinct, which is something hardwired into us at birth. At least to a certain extent.

16

" We don't need no university education"

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

i left school at 16, because i was studying and getting the best " university education" in the world.

.

how did the theocratic ministry school benefit you?.

truth_b_known

TMS may or may not have helped other than giving me opportunities to prove to myself I had the skill set for public speaking.

I was already baptized and 15 years old when I first joined the TMS. I remember giving my first talk, the old #2. No one realized it was my first talk.

19

The Bible Texts Watchtower has never commented on

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

the watchtower library is a great tool to learn more about the watchtower itself.

for example, answering the question "does the word "organization" ever appear in the bible"?

is easy to answer using it.

What is having the biggest impact on the watchtower Bible and tract society?

by UnshackleTheChains in

hi all.. this is a reasonable question and would love to know what you think is having the biggest impact on watchtower.

there is a plethora of websites talking negatively of watchtower.

there are the never ending court cases regarding child abuse allegations.

I recently attended a class for work in which the topic of dealing with generational differences was discussed. Bullet points for Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y (Millennials) covered the differences of these generation in brief.

Of note was Generation Y's change in work ethic from previous generations. The "Protestant Work Ethic" is a thing of the past. Generation Y seeks a balance between work and recreation. The Protestant Work Ethic is "Work hard now and play later." It is a philosophy of putting off your desires and sacrificing your personal interests to complete tasks. That is not to say Generation Y does not want to work or work hard. Rather, Generation Y wants to enjoy the fruits of their labor as they work.

This is completely contrary to the belief system of Jehovah's Witnesses. Growing up as a Witness in the 80's it was beat into our skulls that we sacrifice everything now for a reward in a New World. No education. No career. No hobbies that would take time away from meetings and field service. Marriage and having children discouraged. Recreation is important, but it must be simple and brief.

Putting that together with information at your fingertips thanks to the internet, it surprises me that total decline has not occurred in the organization in first world nations.

Of course, the overlapping generations was a total blow to Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who believe "70 to 80 years" from 1914 was it.

12

One million dollar reward offered...

by Jafox in

for information leading to the arrest and imprisonment of.

truth_b_known

I'm chasing a local kid who robbed a bank and tried to kill a police officer. He jumped bond and fled to Mexico. He's attending the local meetings, so his parents are proud of him.

I can't tell you how many child rapists I've arrested who are active Witnesses.

102

Any atheists here? Have you come to terms with your new reality?

by kpop in

jw
friends

alone, without my safety net of "god" being there to remember me when i die.

after much consideration, examining science, history and using logic, i have come to the conclusion that there is no "god" at least certainly no loving, personal "god.

" shortly before my final conclusion was reached, i read an excerpt from an expression attributed to marcus aurelius, .

truth_b_known

"Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!" - Conan, Conan the Barbarian (1982)

I believe the Norse belief system is superior to that of Christianity. The gods made us. There is no fall from perfection or need for redemption.

Honor the gods by being honorable in your own deeds. If you live an honorable life, Odin will send his Valkyries to carry you to the Halls of Valhalla upon your death. That is where the brave live forever.

9

Does anyone here want to be saved or have the urge to worship?

by Half banana in

i don’t know about any of you but does anyone else share my lack of impulse to worship anything?.

i became a jw when still at school and had been puzzled at the time by the posters outside of evangelical churches telling me to repent and come to jesus and be saved.. for me it was an irrelevance, i never felt like being saved...what from?

i was happy as an exploring type of child, i never knew of anything wanting to be worshipped and i didn’t need to worship anything either..

truth_b_known

Most religions are based on the idea that only the body dies at death. Being "saved" is a reference to the concept that humans have an immortal soul that continues after death. This "soul" version of yourself does not get to choose where it resides. The saving part is a reference that your soul will be placed in a realm referred to as "heaven" or a negative place referred to as "hell".

Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in an immortal soul. They are caught up in a physical version of immortality. For them its one's future on a world ruled directly by God that they believe is at stake. So, either you die and are no longer conscious or you live forever. Not as dire stakes as other christian faiths.

The Semitic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have this common thread of falling from perfection, sin, and the need to gain redemption (being saved). I don't know of any other religion that teaches this. It's a horrible concept that puts needless guilt on people.

15

Observations from an Ex-Elder Part 3 - Why not create multiple Adam & Eve's?

by doubtfull1799 in

i saw a post the other day on another forum (think it was reddit) that put forward the idea that god should have created multiple couples, not just adam and ever.

this idea was so simple and brilliantly logical, that i wish i'd thought of it, but i cannot claim credit!

but it really got me thinking of the practical implications and benefits.... if god had simply created multiple couples instead of one, he would in one foul swoop have solved the problem of incest, as well as have prevented 6 thousand years of human tragedy and a ransom sacrifice being needed etc.

truth_b_known

Is Jehovah is omnipotent he would have known that an angel would fall and deceive the firs human couple. So why even bother?

26

Observations from an Ex-Elder Part 1

by doubtfull1799 in

i was thinking about the fog model this morning, particularly about the "obligation" part.

my mind went back to the last elders school i went to.

one of the parts in the section on appointments was discussing how we should not place too high a bar (human standards) for brothers to try and jump over when we are considering them for appointment as a ministerial servant.

truth_b_known

I had a friend when I was in that moved here from another country to marry a local sister. He was a MS in his home congregation. When he came here continued being a fine exemplary brother. However, his line of work (nursing) caused him to not be able to participate in Saturday morning field service.

Exemplary - Check

10+ hours of field service a month - Check

Those 10+ hours completed on a Saturday morning - No.

Oh, I'm sorry! You don't qualify to be a Ministerial Servant.

Right out of high school I was putting in 100+ hours of field service a month, made every meeting, was given every privilege a non-elder could be given in the congregation. However, there was always something I had to do more of.

My last assignment as a MS was handling the literature counter, which is a complete beat down. I was counselled by the body of elders because my book placement was not high enough. Plenty of field service hours. Placed dozens of magazines. Conducted home Bible studies. Yet, I was told, as the literature servant you should be exemplary in book placements.

What! Our field service reports weren't posted publicly. How was I not setting an example?

truth_b_known

Posts by truth_b_known