Posts by truth_b

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?

30

I Saw 2 JWs Doing Nothing With Their Cart Today

by minimus in

jw
friends

my girlfriend and i were walking along a seaside boulevard and lo and behold!

2 jws were standing by the pathway.

they made eye contact and said hello.

truth_b_known

This reminds me of the "street witnessing" that became so popular in the suburbs I lived in. Pioneers would stand in front of the coffee shop that was 1 miles from the Kingdom Hall for about an hour before the meeting for field service. They would just stand by the entrance like a statue while holding the latest Watchtower/Awake in their hand. I tried it once. The manager of the shop came out and asked us not to stand so close to the entrance. Fortunately, I never did that again. It was absolutely pointless other than getting 20 hours of field service in a month. Yeah, 1 hour a day X 5 days a week X 4 weeks a month = 20 hours!

36

Anyone know what this sculpture is of the "torture stake?"

by charity7 in

hey guys!

i'm new on this site and am a non jw here married to a jw.

my husband's family are active members and they daily post articles on facebook from jw.org which i know is meant for me to see and read.

truth_b_known

It looks like the poor fellow is not impaled to the tree, but bound to it by straps.

12

Heartbroken...advice please

by SPARKLEY in

i am a non-jw and have been in an unhappy marriage for a few years now.

i met a nice man at work, we had a laugh together and got to know each other.

we were both really attracted to each other.

truth_b_known

Sparkley:

This man is caught up in a cult that controls every aspect of one's life. This cult uses fear and guilt to control you. First, all of your relationships and support are to be fellow members of this cult. Then, if you violate one of their man-made rules, they will figuratively brand you in a practice they refer to as "disfellowshipping."

When a member is disfellowshipped it is made public to the rest of the members. No member, not even family, can speak with this person or render aid. When a member is disfellowshipped their entire life is turned upside down. This arrangement is considered "loving" in the cult and a tool to "readjust" the violator's way of thinking. Some members who are disfellowshipped desire to return to their regular status and can after a period of time, but only if they stop committing their "sin" and "repent".

Semitic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) use sex as a tool to control people. It is a well known fact that the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses who are disfellowshipped are done so for violating sex related beliefs. The number one sex related belief is that sex is to be had only between people who are married to each other.

One reason that this male companion of yours may be acting weird is that, deep down inside, he wants to return to being an active Jehovah's Witness. This would mean he would have to cut off all social ties with you, but especially in engaging in any form of physical intimacy. Sending sex related text messages to a married woman would be grounds for disfellowshipping on its own.

truth_b_known

Posts by truth_b_known