patio34

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Posts by patio34

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  17

  Anti JW newspaper article

  by Freenow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this looks like a friendly forum and i will do my very first posting here because i finally feel i can trust someone to help me.

  i published an article on the local newspaper against the jw and part of my sour experiences while i was a jw; they only let me use 300 words and deleted the most important ones ofcourse.

  my problem is that iam now getting very negative responses to my article and i need you all to help me write something positive for us ex-jw's for a change.

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  patio34

  Dear Freenow (what a good name!)
  I was a jw for 28 years and have just left 1 month ago and am not attending the memorial this year despite having a son visiting from Hawaii who is an avid jw! Boy, that'll be something to look forward to!

  M-m-m-m positive things about jws: they are a tight-knit community; they took excellent care of me when I was sick for several months two years ago; there are a lot of really nice and smart people.

  That's enough for now. Welcome to the site (or SIGHT, that is)--I'm new too.

  Patio
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  22

  How should i DA or DF myself in April?

  by TheApostleAK in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm thinking of daing myself at the end of april.

  what things should i do during april?.

  a) doing 70+ hours in field service?.

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  patio34

  I agree with Java, don't play by their rules. Besides, if you hurt someone such as by toying with the elder's daughter, you will feel bad later and there could be all kinds of repurcussions and give some merit to negative talk about you. You are who you are. Do you not lie because of the jw teaching or because that's who you are?

  I have just decided to go away quietly with my own ideas to myself.

  Good luck,
  Patio
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  5

  Dinasours & the Bible

  by patio34 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what has precipitated my pulling back from the org is the understanding of dinasours.

  now gen. 1:30 says all vegetation was given to man and beast.

  isa.

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  patio34

  Hello,
  What has precipitated my pulling back from the org is the understanding of dinasours. Now Gen. 1:30 says all vegetation was given to man and beast. Isa. 66 (?) says the wolf will lie down with the lamb. Apparently the jw teaching (and the Bible's indirectly) is that violence in nature was introduced by Adam's sin.

  So where do the meat-eating dinasours fit in this theory? (And the attendant violence.) There seems to be a consensus among scientists and the Awake (in ca. 1987) that they predated humans (ie Adam) so why were they so violent and carnivorous?

  If there is a creator, they had to be created that way, with that vicious instinct--to eat each other and the violence in nature is merely an extension of that--not Adam's sin.

  To me, it seems to be a fatal flaw in the whole premise of the Bible or the org.

  Any comments?
  Patio
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  36

  Do You Think That You Might Turn Back To Jehovah?

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i`ve never yet been snubbed by a jw.

  the reason is that i refuse point blank to speak to them unless they speak to me first.

  so, if i`m visiting my jw mum and jw visitors arrive which they often do i just smile, raise one eyebrow slightly, and look `em straight in the eye!.

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  patio34

  Dear Englishman,
  You might just want to appear incredulous that they would even ask such a personal question with a reply such as "Excuse me?" or "huh?" then letting them backpeddle or pursue a question you have expressed disapproval of.

  After all, you do not have to defend yourself to anyone. You may want to add "That's personal." And it truly is none of their business and a loaded question to boot because it presupposes you HAVE left God because of leaving the org. In the same ilk as "have you stopped beating your wife?"

  Btw, what does "borg" mean?
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  15

  Book Recommendation: The Bible Unearthed

  by GinnyTosken in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i recently finished reading the bible unearthed: archaeology's new vision of ancient israel and the origin of its sacred texts by israel finkelstein and neil asher silberman.

  here is part of a review that drew my attention to the book:.

  the book reaches its conclusions from a huge array of archaeological evidence of different kinds, some quite clever, such as the analysis of camel bones; others representing new trends in field archaeology, such as settlement surveys.

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  patio34

  Thanks so much for the posting. I'll be sure to that book. It's amazing what's available outside the WTS, isn't it.
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  10

  Hello to all

  by Mr Angry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello to all.. i have been a lurker here for about 2 weeks and been so impressed at the friendship shown and the honest debate i thought i would join in.. my name is rick and my jw story is at http://www.jwfiles.com/jws-leaving/rick.htm if your interested.

  it also saves a lot of unecessary typing here.. i use the user name of mr angry so as not to be confused with the rick that was on h20.

  to confuse the matter further rick is not my real name as i have family still in the truth (how i hate that term) and i dont wish my real identity to be revealed at this stage.

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  patio34

  Hi there! Also a lurker--but only for a coupla days. Now it's my new hobby and coffee shop visits. I love the way one of the posters (Java?) signs "counting time at the coffee shop." Btw, i'm not counting time at all anymore--another relief. Has anyone noticed an elevated view of "worldlings" now? I have in myself.

  So welcome and I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!
  Patio
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  29

  So Whats Driving You To Make Posts?

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why do you bother to post on this site?

  what good does it do you?

  what do you gain from posting?.

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  patio34

  Great question! I was really glad to find this place as am new to leaving jws. Wake up every morning with a disturbing feeling because of a void in my life. There is literally no one to talk to--after being a jw for 3 decades. The only others are people at work, who can't understand and it's even embarrassing to say some of the problems. So talking with others who are in the same boat is a great relief. It's lonely leaving. I have a son coming to visit in 2 weeks for a month and he is a pioneer and ministerial servant and ex-Bethelte--enough said. He does not know yet about my leaving. Dreading his reaction when the Memorial comes!
  I've read where keeping a journal improved test subjects' asthma by improving the immune system. The theory being that getting problems out of your mind is beneficial. Also, that may be why prayer helps people. So, this board helps in two ways: hearing others' ideas and experiences; and expressing one's own concerns.
  So, thanks for all of your posts and it's great to get to know you!
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  52

  Neanderthals and the Bible?

  by uncle_onion in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am doing some research on neanderthals.

  we know that this species existed and by very recent dna test we can tell that they are definitely not human.has any one done anything on this subject or the accuracy of carbon dating?

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  patio34

  I have just started my search outside of WTS. Am reading books by Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, etc. I personally don't think the answers as to how everything fits will be clear for a long time, if ever. As a friend says "whenever anyone says the KNOW how things happened, I start backing away." It may be our background as jws (decades for me) that makes one feel there is a black and white answer for everything. I don't want any labels, such as "atheist," "agnostic," etc. It's enough for now just to be learning different points of view. Maybe "secular" is good.
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  32

  What would you have done without the WT?

  by expatbrit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  imagine that you had never heard of the watchtower.

  imagine that your life and that of your families had never been influenced by wt teachings.. i know for a fact that the wt's philosophy on further education contributed to my not achieving what i should have at school.

  this is not to shirk the responsibility for my grades; ultimately they were my responsibility.

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  patio34

  Well probably would still be married and would not have had to raise four children in poverty by myself. Would have encouraged said kids to do well in school and go to college, but instead tried to goad them into jw interests first. Didn't have help such as sports teams, scouts, etc. And of course, no help from the jws--just do more, do more. Now it's the grandkids to worry about. All if I had never gotten involved with the WTS. BUT it's never too late to recover and help others to do the same!
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  20

  Abraham & Sumerians

  by patio34 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been reading some on sumerian mythology.

  now, it's said the sumerians predated hebrew writings by several centuries or longer.

  the sumerians are the first writers.

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  patio34

  I have been reading some on Sumerian mythology. Now, it's said the Sumerians predated Hebrew writings by several centuries or longer. The Sumerians are the first writers. Their mythology includes a flood myth, a serpent in a tree, a woman from a rib, paradise lost, etc. One of their city-states was Ur. Then we find Abraham was from Ur.

  Has anyone found any other data on this subject? It seems possible jws are just preaching Hebrew mythology that was handed down and changed from the Sumerian mythology. Any ideas?