Posts by tornapart

20

UPDATE: My existential crisis comes to a close

by Freeandclear in

jw
friends

in case you read my other thread regarding my existential crisis and how it was making my life miserable and left me feeling hopeless, purposeless and joyless i though i'd share what's recently happened to me and my way of thinking and have i've for the time being resolved my existential crisis.

i write every day in a journal.

i've been doing this for years.

tornapart

Reading this, I could have been reading exactly how I feel! Thanks for expressing it so beautifully and sharing it too. :)

133

Why Are You Here?

by Believer in

i'm wondering why believers remain members of this forum which is clearly hostile to believers.

as one member said, nonbelievers pounce on any semblance of belief like piranhas on prey.

as former jws we should have had our fill of judgmental know-it-alls, but here we are.

tornapart

I'm here for a few reasons really. With family still in I feel I need the support with others going through the same thing. I want to be on top of what is going on in Jdubland, who knows when I might get something juicy where I can drop seeds with family/friends to help wake them up. I like seeing what beliefs others turn to after leaving, I find it very interesting. Although I'm still a believer I'm open to lots of new ideas to think about. Not into debating much though, I don't feel it's necessary for me (and I don't feel knowledgeable enough to contribute much) but I like to read a few of them though, as long as they stay respectful. Once it gets into name calling and becomes like a children's playground I lose interest.

240

Introduction - Any Believers?

by Believer in

i’ve been reading it for a few of years off and on, but have been a little too ... maybe ... timid to join.

i left the watchtower organization almost 20 years ago but never abandoned my faith and belief in god.

i knew the gb/organization didn’t represent god, so when i lost my faith in them, i managed to keep my faith in an all wise benevolent creator.

tornapart

I'm still a believer and at first I felt a bit of trepidation because it seemed there were more atheists than believers amongst the exJW community on here. But over time I've come to like it. There are so many different opinions and beliefs that there is always something to make you really think and question everything. It's very refreshing when you have come from somewhere where everyone thinks they have all the answers. You realise that it's impossible to have all the answers. You have the freedom to express yourself without being judged (or shunned), you may get called stupid or ignorant or deluded, but who cares about that... you may need to develop a bit of a thick skin!

Just enjoy all the various differences and the reasons why others have come to their own conclusions. There is beauty in diversity... such a refreshing change from the awful conformity we had to bear in Jdubland!

40

Now this is weird, ever heard of the "Mandela Effect" ??? What if... ?

by Greybeard in

jw
friends

now this is weird, ever heard of the "mandela effect" ???

i know how crazy it sounds but i got to tell you, this article about the governing body finally admitting the "faithful slave" was not divinely appointed by jesus in 1919 was epic to me.

like a mandela effect feeling.

tornapart

Greybeard, there was this article written on the Beroean Pickets website back in Sept '13. They did a comprehensive study on the 'Faithful Slave' and the July article you are speaking of. In this particular article they do talk about the changes to the so-called '1919 appointment'. I remember reading it at the time. It is a biggie.... and many JWs just don't realise it. It goes into their subconscious and elevates the GB in their minds to Godlike status.

36

I was helping a Mature Sister with her tablet for downloading the meeting and then noticed ...

by Quarterback in

this sweet older sister needed help and while trying to download the clm on her tablet, the history showed some porn pictures.

how does someone overlook that and carry on?.

tornapart

You sure she's not one of the 'rockers' ? LOL

47

Evolution is a Fact #37 - Testicles

by cofty in

take a look at the back of your tv/entertainment centre.

a mass of power and signal cables connect the various pieces of equipment in very specific ways.

imagine you wanted to switch the locations of your satellite receiver and your dvd player.

tornapart

Cofty :- I almost called the thread that.

You should have Cofty... I know it shouldn't but it always makes me laugh when you use that word...

52

What's your favourite feel good movie ?

by jhine in

maybe it's time for a less serious thread .

i have just finished watching dirty dancing ( again ) .

what is your feel good movie , the one that makes you smile and cry happy tears ?

tornapart

My top ten:-

African Queen

Jungle Book

My Fair Lady

Dirty Dancing

The Holiday

Born Free

Billy Elliot

The Full Monty

Big

Goodbye Mr. Chips

160

Beliefs About What Caused the Universe

by Perry in

the universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.

whatever begins to exist had a cause.

therefore the universe had a cause.

tornapart

Theists are in a panic as they watch their god retreat into ever-decreasing gaps.

What we already know for a certainty makes christian theism an impossibility.

Bollocks (as Cofty often says)

29

Where did Jehovah go ?

by Deleteandrestart in

for the many years i was mentally " in " the congregation, i equated the organisation as interchangeable with the persona of jehovah, in effect whatever the organisation said or thought, that was what jehovah thought and that was what jehovah said.... it was that simple.

so when i found out the ttatt and the cynical moves of the organisation over the years,including 1975 , the donation arrangements, the united nations, etc i was devastated and thought " where's jehovah in all of this?".

the god who i'd poured my heart out to on many occasions and who i thought was silently listening and hearing my pleas ..... was not there , .

tornapart

Delete, I had similar feelings to you, still do sometimes. It's as though all those answers you had to everything were no longer relevant. The rug is pulled out from beneath your feet and your whole world spins out of control. It's a horrible feeling and can take quite a long time to come to some kind of equilibrium.

However I have also found that it opens up a whole new world of possibility. There are so many questions that need answering but the truth of it is this. No-one has all the answers! That's where you start from. Question everything, read as much as you can, find out what conclusions others have come to. Not everyone will reach the same conclusions obviously, even those that stay believers come to different conclusions about their beliefs. For instance I'm still a believer in God but now believe in evolution too and that he started the process. I am very drawn to Buddhist beliefs and that the teachings of Jesus and Buddha have a lot of similarities. It doesn't make me wrong or right, it's just a learning curve. Maybe in the future when I've pondered some more I'll come to further different conclusions. The point is, it doesn't have to be black and white anymore, there a thousands of different colours in between to explore. Take your time and enjoy the ride!

54

God's Word and Modern Man

by TheLiberator in

i have drawn the conclusion that when god speaks, he is using the language and the concepts of the time.

he is not revealing a new scientific understanding when he speaks.

that would be distracting from the point being made.

tornapart

Filling the gaps with faith adds nothing useful. Maybe not for you but it does for me. Night Cofty, thanks for the debate.