Posts by wallsofjericho

48

Matrix moment - what was it and when did you share it?

by MMXIV in

for those of you who had a moment like that from the matrix when you realised what you'd believed was fundamentally flawed or a lie - what caused that defining moment and how long was it before you could share your thoughts?.

mmxiv.

wallsofjericho

"the society are always right"!

apologetics 101. Everything in your life is only to defend what you believe, never to shape what you believe.

I needed to get back in because the organization was going to close it's doors to outsiders, soon

appeal to fear. (ligical fallacy. Ultimate tactic of cults)

I was standing in the Natural History Museum looking at mammoth bones. A couple facts finally clicked in my head, and I realized the flood never happened. My next thought was I could never go back to the KH. It all came tumbling down in the next minute or so. I felt very good.

after years, even decades of the ultimate truth of the almighty soveriegn lord of universe being crammed into your brain it took 1 minute and some dinosaour bones to completely dismantle your indoctrination. Wow, how can divine truth be so impotent? Awesome

WatchTower teaches the members that they cannot earn salvation. They replaced the word “grace” in the Bible with the term “undeserved kindness.” They say that everlasting life is a gift from God, reflecting his undeserved kindness toward us, but then they tell members to find “deserving ones” out there and recruit them to learn about Jehovah and receive His undeserved kindness.

Elders make mistakes because they are imperfect men, so members have to be patient with them. The Governing Body is not made up of men who are “inspired” as the Bible writers were, so they may have made mistakes in the past, but members should just believe what they say now because they are spirit-directed. All I have ever been able to figure out from their explanations is that Jehovah leads well but men don’t always follow well.

DOUBLE THINK! DOUBLE THINK!

I love reading these experiences. It seems we hear the same things over and over.

My matrix moment was painful. Lots of stomach pain for about 3 months. I learned all about Russell and that was it. I knew it was all BS. I remember standing on my front porch looking up at the stars and seeing only that, stars. Then I looked at my neighbours houses and realized that I was just like them, wondering why I was here and what my purpose in life was.

so weird.

11

Quest for fire

by designs in

researchers from several universities have been conducting studies on the earliest use of controlled fire by our human ancestors.

based in south africa at the wonderwerk cave they believe evidence shows that around 400,000 years ago either neanderthals, homo sapiens or homo erectus were able to cook foods which led to the advancement in brain and body shape, birth and population.

of course we remember the fred franz lessons on genesis and his theory and belief that humans, adam and eve, are 6000 years old and already at a few days old they saw swords and fire on full display for the 1st time..

wallsofjericho

.........Adam and Eve, are 6000 years old and already at a few days old they saw swords and fire on full display for the 1st time.

i always get a kick out of that one. Why would Jehovah have created a sword? to kill whom? what enemy would be felled by a sword? Why would Adam & Eve even fear a sword having never seen a weapon of any kind?

This is a great example of how humans anachronistically project modern concepts into creation accounts.

45

Biting off more than they can chew - why I think the Society's internet approach is good for us, bad for them...

by cedars in

i've been giving some thought to the society's latest decision to reduce the size of the awake, and relaunch jw.org as a revamped site - intended for bringing in yet more converts.

for those who missed it, here is the relevant part of the leaked letter to elders discussing these changes.... the internet is a technology that jehovahs organization is using to good advantage to spread the good news to all corners of the earth.

consider the impact our web sites are having.

wallsofjericho

I foresee the Society dwindling in support and the "growth" eventually switching to decrease (whether the Society publish the figures or not). One could argue that this has already happened, and we simply haven't been told about it - but that's another discussion.

they are already preparing for this by eliminating service reports from the KM and replacing with "highlights" for the month. In the world of statistics this is called cherry picking and is as much a fallacy of numbers as ad hominem is of logic.

23

Is it just me or is the GB asking for money more directly.

by life is to short in

ok soi grew up in the religion and i remember so often the churches being slammed at the meetings for passing the plate and how they shamelessly begged for money.

how we as jehovah's witnesses are so much better because we never ask for money and the contribution box is sort of hidden in the back of the hall like we were even embarrassed to have to have that.

just the word contribution was so much better than the words the worldly churches used.

wallsofjericho

i think this is just a matter of that lit attendant being a deuchebag.

my father attended the lit counter for 30+ years and would have never said a word even back when JW's paid for their books and mags. He was so humble and so kind that he would have paid any shortfall out of his own pocket without ever saying a word to anyone.

Just being a JW doesn't make one a nice person, assholes are assholes whether they are J-dubs or not

11

need help looking for a quote "does not harbor/hold private beliefs/ideas"

by Aussie Oz in

i am darned if i can find it in all my files!

i saw it, saved it, lost it.. not in an elders manual, not in letters to elders as far as i can see.. but i am pretty sure the wording was close to my title wording.. any takers???.

oz.

wallsofjericho

By regularly taking in the spiritual food provided “at the proper time”—through Christian publications, meetings, assemblies, and conventions

so not from the bible or perhaps even holy spirit or from God or Jesus? no... just from the watchtower

45

Biting off more than they can chew - why I think the Society's internet approach is good for us, bad for them...

by cedars in

i've been giving some thought to the society's latest decision to reduce the size of the awake, and relaunch jw.org as a revamped site - intended for bringing in yet more converts.

for those who missed it, here is the relevant part of the leaked letter to elders discussing these changes.... the internet is a technology that jehovahs organization is using to good advantage to spread the good news to all corners of the earth.

consider the impact our web sites are having.

wallsofjericho

I am sure a bunch of actuaries have crunched the numbers and spit out a positive net gain of converts as a result of increasing the internet exposure of the WTS.

The reality is that the internet will in fact educate many to steer clear of the BOrg, yet at the same time it is possible (and statistically likely) that more than that number will actually get sucked into the brain-washing process by JW.org.

If the WTS can get actual R&F J-dubs at the door of the internet interested one (IIO) as fast as possible, they can then "encourage" the IIO to just get their info from them and to come to the KH for love bombing.

I can only hope that the life span of this growth is minimal and, like growth in Japan into the 90's, will hit a saturation point. After which these IIO's may partake of the many tweets and blogs educating people about the truth behind the WTS and begin a decline in the internet conversion rates

CTB - I agree about reducing cost by moving to digital media. But then again, didn't we all see this coming years ago? I remember being shocked that god's true organization actually had a website! (about 18 years ago I learned of it) To this day, there are many older J-dubs that look at you like your crazy if you say "jw.org"
it is even hard for them at this day and age to grasp that yes, the WTS has a website. The obvious reason for the disbeleif is in fact the years of demonizing the internet - similar to demonizing the UN and then becoming an NGO.

We all know the WTS moves slowly. online forums have been predicting ths for as long as the WTS has had a dot org. Give it a few years yet and we'll be dowloading and printing our own KM's, WT study articles, oral review questions and convention programs.

woj

42

Is there ANY JW belief/doctrine that has remained the same from start to now?

by journey-on in

i was trying to think of one teaching or doctrine that has remained consistent from the society's inception to now, and couldn't.

.

can you give me one?.

wallsofjericho

Jesus is Michael the archangel. One thing they got right.

but that's you though isn't it Lars? no, we all know OBVES is the real 2nd coming of Christ

10

risc of allowed fractions

by inbetween in

a brother in my hall mentioned in a twist of scriptures how we can thank the faithful slave class for warning us in connection with blood transfusions since 1945, because now the medical field recognises the riscs and try to minimize the use of blood.. despite the fatcs, that this statement is ridicolous in so many ways, i d like to find information (outside the "apostate" realm) that proves, that even allowed fractions are involing the risc of getting hepatitis, aids etc.... that would completely refute such a notion.. thx in advance... .

wallsofjericho

somebody here made the point recently that if fractions were admissible in the case of blood, then logically, in the context of the scripture, fractions of fornication must be admissible also.

well not actual full-on sex, but just fractions of sex, like oral sex or hand-jobs, etc. Some consciences may allow these "sex fractions" since they are not on their own actually "sex" in it's truest sense. Therefore I deem the following as conscience decisions:

oral sex
anal sex
mutual masterbation
cyber sex
sexting
foot sex
dry humping
plushophelia (sex with stuffed toys)
etc...

10

risc of allowed fractions

by inbetween in

a brother in my hall mentioned in a twist of scriptures how we can thank the faithful slave class for warning us in connection with blood transfusions since 1945, because now the medical field recognises the riscs and try to minimize the use of blood.. despite the fatcs, that this statement is ridicolous in so many ways, i d like to find information (outside the "apostate" realm) that proves, that even allowed fractions are involing the risc of getting hepatitis, aids etc.... that would completely refute such a notion.. thx in advance... .

wallsofjericho

to this day the Reasoning book uses Acts 15:28, 29 as the basis for their prohibition on blood:

*** rs p. 70 par. 3 Blood ***
Acts 15:28, 29: “The holy spirit and we ourselves [the governing body of the Christian congregation] have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled [or, killed without draining their blood] and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!” (There the eating of blood is equated with idolatry and fornication, things that we should not want to engage in.)

***(Notice that murder is not included in this list of necessary things)

on page 70 this paragraph is found

*** rs p. 72 - p. 73 Blood ***
Does the Bible’s prohibition include human blood?
Yes, and early Christians understood it that way. Acts 15:29 says to “keep abstaining from . . . blood.” It does not say merely to abstain from animal blood. (Compare Leviticus 17:10, which prohibited eating “any sort of blood.”) Tertullian (who wrote in defense of the beliefs of early Christians) stated: “The interdict upon ‘blood’ we shall understand to be (an interdict) much more upon human blood.”—The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. IV, p. 86

Now lets look at what Tertullian ACTUALLY said

Tertullian's full sentence from The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. IV is as follows (the part quoted by the Society is bold):

"Sufficient it is, that in this place withal there has been preserved to adultery and fornication the post of their own honour between idolatry and murder: for the interdict upon "blood" we shall understand to be (an interdict) much more upon human blood."
So Tertullian was speaking of a prohibition on human blood to mean that you must not murder (shed human blood). This would make sense that the Jerusalen elders would have meant this, thus they were saying abstain from:
idol worship
murder
eating unbled meat
fornication
this would really be a complete list of necessary things that would encapsulate the "rules" of Christianity when viewed from the perspective of not offending Jews or Jewish Christians, after all, the reason for this counsel at Acts was a result of Christians from Jerusalem attempting to impose Jewish traditions upon gentile christians. (for you Lurkers, yes the WTS manipulates facts with the intent of decieving you. They know you are gullable and count on it since they have pounded it into you for years to not question them lest you hasten Jehovah's wrath... and it works!)
Funny how the Reasoning book highlights several verses from Leviticus 17 yets omits Lev 17:15
*** Bible Citations ***
(Leviticus 17:15) As for any soul that eats a body [already] dead or something torn by a wild beast, whether a native or an alien resident, he must in that case wash his garments and bathe in water and be unclean until the evening; and he must be clean.
so the WTS makes it a point to say that eating of blood is equated with idolatry and fornication, yet Lev 17:19 says if you eat blood to take a bath and be clean.
What does the bible say about idolaters?
(Deuteronomy 13:6-10) 6 “In case your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or your cherished wife or your companion who is like your own soul, should try to allure you in secrecy, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ whom you have not known, neither you nor your forefathers, 7 some of the gods of the peoples who are all around YOU, the ones near you or those far away from you, from one end of the land to the other end of the land, 8 you must not accede to his wish or listen to him, nor should your eye feel sorry for him, nor must you feel compassion, nor cover him [protectively]; 9 but you should kill him without fail. Your hand first of all should come upon him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterward. 10 And you must stone him with stones, and he must die,. . .
and of fornicators?
(Deuteronomy 22:23-24) . . .“In case there happened to be a virgin girl engaged to a man, and a man actually found her in the city and lay down with her, 24 YOU must also bring them both out to the gate of that city and pelt them with stones, and they must die, . . .
How can the WTS even think to suggest that eating blood is the same to God as idolatery and fornication??? On top of this, by claiming "to abstain from blood" meant to not eat blood would mean that not only did this list of necessary things NOT include murder, but that the sin of eating blood was SO great that they actually took the time to repeat it twice within this list of 4 things bumping murder as a necessary thing to abstain from.
Murder, Idolatery and Fornication were all punishable by death yet eating blood made you unclean for the evening and you had to take at bath. The WTS's rationalization of banning blood and then introducing fractions as allowable is laughable if it weren't so deadly

11

10 signs of emotional abuse vs WTS

by wallsofjericho in

jw
friends

check out this video on you tube about emotional abuse and then compare that to the control tactics of the wts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwtadfic4kq&feature=related.

1 - making you feel worthless, without any value.. *** w55 1/15 p. 41 is your best good enough?

wallsofjericho

I still am coming to terms with how needy I am as a person. I like to think I am stronger and more independant but years of this, my entire childhood I look back now and think about different times in my life and how needy I have always been for attention, for approval, hell even for envy!

I am mentally free from the dogma but my personality is definitely shaped by decades of head games and guilt