Posts by pale.emperor

23

Special Pioneer Vow Of Obedience And Poverty Contract - Is This Legit?

by pale.emperor in

somebody posted the contract on exjwreddit: https://i.redd.it/1u8808gy6ni01.jpg.

it appears to be signed by howie ernest rutledge.

im assuming this is howie rutledge tran, former assistant to the gb?.

pale.emperor

I actually was going to call bullshit on this, it just looks and reads so culty and number 6 is blatantly just taking money from the pioneers.

If it wasnt for Howies name on it i would have laughed it off.

23

Special Pioneer Vow Of Obedience And Poverty Contract - Is This Legit?

by pale.emperor in

somebody posted the contract on exjwreddit: https://i.redd.it/1u8808gy6ni01.jpg.

it appears to be signed by howie ernest rutledge.

im assuming this is howie rutledge tran, former assistant to the gb?.

pale.emperor

Somebody posted the contract on ExJWReddit: https://i.redd.it/1u8808gy6ni01.jpg

It appears to be signed by Howie Ernest Rutledge. Im assuming this is Howie Rutledge Tran, former assistant to the GB?

31

Try Not To Vomit When You Read Todays Text

by pale.emperor in

tuesday, february 27. let the elders who preside in a fine way be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching.—1 tim.

5:17.. those related to us in the faith certainly merit honor and respect.

this is especially true of the elders who are taking the lead.

pale.emperor

Tuesday, February 27
Let the elders who preside in a fine way be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching.—1 Tim. 5:17.

Those related to us in the faith certainly merit honor and respect. This is especially true of the elders who are taking the lead. We honor these brothers regardless of their nationality, education, social standing, or financial status. The Bible refers to them as “gifts in men,” and they are a key part of God’s arrangement to care for the needs of his people. (Eph. 4:8) Think of congregation elders, circuit overseers, Branch Committee members, and the members of the Governing Body. Our brothers and sisters in the first century had high regard for those appointed to take the lead, and we feel similarly today. We do not idolize well-known representatives of the Christian congregation or react in their presence as if angels were standing nearby. Still, we do respect and honor such brothers for their hard work and humility.—2 Cor. 1:24; Rev. 19:10. w17.03 1:13

Not that i waste my time reading the days text anyway (it came up when i was looking for a reference for another post on here) but i couldn't help shaking my head at this.

"Think of congregation elders, circuit overseers, Branch Committee members, and the members of the Governing Body. Our brothers and sisters in the first century had high regard for those appointed to take the lead..."

Funny, there was no Governing Body in the first century. Nor were there Branch Committee members or circuit overseers. The bible has no such words.

I honor only two elders. One who left the org 2 years ago because he refused go along with their child abuse policy. And the other is Paul Grundy, who also left the org and founded JWFacts.com.

The only GB member worthy of honor was Ray Franz.

24

Younger Witnesses less fanatical or fundamental

by optimisticskeptic in

i am a born in jw for over 30 years now and have been in various positions in the organization.

now i'm guessing most of us recognize that older generations tend to be more fundamental and less reasonable when it comes to their outlook and beliefs.

i find this to mirror the differences you see outside of the organization as well (older people less tolerant of other religions, newer technology, lgbt, etc.).

pale.emperor

DOC is right:

As has been stated many times, younger JW‘s do not know their own religion. It is doubtful that they could defend any of the unique JW doctrines. Of course, NO ONE can give a reasonable exclamation of blood “fractions” or the overlappy generation BS (even Splane can’t “splane” it).

I used to read the insight books for bedtime reading for fun and was a WT Library geek. Even i couldn't explain 1914 without a Watchtower in my hand. And that always frustrated me. Because if it was a bible teaching i should be able to find it in the bible.

Im 33 and when i was in my teens and 20s i was regarded by my uberdub family as "too permissive". My friend at work was gay. I listened to Oasis, Nirvana and other "naughty" bands. I think my generation was the start of this, you were either fully in or on the fence just in it for the social scene. And in Liverpool/Manchester in the 2000s there WAS a great social scene. Not anymore though so i hear. My generation either got married and had kids or have left. You could tell who the hangers-on where, the ones who had the best parties!

I dont know if the younger generation are more accepting, they could actually be more militant, especially if they were home schooled.

The problem is, the younger generation wont know anything about 1975, the convention video last year have warned them that "some people" thought the end would come. And they'll believe that. They wont know about Beth Sarim, Rutherford banning Kingdom Songs, that blood fractions used to be 100% banned etc.

The online library only goes back to 2000 for Watchtower/Awake! magazines. Most of the references to old publications are greyed out.

The only way this religion can survive is by morphing into something else. Which it has done a few times before. Russell/Rutherford/Knorr/GB.

21

Reflecting On The JW Version Of You

by pale.emperor in

lately i've been thinking over how far i've come over the last 2.5 years since leaving the cult.

when i first left i remember not knowing who i really was and what my beliefs and values were.

previously my values and beliefs were dictated to me the the governing body in watchtower magazines.. i'm politically active, being a member of a political party and i'm even considering running in my local election in a few years.. when it comes to religion, im an atheist who has little time for superstition and "god did it" answers to complex questions.

pale.emperor

But there has been fallout (not DFing, im not - or the expected shunned anyway by people who I thought were friends) but other unexpected punch in the gut over and over again fallout that is killing me.

I have my entire family shunning me and it sucks... but then i ask myself "would i want to have people around me who would drop me simply because i dont share their exact same thoughts about God?"

I dont need negative people like that in my life. So as far as im concerned they're doing me a favour showing their true colours and removing themselves from my life.

And they're missing out on a relationship with me. Because im fucking awesome.

21

Reflecting On The JW Version Of You

by pale.emperor in

lately i've been thinking over how far i've come over the last 2.5 years since leaving the cult.

when i first left i remember not knowing who i really was and what my beliefs and values were.

previously my values and beliefs were dictated to me the the governing body in watchtower magazines.. i'm politically active, being a member of a political party and i'm even considering running in my local election in a few years.. when it comes to religion, im an atheist who has little time for superstition and "god did it" answers to complex questions.

pale.emperor

Lately i've been thinking over how far i've come over the last 2.5 years since leaving the cult. When i first left i remember not knowing who i really was and what my beliefs and values were. Previously my values and beliefs were dictated to me the the Governing Body in Watchtower magazines.

I'm politically active, being a member of a political party and I'm even considering running in my local election in a few years.

When it comes to religion, im an atheist who has little time for superstition and "God did it" answers to complex questions. I respect that people may have a religion, and that's fine, as long as their religion doesn't divide and subjugate a group of people.

I'm a feminist. Yes, there are some fantastic teachers and educators out there who just so happen to have female genitalia. The Abrahamic religions in particular have delighted in keeping women down for too long.

I dont believe marriage is necessary. We humans are animals. The idea of marrying your pet dog to next doors dog before they mate is a ridiculous notion. As is the human institution of marriage. As far as im concerned, the only reason i'd get married is for the party... but then you could just have the party and forgo the wedding.

I think it's absolutely vital that we dont jump to conclusions in matters. Especially science/religion. Any statement presented to me as "lifesaving" or "the truth" needs to be backed up with evidence, research, experiments, results and the qualifications of those who made the statement.

Looking back on the JW version of myself. I was stressed out, lonely, carrying a lot of guilt and had no time for hobbies or interests due to "theocratic" activities like ministry, study and meeting attendance. I had no platform to express doubts, no-one to confide in about how i felt about the organization and no real friends.

For an JW lurkers, living life on your own terms is guilt free. I have zero guilt for anything that i do. And im a lot happier and stress free.

41

Who deserves the title of king of apostasy ?

by Chook in

i think this would be a noble endeavour..

pale.emperor

Im gonna have to go with Paul Grundy (founder of JWFacts.com).

Lloyd Evans (aka John Cedars) is very good with his research and videos but JWFacts.com has all the research on there. Unlike Lloyd Evans, Paul Grundy is an ex-Bethelite so has that first hand experience, he went to the trouble of researching and presenting the content very well and creating the site not for monetary gain but just to put the information out there.

With Lloyd Evans, i do like his stuff, but i understand why some people dont take to him. I dont like that he plugs his book at the end of each video, i dont like that his book is overpriced and i dont like that in his new book he offered to let you tell your story... for a fee!

Ray Franz did sell his book but i dont hold that against him. The guy had no pension or savings due to serving Watchtower all his life.

30

Marriage Proposal in the Kingdom Hall

by Listener in

just when you think you've seen it all comes another interesting use of a kingdom hall.a young man serenades his girlfriend with a song (possibly a watchtower song) from the stage through a microphone and backed by recorded music.

then he steps off the stage and gets down on one knee and proposes as he pulls out a ring from his coat pocket.

the large projector screen flashes up behind them with a picture of a sapphire and diamond ring.cameras capture the joyous moment as she accepts and they lock together in a loving hug.

pale.emperor

34

In case you want to see mass quantities of ignorance / stupidity on display....a dinosaur thread on JWTalk

by sir82 in

https://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/34840-what-does-the-bible-say-about-dinosaurs/.

amazing how many words can be expended discussing things that people have utterly no clue about..

pale.emperor

I’ve always wondered how long it would take for all the flesh to decompose....how the earth was cleaned up of all the skeletons....cannot imagine Noah and his family walking through skeletons everywhere they went....

Decomposition takes ~9years to get to skeleton stage. (Speculation starts...) Do you suppose this could have been another miracle? Speeding up the process perhaps?

Can anyone readjust my thinking here?
How long was the earth flooded and how long does it take a dead body in water to rot?

I'm sure Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth and their wives will be quite popular in the new world. I sure have a bunch of questions for them! Eyewitness accounts...

HOWLING HERE!!

27

Satan is "bullying" you through family

by neat blue dog in

just thought i'd share this ridiculous picture from a recent watchtower.

in recent years, the word bullying has been thrown around a lot, and often misused by instigators and subtle bullies themselves.

in this picture we learn that your loving family who wants to continue sharing a family tradition with you, who hands you a beautifully wrapped present with a smile on their face, is in fact bullying you.

pale.emperor

Bloody hell, they're really upped the cultiness here havent they.

If that's what they consider bullying, what do they call the treatment of the Jews in WW2 Germany?