4 months ago i was conducting the watchtower study along with a long list of responsibilities that come with being an elder in a very goofy congregation.
during this time my health was going down hill.
i've always had a low blood pressure,(102/65 or abouts) but for the past year it had creeped up to 135/90 range.. so 2 months ago after learning ttatt, i'm still considered an elder because the brothers won't let me step down, but i haven't done anything in that time except comment once at a meeting a few weeks ago.
Well, since I've been missing meetings I haven't been as nauseated!
But seriously, yes, every elder/super-active jdub I know has either very bad health problems (mental and/or physical) or is on medication.
I can honestly say I cannot recall ever meeting a super healthy, happy Jdub elder.
here is an interesting documentary about people being exploited and manipulated by cults, one which we all know about.. note the coercive tactics that these separate cults use to lure people into them and to eventually control these individuals once they are there .
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug1mf4kvkwq.
Fink,
Thanks for this. Good stuff.
have you heard that old chestnut?
i have.. typically it's the last resort when you have dismantled a jws beliefs and they have no way of defending them.
they know they are beat so they come out with that one.. its effectively an admission that you are right and they have no argument but they are still going to attend meetings because they like the social club.. what a lame way to defend your faith..
okay, i'm about to engage in a major word vomit.
just giving you fair warning as your time may be better spent somewhere else.. so, i'm sitting on my lunch break, bawling my eyes out, and writing on this forum to people i don't know yet probably have a great deal in common with but at the same time, used to scare the daylights out of me.
for years, i would come across this forum and 'lurk' awhile if you will, or see things on youtube.
Steph,
Two thumbs way up for your heartfelt rant. You are among friends here. I am still baptized and have been inactive for several months now. I envy that you are completely out and you know the truth about the truth (ttatt).
You have big decisions in life headed your way--to go back to the org and live a lie for your family or live authentically according to your own moral compass and face losing them. Unfortunately, I am having to live a lie for my family right now, and it tears me up inside. One of our members (freemindfade) used a really good metaphor today that the JW's are the ones in "prison" and we are the ones walking out into freedom. It is not your fault they choose to stay in this horrible cult.
From what I can see, you're smart, you're strong, you're witty, and you damn sure deserve much better than this right now!
HAF
in many debates between believers and non believers (nb), the nb uses evolution as some sort of proof to support the non existence of god.. i agree that evolution is a fact, however i feel that evolution is proof of some sort of benevolent original cause.. if i were to create an a.i.
, i would program into it the ability to self-refactor and evolve.. i would also randomly inject viruses into the program (evil) where the a.i.
would be forced to stretch its current capabilities & modify it's operating functions in order to get through the random virus, and continue living.. with a steady flow of different viruses, the a.i.
David Jay,
Appreciate your post. Particularly when you discuss the terminology behind theory and fact. Could one say the theory of evolution is factual? I have personally seen the fossils of animals we recognize today in their early evolutionary processes. Also, I totally agree with you on Wikipedia information. I avoid any info from that source like the plague. One source for research I do prefer is google scholar.
in many debates between believers and non believers (nb), the nb uses evolution as some sort of proof to support the non existence of god.. i agree that evolution is a fact, however i feel that evolution is proof of some sort of benevolent original cause.. if i were to create an a.i.
, i would program into it the ability to self-refactor and evolve.. i would also randomly inject viruses into the program (evil) where the a.i.
would be forced to stretch its current capabilities & modify it's operating functions in order to get through the random virus, and continue living.. with a steady flow of different viruses, the a.i.
god forbid you would talk about the dead person at his funeral.
so what do most people get after living 70-80 years?.
a 5-10 minutes eulogy.
how do you faders/inactive handle being asked to the memorial by family?
i found this to be interesting especially #6. seven types of women pastors should watch out for in ministry!.
january 19, 2016 26 comments.
“for the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and smoother than oil is her speech.” (proverbs 4:3).
the scientific method begins with a faith statement called a hypothesis, and then goes on to look for evidence, for or against support of the faith statement.. secular materialists often change their ideas on exactly how things have made themselves, but never whether they did.. the manifesto for this self imposed mental ban seems to be summed up by geneticist richard lewontin:.
‘our willingness to accept scientific claims that are against common sense is the key to an understanding of the real struggle between science and the supernatural.
we take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.. it is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated.
Perry,
Interesting post especially about time and gravity. I understand you are a creationist, and I respect that stance. I think materialists work within the constricts of the material world around them to explain the material world, therefore any appeal to something beyond what can physically be proven is not only illogical but unacceptable to them. Notably, I respect that stance as well, although I cannot say I personally am 100% convinced that a realm beyond what we physically understand does not exist. Anyway, interesting post, and I predict you'll receive some downvotes:-)
