Posts by Heartsafire

3

CULTS: Inside Scientology & Escaping Jehovah's Witnesses

by Finkelstein in

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 .

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug1mf4kvkwq.

Heartsafire

Fink,

Thanks for this. Good stuff.

54

"Even if it isn't the truth, it's still the best way to live"

by Simon in

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..

Heartsafire

I have very close "worldly" friends that go above and beyond morality compared to many JWs I know. They are very honest, do not cheat on their spouses, volunteer and reach out in the community, encourage others to do good, etc. From what I've learned, the standards practiced in life are unique to each individual whether a JW or not.

53

Finally posting and I'm FRUSTRATED!!!

by stephanie61092 in

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.

Heartsafire

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

46

Evolution a Fact - Agreed but So What?

by LAWHFol in

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.

Heartsafire

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.

46

Evolution a Fact - Agreed but So What?

by LAWHFol in

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.

Heartsafire

Wow, great thread guys. I'm not a fundie but I am a believer. Evolution is a fact. It did happen. Also, I think the Bible should not be taken literally especially the OT--not that it's all wrong, but it needs to be put into the perspective of faith stories handed down from one gen to the next. Also, suggesting a creator would be interested in keeping creatures completely out of harms way would not be conducive to the realities of natural selection and evolution. So, if God exists, perhaps God is not all "good" or at least "good" from human perspective. I know this is getting into a branch of philosophy (which, as you know, was once the original science). I'll leave it at this: evolution is fact. But is there a grand designer or creator who started it all? Perhaps it is not probable, but it is not beyond the scope of possibility.

34

JW's Funerals, Forget About The Person! Let's Preach.

by new boy in

jw
friends

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.

Heartsafire

Such a good point. So many times throughout the years I've heard of a tragic and/or early death of a dub only to be told that, "so many showed up to the funeral and got a good witness that wouldn't have otherwise." The last time I was told this, I mentioned how many more people would've been reached door-to-door had the dead ones lived out a full life expectancy. That got me some dirty looks. Lol.

20

Memorial Invitation

by sloppyjoe2 in

jw
friends

how do you faders/inactive handle being asked to the memorial by family?

Heartsafire

Last year I told my husband there was no point in being present because I'm just gonna pass the wine and bread like everyone else. The only dubs who actually need to be there are the ones who partake. He was so shocked by that his mouth gaped open like a large mouth bass. I guess that thought had never crossed his mind.

13

SEVEN Types Of Women Pastors Should Watch Out For In Ministry!

by darth frosty in

jw
friends

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).

Heartsafire

A really good post--especially when you're having to "beat the vultures"off your man. It's really disgusting how some sisters have zero respect for themselves and will throw themselves at anything with a penis attached.

46

Starlight in a Young Universe

by Perry in

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.

Heartsafire

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:-)

8

My Fellow Elders and other Animals

by Lostandfound in

part 1 of some memories.

i was an elder in the cong and had a young family and a demanding job about an hours drive away.

i suppose most elder bodies had vocal passengers and some workers, literally pne elder could explain in detail how to claim benefits rather than work so you would think with no job ties he could have all the time in the world to help...wrong!.

Heartsafire

Thanks for sharing. What a sad story about that brother. Looking forward to more about this and your memories in general.