Posts by ctrwtf

47

I'm at a loss at how to get thru to my parents. I fear they will die before they will stop shunning me.

by cognisonance in

all i want is this: for us to be a family, to spend time together enjoying life.

i don't wish to debate about their beliefs when together.

they can remain jws for all i care.

ctrwtf

The construct of the doctrine of DF'ng sees it as a forgone fact that shunning will bring the person "to their senses."

What if, however, the person will never be brought back? Then continued shunning is logically an effort in futility.

Maybe this appeal to logic will help in your parents case. What your father has to overcome though is the very real possibility that he will at the least lose his position within the cong. and quite possibly be DF'd himself if he refuses to shun you.

Loving Christianity at it's best indeed.

67

Good Netflix shows to watch

by Simon in

in the long winter nights you need some good tv shows to watch while you wait for the eternity between seasons of game of thrones.. we've watched marco polo (pretty good) and have just started watching orange is the new black which is not at all what i imagined (didn't know it was funny!).

house of cards is on the list too as we've heard good things about that.. anyone have any others that are worth seeing?.

ctrwtf

Mad Men

20

Is child abuse becoming the 'Benghazi' of exJW's?

by Simon in

i've been noticing a trend recently that seems to becoming prevalent in posts which i think is a little sad and counter productive where, whatever the topic is actually about, someone will be keen to remind everyone about child abuse issues within the wts.. any sort of abuse, especially that of children, is a very serious issue but i'm not sure it's prevention is necessarily best-served by brining it up at every opportunity.

it ends up looking a little like the republican party's obsession with benghazi where they harp on about it to such an extent that people have become blind to it and it almost becomes a punchline.

people become less and less convinced of the claims because they hear them too often.. trying to turn any discussion into including comments on it, however well-intentioned, starts to look misguided at some point.

ctrwtf

Agreed

20

Is child abuse becoming the 'Benghazi' of exJW's?

by Simon in

i've been noticing a trend recently that seems to becoming prevalent in posts which i think is a little sad and counter productive where, whatever the topic is actually about, someone will be keen to remind everyone about child abuse issues within the wts.. any sort of abuse, especially that of children, is a very serious issue but i'm not sure it's prevention is necessarily best-served by brining it up at every opportunity.

it ends up looking a little like the republican party's obsession with benghazi where they harp on about it to such an extent that people have become blind to it and it almost becomes a punchline.

people become less and less convinced of the claims because they hear them too often.. trying to turn any discussion into including comments on it, however well-intentioned, starts to look misguided at some point.

ctrwtf

I think it's seen as a stone to throw at the WTS - that is their passion.

I agree. As it is with most of us here.

Every religion, civic group, charity etc has a percentage of child abusers among their ranks. That doesn't make the Boy Scouts or the Salvation Army essentially bad. The Watchtower is essentially bad for a host of reasons that have nothing to do with child abuse.

While the JW's response to this tragedy is heinous and while the victims' pain is enormous, there are probably more victims due to the policies of disfellowshipping, blood transfusions and homophobia whose pain is just as real.

19

Is Watchtower's position on smoking consistent with its position on masturbation?

by Island Man in

watchtower considers masturbation to be a form of uncleanness but not a disfellowshipping offence because the bible says nothing about masturbation.

a jw who masturbates is likely to face no more than losing privileges in the congregation.. like masturbation, smoking is considered by jws to be a form of uncleannes and like masturbation, the bible says nothing about it.

but a jw who smokes faces disfellowshipping.. yes, smoking is known to be deleterious to a person's health whereas the jury is still out on the adverse health effects of masturbation.

ctrwtf

If you are smoling with your right hand and tugging with your left does it cancel out the misdeed?

44

Surprise ! Surprise ! 2015 Arrives and NO Armageddon or World's " End " - Go Figure

by flipper in

jw
friends

i guess 99.9 % of ex-jw's here could have predicted as much .

armageddon didn't happen in 1914. it didn't happen in 1925. it didn't happen in 1975. and it did not happen in 2014. since the wt society first predicted a world's end when their organization started in 1879 - 126 years have passed which according to any dictionary in any human language 126 years comprises of 4 separate generations each totaling 30 years each.

plus 6 years into a 5th generation.

ctrwtf

We're all apostates because we served for a date. But everyone else is also serving for a date. That date being "soon."

4

Big Eyes Movie Article

by jerryjax99 in

jw
friends

hey everyone, i am new here to the site and wanted to share this article along with a personal experience with her.. .

http://national.deseretnews.com/article/3089/the-real-life-artist-portrayed-in-big-eyes-credits-her-newfound-faith-for-helping-her-take-a-stand.html.

i was able to meet margaret keane in pittsburgh, pa at the corapolis congregation back around 2002 or so.

ctrwtf

Heard an NPR piece on this film a couple of days ago. My sister was given one of these originals and I'd imagine its worth something. She proudly displays it and tells anyone who asks that Margaret is a wit. Who cares? My personal opinion is that it's art like the 70's fiber optic lamps were "art." Factory line, kitschy and over-hyped are words that come to mind.

The film's getting pretty good reviews though. I'm sure as a personal interest story that it is a tale worth telling. How she let her husband take credit (and money) for her work, to me, is telling about the mind-set of someone who gets involved with a cult that suppresses the value of women.

I'd definitely see it just to watch the performances of Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams.

7

Death and perspective

by Separation of Powers in

jw
friends

i realize today, at this moment in time, at this moment, this exact moment in my life the absolute futility of everything.

i sit here, at this desk, in front of this screen, my head is spinning and my mind wanders through all those moments of interaction with someone who has just left this life.

no, he wasn't a family member, he wasn't even a friend really, an acquaintance, a casual work related interaction.

ctrwtf

I recently read "All the light we cannot see." By Anthony Doerr. Lovely read. A sighted man describing what life is like from the perspective of a blind little girl. The summation is that life is fleeting and precious. It really doesn't matter what your "denomination" is. It doesn't matter what your belief in the afterlife is.

What matters is your connection to those around you now. What matters is your appreciation for the life you've been given. I resent people who try to attach a doctrine to someone else's viewpoint on this most precious gift, one that is unique to themselves.

I would take exception to your feeling that all is futile. With every breath we take, we move our existence and that of succeeding generations forward. Our experience, thoughts and viewpoints mold future generations to what humanity can hopefully become. Your thoughtful eulogy to the friend you've lost is a testament to the power of human kindness. My best to you at this most difficult time.....

11

JW.org Embroidered Shirt

by RubaDub in

i was walking into a local food store at noon on saturday and i see someone wearing a tie coming into the store.

it was a brother who i have seen before (in a nearly congregation) wearing a very nice shirt and tie.

it had the jw.org logo embroidered on the pocket.

ctrwtf

Why is it that I look upon someone who would wear that as a self righteous corporate brown noser? Many of the people I work with would never be caught dead wearing a company logo after working hours because it's just that stupid!

33

"The Friends"

by FeelingFree in

i have only come across this term very recently on jwn and in an "apostate" video i watched yesterday.

never have i heard anyone refer to jw's as "the friends" here in the uk.

is it just used in america?.

ctrwtf

If you're in the Mafia you would refer to another gangster as "a friend of ours."