ctrwtf
JoinedPosts by ctrwtf
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24
Jehovah Will Put it in Their Minds
by ctrwtf injust mulling over the demise of religion in general as we humans progress away from fear of the unknown.. i was wondering when some country or group will try to outlaw religion.
then i recalled how an all out attack on religion is what is supposed to trigger armageddon.
after 9/11 the first thing george bush said was that islam is not the problem, extremist terrorists are the problem.
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ctrwtf
Just mulling over the demise of religion in general as we humans progress away from fear of the unknown.
I was wondering when some country or group will try to outlaw religion. Then I recalled how an all out attack on religion is what is supposed to trigger Armageddon. How unlikely is that? After 9/11 the first thing George Bush said was that Islam is not the problem, extremist terrorists are the problem. So basically even though a religious terrorist group kills 3000 American citizens, religion is not attacked. I fully realize that there are haters out there that are looking to bash Islam. But as a nation the U.S. is tolerant of all religious groups, as are most if not all developed countries.
So in order for the nations to attack religion, Jehovah will have to put it in their minds to do so. Do you remember hearing or reading that in the pages of the Watchtower? So if Jehovah is putting it in their minds to attack and brutally oppress all religions including the one true religion isn't he attacking religion himself? Morally and legally if I give another person the idea or will to brutalize another person I'm as accountable and guilty as the person who carried out the crime.
Once again, so much for the vindication of god's name. The god of the bible is a jerk
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Atheism and the delusion of meaning
by Laika inin the movie annie hall, written by woody allen, as a young boy, alvy's mother, takes him to see a doctor as he appears to be dealing with some kind of depression.
when the doctor asks alvy what's up, alvy explains that he just found out the universe is expanding, everything will spread out and go cold and die, therefore nothing he does matters, so he is not going to do anything anymore.
most people might see this as a joke, but i think woody is trying to make a serious point.. the point here is about meaning.
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ctrwtf
"In a self vreated impersonal universe ther cannot be any meaning."
Why Not?
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41
Why is there Evil? Atheist why has Evolution not eliminated it?
by ÁrbolesdeArabia in.
satanus, i though i did a double post on this same thread, sorry i tried to delete the wrong one!.
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ctrwtf
Evolution is a process. Obviously we are a work in progress. I agree that violence or evil may not be affected by the evolutionary process. Having said that, it is remarkable that we are far less violent than we were even 200 years ago. While some may decry political correctness, it has contributed to a more genteel life.
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33
Are there people who have returned
by His Excellency inconsidering all the consequences of leaving the organization (especially the loss of family), some who have already known ttat have decided to return and continue with the flow just to keep their families and friend.. my question is if anyone here had tried it and how they have been managing living a lie constantly day-after-day?, as i am seriously considering returnning back to the full routine..
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ctrwtf
Maybe the question should be why would you want to stay with a spouse who loves a mindset more than you?
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11
A conundrum for ex's
by ctrwtf inso...hanging out with some new found friends.
they're talking about going to church.
the whole family goes, everything is great.. my daughter comes home talking about her friend that had his first communion.
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ctrwtf
Thanks St A Checked out the link....don't think I'm ready to make that leap yet.
WH, maybe that's what I'm wondering about. Now that I am sans religion, what do I do for weddings and funerals?
NY44 My son is interested in Buddhism. There are lots of groups where I live. I think my attraction to christianity is partially cultural, partially the message that we're all good and just trying to be better. To me that's the message that any religion should send. Still, I haven't made up my mind.
Thanks for the thoughts
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11
A conundrum for ex's
by ctrwtf inso...hanging out with some new found friends.
they're talking about going to church.
the whole family goes, everything is great.. my daughter comes home talking about her friend that had his first communion.
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ctrwtf
So...hanging out with some new found friends. They're talking about going to church. The whole family goes, everything is great.
My daughter comes home talking about her friend that had his first communion. Again, the whole family is there, ceremony and tradition and good times for all. Now I realize that probably the only real truth dispensed by the borg is that religion is a snare and a racket. But I find myself attracted to the tradition and family time that being a part of main stream religion provides. But here's the conundrum. After being indoctrinated that all religion outside the borg is false, you are left with literally nothing after you realize TTATT.
Sorry if I'm a little distracted, I am watching the Liberace bio-pic while typing and it's a little unsettling for me to see Michael Douglas kissing Matt Damon. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
Back to my conundrum. I am probably agnostic. I know religion is a crutch for the weak minded. Yet I wonder if I am denying myself and my family the real benefits of main stream christianity. We all have the proverbial monkey on our back. How great would it be to walk into a confessional and talk about the fact that we drink too much, or have impure thoughts, or hate the church and then still be told that God loves us? Sometimes I think the Catholics aren't so wroing about helping people through life and death.
Maybe this is the thing that I hate the most about the Wit's. Even after you escape, you are denied the real benefits of main stream religion that all of your neighbors seem to enjoy.
Sorry if Im rambling, thanks for reading, CTRWTF
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Memorial Day.... still struggling with the idea of war and support
by Butterflyleia85 inso i do respect and am very greatful for the sacrifies those who dedicated their family, lives, etc.
to defend our freedom, lives, and land, but if we lived in a world where we lived as monks or jehovah's witnesses (basicly just the practise of no war).... would that be wrong?.
what's a good lesson or level of reasoning when supporting the idea of war?.
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ctrwtf
I agree with the above who have opined that war is a horrific reality. I think that there are those like Jehovah's Witnesses as well as other pacificist groups that have the luxury of not taking up arms to support a cause. They have this luxury because, fortunately for them, there are others who will do so.
Where would the witnesses be if the Allies hadn't made a stand against the Axis powers? Don't tell me, Jehovah used the Allies to defeat Hitler and the rest of the Axis of Evil? If so, then we still owe the men and women who payed the ultimate price a debt of honor.
Happy Memorial Day. Oh BTW, grill a dog for me!
CTRWTF
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32
Hello
by ctrwtf ini thought it was time for a formal introduction.
i've lurked here for literally years, sometimes posting sometimes not.
but i've never told my story and now seems as good a time as any.
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ctrwtf
Thanks to all for the welcome and thanks to JGNAT for the giggles
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32
Hello
by ctrwtf ini thought it was time for a formal introduction.
i've lurked here for literally years, sometimes posting sometimes not.
but i've never told my story and now seems as good a time as any.
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ctrwtf
Hello All,
I thought it was time for a formal introduction. I've lurked here for literally years, sometimes posting sometimes not. But I've never told my story and now seems as good a time as any. Hopefully my story will help you who are fading and it's cathartic as well for me. My great grandmother was the first in our family to be contacted by the Bible Students. That makes me a fourth generation born in. There are also two generations more who have the questionable distinction of still being in, although this religion is a shadow of what it once was.
I remember in my teenage years being at the bookstudy doing the Finished Mystery book and thinking this was a load of crap. Really? The U.N. attacking religion? I went along with it though, because duh, I was a teenager still living with the Presiding Overseer. Also, I had some respect for a religious group of people who tried to live a moral life because I could see so many around me whose lives ended up in a morass of drugs and bad relationships. So I went along with the flow.
I went to Bethel and came back, became a MS and then married my best friend and love of my life, the best decision I ever made. My wife was also a real believer. Twenty years of full time service. ( I hate that lingo) We both had parts on Int'l, district and circuit assy's. (Not bragging, just letting you know how heavily we were drinking the kool-aid) Later became an elder and had two terrific kids.
When our first child was eight, despite having no real college, I somehow landed a good job that required us to move several states away from our hometown. Said job also required alot of travel. I was appointed in our new congregation as an elder, although I knew it wouldn't last long because of my time away from home and responsibilities in the congregation. I was somewhat relieved to step down, (there's that lingo again) because I was finding it more and more difficult to give parts that I no longer believed in.
At about this same time, I began reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the origins of man. I think Leolalia did a post recently about Noah's flood being debunked by nearly every field of science. The same is literally true regarding the tale of Adam and Eve. To my surprise, I even read a book by Rabbi Harold Kushner that described how even Jews do not take the story literally. This is the one thing that I kept coming back to; if Adam and Eve weren't real then like dominoes, every other belief that stems from this is false. There is no original sin; no serpent bruised; no kingdom etc.
My wife also began to open her eyes to the problems regarding doctrine, and the increasingly obtrusive way the religion inserted itself into everyday life in a pernicious way. Little did I know however that she was distressed that I was increasingly disconnected from the congregation. Her private struggle ended when after years of praying that I have a change of heart, she was told that God doesn't answer the prayers of people with wicked hearts.
It took many years, and lots of patience, but today my wife and I as well as our children have escaped this destructive religion. As I think back, I see how this belief system appeals to those who are frightened by the world around them. It appeals to those who want to think that they have "special knowledge." That makes them better than others around them. It also attempts to control and belittle those whose lives cannot conform to the model set by the group. For all these reasons and too many more to mention, this is a destructive religion. My avatar sums up my feelings; I'd love to ask Charles Taze Russell wtf? Ironically he's been kicked to the curb by the religion he started.
Sadly, I still have some extended family still in and as a family we prefer to not make our stand public. This is perhaps the most destructive aspect of this religion. People you love base their love for you on whether or not you go to meetings regularly. Our hand may be forced because my wife's mother recently sent her a Watchtower with the back handed threat that she will miss her daughter in the new system. Blecch! How nauseating is that?
So, my advice for you who are fading. Be patient with yourself and your family. It may take several years but you will be successful. Keep heart and remain true to your better self.
CTRWTF