Posts by Emery

50

The July 15 Watchtower and all its new light is only...

by sosoconfused in

making people cling to the organization more.

when i found out it was up i told so many people frantically that there is a new study article up and that it had so many changes.

my mother started crying saying how happy she is to be a part of an organization that is truly directed by jehovah... only the true faithful and discreeet slave could have such insight.... another person began to say how great it is to see the celestial chariot on the move.. .

Emery

Yup, there is no amount of reasoning you can use as long as they are happy being a JW. Only when their spiritual paradise starts to crumble will they possibly explore the reasons for being a JW. This normally happens when they get disfellowshipped, reproved or when they're at the recieving end of some gross injustice. I have seen subsitute CO's leave the organization because they instantly lost their status in the congregation. It all starts there for many JWs.

17

Confused about Satan's plan according to WTS

by new22day in

my rudimentary understanding of jw beliefs is that satan is leading traditional christian religions and the wild beast of the un is his tool.

is the wts concept that the un will eventually ban all religion and this will start the big a?

wouldn't satan be working at cross purposes if 'he' is leading the false religions too??

Emery

Like all living creatures we strive to exist until the very bitter end. The WTS says Satan is very desperate because he knows his time is short. So why would Satan pursue a course that will set in motion the proceedings of his demise? It's counter-intuitive to his entire existence. So you're telling me that a super natural, millennially intelligent super being has the blue prints to his survival yet rejects it? Now some will say God has it programmed in prophecy to have this happen, however this will cause me to question why the hell we had to suffer for over 6,000 years of our existence to arrive at something that should have happened thousands of years ago. How much of are lives are divinely programmed? How much free will do we really have then? If God could have created a world with free will and no suffering, wtf didn't he do it in the beginning? Isn't that what paradise or heaven is already destined to be? C'mon man.

This subject alone can turn anyone agnostic / atheist.

57

Logical Fallacies in WT Publications

by Oubliette in

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[endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-us</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>ja</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:enableopentypekerning /> <w:dontflipmirrorindents /> <w:overridetablestylehps /> <w:usefelayout /> </w:compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val="--" /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><!

[endif][if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><!

Emery

Terry

13

Identity Crisis: Who Am I?

by Emery in

jw
friends

after learning ttatt, i have completely abandoned christian fundamentalism.

thus, dropping many superstitions, prejudices, and biases associated with legalistic interpretations of the bible.

although i am agnostic, i still adhere to many christian principles, not because i think they are divine truths, but because i've benefited from the wisdom.. since i no longer believe in the inspiration of the bible, i repeatedly find myself falling into questions of conscience, ones which i've never faced before... .

Emery

After learning TTATT, I have completely abandoned Christian fundamentalism. Thus, dropping many superstitions, prejudices, and biases associated with legalistic interpretations of the bible. Although I am agnostic, I still adhere to many Christian principles, not because I think they are divine truths, but because I've benefited from the wisdom.

Since I no longer believe in the inspiration of the bible, I repeatedly find myself falling into questions of conscience, ones which I've never faced before...

WHO AM I?

Who am I going to be now in disbelief? Who am I now without the fear of divine judgment? Who am I now that I am no longer bound by scripture but by the law of the land? What are my convictions? What prevents me from…

· Smoking cigarettes?

· Doing drugs?

· Becoming a drunkard?

· Cheating on my spouse?

· Bad work ethic?

· Gambling?

· Being dishonest?

What are my views now on controversial subjects like…

· Gay marriage

· Fire arms

· War

· Politics

Before, I had prescribed responses for all these situations. Fear of being disfellowshipped, reproved, or destroyed at Armageddon shaped my actions for 2 decades. Now at 27, I am re-discovering such views as a stranger in my own body.

All of my opinions hinged on the authority of the bible and the influence of the Society. The theocratic laws of the Watchtower left little room for the human experience—that is—the natural development of personal integrity and individual conviction. The ability to arrive at our own conclusion is suppressed.

Examples of this behavior can be seen in JW youths who leave the organization and jump right into bad decisions. Not just youths but parents in their 40s and 50s, who have spent decades praying, reading the bible, and attending meetings, now living like irresponsible teenagers. I have personally observed this as I have woken up a few to TTATT.

So here are my questions to you…

Did you have an identity crisis when you learned TTATT ?

For Believers:

(Hypothetically) What kind of person would you be if God didn’t exist?

Thanks, I am looking forward to your replies!

15

If Jesus Could Be Ressurrected On Earth And He Went To Bethel What Would He Tell The Governing Body CEOs?

by frankiespeakin in

for starter stop judging and you will not be judged..

Emery

"what the f*ck are you guys doing?"

29

Growing old and broke... Need advice on making money! Ebay? Ideas?

by Greybeard in

jw
friends

i was in business with my jw family and they took that over because i am now a worthless apostate.

i am 50 years old and need to make some moola.

i am good with ebay and i can build websites.

Emery

Well, something I always tell people stuck in a rut is to get into insurance. We all need it and its one of the few recession proof markets out there. I know its not the most exciting subject but the money and opportunities are there. Get licensed in your state and you can work in a number of positions for an agency, broker, insurance company, or corporation. I got my LA&H 3 years ago and got a job immediately working in Human Resource Communications. There should be schools in your local area where you can go for a week to prepare for the state exam. It may cost you a bit a cash upfront ($200-350) but I promise you its worth it. It looks great on your resume and gets you in the door.

If you do well with websites and content management look for site maintenence jobs or IT jobs for local businesses. Thing is, many places require a degree in web development or expect you to know and write server side programing before you're allowed to manage their sites. If you need anymore advice on this (web development) PM me.

73

Congregation had to relocate Memorial...thanks to me

by Shepherd Book in

so, the two local congregations were planning to hold their memorial together at 7:30 at the local community center, but they had to make a last-minute change to their own hall, and i'm pretty sure it was because of me.. let me explain.... at work on monday afternoon, a co-worker returned from her lunchbreak and showed me the memorial invitation that was waiitng in her door when she went home for lunch.

i noticed the sticker on the back indicated the memorial was being held, not at the local hall, but at the community center.

from a past (non-jw) event i attended there, i knew they didn't allow alcohol (unless you pay for security guards), so i wrote to the center's coordinator:.

Emery

So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's

40

in limbo.

by Captain Blithering in

jw
friends

yo homies.. .

ltr ftp (long time, first time etc.).

i don't really know where to start, but i guess you've all been here before so you'll know where i'm coming from.

Emery

Welcome, I really enjoy reading your posts. I agree 100% with you, all friendships are conditional. Though, the conditions or criteria for friendship should never be reduced to skin color, race, sex, or beliefs. They should be based on the love and character of a person.

Captain, I went through the very same thing. I left my JW beliefs kicking and screaming. Finding every possible excuse to explain away all the irrefutible evidence against the organization. I would tell myself that we are the only ones on earth with the purest and cleanest form of worship to Jehovah. I looked to our rejection of holidays, our non-involvement in wars, bible translation (face palm), preaching work, world-wide brotherhood, and clean association.

However, each one of my arguments never dealt with the most important issue -- the amount of control they had over our lives. The control was all based on their claims to Christ-like authority, to dictate what we can and can't do. It was something I never really thought about. The Slave declared itself divinely appointed, a channel between God and man. This presumptuous claim allows them to disfellowship friends, reject blood transfusions, poisen our view toward non-believers, interpret the bible, control our schedule and demand obsolute loyalty through guilt. Once I fully understood this control I read and peered into 1919 with a fine-toothed comb. When I finished, I was totally embarassed and humiliated after realizing how naive I was. I had told men (elders) private matters and personal issues that they never had the privilege to know! My whole life I was so transparent for the organization, confessing all my wrongs, yet they did not provide the same to me with their white washed history. I forsook so many opportunities because I was convinced Jehovah was really behind this organization. There is no possible way Jehovah God through Jesus Christ supported an organization which false prophesied before, during and after 1919. They were not even alert or awake for Christ's presence in 1914 because they already believed he was present in 1874! All lies and bullshit, blasphemous bullshit.

22

My story in short

by DeWandelaar in

i am visiting this site for quite some time now and now i think it is time to tell something about me and my experience.

without giving away my name (i am in "fade mode"): i am from the small country they call the netherlands, the land of wooden shoes, tulips, cheese and too many inhabitants per square meter.

i am married with children and a second generation jw.

Emery

welcome!

73

Congregation had to relocate Memorial...thanks to me

by Shepherd Book in

so, the two local congregations were planning to hold their memorial together at 7:30 at the local community center, but they had to make a last-minute change to their own hall, and i'm pretty sure it was because of me.. let me explain.... at work on monday afternoon, a co-worker returned from her lunchbreak and showed me the memorial invitation that was waiitng in her door when she went home for lunch.

i noticed the sticker on the back indicated the memorial was being held, not at the local hall, but at the community center.

from a past (non-jw) event i attended there, i knew they didn't allow alcohol (unless you pay for security guards), so i wrote to the center's coordinator:.

Emery

LOL, nice!