Posts by cog_survivor

16

Tomorrow's World - Some WT like Mag delivered to my residence.

by Band on the Run in

my mailbox contained more than the usual collection of catalogues that i can easily go online to view.

a wt mag called tomorrow's world from an unkown group was mailed to my home address.

i don't need such garbage in my home.

cog_survivor

Hey BOTR,

As a former Worldwide Church of God prisoner, I'd recommend that you don't worry about it too much. Sometimes they will do fishing campaigns in the mail. Your assessment of their rag is very spot on. They try to keep it generic as possible so they can reel people in.

If you continue to receive them, send them a note in the mail telling them that if they don't remove you from their mailing list, you will write "Cult" and links to several websites to prove it on the front of each one you receive and leave it on a table at the public library.

22

Elder blows a head gasket

by Crazyguy in

ok so today while at breakfast get a phone call fom my daughter asking were i am because an elder/ friend had stoped by my house hoping to see me.

its been a few months since ive seen this guy and the only one that seems to actually care.

so anyway he meets me at were i was having breakfast and we start to talk.

cog_survivor

Although the Worldwide Church of God wasn't as blatant about it, they went around saying that the only way you can have connection to God is through the church. And specifically in that church.

What I came to realize that Christ abolished the temple priesthood at his death (temple veil ripped to where the holy of holies was now open to all) Any organized religion that attempts to re-establish a separate priestly caste as a mediator was going in direct opposition of what Christ abolished.

29

Did Jehovah's Witnesses Plagiarize HWA's False Prophecy Of 1975?

by Bangalore in

did jehovah's witnesses plagiarize hwa's false prophecy of 1975?.

http://livingarmstrongism.blogspot.com/2013/10/did-jehovahs-witnesses-plagiarize-hwas.html.

bangalore.

cog_survivor

I came out of Herbert Armstrongs group and its hard to say who plagiarized whom. It was said he had a stash of other groups literature in storage when he died.

There were people who, like the JWs at that time. sold their homes, made no plans for retirement or their children's education. Afterwards, Armstrong spent a lot of time weaseling on how people misinterpreted his statements and stating it was their fault for getting all worked up over it.

12

HELP! Can God SEE the future?? How?? Is this predestination??

by Bloody Hotdogs! in

had a very long and frustrating debate last night.. .

jws like to say that god has the ability to foresee the future, but can chose not to look.

this, they claim, removes the problem of predestination/preordination.. .

cog_survivor

Not familiar with JW interpretation of God's omniscience, but one thing that helped me with this same issues was a quote by C.S. Lewis from "The Screwtape Letters", "Watching someone do something is not the same as making them do it."

The way I see it, God is outside of time and space (these are part of the created order) so he sees all (past, present, future). A very primitive way of thinking about it is when we look at a 3 panel cartoon. We can see all the parts at once, scanning them in order to see the story.

45

I will give my husband the divorce he wants

by losingit in

jw
friends

not because i agree with him.

because i do not want the divorce.

but because i love him and i want to respect him.

cog_survivor

Passiveness reinforced by fear is one of the big hammers common to abusive relationships (whether it is in a marriage or a religion).

Contact your local woman's shelter and find out if they can refer you to legal counsel that will help you find out your options and your rights. They deal with these kinds of issues all the time. You don't have to be the stereotypical battered woman to seek their assistance. They may also be able to set you up with some support.

Knowledge really is power. Once you know you options you can make better decisions.

62

Discussion w/ Wife: I Welcome Your Suggestions

by breakfast of champions in

so these last few wts have definitely eroded my wife's faith in the org.

she is definitely seeing the bs, and i even overheard her talking openly about it to a family member.

good for her!.

cog_survivor

Has anyone in the JWs ever tackled the question as to why people in the military in the New Testament were not told to quit?

60

I can't take this crap anymore. It's time to get pro-active!

by BONEZZ in

ive been around this board for quite awhile.

it has helped immensely.

lately i just read everyone elses experiences and try and forget the whole nightmare...but i cant.

cog_survivor

Hi I'm a little late to the conversation. But I wanted to pitch a thought or to in. I echo what Jam said

Have you considered that the JW shunning your daughter is engaging in may be a convenient way of manifesting her anger over the divorce?

From the way you describe it, thing were not amicable between you and your wife. Your daughter stayed with her mom and has probably been hearing a lot from her side about your married life and divorce plus all the trash talking about apostates from the JWs.

You think of her as a 32 year old woman, but the part of her that relates to you is about her age when your relationship was broken. The way a child or even young adult relates to loss is different than an older or more mature person. Likely to her mind you broke her hopes and expectations and she is using the only tool she knows to get things back to where they were. Don't expect her to be rational about this. Human beings aren't always even without the Watchtower.

I think you should continue to try to reach her, but very carefully consider how you do it and the tone. It may raise the walls higher.

24

Book: Two Babylons - anyone read it ?

by *lost* in

.

hi has anyone read this book.

what did you think ?.

cog_survivor

This book was standard fare in the Old Worldwide Church of God.

There was a mainstream evangelist (protestant) who took it up and ran with with it, Ralph Woodrow. He repackaged a lot of it for the modern reader. One of the really cool thing about this gentleman is that when he ended up changing his views based on the many logical inconsistencies found in Hislop's work, he reversed his opinions publically saying he had been wrong and took responsibility.

This link http://newprotestants.com/2babylons.htm is one of the many articles he's written post hislop.

36

Trying to handle my JW mom

by KatyMomof2 in

jw
friends

my mom is a recent widow.

she, being a jw does not have means to support herself and does not seek higher education ( because that would take from her studies ).

so, she is living ( sponging off of ) me.

cog_survivor

Hi Katy,

What you are going through is so difficult. Frankly the thought of living with my mom and two younger kids gives me a feeling absolute horror. It is something that I've seen before with my mom and grandmother. The struggle for dominance itself is enough to be grinding but adding crazy beliefs in the mix is dreadful

There's been a lot of advice about coping with Mom. But I'd like to put a few thoughts out about the kids. You will probably have to take some time to decide what to do regarding your mom. It isn't going to be easy and contact with your Mom may not stop between her and your kids.

My advice, start helping the kids build defense mechanisms. Since your daughter is 10, I'd tailor the conversation to her level.

Explain that Grandma has different beliefs about Jehovah, God and demons. Most people don't believe the same way
Just because Grandma has these beliefs doesn't mean that you, me or anyone else have to believe them as well.
These beliefs are important to Grandma but it doesn't mean that they are necessarily true
We will respect Grandma's beliefs by not trying to talk her out of them unless she wants to change them
If you are afraid because of something that Grandma has told you about Jehovah, God, or Demons, remember that it isn't likely to be true, these are just things she believes.
If you are worried about this, talk to me about it.

Explain the difference between belief and actions.

For example, if Grandma tells you to watch before you cross the road, that's saftey matter and isn't a belief.
If Grandma, asks you to help by (taking your plate to the sink, or holding the door) those are things people do to help.
Do your best to listen to Grandma about safety or helping matters.
If Grandma says something needs to be done because of Jehovah, God or Demons. Stop and think. Is is it a safety or helping matter? If yes, then you should probably do it because it is a safety or helping thing. Not because of Jehovah, God or Demons. If you aren'r sure, you and i can talk about it together

I think helping your kids to build some critical thinking skills around the difference between belief and desired behaviors will not only help them cope better with Grandma but with other people who try to push them into things later.

99

Where else to go.I sticking up for the WTS.

by joe134cd in

jw
friends

now i am going to do a rear thing here and i am going to stick up for the wts.

i realise that the wts hasn't got the best of track record, and sure they have made mistakes.

but if i was to go to another church wouldn't they still have the same issues.

cog_survivor

One of the hardest thing I had to deal with in leaving my own cult mindset was coming to grips with why I went to church

Up to the point where I left, I only went because I believed God would drop kick me to the curb if I didn't. The church I was raised in certainly didn't give me any joy.

When I left and finally got over that fear, I realized that I had a desire for community worship. I didn't want someone preaching at me (believe me I had enough of that to last a lifetime) but I wanted to be part of a group of people who believed in Jesus.

The startling thing to me was recognizing that it became an act of faith for me to walk into a church knowing that it was no longer my concern what others did or thought and trust that God was more capable than I to sort all that out. I was there to worship and to develop my relationship with Him.

Just that simple idea of realizing that was huge but very telling about what living in a narrow cult mindset had done to my outlook on becoming part of another body of believers.

My point is this. If you start with the premise that God wants a personal relationship with you, then you just need to find a place where you can cultivate that in peace. If you feel like that is a body of believers, look for one where the fruits of the spirit ( Gal. 5:22-23) are in evidence. That more than anything (including particular doctrines) will tell you if you are in a healthy place.