Posts by Xanthippe

583

What is the purpose of life?

by slimboyfat in

while reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.

because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".

i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.

Maybe it's just me I dunno but instead of all this fighting couldn't this have been a great thread with people discussing what they think reality is and then offering what gives life purpose for them personally?

583

What is the purpose of life?

by slimboyfat in

while reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.

because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".

i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.

Xanthippe

Or

3. 'God' created the universe but has no interest or intention to intervene in human affairs. Deism.

Being a sci-fi fan I can just about imagine an alien, sounds less religious than a being, capable of creating a universe. Just about. Apart from the old who made him, where does he come from argument I have another question. How could such an alien exist with such mind blowing intelligence without having ever developed empathy, compassion, ethics?

To just create sentient life and then ignore it, leaving it to wonder about its origins and cause appalling suffering trying to guess where we came from and what it's all about. Yes I can just about imagine that might be possible with a cold, perhaps what we would call 'left brain' mentality. Still it's hard to conceive of, such genius without any morality at all.

27

DEATH: How have you prepared? Funeral, cremation, donate body to Science?

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

well, hell!.

i had dizzy spells and near-fainting and nausea for a few days, so why wouldn't i start thinking about death, ya know?.

am i just very lax in my responsibilities in having no plans at all?isn't that irresponsible?

Xanthippe

I've made a will. My daughter knows I don't care what she does with my remains, whatever's best for her. My husband's grave is a 'double' so they can chuck me in there.

At my cousin's funeral in June I thought how brilliant she wrote the whole thing herself because she had cancer so knew she was going. She had complete control, said exactly what she wanted to say, got her boss to say a few words (he didn't want to but she insisted). Nagged us all to contribute to Marie Curie and Macmillan nurses.

It made me smile that she was a quiet person but that day was really hers, she had total control. So I'll probably write mine telling them all to have a few drinks on me, eat up and have a dance. I'll probably say get your money out and book that trip you've been putting off before it's too late. Carpe diem an' all that

36

Easier to be a JW now?

by Xanthippe in

reading konceptual's account of talking to cart 'witnesses' and it reminded me that when we left in '89 we thought the religion would do one of two things.

get more hardline, consequently lose members and eventually come to an end in some way.

or ease up on the members, fewer rules, less fs time, less meetings, just to keep them in.. all the recent apostate stuff, treatment of dfed kids and the hardline attitude to people who leave or try to fade has confused me, made me think they are harder on the r+f., but i don't think this is true.

Xanthippe

Actually 5 meetings on 2 days, 3 on a weeknight (congregation bible study, school, service meeting) 2 on weekend (public talk, WT study)

Blondie I understand from reading on this forum the midweek meeting is still two hours long even though it includes the book study? They've cut out a talk in the School and cut the service meeting down I believe.

The public talk and WT study are less than two hours I think. Someone on here said the talk is only half an hour now not an hour?

So that's two outings to JW meetings a week instead of three. They have always said five meetings a week even though it was three times that we all met. They are very pedantic people.

Thanks for telling me it's only a few specially selected people who do the cart work, Blondie, I didn't know that.

Regular Pioneers are supposed to get 840 hours a year, 70 per month.
Auxiliary pioneer requirement is 50 per month, except for 4 times a year when you can get 30.

Thanks sir82.

Thanks guys. Don't think there's a consensus but all very interesting thoughts on whether it's easier or harder to be a JW now.

9

Formatting issues

by bikerchic in

how do i turn off the formatting when i use the quote button?.

when i want to start a new paragraph and can't get out of the quote section?.

that made it worse, help!

Xanthippe

Nevuela I always have to highlight the quote then tap (click) the quote button, then after a second, tap it again.

9

Formatting issues

by bikerchic in

how do i turn off the formatting when i use the quote button?.

when i want to start a new paragraph and can't get out of the quote section?.

that made it worse, help!

Xanthippe

Bikerchic I'm on iPad and have the same problem. I get around it by copy/pasting my quote first then writing my comment beneath it before going back and formatting the quotation using the quote button. Hope that makes sense.

If I copy multiple quotes and have comments in between I do it all first then go back and format each quote one at a time. If there's an easier way I'm all ears!

36

Easier to be a JW now?

by Xanthippe in

reading konceptual's account of talking to cart 'witnesses' and it reminded me that when we left in '89 we thought the religion would do one of two things.

get more hardline, consequently lose members and eventually come to an end in some way.

or ease up on the members, fewer rules, less fs time, less meetings, just to keep them in.. all the recent apostate stuff, treatment of dfed kids and the hardline attitude to people who leave or try to fade has confused me, made me think they are harder on the r+f., but i don't think this is true.

Xanthippe

And all that time my cognitive dissonance was destroying me. I was miserable, and even having doctrinal arguments in my head LITERALLY like two people talking the subject out. Not healthy. When i left and declared it all bullshit i felt a lot better.

PA that sounds really stressful, I'm glad you made it out. I don't want people to misunderstand I'm not saying back in the day we had it much harder. Please don't think that. I'm saying the GB are making it easier for the R+F deliberately, to keep members.

Partly I'm thinking my eleven family members still in, one just a baby, may not make it out as it's getting easier to treat it like a church. One meeting a week perhaps and very little else. Without the cognitive dissonance you describe PA life is easier for those that don't think.

It must be surely, because some of my relatives are still in after sixty odd years, been though '75 and swallowed the overlapping generations shit whole. They know how to live with it all, they've found a way to cope with the CD.

36

Easier to be a JW now?

by Xanthippe in

reading konceptual's account of talking to cart 'witnesses' and it reminded me that when we left in '89 we thought the religion would do one of two things.

get more hardline, consequently lose members and eventually come to an end in some way.

or ease up on the members, fewer rules, less fs time, less meetings, just to keep them in.. all the recent apostate stuff, treatment of dfed kids and the hardline attitude to people who leave or try to fade has confused me, made me think they are harder on the r+f., but i don't think this is true.

Xanthippe

A JW said to me the other week, why don't you come back to the meetings? There's only two meetings a week now, and you can go on the carts instead of door to door. As like a selling point.

Yes exactly SBF. The cult is trying to hang on to their dwindling membership.

her punishment was not over with the JWs, she was ultimately disfellowshipped. I don't think I'll ever forget hearing about that

OMG Tameria what complete shits to disfellowship a woman for not screaming when she was raped! To protect her children! She did the right thing too in that situation, saved them all. Bastards!

To be subjected to guilt riddled speeches and to conform to business dress codes is enough punishing for my soul.

Yeah Chook I agree. I'm just comparing how it was with how it is now because I've been trying to work out what's going on with dropping meetings, pioneer hours, assembly days and so on for a while. The hardline bit towards apostates or even faders recently confuses the issue but it has started to make sense to me now.

36

Easier to be a JW now?

by Xanthippe in

reading konceptual's account of talking to cart 'witnesses' and it reminded me that when we left in '89 we thought the religion would do one of two things.

get more hardline, consequently lose members and eventually come to an end in some way.

or ease up on the members, fewer rules, less fs time, less meetings, just to keep them in.. all the recent apostate stuff, treatment of dfed kids and the hardline attitude to people who leave or try to fade has confused me, made me think they are harder on the r+f., but i don't think this is true.

Xanthippe

Reading Konceptual's account of talking to cart 'witnesses' and it reminded me that when we left in '89 we thought the religion would do one of two things. Get more hardline, consequently lose members and eventually come to an end in some way. Or ease up on the members, fewer rules, less FS time, less meetings, just to keep them in.

All the recent apostate stuff, treatment of DFed kids and the hardline attitude to people who leave or try to fade has confused me, made me think they are harder on the R+F., but I don't think this is true. Except if you're a parent being made to shun your kids of course.

Realistically it is much easier now to be a JW. Three meetings a week down to two. Or is it one? One day conventions. You can even listen to meetings on the phone from your living room if you don't feel like going.

Now pioneering's down to what is it 30 hours a month or something? I did 100 and then 90 for ten years. Not proud of it, I was an idiot, just stating facts.

The door to door seems to be almost over. Just standing at carts for an hour or two chatting only to your friends. Hardly any literature to place. We had a bag full of hard bound books. The mags are barely worth opening, there's nothing there.

You can have blood fractions, IVF, transplants ( I think?). All forbidden when I was in. In fact I don't think blood factions were around.

So although the GB appear to be more hardline because of their attitude towards us, in fact for those left inside life is easier. Obviously as the converts keep dropping they are desperate to keep the members they have. The hardline attitude to apostates is all part of that. Don't let them 'poison you against the truth, brothers'. Meaning don't let someone who's seen the magician behind the curtain tell you what's really going on.

583

What is the purpose of life?

by slimboyfat in

while reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.

because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".

i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.

Xanthippe

Obviously there is no purpose because we evolved, except perhaps to be happier than our parents, the previous generation etc. Social evolution in other words. That may mean however a great deal of effort to work out what exactly makes homo sapiens happy. And you thought the origin of life was a deep question!