Thank you smiddy and welcome to my fellow newbies. I'm glad to see there are many of us.
Schnufti
JoinedPosts by Schnufti
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31
Welcome to all the Newbies in the last six months
by smiddy ini think all of us on this forum would like to welcome all the newbies that have joined in the last six months or so ,if i`m not mistaken there seems to be an influx lately.. elders , ms ,and sisters.
speak up and make a comment , are you happy you came here ?.
we`d love to here from you.. smiddy.
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Hello
by UnshackleTheChains ini decided to join this forum as have been lurking awhile.
there are lots of interesting topics on here that appeal to me.. i have been a witness for almost 3 decades and am very disillusioned with the organisation at this time.
i am beginning to see it in a new light as i am getting older.
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Schnufti
Welcome! May I ask whether you have family or spouse still in? Do you still go to meetings?
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9
The Watchtower should be scared of Hillary becoming President
by Coded Logic inin many countries around the world the realization of how reckless the jws can be towards child endangerment and, more broadly, family safety, has started to take hold.
the results from the preliminary findings of the australian royal commission and the case being made in the united kingdom - which may remove the watchtowers tax exempt status - are both prime examples of this.
unfortunately, as the wt is headquartered in the united states any actions taken against the society will ultimately be limited in scope for such outside countries.. however, if hillary clinton should become president, i think there's a very good chance the wt could face serious and very far reaching legal action.
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Schnufti
If Hillary becomes President, many JWs will be convinced that the Great Tribulation is about to begin. One of them sent me a link to a catholic news article where it was told that she wants to ban religion or so. (Of course, it's nowhere in the Internet, but ONE article is enough for them to proove the end is very near and to spread it amongst Whatsapp groups.)
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"You Can Do Just Enough Ministry To Dislike It"
by pale.emperor inwhen you were "in" did you ever actually enjoy the ministry?
and i made no secret about it.
instead i would joke about me feather knocking, and made sure i had my bible in hand so as they come to the door they know what im about so they can shut me down before i even start.. i always wondered how or why there were people who enjoyed it.
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Schnufti
The elders must have cheered when they read it in the WT. Finally it was official to use it for lazy publishers!
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WT 1/2017: "Why is the Bible sometimes misunderstood?"
by Schnufti inthe bible is designed to be understood by those who are humble and willing to learn.
jesus said to his father: “i publicly praise you, father, lord of heaven and earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children.” (luke 10:21) the bible is written in such a way that only those with the right attitude would understand its message.
people with a proud attitude—a common trait of “wise and intellectual ones”—tend to misunderstand the bible.
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Schnufti
Ah, one more thing.
If it was true that the ones that don't understand the Bible are proud: Do they even have the chance to "change their heart" into not being proud?
If yes: So they didn't need the Bible to better them, right? Because as they are proud they can't understand the Bible anyway.
If not: Is that fair?
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WT 1/2017: "Why is the Bible sometimes misunderstood?"
by Schnufti inthe bible is designed to be understood by those who are humble and willing to learn.
jesus said to his father: “i publicly praise you, father, lord of heaven and earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children.” (luke 10:21) the bible is written in such a way that only those with the right attitude would understand its message.
people with a proud attitude—a common trait of “wise and intellectual ones”—tend to misunderstand the bible.
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Schnufti
The Bible is designed to be understood by those who are humble and willing to learn. Jesus said to his Father: “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have carefully hidden these things from wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children.” (Luke 10:21) The Bible is written in such a way that only those with the right attitude would understand its message. People with a proud attitude—a common trait of “wise and intellectual ones”—tend to misunderstand the Bible. But people who read the Bible with the attitude of “young children”—humble and eager to learn—are rewarded with a better understanding of God’s message. How skillfully God has designed the Bible!
Am I wrong or didn't Jesus mean in Luke 10:21 that "these things are hidden from wise and intellectual ones" because his message was easy to understand?
If the Bible is written so that only those with the right attitude would understand its message - why does there even have to be a Bible? In that case, the ones with the right attitude needn't read the Bible because they are already saved. And all the others don't have a chance!
If a placebo helps you with your headache, it doesn't mean the placebo was effective. It helped just because you believe in it. You see what you believe.
What would you say to JWs as an answer to the claims in that article?
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RIP dad, who introduced me to this fairytail of everlastin life and paradise :(
by Frezia inless than 5 hours ago my great dad fell asleep the last time :( still in a bit of a shock and sad that i will not see him again...i promised myself that once he is here no more, i will somehow make my move out of this organisation who kept us all captive believing in a fantasy of an everlasting life :( i am in a tricky situation, since raised as jw, still in, married to an active jw, and pretty sure that all in my social and family circle will turn their backs on me if i finally say goodbye to a fairytail ;(.
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Schnufti
I am sorry to read that. How old was he?
Do not be afraid. For there are more who are with you than those who are with them.
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Pity the poor Bible believers - Australian Native People left Africa over 70,000 years ago
by fulltimestudent inmany bible believers accept the genesis documents explanations of human origins.
but the modern science of genomics is making that a very difficult intellectual position to hold.. increasingly, to believe the bible, is to accept superstition over rationality.. three papers published in the scientific journal nature demonstrate the point:.
1. the ancestors of australia aboriginal and papuan peoples left africa around 72,000 years ago.. 2. they arrived in the geological locations we now identify as australia and papua around 50,000 years ago.
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Schnufti
When I was still in, this made me doubt the bible most. How could mankind be only 6000 years old when science and aerchology prove wrong? I sincerely wanted to solve my doubts and asked other JWs how I could explain this to a householder. This is what they answered:
"I wouldn't go into this. Just discuss with the householder what you have in common." - a regular pioneer
"There are other things that prove the bible is God's word." - a young sister
"Science can be wrong. When they dig out things from the earth, it could be full with radiation and that changes everything." - my mother-in-law
(So that it is not 100,000 years old but only 20,000, but it's still older than 6,000 years.)
*rolls with eyes* "Do you believe that this is the truth?" - an elder
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dealing with religion after leaving the witnesses
by joker ini’ve noticed many people posting on this site seem to have completely given up on religion/spirituality.. but some have attended services at another religion, or just follow their own heart regarding what to believe.. my question is how does anyone deal after leaving with all of the witness crap that we believed about babylon the great, the great harlot, spiritual prostitute, etc., etc.
i’m finding out that i seem to have built myself a pretty solid wall regarding religion.. some people can just chuck all beliefs into one basket saying that they are all basically garbage,,, and that is ok, no problem i respect that.. but for myself there is a certain part of my personality that needs a spiritual belief not like the witnesses in any way, but something to meditate on, and contemplate.. being a witness taught me how bad it is to actually think of god in any other way besides what the jw’s believe.
and now when i attend any other service, the dark jw side seems to pop out and seriously makes me believe that everything i see/do/say is wrong.
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Schnufti
The thought that I and all my relatives will get old and die without any return is hard for me. Also that mankind will be gone one day and that the earth will no longer exist. And I didn't like the idea that there is no god I can thank for all these beautiful things in nature.
But I just don't want to force myself anymore to believe something I'm not convinced of. I suppressed logical reasoning for all my life, now it's time I base my beliefs on that. As far as I have researched (I have only started) I'd consider myself as agnostic. I think that religion came up because it gives hope. It is a comforting idea that we don't stop existing one day, that there is someone that is able to help us and that bad happenings make sense.
I'm getting used to the concept that we all have the same ending. We are extremely lucky to know what life is like. Someday there will be just silence and the earth with its mankind will be gone and noone will remember us. That is depressing on the one hand, but on the other hand I like people more than before. I'm more motivated to be kind and supportive to strangers. My new spirituality is possibly the idea that we are all in the same boat.
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Using the term "Watchtower" when talking to a JW
by Sanchy inhas anyone else noticed how alarm bells go off inside a jw mind as soon as they hear someone that "is out" refer to the leaders of this org as "watchtower"?
i've chatted with a few friends now about my doubts and each and every time i've started using phrases such as "watchtower said this" or "watchtower did that", i can almost see their heads about to explode in anger, as if they've just realized they are talking to the lucifer himself.
some have even interrupted and corrected me by reminding me that it's not "watchtower", it's "god's organization".
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Schnufti
Thanks Giordano and Vidiot.