Scully

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Posts by Scully

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  18

  Help, got JW in home....need details on how to answer question

  by skeeter1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "the world is much worse off today then yesterday .

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  i know the basic answers, but give me some more ammunition.

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  Scully

  Ask them what they mean.

  Do they mean, for example, that people are still dying of diseases that couldn't be cured several decades ago? That's blatantly false - we have vaccines for more illnesses today than ever before, preventing deaths the world over. We have medications that can stop the progression of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) - a disease that would have caused a person in Bible times to have been ejected from their home and community and forced to live out their days destitute and disfigured.

  Do they mean that there is more poverty in the world?

  Do they mean that there is more unemployment?

  Do they mean the world is more violent?

  Each of these arguments has been proven to be false - the fact of the matter is that past centuries have been more bloody, far more violent, far more superstitious, far more impoverished, etc. New methods of warfare, for example, have made us cognizant of the potential for mass destruction, and far more engaged in peace making efforts.

  The ability to save the lives of infants born prematurely, babies whose survival was unheard of just a few decades ago, has spared many families the pain and grief of losing an infant that our grandparents may have endured more than once.

  The ability to control our reproductive capabilities in the last 50 years has allowed women to contribute to their families' livelihood - we are one of the most affluent societies to have ever existed. Couples can actually *plan* how many children they have, educate them, give them a standard of living that was unheard of a couple of generations ago. Women are no longer simply wives and mothers - they are appreciated for their intellect and their contributions in society.

  Oh, and slavery was abolished like 150 years ago.

  http://bigthink.com/the-evolution-of-enlightenment/the-world-is-getting-worse-and-other-lies
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  11

  why does the GB exclude the word "grace" from the new world translation?

  by freckles12 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs
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  Scully

  Undeserved Kindness™ is so much better at inducing people to feel guilt and worthlessness, and manipulating them into doing what the Watchtower Society Jehovah™ wants them to do.
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  24

  Anyone watch "Grimm" ?

  by Glander in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i have never seen an episode but my wife loves the show.

  we just heard today that our 18 yr. old granddaughter will be an extra in an episode filming now.

  guess i'll have to watch it.

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  Scully

  Is anyone keeping up with the latest episodes of Grimm?

  Friday's episode, where Monroe's parents confronted him about his marrying outside of his "kind" gave me some JW flashbacks - especially when they decide they will not, under any circumstances, be part of Monroe's and Rosalie's life together, and Monroe wishes them well, but says he has decided to live his life on his own terms, Blutbad traditions and beliefs be damned.

  "I don't even know who you are anymore."

  "I don't know what you're doing, but it's wrong!"

  Monroe's dad Bart to mom Alice, after holding their ground (Keeping Integrity™??) with the 'old ways': "We did the right thing."

  Spoiler Alert!

  I kind of felt like I'd just re-watched that horrible Prodigal Son video....
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  38

  I want my donations back!

  by Hortenzie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i want to ask wt for my donations back.

  i live in canada and i have income tax receipts from them so i can prove how much i gave them.... anybody ever tried something like that or heard about somebody doing it?

  what approach should i take?.

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  Scully

  Hortenzie,

  When you make a voluntary donation, without stipulating what the money is to be used for, the people receiving the money can do with it as they wish.

  Nobody held a gun to your head and forced you to make a donation to the WTS. Yes, you were manipulated by them, and believed you were donating to a good cause, but any lawyer worth their salt will tell you that it is your responsibility to do due diligence before handing your money over to people you don't really know. There are scam artists everywhere and no matter what they promise you, it is your money until you decide to part with it. Even stores are not required to refund your money when you make a purchase - they will make an exchange or credit or refund as part of good customer relations, but they are not required to refund your money once you have taken delivery of their product.
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  64

  Should I allow my mom to see the grandchildren?

  by confusedandalone in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i am not officially da/do yet and my family has shunned me hard.

  today crying my mother calls me to beg to see my children... should i let her?

  i feel that if you can speak abusive of your own son and wife and shun the.

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  Scully

  Your JW parents should NEVER be permitted to have access to your children while at the same time they actively shun you.

  It sets a terrible example for your children to see you being disrespected by your own parents - let's face it, shunning (being treated like you don't exist) is the ultimate form of disrespect - so unless your JW parents are prepared to behave like normal human beings, they should NEVER be allowed to have access to your children. Frankly, I have come to the conclusion that for as long as my JW parents remain JWs, it is psychologically abusive to allow my children to be exposed to their grandparents' disrespectful behaviour.

  The only times they've seen my kids in the last 15 years have been when other non-JW relatives are present. They go out of their way to appear as normal as possible in front of the non-JW relatives and they wouldn't dare attempt to shun me or Mr Scully in their presence. They don't want to Bring Reproach on Jehovah™ by being an honest representation of how JWs really act. I think they're actually embarrassed by the possibility of having to be strict with the rules in front of non-JW relatives.
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  45

  Seven Headed Wild Beast officially no longer represents UN?

  by donuthole in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  according to a new "bible questions answered": " the wild beast with seven heads introduced at revelation 13:1 represents the worldwide political system.".

  i know that they have quietly been backing away from the un identification for awhile.

  is this feature on jw.org a new official teaching, or just a spin for the sake of the public?.

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  Scully

  I think this change is so they can dismiss legitimate criticism regarding the mutually beneficial relationship with the Image of the Wild Beast™ (aka the UN) between 1991 and 2001.

  "This is how we view things now, after receiving some New Light™, so all that other stuff that happened is no longer scandalous and we can't be held accountable for our previous actions! So there!"
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  14

  My sister's decision to ex-communicate me, just might rock the boat!

  by Faithful Witness in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it was 11 days after i received the email from my sister, informing me that she is no longer going to communicate with me.. i was never a jw, so i don't fully comprehend this decision, nor do i understand the games jw's play.. i talked to my mom yesterday, and she (baptized within last year) is getting more and more fed up with the nonsense.

  she has been trying to get everyone to come together, and she is seeing more and more extreme behavior from my sister and her husband.

  my mom is blaming my brother in law, but my sister has clearly spoken up and said she is speaking for herself also.

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  Scully

  Has it occurred to you that your sister might be in a domestic abuse situation?

  It sounds like your brother-in-law is taking things to extremes in isolating your sister from any family support outside of the JWs.

  Normally what you'd see is ramped up attention toward the non-JW family members, (a) trying to bend over backward to demonstrate how "normal" they are, and (b) trying to lure non-JW family members in to the cult with love-bombing behaviour.

  My suggestion would be to ask your sister to research the Watchtower Publications to show you whether her cutting ties with you is acceptable, or whether this is her husband attempting to isolate her from what might be her only real support network.
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  46

  I need help in dealing with a toxic family member!!!!

  by hoser in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have a close family member who is a pro in using shame to try to make me feel bad.

  they are coming to stay at my place soon and the issue of me and mrs hoser not attending/ doing field service will come up no doubt.. i need some advice on how to deal with this because whenever i deal with these relatives they make me feel worthless.

  it is probably part because they are jw's and jw's motivate by fear and guilt.. .

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  Scully

  Several months ago, we adopted a young dog from a shelter. She had not been trained by her previous owner, and at almost 18 months old, still wasn't housebroken. She knew she was supposed to do her business outside, yet she had accidents all the time. We figured out that the previous owner must have scolded her - she acted afraid and cowered when she pottied indoors, but something must have happened to reinforce the behaviour. We realized the negative attention (yelling/scolding) must have been the reinforcing factor that perpetuated the behaviour. So we started ignoring the accidents, and started rewarding the behaviour we wanted. Whenever she did her business outside, we hugged her and praised her: "What a good girl!! Good job!!" Within a week, the accidents stopped and she started letting us know when she wanted to go outside. We kept reinforcing the appropriate behaviour with praise - she loved the positive attention even more than the negative attention she'd had from the previous owner, and it was as if she wanted to elicit praise from us. She stopped other negative behaviour too, like tearing blankets and nipping at us as a greeting, when we rewarded appropriate behaviour with praise and attention.

  Whenever they say something that arouses feelings of fear, guilt or anxiety in you or something that is simply none of their business, take a deep breath, IGNORE it and change the subject to something more appropriate.

  Whenever they say something pleasant, loving and helpful, feel free to respond in kind.

  It may take them a while to catch on, but they will eventually realize how to speak to you if they wish to have a response.
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  36

  Weekend Warning - Family May be after You Come Sunday, be ready.

  by LostGeneration in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the wt this weekend:.

  help those who have become inactive.. jesus said that there is joy in.

  heaven when just one lost sheep is.

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  Scully

  Those Words of Encouragement™ are spewed forth in the WT Study™ on an annual basis. It doesn't seem to have made the slightest difference where my JW relatives are concerned.

  It's been almost 20 years since we last set foot in a KH. In all that time, not once have my JW relatives made a single attempt to try to bring us back or to try to figure out why we became Inactive™ in the first place. Not once.

  On the one hand, I'm grateful for the lack of interference. On the other, it annoys me that they feel justified in shunning us despite their never having made a shred of effort toward bringing us back to the fold. It's as if they've already decided we aren't worth the effort.

  That's Love™ JW style!
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  29

  shock horror! WITNESSING ATTIRE NOW CONDONES OPEN-NECK SHIRTS FOR MALES!

  by steve2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  go to jw.org right now friends and you will see a young male jw witnessing in a rural setting with publication in hand and - take careful note - wearing a crisply-white open-neck shirt.

  bring out the carnival, light the lights: the organ ization is kicking itself into an ongoing casualization of its rank and file.. in the 1960s through 1980s i know brothers who dared to attire themselves sans ties who were reprimanded or worse.

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  Scully

  I was reprimanded for wearing ski pants under my dress coat in the middle of January. They prefered that I wear stockings with my boots under a dress, and freeze my bum off in the bleeding cold winters that are normal in Quebec.