Scully

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Posts by Scully

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  3

  The Watchtower's Model Harlot

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  now, if i said "the watchtower has behaved like a harlot",.

  you would probably think that this is just another tired.

  tirade about the u.n. or other secret deals in which the.

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  Scully

  Metatron:

  Several years ago, my JW mother was called upon to be a 'character witness' in a divorce and child custody battle between a young woman who was studying with JWs and her recently estranged husband (she grew up in a JW family, left, got pregnant, then married the kid's father, and then decided to go back to the JWs so her parents would help her out with the kid).

  It sounded simple enough. But then some favours were called in from Bethel, and their lawyers got involved. For a period of 2 weeks, the people who had been asked to serve as character witnesses were "drilled" by these WTS lawyers as to what was and was not "appropriate" to say in court about the JWs.

  ::As an aside, there were some pioneers also involved in this 2-week 9am-5pm drilling by the WTS lawyers. The pioneers were allowed to count their time while they performed this "special service", while my mom, who is just a lowly publisher, was not.::

  For instance, if the judge asked "Do Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the world is controlled by the Devil?" the JWs were instructed to say 'No Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that.' If the judge asked "Would a child living in a Jehovah's Witness home be allowed to participate in school activities such as holiday concerts, sports, music, and so on?" the JWs were instructed to say that it was an individual decision (remember the School brochure??).

  At first my mom was uncomfortable with the idea of lying to protect the organization. Then the WTS lawyers dished out the "Rahab" example, and parrotted the Theocratic War Strategy doctrine: "It is not necessary to tell the truth to people who do not deserve to hear it." This was in Aid to Bible Understanding and continues to be featured in the current "encyclopedia" of JW wisdom Insight on the Scriptures.

  Too bad the R&F JWs don't get it that the WTS will use that same Theocratic War Strategy on them whenever it suits their "lofty" purposes.

  Love, Scully
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  29

  Have they sunk to new lows?

  by duped in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my husband came home from the grocery store yesterday (christmas eve).

  and said he saw a witness couple driving around the parking lot handing out mags from their car window.

  i mean how lazy is that?

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  Scully

  Trotfox writes:
  

  I just saw my pioneer JW neighbor, who was wearing, eeeek...do I dare say it....RED!, come out of her house and accept a gift wrapped in gold paper from a friend in a car that was out in front of her house. The red outfit and the gift would be a definite No-No in the congregation from whence I came. Could it be that some JW's are reading into the article exactly what you just mentioned about why it could be okay for JW sisters married to unbelieving mates to celebrate holidays (depending on their conscience) but not all JW's?

  Do ya think some JW's are finally getting the message of the hypocrisy of the WTS?

  I think there are many JW's who really WANT to celebrate the holidays but their programming chip won't allow it.

  It's going to be like every other loophole that the WTS has ever opened. Some people are going to shrug their shoulders and say "so what? that doesn't mean we have to do it" while others are going to drive through it with a Mack truck so they can jump on the bandwagon.

  Love, Scully

  PS: It's my professional opinion that the ones who squawk the loudest and protest the most vehemently are the ones who ache the most to do the very things they claim to despise. Food for thought.
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  10

  unreasonable nit-picking by witnesses!

  by Richie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many of you have had experiences where elders and others in the congregation presented and even pushed their own viewpoints on matters which should be left to each person's own conscience.. we are all aware of the frowns and negative opinions on the way we sometimes dressed; one elder commented on my tie as it was too bright - i once bought a pretty ornament which had a pyramid shape, afterwards a sister said that i should not have this in my house (she did not know precisely why...but sort of felt it was wrong!).

  we got a few frowns when we had a wind chime, but at least there we did some research on and told the individual to mind his own business.. how many of you know the "demon inspired" proctor & gamble sign, which prompted many witnesses to abstain from purchasing any p & g products.

  how silly!

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  Scully

  One summer we invited some other JWs to our home for a bar-be-que. While I was setting the table, the 'sister' excused herself on the pretense of having to go to the washroom.

  When I heard some rustling in the kitchen, I peeked around the corner and caught the 'sister' rummaging around in my trash can. I jokingly said "Oh Joanne, that's not where the loo is!!" and because I caught her off guard she blurted out that she was 'only' trying to find the wrapper for the hotdogs we were serving, to make sure there were no "by-products" (aka blood) in them.

  Bloody hell!! all she had to do was ask!! Made me wonder about what she would be doing in the washroom when she finally did go though.

  My JW brother-in-law also once criticized me regarding the use of birth control pills when I was first married. I asked him how on earth he would assume that I was on the Pill. He replied that he wasn't assuming. He had seen the package inside the medicine cabinet in the washroom (he would have had to open the cabinet first!).

  Another time, again, shortly after I was married, a newly baptized single brother at the KH approached me and said "Don't you think your dress is rather revealing?" (It was actually a ladies' business suit.) I looked him straight in the eye and said "Why are you looking at my body that way in the first place? Maybe we should go over and have a chat about it with my husband, shall we?" The issue suddenly disappeared.

  We also had our home and belongings "inspected" for evidence of being demonized (without our knowledge or consent). Apparently a newly baptized sister had "experience" with these kinds of things, and the elders put her up to it. She didn't find anything though, which is strange because we had Crisis of Conscience sitting right in the open on our book shelf.

  Love, Scully
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  45

  Why JWs are The Happiest People on Earth™

  by Scully in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why jehovah's witnesses are the "happiest people on earth".

  thus spake homer simpson:.

  "those germans!!

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  Scully

  Erich writes:
  

  say, didn't you ever meet brothers or sisters in your congregation, who treated you with love and "positive vibrations" ? Sure, you became extremely hurted and depressed. Toooo much.

  I can't imagine it you never met good JW's. As you know, me and my wife are JW's since 16 years. We always have tried to treat all people well and with love and kindness. Even (and of course) those too, who got "shunned" for unknown reasons. I'd mostly taken this easy...

  Erich, of course I met JWs who were good people. And to tell the truth, I believe that most people who become JWs do so because they feel it is a reflection of their own goodness to do so.

  Having said that, a person needs to keep in mind Jesus' qualifications of true discipleship:
  

  By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves. - John 13:35

  'You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. The second, like it is this, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.' - Matthew 22:37-40

  Then they also will answer with the words, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them with the words, 'Truly I say to you, To the extent that you did not do it to the least one of these my brothers, you did not do it to me.' And these will depart into everlasting cutting-off... - Matthew 25:44-46

  Stop judging that you may not be judged; for with what judgment you are judging, you will be judged; and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you. - Matthew 7:1,2

  Erich, these scriptures are just the tip of the iceberg. Many JWs never seem to hesitate and ponder the fact that when they discuss the "sins" of the Catholic Church or other religions, or when they point fingers at people who are no longer JWs, that they are bringing God's judgement upon themselves. For them to discount the Catholic Church for the sins of one member means that JWs can also be discounted on the basis of the behaviour of one member too. If JWs are going to criticize the Catholics for not going door-to-door, then the JWs should expect to be criticized in return for their shortcoming as an organization of not setting up charities for the homeless, etc. When a person is hungry, they do not need a Watchtower; what they need is something warm in their belly.

  My main reason for leaving the JWs is because I realized that I did not have to continue tolerating the way they were constantly abusing me and my family. This does not mean that I do not love people among JWs. This does not mean that I never had any JW friends. But the truth of the matter is, that once I stood up for myself and stopped accepting the abuse from these individuals, the congregation started regarding me as the problem, rather than their own unchristian behaviour. I have been told that JWs withdrew their friendship because I "said bad things about the brothers". Well, yes, bad things happened, and I spoke about them. But since when did speaking the truth and being honest become a bad thing?

  I know you read my account of what what happened to me, because you commented about it. So tell me... if you or your wife was treated the same way, how would you deal with it? I handled it prayerfully in the best way I knew how and I feel that God answered that prayer. If I'm wrong, then I'm the one who will answer to God for my decisions. In fact, that's the way it has always been, even though at one time I believed that the WTS and its representatives had the "right" to expect me to answer to them. I know now that viewpoint is unscriptural.

  I have no doubt that the people who treated me with such cruelty will answer to God for it when his time comes. However, that does not mean that until that time comes, that I have to continue accepting their cruelty and hatefulness and abuse, nor do I have to allow my children to witness them do those things to me; that would be extremely damaging to me and to them. The fact that the 'brothers' would overstep the law of love tells me that the Organization is not from God. Knowing that gives me the confidence that I do not "owe" the Organization anything in terms of loyalty or integrity. I have never treated any JW with anything less than the respect that they earned. If JWs truly followed the Golden Rule, I would not have left. I treated them with dignity and respect and received abuse and cruelty in return. They must have preferred for me to treat them the same way, don't you think so?

  Anyway, I do appreciate your concern, Erich. I think you and your wife are probably good and kind people with the best intentions. But to be completely honest with you, when it mattered most to me, I was shown more love by 'worldly' people whom I had never known or considered as friends, than I was by hundreds of JWs whom I had known almost my entire life. And if it wasn't for those 'worldly' people who cared enough to help me, I would have committed suicide because of what a handful of hateful JWs put me through. I deserved better than that and my children deserved better than that. I'm not prepared to give the JWs another chance to do that to me; 30 years was more than enough chances.

  Love, Scully

  It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63
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  29

  Have they sunk to new lows?

  by duped in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my husband came home from the grocery store yesterday (christmas eve).

  and said he saw a witness couple driving around the parking lot handing out mags from their car window.

  i mean how lazy is that?

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  Scully

  Proplog2 writes:
  

  Anywhere you have a boundary you are going to have people throwing garbage over the wall. Boundary can be maintained by either defensive or offensive actions. As a child I remember being scorned by classmates because I didn't celebrate Christmas. Even some teachers tried to push holiday activities down my throat though I vigorously refused because my "young" conscience was offended.

  One of the few things JW's tell the truth about is - Christmas. It IS celebrated on Saturnalia NOT on Jesus' real birth date. The customs and symbols are taken from non-christian sources (pagan). It has increased the depression of children whose personal Santa Claus has not been able to afford a generous distribution of gifts.

  It sickens me how those of you who have left JW's think that celebrating Christmas is a symbol of your new found freedom. It is indeed a returning to vomit.

  Well, it looks like somebody isn't up-to-date with their Watchtower reading!!

  Watchtower, December 15, 2001, page 29
  Questions from Readers
  

  ...she would have to refuse to engage in false religious acts....
  In the final analysis, the faithful Christian must weigh the facts and then decide what to do. ... the individual Christian has to decide what noncompromising things can be done at the request of one having authority in the family or in the community.

  So, my young judgemental friend, the Watchtower Society in its wisdom and loving kindness has opened the way for INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIANS to decide for themselves in regards to "holiday observances".

  Let's look at the issue to which you refer.... Christmas... and ask the questions (A)"Is this a matter of religious significance to the individual?" and (B) "Is this an act of worship??"

  1- Setting aside one special day to be thankful that we have a Saviour in Jesus.
  Religious significance? Maybe. Depends on who you ask.
  An act of worship? Hardly.
  PS: When Jesus was born, the angels in heaven (who had NO NEED of a ransom) rejoiced. Shouldn't humans who DO NEED A RANSOM rejoice just as much, if not more??

  2- Buying gifts for friends and loved ones.
  Religious significance? No.
  An act of worship? No.

  3- Enjoying a special meal with friends and loved ones.
  Religious significance? No.
  An act of worship? No.

  4- Having real or artificial greenery on the interior of your home?
  Religious significance? No.
  An act of worship? Only if you bow down to it.

  5- Having decorations on said greenery on the interior of your home?
  Religious significance? No.
  An act of worship? Again, only if you plan on bowing down to it.

  6- Decorating your home with lights? Snowmen? Snowflakes? Candy canes?
  Religious significance? No.
  An act of worship? Again, only if you plan on bowing down to it.

  7- Visiting friends and relatives?
  Religious significance? No. Jehovah's Witnesses do that too!
  An act of worship? Hardly.

  8- Sending greeting cards to friends and relatives?
  Religious significance? No.
  An act of worship? No.

  Now, my judgemental young friend, consider that your Watchtower God has permitted its followers to pick and choose certain pagan customs. For example: Weddings (in fact the whole tradition around weddings in general... the white dress... the bridal party... the rings... even the honeymoon... ALL OF IT HAS PAGAN ROOTS... so tell me, what makes those pagan things OK, and other pagan things NOT OK?); Funeral customs - the Watchtower plainly states that local custom can certainly dictate what is done at JW funerals... so, therefore, if "local custom" is to decorate one's home with lights and put up a tree with ornaments on it in December, and one does not attach religious significance to it... who the hell are YOU to say otherwise?

  The MAIN question I have for you regarding this Watchtower article is this: The Question From Readers article specifically refers to JW females married to non-JW males. How is it that it's OK for these women to do all these things and not be referred to, as you so eloquently described, as "returning to vomit"?? Don't you think that's a tad hypocritical that a certain group of people within your ranks are allowed to do something while the rest of you are not?? What makes them SO special?? Does not Jehovah treat everyone equally?? If he doesn't, why doesn't he??

  Oh, and speaking of "personal Santa Claus", tell us when it is again that Jehovah (your "personal Santa Claus") is going to bring to an end this system of things and plop you into your Paradise on Earth?? 1874?? 1914?? 1918?? 1925?? 1975?? 2000?? Can he not make up "His" mind??

  Think about it. Go ask your elders about it. Come back and tell us what they said, will you? We could use a good laugh.

  Love, Scully

  It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63
• 
  45

  Why JWs are The Happiest People on Earth™

  by Scully in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why jehovah's witnesses are the "happiest people on earth".

  thus spake homer simpson:.

  "those germans!!

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  Scully

  Erich writes:
  

  God had to re-install the hell he has abolished meanwhile

  ummm, methinks he already did when he 'created' the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society!!

  Love, Scully

  It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63
• 
  29

  Have they sunk to new lows?

  by duped in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my husband came home from the grocery store yesterday (christmas eve).

  and said he saw a witness couple driving around the parking lot handing out mags from their car window.

  i mean how lazy is that?

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  Scully

  picosito writes:
  

  Can you give me the complete http://www.alt.religion.jehovahs-witn URL? I can't seem to make it work.

  I access alt.religion.jehovahs-witn via my newsgroup reader.

  You can also access it via google.com's deja-news Usenet archives.

  Here's the URL for the post I referred to:
  http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&threadm=NZWV7.124686%24lV4.20399742%40e420r-atl1.usenetserver.com&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26group%3Dalt.religion.jehovahs-witn

  Sorry it's so long; try to copy and paste the URL into your browser. I hope it works!

  Love, Scully

  It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63
• 
  29

  Have they sunk to new lows?

  by duped in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my husband came home from the grocery store yesterday (christmas eve).

  and said he saw a witness couple driving around the parking lot handing out mags from their car window.

  i mean how lazy is that?

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  Scully

  No doubt, they felt they were doing these shoppers a favor by reminding them that they were doomed for destruction for participating in the pagan demonized celebration of Christmas.

  Here's a cut&paste of a "greeting" by a JW to former members that was seen on alt.religion.jehovahs-witn

  Subject: Hope you are enjoying yourselves
  From: "Terry Rowden" [email protected]##
  Date: 01-12-25 2:29 AM Eastern Standard Time
  Message-id: <a09b0j$vls$ [email protected]>

  Well all you apostates in this newsgroup, I hope you are enjoying your pagan celebration and so you should as I am sure Jehovah is soon coming and like in Noahs day as they where just eating and drinking and then the flood came and swept them all away, so soon Jehovah will sweep away all those who oppose him!

  Terry

  Can you feel the "love"?? It's just OOZING, isn't it??

  Love, Scully

  PS: feel free to respond to "Terry Rowden" directly at [email protected] and don't forget to wish him a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

  It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63
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  17

  The possibility of reform?

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a quite interesting article on the possibility of reforming ones religion was printed in the february 1.

  1995 issue of the watchtower, which asked the following question: .

  "your religiona ship that should never be abandoned?.

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  Scully

  The complete and utter irony is that while JWs would not hesitate for an instant to point out the flaws in the Catholic Church and pronounce the Catholic Church to be a 'merely human organization that does not have God's spirit and blessing' and then proceed to encourage Catholics to "jump ship", when it happens the other way around and a JW notices.... FLAWS in the doctrine of JWs, UNLOVING BEHAVIOUR among JWs, LIES from the Governing Body to the R&F JWs, SCANDALS involving pedophile elders and other prominent ones (hello Leo Greenlees, the GB member who "loved" little boys a little too much!) among JWs.... they always cling to the world-wide preaching work as being the evidence of them being "God's Organization". They say "well you can't expect humans to be perfect". They urge followers to remain loyal and "wait on Jehovah". "Wait on JEHOVAH"??? Holy crap, man, HE LEFT A LONG FRIGGING TIME AGO!!

  I once told someone that without LOVE in the Organization, it didn't matter ONE BIT how much preaching they did in how many lands, it would be considered as a 'sounding piece of brass or cymbal'; without LOVE, the preaching work is "NOTHING". 1Cor 13:1-3

  Love, Scully

  It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63
• 
  2

  Merry Christmas to You All

  by Skeptic in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  windrider and i would like to wish you all a merry christmas and a happy new year!.

  i have made many friends here.

  i cherish all of you, no matter what side of the various issues you are on.

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  Scully

  Dear Skeptic and WindRider

  So glad you're here!!

  Have a very Merry Christmas

  Love, Scully

  It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63