Posts by days of future passed

19

Help Finding Poster's Challenge

jw
friends

hey guys,.

i've been trying hard to locate a comment that was posted no longer than a few weeks ago (if that) by a poster providing a challenge for witnesses to find one scripture that states that we are still saved/have hope if we are outside of this "new covenant" that wt claims is for the 144,000 only.

the thread was to do with ways we can wake up a loved one and this particular poster (i can't remember who) gave a step-by-step guide to helping witnesses waking up using their own bible and doctrine.

days of future passed

I tried using the phrases you had in your comment, but the problem is, 15 year old posts popped up. Since you cannot sort from newest, you have to wade thru lots of old posts. Even your post showed up on the second search page using your key words.

If you have time to sort of waste, you can start from the beginning and work your way back in each topic. If you have some idea of when you read it, like 20 days ago, you can just keep hitting the NEXT button until you get to that time frame.

It would be easier for you than me, tho I gave it a try. Just nothing to jiggle my memory since I didn't read that post.

30

Trouble in paradise!

by Confusedalot in

just for fun, some thoughts about the paradise teaching:.

will all the carnivores be transformed anatomically?

if a lion is transformed into a herbivore would it still be a lion?

days of future passed

My picture of paradise was of quiet. People unafraid as well as the animals. I reasoned that if the bear was an omnivore, other predators could be that way too. Animal birth rates would slow down, the dead animals (and the dying) would be taken care of by previous carnivores now omnivores.

I thought of people spending their time with families and friends, inventing, doing art, traveling. I could spend a lot of time just watching bugs and gardening.

When the society came out with pictures of paradise being filled with meetings and studying yet more books - it reminded me of some twilight zone episode. You know, where you've sacrificed your money, time and family to get there - and it turns out to be another flavor of HELL.

38

Question...

by ironsnake656 in

when you were an active member in the jwland, did you expect to receive any kind of help from a brother/sister, but they did not help you?

when i was in the jwland, i expected and was my belief that any brother/sister will help you in time of need, distress or trouble, because we were part of a "lovely organization".

but countless of times when i needed and asked for help, nobody from the org helped me.

days of future passed

I found myself helping out one or two with money. They were poor and I have the mindset of helping. But now I realize that they spent their money poorly and expected others to bail them out. To be fair, one of them would sometimes reciprocate with yard work, but that is because we shared an interest in gardening.

I never felt I could ask for help. I wasn't baptized like the rest of my sisters so I always felt like an outsider. I had more help from the worldly guys that I gamed with for a short time than anyone else.

46

Do You Think Jehovah's Witnesses Are Typically Ignorant People?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think most witnesses are simple minded.many are ignorant.

there are a lot of basically "good people "in the religion but i believe many are kind of dumb, including many elders.

do you agree with my thoughts??

days of future passed

In my hall, there were several ladies that were intelligent and had world experience. But the thing is, if a witness comes to your door with a sincere and honest personality, you could make the assumption that what they are saying is also sincere and true. None of the ladies were hypocrites or mean and often had interesting well thought out comments. They were not raised in the "truth". But once you start building on the assumption - if they are honest, then the ones leading them are honest too, then you might ignore other signs that all is not right.

I used to think after reading how terrible it would be to take God's name in vain or use God for unscrupulous means, they would never do this (the GB) because they would lose all hope of everlasting life. If you were to suggest that this isn't so, I wouldn't have believed you.

There is also those who have experienced or seen terrible things in other religions. Maybe JW's from this view, seem a whole lot better.

Anyway, once you have assumed that this is the only truth, you no longer look. That makes you "dumb" even if you are smart.

10

Feel like I've failed

by Mr Negative in

i need to get this off my chest, as i don't have many people to talk to about it who would understand.. i feel like i've failed my family, as not only have i been unable to get my parents and brother to see sense regarding the cult, but now my sister, who never got baptised but managed to escape twenty years ago, is now seriously considering going back for various "emotional" reasons, and i know that she won't listen to me.. i know they have all made their own decisions (at least, to the extent that brainwashed people can make their own decisions), and i can't really blame myself (even though i was the one who, when only ten years old, convinced my mum to listen to the poor lady on the doorstep out of politeness rather than just shut the door on her - so it is all indirectly my fault), but it still feels like i've failed them..

days of future passed

What if..... you didn't talk your mom into listening to her and the lady came back a month later and converted her? How would you feel about the situation now? Relieved and saying to yourself, it's too bad they are in this crappy religion, but it was their choice?

Well, I often get hung up over What Ifs ? ? ? ? ?

But after awhile, I say to myself, I can't change the past, I have to just go on. You can neither change the past (like in a movie) or their decisions.

As a ten year old, did you know what the religion was about? No. You had empathy for a poor little old lady which shows you are a caring individual. Just like now, you are caring about your family.

Regrets are hard to deal with but by dwelling on them, you will not be helpful to yourself or them. (hahaha so says me who has to deal with this almost everyday) But I did get better at it.

26

Born Ins, How Did Your Parents Get "The Truth™"?

by pale.emperor in

born ins are in a unique position in that we never knew any other way of life.

no birthdays, christmas and overly superstitious family just seemed normal.

when my parents talked about their pre-jw life it seemed like they were talking about completely different people (actually, that's true, the cult had taken their real selves).. so i'd be interested in hearing how your parents were indoctrinated.. my dad.

days of future passed

Sometime a little before 1960, two witnesses, men I think, came to our house. My mom watched as they set up a blackboard and then they discussed Noah, his descendents etc. What appealed to her was that there would be no wars in Paradise. But also, like Peter Pan, she never wanted to grow old. She has remained a childlike, childish immature person to this day.

My dad on the other hand, hated religion, hated God. His father died in an accident when a tractor rolled over on him. He was around 13 and he told me that he had sat on the curb, begging God to save his father, promising everything. When it didn't happen, he gave up on God. So when my mom got the JW religion, it caused friction but he just endured it.

There is one or two pictures of me and my sister with a christmas tree, but after the age of 5, there was nothing. I think this also appealed to my mother who is a penny pincher tho I wouldn't say she consciously thought about it. But no money needs to be spent on cakes, presents etc. and that suited her. Eventually there were 5 children, the last being a boy. My dad didn't care what my mom did with us, but he claimed the boy for himself and so my brother escaped the WT. Our childhood (the girls at least) was filled with Saturdays of hated service. The only bright spots were the summer camping trips that my dad took the family on. But on the whole, we lived in two different worlds. Go to meetings and be a JW, come home and watch my parents get into fights.

My mom is a simple person that never grew up. Now, the new "generational" teaching, has stuck a blow to her. Now she faces a death that was promised would never happen to her. I don't love my mom because she didn't raise us with love, but I still feel sorry for her and how cruel the WT is. My two younger sisters are still in. One is a complete hypocrite who admits the GB is a bunch of old farts with dementia and she doesn't believe in 1914, but at least she is warning people... The other is a rigid and fragile person who shuns her daughter but is secretly inside, a sad desperate person. The WT knows how to imprison people....

31

Humourous reasons to go back

by usualusername1 in

jw
friends

in my stand up comedy routine tonight i want to list humourous reasons why i shd go back to jws.. how about nobody throws parties like jws.. how about jws being at the cutting edge of fashion.. how about it being easier for men to get a date.. any ideas?.

paul.

days of future passed

You like Zombie movies and it's free!

47

Are JWs "mind trained" to be habitual liars?

by nonjwspouse in

i don't mean overly obvious, or otherwise meaning to cause harm, but taught to lie for the purpose of avoidance.

this type of lying can be pervasive in areas of life that are not just to avoid discussions with people who have questions about the jw, etc.

my husband will lie/be deceitful about the silliest, simple things.

days of future passed

How I see it at this time of my life is:

JW's live with dual thoughts.

For instance in a talk, they'll go on about how GOD LOVES HIS CREATION but at the same time, you'll hear that when it comes down to the Great Tribulation, probably you'll be saved... Probably you might make it but God apparently is only going to save people thru the Great Tribulation as a group and not as individuals.

So now you have two opposing ideas. God loves me but won't, maybe, possibly save me. There are many things like this presented to JW's in all the talks and literature.

So it teaches you to divide yourself. It teaches illogical reasoning. It teaches you to make excuses for God. (He loves us so much but he has an important reason as to why he won't rescue me) So why not make excuses for yourself? And the Watchtower makes excuses for itself too and forces the rest to accept them, just as they must excuse God.

They also hold up Rahab the harlot as a good example of saving God's spys. She lied and saved the spies and herself. JW's are taught to accept lying is good when done for God.

And people being people (at least some) once they lie and get away with it - whether for something small or big - they will continue because it gives them some advantage. And that could be to get out of trouble, avoiding to have to explain themselves or even as in the case of my younger sister, to feel superior by tricking others.

I'm rather shocked to find after reading this blog for years, that many fudged their time etc. Because my father would break his promises, I found lying to be hurtful and didn't want to hurt others in the same way. So I didn't lie about even small things. The lady witness at work, has told me some things that shocked me. Lol. She told me she had gotten a jury summons but didn't want to go (neither did I but went any way because you were supposed to obey the secular authorities) So she did what the "wordly" guy at work suggested. Pretend it got lost in the mail. So she gleefully told me she didn't go. She and her sister, wanted to decorate a party they were going to throw. So they went and cut branches off of trees from other peoples yards. I said that is stealing. She just ignored me and called it something like An Adventure in Procuring. So she lied to herself about her actions. Yet, she gets all righteous about the Truth. She persists in doing these things even while admitting she has that fear of doing that one wrong thing at the Great T. But she doesn't see the previous acts as having any negative effect on how God sees her.

So to me JW's, unless they have their own internal brake on lying, will do so expecting to get passed on it, and will fight tooth and nail denying it unless you have absolute proof/and or a witness to their lying. Just look at their leaders....

103

New Research at AJWRB

by Lee Elder in

the latest research article published at ajwrb estimates the number of jehovah's witnesses who have died from following or being coerced to follow watchtower's blood policy.

the numbers are staggering.

http://ajwrb.org/jehovahs-witnesses-and-blood-tens-of-thousands-dead-in-hidden-tragedy.

days of future passed

It doesn't sound like hate speech. Sounds like anguish....

The WT has said that apostates are mentally diseased. They make Ecoli burgers so that you die from listening from them. That is labeling and hate speech.

Saying that they have changed from no blood to random fractions of blood, is true. Those that have died from the past of no blood, might well be alive today if they had accepted fractions.

There was a JW father who needed a kidney transplant. He didn't put himself on the list to receive one. Why? From 1969 to 1980 getting a transplant was likened to being a cannibal. And would God accept someone like that? He was too afraid of not being in the Paradise with his family to get a transplant. He died leaving 4 children and a wife behind. Not long after, the Wt. made it a "matter of conscience" How many others like him died because of their rules?

26

This convention talk offended me

by Isambard Crater in

here are my notes from the r.c yesterday, the talk called "jehovah – the greatest example of endurance".

many of you will understand why i found it offensive.. jehovah has taken the hard option of choosing to endure:.

reproach to his holy name.

days of future passed

I like to compare what is going on (or has gone on in the past) with the teachings of the WT, with current events/people.

Saying Jehovah has had to endure so much to prove a point and to be acknowledged as the best ruler, is like this:

The President of the USA in a talk, says how much he hates injustice, people starving, no jobs etc and how it pains him to see it all. But, until people get behind him and say how great a president he is, he won't fix anything. He is even willing to let most people die from these problems because they really need to see how much they need him.

I've used the ex president many times in this way to the jw lady at work. The Deer in The Headlights always appears.