Posts by problemaddict

29

my life is a mess need some advice

by deservingone26 in

so if you read thru my previous posts from years ago u can see a little background of my life.

to do a quick summary i was df'd at 19, got into the party lifestyle which included party drugs and lots of alcohol.

at 24 i decided to step bacdk and really try to get my life in order.

problemaddict

Hey bud. While not gay myself, I do live in San Diego. Comatose do you as well?

Perhaps we can grab a cup of coffee sometime. Not a gay cup of coffee, just a regular chai frapachino with 4 extra pumps and cinnamon sprinkles or something like that.

692

abortion vs holocaust

by unstopableravens in

problemaddict

Ravens, did you read my post on page 10? Please do and get back to me.

I am not pro-abortion. I do recognize that I live with others on this planet and seek compromise. Do you agree there is an area that this can end up in where everyone is a little happy, AND a little unhappy? That is usually the right place to be with something split down the middle like this. As far as this false analogy.....

jh: as far as ectopic, there have been some that survived in the abdominal and i dont think any in the filobin tube(sp) i personally think when a situation comes down to the mothers life or childs, its okay for the mother to be the focus if only one can be saved, however i dont think they should include aborting or killing the baby.lets say theres a fire, and the firefighter can only save one of the two ppl trapped in the building, would he be okay saving the one and shooting the other that he can save, i wouldnt think so.

....I would rather be shot in the head than go through the agony of being burned alive if those are my only two choices. You have given an instance where you believe aborting a fetus is the solution to another medical need. nothing to be ashamed of. Nobody is happy about it.

70

JW morale reaching new low

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

many friends i've spoken with are becoming discouraged.

because of this it's becoming tempting to privately share my views with friends, but i know this is still too dangerous.

most witnesses in my circle are intelligent free thinkers.

problemaddict

I can't believe I am saying this but.....I agree with SFTW.

SFTW, the best time I ever had as a JW was in the foreign preaching work. It was a simpler message. Nobody could understand the 1914 explanation, or why it was important. Speaking about the Trinity was easy and simple. It was kind of a back to basics for me. It was really refreshing. I also slowly began to wake up then, because even though I was so succesful (baptized a bunch of the ol worldlies), I also became aware of how much they were dependant on literature, and idolized the slave. It was all about chain of command!!!

When the blood doctrine came up (post 2000 change), and neither the elders, the CO, the pioneers, or anyone from that country could properly explain the issue, and reverted to "following the slave", a little light went off, and I thought that wasn't right. So I researched more in depth than I had ever before. That was the beginning of my refusal of that doctrine, and the beginning of my exodus.

It is hard for many with so much apathy.

The new mantra from those I still speak to (and there are many.....I am really trying to work on my loved ones) is......The way I see it, yeah there are lots of problems, and I don't agree with a bunch of things, but I still think the overall picture is better than anything else, and the routine does my family good.

I guess!?

74

The Gall Of WT To Give This Advice To Pioneers:

by JW GoneBad in

this past week's wt study lesson was entitled: 'pioneering strengthens our relationship with god'.. under the subheading 'remaining in the full-time service' in par 14 the wt has the nerve to give this admonition to pioneers: .

'desiring to learn from jesus' example, a pioneer does well to keep in mind that the more material things he has, the more he will have to maintain , repair, or replace.'.

i don't think the gb or anyone in the writing department has the freedom to speak on giving adivce on the matter of 'material things' given the fact that wt has close to a billion dollars in real estate and loads of money in various bank accounts; given the fact that gb is currently building themselves new living quarters with who knows what sort of comforts and other amenities.

problemaddict

The society stated that it would be interesting if it happened in this year. They didn't say god said it would happen in that year. get your facts straight.

Mike......honestly bro. Put the defenses down a bit my man. No they didn't announce the end in 1975 (they did in 1914 and some other times but nevermind that), but do you think they acted faithfully......or discreetly.....in what they did communicate to their flock?

Stay alive til 75, was the mantra in many places. Why? Because their bethel speakers were going around saying this. Speculation, and artificial "hurry up now" doctrine has no basis in scripture. Peter said the end would come as a thief in the night. Thats it. Contained in that statement is everything you need to know from the bibles perspective about the proper mind set and readiness of the Christian.

74

The Gall Of WT To Give This Advice To Pioneers:

by JW GoneBad in

this past week's wt study lesson was entitled: 'pioneering strengthens our relationship with god'.. under the subheading 'remaining in the full-time service' in par 14 the wt has the nerve to give this admonition to pioneers: .

'desiring to learn from jesus' example, a pioneer does well to keep in mind that the more material things he has, the more he will have to maintain , repair, or replace.'.

i don't think the gb or anyone in the writing department has the freedom to speak on giving adivce on the matter of 'material things' given the fact that wt has close to a billion dollars in real estate and loads of money in various bank accounts; given the fact that gb is currently building themselves new living quarters with who knows what sort of comforts and other amenities.

problemaddict

Dang Mike. I don't remember you being like this in your previous posts. What happened?

Back to the OP, I think generally there is a concensus that the GB own everything and live high on the hog. i don't think this is really true. The horde cash yes, but then again so does Apple. The GB members live in similar quarters as the rest of the bunch. They drive the same crappy Crown Vics that alot of companys who provide cars own. Its not a luxurious lifestyle.

That being said, they have probably never had to care for a family, and they have all of their needs met. Wether you think that is ok depends on how you feel about them already. Many priests, deacons, and pastors as well as their staff receiv e compensation from a church in order to continue their work.

To the point though, they really don't have the moral high ground to tell others to simplify. I suppose it is just a "hint" at it, but they have trained this group to respond to them as though everything spoken is due to godly authority. So they bear more responsability than they like for other peoples choices. An article about not being caught up materially sharing general principles, is much more useful than telling a pioneer that mo money=mo problems.

As far as you brother Mike, you have neither the right, nor scriptural task to declare anyone an apostate. You should think twice. This board is full of men and women just like you. People share their thoughts, care for each other, and disagree. Its called normal. In here you are allowed to feel differently than others, and still walk away with dignity. Even though I haven't even been gone a year (and probably will have to go to an assembly this week), I know that even respectful disagreement is cause for discipline.

692

abortion vs holocaust

by unstopableravens in

problemaddict

Lets try to find the balance here everyone.

Comparing the holocaust to abortion is simply not accurate. Its just to get a rise. it doesn't further the conversation, it is just meant to get a reaction. It accomplishes nothing wether you agree with it or detest it. Hyperbole doesn't win arguments.

There are times when ALL of us accept an abortion is reasonable. Some say whenever the woman decides, some say anytime before 24 weeks, some say in cases of rape and incest, some say in cases where the mothers life is in danger and child has no chance of survival(Catholic hospital being sued for this....the baby literally had 0 chance or survival outside of the womb, but the hospital was willing to let the mother die), some say as a zygote but not a fetus because the genetic material hasn't taken form, some say before the baby is thought to be able to register pain, and some accept the bodies natural process for a miscarriage if biologically the body is incapable of the pregnancy, or has determined due to stress that it should not proceed.

ALL of us fall into one or several of the above. Even those who believe life begins at conception (which I am sympathetic to simply because the end result is almost always a viable embryo and a healthy baby), can agree on the last one if nothing else.

Then there are times when ALL of us agree it is abused. Late term abortions are basically killing a small baby. If they can survive outside of the womb and you kill them while inside, it makes no difference. Because you wanted a boy. Because you wanted a girl. Because you just don't care or have no code of ethics as a human being. Anything FORCED by family, friends, or anyone else. Abortions insisted on by shamed family.

So this being the case, and since we all have to share the planet, why not come up with the closest compromise?

692

abortion vs holocaust

by unstopableravens in

problemaddict

Ok so while my own opinions are evolving on this subject, let me help out Ravens a bit. While I am not a fan of the holocaust analogy because it just doesn't beg a normal conversation or intelligent discussion, I think there are a few things to consider at the life begins at conception marker.

Essentially, Ravens believes this, because the vast majority of the time, the initial fertilization if untampered with will proceed to a full term baby that is born healthy. So the eventuality is a life. The "process" has been put in motion. I think there is something to that thought.

While I despise late term abortion, I do very much understand the victim of a rape or incest not wanting to give birth to that child, and having it aborted BEFORE it can feel it. My wife is pregnant about 4 months. She can feel that child, and if he was to be killed, he would in fact feel that. Not a glob of cells any longer. Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks. That is astonishingly long, and is related to when the baby is thought to be able to breathe on his or her own and have the neccesary lung coating to not have the tissue stick together.

Maybe Ravens it would help to think of Gods own natural process in this way. If the body is under extreme stress or dealing with uncertainty to an extreme degree, many women simply miscarry. So the bosy through those stress indicators will basically "abort" the fertilized egg. Now of course this happens very early on, but to borrow a line from the WT, would God implant things within his creation that he himself disapproved of?

34

thedog1 said "I just listened to your JC hearing for re-instatement"

by KateWild in

thedog1 said.............. hi sam.

i just listened to your jc hearing for re-instatement.

without knowing the details of what happened it is difficult to make a comment on it but here goes.

problemaddict

Annonymous accusations are worthless. I agree of course. Unfortunately, if you don't insist, the elders will frequently gloss over that you have the right to address your accusers as was clearly done in this instance.

Dog1, I agree that we know very little of what happened. However, I think the crux of the matter is wether or not JW's have the authority to enforce communal shunning scripturally. We are all familair witht he scriptures used to support it in extreme cases. However, does the modern day format fit those descriptions? Wasn't Diotrophese actually called out for kicking people out of the congregation?

Kate is emthional and going through something many people have here before. We don't know her whole story, nor do we need to. The question is further underground than just her scenario.

Let me give you a personal example. As an appointed man in the congregation, i expressed some concern or a question really about the overlapping generations concept a while back. In that conversation i mentioned that if the WT was prone to error or revision, than it was essentially an editorial on scripture, and should not be elevated to scripture itself which many bodies and JW's have a tendancy to do albeit unknowingly at times.

I was later approached by two brothers "investigating" me. They said they heard from multiple sources that I had issue witht he brothers etc... My first question.....who were the sources. They looked at each other, looked at me, said it wasn't important. I said "to whom is it not important?" Now I will ask you again.....who are these multiple sources and what was said? You either answer the question, or we are done here."

Well they brought out the name of a person in the original conversation which i expected. Then a second name I did not. i approcahed that brother, and he denied ever expressing anything to them. He was willing to put it in writing. That was it. That was the "multiple sources". It was one person who was a bit overzealous, and another that was made up. They were caught in a lie.

The ego on these guys can be amazing. The good ones have little chance, when "theocratic arrangement" gets touted out there to justify over exuberency.

33

Is disagreeing with the GB rebelling against God?

by kneehighmiah in

the other day an elder mentioned that not following the gb direction is the same as rebelling against god.

this in harmony with the ominous tone set forth in the respect jehovah's authority video.

in this thread i'll point out several gaping holes in that argument as time allows.. 1. the gb/fds does not speak "mouth to mouth" with god as did moses.. jehovah condemned and punished mariam for speaking against moses.

problemaddict

I have used this specific analogy before. Since the GB likes to compare those that rebel against Johovahs organization to Korah, then in that scenario they parallel themselves with Moses. I brought this up to an elder and just told him that I was uncomfortable with those comparrisons and the correlations they were drawing between themselves and Moses.

He denied they do that. I pulled out the articles.

Then I read the scripture where Jesus chastises the Pharisees for "seating themselves in the seat of Moses".

He changed the subject.

13

I asked our COBOE who counsels elders...

by stillin in

i observed how they were always "helping others" by applying god's word and helping people to make adjustments, but who helps the local elders to see things more clearly?

his answer?

circuit overseers, of course!

problemaddict

That elder gave a terrible answer. Most elders worth their salt would probably say they are counseled in the same loving manner as the rest of the congregation. Through spiritual reminders and the publications. They also work with each other, and they have been able to learn from many experienced ones within the congregation, elders or just publishers. The CO even follows up with the brothers directly to make sure they shepard the flock of God in their care.

THAT....is how you polish that turd.