problemaddict

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Posts by problemaddict

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  42

  Trinity, Immortality of the soul, Hell fire... Homosexuality

  by irondork in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most people here who have spent any amount of time studying the bible will agree that the bible allows for more than one interpretation of these topics.

  well, the first three topics, anyways.. reading the gay marriage discussions on this board i see a common thread weaving its way through: no acknowledgement whatsoever that there is an equally valid interpretation of the bible that does not condemn homosexuality.. once in a while i will see the word trinity mentioned on this forum and no big deal is made of it (for the most part).

  trinitarian and non-trinitarian teachings are accepted as variations of the christian understanding of the bible without any judgment being made regarding the genuineness of that person's christian identity or relationship with god.. mention the word homosexuality, and there is a huge difference in attitude.

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  problemaddict

  Hey guys,

  So let me start by saying I have read two of the threads provided, but I have also heard reasoning on some other sites regarding this subject. Since I am fairly evolving into an agnostic (wether I realize it or not), let me start by saying that even if I was not, I would not consider "gay marriage" an issue. "Marriage filing jointly" is just a legal tern on your IRS form. It affords rights to people that I think all should have. But just because the government sanctions something, doesn't mean that the "church" has to bless it. It shouldn't matter anyways considering the desire for separation of church and state.

  That being said, I would not consider the links provided as "evidence" of homosexuality being a-ok with the God of the bible. In fact, I think the evidence falls contrary to it. Regardless, the sexual act outside of marriage would be forbidden and be fornication, and the bible sets marriage in a non-secular setting to being limited to a man and woman when it was instituted. One could decide that anything outside of that, is considered "fornication", and therefore not cool.

  The recent attempts to grasp at straws biblically speaking to say its all good to be gay from the bibles perspective, I think are born more out of a desire for the Christian right to want to win an election or two, and less about actual veracity of claim.

  I'm down to tussle over it, but honestly I have no real dog in the fight one way or the other. Sometimes in looking at the atoms of an arguement, you can forget those atoms make up a greater item. I think the greater item and overview of the scriptures you have already mentioned, is that the bible never intended for men to be with men.

  I could always be wrong, and I'm willing to revisit this later when I have a few more minutes if you like.

  Peace!
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  40

  James 2:26 - "faith without works is dead"

  by leaving_quietly in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was contemplating this verse this morning... what did james mean by "works"?

  and it hit me like a bolt of lightning.. now, wts would have us believe these "works" are preaching and meetings.

  however, could that be what james was referring to?

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  problemaddict

  Just for the sake of fairness....

  I don't think the JW point of view is that one must work for their salvation. That is not really an accurate statement. In the case of faith vs works, the reality is that one does not exist without the other. So without one, the other isn't. Its chicken vs egg and doesn't really matter. There is nothing you can do to earn salvation, neither is there any amount of "works" that can make you approved without faith from the biblical standpoint.

  So that being said, one could make an arguement that the practical application of the scripture is lost on JW's as they focus heavily on works. To be sure meeting together, and preaching to others about Jesus could be called "works", although I would add that so could charity and living with the fruitage of the spirit in mind.
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  39

  Flipping out at the meeting

  by BU2B in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  unfortunatley, i still go to many meetings as i am working on getting my wife to wake up.

  for the most part i maintain my composure but there have been two or three times when i actually have gotten so upset and the frustration built so high that i have come very come close to actually slamming something down or pounding the table in the literature room, or shouting out how i felt!

  has anyone else felt this way?

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  problemaddict

  Yeah. I have gotten pretty upset. Here is what you do. Go to the bathroom, sit on the toilet, and look at the news headlines on your phone. Get some reading in for about 15 minutes, then head on back.
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  42

  So...why is taking blood essentially viewed as unforgivable by the WT?

  by sd-7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  been hearing about this 'grey's anatomy' episode, and while i didn't see it, it brought up a question i wanted to throw out there, albeit a long-winded one, as is my usual nature.. the fact that people would rather die than take blood, as if...if they take it, they're doomed for sure to not make the new system--it doesn't make sense to me.

  people both in the organization and the bible stories are forgiven for heinous crimes, murder, adultery, child sacrifice, everything up to and including denying jesus altogether.

  (let's not forget child molestation and rape, apparently...) so why does it seem like this one act is presented to jws as one that's never to be forgiven?.

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  problemaddict

  The issue is not wether they are turning a blind eye to it or not. The issue is that they still teach it is a fundamental question of loyalty to none other than Jehovah himself that you refuse any non approved use of blood.

  Interestingly enough, you can more easily now be disfellowshipped for questioning the doctrine of forbiddance of blood, moreso than you can actually taking the stuff.

  You just can't make this stuff up.
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  5

  For anyone that was df'd and got reinstated

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after you got reinstated, how long did you stay as a jw before fading away or got df'd again.

  were you zealous after you got reinstated?

  i would like to hear your stories.

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  problemaddict

  DF'd for having sex. Reinstated 5 months later. Got publicly reproved twice after that over the course of several years for the same thing.

  Turned into a good JW. Met my wife. Got married. Climbed the ladder.

  I would say 17 years?
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  15

  Dear Spirituk and the likeminded (read if you have time),

  by okage in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i started going to church with her, and bible studies at her home.

  in hindsight.... i found out that she made these moves a few days later when i showed up to her family's house for the study.

  i stopped going to our church.

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  problemaddict

  Read the whole thing. Well done.
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  21

  NEW BLOOD CARD DIRECTIVE...

  by SkyGreen in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the husband just gave me the new march km (im using it folded up as a coaster at the moment) and a new "blood card" to complete, along with a copy of a set of instructions for how to fill it out and a letter from wts to every baptised publisher.

  i said to him "i wont be needing that" and gave it back to him, and he just said, well just throw it out then - no overreaction yay :o) without telling him, about a month ago, (i tore up my existing no blood directive.

  our kids have never carried around "identity cards" we were never that diligent about it).

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  problemaddict

  This is the biggie for me. Blood. It is where hard core doctrinal belief and willingness to die for something that seems pretty straightforward (ie: "abstain"), meets actual research, and understanding of the spirit of what was written, and the fact that if they are wrong.....more is wrong along with it.

  I have these discussions from time to time. I hear the basic "well its obvious", to the angering "if the slave is wrong than its up to Jehovah to correct it and he will be the judge".

  It is where cognative dissonance funnels to.
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  49

  Are we all bitter?

  by LouBelle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i posted a link on fb that lead to a topic here.

  i then had one of my 'friends' start having a go about how bitter everyone is here....fact he said.

  (he used to be a jw elder but left a while back, not sure why he left or if he has even researched the faith since leaving) the more i tried to reason with him that actually it is a support forum, the more he lashed out that everyone here bad mouths the jw's and only attack the jw's.

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  problemaddict

  It is an OUTLET. I tried to have a normal human conversation with a friend of mine this weekend, and quite frankly it isn't possible. In the real world, the onus in on the person leaving, to do everything "just so", so as not to have the overactive JW imagination dive into hyperspace at the thought that you no longer look to 8 men in Brooklyn for spiritual advise. They don't even hear themselves as they say some of the craziest things you could say to a person who has the IQ of an 8th grader.

  So yeah.....when you come here you get to unload a bit. Thats all this is. In my actual conversations, I am much more sophisticated with how I introduce information. Here I am amongst "friends".

  Your friend doesn't know what a forum dedicated to a subject really entails. Tell him the 20th Century called and he left with their ideals.
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  27

  Why does my family still interact with me?

  by stillstuckcruz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here was my story posted originally about 2 years ago.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/205854/1/as-a-witness-what-view-of-the-world-did-you-have-heres-my-story.

  and my extended story on jwrecovery:.

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  problemaddict

  Hey maybe your family loves you man. Not all JW's are monsters than shun and vilify their family. We just hear most of it because first it is very common, and second we are a board of abuse victims and opposers.

  Try to move past it, accept their kindness, and move forward.

  P.S. - Wasn't there a recent article on homosexuality and the way JW's view it, that was fairly soft? It was viewed as any other sin that people struggle with, and we show love to the person "fighting" it etc... I suppose that could have a bearing on it.
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  3

  These stories are all too common

  by cptkirk in

  1. social
  2. current

  felt like throwing up after reading this.

  .

  http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/15/us/south-dakota-river-search/index.html?hpt=hp_t2.

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  problemaddict

  Jeez that is sad. Its amazing how many peopel when faced with a choice, reach out to help others at their own cost.