Posts by Skeptic

20

DF'd 4 smoking........feel unworthy;yet....

by IWish4Truth in

jw
friends

i was df'd 6 months ago for smoking cigarettes.

i really reached out for help but had a hard time breaking the habit.

maybe i should have been disfellowshipped, according to why it is done.

Skeptic

IWish4Truth,

I feel sorry for you, but this may be a good thing in the long run. JWs cannot be true friends as they have to be worried about being seen talking to you, and you can never really completely open up to them, for fear of being reported to the elders for a non-conforming comment.

So, do your best to forget them. The good news is that at 32, you are young enough to make friends outside the JWs and to live a full life.

Do something you are interested in with other people. If you believe in God, try out several churches. You will find that Christendom has been given a bad rap by the JWs. Most people in Christendom are more loving than JWs. For one thing, there is no shunning.

Join a chess club, or a dance club. When you interact with people, you will make friends, and maybe find a mate for life.

Stay with our discussion board. Friends made over the Internet can make life more rich. And in my case, the Internet is what brought my sweet Windrider into my life.

As for your smoking, that is your choice. Decide what you want to do. I smoke about 4 times a year. Why? Because I want to. Is it a smart choice? Maybe not, but it is my choice and after a lifetime of people telling me what to do, I am going to make my choices, even if I am wrong.

Richard

53

Atheist you say?

by Rex B13 in

jw
friends

direct from the files of [email protected].

how to make an atheist backslide .

there is no god .

Skeptic

Rex B13,

I am curious, and would like your personal view. How solid do you think the logic is in the article you just posted?

I know you believe in God, and I am not disputing that. For the sake of discussion, let's assume God exists.

Assuming God exists, how solid do you think the logic in that article is? Are there holes in it, are there weak spots in it? Can you tell me which parts are faulty?

I am interested in how you reason things out. If you want to answer my questions in private, feel free to email me. I always enjoy our discussions.

Take Care My Friend,
Richard

18

Justice #20 - Getting Run Over

by Amazing in

jw
friends

justice #20 getting run over.

jesus said, "woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!

for you tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these you ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.

Skeptic

YoYoMama,

Simon: Appointments are made by the Service Department using the recommendation of the local body of elder and the circuit overseer which in turn followed the qualifications that are in the Bible which was inspired by holy spirit.

Using that logic, the elder body in many churches are appointed by holy spirit. Many churches appoint their clergy based on the qualifications set out in the Bible. Hence, by your logic, the elders in these churches were appointed by holy spirit, since the Bible was inspired by holy spirit.

You indicated that you believe that JW elders are apporinted by God. Do you also believe that elders in other religions can be appointed by holy spirit? And if God appointed their elders, then obviously God approves of them. Hence, the JW faith cannot be the only faith approved of by Jehovah.

Richard

6

Unevenly yoked?

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

i was just musing to myself and wondering if in the history of this happy and sometimes joyous place there has been a uniting of more than minds i.e.

a romance.. you know, where two posters become united as one.

wouldn't it be nice to have an anniversary right here on the board.. oh well, just wondering........ cheers,.

Skeptic

I was just musing to myself and wondering if in the history of this happy and sometimes joyous place there has been a uniting of more than minds i.e. a romance.

Does the old H2O count? Windrider and I meet and fell in love on H2O in 1999. And our love is stronger than ever.

The same has happened to others...

Richard

3

BECOME A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS TODAY!

by Skeptic in

jw
friends

become a jehovah's witness today!

we make you happier!

**learn how to put on a good appearance in front of others!.

Skeptic

BECOME A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS TODAY!

We make you happier!
**Learn how to put on a good appearance in front of others!
**Learn To Make Tough Choices Easily - we will tell you what to do in all parts of your life!
**Remove the frustration of too much time on your hands. We will keep you busy!
**Women - Learn how to cope with an abusive husband. By marrying one!
**Women - Learn how to prevent marriage problems; by remaining single!
**Learn How To Handle Hypocrites...By Practicing On Them!
**Improve Your Life By Saying No! To sex, fun, cool clothes, free time...
**Glean The Benefits Of Narrow-Mindedness

Become A Sex Expert!
**Avoid unwanted pregnacies and veneral diseases; By avoiding sex!
**Learn the joys of boring sex!
**Learn the dangers of holding hands.
**Learn that masturbation leads to homosexuality.
**Examine the Hidden Danger of Befriending the Opposite Sex.

Return to old-fashioned values!
**Live by the rules of the 1950's and before...
**Gain a healthy fear of demons!
**Become sexest and homophobic; no more moral confusion caused by liberal ideas!
**Women learn the value of always obeying their husbands, and how to live with their husband's bad decisions.

We give you hope for the future!
**Look forward to perfect health forever...
**Look forward to all of your needs and desires being met forever...
**This hope is solidly based on a fantasy of life in a perfect world!

Our overseers have the best training in the world!
**Many have graduated from high school!
**All overseer's training based on a 2000+ old book unfettered by modern needs.
**Rules determined by a group of 12 men who are not biased by modern day needs and obligations.

This is a limited time offer!
**Act now! This offer expires when Armageddon comes very, very soon! So act now, before its too late!

12

what's the point of all this power ?

by termite 35 in

jw
friends

i've been reading all your comments since i found the un thread.

(i'm not angry- just hit the wrong button!

should have called my self crap with keyboard )have read all with great interest since then; meeting attendance and hours down to zero... but feeling pretty low.angry,shocked, dissapointed etc ,funny how it hits you .any way ;just a little question; i cant(this typing is getting embarassing) just ignore it.

Skeptic

I mean why encourage all to sell sell sell if the personally don't get a slice of the pie?

I am unsure of Russell's motives as to why he started the religion. I suspect he figured it would make money, but he may have actually wanted to tell about God. He did live high, while the rest of the brothers worked for free and lived poorly.

Judge Rutherford used the Society for his own personal wealth. He lived in a mansion and had several limos.

By the time we reach now, most of the GB do not live unusually wealthy lives. They do get to travel at Society expense when they want, and get to stay in the best hotels. All they had to do is give a special talk in the area they are going to. Plus, all of their physical needs are taken care of. They are probably better materially off than most people are, even if they do not "officially" own anything.

However, the drive to sell more magazines, originally put in place to generate profits for the organization, seems to have taken on a mind of its own. JWs eventually equate the organization's prosperity with Jehovah's blessing. The more magazines placed, the more money the Society makes, and this is seen as a sign of Jah's blessing. By the time brothers work their way up to the GB, the mindset may hold so strongly that they will work for the Society's benefit, mistakenly thinking that they are working for Jah.

I am sure some GB members like the power trip or do it because they will be well off materially. I also hear though that many are sincere. The sincere ones probably equate the Society's prosperity with Jah's blessing. Considering that the magazines provided a 500% markup/profit in 1979 (and is probably much higher today), it is no wonder the "preaching work" is so heavily emphasized.

Hope this helps,

Richard

31

confession

by Mulan in

jw
friends

i haven't told this to very many people, so here goes.. when i was a child, my parents became jw's (i was almost 5), so i had celebrated christmas a few times, but have few memories of it, other than the bubble lights, and a huge tree and my grandparent's house.

when we stopped celebrating it, i didn't really "get it", and i still believed in santa claus.

i just thought he didn't come to our house anymore.

Skeptic

Hi, Mulan,

I would recommend that a parent tell their children about Santa. It is the custom of this country and helps them lead a normal life. It adds to their childhood.

My two oldest regret being raised as JWs and not having a normal childhood.

My youngest was raised as a JW for a few years. He was originally told that Santa did not exist, and later was convinced that Santa did. So, he got one Christmas where he believed in Santa.

He figured out that the tooth fairy did not exist by simply leaving a tooth under his pillow and not telling his parents. Similarly, he figured out that Santa does not exist.

I told him this year that Santa does not exist, mainly because he already figured it out, and because at his age, he could be teased. I told him that the whole tooth fairy/Santa thing is really done by the Easter Bunny who has to have something to do the rest of the year. He laughed about that.

I think the best thing to do is abide by the harmless customs of our countries, so our children can have normal, healthy lives.

As for it being a lie, even JWs lie. Read the definition of a Lie in the Insight book. It leaves plenty of room for deception. Even this liberal defintion of a lie allows parents to tell their kids that Santa is real. Who says a three year old is "entitled to know the truth of the matter"?

What is a lie, a fib, a social custom? We generally consider a lie to be bad. But most people will lie when telling a fib, perhaps as part of a prank or to get someone to a surprise baby shower.

Some social customs demand we lie. When I was a loyal JW, a sister asked me, in front of an entire bookstudy group, if she looked like she lost five pounds. The truth is, I thought she had gained five pounds. To be "honest and righteous", I would have crushed her feelings. Instead, I lied. I told her that I agreed. She was pleased. I was just glad I did not hurt her feelings.

Elders have lied to me about why I didn't get certain priviledges. They were trying to spare my feelings.

Even the JW yearbook gives several examples of JWs lying, mostly to "Jehovah's enemies". There are some examples of brothers lying to a CO because it was a custom in that country not to say anything that would make someone feel bad. The example was held out as an interesting experience in the CO work, and nothing was said about the brothers having "lied" to the CO.

Richard

14

Photo shock!

by Marilyn in

jw
friends

my kids recently met my older brother.

they took photo's.

i had forgotten that they'd seen him and i was thumbing thru my daughter's pictures and came across a picture of my brother with my daugher and one with my son.

Skeptic

I just wanted to say hi, Marilyn.

Richard

48

did any of you read the entire bible once...?

by Richie in

jw
friends

just wanted to know if any of you have read the entire bible?

- i remember that it was mentioned in the congregation many times that this would be a requirement that we were to read the bible in its totality at least once and especially as elders!.

i myself never had the time (or energy) to read the scriptures from cover to cover.

Skeptic

I have read the Bible at least five times, and probably double that.

I read it at least twice in a disorganized fashion when I was born-again.

One thing I did like about being a JW was the Bible reading schedule. If you do it daily, it takes about 15 minutes and you read the Bible in about a year and a half. I read the Bible a least 3 times following their schedule.

As for translations, I like the RSV and The Jerusalem Bible. I am not aware of any major flaws with these translations, but I am no expert. I respect that The Jerusalem Bible uses Yahweh in the OT, but not in the NT. This is in keeping with the manuscripts.

Some tips for those who wish to read the Bible all the way through:

RR, is correct, the secret is a schedule. He does about 3 chapters a day; I've heard that five pages a day will cover it in a year.

Keep a copy of the Bible in your rest room. I mean no disrespect here. I learned this as a born-again. My summer job was very demanding and I had no time to read, as I was called away to something if I had five minutes to spare. I found no one distrubed me if I was in the bathroom. So I read my Bible there. It is a habit I kept as a JW, and it works well.

SS/Richard

7

Canadian Chaperons

by Skeptic in

jw
friends

i am amazed at some of the things that jws in the states worry about that canuck jws do not worry about.

chaperones are one area.. i remember reading in the mags that dating couples should have chaperones but have never heard of it being practiced, except in the u.s.. in canada, we figure if you are strong enough in the truth, you don't need a chaperone.

does some hanky-panky happen from time to time?

Skeptic

RunningMan,

It is possible that we know eachother. I lived in Regina for about a year and a half and was in two congs, the Victoria cong and the another cong whose name I forget. I was baptised at an assembly in Saskatoon.

Previously, I went to college in Winnipeg for two years.

My name is known here, I am Richard Nazar. Does that ring any bells?

If you want to, email me...

Richard