Posts by jp1692

119

Do I have to believe in Jesus to be saved?

by unsure in

do i have to believe in jesus to be saved?.

i was raised as a jehovah's witness.

i was born in.

jp1692

@Unsure, is that really what you want to base your life on, some "new light" version of God [that] is more passable than some other versions?

8

Imagine if Jw ran schools ?

by Chook in

after learning the alphabet no other education required.

history would be distorted, science rejected.

i'm surprised that gb didn't realise there is big money in education, big tony could be the professor of bullshit..

jp1692

They do:

Theocratic Ministry School
Pioneer School
Kingdom Ministry School for elders

In every case you have completely unqualified people attempting to train and "teach" others. All they really are is indoctrination sessions.

Children must be taught how to think, not what to think. - Margaret Mead

119

Do I have to believe in Jesus to be saved?

by unsure in

do i have to believe in jesus to be saved?.

i was raised as a jehovah's witness.

i was born in.

jp1692

Unsure: One thing I think the JWs did right was their refinement of the sheep and the goats.

Why do you refer to the WTBTS having a wrong teaching and then changing it a "refinement"?

Do you understand how that term avoids accountability and a direct admission of error? Do you know what doublespeak is?

Did you notice that you referred to JWs which is the religion as a whole and I referred to the WTBTS meaning the leadership that makes and changes doctrine? Do you understand the difference and why it is an important distinction?

I understand these questions might make you uncomfortable which is exactly why it is important you consider the answers--and your emotions--carefully.

119

Do I have to believe in Jesus to be saved?

by unsure in

do i have to believe in jesus to be saved?.

i was raised as a jehovah's witness.

i was born in.

jp1692

The belief that anyone needs to be "saved" is a false premise. It simply isn't true. No one needs "saving." This is a theological lie designed to manipulate and control people.

Imagine for a moment how different your life would be if you didn't believe that, if you never even heard that.

Being human is a challenging proposition, to be sure. We are all conscious (to a greater or lesser degree) of our flaws, fears and neuroses. Religions offer easy answers, but they are not based on reality and only add delusions and paranoia to our list of problems thereby compounding them.

To be a spiritual but not religious person is challenging. It requires us to find our own answers and our own meaning. But it does free us from the illusory burdens of guilt and shame which are based upon false beliefs such as the one that we need "saving," and that only a supernatural, invisible being can grant us that ... at some undefined point in the future but conveniently via this religion or that. In the meantime there is always the underlying fear that nothing you do is ever good enough and just one false step, one mistake or moment of weakness can cause you to lose out on everlasting life, maybe even suffering eternal torment.

But again, none of that is true. Those are more religious lies designed to manipulate and control you. Don't believe them and see how your life changes.

We are only alive now at this precise moment. We only have now. The past is gone and the future is guaranteed to no one. Do not let anyone take your present away from you by telling you lies and holding out false promises--promises which they have no power to deliver.

23

Did a current or ex-JW help you to awaken?

by TweetieBird in

jw
friends

was there something that was said to you that got the wheel turning in your brain, that caused you to start waking up to ttatt, either by a jw or ex-jw that you didn't know was awake?

i'm trying to think of things i can say or ask of my current family members still in that may help them to start seeing the real truth about the organization.

they think we're still in..

jp1692

Yes, all the then-current JWs that were controlling, manipulative hypocrites. Stephen Lett was a big factor in my awakening. His convention talks convinced me that there was no way in hell that God was using these idiots for anything.

I'm sure that's NOT the answer you were looking for, but it's the truth. The fact is that most people do not leave a cult because of any particular doctrinal reason, but because of mistreatment and hypocrisy on the part of their fellow cult members, especially those in positions of authority.

81

Gerrit Losch Claims JW's Attending College Are Spiritually Weak

by pale.emperor in

https://www.facebook.com/jw.0027/videos/799049613609936/.

the video was posted directly to a pro-jw facebook page.

i cant believe what i'm hearing... actually, nothing surprises be about this cult anymore.. didn't they say to the judge in the arc that they dont discourage college?.

jp1692

That may be true JD, but it is missing the point of this thread.

It's not just about money or status. That is the cult's thinking. That's what they told you to think.

BTW, have you noticed that several times you have used the WT's favorite weasel words phrase "a number of ...."?

85

Are you a Christian Who Accepts Evolution?

by cofty in

if you identify as a christian but you have accepted that the diversity of life - including humans - resulted from a process of biological evolution could you add your name please?.

just to be clear i am referring to the fact that our physical lineage could literally be traced back all the way to non-human species.. if you like maybe you could comment on why you see not conflict between evolution and your christian faith.. there is a tendency to conflate evolution with atheism.

it would be good to show that this is not the case..

jp1692

Saename: Neanderthals are not our ancestors.

What does it mean to be human (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History):

"Neanderthals have contributed approximately 1-4% of the genomes of non-African modern humans, although a modern human who lived about 40,000 years ago has been found to have between 6-9% Neanderthal DNA (Fu et al 2015). The evidence we have of Neanderthal-modern human interbreeding sheds light on the expansion of modern humans out of Africa." - (Click the link above to read the full article)

81

Gerrit Losch Claims JW's Attending College Are Spiritually Weak

by pale.emperor in

https://www.facebook.com/jw.0027/videos/799049613609936/.

the video was posted directly to a pro-jw facebook page.

i cant believe what i'm hearing... actually, nothing surprises be about this cult anymore.. didn't they say to the judge in the arc that they dont discourage college?.

jp1692

JD: a number of people here think that College is a guarantee of a good job.

Who thinks that?

It's not a guarantee, but it does improve the odds. Consider these statistics from the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics:

But the main point here is personal choice, autonomy and locus of control.

The GB misfits have more than a century long history of claiming to be something they clearly are not, promising things they can't deliver and ridiculing those that choose to live their own lives and ignore the the misguided "advice" of ignorant free-loaders like Lösch.

81

Gerrit Losch Claims JW's Attending College Are Spiritually Weak

by pale.emperor in

https://www.facebook.com/jw.0027/videos/799049613609936/.

the video was posted directly to a pro-jw facebook page.

i cant believe what i'm hearing... actually, nothing surprises be about this cult anymore.. didn't they say to the judge in the arc that they dont discourage college?.

jp1692

John Davis, no one here is saying EVERYONE should go to college.

What we are saying is that it is wrong for the WT leadership to say that NO ONE should go, misusing their religious authority to control and manipulate people, adversely affecting the lives of all of their members: needlessly limiting choices for those that listen to them and ridiculing and socially stigmatizing those that don't.

12

Recovery From The Jehovah's Witnesses - A Guide

by pale.emperor in

hey guys.

a friend online asked me about my recovery and how i managed to recover relatively easily from watchtower indoctrination.

although i think a major part of it is acquainting oneself with information about the watchtower and it's history, a lot of it (for me at least) was an inner game.

jp1692

Well done, Pale Emperor!

There are many pathways to healing and rebuilding one'a life after being in and leaving a cult.

Thank you for sharing some of the things you have learned from your journey!

JP