Posts by jacobm

17

Is reasoning with a JW the answer?

by Saved_JW in

when i first left the watchtower society, i can remember being very eager to learn new information, especially information which pertained to discrediting the watchtower organization.

i called it "the cage stage" .

this excitement and newfound change in worldview completely rocked my world.

jacobm

@outlaw

I lol'd.

just live a great life, and keep your side of the street clean. they might, just maybe, think: Wow that apostate is so happy and lives a happy & moral life. I wonder why?

32

After 50 years Zealous Service, My Elder Friends goes Inactive

by James Jack in

i asked him what happened.

he said "him and his wife lived a full theocratic life for jehovah.

doing everything the organization and the traveling brothers told them to do, like work part time, regular pioneer, serve where the need is great.

jacobm

Poor people. We know the ORG won't foot the bill for anything.

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

jacobm

Great question, OP!

First off, the WT uses John 6:68 to support saying "where" instead of "whom":

English Standard Version
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

As I am sure other Christians on this board would agree, Jesus is the alternative. This was extremely hard for me to understand until I had not been at JW meetings for at least 8 months. Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life...according to the Bible.

Now, the other point wanted to make is whether or not you will decide to remain a Christian is up to YOU! If you are not sure, then you should 1) Take plenty of time to self-reflect and RELAX and 2) Start reading & researching. Perhaps use the method of Deduction, as well as the study Logic, to first decide whether there is a God at all!

Feel free to read something like Dawkins' book "The God Delusion" and see what that side of the argument has to say. Then, have a look at this Christian Apologetics book: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Have-Enough-Faith-Atheist/dp/1581345615 . Research both sides of the argument! Your first research should likely be related Theism vs Non-Theism (God vs. no God)!

Bottom line, take your time. Don't be run by fear or a need to belong. And for heaven's sake: Don't fall into another cult/cult mindset. As Steven Hassan has written about, there are all sorts of cults! Religious, "scientific", political, business, etc. Oh, and read his book "Combating Cult Mind Control".

Best Wishes!

33

Reminder about language and content

by Simon in

while the vast majority of posts that the majority of posters share are perfectly fine (which we appreciate) i've noticed we have a few cases where bad language, crude innuendo and outright misogyny is creeping in.. this is not acceptable.. we're not certainly not prudish and neither are we going to enforce puritanical rules - sometimes a politically incorrect joke is funny as hell and sometimes strong language is justified.

but often times content is completely out of place and cannot be justified.. so, please don't post crude content or use expletives just to be "shocking".

it's childish and immature and won't be tolerated.. thank you to all the people this has nothing at all to do with..

jacobm

@fayeDunaway

Here is how I see it. Imagine if, during that time in which you were turned off by "apostates", you got into a horrible car wreck (knock on wood) and you still kept your "no-blood card" in your wallet. They respected the "no-blood card" and let you die, right there, on the operating table. Horrible, right?

Well, imagine you had not been turned off by "apostates". Instead, "apostates" showed a loving & kind demeanor toward your objections and questions (like Paul Grundy & others did to me). You started having stronger doubts and, like me, asked for your "no-blood card" from the Elder's files and destroyed the one carried in your wallet (I did this very early on, even though I was still active for about 2 years afterward).

Then, you get into that same accident and your life is saved by a transfusion. You fully wake up, as does your family. Boom! Life saved.

THAT is how important it is we set a good example for lurkers and active JWs. It is a matter of life and death!

Oh, but its just "satire", right? Wrong! We have a responsibility to current JWs and the little children who might end up not being raised in this damn cult, just by us swallowing our pride and being respectful.

7

Where Can I find Jehovah's Witnesses and the Problem of Mental Illness Without Paying $100+?

by jacobm in

jw
friends

any cheaper ways of getting a copy?

i won't want to steal.

jacobm

Any cheaper ways of getting a copy? I won't want to steal.

26

More Ant-Evolution BS in this months JW Broadcast Program

by ttdtt in

so at around the 46 min mark - the are talking to this guy from ukraine who was a zoologist.. he talks about how he was a staunch evolutionist (who wasn't able to prove evolution to himself, by the way).

then when he studied nature through the lens of evolution - he found that nature contradicted evolution.. his big point came when he said - "imagine emptying a box of letter blocks on a table, and the encyclopedia britannica appears, or could a computer program come by chance.

so who could dna come by chance.".

jacobm

@cofty

You said:

A few days ago you asked a question about macro-evolution.

A few of us took time to answer it. You have yet to acknowledge or say thank you. Maybe take a look at your own attitude before you lecture others.

I would have eventually gave a big thank you. But since you brought it to my attention, I did it earlier than usual.

33

Reminder about language and content

by Simon in

while the vast majority of posts that the majority of posters share are perfectly fine (which we appreciate) i've noticed we have a few cases where bad language, crude innuendo and outright misogyny is creeping in.. this is not acceptable.. we're not certainly not prudish and neither are we going to enforce puritanical rules - sometimes a politically incorrect joke is funny as hell and sometimes strong language is justified.

but often times content is completely out of place and cannot be justified.. so, please don't post crude content or use expletives just to be "shocking".

it's childish and immature and won't be tolerated.. thank you to all the people this has nothing at all to do with..

jacobm

Thanks, skedaddle.

20

A Sincere Question Regarding Macroevolution

by jacobm in

jw
friends

i have a sincere question related to macroevolution:.

microevolution happens on a small scale (within a single population), while macroevolution happens on a scale that transcends the boundaries of a single species.

despite their differences, evolution at both of these levels relies on the same, established mechanisms of evolutionary change:.

jacobm

Thanks for everyone's responses!

33

Reminder about language and content

by Simon in

while the vast majority of posts that the majority of posters share are perfectly fine (which we appreciate) i've noticed we have a few cases where bad language, crude innuendo and outright misogyny is creeping in.. this is not acceptable.. we're not certainly not prudish and neither are we going to enforce puritanical rules - sometimes a politically incorrect joke is funny as hell and sometimes strong language is justified.

but often times content is completely out of place and cannot be justified.. so, please don't post crude content or use expletives just to be "shocking".

it's childish and immature and won't be tolerated.. thank you to all the people this has nothing at all to do with..

jacobm

Thanks, Simon:

Lurking/inactive JWs come here all the time. If they are scared, like I first was, and they see posts/replies that only reinforce what they have been told about "apostates", are we not actually helping the WT?

After all, they are told constantly that "apostates" are obsessed with arguing, lying, misleading, being rude, etc. If we can be nothing but the exact opposite of what the WT says we are on here, we are doing good.

We should really think about how grateful we are for the people on these forums who set a good example and, therefore, allowed us to lower our guard for a while, to let facts inside our heads.

Remember, this is all about recovery from JW.

26

More Ant-Evolution BS in this months JW Broadcast Program

by ttdtt in

so at around the 46 min mark - the are talking to this guy from ukraine who was a zoologist.. he talks about how he was a staunch evolutionist (who wasn't able to prove evolution to himself, by the way).

then when he studied nature through the lens of evolution - he found that nature contradicted evolution.. his big point came when he said - "imagine emptying a box of letter blocks on a table, and the encyclopedia britannica appears, or could a computer program come by chance.

so who could dna come by chance.".

jacobm

@ Finkelstein:

It is so sad to see you resort to that Jesus face palm meme. It makes me wonder if you were the type of JW who made fun of/were rude to "unbelievers" as well.

It is even more sad to see that type of expression allowed here. Whew, I remember the good ol' days of this forum. Sad that they are gone.

I consider that type of expression far below ones used by truly intellectual men & women.