Posts by scratchme1010

21

Shunning: Extreme apathy!

by StephaneLaliberte in

i thought i'd share this one with the group.

many years ago, my mom was disfellowshipped.

then, my sister passed away in a car accident, she was fairly young, as she was in her early 20s.

scratchme1010

In all honesty, this has been one of the most excruciating experiences of my life.

No kidding. I'm so sorry to hear that. How is it now?

20

yesterday’s watchtower talked about how by becoming a jw it enabled “worldly” people to ‘strip off the old personality’ and make really significantly good changes in their life.. paragraph named 4 individuals (anonymous names of course and probably embellished tales)) sakura, ribeiro, stephen, and hans.

their lives changed for the good because they found god or because they became jw’s---right?.

so on the way home from this wt meeting, my wife commented to me how wonderful our brotherhood is and how it helps people who would otherwise be ‘lost’ n this world.

scratchme1010

...these types of success stories are not unique to jw’s. All religions and other organizations, such as AA, have the same types of experiences. She went silent but I could see that she heard what I said.

That is absolutely true. There are plenty of other places, events and religions that can help and/or inspire people to make positive changes in their lives.

Most importantly is that in the case of the JWs, you never hear any follow up to those stories. I remember way back when they published this ridiculous story about a gay man who stopped being gay after becoming a JW. That story was constantly used against every LGBT JW person to show them that it's possible to change one's sexual orientation.

However, I did my own research and found that the person in that story got disfellowshipped after his story came out, and guess why he was disfellowshipped?

There never is a follow up to those so-called success stories, mostly because part 2 of those people's lives may not be as great as they claim.

18

The Ever-Changing Song Book

by Cimarrona in

the songs in the old brown song book were way better than these new ones.

had they not changed the songs, i may never have left (halfway joking).

they gave no feeling, no soul (but of course there's no such thing as soul or whatever)!

scratchme1010

Brown song book? I actually remember the old Pink song book!!!!

Yes, there was one before the pink.

7

Shunning Unbiblical

by maccauk in

the word shunning is an old english word which has not history pre 18th century.

the practice of avoiding, hiding,ignore or reject was used in the bible against another according to the law.

the law was still in force up until the consumation of the age when jerusalem, the temple, the old covenants were all destroyed forever and when the messiah came back for his elect with the resurrected at the same time.

scratchme1010

Who cares.

27

''This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth FULL STOP''- Matthew 24:14. JW ORG

by ThomasCovenant in

hi.

only just noticed on the jw borg home page that matt 24:14 is quoted with a full stop instead of a comma after the word earth then the closing quotation marks.. isn't that incorrect?.

scratchme1010

It'll be interesting to learn a little more about ancient Greek punctuation. That's the only way to know about a comma or a period.

I'm neutral about the meaning and writing of the original text, but very clear about that nonsense having no meaning today.

36

is armageddon starting ?

by stan livedeath in

the sky is so dark here in the south of the uk.

could be armageddon starting.. or then it could be dust particles in the atmosphere..

scratchme1010

is armageddon starting ?

No, and it never will.

18

Being Disfellowshipped + On-Going Cycle of Depression

by Cimarrona in

i've been disfellowshipped for six years, since i was 18. i struggle with depression and self-destructive habits (minor in comparison to the suicides, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior of others i've grown up with who have left or were too afraid to leave).

i'm fairly successful for my age - respected in my field, i have an extensive curriculum vitae of published writing, presentations, and other projects.

yet, i often feel worthless and unloveable.

scratchme1010

I really want to get out of this loop, but I feel stuck. I'm currently in search of a therapist. In the meantime... What has helped you guys?

First, something that helps is what you're just doing, that is, reaching out. I'm glad that you posted this. This is something that can help.

Second, probably it's a good idea to check if your depression is medical in nature. I'd suggest to rule out any chemical imbalances, and visit a mental health doctor than can help you determine if you may need medication for it.

Regardless of the source of it (medical or not), probably a good counselor, maybe one that specializes in mental health for people who have been to groups like the JWs, or one that specializes in depression, could help sort things out.

I think it's important to get the opinion of a medical doctor that knows about depression. You may be experiencing something that may be out of your control and not necessarily related to your past.

Please keep us posted.

39

"Deficit" at JW Assembly

by cookiemaster in

i've recently been at an assembly here in romania and there was an announced they were running a 10,000 euro deficit and urging all attendees to donate more money besides the already 5k has was donated during that day.

i really don't understand these things.

it's their own assembly hall.

scratchme1010

How are they running these huge "deficits"?

Because on one hand they like money, and on the other they forbid their people to make money. Stupidest thing ever.

10

Excellent YouTube channel

by Are you serious in

a few days ago, thanks to someone's post on here (sorry i forgot who it was), i found an awesome youtube channel called theramintrees.

the videos this guy has made are amazing!

i'm sure others here have seen some of his videos.

scratchme1010

Looks very educational. I'll explore it. Thanks for sharing.

21

It's Going Down: The Family Is About to Go to War Over... Halloween Decorations.

by Sorry in

yup, you read right.

despite other personal turmoil that needs to be addressed, my family has decided to go nuts over halloween decorations being "too close" to our yard.

a new family just moved in next door; their kids are super young.

scratchme1010

My mom had a better idea: go cause a big mess at the Homeowners Association like she normally does. Then she was going to print of some literature and leave it at their porch. I know JWs were nuts, but it's really come to this?
I got the popcorn out...

You know that kind of neighbors are the ones that end up being featured in the Investigation Discovery network. Just sayin'.