Posts by TheLiberator

54

God's Word and Modern Man

by TheLiberator in

i have drawn the conclusion that when god speaks, he is using the language and the concepts of the time.

he is not revealing a new scientific understanding when he speaks.

that would be distracting from the point being made.

I have drawn the conclusion that when God speaks, he is using the language and the concepts of the time. He is not revealing a new scientific understanding when he speaks. That would be distracting from the point being made. Hence, we read of earth as having a foundation or the pillars of the heavens. How would he speak to researchers and scientists of more recent times? Here's a few.

Stephen Hawking : "Where were you when I suspended the darkness itself among the strings of the heavens? Tell me, if you do have understanding."

And to Georges Lemaître: "Whose hand placed the the very particles of the earth from it's beginning? Will the earth itself say, "I appeared out of nothingness"?

Concerning the Steady State Theory: "Like the stars of the heavens whose life is from everlasting, so will my blessings be to those seeking my face."

To Hubble: "Like stars drifting from there days of origin , so my people have left me in order to raise up idols for themselves."

To Einstein: "You who say, "Will God be a refuge for us?" Do not fear. Just like the days of old, will my word prove to be. Woe to the one who is asking, "Does God play dice?"

To Darwin: "Will an upright man look into the face of a wild chimp itself and say, "You are my master"? Yet, that is what you men have done. Thus, like a zookeeper, I myself shall release the wild monkeys from there habitats. They shall indeed put you men to death. Your women and your children will be taken captive, and you will indeed call him master."😄

25

Raising kids in a split faith household

by rathernotsay in

jw
friends

hi guys, don't know if this is the right place to ask but id like to hear other peoples experiences with raising kids in a household with split faiths.

just for a bit of a back story, my wife and i have been married for comming up 6 years.

we have 3 kids, 2 boys aged 5 and 3 and a 8 week old girl.

TheLiberator

I know this is not comforting. I am in the same position with two children we adopted. For me, it is a two edged sword. I hate to say this, but the youngest boy would be unbearable if he didn't have the strict control and his mom taking care of that end of things. Family life is quite manageable right now. Because my mom has stopped talking to me, I often will ask the kids when the opportunity arises, "How would you feel if your mom stopped talking to you? It wouldn't be loving would it? Well, your grandma stopped talking to me because I am not a Jehovah's witness. But I will always talk to you, because the Bible tells us to show love."

But now, I worry that while things are calm now, (sorry, this is due to the cult), how will they feel later when they discover why dad is not a witness? I fear that they will despise there mom. One reason for that, is that I feel that my wife knows that I am not messed up. I have shared TTATT in the very early part of my departure. So, my plan is to ask her, "how will she feel when the kids learn what I know later down the road? You may be sincere, but kids will not see it that way. Do you want them to harbor bad feelings towards you?"

I am sorry that I am a straight shooter in my approach. That is not the way for some. But the pain will come now or later. I would rather get it over with. And while it would be nice to get the kids out now while they are still little, some things you can't control. Worrying will not fix it. But if you get them out later as teenagers, that is better than nothing. I know my 20 year old is very happy I saved him at 19.

I wanted to add, that I don't feel, regardless of what I believe, that simply showing the kids science and evolution will change things. Many kids will not connect the dots. Simply, because these things are "bad". But kids do see hypocrisy. They understand concepts of love. They do know what a lie is in the context of the organization.

160

Beliefs About What Caused the Universe

by Perry in

the universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.

whatever begins to exist had a cause.

therefore the universe had a cause.

TheLiberator

Hi Perry. I was just reading some newer articles.

http://m.phys.org/news/2015-02-big-quantum-equation-universe.html

http://earthsky.org/space/what-if-the-universe-had-no-beginning

Not saying it is true. Just ironic.

160

Beliefs About What Caused the Universe

by Perry in

the universe can be observed to be expanding.. an expanding universe must have had a beginning.

whatever begins to exist had a cause.

therefore the universe had a cause.

TheLiberator

Interestingly, if you go online, some are starting to think the universe always existed. "This is exciting, what a great way to get rid of God!" Maybe I should translate that a little different:

Psalm: 2:3. "Let's break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us."

Anyway, what is ironic, is that we hear all the drones say, "Who created God?"

So we can say that the universe always existed. Umm...we don't have a problem with that.... Ummm....but "Who created God?"...umm...hmmm...yeah...ok

29

Where did Jehovah go ?

by Deleteandrestart in

for the many years i was mentally " in " the congregation, i equated the organisation as interchangeable with the persona of jehovah, in effect whatever the organisation said or thought, that was what jehovah thought and that was what jehovah said.... it was that simple.

so when i found out the ttatt and the cynical moves of the organisation over the years,including 1975 , the donation arrangements, the united nations, etc i was devastated and thought " where's jehovah in all of this?".

the god who i'd poured my heart out to on many occasions and who i thought was silently listening and hearing my pleas ..... was not there , .

TheLiberator

2 Corinthians: 13:5: "Test your own selves, whether you are in the faith. Test your own selves. Or don't you know as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified."

When you leave the organization, it becomes a huge test. Did you really have faith in God and his word? Or was your faith really in the organization?

Many have found, (and you can almost point these individuals out) , that there faith was misplaced. There basis for faith was "the worldwide brotherhood", "preaching work", "evidence of last days", "unity", among other Watchtower "visible" nonsense.

As one person said, the Watchtower screams day and night. But the Bible sits alone quietly on the shelf. So easy to ignore. For me personally, it truly was a test. It takes time and patience. But it allowed me to study and reflect deeply. No matter what subject I studied online however, one thing would not go away. It was this:

Isaiah: 30:21: "and when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way. Walk in it."

I could not ignore that voice. Rather than abandoning me, I learned that Yahweh is NOT my friend. Rather, Jesus revealed the father. I am his child. (The Watchtower tried to deny this relationship). That relationship changes everything. I never call him by name. At least when I'm directing my prayers to him.

Also, in the Watchtower, you never knew Christ. They didn't want you to give him too much attention. But now Christ is EVERYTHING. Mark: 9:7: "A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Also, Philippians: 2:10: "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth..."

By allowing Christ in my life, and learning my true relationship with God, I have moved on from turmoil to a true peace of mind. I have never experienced Christ's words until now. Matthew: 11: 28-30: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

So, where is Yahweh?

Acts: 17. 27: "that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us."

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?

TheLiberator

Formerbrorher, do you remember these words from a Watchtower? 7/15 page 11.

We also love theorganization that Jehovah uses to teach uswonderful truths. It was Jehovah’s organization that taught us about Jehovah’s name and what it means, his purpose for the earth, what happens to us when we die, and the hope of the resurrection. Do you remember how happy you were when you first learned these and other truths? Then do not allow the lies from false teachers to turn you against the organization that taught you thesetruths.—John 6:66-69

Well, my friend, this was one big propaganda lie. See below. Same group.

http://www.scatteredbrethren.org

http://www.focusonthekingdom.org

64

Were you beaten as a child?

by purrpurr in

i've been confronting my mother with her dubious parenting skills (abuse) of me as a child.

particularly the beatings i would get with the wooden spoon.

not a light smack but hitting me as hard as she could for as long as she could.

TheLiberator

Of course.

Ages 1-4. Hand

Ages 5-6. Tupperware spoon

Ages 6-15. Leather belt, tree branches, forced to stand on knees in the middle of room for hour or more (otherwise you were beaten with leather belt until welts or blood appeared)

Attempted to throw you down a dark basement. Forced to do unusual chores like wax washers, dryers, etc. (otherwise, see above)

Screaming so loud you could hear him almost a block away. Hmm..anything else? Oh, one more thing. Bad= spilling tea on table at dinner.

Oh the joys of theocratic life! I did speak with elders due to beating my toddler sister and screaming at my 8 month old brother in the middle of the night. I was told that I needed to respect my dad.

12

The Freedom to Learn

by TheLiberator in

since i have left the watchtower's dung behind, reading and learning has accelerated at an unbelievable pace for me.

i am sure that is true for most here.

i have always been a big time reader.

TheLiberator

As my post stated, I am still a Christian. My fairh has been strengthen. When you are a Watchtower slave, no need to look anywhere else. My point being, that this place has simplified things as far as what to research. It is so easy to get swept up into naturalism, which is different than science. But when you peel back and dig through what has been accepted by pop culture, you find quite a different story. Even I had never heard of the Jesus/Horus story. Now I literally laugh. Bart Ehrman is another one. By means of careful words he misleads people to draw a conclusion that simply isn't true. It might be technically true, but that is where the devil is. That is the pattern I see when it comes to many lines of thought. Technically true, but not the whole story and that includes the points Cofty has outlined. People go out of the way, spending there whole lives trying to disprove a Creator and the Bible. That speaks volumes. Christianity is such an evidence based faith like no other. I feel it is the most reasonable of the worldviews. What I am finding, is that studying these things has lead to using critical thinking skills on a higher level, due to what I said about pop culture. No need to be fearful of studying any subject. If a person wants to, they can shut out all the"noise" that we are bombarded with, and draw the same conclusion. The Watchtower never gave me the faith I have today.

7

Moment of awakening?

by Freeandclear in

i just recalled something from my past that i've not thought about in a very long time, but it did have a significant impact on me whether i knew it or not at the time....... i have a sister who was born when i was 15. my family are not jw's thank the universe!

but me as an uberdub at the time convinced my young sister to have a study.

she was about 14 or 15 at the time i'd guess.

TheLiberator

I enjoyed the program "The Amish", on the Discovery Channel. I loved how the one man assisted them to escape. It really captured how there world was the only world they knew. It was always a passing thought for me, about how perhaps I was in a similar situation. "Maybe I can't see beyond the umbrella. Maybe I haven't really experienced life. Maybe my reality is not reality." I would quickly dismiss this idea, thinking that our situation is different. However, every time I watched that show, the same thought would come to mind.

That thought, more than I realise, actually planted a deep seed. And when I finally woke up, that program came to mind.

14

what era do you feel like your starting out from?

by sowhatnow in

jw
friends

anyone else feel like they were just woke up from a long coma?

or emerged from a time capsule?.

i mean seriously, its rather creepy and disturbing , some of us are at sea without a compass .. like an orphan, like someone said, , heres a birth certificate go find yourself.

TheLiberator

I agree with the catch up thing. I try not to over think it. To say I never experienced life at all, is just not true. Even though I may feel that way at times.

Yes, when I left my heart to stone. It was the darkest time of my life. Didn't know what to think or feel. My former friends abandoned me. My mom stopped seeing and talking to me. Was unsure of my wife and kids reaction. I was heart broken. Then, a scripture came to mind. I forgot the exact details other than a blind man being thrown out of the synagogue. So I looked it up. Here is what it says. I felt Jesus was speaking to me. Afterall, he knows the motivations as to why I left.
John: 9: 34-37: They answered him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?" They threw him out. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you."
Jesus heard he was thrown out. This was important to Jesus. That is why he sought out the man. He knew the heart of the man. That was the beginning of my spiritual journey out of the Watchtower. I do not feel lost anymore. Psalm: 26:12- "My foot stands in an even place. In the congregations I will bless Yahweh."