i have always maintained that i hold nothing personally against individual witnesses, even those that have actively slandered our name and reputation based on the actions of some individuals.. i have often said that all these ones, (even the ones spreading gossip), are victims of the culture of the organization, and the directions of the gb.. but recently i have been rethinking this, and wonder if ignorance is really an acceptable excuse?.
i mean, with so much information now readily available about the society, its origins, its scandals, issues and conduct, is it simply ok for a witness to remain wilfully ignorant about the organization that dictates every aspect of their lives?.
is ignorance an excuse?.
Hope is a very powerful reason.
Muslim immigrants traveled rough seas by boat in hope of a better life in Greece, or Germany, or some other EU country. They were not ignorant of the possibility of rejection or death. Many were escaping war.
Individual JWs might nurture similar hopes, mistakenly believing that its fulfillment rests only within the walls of an organization.
I suppose, this makes some sense.
i was raised in the religion and for the most part believed that my religion was truth.
i recognized some mistakes were occasionally made but felt that nobody is perfect.
then i smartened up and realized how dumb so many of the beliefs are....was there ever a time that you truly believed you had the "truth"?.
step back and think.
claiming infallibility
Thank you for sharing these phrases of insight.
i'm currently disfellowshipped and living at home with my parents, but because they are both still devout jws i have to keep going to the meetings and crap because i don't want to risk getting thrown out until i finish college or find a job that will let me support myself and go to college.. yesterday, my mother rode with me to the meeting and told me how much my best friend and my oldest sister are missing me, and it just tears me apart because during the meeting i was practically counting the minutes till it was over.
it didn't help matters that i had to sit with my family because the library was closed off, thus forcing me to follow along with the meeting on my tablet instead of reading something useful or interesting like i normally do.. when i got home i just cried out in frustration because it feels like no matter what i do, i am making the wrong choice.
either i have to keep pretending to support an organization that has caused so much pain to so many people, or i have to abandon my family and friends to it so i can save myself.
Thanks, I appreciate having some support through all of this, and I'm just sorry that the average JW will probably never know what kind of people you really are. Instead, they will forever think of you as "wicked apostates" that want to mislead them.
I was already applying some of the practical advice given here, but all the same, I appreciate that you took the effort to relay it. Additionally, it helps me to feel a little more at ease with the plans I already have in place.
These are words of a thinking person with constructive thoughts.
May I say, please try to be of help to your parents where possible...An act of kindness to them, sometimes spontaneous?
I see, as a new person here, people do listen.
hey there.. if this point has been covered before please forgive me.. i have had the principles of noahs flood used by jw's to encourage me to attend meetings recently and this has got me musing about the flood....again.. genesis states that a river flowed from eden and branched out into four rivers, two of which being the tigris and the euphrates.. heres the baffling part; if it had never rained before, how is it that rivers existed before the flood?!!?.
a brief google search tells us that the euphrates begins its journey as snow melt and rain ( as most rivers do) in mountains in turkey.. ecc chapter 1 mentions the water cycle and describes the rivers flowing into the sea but the sea not becoming full.
how did it work pre-flood?
yeah, they must have surely provided a way past those pesky twirling swords at the entrances?
Those swords - real or imaginary - could never do the same "real" damage to humans as the act of massacring millions in the crusades, or dropping bombs from drones.
But if those swords inspired later readers to reflect on consequences of their actions, and choose differently, then those swords are good.
hey there.. if this point has been covered before please forgive me.. i have had the principles of noahs flood used by jw's to encourage me to attend meetings recently and this has got me musing about the flood....again.. genesis states that a river flowed from eden and branched out into four rivers, two of which being the tigris and the euphrates.. heres the baffling part; if it had never rained before, how is it that rivers existed before the flood?!!?.
a brief google search tells us that the euphrates begins its journey as snow melt and rain ( as most rivers do) in mountains in turkey.. ecc chapter 1 mentions the water cycle and describes the rivers flowing into the sea but the sea not becoming full.
how did it work pre-flood?
plural noun: mythologies
1.
a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.
"Ganesa was the god of wisdom and success in Hindu mythology"a set of stories or beliefs about a particular person, institution, or situation, especially when exaggerated or fictitious.
synonyms: myth(s), legend(s), folklore, folk tales, folk stories, lore, tradition"no ancient culture is without its mythology"
Mythology has inspired great art. It gave humans something higher than the physical limitations of our realm, a greater meaning. Myths have their place.
For instance, we call a man Prime Minister or President. What power do they have, if their position is considered meaningless by the army, the population, or those participating in election.
The rivers of Eden have "nurtured" beliefs in civilization. That surely must count for something!
hey there.. if this point has been covered before please forgive me.. i have had the principles of noahs flood used by jw's to encourage me to attend meetings recently and this has got me musing about the flood....again.. genesis states that a river flowed from eden and branched out into four rivers, two of which being the tigris and the euphrates.. heres the baffling part; if it had never rained before, how is it that rivers existed before the flood?!!?.
a brief google search tells us that the euphrates begins its journey as snow melt and rain ( as most rivers do) in mountains in turkey.. ecc chapter 1 mentions the water cycle and describes the rivers flowing into the sea but the sea not becoming full.
how did it work pre-flood?
Depending on what outcome you are after
Interesting choice of words. Very apt in the age of "echo chambers"/"post-truth" on the Internet! Thanks.
in my case; 27 years.
7 of which were as a ministerial serpent ... sorry, i mean 'servant' ;).
Interesting question.
Perhaps, no time is ever wasted...just spent differently from, if given the choice.
hello everyone.. have visited this site several times over the past year or so.. thanks for letting all have an opportunity to interact.. hope that, words uttered result in good - now or later!
that's the wish..
Are you an active JW?
May I refer you and all to the public profile page https://about.me/skditta Links to my social media and site, if anyone wishes.
J will determine If I (a group, or anyone else) is a W.
welcome aboard, namasay.
Thanks. Namaste!
Thanks to the Admin for providing the platform for discussion on this site!
sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.
various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.
i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.
I Would Need in Order to Believe
May I ask, do you wish to believe? Pardon my impertinence! I am new here.
hello everyone.. have visited this site several times over the past year or so.. thanks for letting all have an opportunity to interact.. hope that, words uttered result in good - now or later!
that's the wish..
S K Ditta, are you an active JW? Please tell us about your experiences.
And may I ask the same of you? Thanks.
