Posts by EdenOne

24

would it have been different if we knew why?

by sowhatnow in

i always took issue with the idea of no one knowing why a person got df.. i know im not alone.. i complained to my mother about this when i was younger, explaining that how do we know what it is that gets a person df if no one knows what they did?

my moms answer was , .

'if people knew a persons personal faults and what they did , others would not be so forgiving when they were reinstated, because we'd always view them with that view, so in other words, if when so n so, committed fornication, and the whole cong would know it, if they announced from the platform then his/her reputation would be permanently stained' .

EdenOne

I think the GB took a lesson from the Olin Moyle case and know better than to go on public and acuse someone of some wrongdoing, real or not. They know such behavior can turn against themselves and be taken to court and won by the DF person. That's why they don't state the reasons publicly. I actually agree that it shouldn't be publicized, so to avoid adding unecessary stigma to an already unpleasant situation.

Of course, the rumour mill is the drawback of this situation. I wasn't DF'd but after my JC I stopped attending meetings. Those close to me know that the reason for the JC was an allegation of apostasy. However, gossip going around has it that I've been attending meetings of another religious group! How insane is that?

Eden

17

A whole decade?

by Caedes in

jw
friends

according to the new software i have been here for ten years.

should i be getting parole around now?

doesn't time fly when you are having fun!

EdenOne

Hey, no molestation of kitties allowed!

13

WALKING DEAD fans - Was that a JW at the very end of the latest episode?

by Zoos in

did you see the last episode?

that nicely dressed, freshly-shaven young man that came out from behind the trees at the very end and said:.

i didn't mean to interrupt.

EdenOne

I he was a JW he would have immediately placed a brochure "Is There Hope For The Dead?", because ... ermm... they're all dead!!!

I won't spoil too much, but apparently Aaron in one of the 'good guys'. But he could NEVER be a JW, for reasons you'll find out soon enough.

Love the show, btw!

Eden

4

I'm Going to Regular Pioneer.....................

by The Searcher in

.........................as soon as any fellow witness can -.

a) provide just one bible verse that proves jesus personally selected anyone in 1919 - let alone j.f.

rutherford & co. - as his "faithful slave".

EdenOne

*...............crickets ....................*

2

Anthem for those who yearn to leave the Org

by EdenOne in

http://youtu.be/auwkfvru8v8.

excerpt from muse's "explorers".

free mefree mefree me from this worldwe don't belong hereit was a mistake imprisoning our soulscan you free mefree me from this worldfree mei'll free youfree us from this worldwe don't belong hereit was a mistake imprisoning our soulscan you free mefree me from this worldrunning around in circles feeling cagedby endless rulescan you free me, free me from this worldgo to sleep.

EdenOne

http://youtu.be/AuwKfVrU8V8

Excerpt from Muse's "Explorers"

Free me
Free me
Free me from this world
We don't belong here
It was a mistake imprisoning our souls
Can you free me
Free me from this world

Free me
I'll free you
Free us from this world
We don't belong here
It was a mistake imprisoning our souls
Can you free me
Free me from this world

Running around in circles feeling caged
By endless rules
Can you free me, free me from this world

Go to sleep

56

PBS program

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

watching the pbs program as i write...........

EdenOne

Nothing I've heard is truly novel, but this is a breakthrough for the broader audience who has no idea of the situation and inner workings of Jehovah's Witnesses organization. I expect some shock waves, but until a major news station ( Fox, CBS, CNN, NBC...) picks it up, the effect will be limited and the WTS will try to whistle away and pretend they don't have a problem.

This needs to be pushed further. In any case, well done!

Eden

46

What comforts you when you no longer believe in a ressurrection ?

by EdenOne in

our family just lost someone dear and very close, a faithful jw.

as we went through the entire funeral services and meeting long time brothers and sisters, who in general have been very kind and warm towards us, we realize that the hope of resurrection is a meaningless utopia for us, like a fairytale for little children.

we don't have faith in it anymore, and serves us of no comfort.

EdenOne

Thank you MissFit. And, Scully, how right you are! The "hope of resurrection" is often used as a form of psychological blackmail to keep you in, or at least mentally tied to the JW beliefs, because you don't want to risk letting down your loved ones who expect to see you again when they resurrect. We've heard a lot of those expressions over the past few days, and it just felt sickening.

The funny thing behind this apparently emotionally loaded argument is how cold and judgmental this reasoning is: The person who says: "What will I tell your mother when she resurrects and you're not there?" - is already ruling that: a) He/she will definitely be resurrected, while b) You definitely won't be resurrected. I suppose such person disregards Jesus' own teaching: "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned" - Luke 6:37

Eden

46

What comforts you when you no longer believe in a ressurrection ?

by EdenOne in

our family just lost someone dear and very close, a faithful jw.

as we went through the entire funeral services and meeting long time brothers and sisters, who in general have been very kind and warm towards us, we realize that the hope of resurrection is a meaningless utopia for us, like a fairytale for little children.

we don't have faith in it anymore, and serves us of no comfort.

EdenOne

Thank you. It's actually harder for my wife, as it was her mother. But in fact she was the best mother-in-law I could ever have hoped to have. A true force of nature, an example of bravery, long-suffering through a slow killer disease.

Eden

45

"Whilst the bible is important, the Watchtower is God's main way of communicating with people today"

by stuckinarut2 in

yes, i'm not kidding!.

this gem was stated today in the talk!

(shortly before i walked out).

EdenOne

Unless we see hard evidence in print, it's dangerous to think of it as anything more than a speaker trying to impress his audience by stating something "shocking" out of his own head. We all know the WTS grooms its most fanatical followers to think that way, but would they be so stupid to actually lay it down in writing like that ...?

Eden

52

The beginning of the end for shunning?

by Saltheart Foamfollower in

the borg seem to prepare for changes by missing explanations out for a while then presenting a "new understanding" which doesn't contradict the most recent discussion.check out the most recent references to gog - no identification as satan.. in today's wt study, paragraph 15 concerning benefitting from the prodigal son stated "if we meet a person who has strayed from the congregation, will we offer loving and practical help to assist him to return?

" there is no footnote or other qualifier saying not to go to disfellowshipped ones (who are definitely the ones being talked about) which is still the official policy.

i know this isn't an ending to shunning, but it may signal the start of the preparation for a change.

EdenOne

The "stray" are those who became inactive due to life events and also those who once were unbaptized publishers or studied the bible with the Witnesses. Those are potential (re)converts. The instruction on the WT definetively doesn't apply to willing faders nor disfellowshipped ones, especially apostates. Those are to be avoided like the plague.

Eden