EdenOne

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Posts by EdenOne

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  38

  Which of you readers are being shunned by their relatives / friends ?

  by stan livedeath in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  a simple " me" if you dont want to say more--or a short explanation about who is shunning you and how long has this been going on.. i'll set the ball rolling: my daughter--her husband and children; my younger son --no contact from them for 40 years...because i left their religion.. (edit--i just noticed the typo in the header--if should be of ).

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  EdenOne

  Those who chose to shun me aren't my "friends" anymore. It's quite simple. If and when they decide it was a mistake, then it's my choice if I still think they're worthy of being my "friends". That hasn't happened yet and I'm not holding my breath.
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  59

  Why isn't this forum growing like reddit exjw??

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  admittedly it 90% crap over there but still they are up to 80k in subscribers.

  over here it's the same half dozen or so that posts something, including myself.

  why is that?.

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  EdenOne

  I drastically reduced my participation here because: a) I'making a deliberate effort to keep the JW religion a very small part of my daily concerns, i.e., moving on to other more worthy concerns; and b) for a good while this forum spiraled down into a bigoted trumpist s**tshow. I really don't mind political discussion, but needs to be civil, which hasn't been the case. And adding c) this endless ongoing trashing (well deserved anyway) of that other ex-JW activist is already too long and frankly very tiring.
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  32

  Kneel before me, for I am an ... Activist!

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i thought it was just me that had a negative view of people who proclaim themselves to be activists.. but no, it seems i'm not alone!.

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  EdenOne

  I still believe that giving our contribution to make this world a better place by limiting the damage caused by the Watchtower Society is a worthy effort.

  However, It's not a more honorable cause than supporting your family, care for your loved ones, care for your community, the environment, improving your personality, your life, your skills, etc.

  It's just one among many worthy things you can chose to do with your time - making sure that the greater things have priority. Anti-Watchtower activism shouldn't be a priority in someone's life - because if it is, they win.
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  24

  Family division

  by joao in

  1. social
  2. family

  the worst part of my experience of getting rid of the shackles of wt is not the shunning.

  i can live with that.

  if people don't want to talk to me, there are many more who do!

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  EdenOne

  Olá João!

  It sucks, for sure. My own marriage was on the rocks for a while as my wife struggled with the idea of me (and my son) distancing ourselves from "the truth" while she tried to hold on to her beliefs as much as she could.

  She had mixed days. Sometimes she would seem to listen to our criticism of the Watchtower, then something would trigger her and she would go ballistic and in full defense mode.

  Our marriage was on the rocks for a while, when I feared that she might well choose the religion over her marriage. People in high places in Bethel in Alcabideche told her in no uncertain terms that she should consider a biblical separation because I, as an apostate, under my laid back surface, was just a monster in disguise, kind of a ware wolf that may turn under the moonlight.

  I decided that no amount of words and "proof" would get results; I just would be the best person I could be for her, and braced myself for a long, 'cold war' marriage, that someday might end up in a split of her initiative.

  Fortunately, being patient and loving paid off because my wife saw the light by herself, and reached her own conclusions by connecting the dots after stumbling on Barbara Anderson's website. Maybe it was hearing it from a woman's voice, maybe it was the child sex abuse that ticked her ... in any case, she made the best decision one fine morning and just told it to a dumbfounded husband.

  João, if you love your wife and I'm sure you do, just be patient and give her some room to breathe. In time her eyes will start seeing the cracks on the surface of the WT. Brace yourself for the 'winter', hoping that spring comes next.
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  71

  Wrong Religion

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  we brainstormed a while back on this forum and pooled our knowledge on how to recognize false religion.

  i think the list is worth reviewing and adding to if possible.

  please feel free to correct and or add insights of your own to this list:.

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  EdenOne

  You're not really being intellectually honest until you dare to question the merits of religion, spirituality, theism and the reliability of the Bible. Like Cofty used to say, you haven't done your homework yet until you remove the dogma from the equation.

  I would point out five linked dogmas that one needs to have the courage to remove in order to start having an honest discussion:

  1) Gods exist

  2) The Judaic-Christian creator god exists

  3) That god is Almighty and perfect and good

  4) The Bible is that god's message to mankind.

  5) Therefore, the Bible is perfect (inerrant)

  Until you remove these dogmas, you can't have an honest discussion.
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  53

  PIMO Bethel Elder Has Special Message & Speaks out

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a pimo elder at bethel has come forward with a special message posted on reddit.. https://www.reddit.com/gallery/v9mgao.

  the dated pictures attached are "proof conclusive" that this is for real.

  no outside guests are allowed inside bethel at this time.

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  EdenOne

  Nothing really new here, generalities at best. We would need to see more specific information regarding the claims being made. Perhaps protecting his identity precludes that, but I don't see anything really groundbreaking vis a vis what was known already. Smoking gun needed ...
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  55

  2022-Secret Watchtower Disfellowshipping Reference Manual.

  by Atlantis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  massive new document written by wt, 837 pages, meant for arguments vs officials and media to defend the disfellowshipping arrangement.

  found in the casefile in norway.

  meant to be secret.. .

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  EdenOne

  Thanks so much, Atlantis.

  If it weren't for the fact that I've been utterly overwhelmed with work for the past 9 months I'd devour this right away, as it comes right down my alley.

  In time, I suppose ....

  Cheers!
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  5

  The Passing of a GREAT Musician.....

  by titch in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i just found out this evening, may 27th, that the well-known greek musician, vangelis, passed away just last week.

  may 17th, in fact.

  he was 79 years old, which, well, as you know, is old.

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  EdenOne

  Vangelis, together with french synthesist and composer Jean-Michel Jarre were single handedly the musicians responsible for my interest in synthesizers. My music is clearly influenced by Vangelis' sonic aesthetic.

  RIP my hero.

  R.
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  16

  Disassociation letter

  by joao in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i sent my disassociation letter two days ago!

  i couldn't stand it anymore!

  so many lies, the exploitation of sincere people, the ridiculous amount of rules and all this protection of pedophiles, plus the life of gb as if they were wealthy dictators!

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  EdenOne

  Parabéns pela decisão corajosa, João.

  Congratulations for the brave decision which, ultimately, becomes inevitable once you realize you cannot live with lies anymore. Give your wife some room to breathe, she needs to be given the opportunity to let the dust settle and see things for what they are, objectively and free from excessive emotions. She'll come around, I'm sure.

  Are you by any chance in the greater Lisbon area? Perhaps you'd like to meet for a drink?

  R.
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  32

  Who are the 144,000? Considering the immediate context of Revelation chapter 7

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  who are the 144,000?

  a critical examination of the teaching of the 144,000 from the perspective of an ex jx considering context and other references .this is from a series of videos called new light where i scrutinise all the major teachings of the watchtower.. https://youtu.be/aaseuzr-sxs.

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  EdenOne

  I disagree with the approach of "letting the bible interpret itself". It has proven over and over to lead to pitfalls. The very protestant tenet "sola scriptura" didn't result in a unified interpretation, but rather, in thousands of different interpretations, all claiming to be "bible-based". Your best approach is to let the author of a particular text (book) interpret itself. And then consider where is he coming from, what are his influences (in many cases, these influences are to be found outside of canonical scriptures), and of course, what was the motivation of the writer, his political and religious agenda, and to what audience he was writing for.

  To simply start off by assuming that the writing hands who wrote the texts that comprise the [protestant] Bible were in harmony with each other is to ignore solid textual criticism evidence and start building over a basic mistake.

  Want a simple example? The writer of the gospel of Matthew misreading the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 7:14 to conclude (wrong) that Jesus surely must have fulfilled some prophecy of being miraculously born off a virgin, wholly ignoring the historical context of the episode; and hence how the story of a virginal birth was concocted and gained traction. (The author of Mark, the oldest gospel, knows nothing about a virginal birth story or any other fanciful Jesus infancy stories, btw ...)