Any idea if the Bonham group(congregation? Just what do you call it?)is still functioning? Do they go out in service? I don't suppose it's real easy to exchange speakers with nearby congregations.:)
voltaire
JoinedPosts by voltaire
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16
Bonham, Texas
by TweetieBird inin another thread, someone stated: .
"also, a few years ago the wtbts was burned badly, albeit on a small scale, with the bonham, texas congregation declaring independence and siezing their own kingdom hall in the process.
since then, the wtbts has taken the appropriate legal steps to make sure that if any congregation splits, the assets will still belong to those faithful to the wtbts.
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Abuse BOE Now At SL
by silentlambs ini now have links to the abuse boe letters.
they are not scans of the originals but as all know they are completely authentic and accurate.
you go to them from the "wt letters" button on the front page.. enjoy,
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voltaire
Maximus,
Thanks for keeping us up to date.The British BOE letters are incredible. While I'm relieved to see that not all the brothers are stark raving mad, I'm distressed to realize that it's not the ones ultimately in charge who had the good sense to develop such a sound policy. Maybe, just maybe, if brothers like those who formulated that policy in Britain were running the world wide operation, the organization would be a safer place for children. For now it appears the inmates are running the asylum.
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Is this board usefull?
by ArgCampeon incommunication is not bad.
healthy associations are not bad either.
but, note the counsel paul gave to titus.. titus 2:1 says "you, however, keep on speaking what things are fitting for healthful teaching.".
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voltaire
This board allows me to express myself and ask questions without fear of reprisal. It is EXTREMELY useful to me. If it's not useful to you, feel free to go elsewhere. If you want to talk about your beliefs and feelings on witness-related topics, stick around. You'll get some benefit from the board since it's the ONLY place you can do so freely.
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Am I the only chicken ....
by BobsGirl ini am having a really tough time with fear.
mine is one of the stories on bill bowen's silentlambs site.
i have survived more than 14 years of abuse, left the "borg", married a man that is amazingly supportive and not a jw, sought counseling and recovery, given birth to a newborn baby boy ...... every one of which has required courage and intestinal fortitude.
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voltaire
Nathan,
Do you want to know a secret? Last month I reported a few hours, but I didn't really go out. I'm in a bit of a bind because I'm not sure how to handle the elders if they stop by for a visit. I'll probably just let on that I'm depressed(not too far from the truth). I don't think I can go out anymore, so I'll probably just play Muhamed Ali's rope-a-dope until I'm ready to leave.
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Am I the only chicken ....
by BobsGirl ini am having a really tough time with fear.
mine is one of the stories on bill bowen's silentlambs site.
i have survived more than 14 years of abuse, left the "borg", married a man that is amazingly supportive and not a jw, sought counseling and recovery, given birth to a newborn baby boy ...... every one of which has required courage and intestinal fortitude.
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voltaire
Make that two chickens. I've never been sexually abused, so I don't have a story to tell. But I'm still a JW even though I know it isn't the truth. I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to leave or not. In my case I assume it would be the end of my marriage. My mom is a witness, too. It would break her heart. I've worked out a scenario in my mind, an exit strategy if you like, but I don't know if I'll ever summon the courage to follow through with it. So, I can relate to your situation. (That's why I'm here. I read sentiments that are similar to my own, it makes me feel better.)
So here's my take on the situation(yours and mine). I've decided in my own mind that I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep my sanity. I'll stay forever if that's what it takes, or I'll leave if I think I must. My relatives will have to deal with it. In your case, my advice is to do what you can to get involved if it's right for you. If helping hurts you so much that you can't cope, you'll be doing no one any favors. It sounds selfish and it goes against much of our previous indoctrination, but it's the only practical thing to do. On the other hand, you might lending a hand makes you feel better. In short, don't be ashamed to take care of yourself. If you don't feel good, you can't help others.
With that said, I wish success to all those who come forward. I'll jump into the fray when I think I'm up to it.
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'Pope' Arguments in Witness Mouths
by metatron init's getting more and more enjoyable listening to.
witnesses defend the ever feared and worshiped.
organization because they now have to adopt the same.
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voltaire
Very good observation. The WTS uses a very similar argument. They want you to treat what they say as infallible, but to overlook any mistakes on their part. I think this is perhaps the MOST disingenuous(sp?) doctrine of the society. They claim they aren't infallible but desire the authority that is due an infallible organization!
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Does Science Prove The Existence of God?
by AngelofMuZiC infirst, i would like to say...... hooray for me>>>>this is my 100th post.
should i get a cake?
(hehe i know i'm corny) i plan to keep on posting, cuz i love mostly everyone here, and i have fun.. here's the real question....does science and all of these evolution theories actually prove the existence of a designer...god?
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voltaire
A point to ponder: What are all of the possible forms that complex life can take? You say that if conditions were different, then life as we know it could not exist. True enough. Isn't it likely that if conditions were different then life as we know it would also be different? Imagine a die with a million sides. If I tell you that I'll give you a hundred dollars if you roll a one, and you roll a one, that's impressive. I might be inclined to think that you cheated, that the die was loaded. If I offer you a prize for any odd number and you win the prize, that's not so amazing. How unlikely an event is in this case depends on two factors. How many possibile outcomes are there(in this case one million) and how many are favorable? (that depends on what numbers we agree to consider winners). In the case of life on our planet, we can't really say how many possible outcomes there might reasonably have been, but I think it's obvious that there must have been an extraordinarily large number of possibilities. Some scientists feel that the chances of life evolving here were 1 in 1. That is, some kind of life was going to form. We could rewind the "tape" so to speak and most likely get something different, but we would get something every time. Sort of like giving you a different amount of money for every number on our one million sided die. You know you'll win, but the prize will be different every time. This still leaves room for a god, if you wish. The argument that someone must have set up the parameters that led to the evolution of life will probably always be around. In our example, where did the die come from anyway? Maybe god made it. But there's absolutely no proof that there's someone divine determining which number comes up.
Likewise we can postulate or intuit the existence of a divine being that got the ball rolling in the universe. And we can probably never absolutely rule out his existence, but so far there's reason to believe that anything other than explainable forces of nature underly what we see around us. -
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Religion makes people smart!
by Kent inarkansas woman killed in mistaken rapture .
by elroy willis .
arkansas city (eap) -- a little rock woman was killed yesterday after leaping through her moving car's sun roof during an incident best described as a "mistaken rapture" by dozens of eye-witnesses.
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voltaire
I wish I could say with confidence that the story is far too outrageous to be true. Unfortunately, it's probably an accurate reflection of the general intelligence of many fundies. If you've ever read about the Darwin Awards, you know what I mean.
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The naive JW and the naive apostate.
by dmouse inim sure you have heard comments like these from naive jws:.
the society never said that armageddon would come in 1975, it was just a few brothers who went over the top.
(so you dont remember the watchtower article why are you looking forward to 1975?
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voltaire
My hope is not only that the society will change its policies on blood, pedophilia and shunning, but that as these issues receive more publicity publishers who are having doubts and/or are feeling uncomfortable with being a witness will be emboldened to do research on the society. It's hard to leave if you feel you're the only one who feels the way you do. I imagine some stay because they don't have the information they need to evaluate whether the society's claims are true or not. This site is extremely valuable for that reason and as the society opens up(is forced to open up), more and more people will be able to get out. I agree that this will NOT be the end of the society. Most will stay, but for those who want to get out, the changes that result from the upcoming publicity as well as the availability of this board will be a godsend. (A personal note:I'm still in and I think I would've gone crazy by now if it weren't for this board. I don't post often, but I'm out here. Thank you.)
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I miss the org
by ballistic incan anyone get me copies of those orchestral tapes, kingdom melodies, they were so cool,.
oh, and i want to start getting the jw calendars again, so i can put one up in the kitchen,.
can someone also phone me on saturday mornings 'cas i really miss getting up early on my one day off to go out knocking on door for no apparent reason,.
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voltaire
Believe it or not, I miss the organization. I'm still a JW, but I've changed my point of view so much that I can't relate very much to the others. I miss knowing the Truth. I miss knowing that I'll live forever. I miss the respect that comes from being a good teacher and public speaker in the congregation. I miss being a part of a small band of true believers fighting against a corrupt world. I miss being right about everything all the time. Or at least knowing that my belief system knows everything all the time, even if I don't know it personally. I miss knowing that there's someone watching over us who'll make sure everything works out in the end. It's part of why I haven't taken the final plunge. That and the fact that I'll probably lose contact with my mom. Hope I don't sound foolish or weak. I guess apostasy isn't for sissies.