Posts by Separation of Powers

26

1200 requests for bible study a day

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

apparently the .org site is getting 1200 bible study requests per day.

well that's what they claim anyway.

dos anyone think this is true?.

Separation of Powers

Yeah, its probably true. There are a lot of people out there looking for answers and the simplicity of the website and their "public" message is really attractive. the introductory video that was part of their pamphlet campaign JW.ORG blitzkreig was impressive. The resurrection video plays the heartstrings, so in a moment of emotion...people will request a study.

Now, realistically, out of those 1200, about half are probably phony, disgruntled sorts that just want to wreack havoc on the website. I would imagine that there are some on this forum that have done so. Out of the other half, the majority are probably never even contacted by some witness cause they live in some remote area where they are not readily accessible. The other portion, those who are finally contacted and begin to study give it up shortly thereafter cause they realize that the "public" message is oh so different from the cultish one.

34

What makes a "good Jehovah's Witness"??

by stuckinarut2 in

so, i have been thinking...what is the formula or recipe for the "perfect jw"?.

here are a few points i thought of...please feel free to add!.

always dress in the jw manner...no variation in clothing / hair styles / facial hair.

Separation of Powers

Wait with baited breath for each and every new magazine or publication posted to the JW.ORG website

Consider the daily text every day with your children who are half asleep to understand anything or consider the text with family members NOT living at home using SKYPE

Nod and uh-huh at every comment that should be agreed with during each study no matter how ludicrous it is

Believe the generation teaching and be able to explain it, ok maybe not explain it, but BELIEVE it

Let your children die if they need a blood transfusion

Accept "privileges" of full time service while your aged parents are asking for assistance from the congregation

Stay in the full-time service although your spouse is suffering from depression

Never admit that you are depressed

31

My neighbor is a return visit. Should I say something?

by Zoos in

jw
friends

i stayed home sick from work the other day and noticed a car group pull up to my neighbor's house.

she's a stay-at-home mom.

i decided it was time to retrieve something from my truck to see if i could recognize the visiting sisters.

Separation of Powers

it depends....

do you like your neighbor?

Does his house look cool on Christmas and other holidays, thus improving property values?

Does he loan out his tools or help you out now and then?

Do his kids play with other kids in the neighborhood and look happy and carefree?

Does he take care of his yard on weekends?

Would he look after your house if you were called away in an emergency?

Can he maintain a conversation without calling you brother?

All really important questions!

50

Question for the nonbelievers and atheists

by nykid in

what specifically made you stop believing in god and the bible?

was it a steady road of doubts or it was reading one book or one major event that made you realize the bible was not what it's claimed to be?.

.

Separation of Powers

Like many here, I am not an atheist. I am an agnostic. I simply don't know if there is a god. Yes, there may be a spirit realm with all its intrigues and such, but the god of the Bible, is not that god. I always had a hard time with the concept of a "loving" god, having been taught from an early age that he wiped out entire nations, put plagues upon his own people, used the elements to terrorize them, treated women like objects, killed children without mercy, and THEN you get to the new testament. The Jesus figure is not god, nor does he represent the god of the old testament. JW's like every other religion using the bible, try to explain away the petty and vengeful god of the OT by speaking of "justice" but the argument holds no merit.

I held on to my beliefs as long as I could, thinking that the ORG had it right and that I needed to be more humble and simply accept. I realized, like others here, that if the ORG was gods true channel, identified by the so-called "love amongst themselves" of the NT that it was all a farce.

Now, I simply don't know. I recognize the wisdom of many belief systems. The subtleties of truth found in all religious cultures. But, in doing so, I recognize that we choose to believe what we believe. As the Buddha said, "Life is suffering." In that truth, I have found comfort. No, not that I enoy suffering or am a fatalist. It is simply a recognition, unlike the JW's who blame every little issue on Satan, the world, are own imperfections. In that simple, elegant truth, I have found that man has always faced the difficulties of this life. It is up to us, up to me, to find happiness and not expect some divine entity or organization claiming to represent him to do it for me.

3

How will you celebrate the 100 year anniversary/

by Separation of Powers in

plans are being made to recognize the 100 year anniversary!

no not the gb fest at the annual meeting.

i am talking about the celebration of the absurdity of it all.

Separation of Powers

Plans are being made to recognize the 100 year anniversary! No not the GB fest at the Annual Meeting. I am talking about the celebration of the absurdity of it all. Kind of like Y2K or the Mayan calendar end-of-times.

What are your plans?

I will be having a whiskey tasting, including some of the most coveted brands of Irish and Scotch Whiskey available. I figure whiskey is a "spirit" and I should make sure that the event is "Spiritual."

A load of good music! No, not Kingdom Melodies, Probably Miles or Coltrane...

and of course a HUGE Calendar with the date October 3/4 circled with several dozen candles lit by those that attend.

It should be nice...

250

Biblical Prohecies That Came True?

by Viviane in

recently there have been several claims made regarding prophecies that came true.

i've not personally seen a prophecy that i would consider as having come true.

i would consider the following as the requirements to say something is a prophecy and evaluate whether or not it came true:.

Separation of Powers

Not hard for prophecy to come true when it is written AFTER the fact.

47

i was happy before i woke up

by losingit in

jw
friends

idk if waking up has been good for me.

i still have almost no friends.

im still waiting to graduate this december to qualify n b certified for my job.

Separation of Powers

Sorry you are feeling that way. I recall the movei Matrix when Morpheus tells Neo, "All I am offering you is the truth and nothing more." There is some solace in that, solace in the fact that you know. At least now you can stop living the LIE and move forward in this life that is all we have.

As for friends, ask yourself if they really were your friends. Your response might be a surprise. Then, join a club. Go on a trip with a tour group. Visit a winery. Join toastmasters. Most of the time, ex-witnesses who lament the loss of their "supposed" friends forget that they were only "friends" because they joined the club. Well, if you have left the club and they are no longer your friends, then it was the club that was important to them wasn't it? Conversely, if friendship can be found in one club than couldn't you find friends in another?

18

My DF'd father going in for cancer surgery

by PaintedToeNail in

jw
friends

in january or february of this year, my father was df'd for viewing pornography.

he was diagnosed with a rare-ish lung cancer in august, it doesn't have good recovery odds.

he had been struggling with a porn problem for awhile, asking the 'brothers' for help.

Separation of Powers

Good luck to your father....

11

The conflict of living in a divided home is finally getting to me - 8 years later - advice please

by jambon1 in

jw
friends

to cut my long story short, having left the religion in 2006, my marriage with 2 young kids involved went through a fairly difficult time.

for a few years.

as i rebelled against the belief system i was astonished that having pointed out reasonable & logical objections, my wife just stood by the religion.

Separation of Powers

The issues are much deeper than the religion. I would venture a guess that most people in this organization have no real concept of what they truly believe or what they are teaching. Your wife is caught up in the package. That's right, the package. To be a witness is to subscribe to all the requirements along with all the benefits. And, contrary to what most would post on this board, there are many benefits, particularly social. So, when you decided to walk away from the ORG, you were essentially cutting away the social aspects of your family. Now, for me, I don't really care about the social things. I am busy at work, have a good close knit circle of "buddies" that I can go eat lunch with or shoot the breeze with, so if people in the hall think I'm "bad association" (although I am still as virtuous and moral as I have ever been...cause I choose to be) than fine. But, for a wife, to not be part of the gatherings, and hosting the CO or the speaker after the meeting, or hang out after the asembly, is REALLY bad.

So, suggestions....reach out the her family. Particularly those members who are not witnesses or are boaderline. Get on Ancestry and look up family members she's not aware of and reach out. Find out what interests she has (if any) other than the ORG. Get your kids involved in music or something else that will require your attention, especially evening hour attention. This will gradually fill the void of the ORG social world that she has become accustomed to.

Additionally, don't take it personally, as hard as that may be. If she loves you, than she loves you. People are typically creatures of habit, you are challenging what she has become accustomed to and that is hard. The ORG has demonized dissenters. Reach out to her on a personal level. Get her flowers, plan a long weekend. Be the integral part of her social world.....just some thoughts.

24

Reading the Bible Alone "Will Lead you to Apostate Thinkings!" Stay a Watchtowerite!

by BucketShopBill in

"from time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of jehovah's people those, who, like the original satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude...they say that it is sufficient to read the bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home.

but, strangely, through such 'bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago.

the watchtower, aug. 15, 1981.. .

Separation of Powers

"If she weighs as much as a duck...:

"Then?"

"She's made of wood..."

"And, therefore?"

"A WITCH!!!!"