Posts by Parousia

3

Deceptions That Do Not Lead To Everlasting Life

by Defender in

jw
friends

satan deceived the first woman in eden by questioning the integrity and truthfulness of god with words like: is it really so that god said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?

and when eve responded in the negative and the warning of death if she eats from or touches the tree in the middle of garden, satan replied: you positively will not die.

for god knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like god, knowing good and bad.

Parousia

Excellent analogy! May I save it for future reference? I would love to use it in discussions with my JW family or anyone who has the fortune to knock on my door!

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to my JW Dad about such things. (Only the second time in twenty years. The first time he hung up the phone on me. This time he actually let me talk. Im still amazed!) Anyway, he loves to put down the Catholics. I know he is just parroting the Society teachings, but, after we talked I thought of this.

The Society is actually the same as those it accuses. For example, they use the Catholic Church as a sort of favorite whipping boy to divert attention from themselves. Yet there are many similarities. It is the age-old tick; If I point the finger at someone bigger and worse than myself no one will look at me. However when one examines the hand pointing the finger, they may see the three fingers that are pointing back!

Doesnt the Watchtower Society elevate the governing bodys authority, under the auspices "faithful and discreet slave," much like it accuses the Catholics of doing with the Pope? Doesnt it criticize their devotion to the Mother and yet has the audacity to call itself Mother and expect the same type of devotion? How many more similarities can you think of?!

Anyway, I often think of the scene in the movie The Wizard of Oz when the curtain is pulled back and the Great and Powerful Oz is nothing more than a little old man blowing smoke!

The Governing Body has nine of them.

Parousia

35

As a kid how did you survive the meetings?

by Parousia in

jw
friends

recently my brother, sister, and i talked for the first time about how we survived the meetings when we were kids.

i loved hearing their stories.. i had a whole imaginary world i went into.

once the songs were over and the talk started, i would focus on the speaker to look like i was listening and then zone out.

Parousia

Recently my brother, sister, and I talked for the first time about how we survived the meetings when we were kids. I loved hearing their stories.

I had a whole imaginary world I went into. Once the songs were over and the talk started, I would focus on the speaker to look like I was listening and then zone out. I never allowed myself to go into this imaginary world during regular time so I would have something to look forward to at the next meeting.

I discovered my brother did the same thing. He told me he did fun things like ride a dirt bike in his imaginary world.

My sister remembered trying to figure out ways to sleep though the meetings.

How about you guys? I bet there are some good stories out there.
Parousia

16

WTS Says Faith Should Not be in an Organization?

by blondie in

the hypocrisy of the wts knows no bounds

most jws would say, "but we have faith in jehovah, jesus and the bible, not in men.

" yet in many places the wts does demand jws to have faith.

Parousia

Excellent! Thank you for putting those quotes together.

Parousia

22

I've Lost My Faith

by jst2laws in

we occasionally get wind of new lies being spread about us in our old jw community.

having 'served' in fourteen different congregations in six states often serving where the 'need is great', one decade in the fulltime work and nearly two decades as a po, it appears are current status with the organization is causing a bit of a scandal.

yesterday we received a phone call from an old friend at bethel.

Parousia

Well said jst2laws!

When I "lost my faith" my parents accused me of never having believed in God at all. I assured them that I most definitely still do believe in God and the Bible, but they can't separate the two (org. from God) in their minds. My Mom said she's afraid to talk about it because it could mean "life or death" to her. They are held captive by fear.

I am glad I'm not a captive anymore, but the grief and frustration for them continues....
Parousia

35

Reaching 40, whats all that about!

by Brummie in

nearly everyone i know is 40 yrs old this year, even today a good friend reached the big 40. .

i'm 40 in september (omg) and i dont feel any older than when i was 18. do you?

did you dread it, did you make a fuss?

Parousia

I turned 40 last Wednesday. Everytime I hit a milestone in my life I feel surprised.

Coinsidentally I stumbled onto the quote below on my birthday, and I thought, "No wonder I feel surprised. I never thought I'd live past elementary school!"

http://quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com/
***Awake! 1969 May 22 p.15*** "If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things...."

Actually, reading this quote made my day because instead of feeling sad to leave my thirties behind (like I had been), I suddenly felt grateful for the forty years I never expected to have!

Anyone else feel that way?

Myla

13

Examples in the Bible?

by happyout in

i am not in a position to do research on this, but maybe someone can help me out.

dubs don't celebrate birthdays because the two examples in the bible were negative, right?

well, each time jesus went into a "temple", didn't he have a negative experience?

Parousia

Did he "assault people" or did he "assault" a table?

19

They just came to my door!

by 4christ in

jw
friends

eek...... i just had a visit from 2 lady jws!

i was totally caught off guard.

my dogs barked at em so i had to put them out before i could answer.

Parousia

Lauren,
Good job! I'm proud of you!
I always hope and pray that my parents will call on someone like you. When JW's come to my door I think, "Someone out there might be praying for these people." Even though I've been out for a long time, I still get nervous when I talk to them, but then I remember it's a spiritual battle. There is someone who doesn't want them to hear the truth.
Myla

34

My new toy

by Princess in

jw
friends

i see lots of people posting threads about their new toys.

mostly male, trucks, motorcycles stuff like that.

this afternoon while making lattes for mulan and big red, my espresso machine became quite rude with me.

Parousia

Princess,
If you are ever away from your cool new machine, are desperate for a latte, and just happen to be on the Kitsap Peninsula ... stop by Caffe Parousia on Hwy 305 in Poulsbo, and have a drink on the house. I'll post a note up that says if anyone ever comes in and says they are a Princess, I owe them a drink. If I'm not there and a man gives you a hard time (he teases nearly everyone) say, "I was told you wear the pants, but someone else wears the pockets." Heehee. He will know. Those are his own words--not mine.
Parousia

35

Praise Jah - Designer of Killer Sperm

by PopeOfEruke in

i was reading about a recent scientific discovery in a new book about human sexuality.

it has long been in evidence that married women who are having an affair often fail to get pregnant.

as soon as one of the sexual partners leaves the relationship pregnancy often occurs quickly thereafter.. scientists may have discovered a mechanism for this.

Parousia

Pope

This discovery is amazing. What is the name of the book or study you are referring to?

It makes me wonder if the killer sperm were a part of the original creation or another one of the many results of the fall? As for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.... After sin and the resulting curse many things changed, labor pains for women, the toiling by the sweat of man's brow to grow food, the earth producing thorns and thistles, and death to name just a few.

I personally wouldn't recommend jumping to conclusions judging God. I had the experience of being harshly misjudged based on misinterpreted evidence and an inclination to throw the baby out with the bath water. When all the facts were known, the accusers were humiliated. Now I try to remember that nothing is so flat that it doesn't have two sides. I know what it is like to be wrongly judged, and God is one Being I wouldn't want to make that mistake with.

Parousia

184

Questions for Creationists

by IronGland in

jw
friends

what does creationism explain?.

what does it predict?.

what about blind cave fish with residual eyes.

Parousia

Rem said, "Yes, in the spirit of Proverbs 18:17, I would recommend anyone who is interested to do research on both sides of the issue. The problem is that many people only research the side that is comfortable to them (creation, intelligent design) and don't honestly look at the other side and the counter arguments."

I agree. It is sometimes hard not to let our experiences influence our ability to be objective.

In school I was one of those kids who liked to be invisible. I behaved and did what was expected of me. In junior high being embarrassed publicly was one of my worst fears. One day in ninth grade, after explaining the evolution unit we would be studying in class, the science teacher asked for a raise of hands of those who believed in God. I slipped a quiet hand up and quickly back down. At the tender age of fourteen, it was all I knew. My admission was simply my honest answer to his question. What came next? My worst fear. Public humiliation and ridicule. I didn't know it was coming, and it scared me. I was shaking.

A JW elder came to my door once. Once he figured out I knew too much, his eyes narrowed. He eyed me suspiciously. He started ridiculing me and accusing me of being an "Eve." He left yelling loud enough for my neighbors could hear. I remained quiet, but my knees were the consistency of jello. After he left, I cried.

I had the same feeling after both encounters I have described. Honest debate was not the objective of either man, using fear and intimidation,
winning was.

So, what did I learn? Be careful who you debate with.