Posts by Bonsai

27

The two paths of exJWs

by Simon in

it's easy to think of exjws as being a single amorphous group but the more i think about it, the more i believe that there are two distinct sub-groups and wonder if you agree.. there are those who believe and those who don't.

i know that seems obvious but let's break it down a bit more.

there are those who don't and never believed and some who are looking for a religion to match their beliefs.. i used to think this split would be between born-ins and converts but of course it's possible for born-ins to be believers although i suspect that many, like with other faiths, do so simply because they have never experienced anything else or made a conscious choice.

Bonsai

I cannot understand why people choose the belief path when they leave the JW org. I mean, the bible or any belief system in any religion out there offers no new evidence, no new light, no breakthrough communique with a higher being. None of them do! None of them have! It's just the same old recycled, regurgitated, retarding superstition built on an abstract foundation: You are flawed, you must pay for your flaws, god must forgive you for your imperfection and you need fleshly men to help you to do it. Ugh.

When was the last time the bible was updated with new scrolls? When was the last time religion offered an incredible service to humanity that a non religious organization couldn't do? When was the last time you directly, verifiably received a message from god?

91

My brother died last night

by LisaRose in

jw
friends

i found out this morning that my brother died last night, he was also an ex jw, 73 years old and died of heart disease and kidney failure.

it was not totally unexpected, as he had been in poor health, but it's a blow, especially as i just lost another brother two years ago.

there were six of us, now only four.

Bonsai

I'm sorry for your loss, too On The Way Out. We can never take our family for granted as each day is precious.

91

My brother died last night

by LisaRose in

jw
friends

i found out this morning that my brother died last night, he was also an ex jw, 73 years old and died of heart disease and kidney failure.

it was not totally unexpected, as he had been in poor health, but it's a blow, especially as i just lost another brother two years ago.

there were six of us, now only four.

Bonsai

I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences to you and your family. I hope this draws you and your remaining siblings ever closer.

150

I'm getting baptized

by BlackWolf in

jw
friends

i know i've started similar topics before but this time i'm serious.

my parents have been constantly pressuring me and after yesterday's watchtower study they asked me if i was going to be baptized this summer... and i said yes.

i probably should have thought about it more before making a final decision, but they're pretty much forcing me to do it anyway.

Bonsai

I was in a similar position as you. Get baptized or get kicked out of the house. I wasn't ready financially or socially to be kicked out of the nest, so I got baptized and honestly tried to give my 100% for Jah and the organization. I only succeeded in delaying the inevitable. There comes a point where you know too much and you can't live with living the lie. It all goes up in flames. But first it has to go up in flames before you can rebuild a more stable, solid foundation for your life.

If I could do it all over again, I would have delayed baptism and and continued to live with my parents while I secretly got my own affairs in order. Then, when I had a few friends and a prospective job I would have moved out. At first, the family would be angry, but since I wouldn't be baptized things would cool down and I could still have a somewhat normal relationship with them. Getting baptized is the first step to losing your entire indoctrinated JW family!

36

Gorby says goodbye

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

my eyes for ttatt opened in 1995 with the generation change and the wt magazine stated "some witness thought that the generation started in 1914".

since 1997, with internet at low speed, i followed h2o hourglass, www.xjw.com and later on www.jehovahs-witness.net.. did a bachelor and post bachelor since then.. now, nearly completed with fading, i feel it's time to go on with my life and do some other things, spending more time with my wife abd children instead of thinking about jw topics in my head.

goal is being a better person and less grumpy at 45.... everything what could be said is already said.

Bonsai

Best of luck and wish you all the best!

14

Special Day for our family today!

by Captain Schmideo2 in

jw
friends

my son graduates with his bachelors degree, cum laude!.

he is the first in my family to graduate with a four year degree.

and he is already in talks for a teaching job.. so, gerrit lush....up your nose with a rubber hose!

Bonsai

Congratulations!

There is nothing more dangerous of a threat to the cult than an educated exJW.

26

Artificial Intelligence Is Here "Google's Deep Mind Explained! - Self Learning A.I. "

by Brokeback Watchtower in

jw
friends

our world is about to change big time.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnuyctuzjpm.

Bonsai

A.I.maggeddon is coming! What would be really cool is if we can somehow link up with A.I.'s. We can fuse together, program them to fix our bodies with nano technology thus insuring our eternal existence.

32

Suffering and existence of God

by elbib in

many people find it difficult to reconcile suffering and existence of god.

it seems they feel that it is god’s obligation to shield humans from ill-effects of their short-sighted acts..

people’s hobby has something to do with this kind of reasoning!

Bonsai

Bold is mine.

Therefore, be it pleasure or pain all events are meant for sustenance of the infinite ladder of life. Tell that to 99% of the living organisms that have been wiped off the face of the earth over the last 600 million years. In case you didn't notice, god sucks at sustaining things. Whether individuals understand or not, underlying realities matter little in the super-scale of grand hierarchy though personal preferences are determined by our needs and greed.The hierarchy of the Universe is decided by arbitrary religionists like you. By the way, who gave us need? Who gave us greed? Prayers change nothing, Glad you can understand that. So, why pray? Why worship? but our own mind doesn't accept whatever is ordained. Nor should it without clear proof of an existing supernatural ordainer. If God were to speak to or advise each one of us that He means the best for each being in Creation, the mind would have rejected Gods decrees on the premise that God is ignorant of what is good for each entity. BS. No one has ever heard the voice of god, but many spend a lifetime trying to hear it. I'm sure some creationists on here would faint with pleasure if god ever directly communicated with them. This may be the reason why God chose to work in absolute silence. Or, shocker, it may be because your god (unclear which one you worship from your vague posts) doesn't exist.

32

Suffering and existence of God

by elbib in

many people find it difficult to reconcile suffering and existence of god.

it seems they feel that it is god’s obligation to shield humans from ill-effects of their short-sighted acts..

people’s hobby has something to do with this kind of reasoning!

Bonsai

I'm sorry, it may be too difficult for you to comprehend, but the cause of suffering is easy to understand. We are alone in the universe, and the universe is one mean ****. Short-sightedness has nothing to do with earthquakes, tsunamis, evolving viruses and bacterias killing people.

I find your post to be incredible naive to the difficult plight that people in poor countries face. Some people don't have enough money to put food on the table, never mind contraceptives.

35

“Even if this wasn’t the Truth, I need the structure.”

by Londo111 in

i remember many years back a fellow ministerial servant saying this to me.

he felt that even if jehovah’s witnesses were not the only true religion, the regimented routine of meetings and field service and the strict rules and enforcement provided a beneficial structure for his life.

at the time i thought if this wasn’t “the truth”, i’d have no need for all that “structure”.

Bonsai

This is why it is important for parents to provide structure and stability for their children. Doing so makes it less likely that children will become victims to cultish, fundamentalist religious groups.