Posts by Oubliette

10

Embarrassing relatives.

by Xanthippe in

my cousin phoned yesterday to tell me my jw sister sent her a sympathy card for her husband's death and tucked inside there was something else, she lowered her voice.

what was it i wondered?

a nice letter, pictures of her new grandchild (she lives many miles away)?

Oubliette

Xanthippe, Sorry for your losses.

Family is weird, no doubt.

16

The end

by Garrett in

jw
friends

oh...my...god.... i can't.. well, i am officially done trying to explain things to them.

they talk in circles, and their excuse for everything is "imperfect men".

imperfect men!.

Oubliette

Jehovah's organization has had to learn. They used to celebrate Christmas, the light gets brighter.

Really? Well let me know when "the lights" are all the way on.

In the meantime, while you all are sitting in a dimly lit room, I'm out here in the sunshine enjoying life.

2

i suppose you think it's funny,this eating little bunnies!it's something of a habit,to dine on chocolate rabbit.in mexico it's holy,they call: conejo mole.but here we have to beg,just to find an easter egg!it's an enigma, a riddle, an ancient springtime curse;a question i must beg,propounded thus in verse:which came first: (tick, tock)the rabbit or the egg?- - - - - - - - - - -at first i was just sad,but now i'm really mad.in fact, i'm very, very cross,so for chrissake: knock it off!

oubliette.

Oubliette

Happy Easter!

I suppose you think it's funny,
This eating little bunnies!
It's something of a habit,
To dine on chocolate rabbit.
In Mexico it's holy,
They call: Conejo Mole.
But here we have to beg,
Just to find an Easter Egg!

It's an enigma, a riddle,
an ancient Springtime curse;
A question I must beg,
Propounded thus in verse:
Which came first:

(tick, tock)

The Rabbit or the Egg?

- - - - - - - - - - -

At first I was just sad,
But now I'm really mad.
In fact, I'm very, very cross,
So for Chrissake: KNOCK IT OFF!

Oubliette

-

46

WT addresses the "rapture" teaching.

by wifibandit in

look at paragraph 15 of the 2015 july 15th study edition pg 18-19.. http://imgur.com/3wparys.

.

basically they admit to teaching the rapture (for the anointed remnant), just don't call it that!.

Oubliette

Does this mean there will be a "rapture" of the anointed ones? Many in Christendom believe, according to this teaching, that Christians will be bodily caught up from the earth." - Watchtower, July 15, 2015, p. 18, paragraph 15 - [Emphasis added]

Um, does anybody really believe that "the rapture" will mean their physical body will go to heaven? I never heard anyone that believes in the rapture express this idea.

I suppose it's possible, but I really think this is just another example of the WT misrepresenting the beliefs of other faiths. At the very least, it's painting "Christendom" with a broad brush. The use of the word "many" (in "Many in Christendom ...") is totally a weasel word, "creating an impression that a specific and/or meaningful statement has been made, when only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated, enabling the specific meaning to be denied if the statement is challenged."

46

WT addresses the "rapture" teaching.

by wifibandit in

look at paragraph 15 of the 2015 july 15th study edition pg 18-19.. http://imgur.com/3wparys.

.

basically they admit to teaching the rapture (for the anointed remnant), just don't call it that!.

Oubliette

Cofty: They can't wait for the "persecution".

Tell them to come over to my house. I'll give 'em an advance preview!

556

The Watchtower are Right About Blood...

by cofty in

... but, they fail to take note of one important detail.. i believe that if we are going to have any chance of reasoning with a jw about blood, this is the place we need to begin.. don't try to convince them that it was only a dietary law.

it wasn't, and they will never go along with it.. don't tell them that saving a life is more important than obeying a law, even a seemingly trivial one.

they take pride in obedience.

Oubliette

Cofty and Faye, you both raise very important points.

It's interesting that there are a wide variety of "First Issues" that get those of us that have awaken to begin questioning JW doctrine.

The blood doctrine wasn't a big issue for me as it was for you. I do remember having a huge--make that HUGE--argument with my now ex-wife about it.

When the WTBTS society changed its policy to allowing fractions I was immediately on board, knowing full well that whole blood transfusions are almost never used.

She stubbornly insisted that she would "never take any blood products" and that was that. She filled out her Advance Medical Directive (No Blood Card) accordingly. I said, "Fine, if you're in a medical situation that requires blood to save your life, you will die and the children and I will miss you. But if we are in such a situation we will accept whatever it takes to save our lives."

Returning to my initial point of this post, it would be great if somehow we could know just what would be the one issue that would get any particular JW to start questioning. (For me it was the UN/NGO scandal).

The problem is this: even when a JW is ready to begin questioning, they will rarely, if ever, voice any clues to another person due to the intense indoctrination which keeps so many captive.

And frankly, even if they did, those of us here are so far out we'd be the last to know it.

We do know, however, that many such "Ready To Awaken" JWs lurk here all of the time. So it's good that we discuss a number of different topics and issues. It's also important to keep in mind that, although the majority of our discussions are among those of use either well-out of the religion or at least receptive to entertaining dissenting thoughts--there are newbies lurking in the background.

If we keep these points in mind our posts can be thoughtful and powerful not just for those of us participating in any given discussion or debate, but also for those observing from the sidelines.

Oubliette

46

WT addresses the "rapture" teaching.

by wifibandit in

look at paragraph 15 of the 2015 july 15th study edition pg 18-19.. http://imgur.com/3wparys.

.

basically they admit to teaching the rapture (for the anointed remnant), just don't call it that!.

Oubliette

WiFi, how'd you get this article? It's not on JW.ORG yet.

46

WT addresses the "rapture" teaching.

by wifibandit in

look at paragraph 15 of the 2015 july 15th study edition pg 18-19.. http://imgur.com/3wparys.

.

basically they admit to teaching the rapture (for the anointed remnant), just don't call it that!.

Oubliette

I'd be willing to bet that if you asked a random sampling of JWs if they believe in "The Rapture" the overwhelming majority would say that they do not. It might even be unanimous.

These articles prove conclusively that the WT teaches this doctrine, it just doesn't call it that. This is evidence that the average JW doesn't even know or understand what they supposedly "believe."

In truth, JWs "beliefs" are not their own; they "believe" whatever they are told to believe even if they can't keep up with what that exactly is at any given moment.

Let's review: It's a cult!

46

WT addresses the "rapture" teaching.

by wifibandit in

look at paragraph 15 of the 2015 july 15th study edition pg 18-19.. http://imgur.com/3wparys.

.

basically they admit to teaching the rapture (for the anointed remnant), just don't call it that!.

Oubliette

Interesting.

Check out this thread from two years ago, also from the July 15th issue of that year, 2013:

JW's now believe in The Rapture

80

In a nutshell, what is the wackiest jw thing?

by stuckinarut2 in

what is the wackiest...strangest....most unusual jw teaching or practice?

Oubliette

Faye: [The WT] use the word 'evidently' whenever there is absolutely NO evidence of what they are trying to prove, but it is based on pure speculation.

This is a very important point.

And yet the average JW will miss this, perhaps assuming that--because it is in the WT--there is some actual evidence, we just don't know what it is.

Most JWs trust the publishers of their literature and so they accept whatever it says uncritically.

I recently taught a unit on the subject of evidence in my high school science classes. We were discussing a broad range of scientific fields. It was very interesting to get feedback from my students on what they thought constituted acceptable evidence.

It was a great discussion. Although not drawing attention to it, I was mindful of the couple of JW students that are in my classes.

It was eye-opening to see how sharp some of these kids can be when they are actively encouraged to think and given the tools to do so.