One of my main problems with the Memorial, personally, was the absence of significance of it for non-partakers, who of course make up the vast majority, and at most Memorial meetings, they make up the entire audience. We all just sat there, heard the same talk every year, and passed the emblems in a meaningless ritual. There was a pronounced feeling of irony - 'you are here to celebrate the signifcance of Jesus' death, and yet you cannot participate'. The Memorial was in many ways the most frustrating meeting of the year.
rocketman
JoinedPosts by rocketman
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The Memorial, what is wrong with it.
by PSacramento inok, my issue with the memorial i have put forth in another thread, but allow me to past them here:.
the memorial enfoces on them the power of the gb and of the "annointed" class, it is the total opposite of grace.. where god's grace is given free to all, the memorial is withedl from the majority.. god's grace tells us that no matter what we do, god loves us and if we belive, our salvation is in christ's hands.. the memorial is about the opposite, no matter what you have done, you are not worthy to partake on what was free given to all.. only the annointed can partake, the rest are not deserving.. if that is not a slap in the face of god's gift of grace, i don't know what is.. there they sit, all the "un-annointed", their heads hanging low, nomatter how many hourse they put in, how many loved ones they shunned, how many they have lost to the horrifc "no blood policy", they are not deserving to share in what jesus told all his believers to do.. the last supper was our lord's gift to us so that anytime we do it, we remember him.. when we say grace before our meal and we thank jesus for all his has done, for his sacrifice, we are partaking of his blood and body.. but even here the wt ignores jesus's commands and relegates him to the back with the rest.. horrific....
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What Do You Value in your Life Now that you Exited the Witnesses ?
by flipper ini was talking with a friend of mine on the board yesterday and the discussion gave me the idea for this thread !
( thanks friend !
) and it seems as we were talking the thought came up that many of us when exiting the mind control of jehovah's witnesses we really come to appreciate the freedom to think how we want and be able to have access to other views which helps us to have a broader scope , or broader world view than just the tunnel vision of the wt society.
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rocketman
For me it's time as well. I feel like I can live one day at a time now; when I was a jw, it all seemed to blend together in a constant flurry of meetings, field service, etc. Even Bible reading is much more enjoyable now - I can take my time and read it instead of rushing just to get through the "assigned" reading.
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6/15/10 WT - p. 8, par. 12
by sd-7 in"what else do we learn from the experience of the psalmist?
he found security and wisdom among god's people.
he started reasoning clearly and logically when he went to the place where jehovah was worshipped.
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rocketman
Zoiks pointed out: "Just think what would become of you..." is fear-mongering at its finest.
I noticed this statement in the article too, and it's designed to initiate fears or play on already existing fears that jws have and that are constantly pounded into them. They are made to think that they are nothing outside the congregational environment; that they will begin making poor, life-threatening decisions upon leaving. It's as if, as soon, as they walk out that figurative door, they'll become immoral, unethical, and incapable of any success in life.
When I left, I wondered if my life would go drastically downhill. Fact is, my life is pretty much the same. I didn't start cheating on my wife, cheating on my taxes, or stealing. I didn't start gambling or become a drunk. I just went to work and came home, spent time with my family, watched sports, etc. Same stuff I always did.
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how long in truth,,,what was the final "straw"
by peaches ini was in for 30 years.....my ex was an elder...."holy spirit appointed" he tortured me....i was married 33+ years....you know,,,marriage is sacred...you can leave,,,i know,,,,if abuse is intolerable....but that starts a series of events...etc etc etc....i finally left everything...and moved far away.....people actually believe "holy spirit" appoints people,,,my ex would not pray unless there was an audience...you know,,,,people invited over for supper kind of thing,,,you get the point..... my best friend had a mental breakdown,,,,she basically became psychotic.....had to be hospitalized....she took up smoking,,,got disfellowshipped...and lost all emotional support....to this day,,,,as far as i know,,,she is still disfellowshipped...needs to be hospitialized every so often....she is on complete disability.....and still trying to get back into the org....her mother does support some what,,,,even though she is a witness herself,,,,,takes her to assemblies,,,,memorial,,,etc,,,,this has gone on for years.....she cannot mentally handle the organization,,,nor can she mentally handle not being a witness...lost everything....guilt....etc..... did not mean to ramble on so much......i have mental scars that will not go away....because i stayed in a "mess" for god,,,,i could write page after page of things like the above....as being my "last straw".......curious about you here on the board....any specific "breaking point" or a collection of many things..... thanks for your in put...peaches.
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rocketman
I was in for 30 years.
Last straw: The Generation teaching change in 1995 (took me until 03 to leave).
Other issues which created serious doubts:
So-called "brothers" and "sisters" bad-mouthing one another, especially in field service, while at the same time trying to convince people to become jws. Here was a group that de-valued the people already in the religion while spending tremendous amounts of time trying to make converts.
Stand against higher education
Being an elder and seeing how things such as disfellowshipping were handled.
The crap spewed by C.O.'s during every visit, especially when they met w Elders (for example, one C.O. said we should quit our job if we could not get off work to attend our assigned District Convention).
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Do you think Roethlesberger would be suspended if he was black?
by UnConfused inhttp://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-goodell-roethlisberger&prov=ap&type=lgns.
pacman jones was never charged with a crime, yet was suspended for a year and then more i believe.
i'm not defending the actions of jones, but based on those standards big ben has now been accused twice of sexual assult.
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rocketman
"Pacman Jones was NEVER charged with a crime"... What planet have you been living on? Thank you, miseryloveselders for posting Pacman's long list of criminal offenses for which he was indeed charged.
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Is Atheism a 'Personal Rebellion' Against God?
by leavingwt ini try to understand why other people believe what they believe.
the author discussed in the article below evidently wants to hide his head in the sand and paint all atheists with the same broad, incorrect brush.
it's as if he's never actually sat down with an atheist and had friendly conversation.. .
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rocketman
"The rejection of God is a matter of will, not of intellect," he asserts.
Many people reject the existence of God precisely because of intellect; religion and/or belief in a God as revealed in the Bible is simply not intellectually satisfying to them.
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Unchanging TRUTH changes from 1939--thru--2000
by Terry inhere is a strange premise.
god speaks through you, but, you make errors.
when your errors are pointed out it means you have been blessed!.
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rocketman
The WTS includes the teaching of 1914 being the beginning of the Time of The End as one of their core teachings. Yet, look at all the changes in regard to 1914. Yet, they assert that such changes are "minor".
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I'm new here!
by its_me! ini have been reading your posts for 2 weeks now, and i am riveted!
i spend every spare moment on this site.
it has become rather like a drug to me!
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rocketman
Welcome; having experienced first-hand the "love" among jws, you'll fit right in here.
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Dinosaurs
by roadrunner4speed indoes anyone realize that dinosaurs are mentioned in the bible?
god told us he created all the beast of the field didn't need to.
mention dinosaurs seperatly.
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rocketman
Yes, the earlier edition NWT did have a dino in Africa on the inside cover. I was (still am) fascinated with dinosaurs and that little dino actually got me through more than a few boring meetings, as I contemplated dinos instead of whatever was being (re)hashed from the platform.
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Dramatic posters on the board...
by tresdecu init cracks me up when i read a really dramatic "good bye to jwn" or "im outta here" threads only to see them posting a few days later.
what is the point?
if you want to stop posting for a while, then stop posting........and then if you want to start again, go for it.. are you just trying to get attention?.
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rocketman
It's happened from the time this (and other) boards came into existence. Some people, for various reasons, prefer to announce their departure, usually airing some grievance in the process. Personally, I pay no mind to it.
One of the funniest replies I've seen to such an announcement was "see you tomorrow". I can't remember which thread (it was years ago), but that reply struck me as quite funny. And it's true - it often seems they come back anyway.