Julia, you have a personal message from yours truly. ~ Rufus
Rufus T. Firefly
JoinedPosts by Rufus T. Firefly
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71
Trying to overcome my homophobia.
by Julia Orwell ini had a music album by a gay guy before i was a jw and had no problem listening to it.
it's good music.
some of the lyrics are what you might call 'gay', that is there's some talk about boyfriends, gay bars, and queens and the intolerance the artist encountered as a gay man.
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56
I hate being ugly!
by Space Madness ini finally came to the realization that i am ugly.
i'm 28 years old and never had a girlfriend.
women pay me absolutely no attention when i'm in public.
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Rufus T. Firefly
Create something of beauty. Something that is completely your own. Then others will be able to see your inner beauty.
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My decision to openly greet df persons in the hall
by Daniel1555 inat the moment i am still going to all the meetings (for family reasons).. we have at the moment 1 df person who regularly comes (already df for 1.5 years).. when i opened him the door i always greeted him but in the hall i didn't as others could see it.. now i decided that my conscience can not bear this any longer.
i will greet him also in the hall or when others are around.. if any elders notice it and talk to me, i tell them my conscience does not allow to not greet that person.. did any of you do that too and have some experiences?.
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Rufus T. Firefly
WHEN IN DOUBT, DO THE KIND THING. Daniel, my mother was a devout and exemplary JW, and she greeted EVERYONE who came to the KH. I made a point of greeting DF'd ones who came to the KH, and nothing was ever said to me. Good for you, and don't shrink back. If anyone says anything, remind them of the father in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. That ought to shut them up.
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ELDERS CAME KNOCKING AT MY DOOR
by wakingup60 inso this is the situation..........haven't been to meeting for the past 10 months....misssed dc as well as 2 day assemblies.. i have woken up to the fact that the watchtower is not god's organization so their is absolutely no way iam going.
to give the elders any of my time.
i have no desire to agree to a sherherding call!.
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Rufus T. Firefly
Tell them to write you a letter.
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10
Is dis-fellowshipping a sociopathic practice? At least one expert thinks so.
by Rufus T. Firefly inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshipping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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Rufus T. Firefly
We do not burn people at the stake any more. But how far removed are we from that Dark Ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshipping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 2 John 9-11? With that thought in mind, please consider the following:
In her book, The Sociopath Next Door, Dr. Martha Stout’s working definition of a sociopath is one completely devoid of conscience. She refers to the conscience as the seventh sense. Under the subheading ‘Moral Exclusion,’ Dr. Stout suggests that whenever someone is excluded from our moral universe, ”interventions of conscience no longer apply to him. He is not human. He is an ‘it.’ And unfortunately, this transformation of a [person] into an ‘it’ makes him scarier as well.
“Sometimes people appear to deserve our moral exclusion. . . But in most cases, our tendency to reduce people to non-beings is neither considered nor conscious, and throughout history our proclivity to dehumanize has too often been turned against the essentially innocent. The list of out groups that some portion of humankind has at one time or another demoted to the status of hardly even human is extremely long.
“And once the other group has become populated by ‘its,’ anything goes, especially if someone in authority gives the order. Conscience is no longer necessary, because conscience binds us to other beings and not to ‘its.’ Conscience still exists, may even be very exacting, but it applies only to my countrymen, my friends, and my children, not yours. You may be excluded from my moral universe, and with impunity—and maybe even praise from others in my group—I can now drive you from your home, or shoot your family, or burn you alive.”
Under the subheading ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’ Dr. Stout writes: “When conscience falls into a profound trance, when it sleeps through acts of torture, war, and genocide, political leaders and other prominent individuals can make the difference between a gradual awakening of our seventh sense and a continued amoral nightmare. History teaches that attitudes and plans coming from the top dealing pragmatically with problems of hardship and insecurity in the group, rather than scapegoating an out group, can help us return to a more realistic view of the “others.” In time, moral leadership can make a difference. But history shows us also that a leader with no seventh sense can hypnotize the group conscience still further, redoubling catastrophe. Using fear-based propaganda to amplify a destructive ideology, such a leader can bring the members of a frightened society to see the ‘its’ as the sole impediment to the good life, for themselves and maybe even for humanity as a whole, and the conflict as an epic battle between good and evil. Once these beliefs have been disseminated, crushing the ‘its’ without pity or conscience can, with chilling ease, become an incontrovertible mandate.”
Interestingly, the Watch Tower Society once criticized the Catholic Church's practice of excommunicating Church members.
“The [Catholic] Hierarchy’s excommunication . . . is altogether foreign to Bible teachings.
“The Encyclopedia Britannica says that papal excommunication is not without pagan influence. . . It was therefore after Catholicism adopted its pagan practices, A.D. 325, that this new chapter in religious excommunication was written.
“Therefore, as the *pretensions* of the Hierarchy increased, the *weapon* of excommunication became the instrument by which the clergy attained a combination of *ecclesiastical power* and *secular tyranny* that finds no parallel in history.” (January 8, 1947 AWAKE!)
It follows, then, that the manner in which JWs practice disfellowshiping “is altogether foreign to Bible teachings” and not without pagan influence.” Only by misapplying 1 Cor. 5:11 and 2 John 9-11 can the Watch Tower Society justify disfellowshiping conscientious Christians who are neither unrepentant sinners nor antichrists.
Furthermore, notice the phrase “as the pretensions of the Hierarchy increased.” Is it not the height of pretentiousness for the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses to declare themselves to be the faithful and discreet slave? Not even C. T. Russell was so pretentious; rather, when asked by others if he was the faithful and discreet slave, he would reportedly respond, “Some say that I am.”
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Is disfellowshipping a sociopathic practice? At least one expert thinks so.
by Rufus T. Firefly inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshipping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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Rufus T. Firefly
We do not burn people at the stake any more. But how far removed are we from that Dark Ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshipping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 2 John 9-11? With that thought in mind, please consider the following:
In her book, The Sociopath Next Door, Dr. Martha Stout’s working definition of a sociopath is one completely devoid of conscience. She refers to the conscience as the seventh sense. Under the subheading ‘Moral Exclusion,’ Dr. Stout suggests that whenever someone is excluded from our moral universe, ”interventions of conscience no longer apply to him. He is not human. He is an ‘it.’ And unfortunately, this transformation of a [person] into an ‘it’ makes him scarier as well.
“Sometimes people appear to deserve our moral exclusion. . . But in most cases, our tendency to reduce people to non-beings is neither considered nor conscious, and throughout history our proclivity to dehumanize has too often been turned against the essentially innocent. The list of out groups that some portion of humankind has at one time or another demoted to the status of hardly even human is extremely long.
“And once the other group has become populated by ‘its,’ anything goes, especially if someone in authority gives the order. Conscience is no longer necessary, because conscience binds us to other beings and not to ‘its.’ Conscience still exists, may even be very exacting, but it applies only to my countrymen, my friends, and my children, not yours. You may be excluded from my moral universe, and with impunity—and maybe even praise from others in my group—I can now drive you from your home, or shoot your family, or burn you alive.”
Under the subheading ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’ Dr. Stout writes: “When conscience falls into a profound trance, when it sleeps through acts of torture, war, and genocide, political leaders and other prominent individuals can make the difference between a gradual awakening of our seventh sense and a continued amoral nightmare. History teaches that attitudes and plans coming from the top dealing pragmatically with problems of hardship and insecurity in the group, rather than scapegoating an out group, can help us return to a more realistic view of the “others.” In time, moral leadership can make a difference. But history shows us also that a leader with no seventh sense can hypnotize the group conscience still further, redoubling catastrophe. Using fear-based propaganda to amplify a destructive ideology, such a leader can bring the members of a frightened society to see the ‘its’ as the sole impediment to the good life, for themselves and maybe even for humanity as a whole, and the conflict as an epic battle between good and evil. Once these beliefs have been disseminated, crushing the ‘its’ without pity or conscience can, with chilling ease, become an incontrovertible mandate.”
Interestingly, the Watch Tower Society once criticized the Catholic Church's practice of excommunicating Church members.
“The [Catholic] Hierarchy’s excommunication . . . is altogether foreign to Bible teachings.
“The Encyclopedia Britannica says that papal excommunication is not without pagan influence. . . It was therefore after Catholicism adopted its pagan practices, A.D. 325, that this new chapter in religious excommunication was written.
“Therefore, as the *pretensions* of the Hierarchy increased, the *weapon* of excommunication became the instrument by which the clergy attained a combination of *ecclesiastical power* and *secular tyranny* that finds no parallel in history.” (January 8, 1947 AWAKE!)
It follows, then, that the manner in which JWs practice disfellowshiping “is altogether foreign to Bible teachings” and not without pagan influence.” Only by misapplying 1 Cor. 5:11 and 2 John 9-11 can the Watch Tower Society justify disfellowshiping conscientious Christians who are neither unrepentant sinners nor antichrists.
Furthermore, notice the phrase “as the pretensions of the Hierarchy increased.” Is it not the height of pretentiousness for the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses to declare themselves to be the faithful and discreet slave? Not even C. T. Russell was so pretentious; rather, when asked by others if he was the faithful and discreet slave, he would reportedly respond, “Some say that I am.”
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Ran into a witnessing table at the park today
by confusedandalone ini just got in from my daughters homecoming(she is a cheerleader and these guys make a huge deal out of this stuff).
they play 3 football games of various age groups.
it starts at 8 in the morning and just ended at 1:30. i just got in the house literally 5 minutes ago and i had to share.
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Rufus T. Firefly
I am not aware of JWS setting up tables in my locality; however, the acceptable form of counting time while never speaking to anyone is riding around and leaving magazines as "reading material" in unmanned and empty laundry mats and hospital waiting rooms. Even if someone is seen sitting there, there is no attempt to engage them in a conversation....just lay the magazines down and skedaddle! Here's another one: A certain pioneer has found a niche witnessing to refugees from Nepal. She caravans up to 15 or 20 Nepalese men, women and children to the KH on Sundays, most of whom neither speak nor understand English. She recruits various members of the congregation to sit next to a Nepalese person and look up scriptures for them, holding the Bible up as if they are following along. Again, most of these folks do not speak, read or understand English, but that seems not to matter to anyone. And some of those who perform this service actually count their time. This is commonly discussed within the congregation.
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How I recently handled JWs at my door
by Christian guy inthe jws stopped by my house a couple weeks ago on a saturday morning.
i knew that with others most likely waiting for them out in the car they probably did not then have much time to engage in any serious conversation.
so i let them talk while i feigned interest in what they had to say.
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Rufus T. Firefly
BRAVO, Christian Guy! I sent you a private message, too.
~ Rufus
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NEWBIES are leaving like crazy! Be very afraid WT
by clarity in# 3 newbie post.
first of all, the newbies have set a record here!.
have you ever seen a 4pg post where 21 new members reply!
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Rufus T. Firefly
Thanks for making me feel welcome, clarity. I just finished reading the excellent new post by Christian Guy, and it made me feel glad all over again that I found JW.NET. I am glad that I have left the Wathctower, but my love for God and for Jesus Christ remains, and I need to know others who share my faith.
Gratefully,
Rufus
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Divorced Atheist ex-JW Dad
by braincleaned ini just wanted to chime in as a loving atheist father, divorced to a jw, and what plays as far as educating our children.. we have shared custody but the kids are mainly with their mom - 11 and 14 respectively.. the problem i face is keeping a balance for my children.
i have turned atheist during our marriage, so my ex didn't have the spiritual support she signed up for anymore.
i can understand it is not easy.
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Rufus T. Firefly
Vincent, if your children are wise enough to agree to wait until they are adults [and I mean at least 25, not just turning 18] to make a decision about baptism, that is half the battle.
JWs claim that everything they do is based on the examples left by Jesus and the first century Christians. Jesus, a perfect man, set the pattern for Christian baptism, waiting until he was 30 years old. Regarding the first century Christians, here is what the Watchtower said: Regarding first-century Christians, historian Augustus Neander states in his book General History of the Christian Religion and Church: “Baptism was administered at first only to adults, as men were accustomed to conceive baptism and faith as strictly connected.” (Watchtower 4/1/06, page 27)
So, the WTS are not following theocratic order when they baptize miners as young as 8 years of age.
Just once, I would like to see someone have a little fun with the congregation elders in this way: Go through all the steps to qualify for baptism, even meeting with the various elders and answering the questions for baptism. Then, once one has been pronounced "qualified for baptism," informing the elders of one's decision to wait to actually get baptized. My guess is that the reaction of the elders and the rest of the congregation would be all one would need to see their true nature.