I remember among the Witness folk mention of the word 'satan' outnumbered mentions of 'jehovah'. It was like satan was the really irritating relative that everyone seemed to be related to.
gorgia
gorgia2
JoinedPosts by gorgia2
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48
Satan- Perfect Scapegoat for Witnesses Ignoring Real Causes of Situations
by flipper inin a recent thread i started on music i couldn't help noticing how many had to throw their alleged " worldly music " out because parents, or elders told them their music brought them " under the influence of demons ", or listening to music was how " the demons got inside us ".
this superstitious belief that " satan " is to blame for each witnesses demise is really a passing of the buck of responsibility so it sidesteps real issues involved.. for example : check these familiar expressions out we all heard while we were jehovah's witnesses .. .
1. if a person was stumbled and said, " i don't want to go to meetings anymore.
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49
Time for this Newbie to say - Hello everyone!
by SeventhSojourn inin just the several months i've been lurking here, i have benefited from many of the posters comments and viewpoints.
this is truly a special place for the unique community that has been created here.. after years of holding off my exit from the org (that may be another post) i recently became officially out (by letter of da), but it was a very difficult process as many of you know.
thankfully, i now have my wife (was also a witness) onboard and we support each other.
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gorgia2
SeventhSojourn,
Welcome!
goriga
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23
Does the borg really produce great readers? How much did you actually read when in?
by likeabird ini've been reading a lot and learning even more (project deadlines to meet), getting this overwhelming satisfaction and feeling good.. and then i stopped and realised that i never got that feeling when reading borg publications.. i also realized that i have probably read more non-fiction books in the last month than i did during my whole life in the borg.. for all my reading (and i was fully in) i read no more than two wt books cover to cover.
none of my study books were studied cover to cover and wts were usually quickly underlined and rarely properly studied.
magazines were usually flicked through and resolutions to read them cover to cover rarely lasted more than a few weeks.. i did manage to read the bible through once - but that was because i was always afraid someone door to door would ask me if i had, so i figured i should just crack on with it.
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gorgia2
My grandmother, such a clever lady, really used to confuse me when I was a child, with her exclamations of gratitude over the Awake! magazine and how wonderful it was that Jehovah provided his flock with its entertainment and information. I couldn't understand why she always said this when she was so intelligent and well-read. Now I suspect she was protesting too much.
gorgia
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21
Beyond Bitterness?
by DogGone inlike many, my path to the ttatt was a long and painful journey.
i wasnt mature or intellectually honest enough to "wake up" while still an active witness.
(i applaud those who have awaken while active; that is mental rigour i wish i had!
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gorgia2
DogGone,
That was a fantastic post. It took my mother nearly ten years after fading to finally accept it was all false. Even though she wasn't very active while a JW it was still the only worldview she knew. Then slowly, after researching for herself, tentatively at first, my mother's eyes were opened. Now there is much guilt gnawing at her, despite my insisting it wasn't her fault bringing us up as JW's - she really believed it was all true. My mother now experiences anger and resentment at the GB - of whom she'd hardly heard a thing about in the forty+ years she was a JW.
Regarding your friend - just be there, available for when the scales do fall from your friend's eyes completely - which I'm sure will happen one day. For the first few years after my mother stopped going to the meetings there were definitely aspects of the cult she found ridiculous, stifling, hypocritical, but most of the doctrinal rubbish was indoctrinated so well that she still believed Armageddon was coming and that she and I were going to be destroyed. Now, though, thankfully, we can speak about ALL of it being ridiculous, stifling and hypocritical. Just keep being a great friend.
gorgia
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42
Pets are false gods
by Rattigan350 ini"m listening to the 2013 dc green bay saturday talk on false gods.. the speaker says no one would knowingly worship false deities.
but could we inadvertantly give jehovah less than exclusive devotion he deserves.. he said:you have not allowed this deception power of sin to sensual desires, material comforts, pets, technology, entertainment or food to become objects of devotion to you.. anything that interferes with our spiriutal routine has the power of eroding or weaking our relationship with jehovah.. .
my dogs can erode my relationship with jehovah.
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gorgia2
Exactly LisaRose. Thanks Blondie for including these heart-warming tidbits of good ol' fashioned GB benevolence. I do not have children. I have my beautiful dogs to love and care for. Of course they are not an equal to real human children. But they are my sweet, cheeky pets and I have already provided for them in my will should they live longer than me. Sorry GB.
gorgia
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13
Murmuring at the District Covention
by breakfast of champions inokay, i just think its kind of funny, but it's also pretty telling as well.
all of my wife's family are pretty deep into the "truth", but they don't mind speaking up either.. here's some of their (not my) comments:.
saturday was waayyyyy to long.
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gorgia2
Ha! Billy the-ex-Bethelite, you are funny! Yes I remember fifteen years ago the assemblies announcing we'd rounded the magical corner. Everyone gushing at lunch how we were now in the Great Trib. It seemed strange how everyone was smiling and beside themselves with excitement about imminent torture.
gorgia
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19
why i left the witnesses..
by new hope and happiness ini have recently been thinking about this as it was a big life changing decision.
only now do i realize it wasnt about doctrine.. the reason was because i wasnt happy and didnt respect the elders and the congregation was made up of unhappy people.. i was always being lectured for being happy.
when i had a study that came to the meeting i thought thats a good thing, and i was happy.
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gorgia2
new hope & happiness,
Well done on being so brave and genuine. And jwfacts has great advice for you - just incase some jw's try to guilt you into 'coming back to the meetings' you will be fortified with knowledge about how warped and wrong their beliefs actually are, and you will be able to firmly decline!
And yes, now you have more time to be happy. I wish you plenty of happy time.
gorgia
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38
2014 means "LUCY, you've got some splainin' to do" for Jehovah's Witnesses
by Terry innext year the watchtower society will be forced by world events (i.e.
no armageddon yet) to confront a full century of christ's presence.
with nothing to show for it!.
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gorgia2
Thank you Terry. This is excellent.
gorgia
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33
Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-09-2013 WT Study (READ BIBLE)
by blondie incomments you will not hear at the 06-09-2013 wt study (april 15, 2013, pages 7-11)(read bible).
4. what does it mean to read the bible in an undertone?.
1:6) how, then, are we to understand jesus words about this generation?
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gorgia2
Thank you Blondie.
gorgia
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50
My Story - a (kinda) newbie from the UK
by wizzstick inafter lurking for 7 and half years (is that a record?!
) its time for me to say hello.. so who am i, and whats my story?.
im a born in jw, with all my siblings, mother, wife and children in.
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gorgia2
Welcome wizzstick,
Thanks so much for sharing your story. I remember as a child of JW's in Australia hearing constantly from the platform about the 1914 generation and how the big A wasn't far off.
I am so happy you used that clever brain of yours and escaped.
gorgia