Posts by Marcos

20

Do You Trust Anyone???

by minimus in

jw
friends

can you trust anyone or anything now?

Marcos

I've always been trusting but have had to mend my ways. Still, that ugly monster (trust) rears its ugly head and bites me in the backside every so often!

I have learned that you have to observe and examine your friends and expect no more out of them than they can give. -Robdar

Yes, people have a certain nature. And we cannot change that nature. Only that person can change, and that, only if they desire to change. A cat cannot be a dog.

I used to, not anymore I'm extremly sceptical of just about anyone.They can get so close and that's about it before they hit my walls. –obiwan

I do try not to be skeptical of everyone but, it is just good policy. At least, I have the sense to back away from people who show no appreciation for my trust. However, even doing this, I have been “done in” by so many people on so many levels. I really do like people. I really do like lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) but I am not about to live with them.

I unfortunately do not trust anyone other than my best friend. The only reason I trust him is because we have been through SO much together.

I do not share my most personal feelings with others simply because every single time I have done so, this info has been used against me.

I hope to someday be able to trust people again. –pr_capone

I also have a best friend of long standing who is the only person I trust implicitly. This guy has NEVER done me in.

Personal feelings? Almost nothing makes you feel more “used” than to have someone use your innermost feelings against you. It’s happened to me. My policy is to never reveal what someone has said to me in confidence. I’ll even ask if they wish me to keep what they have told me in confidence and, if so, I don’t even reveal it to my best friend.

Even had one guy, my son’s uncle, reveal some really bad stuff about himself and his marriage. Didn’t know the guy from Adam, met him at a wedding. I gave him a ride to the airport and he told me a bunch of stuff, really personal and un-cool stuff.

Anyway, it gets back to me that he has been speading a really atrocious lie about me! Guess, he is trying to prevent me from attacking him. My son knows that the guy told me some stuff but I won’t tell him what. He said his uncle had sent me greetings. Told my son to tell his uncle to “bite me”.

I still look to trust people but I am much more cautious.

Marcos

44

Secret Sins

by Xena in

come on we all have them....those little things about us we hide...come on fess up..to start things off here are a few of mine: .

i don't iron...nope never...sold the iron and ironing board...now it if doesn't go to the dry cleaners it goes in the dryer with a damp cloth and a prayer.. .

i (taking breath for strength to post this) have been known to drink milk from the carton .

Marcos

Serial Mouse Killer. (No, not the computer kind.)

15 or so in 2 years. My weapon of choice - a plastic fly swatter.

Marcos

14

Diminished Morality as Proof???

by confuzcious in

today a couple of elders came by and told me that "diminished morality" is proof that those who leave the truth have lost jehovah's favor.

that is, when they were in the truth, they were all chaste, etc.

but now that they are out of the truth that they don't hold the same high standards of morality.

Marcos

Well, I've personally seen almost all of the bad behaviors mentioned above in the "Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses". Both when I was in and since I have been out.

I believe there are some who are witnesses who lead moral lives. But by no means all of them.

Since I have been out, I still don't do what I didn't do then. I have, over the years, examined my beliefs about God and about what constitutes moral behavior. I have a standard that I adhere to. However, I am constantly learning about being a "good" person and still discarding a lot of their blind and bigoted bs.

Not being judgemental is a noble concept. But I still am. Moreover, I have yet to meet anyone who is not, given any particular issue. A lot of people I know who claim not to be judgemental are soooo judgemental when it comes to disagreeing with me or others who don't fit their particular liberal or conservative ideals.

It is refreshing to meet a lot of people here who vehemently disagree on issues and yet maintain a "live and let live" attitude. In my 50+ years on the earth I have learned that you absolutely cannot force your beliefs on anyone (not even on your kids). They may agree with you to your face but not in their hearts. Better to listen to them, present your case, and let it go. If what you say is true, it will become evident.

Marcos

4

Regarding the "god" of the Watchtower

by Marcos in

jw
friends

explain something to me, please.. has anyone noticed the similarity of the god of the watchtower (as they portray him) to allah?

i know very little about islam.

i have read a little and frankly am not interested (mark me down as a "not at home").. i must state that i use the word god in small letters because i don't believe that the wt revers jehovah other than in name only.

Marcos

Explain something to me, please.

Has anyone noticed the similarity of the god of the Watchtower (as they portray him) to Allah? I know very little about Islam. I have read a little and frankly am not interested (mark me down as a "not at home").

I must state that I use the word god in small letters because I don't believe that the WT revers Jehovah other than in name only. Therefore, their worship is in vain.

But, isn't it true that Allah blesses "whom he will bless" regardless of who that person is or what he does? That is to say isn't he capricious in his choice of whom to bless?

Is this not also true of the god of the WT? For all of the efforts (works) of the individual witness, aren't they taught that they are to work on pleasing their god and MAYBE they MIGHT be saved?

Who or What is really the god of the Watchtower? Are they actually Islamic Fundamentalists in disguise?

I shouldn't have to say this but, please don't bother giving me links to Islamic sites. I'm not a candidate for conversion.

Marcos

7

Thoughts about the two witness rule

by Sadie5 in

jw
friends

i was thinking this morning about how i feel the two witness rule is not applied to every situation.

take a charge of adultery for example.

i know of times when elders camped out in front of someone's house all night to see if two people spend the night together and this would be grounds for adultery, however, unless they peeked into the windows, or snuck in to be there, they were only witnesses to the fact that someone went in the place and came out the next morning.

Marcos

Hi Sadie5,

Don't know if this is relevant. I once knew a sister who was divorced. She had gotten a "scriptural" divorce from her husband on the grounds of infidelity based on the 2 witness rule. She told me that 2 brothers had observed through the window of her husband's apartment an act of fornication, thus freeing her from her marriage vows.

But, like Columbo the tv detective, "Something bothers me."

This appears to me to be an illegal act on the part of the witnesses. Isn't it illegal in most states in the US to peek through someone's window and "observe"? Isn't it shameful for these "christians" to watch a sex act? How much did they watch? I find this to be disgusting. I am disgusted by the people who participate in this spying.

I may be wrong about it being illegal, I dont know. But it is, at the very least, reprehensable. I would love for some df'd person to sue his accusers for such an invasion of privacy.

Marcos

11

The internet, really a good place for information?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

.

is the internet really a good place to find information?a lot of people have learnt the truth about jehovahs witnesses through the internet, via web sites that proclaim to expose the truth about them.. but is the internet a safe place to gather information on important subjects?grated its very easy to find what you are looking for most of the time,but just how trust worthy is the information found within?often when i look at sites that discuss subject i have a good knowledge of there is a lot of nonsense talked by people who havent got a clue but just want to have a say.it is not always easy for the "novice" to determine who is the "expert" and who is not.. the internet suffers from this problem more than say books, because it is so easy for just anyone to write what they want, whereas to make a book you have to go through a lot of effort and it will have been read and checked by other people.. i tend to treat the internet like i treat people.i only listen if people can give a good explaination as to what they are saying or believe, if none is provided i will ignore the information whethr it is correct or not as there is no basis for me to trust it.. so in order to give good information we must always try to explain why we belive something to be the case.. dont just trust what you read (most people dont anyway)always look for the reasons why, and think of counter arguments , only then except what is writen and still be a little sceptical.

Marcos

It certainly depends on what you are looking to find. It also depends on whether or not you have some knowledge of the subject you are researching. There is much extremely valuable and accurate information on the Internet.

It is always wise to be cautious.

If you want technical advice, there is a wealth of information available. Since this information is based on mathematics, a lot of it is excellent. But, certainly not all of it is useful.

If you are looking for the facts behind a story, good luck. The information available here is worth about as much as you will find in any newspaper. It depends on the slant of the writer and/or news organization that presents it. It is said, Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. That applies here (but maybe we should adjust the percentages, eh?)

My language skills arent perfect, BUT. I always, either consciously or unconsciously, judge information I read in the light of the grammatical skills of the writer. And I do this in the context of the topic at hand. On this board, you get a feeling for the reliability of certain posters and of the sensationalism of others. I think this would be generally true of most boards. Grammar is not at the top of the list here because of the confidence I might have in the information a certain poster consistently presents.

But, if I enter a site that claims to represent a viewpoint on a topic, and I see that the writer uses poor English (or Spanish), I might read it but I will discount up to 99% of what I read. And this depends on the subject as well as whether or not I know OF the writer.

You want to study a language? The Internet is a great source. You want accurate information about the Watchtower Society, the Mormons, or any other religious group? You takes your chances.

The Internet is only a source of information and links to more information. There are no guarantees of accuracy.

Marcos

24

I need your expertise.

by avengers in

jw
friends

yesterday i got this e-mail.

is this on the level?your kind attention is needed;.

with due respect, trust and humanity,i and my family send to you this letter seeking for your help and assistance although we have not meet each other before but we hope that this letter will meet you and your family in good condition of health.this is not intended to cause you any embarrassment in whatever form, rather compel to contact your esteemed self,is borne out of this difficult situation that my family has been engulfed in since my beloved husband and bread winner of our family was killed.. .

Marcos

Just a couple of observations.

1) DO NOT SEND A COPY OF YOUR PASSPORT!!!

2) This letter is SO reminiscent of the many variations on the "Nigerian" scam that I think any communication could be dangerous especially in a financial sense.

3) If this person were who she claims to be, her English would be much more natural and probably have a British flavor (wording, spelling, syntax).

4) Why not check with the South African consulate or Embassy regarding the claims she makes. In every country I have ever visited, I have never seen anyone excluded from going to a bank. As a matter of fact, one of the requirements for entry (residence) in most nations is that one have or have access to verifiable funds. Please check it out.

Marcos

11

Not Attending and Judicial Hearings.....

by ISP in

jw
friends

baptized persons who have not associated for some time .

if you learn of serious wrongdoing on the part of such a .

person, the matter should be investigated if it poses a .

Marcos

If we are "out", by choice, why would anyone submit to their kangaroo courts? Either you recognize that they have authority over you or they don't. It can't be both ways.

If someone is cooperating because of trying to maintain family ties, I can understand a certain degree of cooperation. But in this case, isn't that person walking a thin line that leads to eventual disassociation with the family members anyway?

I do not recognize them as having ANY authority over me! I would laugh at any attempts to exercise their perceived authority. My only interest in them is as individuals (whom I love and/or like) or a purely legal interest as in I would be happy to participate in any type of lawsuit that could as a result, lead to severe economic damage to the corporation(s) and possible jail time for the criminals who run said "Society".

Sounds like a rant. And this is not directed personally at ISP. BUT, why do we keep talking about them as if they actually have power over any of us who are out? Where is their power except as regards hostages? THEY HAVE NO SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY and they are not even of (The True) God.

Ok, I'm calm now.

Marcos

28

help please

by Scooby in

i just wanted to see if anyone out there could help with my situation.

my husband and i are inactive witnesses very very recently.

we separated as we are both very unhappy with our lives.. my husband was raised a jw and has gotten flack his whole life by elders.

Marcos

So, can anyone enlighten me as to what might be wrong with entering a body building competition as to opposed to say, entering a tennis competition?

28

help please

by Scooby in

i just wanted to see if anyone out there could help with my situation.

my husband and i are inactive witnesses very very recently.

we separated as we are both very unhappy with our lives.. my husband was raised a jw and has gotten flack his whole life by elders.

Marcos

My take on the elders is that it IS, at root, a problem of jealousy and envy.

While in Bethel in the early 70s we were permitted to have some weights in the Squibb building. However, we were discouraged from using them. We were viewed as immature (we WERE immature, we were kids with a lot of energy). They told us to, "work harder at the factory if you want muscles".

The overseers were jealous, petty and vindictive. A friend of mine and I actually had to steal food from the kitchen in order to eat anythng resembling a balanced diet. It worked! In 4 months we both developed nicely. Then I left. My 4 years were up.

It is always better to do what you want and not ask for approval. We have a saying here, "It's better to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission." I live by it.

Hope you both can work it out and get the WT out of your lives.

Marcos

P.S. It was also insinuated that since we were into body building, we were borderline (or full-on) homosexuals! Laugh. The witch hunts of the 70's were an interesting time. I shudder at what they might have written about me. Love to see my record, the wankers.