TigerSuit,
Welcome to freedom, especially freedom of choice and conscience. You will absolutely love it. And you know what? You will likely be a much better person. Leaving the Borg is the best thing that I have ever accomplished (entering the Borg was the worst). After reading COC i just laughed out loud and realized what a deluded dumbass I had been all of those years. It was humbling, as I would have never thought before reading it that I could have been so blind and manipulated.
please spare a moment to consider the difiiculties faced by gay jehovahs witnesses.
i was raised and baptised as a very serious jw.
every waking moment of my day was lived for jehovahs and his organization and for nothing else.
Truthwillsetyoufree,
Your story is deeply touching; thank you for sharing it. I think everyone on the board knows how I feel about this subject. Live life fully. Hold nothing back. Be who you are, proudly. The Borg is likely incapable of evolving, but the further you get from it the more you will wonder what you ever saw in it. Many of us left family behind, and those wounds may never completely heal. Good luck to you.
forgive me for indulging in a goodbye but it would feel wrong not to,.
i hope the discussions and atmosphere here do not change for it is a bubbling brew of doubt, bravery and sincere hunger for answers.
these are healthy ingrediants for humans and especially for a jehovah's witness.. this forum offers not just the ability to ask without consequence, but it also offers the means to be real.
Take care, Doc,
It has been an honor to share the board with you; good luck to you in all of your future endeavors. You will be missed, and the average IQ on this site just dipped 10 points.
as a jw were taught all about demons but i never had an incident.
my wife believes wholeheartedly says her family including her has had problems with them.
i have met people that even non religious people that say they have experienced a ghost or a spirit.
I'm embarrassed that we are still talking about believing in them in 2014. Otherwise, I think that ghosties, ghoulies, long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night, in addition to Jah, Satan, Jesus Messiah, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Great Pumpkin are all BS made-up nonsense. Wait a minute, I do believe in the Great Pumpkin (all hail Charlie Brown). I do I do I do.
If any of the above present themselves plainly, in clear sight of all of us and communicating so that we can all understand, and allow enough time for scientists to confirm that they are indeed who they claim to be, I will change my mind.
some souls here may feel i was a little harsh.
if so, i am deeply sorry.
i was abused by a handful right from the start, presumably on the basis of the avatar picture (and 2001 vintage).. when visiting dubland, i often find that others start fights with me - for whatever reason, and i provide quite a supply of them - and when it doesn't quite go the way they expected, they cry persecution.
@Focus: Some souls here may feel I was a little harsh. If so, I am deeply sorry.
Apology accepted.
@Focus:
Now, I address everyone.
That was then. Now is now, and help is needed.
I returned "here", after a gap of a dozen years, solely to find recruits in the second phase of the war (we won the first - domination of cyberspace), which is to hold the WTS legally (i.e. financially) accountable for her transgressions, the damage to the mental health and happiness of many millions (not just limited to members).
This might even kill her off. A faint hope. It will certainly hurt her and compel her to change some of her worst ways.
Show me where to sign, Captain.
@Focus: Never, never forget how to HATE.
No one hates the Borg more than I. For 20 years I used it as rocket fuel.
what would make a man throw away all his earthly riches to expose the cult?
what did ray franz have to gain by leaving in total poverty?
if ray franz had stayed in place, he could have lived like a god, why did he leave?
Focus,
Well stated. I've thought perhaps Ray Franz reacted in the manner he did because, as you pointed out, he was essentially a good man, and in part because of the connotation of being labeled with the big "A." Likely he didn't want to come across in that manner so as not to allow the Dark Lords remaining behind in the Dark Tower to say, "See how apostates act. Just like we said." The books were effective, but there is so much more that he could have done, IMHO. Thanks for filling in the knowledge gaps.
a discussion of this talk on friday morning deserves its own thread.
as i said elsewhere, it was a remarkable one.
the speaker was manfred vencebi (google him - he's a bethel bigwig) and some of his remarks are real gems.
They are 'owning' 1914 for one reason: to attempt to stave off critics and those who would mock and discredit them. It's a PR strategy. Hillary is doing the same thing right now in an attempt to stave off critics if she runs for president, talking about Benghazi and Monica. And really, they made such a deal out of 1914 how could they not? Trying to hide from it would be obvious, and the critics and late night comedians would have a field day (are they even relevant enough these days for comedians to poke fun at them?)
What have they accomplished other than destroying a lot of familes and ruining a lot of lives. I can't think of anything.
the old guys sided with hobby lobby today in denying birth control coverage to its female employees based on the owners religious views.
intact- is viagra for the guys.
funny how the far right evangelical owners of hobby lobby didn't want to touch that one.... read judge ginburg's scathing counter argument and opinion.. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf.
Shana,
You lost all of your credibility with your closing 'argument.' We live in a constitutional democracy - a public/private partnership if you will. Governments can and should provide the appropriate amount of regulation. I'm not Solomon and won't play like I always know what that perfect amount is. Viviane has provided two salient examples; there are many. You may want to retract/restate. You are entitled to your opinon, just as you are entitled to be wrong.
two copies of this invitation were pinned to the corkboard at the post office this morning: a world government, why do we need one, is it possible, who is qualified to rule?.
i know this invitation hand-out has been discussed but i missed this part - that wt obviously is saying they are qualified to rule the world.
i can't take it.
Thanks OneEYedJoe
They had desks set up in the hotels to passively advertise the IC. I noted that they didn't approach anyone. There was also a teachers' convention there, so I was surrounded by teachers and preachers for several days. The teachers were much more fun.
two copies of this invitation were pinned to the corkboard at the post office this morning: a world government, why do we need one, is it possible, who is qualified to rule?.
i know this invitation hand-out has been discussed but i missed this part - that wt obviously is saying they are qualified to rule the world.
i can't take it.
I was in Atlanta over the weekend and the Dubs are indeed everywhere. Someone enlighten me: I've been out 2 decades; the dubs were there Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Are ICs different than regular district conventions these days? I would thought they would leave on Sunday night rather than show up. Surely they aren't meeting the entire week. Just shoot me.
