Posts by StrongHaiku

27

Why do people "come back"?

by kairos in

jw
friends

i know of several examples of ones that "left the truth" for up to 20 years, only to suffer through the reinstatement process and feel like they are finally back on track.. how does this happen?.

i personally know of one example where a father of three, leaves jws, abandons wife and family, lives as a gay man then comes back 20 years later as a partaking member of the anointed..

My brother went back after being out ~15 years. Our younger sister died suddenly about 5 years ago. I believe this was one of the key catalysts. But I think the main reason he was susceptible to being pulled back is that, in those 15 years he was out, he did not take time to replace what he had believed with a more secular, critical, and scientific view of the world. In addition, during that time, he never did any research to question the "Organization" and what he had believed.

In short, in those 15 years he had not replaced a vacuum that had remained when he left the JWs. And, when my sister passed away, he went back to the only thing he knew.

17

Creative writing query..

by DATA-DOG in

jw
friends

i am working on a writing project.

just give me your opinion on this subject.

if you worked for your respective government and you were tasked with doomsday preparations, what would you decide to save for future generations?

StrongHaiku

One of my favorite quotes from the great physicist and teacher Richard Feynman:

"If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is the atomic hypothesis (or the atomic fact, or whatever you wish to call it) that all things are made of atoms — little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. In that one sentence, you will see, there is an enormous amount of information about the world, if just a little imagination and thinking are applied."

102

A couple questions for atheists on Suffering

by little_Socrates in

who told you that the world should be free from suffering?.

do you find any value in suffering?.

do you think it is possible to experience all the beauty and goodness and pleasure the world offers without also experiencing the bad?

StrongHaiku

Who told you that the world should be free from suffering?

Jehovah's Witnesses taught me that. They taught me that all suffering started with the original sin and someday we would all be free from it. They taught me that human imperfection, Satan, our lack of a direct relationship to God, etc. were to blame.

Now, I know better. As an atheist, I now know that there is suffering comes from a variety of sources; from an impersonal nature (e.g. earthquakes, hurricanes, diseases), bad people (e.g. selfishness, greed), bad circumstances (e.g. car accidents), bad decisions, etc.

As an atheist, I hold to the idea that if we really want to make the world "free from suffering" it will be up to the human species to do so. This would take a lot of work and a lot of time and a lot of resources. We make progress and sometimes we take three steps forward and two steps back. And, ultimately some problems may not be solvable. Regardless, I have no illusion that addressing suffering will be taken care of by anyone but us.

9

Watchtower switching to selling children's toys that have corporation approval

by Brokeback Watchtower in

hey put a good video out about the evil toys on the market and the possibility of making jehovah very very sad by having these things in your house and demons start to party on your sofa.

then wait a couple of weeks and offer a entire line of acceptable toys and charge the hypnotized families a stiff price/suggested contribution.

could make a few million and help pay off some of these child molestation lawsuits.. i can just see tony morris singing 'rubber ducky' and offering the latest marketing scam of a toy that don't make jehovah so sad.

StrongHaiku

I would not put it past the GB to find new and creative ways to milk the cash cow...

27

Spock is dead

by hoser in

jw
friends

leonard nimoy is no longer with us

StrongHaiku

He was such a big part of making me feel ok when I was growing up, coming to a new country, and leaving the JWs. His character of Spock was such a fine calibration during difficult times. And, he made logic and science a wonderful thing to aspire to. And, his character resonated with me as the outcast trying to understand the people and world around him. I think he will live in many of us for years to come. What a fine legacy.

When I heard about it this morning, I wrote this Haiku in his honor:

"Star Trek gave me hope

Mankind would someday grow up

And reach for the stars"

Live long and prosper, fellow travelers...

22

The Watchtower organization's crime against humanity

by TerryWalstrom in

who are the real heroes of society?.

are they not the people who are doctors and nurses and teachers and firemen and policemen and counselors and humanitarians?.

because of the watchtower organization, we are missing generations of those kinds of heroes who will not exist (but could have) because jehovah's witnesses destroyed them by convincing millions of it's members those professions are meaningless and unimportant for them to pursue.

StrongHaiku

Also, one noted "crime" against humanity that is not often mention, is the rampant Welfare fraud in the JWs. When I left I knew a large number of JWs who were claiming "disability" so that they could get government assistance. Typically these were fully able-bodied pioneers who would get "disability" (or some other assistance) while still going door to door. They would often brag about it and share their strategies. And, would do it all with the excuse of "theocratic warfare" and using "unrighteous riches". I know that in my family many of them have learned to work the system to their advantage. To me, that is a crime as that money could better serve other people who really need and it is fraud against tax payers.

22

The Watchtower organization's crime against humanity

by TerryWalstrom in

who are the real heroes of society?.

are they not the people who are doctors and nurses and teachers and firemen and policemen and counselors and humanitarians?.

because of the watchtower organization, we are missing generations of those kinds of heroes who will not exist (but could have) because jehovah's witnesses destroyed them by convincing millions of it's members those professions are meaningless and unimportant for them to pursue.

StrongHaiku

My brother is a Fireman/Paramedic and a JW. I think initially there was a bit of pressure on him from the Elders because, before you even start, you have to put in A LOT of time in training, education, etc. Also, when you start out your schedule will not make it easy to do the JW regiment. However, he has been doing it for over 20 years so he has more flexibility and has privileges.

Regardless, my impression has always been that religious organizations often have a very parasitic relationship with the rest of the world. They most definitely benefit from the hard work, sacrifice, brains, energy, and modernity while giving little to nothing back. The JWs probably being one of the most parasitic groups of all.

13

It's turning out our religion is one of the worst offenders when it comes to child abuse

by My Name is of No Consequence in

remember when we pointed out how bad child abuse was among christendom?

over the last few years, i haven't heard anything about the rampant abuse claims in christendom.

it's turning out that we have our own to deal with, a lot to deal with.

StrongHaiku

How long till the watchtower admits their mistakes and do everything possible to rectify them?"

Those are actually two separate good questions:

"How long till the Watchtower admits their mistakes?" - If past history is any indication of pattern: Never. They may change policies under the radar and ret-con their history. But admitting that they made a mistake? Never. Never. Never.

"How long till Watchtower...do everything possible to rectify them?": I imagine like any company the GB consults with a professional Actuary that provides the financial risks of maintaining any one position/doctrine (e.g. pedophilia, blood, etc.). This is no different than when a company evaluates a safety feature and computes the cost of implementing it vs. the possible wrongful-death lawsuits. They go with whatever number is lower. The GB almost certainly has done a similar calculation with their insurance actuaries and attorneys. I can imagine they weighed the perception/image cost of changing their doctrine (and admitting mistakes) vs. the possibility of lawsuits. Very sang-froid...So until the lawsuit costs are higher than the change in policy, it is likely that nothing will change. And, changing now would be to admit a major mistake which is a pretty high cost for them. We shall see...

78

Governing Body Member Stephan Lett Lies On JW.TV

by Finkelstein in

i thought it would be important to clearly point in the recent talk by governing body member stephan lett, that he did in fact deliberately lie concerning what he described as lies and false information by apostates, concerning the organization being permissive toward people in the organization who had been involved in pedophilia.

the truth of the matter is thats exactly what the organization has been doing and perhaps for a long time.

the recent candace conti law suit where she was awarded 28 million dollars was levied against the wts for its irresponsible behavior by the elders who gave no notification of the accused jonathan kendrick that he had been charged with pedophilia and spent months in jail for his actions .

StrongHaiku

Anyone watch "Lie to me"? Care to analyze this expression?

Looks like he's rebooting..."File Not Found: Abort, Retry, Fail..."

50

Lett briefly addresses the child abuse issues in new JW.org video

by Richard_I in

jw
friends

i just read about this on the ex-jw subreddit.

link to the video (10m06s).. skip to 7:35 where he says: "another way we can contribute to the oneness - rejecting false stories that are designed to separate us from jehovah's organization.

as an example, think about the apostate-driven lies and 'dishonesties' that jehovah's organization is permissive toward pedophiles.

StrongHaiku

I grow tired of being the whipping-boy for anything that goes wrong within the "Organization". The "Organization" set the policies, they set the rules, they enforce them. Apostates didn't cause this problem, the GB did! I am tired of the "Organization" placing the blame for their own mistakes on Christendom, Satan, "The World", ex-JWs, and any other conspiracy/group they make up.

I grow tired of JW apologists, when finally confronting the facts, saying "we'll, they are after all imperfect men". If the GB are imperfect men, then they need to ACT like they are. You know what an adult does when they make a mistake? They accept responsibility, apologize, show up in court to give an accounting, and do everything their power to fix the problem. You know what a child does? They hide it, justify it, blame someone else, and lie.

The GB are like the kid from that "Twilight Zone" episode "It's a Good Life"... They have the power of a "god" with the impulses of a child. Frightening.