Posts by StrongHaiku

52

Try Other Religions

by Sofia Lose in

sometimes i get a strong curiosity to start dabbling into other religions, other faiths, you know?

really different ones such as islam, judaism, hinduism, etc.. has anyone here looked into something else?

has your spirituality been satisfied by any other than christianity?.

StrongHaiku

nicolaou said it more succinctly than me. Nicely put.

Sofia Lose, I do not know your life or history, so please bear with me. I will like to share something I wish someone would have told me when I was young...

There are about 7 billion people on the planet, many in thousands of religions, with a myriad of Gods, denominations, holy books, etc. that, through "faith", all think they have the truth. Believing in a God/Religion is ultimately going to come down to faith (e.g. a feeling, personal revelation, etc.). Because faith requires no evidence or critical thinking it gives permission (and often sanctions) some horrible acts in this world.

Before you embark on your next quest you might want to ponder whether faith is the best way to find truth or if there is a better way. I think you will find that the idea of faith as a way to truth (or as necessary) is no more valid than the things you used to believe when you were a JW and no longer believe. Let that sink in...

52

Try Other Religions

by Sofia Lose in

sometimes i get a strong curiosity to start dabbling into other religions, other faiths, you know?

really different ones such as islam, judaism, hinduism, etc.. has anyone here looked into something else?

has your spirituality been satisfied by any other than christianity?.

StrongHaiku

If you are curious about religions, I would read up on Joseph Campbell. He has a number of books such as "The Power of Myth", "The Hero with a Thousand Faces", etc. Great reading in comparative mythology/religions. It might give you insight on how humans have created these beliefs over time.

As for satisfying "spirituality" with another religion/belief system, I would recommend you take one minute to think about what you are really searching for. I have learned over time that the feeling some people call "spirituality" is nothing more than the natural feeling of awe, joy, a peak experience, etc. I was indoctrinated to think that those feelings can only be gained by some religion or supernatural belief system.

I assure you, as an atheist living without religion, I still get those feelings. I get them when I look through a telescope, read the latest Scientific American, kiss my girlfriend, watch a great movie or documentary, cook, spend time with friends, help someone, etc.

Before you consider looking for a religion to fill some void, you might want to see if you can fill it with other things. You would be surprised. Just a thought.

11

Picking Someone To Be An Illustrious Member Of the Governing Body/Faithful & Discreet A Hole Club What Is It They Look For?

by Brokeback Watchtower in

this is a work in progress so let me postulate a few and then post your observations.. i think when we examine this subject we will be able to understand how they picked this recent batch of new comers who can just about manage to even tie their shoe laces and clearly are almost complete idiots.. i'm sure they test any gb hopefuls as to loyalty and courage to face pressure and make defenses for the corporation sound at least plausible and with in the limits of understanding imposed by the corporations edicts.. i know anthony morris came from wealth and he mentioned in one of his talks that his aged father tried to warn him about giving money to the wt corporation and he said that what his dad didn't know was that he was the society (he may have been trying to get some money from his wealthy dad to give to the corporation as sort of an investment in loyalty that would catapault him to gb stardom and who knows maybe even chief honcho.. so i wonder can some buy their way to the top?

after all it is a scam operation based on bullshit and all the members of the elite are money hungry if not for themselves then for their sock puppet jehovah/me.. what say you?.

StrongHaiku

They look for "Company Men"

Company Men:

noun

1.an employee whose allegiance to his employer comes before personal beliefs or loyalty to fellow workers.

Pure and simple.

12

For once and for all

by Pistoff in

for the latest apologists for the gb and the lawyers that rank and file are paying for:.

the wt has not changed their policy.. they still have a 2 witness policy about child sexual abuse, and think it's a good idea.. they will still appoint someone who has sexually abused a child, if they want to.. they say that they won't allow an abuser to go door to door without supervision, but this means nothing, as they protect the identity of abusers; they refuse to tell all elders and ms's who they are, witness mr. kendricks.. nothing has changed..

StrongHaiku

The fact that ex-JWs and the "world" seems more concerned about protecting children than the GB and R&F says it all. I see no uproar from JWs, no picketing, no call for change, nothing. I give up. If you are a JW, stay inside the organization. Have a fun happy time.

12

For once and for all

by Pistoff in

for the latest apologists for the gb and the lawyers that rank and file are paying for:.

the wt has not changed their policy.. they still have a 2 witness policy about child sexual abuse, and think it's a good idea.. they will still appoint someone who has sexually abused a child, if they want to.. they say that they won't allow an abuser to go door to door without supervision, but this means nothing, as they protect the identity of abusers; they refuse to tell all elders and ms's who they are, witness mr. kendricks.. nothing has changed..

StrongHaiku

204

Candace Conti Settles

by Nitty-Gritty in

hot topic on topix seems to be candace conti settlement.

but it's all quiet here.

are you guys aware that your hero, who was not in it for the money but to change policies, settled without changing anything?

StrongHaiku

Nitty-Gritty - I am with you 100%. That is why, and I am repeating myself, parents will go to the authorities (police) to report that crime. Elders will advise parents to go to the police if they themselves are not mandated to report.

No. You are not 100% with me. I don't give a damn how the JWs think they need to handle child rape. Advising or not advising authorities of a crime is not in the discretionary purview of the Elders or the Parents or the various Branches, Departments, etc. This is not a discretionary matter. It is a crime. As such, whether you are the Elders or the Parents you are required to report it. I grow tired of trying to explain this. The only thing the organization needs as a policy is a one-line memo that says "Child Rape: Contact the authorities." That's it. And, you know this because if it was any other religion or organization we would not even be talking about procedures, dancing around the issue, and splitting verbiage.

131

On the Relevancy of The Institutionalization of Sin

by Perry in

child murder, sodomy & corrupting the human genome are not new sins, they are old ones.

what is new is their institutionalization.

but even that isn't totally new.

StrongHaiku

Perry - All three of those ideologies believe that the worst thing that can happen to a person is non-existence at death.

If the idea is that this is the only life I have and I should treasure it and the people in it, and I get the most out of it and I try to make it a better place before I leave it, I think that's pretty good. If the idea is that you will go on after you are dead and therefore you can treat the life, the world, and people you know as inconsequential compared to the hope of an afterlife, that seems like hell to me.

Regardless, you do know that there is a difference between what is and what you desperately want. Right?

204

Candace Conti Settles

by Nitty-Gritty in

hot topic on topix seems to be candace conti settlement.

but it's all quiet here.

are you guys aware that your hero, who was not in it for the money but to change policies, settled without changing anything?

StrongHaiku

Nitty-Gritty, thanks for the info on the link. Did you catch par. 4? "Most states have child-abuse reporting laws that, depending on the facts, mandate elders to report an accusation to the authorities..." And, par 5 - "The Legal Department will provide you with legal advice based on the facts of applicable law...", followed by paragraph after paragraph on internal procedures.

This highlights a fundamental problem. This means that the JWs responsibility to report is not consistent across the organization. So, all a JW pedophile has to do is look up and move to the states/territories, etc. where the law is most favorable to them or for that matter fade. I don't think JWs are getting it. Or maybe they get "it" but just don't give a damn.

I'll make it clearer, child rape is a crime and is NOT dependent on where it occurred and it is NOT an internal matter. If you are a JW and you don't get this then you have no humanity left and nothing can be done for you.

204

Candace Conti Settles

by Nitty-Gritty in

hot topic on topix seems to be candace conti settlement.

but it's all quiet here.

are you guys aware that your hero, who was not in it for the money but to change policies, settled without changing anything?

StrongHaiku

Nitty-Gritty - Even in the case of Kendrick, where Kendrick confessed, and where the wife and step daughter went to the police, the police didn't do anything. And neither did the child protective services.

I'll make the math easy:

1. Don't report the child rape to authorities: 0 probability to prosecute and protect the public

2. Report the child rape to the authorities: A greater than 0 probability to prosecute and protect the public

Which one do you prefer? Would it help if I substituted "Child Rape" for "Murder"? Would it help if I substituted the "JWs" for another religion, etc.?

40

Massive Growth in Dub Numbers???

by 1rebelheart in

jw
friends

so, i left about 5 years ago and at that time, the official ruling on number of members was a little over 6 million.

i google jw out of boredom the other day and find they are now claiming 8 million members.

sooooo.... hold on 2 million increase in 5 years?

StrongHaiku

westiebilly11 - ..does anyone actually audit their figures?...what's to prevent them fabricating numbers..?

Those are tough ones to answer and we would have to rely on PEW research (or the like) to confirm the numbers. I think that regardless of whether they are fabricating their numbers or not, we may be able to observe that effect indirectly by watching their financials. And, since their financials are closed for public viewing, what we may be able to observe is more and more desperation in asking for funds in JW TV, magazine articles, and talks. Not a perfect answer but that may be all we get for now.