Posts by Daniel1555

106

Walking a thin line - Resigning Elder

by Sanchy in

jw
friends

warning of a long boring post ahead.

i feel like i need to vent my story out, as i feel quite helpless at the moment.. i'm 31 year old, married, father of toddler with another one on the way, due later this month.

i've been serving as elder for about 4 years now in a south florida congregation.

Daniel1555

Hi Sanchy,

I can feel very much for you as I was in a similar situation. I was also about your age when I resigned as elder.

The advice Tim Drake and freddo gave is really good.

In my situation it ended sadly in divorce and me df'd for apostasy (a long and painful journey). I must say though my ex wife is and was a hardcore JW. I am happy though to be able to live according to my conscience and to give all my love to my little son without faking a jw life.

My advice is to give all your love to your children and wife but to be authentic and act according to your conscience but always respectful.

You did already a huge step. To resign.

If you need to talk you can also pm me.

38

We're Ashya Kings parents right?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

do you remember the case?

jehovers witness parents did a runner without telling the medical staff caring for their seriously ill child and took him to receive proton therapy in praque as this treatment was not available in the u.k.. first most importantly the good news, the boy was declared cancer free last march.. anyway i am sure at the time this issue would have created a lot of heated debate on the forum, as it was a case that created a media frenzy, with the parents and their jehovers witness religious beliefs being heavily critizised .

however as i followed the case i couldn't help but admire the parents, as i felt they would have acted indepentedly of both the jehovers witness organisation and the u.k medical advice, having in my opinion seriously thought the matter through, and then doing they thought was the best way for treatment.. so if you remember the case my questions are:-.

Daniel1555

They did everything for their son; they loved and supported him unconditionally and at great risk and cost, they even potentially went against their religions blood doctrine.

Of course they were right. They are great examples for parents.

I wish this family all the best.

121

Hey ya'll! My first post. Please help. In need of advice/comfort.

by Stepford Wife in

jw
friends

hey ya'll!

i have been lurking for years on this site and others but never had the courage to post anything.

actually i was afraid of posting on an apostate site in the event i was wrong.

Daniel1555

Welcome and congratulation for being free inside. This is a great step.

The elders knew I had doubts. I had hours of discussions. They try to make you feel guilty which should lead you back.

I also told my wife that I would accept blood for me and our son. She said I have to tell the elders otherwise she would. So I did. I discussed again for many hours.

Our marriage broke... finally I was df'd for apostasy, because I celebrated my sons birthday and because I kept firm that I would accept blood.

So it is better not to meet with them. Or if you meet with them just say "I am fine. I have a very close and precious personal relationship to God. But this is personal so I won't discuss this with you."

Then you need to be strong and say No, No, No. "If I need spiritual help be assured that I will call you." And of course you never call.

If you meet them, be prepared to be asked in different ways "do you believe this is god's organisation?" or "Do you believe the the governing body is the faithful and discreet slave?"

These are standard questions to detect apostasy.

Anyway I wish you all the best.

90

Evolution Hole #1 - Origin of Life

by shadow in

disclaimer: my graduate degree is in business, not science so i'm writing as a layman in this field.

yes, i know that someone is going to say that evolution does not encompass this topic and should be sectioned off under abiogenesis.

i'm not trying to argue semantics here but it seems like a case of avoiding an uncomfortable subject.

Daniel1555

You should have rather titled your thread "ABIOGENESIS HOLE NO 1", than merely accusing posters of not being able to read.

Evolution has NOTHING to do with the origin of life itself.

That's why it is perfectly fine for believers in a creator god to also accept the theory of evolution.

19

A conversation with my dad

by magotan in

i talked to my dad today, after i text him when i was angry after a night out.

i'm starting to get closure on my parents relationship with regards to me.the dynamic between them versus me is abusive.

my dad didn't think i had any reason to be bitter.he said i chose to leave "jehovahs people" and this is what i should expect as treatment.

Daniel1555

You are courageous and brave. It is the right thing to live a good life according to your conscience.

It is very tough and unfair to be shunned by parents. I am df'd but my parents treat me the same as before, because they don't approve of the shunning teaching.

Of course you can defend yourself and try to show your family how bad the shunning is. But please do that with Love and not sarcastically. If you do it with love, it will heap firy coals on them to use Jesus words. It's also good to ask if Jesus would shun anyone.

Show them that you respect their belief but also that you like them to respect your agnosticism. Maybe don't argue with them about their faith. Chances might be good that they could change their views too.

If they attack you about why you left, you could just say that also are disillusioned because of the australian royal commission case. Don't explain everything... they have to research it for themselves.

I wish you a lot of joy and happiness in your life without the harmful wt influence.

25

All shunning soon to end

by poopie in

jw
friends

this is just a first step clapping.

it's like the fed one quarter bases point at a time.

Daniel1555

Slimboyfat:

You are great in translating poopies words. Now they make sense.

32

What are the biggest holes in the ransom sacrifice?

by Half banana in

how honest are the proponents of jesus as the ransom sacrifice?.

curious to see what type of response there is on a topic like this or does their study only seek to confirm their preconceptions and ignore uncomfortable facts?.

Daniel1555

I grew up as a JW with the teaching of the ransom sacrifice.

I never really understood, how and why a ransom must be paid back to an allmighty god.

Why is there a need for an unimaginably cruel human sacrifice (Jesus) just because Adam and Eve (who probably didn't even live) were a bit rebellious and ate from the wrong fruit?

Is it not a cruel god, to bring death and suffering to billions of humans just because 2 humans were a bit rebellious?

What does it tell about god, that he needed another being to be tortured to a human death just to get this so called ransom?

For me, the ransom doctrine makes god a cruel monster, being in need of human sacrifice.

I believe that Jesus lived and that his teachings are a good influence for mankind, but I can't believe in this picture of god that the ransom doctrine paints.

My view of god is completely different.

Probably this doesn't make me a christian, as a christian should believe in the ransom, i guess.

13

A Country where no-one under 25 believes the biblical creation story.

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

no icelanders under the age of 25 believe the creation story that god was responsible for creating the universe, a new poll claims.the poll, commissioned by the icelandic ethical humanist association, claims that 93.9 per cent in the under 25 category responded that the universe was created by the big bang.

just over 6 per cent responded with ‘don’t know’ or ‘other’.

none of the respondents, however, believed that the universe had been created by god.

Daniel1555

Long live Elrond and Galadriel ;-)

32

was Darwin an atheist?

by Ruby456 in

jw
friends

asking this q because my own feeling about this is that he probably believed in god but his evolutionary thesis is used to support atheism.

how come?

Daniel1555

He became an agnostic.

Evolution does not say anything against the concept of a "higher creative power" or "god."

5

Rumour about the reason of my disfellowshipping: Spiritism!

by Daniel1555 in

in november i was disfellowshipped for apostasy or in other words, because i live by my conscience and not according to the unloving rules of a human organisation.

details of my story and the judicial committee you find in my older threads.. i am lucky, as the relationship to my parents is the same as before.

now my mother told me what one elder (cobe of the congregation of my ex wife) told one sister.. he met her on the street and talked about my disfellowshipping.

Daniel1555

In November I was disfellowshipped for apostasy or in other words, because I live by my conscience and not according to the unloving rules of a human organisation. Details of my story and the judicial committee you find in my older threads.

I am lucky, as the relationship to my parents is the same as before. Now my mother told me what one elder (Cobe of the congregation of my ex wife) told one sister.

He met her on the street and talked about my disfellowshipping. He told her that I was disfellowshipped because of spiritism.

Well, I like Harry Potter and all kind of fantasy stories and fairytales.

LOL In their eyes I must be a devil worshipper practicing witchcraft and magic ;-) when all I did was standing in for my conscience, celebrating my sons birthday and sticking to my conviction that in a medical urgency I would never ever let my son bleed to death.