There are various stories in the news today about the head pastor, Mark Driscoll, of the Mars Hill megachurch in Seattle resigning after much extended controversy. From what I read, his church was in many ways similar to the JWs. Shunning. Stifling dissent. No financial accountability, secret trials for non-conforming members, extended classes required for 'membership', encouraging husbands to take charge of their wives, indoctrinating children at an early age, etc. I don't have a link to post, but if you are interested Google MARS HILL CHURCH SEATTLE and you can read numerous accounts. See what you think. There are so many glaring similarities to the JWs.
NAVYTOWN
JoinedPosts by NAVYTOWN
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ANOTHER CHURCH THAT EVOLVED INTO A CULT
by NAVYTOWN inthere are various stories in the news today about the head pastor, mark driscoll, of the mars hill megachurch in seattle resigning after much extended controversy.
from what i read, his church was in many ways similar to the jws.
shunning.
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This weeks #2 & #3 talk on homosexuality
by granada35 inafter a one year sucessful fade and no longer associated with any congreation, i was visiting my sister this week (who goes to the meeting to please her husband for now; i am slowly planting seeds though) and they decided to year this weeks midweek meeting via the telephone.
since i was a guest in her house, i sat with them in the living room to hear the meeting.
to my surprise (especially growing up as a gay jw with still alot of anger in my heart over how i was treated), the talks 2 and 3 where on, of course, homosexualiy.
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NAVYTOWN
It would be most interesting to hear an Elder give a talk about the 'evils' of heterosexual divorce. That might hit a litte too close to home. While gays are WANTING to get married, at least half of heterosexual marriages end in divorce. How many in every KH are themselves divorced??? Yet the talks always seem to focus on how evil gays are for wanting to get married
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Two Tests Before Everlasting Life?
by lambsbottom inso, even if jws of the great crowd are found faithful and sparred at armageddon, they still have to prove faithful at the final judgement at the end of 1,000 years, right?
or, are jws of the great crowd assured they will pass the final judgement.
two tests doesnt sound fair!.
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NAVYTOWN
The whole 'final judgement' idea is yet another JW fantasy. In my opinion, there will be no Armageddon and no 1000 year 'whatever'. It's all just a made-up theory in order to quell members fear of dying. There is absolutely no real proof that ANYONE somehow manages to cheat death. But the idea of an 'afterlife' is a perfect way for the GB to keep the rank and fie JWs trapped on the Watchtower hamster-wheel. EVERYTHING a JW does is geared to somehow 'surviving' death. Too bad it is all nonsense
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3 John 1:4
by William Penwell ini lost my mother some time ago.
today my sister throws up 3 john 1:4 "i have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
" don't any of these cult people undestand when something is emotional black mail?
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NAVYTOWN
I call blackmailing JWs like your sister 'Emotional Nazis'. They are willing to stoop to the lowest level just to make you feel bad and guilty. They are just following orders and spouting the Watchtower party line. They don't care who they hurt in the process. My advice is to tell her to shut up and piss off!! Why should she get away with treating you like dirt??? The look on her face will be priceless!!!
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Four Levels of Shunning
by Londo111 inremember: the word shun means to avoid, especially persistently.. level 1. official watchtower policy makes extreme shunning mandatory for those disfellowshipped or disassociated.
there are, of course, two loopholes:.
(1) one is not shunned if living in the same household...but this works as long as one is not kicked out of their own home (like raypublisher was) or if the jw decide to leave as a consequence.. (2) one may do necessary family business..but this is open to interpretation and obviously relations are very uncomfortable and strained.. but for those two loopholes, a jw may not speak to the person shunned, not even to say hello.
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NAVYTOWN
Shunning on any level as practiced by JWs proves to me that they are EVIL people. They consider themselves to be 'nice' people who wouldn't hurt a fly. But in reality they are similar to Nazis in that they allow evil deeds by slavishly claiming to be 'just following orders' from those in authority. I'm sure there were Nazi extermination camp directors who likewise saw themselves as being 'nice, thoughtful family men' who were loved by their children and spouses. Yet they participated in unspeakable horrors by being part of an evil system. Likewise, individual Witnesses may SEEM like nice, kind people. Yet they would let an innocent sick baby die by refusing to give it a life-saving blood transfusion. They would desert their own children if the child decided to follow another religion. They would willingly go along with the total shunning of a longtime member for the 'sin' of simply saying a greeting to a disfellowshipped JW. Really, what type of monsters do these sorts of things? Evil people!! So the next time you run into a Witness, just remember that they would treat you like dirt on their shoes if you don't agree EXACTLY with what their religion tells them to believe. After all, they are 'just following orders'. Just like Hitler's followers in Nazi Germany.
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Most Jdubs are nice people, not really evil - give us all a break from this
by hamsterbait in.
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NAVYTOWN
YES!!!! JWs are EVIL people. They PRETEND to be nice and loving to outsiders in hopes of drawing them into the cult. Try this: After studying with a 'nice' JW for awhile, tell them you wish to pursue another belief system. My prediction is you will NEVER hear from them again. Having a 'real' friendship with a JW is impossible. Do something they don't like and they will rat you out to the elders right away. Then they will shun you. If your 6-month old baby was dying and you agreed to a blood transfusion to save it's life, you would be little more to them than dirt on their shoes. No, it's a false belief that JWs are really just 'nice' people. Let's call them what they are: EVIL people whose ONLY loyalty is to the CULT!!!
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Heaven, where you are?
by free2beme inso in the last couple of months we lost robin williams and joan rivers and i have heard something a lot.
i bet they are loving the comedy shows in heaven, or they are now performing with no pain and so on.
so is this the image christians have of heaven, that what you are on earth is what you will be doing in heaven?
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NAVYTOWN
It's time an alternate opinion was expressed to counteract the all-pervasive Religious Myth about Life after Death. I'm not just bashing Christians.....Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc all have various explanations about 'life after death'. All are in my opinion made-up excuses for not facing up to the reality that life ends at Death. I firmly believe there is nothing after we die. We are dead and gone, that's it. It's just as valid to say there is NO afterlife as it is to say there IS an afterlife. Neither can be proven. But I state my beliefs with no apologies. Take what I say, or leave it. But I will continue to express my opinion. PS: There is no 'god' up in 'Heaven'.
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Consciousness is from God, not an Emergent Property of the (flesh called) brain
by exWTslave inwhen people talk about emergent consciousness, it only shows they they do not understand the how of consciousness!.
has anyone shown a model that exhibits properties of self awareness and qualitative experience from chemical properties?
again, not even close!.
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NAVYTOWN
All living things have some level of consciousness.....not only humans but ALL living things. Just because they may be conscious in ways different from ours doesn't negate this fact. Are humans the ONLY life-form whose consciousness is supposedly 'from God'?? How about Neanderthals? Cavemen? Proto-humans in the far distant past? Folks, our mental awareness comes strictly from our BIOLOGY. Who we 'are' is the sum total of our brains, bodies, chemical makeup, genetic history, etc. I see it as a total cop-out to explain consciousness as something 'placed into us' by God. Where is the proof of that? This is just yet another example of anti-scientific Magical Thinking. To religious types, anything they don't comprehend MUST be ascribed to God as the ultimate explanation.
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My appeal was successful. Now what?
by noonehome infaders: why do we bother staying in?.
we cling to some false hope that people we love will accept us despite our not believing, even though its as much a fairytale as the dogmas based on untruths.. ive never been anything but a good friend and human being and would do anything for the people i love; i couldnt dream of shutting out someone i care about.
and its not like theyd revel in the idea of doing it either, yet its seen as not just the only choice, but also as undoubtedly the right thing to do.
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NAVYTOWN
It's time to view ALL JWs as just what they are: EVIL!! Yes, I said EVIL!!! All those 'nice, kind' JWs would, upon orders from their superiors, turn their backs on you in a heartbeat. If you consented to giving your dying child a blood transfusion, they would reject you totally. If a single female had a baby, those same 'loving' JWs would disown her in an instant. So I really don't want to hear any more lame excuses about JWs being 'such nice people'. They are NOT nice people"". They are adults who have a Nazi-like need to follow orders and obey directives without any critical independent thinking. They think Only THEIR belief system is the correct obe, and anyone holding alternate beliefs is labelled as an 'evil apostate'. So, to repeat: JWs are EVIL PEOPLE!!!! Stop making excuses for them!!
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Heaven, where you are?
by free2beme inso in the last couple of months we lost robin williams and joan rivers and i have heard something a lot.
i bet they are loving the comedy shows in heaven, or they are now performing with no pain and so on.
so is this the image christians have of heaven, that what you are on earth is what you will be doing in heaven?
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NAVYTOWN
The whole 'Heaven' myth is just made-up nonsense. Humans don't 'go anywhere' when they die.....they are just dead, forever. The belief in 'Heaven' is just another way to rationalize the fact that everyone and everything dies at some point. The best approach is to forget the fairy tales and live the one life you will ever have NOW, in the present. This is it, folks. Stop obsessing about an 'afterlife' and make the most of your current life.