bemused

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Posts by bemused

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  46

  hello everyone

  by purrpurr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been browsing the site for some time as things that the society teach just are not adding up much these days.

  by exploring some of the threads on here i'm starting to see why.

  a brief bio.

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  bemused

  Hello purrpurr and welcome to the site.

  I'm sure you'll find lots of support here. Do bear in mind though that there's a whole mix of people on the site from all round the world and with a range of views so debates can get quite robust. There are even some members like me who have never been a Witness but are concerned about in relatives or friends.

  If I can recommend one piece of reading for you, do try to get hold of 'The Magic of Reality' by Richard Dawkins - it's quite short and written very clearly and will give you a a non-religious perspective on the world (whether you agree with that perspective or not).
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  untitled

  by bemused in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  apologies if this has been raised already (i don't check in to the board all that often) but can anyone make head or tail of this from the latest watchtower (study edition):.

  a former atheist confessed: the creation convinces me that god wants mankind to enjoy life and therefore he will not allow suffering to go on forever.

  also, as the world descends further into ungodliness, jehovahs people are progressing in faith, zeal, and love.

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  bemused

  Apologies if this has been raised already (I don't check in to the board all that often) but can anyone make head or tail of this from the latest Watchtower (Study Edition):

  A former atheist confessed: “The creation convinces me that God wants mankind to enjoy life and therefore he will not allow suffering to go on forever. Also, as the world descends further into ungodliness, Jehovah’s people are progressing in faith, zeal, and love. Only Jehovah’s spirit could produce this modern-day miracle.”

  It's from the article 'Are you convinced you have the truth? Why?' (para. 17). The answers to these two questions for this 'former atheist' appear to be 'yes, definitely' and 'no idea, so I'll make something up'.

  The first bit is standard stuff I guess, as usual avoiding the question as to why a loving all-powerful god has allowed suffering since humans first appeared. But what's the second bit about - what miracle is being referred to? Is it the amazing fact that as more and more people wake up to the nonsense of organised religion there are still people willing to subscribe to the WT's bizarre doctrines?

  What do you think?
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  Am I part of the Cure or am I part of the disease

  by Jon Preston in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so this is the ultimate dilemma.

  my wife and i are on the same page.

  do we fade, in which all our friends, and i stress friends call us and feel sick and hurt and hurt and we feel guilty; or do we da so we tell the wt what we see as wrong as what we see that lead us to believe its a false religion; or do we df and let me or my wife let them catch us at some wrong doing and stop going to meetigs..... .

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  bemused

  Jon. Although I've never been a JW, I have to agree with Searcher. When I decided I no longer believed in the Catholic faith I didn't write a letter to my bishop or try to provoke the local priest to ban me, I just stopped going to church. You want to leave, you don't need anybody's permission to leave so just leave.
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  First trip to Europe this summer...only 20 years later than I planned :)

  by Gypsy Sam in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, i'm quite excited but also slightly freaked out as i'm able to go this summer instead of next like i had counted on (my daughter graduates next year and i was planning to go then).

  this means i'm doing this last minute and i wanted to see if any of you have used https://www.go-today.com or gateone travel or go ahead travel?.

  i'm planning on london, paris and rome for two weeks, likely july at this point.

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  bemused

  As others have said, you'll get by with english, but knowing a few words of french and italian may make your trip more interesting. Tour companies and organised trips are good if you want to cram a lot in, but it can be tiring getting dragged around. The London/Paris/Rome No.1 must-sees for me would be Westminster Abbey/Eiffel Tower/St Peter's. The best show in London IMO is Billy Elliot (but I'd recommend you have a quick look at Margaret Thatcher/miner's strike on Wikepedia beforehand to understand the context). If you've got time to travel out of the cities then Oxford is lovely and an easy trip from London while Versailles is spectacular and only just on the edge of Paris.

  Enjoy your trip!
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  Is this true, the Pope said an Atheist can get into heaven??

  by jam in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well if said that, one thing is for sure he wont remain a atheist.

  if he is in heaven..lol.

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  bemused

  I'm sure it's true. This has been Catholic teaching for all of my lifetime at least (and that's quite a long time).
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  42

  Are all JWs united in their beliefs?

  by enigma1863 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  so i used to think that all witnesses believed the same exact thing but i have heard some claims that they believe things i'm not familiar with.

  do you know if it's true?

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  bemused

  jgnat: 'For instance, I have met many Witnesses who assume they will see their (non-believing) relatives in paradise.'

  Interesting. I (a never-in) was told by an elder that non-believers might be resurrected (if they'd been good). Is this not a universal JW belief?
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  JW.Orgy......let's come up with slogans

  by AndDontCallMeShirley in

  1. social
  2. humour

  here are a couple suggestions for slogans:.

  missionary positions available".. 2.

  where jesus isn't the only one coming for a second time".. .. add yours to the list.

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  bemused

  We promise to be faithful and discreet.

  We do it with the (new) light on.

  Enjoy the Rapture
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  28

  Remember this picture?

  by Zoos in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i went to a small non-denominational church yesterday - first time in a church since i left the borg 4 years ago - and this is how i observed several of the members singing.. .

  boy... do those people love to sing.. .

  i try not to judge the sincerity of others but i was a little put off by the experience because it looked fake, showy display-ish.

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  bemused

  Although, to be fair, the quality of the hymns is dire to start with.
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  28

  Remember this picture?

  by Zoos in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i went to a small non-denominational church yesterday - first time in a church since i left the borg 4 years ago - and this is how i observed several of the members singing.. .

  boy... do those people love to sing.. .

  i try not to judge the sincerity of others but i was a little put off by the experience because it looked fake, showy display-ish.

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  bemused

  In my (admittedly limited) experience, the quality of singing in KHs is very poor - much worse than in most christian churches.
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  87

  July 2014 WT cracks down on apostate debates and 'dance parties'

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the july 2014 study wt article titled "jehovah's people "renouce unrighteousness".

  par 9 and 10 .

  9. how did foolish and ignorant debates affect the early christian congregation?.

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  bemused

  Hmm, could be some sparsely populated dance floors at JW weddings in future. Perhaps guests will have to limit themselves to say two dances?

  BTW - what is a 'dance party'?