Posts by thedepressedsoul

71

Sophie gives even more than ice cream money to the WT

by OrphanCrow in

thedepressedsoul

Wait is this for real or photo shopped?

I would never let me child do this!

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

thedepressedsoul

depressed soul,
Sounds like you are looking for answers. You sound a little depressed.
Could I interest you in a free bible study?

You know, now that you mentioned it, I have always wondered what does the bible really teach. Do you know of anything that could help me with that?

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

thedepressedsoul

I mean this in the best way but I keep seeing this heading in the "Latest" section and it annoys me every time. Since it isn't going away anytime soon, I mine as well comment on it.

Why does there have to be an "alternative" to JW? If you feel JW's don't have it, just go and live your life until something comes along that makes sense to you. Hopefully not another cult.

This is my current stance. I don't think JW have it and I am OK not having all the answers right now. Frankly, I don't want the answers and I definitely don't want an alternative. I just want to live my life and enjoy my life the few years I get to spend on this planet.

I've come to conclusion, until someone has a 100% proven answer, without a doubt, no "alternative" or thought is worth my time. I'm staying away from it all. If I die without the answers, without knowing exactly how or why we're here, I'm ok with that. Hey, I'll be dead, what will I know?

Enjoy your life and for the love of God (no pun intended), stay away from any alternatives!

28

Making friends in the "truth"

by Jordandemm in

jw
friends

what is it about making friends in the organisation am i the only one who had found it tough?

don't get me wrong there was some good people but unfortunately there was also a lot of egotism, back stabbing, jealousy and gossiping.

i could never really fit in any group, everytime i thought i had found a group it was as if i would be sidelined or ditched.

thedepressedsoul

I'm not trying to brag but I never had this issue. Too many invites to have a weekend just at home.

What I did find however, is that it took a lot longer to become "good friends" with a JW then a person in the world. You had to feel the person out and see "how far" you could joke with them before offending the person. Some of my closest JW friends happened when we realized we didn't need a barrier around each other and could have fun without worrying about offending each other.

22

I no longer feel smart as a JW, I feel dumb...

by thedepressedsoul in

i don't want anyone to take this the wrong way but i use to at least feel smart as a jw.

when i went to thursday night meetings, i at least felt like i was a student, that i was learning how to speak publicly, i could prepare my own comments, i could answer points that i learned from the weekly bible reading.

i even feel like an "idiot" studying for the meetings.

thedepressedsoul

I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way but I use to at least feel smart as a JW. When I went to Thursday night meetings, I at least felt like I was a student, that I was learning how to speak publicly, I could prepare my own comments, I could answer points that I learned from the weekly bible reading. I felt like at the door, a JW could put up a fight.

Anymore, I just feel like I'm being treated like an idiot, being a JW. I even feel like an "idiot" studying for the meetings.

We had a meeting for field service recently. An old time brother lead the group. He prepared how to put up a defense if someone at the door questions a certain way our bible is translated. He pulled out the Kingdom Interlinear, showed how the Greek texts were written and how it was translated. I actually felt like it was something in depth for once! To my surprise, all morning I heard nothing but fellow JW's making fun of this brother. How "no one will actually argue with us at the door over that" or "he's an old timer". While they were true, it still shocked me. The old time brother may not even know that they are no longer printing that book. This brother spent his whole life, dedicated, just to be mocked for how in depth he used to study.

The new Thursday nights is even worse! You no longer give what you learned from the bible reading. It's two pre-made answers followed by two specific questions. It's no longer what you found in your reading. The demos are now videos, in between demos it even says, "Take householder information" on the screen. They are such basic, and simple presentations. They even have to tell you to take information? I just feel dumb sitting there and when I prepare. The Watchtower has gotten even worse. I'm not even sure the point of it anymore. It's more about gloating about the organization and doctrine, then actually teaching you something. People just re-repeat the paragraph for their answers.

Cart witnessing we're being taught not to get into any doctrine issues but to just focus on getting the individuals information and leaving him with literature. In door to door if someone argues, we just leave now.

I don't believe this crap, I am stuck in and I feel like I am being treated like a pre-schooler with how they are setting everything up. Better yet, they tell you not to go to college... Can't say I'm feeling like I am getting the "best education" as they like to put it.

Sorry for the rant!

56

What TV shows were forbidden in your JW household?

by Funchback in

in the u.s., three's company was not allowed.

it was explained to me that it was an immoral show because a man and women lived together and no one was married.

the sister who gave this observation was a family friend and we were newbies to the religion.. at least i somehow managed to watch the benny hill show undetected..

thedepressedsoul

*** g83 7/8 p. 27 Christ or E.T.? ***
..."E.T. may be a skillfully constructed and highly entertaining movie. But it provides no substitute for our True Friend, Jesus Christ, who saves us from this dying, wicked world. After all, E.T. is make-believe. Christ is reality."

LOL!!! Is that for real? Me and my JW buddies would die laughing at that today! They don't say not to watch it but say that he's not a true friend like Jesus? WTF does that even mean? It's a movie!
I do remember Hunger Games being mentioned from the stage recently. "Kids murdering other kids"

56

What TV shows were forbidden in your JW household?

by Funchback in

in the u.s., three's company was not allowed.

it was explained to me that it was an immoral show because a man and women lived together and no one was married.

the sister who gave this observation was a family friend and we were newbies to the religion.. at least i somehow managed to watch the benny hill show undetected..

thedepressedsoul

I'm shocked at the stuff most JW Millennials will watch today. R rated movies are usually viewed "privately". I always catch them slipping. Heck I know a ton of Bethelites that watched Breaking Bad.

Lord of the Rings is openly talked about.

Talk about how times have changed!

56

What TV shows were forbidden in your JW household?

by Funchback in

in the u.s., three's company was not allowed.

it was explained to me that it was an immoral show because a man and women lived together and no one was married.

the sister who gave this observation was a family friend and we were newbies to the religion.. at least i somehow managed to watch the benny hill show undetected..

thedepressedsoul

As a kid Power Rangers were off limits. I can't tell you how many times I got caught watching it. I know my mom was not allowed to watch The Flintstones or the Jetsons because of how they talked, lied, etc... Disney movies were always OK, which surprises me now considering how much magic is in them.

In my house growing up TV was never an issue. I remember my parents allowing us to watch R rated movies. The issue in my house was always music. Talk about double standards! We could watch R rated movies but some of the most harmless songs we couldn't listen to. Even the radio was 99% of the time off limits at night!

10

Why do EX-JW's try to argue the bible/doctrine with JW's?

by thedepressedsoul in

i've watched a few judicial committee videos on youtube.

they all start out great but eventually the person starts to bring out bible teachings and doctrine.

i understand that 99% of their teachings are complete crap, but to me it's a pointless battle.. as a jw growing up i remember being on countless calls where a jw would argue the trinity with the householder.

thedepressedsoul

Yes I do agree that Doctrine debates do have their place. If a JW expresses doubts it is the perfect time to use it. However, if you just meet a JW or are going against an Elder, stay away from anything Doctrine related.

10

Why do EX-JW's try to argue the bible/doctrine with JW's?

by thedepressedsoul in

i've watched a few judicial committee videos on youtube.

they all start out great but eventually the person starts to bring out bible teachings and doctrine.

i understand that 99% of their teachings are complete crap, but to me it's a pointless battle.. as a jw growing up i remember being on countless calls where a jw would argue the trinity with the householder.

thedepressedsoul

I've watched a few Judicial Committee videos on Youtube. They all start out great but eventually the person starts to bring out bible teachings and doctrine. I understand that 99% of their teachings are complete crap, but to me it's a pointless battle.

As a JW growing up I remember being on countless calls where a JW would argue the Trinity with the householder. I have seen this at least a hundred times. Not once did the householder ever walk away no longer believing in the Trinity. The JW left feeling like he was right that the Trinity didn't exist and the householder would walk away still believing and thinking they were right and won the argument.

The point I'm trying to make is, there is a reason that there are thousands upon thousands of different Christian denominations. The bible can be used to justify just about any type of belief/teaching that you want. I mean look at how you can use the bible to try and get some crappy teaching like 1914.

I think the best thing when dealing with a Committee or an active JW is to focus on stuff where the bible doesn't even get brought up. The ARC, child abuse, donations etc... Most of these Judicial Committee's start off going over topics like this and the person that is going through the Committee is owning it. The elders stumble over how to answer the child abuse issues.

The 2nd you bring up doctrine you put the ball in their court. Just like every other religion can use the bible to try and support their beliefs, JW can do the same. There is no winning a bible argument since the bible can be used to support almost any belief. 99% of the time people leave believing what they believed before the debate.

That's just my 2 cents and how I plan on handling situations in the future.