Replying to I'm a Big Shot's post on 09-08. I am an active Witness and I will take anyone's money! Also, apostate is an overused label often used to describe people who merely "think for themselves".
FM
i'm not cheap, i'm not trying to scam ray's estate out of $15, i just want to download the book to my palm so i can read it when i get a chance.
i'd grab it from the library, but it's not the sort of coffee-table book i need lying around the house at this point in my life!.
thanks for any links!
Replying to I'm a Big Shot's post on 09-08. I am an active Witness and I will take anyone's money! Also, apostate is an overused label often used to describe people who merely "think for themselves".
FM
if man dies because of inherited sin (as pretty much all bible based religions believe), why do animals die?.
if sin is "falling short of god's will" and sin results in death, how have animals "fallen short" thus deserving death?
if there was a dog messiah, would animals be redeemed as well?
Perhaps the reasons animals die is because God never intended them to live forever. After all, the Bible says man was created in God's image not animals. Think of the vast difference between animals an mankind! Man can think in the abstract, plan for the long-term future, write books and build on knowledge collected over many generations. Can animals do that? If man was not created with the potential of living forever then why is the brain designed is such a way that that it can acquire ever increasing knowledge for what appears to be an eternity of time?
My belief based on observaion and thought is that animals were created by God to function exactly like they do in the wild. Some animals are carnivores, some are vicious predators. This may seem repugnant to us humans but it is the order of things as intended by God. We cannot change the nature of God's creation, it is not our right and it is not in our power. It is the heart of man that must be changed and that occurs on an individual basis only to those who want to change.
I'd like to add that God is not one to be mocked or rediculed or blamed for the problems of the world. As important as we might think we are the universe could go on very well without us. God will make all things right in his due time, let's not get on his bad side.
This is NOT a pro-JW post just a pro-God post.
FM
Am I what you call a Troll? I am a baptized JW, I read the posts on this site and I offer honest hearfelt commentary when I feel the urge. Hopefully this site exists for all who are open minded and willing to listen to what others (not just JWs or ex-JWs) have to say. I have my own reasons of self-preservation for staying in the organization and only expressing my opinions when it is safe. This board allows me to do that.
FM
its easy to belive what we read and accept as truth.when my wife came to the computer i left on the screen a post on what happend at bethel (not intentionally) ..she read it and said i dont belive it?
i would like to belive what i read on this board is 100 % true.
iam grateful for the truth on the u:n and more and more stuff that blows my mind away.and also personal stories that have had a profound effect on me.. sadly iam certain with-out doubt that the majority of exsperinences on this board are true because no matter how sincere a person is when you allow people to have a higher legal position in the land they live in than the law of the land they live in( no matter how bad or corrupt the society of the land we live in.
I believe most of the experiences I've read on this board. Since coming here I've been amazed, over and over again, how most of the stories either confirm what I've personally experienced or seen. Statements about the WTS and its' philosophy of control and obedience to it above obedience to God's word mirror my conclusions exactly. The thoughts and feelings expressed on this board are (when in seriousness) from peoples' hearts
FM
http://www.komotv.com/stories/32730.htm
convicted rapist arrested again in u-district attack.
august 24, 2004 .
I agree with paramedic! People like Thompson are part of the human race and can be found everwhere. Doctors, lawyers, policeman, Baptists, Catholics, Hindus and yes, even Jehovah's Witnesses. So it is unfair to criticize everyone in the WTS because of the few bad apples they have.
The real issue here is not the moral integrity of individual JWs but the organization's consistant disregard for anything but their own public image. The WTS' does not love people and will punish the innocent while protecting the guilty if that is what it takes to reinforce their position of Master! Seems to me that in the long run they are cutting their own throats as their motives and actions become more and more public knowledge.
FM
the bible encourages everyone not to believe everything they hear, but to get the facts first, and then make an informed decision as to what to believe:
all scriptures are from the new world translation:
1st john 4:1: beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with god, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.. acts 17:10-12: immediately by night the brothers sent both paul and silas out to beroe a, and these, upon arriving, went into the synagogue of the jews.
UnDisfellowshipped, you have pointed out very well the "black/white" thinking fostered upon those in the JW organization. On the one hand we are given the correct (Bible) direction to be applied in our thinking and then without so much as batting an eye we are told that this thinking is a sin if applied to the organization's teachings and actions. Causes Mind-Warp doesn't it?
FM
i am wondering... how did you first come across this board?
..... searching the web?
a friend?
General curiosity. I was looking for information on the Eisenhower's and whether or not they actually had been associated with Jehovah's Witnesses. One of my searches was simply for "Jehovah's Witnesses". This site as well as many more popped-up. Naturually being an inquisitive fellow I read what I found. Especially interesting to me were and still are the personal experiences of those who have experienced injustices from the organization. What I read rang with truth and collaborated much of my own expereinces and private thinking. I had for years felt that something was wrong within the WTS and that a spirit of anger and paranoia seemed to pervade the organization. Sites such as this one have confirmed that my assessment is correct and that many, many others feel the same way.
FM
i just got back from the doctor yesterday after discovering that my angina and valvular regurgitation from mitral valve prolapse are getting worse, and the angina lasting longer, and getting more intense.
i was on calan-(verapamil), but have now been switched to atenolol and nitro.
i was prescribed the nitro before, but never used it, as i was afraid to take it.
I have been taking atenolol for several years (25mg daily) to slow down my heart rate. I didn't think I was having any side effects from this medication or any of the several others I am taking. However, I did the Google search suggested by Undaunted Danny and the side effects mentioned for atenolol explain some of the peculiar events I've experienced (almost fainting, drowsiness and others). You never know what you'll learn about on this Forum.
FM
I can't leave, some of the brothers owe me a lot of money.
the september kingdom ministry, for week beginning october 4, discusses the video "respect jehovah's authority.".
i have seen this video myself, and for those still on a guilt trip, it will serve to re-inforce that the society is backed by jehovah.
if you are in the organization and are on a collision course with the soverign of the universe then you need to develop your loyalty to jehovah .
Years ago the realization that the organization was concerned primarily with absolute obedience to its' authority and not "right and wrong" began to dawn upon me. Once that light bulb began glowing in my mind then all the inconsistancies in what the Bible teaches and what the WTS actually does fell into place. Every action they now take, such as referred to in the subject post reinforces the certainity that this organization is not what it claims to be. Thanks for your post.
FM