Posts by confuzzlediam

14

JW Personality used as an excuse....

by Anon_SA1 in

jw
friends

i had a discussion with a current jw member of +- 30 years, we got chatting about how you can be sure your faith is right and what checks can be done.

i then suggested looking at ex members view points and literature.

her response was her "i am not someone who takes initiative to look online at stuff, i doesn't feel my personality needs me look at outside view points" in summary she was saying her personality type is not interested in looking at other views.

confuzzlediam

I agree to a certain degree that it can be based on personality. Some personalities are just ok with going along with the crowd. If they are told it is the truth, they will not question, they really don't care either way. If they are happy with what they know to be the truth, then why research it?

On the other hand, there are those whose personalities question everything in existence and don't just do as they are told. They have an innate sense of what they feel is not right and will research the crap out of it to find out whether or not what they are being told is the truth or not. From politics to religion to buying a new car!

Agreed as well though that it is a mindset on what has been spoken over and over again, not to question something they are told to be the truth, only to believe that it is the truth. As a born in, this was driven into my mind for 39 years of the 44 that I have been alive. It is only when you break free from this mindset, that your instincts really start kicking in. Breaking free for me came from being wrongfully disfellowshipped. I started to question the unloving way the elders treated my situation, then began questioning if they could treat someone like that, then was God really with them. That lead me down the path to learning for myself whether or not I believed in a God...still questioning, still researching, still learning.

I heard the same things from my x-husband when I would tell him certain things that I had read or saw here on this site. For example, one time I told him I had a copy of the elder's book. He told me that just because it was posted, didn't mean that someone didn't go in and change it to fit their "agenda" against the watchtower. Again, that comes from many years of being told that apostates have an agenda and are willing to go to any lengths to get you to turn away from the organization, lying to you about "truths" just to get you to turn away from Jah.

46

WT addresses the "rapture" teaching.

by wifibandit in

look at paragraph 15 of the 2015 july 15th study edition pg 18-19.. http://imgur.com/3wparys.

.

basically they admit to teaching the rapture (for the anointed remnant), just don't call it that!.

confuzzlediam

OH yeah!! I was at the meeting 2 years ago when they went over it from the WT study mag. At the time, I was going back to meetings just to get reinstated. My husband (now x) was not there with me, so called him IMMEDIATELY after meeting to tell him what I had just heard. I read to him from the study article and told him this is the rapture!! I left that meeting with such a headache...that was when it became crystal clear that I no longer wanted any part of the religion.

To say that they do not believe in a "rapture" but sit there and say that whom ever is left on earth out of the 144,000 at armageddon would be taken into the heavens is so deceiving to me! Either call it what it is, or don't teach it at all.

This was mentioned in the memorial talk last week. I just rolled my eyes as I was listening to it. However, it once again confirmed why I won't ever go back.

51

NEW 2012 Elders book with 2015 Amendments

by Newly Enlightened in

thanks to jw archive wiki we have a pdf of the new elders book.. https://www.dropbox.com/s/mz9z38909t3fh7c/2012-shepherd-the-flock-of-god-ks10_e.pdf?dl=0.

confuzzlediam

Oubliette Whew thanks!! Glad to have that cleared up! I need to go now...will be back in 5! lol

Oh yes...I am SO VERY glad that homosexuality is now cleared up for me as well. I wasn't quite sure how that all worked...

51

NEW 2012 Elders book with 2015 Amendments

by Newly Enlightened in

thanks to jw archive wiki we have a pdf of the new elders book.. https://www.dropbox.com/s/mz9z38909t3fh7c/2012-shepherd-the-flock-of-god-ks10_e.pdf?dl=0.

confuzzlediam

Reading through the book, I found this: An entrenched practice of viewing, perhaps over a considerable period of time, abhorrent forms of pornography that is sexually degrading. Such pornography may include homosexuality (sex between those of the same gender), group sex, bestiality, sadistic torture, bondage, gang rape, the brutalizing of women, or child pornography. Brazen conduct would be involved if the offender was promoting such material, such as by inviting others to view it, thus giving evidence of a brazen attitude.—w12 3/15 pp. 30-31; w06 7/15 p. 31.

SO does this mean that one can watch porn with only a man and a woman and that is ok? Just wondering...

51

NEW 2012 Elders book with 2015 Amendments

by Newly Enlightened in

thanks to jw archive wiki we have a pdf of the new elders book.. https://www.dropbox.com/s/mz9z38909t3fh7c/2012-shepherd-the-flock-of-god-ks10_e.pdf?dl=0.

confuzzlediam

Splash "6. If members of the congregation are known to have undue association with disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives who are not in the household, elders should counsel and reason with those members of the congregation from the Scriptures.

If it is clear that a Christian is violating the spirit of the disfellowshipping decree in this regard and does not respond to counsel, it may be that he would not qualify for congregation privileges, which require one to be exemplary. He would not be dealt with judicially unless there is persistent spiritual association or he openly criticizes the disfellowshipping decision."

This is very interesting to me as both of my parents were and have been VERY vocal about my wrongful disfellowshipping. They even wrote several letters to the body of elders and to the watchtower branch. Which of course were not well received. My mom stopped talking to her BFF of over 40 years for a while because she was agreeing with the WT society in regards to my disfellowshipping. Apparently they should have been in a judicial meeting over it. WOW!

76

Active posters: What education have you had, what degrees do you possess?

by EndofMysteries in

jw
friends

from so many posts and conversations on here, you'd think over 1/2 the posters here possess doctorates in theology, physics, biology, etc.

i'm curious aside from the books and research people have done here, what degrees they have.

to start, i just got an aa and going straight through full time to an mba.

confuzzlediam

Oubliette Thank you!! It has been an enlightening year for sure!!

76

Active posters: What education have you had, what degrees do you possess?

by EndofMysteries in

jw
friends

from so many posts and conversations on here, you'd think over 1/2 the posters here possess doctorates in theology, physics, biology, etc.

i'm curious aside from the books and research people have done here, what degrees they have.

to start, i just got an aa and going straight through full time to an mba.

confuzzlediam

Just went back to school after being disfellowshipped 5 years ago and filing for divorce from a 25 year marriage last June. Went back to school at the ripe old age of 43. First to get my GED last summer, now attending a community college to get my associate's degree then on to the university for a bachelor's degree...perhaps a master's and while I am at it...maybe PhD!! lol I LOVE being in school and am soaking it all in as I go!

14

Questions about Non JWs attending a JW baptism

by TTWSYF in

i attended my brother and sister in laws' baptism at a kingdom hall a number of years ago.

i was [am] not a jw so when i arrived i was bombarded with attention from the flock to which i politely stated that i was there to see my brother and his wife.

it seemed like the distraction was intentional.

confuzzlediam

Not from my experience. I was a born-in. Baptism is a time of excitement for all who are involved. It is hard to take pics because everyone is standing around trying to see the event. I would imagine they were even more excited to see you there witnessing his baptism and was done without malicious intent. Just my thoughts...

11

Dating After Leaving?

by Garrett in

hey guys,.

this is going to be a topic of a different nature.

so, while i am not looking to date at the current moment since i'm still trying to figure out who i am and what i want life, i do want to start dating in the near future.. my issue is that i've been in for almost all my life and it's left a big hole when it comes to my romantic life.. i was wondering, after leaving, did any of you date?

confuzzlediam

Marmot...I also met my boyfriend via online dating. We knew each other from attending the same hall about 6-10 years ago. Before he moved to the area, his family attended my hall where my sis and one of his sis's were friends as well as our parents. He actually rented the house that I am currently living in, that I rent from my parents.

We are both disfellowshipped, and do not attend meetings. I had a small crush on him when we were both going to the same hall, but he was married and I was as well, so he never knew that I thought he was hot!! LOL Fast forward to last summer when I saw him on this online dating service and messaged him. We met up that night and have been dating now for almost 9 months. I think he is a keeper!

59

Worst Memorial Talk Ever!

by The Searcher in

i honestly have never heard such claptrap being delivered in a memorial talk.. the speaker repeatedly put down the way other religions administered the bread & wine, and claimed that witnesses do it exactly as the bible describes.

oh yeah????.

he forgot to mention - when reading aloud 1 corinthians 11:25 - that after passing the bread, a full meal was to be shared, before the wine was passed around!

confuzzlediam

I was there in body only last night. My sis saved my boyfriend and I seats in the back row, end of the row. We pretty much sat and talked the entire time. When we were not chatting, I was not listening or at least tried not to listen. All I heard was wah wah, wah wah wah wah, with a little of who was to partake, who was not to partake and how many were in attendance last year. He also went on to say how that number should be higher this year, not that the number in attendance was important...as they counted each and every person in attendance.

The thing that bothered me most was that one of the elders who helped pass the bread and wine was someone that my x and I were in business with about 5 years ago. We parted ways when we learned that he was embezzling from our company by taking product from our company, writing up the sales on his company invoices and keeping the money for the sale, for his business. The office manager was asked by him to keep those invoices from us, in which she promptly told us what he was asking her to do. She was also a witness. The matter was taken up with the elders in which he lied of course by saying that he wasn't doing it, or didn't mean to do it. They believed him and he was never removed as an elder. It was very difficult for me to stomach the fact that he was held in such a high position after doing what he did. While I was wrongfully disfellowshipped for being a "drunkard"! Karma is a biotch!