Posts by vinman

37

On the realization you will not "live forever"

by problemaddict 2 in

something struck me last week.

i have been dealing with what i can only describe as a fear of death.

i'm not old and not in bad health.

vinman

Ecclesiastes, 12:1: " Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them;"

Ecclesiastes, 12:13 : This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes, 12:14 : For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

John, 5:28: "Don't marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

25

where shall we go

by Sabin in

yesterday i read something that hurt my heart.

at a talk given by a brother lyman swingle ( i apologize if i am stepping out of line by using this) he said "that if you leave the jw ( i find it difficult to refer to it as the truth now days) you may as well go jump off a bridge".

this i think is disgraceful talk to say to any body let alone an audience in which children are present.

vinman

Mind control is so powerful. It starts to control you immediately. Like this point about "where will you go?" That seed of thought is planted when someone new sees an article entitled, "How can I find the true religion?" on jw.org. Immediately, the question sucks you into thinking that their is a true religion, even if you have never contemplated such a thought. A false premise. A person then becomes a witness. It is then assumed that truth is found within a physical organization somewhere. He discovers TTATT and he is stuck with that mind controlling question. And Yes, millie210, I too found it a relief to to see the word "whom". Talk about mind control!! I am such an idiot.

27

Tired of the truth... Tired of doubting

by Deltawave in

i'm reaching out here, i've known ttatt for about 3-4 years now.

sadly when i first grasped it i had a total mental breakdown as i was a hard core firm to the core pioneer and 110% believer of my faith.!

now nearly 2years on after my breakdown i still have to attend to please my jw wife.

vinman

Magnum wrote:

However, rather than such making me unhappy, they make me mad. I think it would be beneficial for you to have a similar reaction.

Good advice. My dad was a violent child abuser. My brothers did not turn out well. They have mental issues now. I on the other hand have had success and it really has had no detrimental affects. The reason: Magnum's advice. Anger at organization, not individuals, does help.

21

Would Jesus have been disfellowshipped by the "Elders" of his day . . . . . .

by Dunedain in

i bet jesus would have been df'd by the "elders" in his day.

lets think about it, jesus hung out with "worldly" people.

his closest friends were known prostitutes, money collectors, men of "prominence" in the world of that day, non "beleivers" of the "faith" like samaritans, and many others that todays "elders" would have deemed "unworthy".. jesus spoke against the "organization" and "elders" of his day.

vinman

You make some very good points. In fact, I think I have a couple of elders I would like to share my "new light" with.

35

Watchtower Society: something terribly going on - scenarios

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

if an (aggressive) real estate fund is stopping it's operations directly,.

and if an publishing house is minimize the portfolio,.

and if a member of it's board of directors is telling the costs are higher then the profits,.

vinman

I do believe the death knell is ringing. You can't stop building projects that you have been bragging about, then tell everyone this is due to the need to focus on the preaching because the end is upon us. What will they say if they can resume building? They know preaching is not where the money is. They need money, and they need it now! The people aren't giving it and that will not change. They need a continuous flow. Donations will not cut it. My old congregation had to repeatedly modify resolutions because we never met them. They always had to give a local needs about it. I believe the great recession in the U.S had a huge impact. That is why we seen mass changes during that time. Donations were slim. Not everyone has recovered since then. So if you think donations will cover Wt. expenses, then the Watchtower will continue. But if donations can't cover expenses on a regular basis, they will become that poor little church that sits on a corner. Unless they are getting money from outside sources.

10

Theocratic School changes a distraction from the problems?

by thedepressedsoul in

i find the timing of the new mid week meeting rather strange.

we all know jw's love their carrot on the stick, they salivate over speculating what the new releases will be at the convention.

with all these problems going on, layoffs, child abuse, money issues, building halts etc... what better way to have your average jw ignore it than to completely change up the meeting.

vinman

Most certainly a distraction. True, these arrangements have been in the works for years perhaps. But I can seen Tony saying that we need to implement now!

63

EXACTLY Why JW's Are NOT Christian

by Perry in

a lot of people, ex-jws, believers and unbelievers alike, think that jw's are just a somewhat kooky brand of christianity.

is it possible to "try and follow jesus" and not be christian?

what exactly makes someone a christian?

vinman

I feel that the problem lies with the Watchtower Society's interpretation of scripture. They always apply everything to modern times like the wheat and the weeds illustration. The fact is, we are still living in that time period. It is just like the dark ages. First Corinthians, 13:12 - For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known. John 17:3 is what it is all about. Everyone can do that. The details we can try to understand and perhaps be right about many of them, but to make big claims about knowing the truth about the details, is presumptuous. Their are true Christians even in the Watchtower. Not all, but some. The separation of the wheat and the weeds is future.

74

That's it! The Jesus stories are most reasonably explained as myth. History makes this obvious.

by Island Man in

a careful examination of the historical pagan religious context existing at the time of the genesis of christianity leads any reasonable person to conclude that jesus is just another one of several similar myths.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn7teoa9ark.

vinman

I have been down this road. As was said, we see what we want to see. Their are two sides to EVERY story. When I first joined this forum, I would research what many said about about God's existence, Jesus being a myth, the Bible not inspired and so forth. At the time, I was trying to get my bearings. Atheists seem as certain as religious leaders. I wanted to to make sure. What did I find? And what do I continue to find? No matter what someone says on this forum about where the Bible came from, what the Jews "really" believed, the "proof" of evolution, Jesus being a myth, God being a man made concept, so on and so forth. . I probably research just about every comment a person makes about these things, simply because I want to know. What I found is that for every claim, I can find many, many, solid counterarguments. The fact that 90% of witnesses turn atheist is telling. High control groups turn out more atheists than any other group. It is clear that the problem lies deep within the individual and his experience. We see what we want to see.

18

JW Lurkers and curious. This is for you.

by punkofnice in

hello, lurkers and curious.

i imagine you're reading this because either you think you can defend your beliefs victoriously or you have doubts.. i have 2 questions that i hope you can log in and answer (no one will know who you are unless you tell them or leave your page open for others to see).

1. what actual worship did you do at the meetings or gatherings?.

vinman

I've thought about that question lately. What did I learn? It is almost like I have some mental block. The only things I really remember are things taught in Bible teach book. I guess because all the "deep" things I read are no longer "current truth". "Public" talks were just regurgitated Bible teach stuff. The service meeting was forgettable everytime they said amen. Being under mind control, you didn't realise that the Wt. was all about being loyal to GB. Example: Be Loyal to Jehovah and his Kingdom (the GB). Anything different was just filler. It just amazes me that when you look back, you can see clearly that you were under a "spell". Today I read scholarly works from Bible Hub. I could never go back.

4

Tragedy: Another JW baby dies because mother refused blood

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

http://laprensademonclova.com/portal/2015/09/26/impiden-transfusion-a-bebe-herido-y-fallece/.

use google translate to get the story.

essentially, a 10-month old died recently because the mother refused blood transfusions for the baby.

vinman

Does anyone know of someone that allowed something like this to happen and then woke up later? I can only imagine a person losing their mind and taking a trip to NY and....you know the rest. I would be scared to be a member of the GB.