Posts by CornerStone

14

60 Minutes

by teejay in

jw
friends

i really enjoyed last week's 60 minutes (airing sunday, may 6).

i had taped .

it and forgot to watch it until this saturday morning... darn!

CornerStone

Hello again TeeJay,

A very interesting and sobering post. After spending almost a decade in the Armed Forces it was my friend who studied with me who put this proposition to me:

I am a soldier and I consider myself a Christian. I am then sent to another part of the world with my rifle in my hands. I come across a field and see another soldier with HIS rifle in his hands. He is from the other side and he ALSO considers himself to be a Christian. At a standoff, I am now in a position to "blow my Christian brothers brains out!" What am I going to do!? The answer, is not to have put myself in that position in the first place.

Shortly after thinking about this, I made the descision to leave the military. I never thought about this before. I'm not saying that everyone should leave the military or that there is no such thing as a "just war", I'm just saying that my conscience was so affected by that parable that I could no longer justify my actions.

Interestingly, how much longer do you think the GB can "justify" their actions when it comes to broken families and crushed spirits?
I think they are fadeing out and being, or have already been, replaced by a cool, efficient corporate machine, faceless and impersonel. Dedicated to keeping the wheels turning by increasingly burdening the flocks backs.....until they break! They have much to answer for, in this world and in the next.

CornerStone

10

just GO

by teejay in

jw
friends

this isn't meant for rr (hell, he's probably left.

the building anyway) but i've been wondering about.

something for a while and now's as good a time as any.... if people wish to quit visiting and or contributing .

CornerStone

Hello TeeJay,

You said:

If people wish to quit visiting and or contributing
to a discussion board, why don't they just quit? What's
the point of making an announcement before leaving? What's
the point in saying: "Oh this place used to be (yadda,
yadda)" or "No one seems to (blahsay, blah)"?

By your statement, are you saying that you don't want to hear a persons announcement for leaving? Is it possible that this makes you uncomfortable in some way? I know that in the orgs collective, NO ONE wants to hear or CARES what you think or have to say. If you were in the org, is this a carry over from that line of thinking? Although I don't even know you, I know what you think and how you feel is JUST as important as how everyone else thinks and feels. It is just my opinion that the degree of "fellow feeling" that we would like shown to us is what we MUST show to all others. Otherwise we are just adding fuel to the fire when the org says that those who leave are angry, bitter, and "nashing" their teeth.
As far as RR is concerned, him and I have similar views and I will miss his post. Mabey I will find him somewhere else. So, IMHO, let people say goodbye. How much can it realy hurt?

CornerStone

25

Are 'we' Rubbing the dubs?

by philo in

jw
friends

has anybody considered the possibility that the internet community may be making life worse for dubs, as a whole, rather than better?.

i recently had a medical scare, went through testing, and scans.

a doctor even called round my house uninvited to give me a hospital appointment!

CornerStone

Hello Philo,

The only reason the WTS would have to throw their weight around is to maintain their doctrinal lies against the truth of the scriptures. There are so many "dead mens bones" that they have thrown behind the veil in their temple that they have to activly convience every R&F not to look there. As was brought out the enemy is ignorance. Ignorance is the GB's friend. The internet can be seen as a sort of "no spin zone" where the WTS can't blind people with absolute control.

I agree that there probably is pain and suffering caused to JW's who are still in, and that the Christian thing to do would be to treat those looking in with kindness and respect, the same type of kindness and respect that we would want to recieve. Almost everyones faith is shattered to one degree or another when they learn the truth about "the truth". The only way to repair a shattered faith is with hope. For me, the scriptures have always been that source of hope. This may not be workable for others at this time, so the kindness of those here is a good starting point to some sort of recovery.

As that war with the WTS intensifies and others "come a looking" on the net for answers hopefuly EVERYONE can offer some degree of comfort and human kindness. This will show the WTS for what it realy is; a false prophet, a false teacher, a false sheppard, and a false messiah.

29I know full well that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30Even some of you will distort the truth in order to draw a following.

ACTS 20:29, 30 NLT

CornerStone

29

curious

by bonnie38 in

jw
friends

i wonder what the percentage is of ex-jws who become involved in other organized religions.

i had a discussion with a psychiatrist friend recently.

he told me that i am a "psychiatric anamoly," that most "devout" people who leave a religion will join another and become as devout in their new religion.

CornerStone

Hello Bonnie38,

I also do not have any satistical information on the percentage of x-JW's joining other organised religions but I would think the number would be close to the national number of people leaving one "Christian" religion and joining another "Christian" religion. I do not believe it is possible for truly "devout" Christians to exist in a vacuum without the involvment of fellow believers. There are some exceptions to the rule but those devout x-JW's need to find people of like faith or the angry pessimism and hopelessness of this world will eat away at their Christian hope with devastating results.

That hope is so very important to x-JW's, even the Bible says of hope:

3It seems so tragic that one fate comes to all. That is why people are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway. 4There is hope only for the living. For as they say, “It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”

Ecclesiastes 9:3-4 NLT

14The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear it if the spirit is crushed?

Proverbs 18:13 NLT

I think a lot of x-JW's come to the NET looking for those of like faith but I believe that in time it takes more than "e-mail" to foster those relationships that were important to them when they were in the org. Even more so when it comes to their Christian faith.

CornerStone

11

Witness Kids and Disfellowshipped Parents

by tergiversator in

jw
friends

i thought i'd share my own experience on the subject (sorry it gets a little long winded!

) and ask how having to shun relatives as a kid affected anyone else here.. disfellowshipping (and disassociation) have been part of my life for as long as i can remember.

when i was six or seven, my dad, after opposing my mother's becoming a witness for several years, had a whirlwind flirtation with the organization and got baptized (as my mom put it, he was so disappointed that nothing special happened when he got baptized that he left the assembly at the lunch break).

CornerStone

Hello Tergiversator,

Sorry to hear about your experiences with "bad elders" and all. I had many responsibilities myself until they were all "taken" away when I upset a few "window washers". One realy bad part about the org. is that they make you choose between them and your conscience. They realy don't care how YOU FEEL about ANYTHING. I had an elder tell me exactly that. They claim to follow the teachings of Jesus. HA! Jesus did not "break" rules over peoples heads, threatening to hold eternal destruction over you if you don't obey. Strait-up CULTS do that!
Did ANY of those "floor cleaners" want you to have reconscilliation with your father? Did they think Jehovah wanted a father and son to have a good relationship together? Of course not. THAT would take an ounce of human descency. Sorry, I'm venting. "whew"
Anyway, like they say, "You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube." The knowledge you have about the org. is not going away so you have to look foward. I believe that God's people are out there but the first place to start looking for them is in the mirror. I hope you and your family can overcome the org. and have a strong relationship.

CornerStone

17

WT using Satan`s courts again

by JWD in

jw
friends

i never cease to be amazed at the blatant double standard the org.has.

toward satan`s world.while condemning it on the one hand,they seem to.

have no reservations about using it fully when it seems advantagous.. let me pass along two recent court cases here in japan.

CornerStone

Hello Kismet,

In reply to your post, I don't think anyone can justifiably argue that the org does not have the right to use "worldly" avenues to get what it wants, such as the courts. We all know that everyone has to have that right, at least in this country, if some measure of "justice" is to exist here. However, what I believe the orgs critics, JW's and ex-JW's, find hypocritical is the BLATANT double standard the org creates when bashing the worlds governments, Jahovah's superior authorities, and teaching their flock to hate/bash this worlds authorities, while at the same time working side by side in blissful union with the courts, friendly governments local and federal, and any economic interest they have dealings with.

It was Jesus who taught the "sin" of perpetuating a double standard:

21Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you do it? You condemn idolatry, but do you steal from pagan temples? 23You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24No wonder the Scriptures say, “The world blasphemes the name of God because of you.”

Romans 2:21-24 NLT

The org may say that they are just following what the Bible says about worldly governments, that they are controlled by Satan and thus derserve vilification. But is that the whole picture the Bible teaches? No, it is'int. The Bible teaches Christians concerning government officials:

1I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. 2Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1,2 NLT

Do you think the GB of the WTS sit around once a week and ask Jehovah to protect and keep safe those in charge of governing the peoples? A command the Bible teaches?
NO!
They would like nothing more than to see those leaders "crash and burn" so they could dance around the fire with their canes and walkers and feel "vindicated" by Jehovah.
We know this is true by the venom and vitriol spewed out by almost every watchtower article printed by the org. Rember?, "lick the dust!", remember?

So because Jesus, the Master, taught what was RIGHT concerning the governments of this world the org maintains a scriptually INDEFENSIBLE position of antaganism and ridicule against the very governments and its agencies it cozies up to on a daily basis. A blatant double standard. If God's "only channel of communication on earth" is who they claim to be, faithful and discreet, then they will resolve this double standard at once.

Otherwise, it's just one more nail they are pounding on their own casket.

CornerStone

12

What was the spider's web ORIGINAL PURPOSE?

by JW72 in

jw
friends

well, can anyone answer that??

?

CornerStone

Hello All,

I would say a benevolent reason. To provide water for other insects when dew formed in the morning on it. Of course, I don't think the web was sticky back then, before the Fall. Stop laughing! I'm serious.

CornerStone

22

White man`s religion

by JWD in

jw
friends

i was in the philippines some time ago.

the big religion there is a group called `iglesia ni cristo`(literally church of christ).

an indigenous group which sprung up around the turn of the century.. it has since become hugh(in the philippines).

CornerStone

Hello Pathofthorns,

You had quoted;

At the risk of generalizing too much, I find "white people" will think more with logic. Other cultures and races often more with their hearts and emotions. The religion plays upon the emotions and it will be those who don't ever stop and THINK LOGICALLY and ask themselves DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? that remain.

I'm not so sure whites tend to think more logically than non-whites. Now, before I say anything else, No, I'm NOT a bleeding heart liberal. At least, I don't think I am. ??????? What you see as non-whites thinking more with their emotions I would describe as a fresh kill in the plains of Africa. To explain; whites could be characterized as being a lion or other top animal on the food chain. They usually have the first choice at education, marriage mates, business oppertunity, religious beliefs, and so on. Because they are on top socially, economically, and politically they can choose what religions suit their fancy and what religions don't. They don't have to embrace a religion they don't like. By the way, are not the majority of JW's white, or were for a long time? Has this not been the case for the Mormons, or the Adventist or others? It seemed that the emotions and feelings of whites dominated their descision to join these religions and not their "logical" mind telling them something was not right. Anyway, whites then could be seen as having first shot at the kill and eating to their fill, metaphorically speaking.

Non-whites would be lower on that socio-economic-political food chain. They might be seen as the scavengers who have to wait for the lions to take their fill. They have to accept what is left over and fight with each other to get what they need. I think this is where you are thinking, (no offense ment), that non-whites are thinking with thier emotions. They just don't have the same options to choose what is best for them as whites do, so it seems they make worst choices, or "emotional" choices.

I'm in no way saying I have an accurate perception of the demmographics involved. I'm just giving my oppinion based on my lifes experiencess. Also, I'm not saying there is no validity to your perceptions and appologise if I have offended you. I just had a different way of looking at the same thing.

CornerStone

22

Dominance, Control = Kingdom? .....NOT!

by jst2laws in

jw
friends

now jehovah is the spirit; and where the spirit of jehovah is, there is freedom 2 corinthians 3:17. i see a common attitude in ex-jws that i at one time would have said see, thats the way apostates are.

it is the mutual resentment of being controlled.

some might find this to be normal considering the abuse of authority most have survived.

CornerStone

Hello Jst2laws,

Your right on the button concerning Jesus representing freedom from opressive laws. One of the criticisms about Jehovah's Witnesses is that they make an inordinate number of "rules" about every day things that have NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with religion, ( worship to God ).
Wind chimes and what you say after a person sneezes, who you associate with and Smurfs are just a FEW of these. If anyone has more, post them so we can see the degree these man made laws take.

But, of course, these "laws" are just a reflection of a corrupt collective consciousness of a group of old men who have yet to be "vindicated" by Jehovah for all those false prophetic dates and teachings that change at their convenience. Their collective consciousness, instead of being freed by Jesus teachings, is inslaved because they don't seem to LISTEN to Jesus' teachings anyway.

Neither did the Pharisees.

CornerStone

4

Is he brainwashed or....?

by chrisauld in

jw
friends

hi everyone, i'd like to tell about my dad's reasons for staying a jw!!.

firstly, does he believe the world was created?, yes.. secondly, does he believe in god?, yes.. what is the only book written, claiming to be the word of god?

the bible.. so here we have a man who believes in god and the bible.. so, taking the advice and information from the bible, it tells him that there will be a 'faithful and discreet slave class', by the way 'class' is a word i think was invented by jw's, but that's a different story.. 'they will be separate from the world', o.k, jw's, fine.. 'they will use the lords name-jehovah', o.k, jw's, again.. he also believes that they offer the best interpretation of revelations, that's opinion.. 'they will preach to all the inhabited earth', jw's mainly, i think, or at least , he thinks.. also, whenever he has fallen away and been really low, he has prayed, and he swears that both times, a jw has been at the door, even if they haven't been for months.. he knows they have made mistakes, but he thinks they are too close to what the bible says are the 'chosen ones', that he is willing to stick with them.. or is he brainwashed?.

CornerStone

Hello Chrisauld,

I think EVERYONE who becomes a JW is brainwashed to some degree in that they are "tricked" into believing something about the org that is plainly false like JW's are the only true religion, fds is "God's mouthpiece", GB is God's prophet, "This is the TRUTH", etc. What high control groups like Jahovah's Witnesses offer is somthing that the perspective member needs and they can provide. This can be attention, a more "enlightened" understanding of the Bible, or, in my case, plain inter-personel relationships with other people, ( I was a bit of a loner, still am to a degree ). I already had a firm understanding of the scriptures so I was not looking for too much enlightenment in that area but I was STARVING for the attention and thoughts of other people. Low and behold I was targeted and hit by the "love bomb". I don't remember anything after that! I was soon "studying" and I met my wife to be so I dived (was baptized) in. Too bad there was only six inches of water in the pool. Even less now years later. I hit my head.

There's no real easy answer to your dad's situation. I do believe, however, that if your dad is a lover of truth, then IN TIME he will find his way "out" of JWdom with God's help and your kindness.

I don't mean to sound simplistic but these things almost always take time. Take care

CornerStone