Posts by 2112

17

Mom nearly ate me alive!

by Anony-Mouse in

jw
friends

we had a major talk about jws today.

i couldn't use the un or pedophiles, as this is 'outside' information, and she would never belive me.

then she would question my source, and i'd be killed by elder firing squad.

One thing you could ask your mom is this: "If she was out in service, and found someone who belonged to a religion that taught everything the Bible says and followed it to the letter. However their religon had just one "wrong" teaching, would she tell that person to leave their religon and be a JW." When she says yes then ask "Even if the "wrong" teaching was just a small thing?" She will most likely will still say yes.

Then ask her "Would you drink a glass of water with only one small drop of poison in it?" Of course she will say no. Then the question is why is it ok for your religon to put "small drops of poison in the water and expect you to drink it.

Also study and understand the scriptures about Michael and the WT's ever changing teaching about who he is/was/will be. This is a purely scriptural discussion that can be used to plant seeds of truth about Jesus and seeds of doubt about the WT. It is a good starting point. With any conversation try and remember it is not weather you "win or lose" as you will rarely "win" in one conversation. Don't lose your temper or feel foolish if they seem to be "winning". That is what they are trained to do - Win at all costs, even if they distroy their own family and friends. They only care about looking superrior to every non-JW. Lood luck in future conversations and as has been mentioned she is your mother.

23

Don't know what to belief anymore?

by GBSJG in

i'm in my twenties and am raised as a jw by my parents.

i've been reading this board for over a year.

have read several books: crisis of consience, apocalypse delayed, who wrote the bible, the bible unearthed.

2112

Nobody has a monopoly on God. Nobody is totally right on all things and nobody is totally wrong on all things. Follow what you know to be rightous in your heart and you will do fine. Many good replies have been posted here read them and think on what they have said.

54

Hypothetical ? for u. What if armageddon really did come...

by *jeremiah* in

ok, here's a hypothetical that i'm curious about.. what if armageddon really did happen?

not necessarily according to jw terms or timetable, but at some point it happens in your lifetime.

would any of you return to the jws?.

2112

No! If and when it does come noboby will know about it before hand. It would be pointless to return if you believe the Bible. It says no one knows the day or the hour, so why would you return some group who says they know what the Bible says they won't know.

51

What planted the seed of doubt that lead you to leave or think of leaving?

by NanaR in

i've been thinking of this a lot lately.

the following experience ties my first doubt in with my present life.

as a backdrop to this, you should know that i was a 5th generation "raised in the truth" jw through my mother (her great-grandfather got "the truth" from pastor russell).

2112

All my life my father has been a very positive and up beat person. Always looking for the bright side of things. Then when he became a witness he started changing, by having a moch darker outlook on life. My mother and I both became JW's also but something never "felt", and I do mean physical, with me. But what really set me off doubting big time was when my father said to me one day - "I want to call your sister everyday and just say goodby because Armegeddon could come and she won't join us". When I heard him say that I knew there was something really wrong about it all.

19

Elders with STRONG personalities....

by JH in

jw
friends

there is an elder in my congregation that has a very strong personality.

he drove volkswagens and many bought the same make as he did.

we had another elder back then that drove a dodge aries and another elder who had a peugeot garage and he sold so many second hand peugeots to members of the congregation.

2112

I know you won't believe this but I swear it is true. We had an "anointed" elder with such a strong personality that other elders would backup and "enforce" a lot of the things he revelied to the cong.

One of the revelations of the son of God was that it is unscriptural to own/drive a Taurus because it is zodiac signs. His resopnce to anyone questioning this be to ask - "Why do you think it is the best selling car in the country?", My responce was ,"Great style, good milage, lots of room, and great reliability and fair priced" His anwser - "No it's Satan's influence" There were some other brothers who had Taurus' and one elder who had an Aires so the all put black electrical or duct tape over the names of their cars "As not to stumble anyone."

39

To be a Nice Apostate or a Mean Apostate.....

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

..... that is the question.. how do you react - and is it a 'planned reaction', when confronted with jdubs in public?.

i have personally determined that i will not allow people whom i knew for 40 years in some cases to 'shun' me without a cost to the reputation of their religion in the eyes of those who see it.. if i come face to face with a witness who turns the other way or rudely brushes past [as if i am dead], i will point out to all in the area [carefull not to appear the raving lunatic] that this is the way jehovah's witnesses act toward one who has quietly left their faith.

i expect two things will begin to happen as a result.. 1- witnesses will become so paranoid of the possiblility of meeting me and being embarrassed in public, that they will alter their schedules to avoid the places i might be.

2112

I have never played their game. If they want to avoid me then it is up to them to "get away" from me. I have never turned away, lowered my head or avoided them. If I see them I will say hello and be friendly as that is just my nature. Most will say hello and smile in return and hen keep walking. My dub wife has many friends come to the house and most of them will talk to me and be friendly, yet there are a few butt heads.

Years back there were a few who did not want to even say hello when they came into my house until they needed to borrow my truck or needed help with something. They they would be very friendly and once the job was done they would again not even greet me in my own house. I put an end to that really fast. They quickly learned that if your nice to me I will bend over backwards for you if your an ass I will re-define meanness for you. So i guess it is up to them if I'm a nice or mean apostate.

87

[Fluff] - Celebrity Crushes!

by daystar in

i'll admit that for as far back as i can remember, i've picked up little crushes on celebrities.

i think one of my first crushes was on olivia newton-john after seeing her in grease at 5 years old and later in xanadu.. i've had crushes on:.

jennifer connelly (labrynth)gwyneth paltrow (hook briefly and later emma)cate blanchett (elizabeth, pushing tin)meredith salenger (the journey of natty gann, but especially, especially, in dream a little dream)kate beckingsale (much ado about nothing, cold comfort farm (not underworld, though she's smokin' in that.

2112

Some of mine are moe recent.

Sandra Bullock, Shania Twain, Rachel Ray, they are all so cute and so nice.

107

Lets say something positive about Islam!

by eyeslice in

jw
friends

i'ii start off.

i have traveled widely in asia and have visited iran on business.

i have always found the average muslim to be extremely hospitable and generous.

2112

Please don't get me wrong I do not like war or killing. I do believe it is a "nessasary evil". Just because Bush/Blair declaird war and are fighting a war makes them war mongers. If 9/11 or anything like it did not happen then we would not even have this conversation, and yes thay would be much better.As far as Bush being hated by America, yes many people do, I don't hate him but that does not mean I agree with eveything he has done. We did not go to Iraq because the Iraq people hated Sadam, so that is a mute point. As far as civilians being killed yes that happens in war that is just one reasn war sucks. However civilians are not targeted. Yes I know that at times some(very few) soldiers do attack cilivians yet in most of those cases it is the American or British Military(governments) that discovers this info and then prosecutes their own soldiers. I dare say that very few other countries do this. There are some governments that even encourage this behavior.

All that being said, you did not answer my questions. Not that I really expected you to. That is why so many people have a distaste for any religion. We all say that "nobody is perfect" but still defend our current beliefs as if they are perfect. I believe you to be an honest persn who really believes what you say. Please answer my questions dirrectly, don't just keep saying Bush lied. That could be another thread.

I'll leave you with this for now, It is one thing to die for wones beliefes, it is quite another to kill for them.

107

Lets say something positive about Islam!

by eyeslice in

jw
friends

i'ii start off.

i have traveled widely in asia and have visited iran on business.

i have always found the average muslim to be extremely hospitable and generous.

2112

easyshi-

You are correct that not every terrorist is a Muslum. However the vast majority are. To try and make the point that every military conflict is terrorism is childish. The people fighting in the revolutionary war were not terrorist as they did not target non-combatants. I will agree that McVeigh was a terrorist. Blair and Bush are not. The reason we are in Iraq is not because of 9/11, and Bush never said it was. 9/11 was the catalist to the WAR ON TERRORISM, of which Iraq is step two. Bush declaired war on the terrorists and any country that harbors or aids terrorists. Are you going to deny the Sadam was not harboring and aiding terrorists? And don't even go into the WMD's as there have been many Chemical and biological WMD's found in Iraq, as well as a lot of documentation that proves he had them. Name me one time any US president has called for any nation or religion to be wiped off the planet.

Anyway, back on point, many here have no ill feelings toward Muslums, but it is, just like with the JW's, the religion we have problems with. This is not meant as an attack of your beliefes so let me give an example. You and many Muslums say that Islam is a peaceful and tollerant religion. Even King Cirus lived and ruled this way. Yet when the "radical" factions quote the Quran with satements such as "the infidels must die". And Muslum clerics lead thousands of fellow Muslums in chants of America must die, and Isreal must die. Why do you and other "peaceful" Muslums not stand up to them and say publicly that they are wrong? I don't mean just here on this forum but in the international arena. I know many Muslums say "that is not what Islam teaches" but they will not say that terrorism is wrong. When a terrorist blows up a shcool bus full of children and the bomb has rat poison in it so that minor wounds won't stop bleeding, "peaceful" Muslum leaders will not condemn the terrorists. Why? If you could explain that it would go a long way to getting to a peaceful understanding of your riligion.

Thanks

17

Hmmm..So they claimed to be a prophet..yet this SCAN says they DON'T??

by Lady Liberty in

ok.. so..as i posted on a recent thread scans of many places the society claims to be a "prophet", see here:http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/122290/2160659/post.ashx#2160659.

notice this claim.. and note too that it was only 7 years before 1975:http://www.jwfiles.com/scans/aw10-8-68p23.htm.

and now look at what they wrote after the big 1975 let down:.

2112

I believe it was Freud that said "If you teach a dog a trick, and the first time he does it you reward him and the next time you beat him, and keep alternating this, he will eventually go mad". Or something to that effect. Could this type of double-speak not have the same effect on the JW's? They read one "truth" from an unchanging God, then they hear a contradictory "truth" from that same unchanging God. It has to make the a bit unstable.

In their subconsious they must have a battle, at least I know I did when I was in. I would hate myself for not understanding and worry that I was a failure to God. I remember one year we got two books at the convention, The Revelation book and the Insite book I believe. I pointed out to two Elders, one being my dad, that the two books contradicted each other on the resurection of the Sodomites. One said they would be and the other said they wouldn't be. This bothered me but their answers, really bothered me more. One said "I don't know why you would look for thing like this, obvously you need to study more and reach out more". Of course he said nothing about the contradiction. But what my dad said was really strange. You must realise my dad was ex-secrete service, so he is/was very intelligent. His responce was, he closed the books and said "I don't see any contradiction now"