Posts by BabaYaga

26

Halloween Pics

by Sparkplug in

jw
friends

here are some pics i want to share from my little one and i dressing up for halloween.

i usually opt for the non traditional costumes, but this year i thought i would vamp it up!

hehe.

BabaYaga

My gods, Spark...

Those pix are great... you and your Feisty Little Fairy!!

thanks for those!

Baba.

92

There is no such thing as Agnosticism. Agnostics do not exist!

by nicolaou in

many here seem to believe that the position of agnosticism is somehow more reasonable than theism or atheism.

nonsense!

it is a misconception to believe that belief or non-belief in the existence of god/s are the two extremes which glare at each other over the fence of agnosticism.

Okay, kids. My dear friend who is a Gnostic Bishop once said that "Every Gnostic was first an Agnostic." Her point was that we as individuals have to admit that we do NOT know in order to go searching for answers.

Gnostic hails from the Greek word Gnosis, which literally means "knowledge". Therefore, literally translated, Agnostic means "no knowledge" or, loosely translated, is the admission "I don't know".

So... Atheist means no god and Agnostic means no knowledge.

THERE'S YOUR DIFFERENCE/NON-DIFFERENCE. Semantics, if you want to argue about it, really.

Baba.

26

What kinda of site is this.

by rezrez in

jw
friends

what?

what is this site about!

BabaYaga

Welcome, RezRez...

This site is exactly what it purports to be, a discussion forum for all things Jehovah's Witness. There are many posters here who are no longer Jehovah's Witnesses (for many, many various reasons), and there are many here who still are active Witesses.

Poke around and read a few posts and articles, there is much to see here.

60

Give yourself a JW nickname

by JH in

jw
friends

at the meetings, i didn't make many comments so i'll call myself:.

brother mute.

give yourself a jw nickname.

BabaYaga

Sister Wacky Outfit

(and proud of it, you Polly Esthers in white pumps... oh crap, now I'm gettin' catty.)

61

the walk of shame

by nonamegiven in

it all starts after you hear "these things we pray through jesus christ, amen".

i gather my books and the kid's books and put them away.

by that time people are walking over to us and talking to my wife and playing with my kids.

BabaYaga

It is mind controlling, heart-breaking, un-Christlike BULL.

I'm sorry you are subjecting yourself to this.

Remember it might take YEARS to get reinstated. How many walks are you willing to do? And as has already been stated, fading is no sure thing... you may be right back where you started.

Be careful what you are teaching your children about what is okay to receive AND deal out as acceptable behavior.

Strength to you.

Baba.

26

Please share this inspiring story with everyone you know.

by under_believer in

jw
friends

people have been posting "encouraging" stories from their witness mailing lists lately.

i thought i'd share one i encountered, too.

many years ago, a new family moved into our neighborhood, little six-year-old emma and her mom and dad.

BabaYaga

...heh, heh.

17

Thinking like a Jehovah's Witness would think

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

thinking like a jehovah's witness would think on a prior discussion thread a couple of individuals pointed out.

to me, that i am more or less infected with "witness" think.

other words, i still think like a jehovah's witness.

BabaYaga

Time.

Truly,
Baba.

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).

BabaYaga

Your wisdom and happy-ending experience has brought tears to my eyes, Nana. Thank heavens you are strong enough and wise enough and empathetic enough to rise above this man-made-madness.

My first big sticking point was how I saw truly repentant disfellowshipped ones being treated. THEY NEEDED HELP, LOVE, AND SUPPORT, and instead, they get nothing. A real turning point was when I saw a very close disfellowshipped friend of mine walking (on a dirt road, no less) to the Kingdom Hall in the pouring rain and car after car of "true Christians" passed him on the road.

I never really forgave my Mom for not stopping the car and picking him up that day, all those many years ago. It became quite clear to me that they might be sincere, but they were dead wrong. I realized then that I knew Jehovah far better than they did, and I couldn't be part of that anymore.

Cheers to you. We're so glad you're here. Welcome.

Baba.

2

advice taken, now what?

by soulsearcher in

i took the advice given to me about my 'after life' it has helped a little bit.

i once sat down with my uncle, he is a jw, on this very subject, and he brought me to scriptures but never answered my questions.

i am now in college talking a religious course and i am learning new things about what he believes.

BabaYaga

Not only is it okay to have unanswered "holes", believe it or not, there comes a point where it feels wonderful. It really is okay to admit that we don't have all the answers and we don't have to pretend that we do.

Welcome to the forum, Soulsearcher! We're glad you're here.

Baba.

18

list allowable things with "pagan" origins here

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

i'm interested in developing a list of things jws are allowed to do that have "pagan" or otherwise "evil" origins in the eyes of the wts.

what types of things are you aware of?

so far i've got...... red lip stick (allegedly invented to distinguish prostitutes from non-prostitutes).

BabaYaga

Point well taken, Underbeliever, you are so right. If you don't want to search for a link, at the very least please give a quick explanation of WHY it's origins were pagan, so that others can do the research.

The only thing that I can add to the list that has not already been mentioned is Dice. Dice were originally used by shamans and oracles as a fortune-telling device, not to mention the whole gambling thing.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/dice-play/History.htm