Posts by Open mind

58

Questioning Armageddon. How can wife hang onto the Bible? (If she wants to)

by Open mind in

jehovah wiping out 99.99% of humanity, babies included, is a "problem" or "question" that i think can be very powerful to use with jw family.

especially when presented from a "i just really have a problem with this idea at a gut level" standpoint.. but i haven't used it with my wife (yet) because i see it as a slippery slope that leads to "jesus believed the whole flood story" so i guess we need to throw out the whole bible.

(which, btw, is the very slope i have gone down.

Open mind

TD: Sorry, I didn't fully make my point. You said:

How he manages to walk the mental tightrope, I don't know, but some people apparently have a huge capacity to tolerate conflicting ideas.

I guess I could just make the point about Armageddon being just a little bit of "overkill" from a loving God and hope that my wife can just handle it wherever it leads her. My concern, is that it will be too much at once and so she'll just pull back into her safe JW worldview completely. Someone a few days ago made a post about how much we humans are resistant to change. I think that's true for many, myself included. Baby steps are easier to take.

So, bottom line: Is there a semi-logical, temporary resting place for my wife? Or, is it all or nothing. Rationally, I thinks it's all or nothing. I'm looking for an "irrational way-station" if you will.

Open Mind

58

Questioning Armageddon. How can wife hang onto the Bible? (If she wants to)

by Open mind in

jehovah wiping out 99.99% of humanity, babies included, is a "problem" or "question" that i think can be very powerful to use with jw family.

especially when presented from a "i just really have a problem with this idea at a gut level" standpoint.. but i haven't used it with my wife (yet) because i see it as a slippery slope that leads to "jesus believed the whole flood story" so i guess we need to throw out the whole bible.

(which, btw, is the very slope i have gone down.

Open mind

Terry: Loved your comments. Thank you. I'm right there with you. I'm just hoping to find a brief, although irrational, resting place for my wife's psyche as she (hopefully) comes to grips with a huge change to her worldview.

bob1999:

But, Romans 9:19 "who are you, a man, to answer back to God?"

I'll take a stab at this even though the likes of Terry and many others could do & have done, a much better job.

I'm agnostic. If the creator of the universe were to reveal him/herself/it and say I need to do X, Y & Z I'd probably do it. I say probably, because somehow I've acquired this thing called a conscience. Paul says God put it there. If god revealed himself and says "Obey me or I'll kill you. And, by the way, you better be sincere & love me while you're obeying me. And you better just take that "free will" I've given you and not use it. And while we're at it you better jump in line with all these other Stepford Wives & Husbands here in the vegetarian paradise." Well, I think I'd say, sign me up for eternal non-existance, thank-you very much. But, if god showed up in a way that makes sense, and had reasonable requirements and (for extra credit points explained a little more about this messy thing called life on earth) well, sure I'd go along with the program.

But I think that's about as likely to happen as a plate of flying spaghetti miraculously appearing on my desk for lunch today.

TD: I think it is a slippery slope that can't include belief in the Bible.

Open Mind

99

ANYTHING EXCITING EVER HAPPEN AT YOUR KINGDOM HALL?

by anewme in

jw
friends

did anything exciting or alarming ever happen at your hall?

i remember only funny incidents, like one brother getting up there with his zipper down.

(i knew alot of brothers after that felt no shame to actually check down there before going up on the podium!

Open mind

A story of mercy at the hands of Jehovah's spirit appointed servants.

I was about 9 or 10 years old. After the meeting me and a few other fine Christian youths were hanging out at the far edge of the K Hall property. It was a cliff about 30 feet above the main road. On a dare, I threw a big dirt clod down towards an oncoming car. I'm not sure if it hit the car or just splattered in front of it because I took off running as soon as I threw it.

Well, the driver comes storming up to the K Hall wanting to strangle whichever fine little piece of Christianity is responsible for throwing it. I had never felt that degree of terror in my heart, my Dad being an elder and all. I told a MS that was outside that I did it and begged him not to rat me out.

Guess what? He didn't. And none of the other kids gave me up either. That was probably the beginning of many "double life" moments for me.

Not proud of it. Just sharing.

Open Mind

58

Questioning Armageddon. How can wife hang onto the Bible? (If she wants to)

by Open mind in

jehovah wiping out 99.99% of humanity, babies included, is a "problem" or "question" that i think can be very powerful to use with jw family.

especially when presented from a "i just really have a problem with this idea at a gut level" standpoint.. but i haven't used it with my wife (yet) because i see it as a slippery slope that leads to "jesus believed the whole flood story" so i guess we need to throw out the whole bible.

(which, btw, is the very slope i have gone down.

Open mind

Jehovah wiping out 99.99% of humanity, babies included, is a "problem" or "question" that I think can be very powerful to use with JW family. Especially when presented from a "I just really have a problem with this idea at a gut level" standpoint.

But I haven't used it with my wife (yet) because I see it as a slippery slope that leads to "Jesus believed the whole flood story" so I guess we need to throw out the whole Bible. (Which, BTW, is the very slope I have gone down.) I'm worried about it being too much at once.

Is there a middle ground that will allow her to at least hold on to belief in the Bible for a while? I'm having trouble remembering how I got here myself. I'm pretty sure Farkel's blasting of how ruthless and bloodthirsty "Bible God" is got me here in one fast, slippery slide.

All thoughts appreciated.

Open Mind

25

signs

by BR25 in

it would be alot easier if they had symbols on here for everyone below their names.

i dont know if they do or not.. i try to back the jws, but i dont know if i am talking to athiests, other christians, disfellowshiped ones, or people who just left the truth.

it would be nice to know sometimes.. you might ask why i would wanna know because i should answer everyone the same way, but on here you cant.

Open mind

Hey BR25,

This is probably obvious, but in case your having a newbie "DOH!!" moment like I have many times, in addition to reading someone's profile, click on their Post History and Topic History. It only takes a couple minutes and gives you way more insight than a label.

Open Mind

11

Great description of JW's

by Grammy in

jw
friends

myrmidon |murmuhdon|.

n. a faithful follower who follows commands without questioning them.. i was a myrmidon for 26 plus years and didn't even know it.. grammy.

Open mind

Kinda sounds like a dinosaur that survived the flood.

48

What is your favorite TV show?

by averyniceguy in

Open mind

The Office (U.S. Version)

UK original was a close second.

4

Music in the New Millenium...

by Tuesday in

jw
friends

a friend of mine and i are always discussing the music boom that was in the mid-to-late 90's spawned off of grunge music and alternative music.

and woe be it from me to sound old here, but i can't really see anything new happening in the new millenium.

it seems every decade has had some sort of musical movement if not 2 or 3, but the new millenium no such luck.

Open mind

I think Nvr is on the right track on this one. Decentralizing of music distribution is allowing just about anyone to, perhaps, get an audience.

Sifting through all the mediocrity isn't much fun though.

52

List What Things Jehovah's Witnesses Are NOT

by minimus in

jw
friends

here's a few-------jws are not "the happiest people on earth".

they are not the "most educated people on earth" in spite of their enrollment in the theocratic ministry school.. witnesses are not the best neighbors because they won't involve themselves with you unless they can preach to you.. .

any others to make up the list??

Open mind

To be underestimated when you've still got family in.

15

20/20 this Friday

by lrkr in

anybody know if the 20/20 on friday will include jws?

its about religious groups covering up sexual abuse....

Open mind

Even if they don't mention the dubs, watching it with my dub family will be a good way to have the whole Child Abuse "serendipitously" dropped in my lap.

Thanks for the heads up.

Open Mind