Posts by Open mind

67

Maybe I should go back and be a good little dubbie again!!

by AK - Jeff in

i believe that i am experiencing a profound change in my personality, and those changes are at a stage where i have honestly contemplated this recently.

honestly.. i don't think i could ever do it - anyone who has followed me on the boards here know that i am neither suicidal nor an apologist for that lot.

yet, having been off work for a few weeks now with surgical recovery, i have had time to make assessment of my future.

Open mind

Hi Jeff,

Just wanted to add a quick word of appreciation for all your posts. I was reading your life story on my Palm Pilot during the Watchtower Study last week. Made me wish I was flying a plane above some midwest corn fields. ;) You're a talented writer and your honesty is very refreshing.

Your post really struck a chord with me. As a still active JW I could just stay put with family and "friends" and in the short run, it's the course of least resistance. But one of the things that got me searching outside the JWs was reflecting on all the real friends who have been yanked away from me over the years when they got DFed, DAed or faded. And knowing, of course, that if I ever really spoke my mind or stopped being active my "conditional friends" would be forced to drop me like a hot potato. I think that's made me put up some walls over time in order to not get too close to very many people. That's really not a healthy way to live, is it?

As for being ridiculed for still being a Christian on this board, well that can hurt. But, to be honest, when I first started lurking here I was blown away at how well most posters on this board can get along. It's amazing when you stop and think about. What do you think the chances are of an atheist, an agnostic, a satanist, a warlock, a witch, various flavors of Christians and any other religion you care to name (btw, some hetero, some bi and some gay) all sitting down together to have a pizza and discuss religion? This board can hurt at times, but overall it's really an incredible resource.

I know you know all this so I'll stop rambling now.

Please keep posting if you can make room for it in your soon-to-be-too-busy life, right?

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

Tophat:

Sorry about that. James Thomas is another poster (one of my favorites, btw) who has shared views quite similar to those of "Poppers". He's way beyond belief in the Bible and any traditional view of God. If you'd like to stretch the limits of your consciousness check out some of his posts.

Poppers:

Please correct me if my observations about you are off the mark. It's not my intent to try hanging a label on you and James Thomas. I really value both of your contributions to this forum.

Garybuss said:

"It is especially important to keep a tactful tongue in our head when living in a divided household."
The Watchtower April 1, 1955

Good reminder. I assume you were referring to JWD? I'll have to add that to a very short list of good things I've learned from the Watchtower.

Dawg said:

"god reminds me of a drunken redneck coming home and finding his wife cheating./..he kills everyone in the trailer including his wife..., and what did the kids do to desreve this? Nothing!"

LMAO. I'm saving that one! BTW, your last post was a nice blend of tact & straight shooting.

Open Mind

p.s. Gotta go act like I'm ringing door bells in a few minutes. Or do my best to preach a message of love and acceptance without giving credit to the dubs.

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

Poppers:

My gut tells me that you and James Thomas are on the right track. I'm just doing my due diligence.

Open Mind eDITED: lEFT OUT THE WORD "DUE"

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

Re-reading the thread and doing a little mopping up.

reneeisorym: (BTW, What does the ....isorym mean?)

The ones who choose not to love God will be annialated. Maybe its not about being a JW that saves you. Maybe its just loving and believing in God.

That's a good way to phrase it. It puts Armageddon in a little more palatable light. It doesn't address all the other slaughtering at the flood, but I like the way you put it.

Dawg: Thanks for joining in!

DO you actually think that Eve eating a fruit made death come to this planet? ANimals like us have been dieing for thousands of years before Eve allegedly chatted with a serpent.

LMAO. Your "absurdi - DAR" is finely tuned.

Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts.

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

Narkissos:

they would prefer (unconsciously) the certainty of a bloodthirsty God to uncertainty about God.

That pretty well sums up my mental state whenever I was really "putting my hand to the Watchtower plow".

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

OTWO,

Thanks again. Now I can hold off going to the library until I finish "Misquoting Jesus".

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

BA:

It seems as though you were awfully quick to abandon the Bible based on whatever reason. Is it possible that you could use your open mind to read it with your wife without any WTBTS literature involved.

That's on my "to do" list in the not too distant future. Although, I'll definitely be doing it on my own for starters. I also plan on reading In Search of Christian Freedom as OTWO suggested earlier. Mainly it will be so I can honestly say to myself that I've looked at it without the WT filters on. But, I will brutally scrutinize, analyze and question anything I ever hang my hat on as a "belief" in the future. I don't have much hope that I will find too much that will ever fit in that category. (Right now I'm reading "Misquoting Jesus" by Bart D. Ehrman)

Thanks for the barbs as well. I'm a "flame war" virgin and that's the closest I've ever gotten so far. It was good experience for me, but I don't think I like it too much. I'm a lover not a fighter.

My wife saw the same things I saw, but when I told her I could no longer have anything to do with the JWs, she surprised me and turned into "super-JW", which ultimately led to our divorce.

Sorry to hear that, BA. I know that could be in my future as well, so I'm trying to make sure I've given it my best shot. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad,................ORG.

Thanks again for sharing your perspectives.

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

Oops again.

BA:

Where the heck did you read that in the Bible?

You're right. The 99.99% part isn't. But Armageddon is. From you're reading, just how massive will the slaughter be?

How can you have an open mind if you can't comprehend what you read, or just take for granted what someone told you the Bible says?

That's why I didn't choose "Sharp Mind" as my username. I learned a long time ago that there are many much better debaters out there than me. I'm "Open" to listening to several sides of an argument, and hope that some minds sharper than my own can do a good job representing their viewpoints. But, I am willing to dip my toe in the pool, which I'm doing on this thread.

Open (not the sharpest) 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

Oops, more posters slid in there while I was responding to OTWO.

Nvr: Good point that I'll use if/when she's ready for the "BIG SLIDE".

Greendawn:

the people of Sodom will be resurrected

Jackpot. (At least for my selfish, little, current needs.) How's this sound? OK, maybe a loving God will bring Armageddon, but it's going to be way nicer than the Big A of Watchtower World. Only the really, really, nasty people (like me) will be smoten.....smitten....smatted all over the place. A huge chunk of humanity will be spared. As for Sodom and the Flood mass murders, at least they were only temporary. They'll get another chance. (Although, I think the flood desctruction was supposed to be forever, wasn't it?) But, as a temporary "irriational waystation" I think that might work. Thanks.

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

OTWO: Thanks for reading this & that's a good idea. I'm pretty sure that forbidden tome is in a nearby public library. BTW, I've read CofC.

Open Mind