Posts by OnTheWayOut

23

And now for something you might be able to hear without repulsion

by TerryWalstrom in

i won't give a long preamble other than to say this.

listen and see how you respond.

and now i'm passing it along to get your feedback.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28i3lwxw5xs.

OnTheWayOut

Psychology is a science, but JP, this clinical psychologist presents himself like a "scientist" who has spent time examining some kind of balance between science and belief. Yet he only seems to come up with reasons why the mind might believe, not why belief in Christianity is right. In reality, he is an apologist for allowing false beliefs to continue in your life without really examining the beliefs to see if they should be dismissed.

JP- "the stories in Genesis which are very old stories...maybe tens of thousands of years old."
Wouldn't a scientist trying to reconcile science with religion be less vague? He would be able to state a better detail than "maybe tens of thousands of years old."

It seems he thinks he needs to stay in favor with hardcore Christians. I could almost count him as an agnostic who sees value in belief and counts the value as the amount of belief that lives on and changes lives. Without batting an eye, if he lived in a Muslim world, he could say everything the same way about Islam.

I do enjoy his philosophy on this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0O8Jw6grro

24

Cart Witnessing Is Getting People Baptzed!!!🐑🐑

by minimus in

jw
friends

recently i talked to an elder about this type of witnessing.

i’ve known him for many years and he is a very honest upright man.

he marveled at how many people have become baptized in the last couple of years because of cart witnessing.

OnTheWayOut

James Mixon-
I call FOUL!!!!! No way cart witnessing is getting people baptized, if the door to door work didn't do it surely the cart work is no better...

Yeah, I will declare that your elder that believes otherwise is a victim of some kind of propaganda. Cart witnessing has gone on long enough that Watchtower has to have some kind of positive results from it, even if they are just cooked numbers from the tiniest bit of actual results.

14

Jehovah's witnesses in bible prophecy

by godbless in

good day to all on this discussion board.

i am "godbless" and i am new to this discussion board.

i live in westmoreland, jamaica.

OnTheWayOut

Shelby, is that you?

14

Jehovah's witnesses in bible prophecy

by godbless in

good day to all on this discussion board.

i am "godbless" and i am new to this discussion board.

i live in westmoreland, jamaica.

OnTheWayOut

Godless, I highly recommend you start from scratch and learn about the origins of the Bible itself.

Then learn how this book from men has been used and misused again and again to promote many different paths of leaders/followers. The Bible is vague enough and as long as those who use portions of it for their agenda are not bogged down by contradictions elsewhere in it, it can be made to say anything.

Take some time to learn about Christianity being no different in origins than any of the heavily myth-laden ancient beliefs such as the cult of Mithras, Manichaeaism, followers of Isis and Horus, maybe some more. You may learn that Christianity was developed pretty much the same way and won the day when Constantine used it to solidify the empire and took the beliefs of the other beliefs along with it.

30

The "Imperfect Men" Argument

by steve2 in

one of the most common "defences" of jw organization is that "the brothers" are imperfect yet still strive to follow god's word.

"sure, they make mistakes," so the argument goes, "but so did god's people in the past, including in bible times.

" the key point is their readiness to keep studying god's word and learning from their mistakes.".

OnTheWayOut

They will tell you that the difference between "inspired" and "spirit-directed" is that the exact words of the inspired were God's because they were in direct contact with God, and that the spirit-directed ones are doing their best to understand God's guidance but are not in direct contact.

But really, why would God do it one way for Jews then Christians in the day, but totally different now? There is no real difference between the two terms except that the GB wants allowance for changing the doctrines.

28

What do I do ?

by jdash in

hey guys, this is my first time posting on here but lets get started.. so i'm a 17 year old boy who currently attends meetings at a congregation in indianapolis.

i live with my grandparents, on my father's side, because my mother died in 2010. i been attending meetings since i was 10. my mother got into the religion but then got disfellowshiped.

my dad is on and off, he currently just got reinstated.

OnTheWayOut

all I need to do it save up some more money so I can be able to afford a car, and maybe insurance.

I hope you are being cute/funny. Get insurance, not MAYBE!

It sounds like you are being smart and cautious, and doing what you can to live outside the JW box at the same time. Good going.

28

What do I do ?

by jdash in

hey guys, this is my first time posting on here but lets get started.. so i'm a 17 year old boy who currently attends meetings at a congregation in indianapolis.

i live with my grandparents, on my father's side, because my mother died in 2010. i been attending meetings since i was 10. my mother got into the religion but then got disfellowshiped.

my dad is on and off, he currently just got reinstated.

OnTheWayOut

They told me that if I disassociate myself, then my grandfather will lose his position as an elder.

It might/probably would happen. It would not be your fault were that to happen. Its cult rules and practices. But its enough that some serious problems would exist between you and your grandparents.

Do your best to find a way to make your future happen your way. You may later be shunned by family, possibly not. But let all that wait while in school.

8

Fade..... or this?

by Giordano in

there are four ways to leave the 'truth'...... alive............you can be disfellowshiped...... then shunned, you can formally disassociate yourself and be shunned........ you can fade.

the first two words belong to the society, fade on the other hand is defined as 'to gradually grow faint and disappear.

' 'walking away' has it's own negative connotation about one's commitments and relationships.. i think some folks feel uncomfortable with these words.

OnTheWayOut

I faded fast over less than a year, but have suggested that some try to leave faster if they either have no family reason to hang around or if they may retain such family anyway. It might also be that those with a JW spouse and children they hope to get out of the cult should try leaving faster.

I suggest many try to just leave all at once without any slow reduction of activity. It can't always be done and keep loved ones' communication too. But it is something to consider.

That might be a huge disconnect or "disengage" move.

28

What do I do ?

by jdash in

hey guys, this is my first time posting on here but lets get started.. so i'm a 17 year old boy who currently attends meetings at a congregation in indianapolis.

i live with my grandparents, on my father's side, because my mother died in 2010. i been attending meetings since i was 10. my mother got into the religion but then got disfellowshiped.

my dad is on and off, he currently just got reinstated.

OnTheWayOut

If you are a junior, you have this entire year and half of 2019 in high school. You need a stable home environment for the next 18 months. You might really need to move slowly on the disassociation thing. Life at home as a JW might be miserable, but life at home as a DA'ed JW could be worse than barely doing the minimum. I know that, to a seventeen year old, that seems like "forever" but it really isn't that long.

And I know it's tough to have all kinds of people in your life who are JW's and contemplate losing their friendship/contact. Before such a thing happens, you have to have a chance to develop outside friends. If you think 18 months of pretending is long, it is going to seem like an eternity if you are severely restricted all the time and have nobody talking to you among the people you are allowed to be around.

This is the link to the 4th Annual Midwest Apostafest- a gathering near Indianapolis in the summer of 2017:
https://www.facebook.com/events/381343342244843/

28

What do I do ?

by jdash in

hey guys, this is my first time posting on here but lets get started.. so i'm a 17 year old boy who currently attends meetings at a congregation in indianapolis.

i live with my grandparents, on my father's side, because my mother died in 2010. i been attending meetings since i was 10. my mother got into the religion but then got disfellowshiped.

my dad is on and off, he currently just got reinstated.

OnTheWayOut

Then maybe consider doing the bare minimum. Don't resign and say you will get "some" recruiting work in- an hour a month of not really trying.

That just works for 11 months. You need to plan long term. Are you graduating high school this year? What next? You can go for scholarships, but you need a place to live.

Also, there is a great picnic just south of Indianapolis in August. I will link you to it on a post soon.