OnTheWayOut

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Posts by OnTheWayOut

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  7

  JW "rules" and ex fellow shipping somebody..

  by Canadian Sunshine in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i searched up jw rules, and things that can get them into trouble with the congregation.

  if i remember correctly there is 100 rules.

  i already assume these rules are taught regularly or "preached" and stating why they are against god therefore followers obey, or try to obey.

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  OnTheWayOut

  If enough people give enough detaled answers, this could get confusing. Much depends on the local congregation and how they decide to uphold the "rules."

  First off, people get called to a judicial committee for some violation of the rules. It is usually only for serious accusations of violations, not for getting a tattoo or telling another member to BLANK off. But some congregations will go after a member for any small rules violations too. There is only one thing you can be "disfellowshipped" for- being unrepentant when they decide your guilt. They can decide that you are only sorry because you were caught or that multiple violations before the committee meets are clear signs that your repentance is not genuine. So typically, you have to kiss their asses and only confess to a one-time violation if that is all they know about.

  Gotta run now. I will give more thoughts on your "interfaith" questions later.
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  9

  Volcano eruption in Hawaii! The end surely must be near!

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  umm how do you think islands are formed to begin with?

  !.

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  OnTheWayOut

  The Big Island (the one actually named "Hawaii) is known to be formed by still-active volcanoes.
  
  Nobody is dying from the eruptions and earthquakes on The Big Island, although it is serious. Quite a few people are being displaced. That is all.
  
  JW Signs that the end is near:
  Good times
  Bad times
  Black U.S. Presidents
  Stock market roller coasters
  Volcanic ash spewing from Iceland
  Volcanic lava flows from Hawaii
  
  
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  31

  Atheists - How Did You Become An Atheist After Waking Up?

  by pale.emperor in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i consider myself an atheist.

  and right now i'm reading a lot on atheism in general (books written to answer creationists).. i'd be interested in knowing how you became an atheist after leaving the jws and how long did it take?

  was it instant or did your belief in a deity gradually decline?.

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  OnTheWayOut

  My stages differ from yours, but I get it:

  1. Still believed in the God of the Bible. I figured "Christendom" had it more right.
  2. Believed the Bible "could" be God's Word.
  3. Completed enough study of why Watchtower was a cult and kept studying to see what was up with the root of that religion- The Bible.
  4. Included Eastern Thought in my studies.
  5. Similarly to your path, found great books from the likes of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens and also great videos on the secular establishment of the Bible.
  6. Finally broke through to see how the Flood could not be true, the god of the Bible was a war-god. Continued to read science and added much about Jesus being a myth or just a man.
  7. Just as I could never go back to the JW's once the truth about "the truth" was discovered, I could never go back to believing in the god that men created.
     
     My whole philosophy of life was flipped upside down. People come first. While we plan for our futures, we plan for NOW and our IMMEDIATE future, not some hopeful everlasting future. We do our best to enjoy life and family now, before we are gone forever. It is not a dismal outlook.
     
     Understanding "the big bang" and "string theory" are important things, but not knowing all about them doesn't default to "God did it." Humans are in the infant stage of understanding the universe, but religion asks us to stop seeking better answers.
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  28

  advice please/data protection

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have just received an email from an elder's wife regarding the new data protection laws.

  between the lines it sounds like she has been asked to contact me.. she says they 'don't want to leave me out' so they want me to fill out the form as 'i'm still part of the congregation'.

  also, my blood card needs updating, apparently.. the elder in charge will be in contact.. obviously, i'm not doing either, but what do i do?

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  OnTheWayOut

  There is no judicial committee for not keeping forms up to date. Members don't technically have to have blood cards.
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  8

  JW's Setting Up Carts at Chicago Train Stations

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the reader is very chicago-oriented but for your benefit while reading, "the el" is the elevated train system that ties in with the subway system for commuters and "cta" is the chicago transit authority that runs the commuter trains and buses.

  https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/is-it-legal-for-jehovahs-witnesses-to-proselytize-inside-cta-stations/content?oid=47477482.

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  OnTheWayOut

  The Reader is very Chicago-oriented but for your benefit while reading, "the el" is the elevated train system that ties in with the subway system for commuters and "CTA" is the Chicago Transit Authority that runs the commuter trains and buses.
  
  https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/is-it-legal-for-jehovahs-witnesses-to-proselytize-inside-cta-stations/Content?oid=47477482
  
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  7

  AwakeI explains differences in Scripture quotations

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  this article in the awake!

  of november 22, 1968 discusses reasons for differences between quotations in the new testament (“christian scriptures”) and their hebrew or septuagint sources.. http://www.jwstudies.com/awake__nov_22__1968__was_the_writer_quoting.pdf .

  doug.

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  OnTheWayOut

  It does seem that they were laying a foundation for the finding of errors in the NWT.
  
  The errors are not ours, but rather in the thing we copied from. But God allowed it so it's all still inspired.
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  16

  Continuing congregation mergers

  by Are you serious in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the area i live in the pacific northwest, three spanish congregations we're merged into two a couple of years ago and in the next month or so four english congregations will be cut down to three.

  both situations happened because of lack of growth.

  a few years ago, i would never have imagined spanish congregations disappearing or merging but it's happening.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Three cheers for the decline.
  
  
  
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  52

  My JW Elder Brother Passed Away

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  he was basically a good man, just a believer in the religion.

  when we were both elders we were best of friends and then things deteriorated when i was not an elder for a while.

  then after becoming an elder again, i slowly drifted away from the religion and he drifted further away from me.

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  OnTheWayOut

  I am sorry for your loss and the loss that your family members will be mourning.
  
  The cult based on "What are you doing for Watchtower TODAY?" does allow for drifting apart.
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  10

  Zappa

  by JRK in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am stoked about going to see dweezil zappa in concert on thursday.

  it is going to be a date night, and the person i am taking never had the chance to see his father frank in concert.

  i know that she will appreciate the complexity and beauty of his music, as well as some of his off-color humor.. yes "humor does belong in music!".

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  OnTheWayOut

  Um....you are welcome.
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  10

  Zappa

  by JRK in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am stoked about going to see dweezil zappa in concert on thursday.

  it is going to be a date night, and the person i am taking never had the chance to see his father frank in concert.

  i know that she will appreciate the complexity and beauty of his music, as well as some of his off-color humor.. yes "humor does belong in music!".

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  OnTheWayOut

  Have a great time.