OnTheWayOut

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Posts by OnTheWayOut

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  50

  Belief in God

  by jdash in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when did you guys start to doubt your faith in god?'.

  what made you doubt your faith in god?.

  thanks !.

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  OnTheWayOut

  I got up the nerve to google "Jehovah's Witnesses" and was enlightened as I followed all links in all directions.
  
  As the lies about "the truth" came out, I assumed that "Christendom" would prove to be right and God existed.
  
  After assuring myself that Watchtower was a dangerous mind-control cult, I wanted to know about the book they used to get their doctrine- the Bible. So my research expanded to history of and origins of the Bible and various Jesus theories. One fact stood out to me that made me look more- no group of Jews or anybody else ever actually lived under "the law" found in the Bible. True fact. (But I am telling you- not proving to you. I truly believe all people need to go on their own spiritual journey.)
  
  I started including science in my study. The impossibility of the worldwide flood was fascinating. and THE BIBLE UNEARTHED (hxxps://www.amazon.com/Bible-Unearthed-Archaeologys-Vision-Ancient/dp/0684869136) was huge in helping me.
  
  I took a couple of turns here and there. I added eastern thought to my studies and loved the philosophies. But I saw how the myths were similar. I really enjoyed videos on secrets of the Bible and books by atheists.
  
  One huge factor for me was the philosophy found in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (hxxps://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Karamazov-Fyodor-Dostoevsky/dp/0374528373)
  The price God has us pay is too high. Looking at that along with the Haiti earthquake and the Indonesian Tsunami that took roughly 100,000 children away from their parents, I was confirmed as an atheist.
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  21

  King of The North: circular news top?

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  friends,.

  with the circular speading of my satire tread about the annual meeting on many different ways, even informal across the jw organization, i'm pretty sure that the news about russia (new king of the north) is not real.. there was a moment i thought that it was a coïncidence that incoming messages mentioned it also.. now i suppose it started all with my op, went trending through the organization (even through bethel belgium) and became a story on it's own.. this is not realy my style and i'm not proud of it.. g..

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  OnTheWayOut

  Don't know if you all got this. "Johnny the Bethelite" has the reaction of JW's to the news that Russia is the King of the North-
  
  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2175774472435047&set=a.178896675456180&type=3&theater
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  67

  John Ceder used my satire about annual meeting for real

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry guys,.

  the gorby satire fake report of the annual meeting with the coincidence about russia, is used for real in john cedars yt channel.. please concider it for well prepared satire.. and not much more.. g..

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  OnTheWayOut

  ....oh, once again I read "It's not my fault." At least Lloyd is consistent at passing on blame.
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  67

  John Ceder used my satire about annual meeting for real

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sorry guys,.

  the gorby satire fake report of the annual meeting with the coincidence about russia, is used for real in john cedars yt channel.. please concider it for well prepared satire.. and not much more.. g..

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  OnTheWayOut

  Gorby, like his books, you have to pay Lloyd for him to honor your material by publishing it with his stuff (or youtubing it.)

  You retroactively owe money. Lloyd is trying to be the first ex-JW to live entirely on ex-JW income. Don't cheat him.
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  14

  Disaster Relief Funds

  by StephaneLaliberte in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if the need for relief is beyond what the congregations in the area can provide, the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses arranges to supply what is needed.

  [...] since the work is performed by unpaid volunteers, the funds that are allocated go toward actual relief, not administrative expenses.

  - jw site.

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  OnTheWayOut

  "tree removal crews", under direction of the branch(es).

  Ha. I imagined the tree branches directing the workers.
  

  Seriously, despite most everything being done by local brothers, I still bet they readca letter about donating for relief in congregations across the country.
  
  
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  30

  What the hell, what's the deal with Summons for Jury Service?

  by James Mixon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i posted two years ago with the same subject.

  every two years i receive a summons.

  for jury duty.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Illinois has one-day or one-trial jury duty. You sit around for one work day to be seated on a jury if needed. If you don't get put into a jury, you are done. If you are put on a jury, you are stuck until that trial is over, no matter the length.
  
  But they can call you once a year for this. I have gone more than 2 years now without a jury summons. They typically send me a summons every 2 to 3 years.
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  38

  What changes would stabilize JW membership?

  by StarryNight9 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've seen many topics about how things are changing or might be changing in jw doctrine/culture.

  some have extrapolated how those changes would result in declining jw membership.

  i'm curious to know what changes others think would stabilize those numbers.

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  OnTheWayOut

  I am not a fan of questions like "What changes would stabilize JW membership?"
  
  It's like asking, "Was Jesus the son of God or an extraordinary man of faith?"
  There is so much more that could be asked about whether he existed at all or was something entirely different from those choices.
  
  Why would we even want a stable JW membership? I suppose then it could be less cult-like and more mainstream. Then get rid of it and let the members find a mainstream church to go to.
  
  The Catholic Church is in a huge decline over its scandals. But they are so huge and banked so much money, that they will somehow, most likely, weather this storm and reinvent themselves after they sift out so many members. Couldn't that be true of Watchtower also?
  
  While I pity the shunned, missing out on family because of a stupid cult, and I wish that shunning would go away, and I would hope their blood ban stops and people stop needlessly dying, I otherwise wish that Watchtower keeps the active members as miserable as ever in their getting their hours in and wasting away weekends at conventions. It might be the only reason people decide to stop being active witnesses.
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  14

  Disaster Relief Funds

  by StephaneLaliberte in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if the need for relief is beyond what the congregations in the area can provide, the governing body of jehovah’s witnesses arranges to supply what is needed.

  [...] since the work is performed by unpaid volunteers, the funds that are allocated go toward actual relief, not administrative expenses.

  - jw site.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Disaster Relief is my biggest pet peeve with Watchtower.
  
  All agencies have administrative costs, and some agencies have way too much overhead with celebrity and high paid spokespeople. Watchtower is not as efficient and effective as the Red Cross, but they easily convince the members that they are the absolute best at disaster relief.
  
  So they are not really high paid people and the actual people who go to the disaster are mostly unpaid volunteers. But Watchtower has honed their disaster relief begging to get money for non-relief funds. They ask members to stop donating "stuff" and they ask that they only donate money to the worldwide work, and tell them not to earmark their checks toward the specific disaster relief. Just put more money in the slush fund and Watchtower will decide how much to give to the disaster.
  
  Further, Watchtower will arrange for connected members to be the suppliers and contractors for the disaster, and of course they are able to charge for their equipment and materials.
  
  Hey, is Watchtower better or worse than Wounded Warrior Project? I could list the problems with that organization about lavish spending on big events and airfare. But Watchtower uses something that Wounded Warrior or the Red Cross don't have available to them- convincing people from the pulpit that God is running their charity, and by-the-way, telling them it's not even a "charity."
  
  
  
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  21

  Taking children out on the ministry

  by Freedom rocks in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  can i ask your views on taking children out on the ministry?

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  do you have any experiences you can share of things you as a child/your children/grandchildren have witnessed on the ministry that they shouldn't have?.

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  OnTheWayOut

  A child has not decided on his/her own research that Watchtower has "the truth."
  It is pure indoctrination. And it is difficult for them and they hate it. It leads to anxiety over a schoolmate answering the door. It opens them to dangers when working with other adults that could be predators that are experienced at winning them over and/or isolating them.
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  69

  JW's Would Stay With The Org Even If 1914 Was Dropped

  by pale.emperor in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i asked the question on quora: .

  if the governing body abandoned the 1914 teaching, would you leave jehovah's witnesses or you would remain a member regardless?.

  https://www.quora.com/if-the-governing-body-abandoned-the-1914-teaching-would-you-leave-jehovahs-witnesses-or-you-would-remain-a-member-regardless.

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  OnTheWayOut

  The organization grew when 1914 wasn't what they said it would be, when the prophets were not resurrected in 1925, when the end did not come in 1975 and all those other years, SO YEAH- they would mostly stay.