I wish the search engine of this site would gain the added feature of being able to search for exact phrases (such as by using quote marks around phrases). That way I could find specific information on this site much more easily. If a such a feature was available, then this site would be much more useful in finding relevant old posts.
Disillusioned JW
JoinedPosts by Disillusioned JW
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A suggestion to improve the site's search engine
by Disillusioned JW ini wish the search engine of this site would gain the added feature of being able to search for exact phrases (such as by using quote marks around phrases).
that way i could find specific information on this site much more easily.
if a such a feature was available, then this site would be much more useful in finding relevant old posts..
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I'm now turned off by this site
by purrpurr inin one form or another i've been a member of this site for almost 10 years.
in the past this was a great place for debate, news and support for ex jws.
i logged on several times a day and posted several times a week.
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Disillusioned JW
Hey purrpurr (and other people), what other sites are there where exJWs and seriously doubting JWs can engage in debate about numerous aspects of the WT/JW religion, and receive support? I have yet to find any other sites which are good for those purposes.
Regarding this site becoming more and more based around politics (and other matters not pertaining to the WT or its JW religion), I am wondering if maybe that is because maybe everything critical (in a relevant way) which can be written about the WT/JWs has already been written on this site, other the ongoing newest developments of the WT and its JW religion.
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I'm now turned off by this site
by purrpurr inin one form or another i've been a member of this site for almost 10 years.
in the past this was a great place for debate, news and support for ex jws.
i logged on several times a day and posted several times a week.
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Disillusioned JW
Hi purrpurr and Rocketman123, I agree with you completely about what has happened to this site. I joined this site more than 10 years to learn about evidence pertaining to the WT religion (pro and con, but mostly con) - not to read political discussions.
Because of how this site has changed I have been thinking of ceasing to visit this site, or at least bypass all topic areas except for those in the WT and JW topic areas.
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Urgent Message from American Atheists regarding the need to get the Covid-19 vaccine!
by Disillusioned JW inthe following is an urgent email message (except i deleted mention of my name and links which might include information about me,) i received from american atheists regarding the need to get the covid-19 vaccine.. ".
for months, we've thought that vaccine rates have been incredibly strong among our community..
for example, a pew poll in march found that 90% of atheist respondents indicated they'd already received the first vaccine dose or would "definitely" or "probably" seek the shot..
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Disillusioned JW
The following is an urgent email message (except I deleted mention of my name and links which might include information about me,) I received from American Atheists regarding the need to get the covid-19 vaccine.
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For months, we've thought that vaccine rates have been incredibly strong among our community.
For example, a Pew poll in March found that 90% of atheist respondents indicated they'd already received the first vaccine dose or would "definitely" or "probably" seek the shot.
In stark contrast, anti-vaxxer pastors are often making headlines for their anti-science antics. Just days ago, pastor Greg Locke screamed at his congregation, "I am telling you right now! Do not get vaccinated! Do not get vaccinated!" Wade Morris, a well-known Baptist youth pastor who kept his church open during the pandemic, recently died of COVID-19, but some of his followers think that's a good thing. "I was very happy for him because...he's with Jesus now," said one.
While the loudest, headline-stealing voices are often evangelical Christians, this noise hides the complexity of the situation and some conflicting data we're seeing.
This week, data scientist Ryan Burge published a story that calls into question just how high vaccine rates are among nonreligious Americans.
According to a May 11 survey, a larger percentage of young Catholics and evangelicals have gotten vaccinated than young nonreligious Americans:
This is all the more worrisome because our community prides itself on listening to the best science available. And, according to the CDC, the vaccines are all incredibly safe and effective.
With our country in a fourth COVID-19 surge, now is the time to get vaccinated—and to do our part to dispel misinformation.
According to surveys, one segment of Americans—especially evangelical Christians—are adamant in their refusal. However, there is a second group of people—including young secular Americans—who are reluctant but could be persuaded.
If you haven't already, please speak to your friends and family about the importance of vaccination. You can help make the difference between life and death and help end this pandemic.
If you need resources or to find where to get a COVID-19 vaccine, please visit Vaccines.gov.
We're looking forward to seeing you and so many of our members at our national conference in Atlanta in the spring of 2022, but that can only happen if we come together, get vaccinated, and beat this pandemic once and for all.
Sincerely,
Nick Fish
President"
Here is are modified links for some of the news sources listed above.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/09/atheists-are-more-likely-to-get-vaccinated-survey/
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STUDY ARTICLE When a Loved One Leaves Jehovah
by RULES & REGULATIONS inthe watchtower—study edition | september 2021. study article 39. when a loved one leaves jehovah.
2 think how heartbroken jehovah must have been when members of his own angelic family turned their back on him!
(jude 6) and imagine how hurt he was at seeing his beloved people, the israelites, rebel against him time and again.
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Disillusioned JW
Phizzy, I agree with your point of turning one's back on Jehovah. I have thought much the same way for more than 10 years. I have thought that "I did not break my baptismal vow with Jehovah God, when I stopped being a JW and even later when I stopped believing in Jehovah and in the supernatural. That is because I now recognize he is a fictional/imaginary character. Since he doesn't exist it is impossible to turn away from him. Instead, what I did was turn away from the imaginary idea of the fictional character named Jehovah God. I broke my vow that was made to the imaginary idea when I stopped worshiping the imaginary character."
Rocketman123 has written many times that the WT was devised by apostates. I now realize he is right in that matter, and I even recall that at times before I read Rocketman123's words I recognized most JWs are apostates in some sense. [The dictionary broadly defines an apostate as someone who has turned away from his/her former allegiance, especially in regards to politics or religion.] That is because most of them apostatized (turned away from) a religion/denomination of Christianity (such as Baptist or Methodist, for examples) before becoming a JW.
Russell had attended the Presbyterian and Congregational denominations (he joined the latter "because of its more liberal views") of Christianity before he became a skeptic (and before he was persuaded by "the logic of infidelity" [infidelity in the religious sense regarding disbelief in Christianity and the Bible]) and before he later came up with his Watch Tower organization. Rutherford was a Baptist before he became an atheist (by becoming an atheist he became an apostate of Christianity) and before later joined the Watch Tower organization. Both Russell and Rutherford apostatized from mainstream/mainline Christianity and even lost much of their confidence in the Bible before they adopted the views associated with the WT. Even in adopting the views of the Watch Tower they adopted many views that deny parts of the Bible as meaning the plain clear sense of what they (the Bible verses) say. In doing such, even as International Bible Students affiliated with the WT, they were apostates not just of a specific mainstream denomination of Christianity, but of a number of the Bible's teachings itself!
For evidence of what I wrote above about Russell see pages 34-35 of the 1975 YEARBOOK of Jehovah's Witnesses. Page 36 of that book says Russell turned away from the belief that Christ would return visibly in 1873 or 1874; Russell came to believe that Christ would return (or did return) invisibly (what Russell called the beginning of Christ's second presence) in the year 1874. The plain sense of the Bible teaching in the book Matthew is that Christ would return visibly, for that book says that Jesus said that the people would "see the Son of Man" and Revelation says "every eye will see Him" [Matthew 24:30 and Revelation 1:7 (NASB-1975)]. The WT organization denies the plain sense of those verses, when they teach merely mean in the sense of figurative 'eyes of understanding'. In doing so they teach an apostate doctrine regarding those verses. They have been able to get away with such largely because no Christ exists in heaven (and even because there is no supernatural heaven) and because Jehovah/Yahweh God/Elohim doesn't even exist.
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I m looking for a ebook
by keinlezard inhello.
i m looking for book of francis hitching a well known author often cited by jw and the society .... has anybody hitching's books in pdf format ?.
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Disillusioned JW
Though there are many criticisms of Francis Hitching and his books on this site and elsewhere I find some of books to be very interesting, even though I am now an atheist and an evolutionist. [Those books are The Neck of the Giraffe and
DOWSING: THE Psi CONNECTION.] Both as a former active believing JW and later as an atheist I took the field of parapsychology (as well as UFOs and extraterrestrials, Atlantis, and Bigfoot) very seriously, and at times I am still open minded to parapsychology.I was fascinated by the "In Search Of" TV shows (produced from the 1970s through the 1980s) presented by Leonard Nimoy and I took the show seriously; I think I first watched those shows in the 1990s on cable TV. I love the original Star Trek TV series and Leonard Nimoy's character named "Spock" is probably my favorite character of that series. Episode 138 of the original In Search Of" TV series is called "The Missing Link" and is about evolution science versus creationism (see https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0902057/ ).
One can borrow books from their local library by using the interlibrary loan process to request that the books be sent form other libraries to your local library. Archive.org is an online library and people can read and download electronic file versions of many books there, including ones which are still protected by copyright. Some of the digital copies at archive.org can be borrowed.
https://archive.org/details/dowsingpsiconnec0000hitc has a link for the DOWSING: THE PsI CONNECTION book. https://archive.org/details/neckofgiraffe00hitc has a link for The Neck of the Giraffe.
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Which WT book (or booklet) has illustrations of prehistoric animals?
by Disillusioned JW ini remember that i once saw a wt book (or maybe a booklet) which in depicting one or two of the creative days of genesis had illustrations depicting now extinct prehistoric animals.
which publication was that?
i think the illustrations were of a 1950s or 1960s style.. update: i found it.
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Disillusioned JW
You are right, it was in chapter 4 on pages 57 and 60 - not in chapter 3.
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Copies of WT CDs
by CeriseRose inif this post is not appropriate for this forum, the mods can remove it.. i have cd copies of the wt library 1999 (qty: 1), and burned copies of the wt library 2001 (qty: 2).
i have no interest in them.
i doubt most people here do either.
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Disillusioned JW
Is there any product like the "Watchtower Bookshelf CD" currently available? Did the Watchtower shut down that product? I can't seem to find it online.
Which older books are in the WT's official CD-ROM Library of 2001 that are not on the one of 1999? I have the 1995 and 1999 WT Library CD-ROMs but not any newer ones.
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Which WT book (or booklet) has illustrations of prehistoric animals?
by Disillusioned JW ini remember that i once saw a wt book (or maybe a booklet) which in depicting one or two of the creative days of genesis had illustrations depicting now extinct prehistoric animals.
which publication was that?
i think the illustrations were of a 1950s or 1960s style.. update: i found it.
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Disillusioned JW
You are right! The inside front end sheet of the Paradise Lost book shows a dinosaur and the inside front cover shows a an aquatic dinosaur-like reptile (a plesiosaur?) and flying reptile (a pterosaur?)
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WT Using Symbolic Interpretation to Twist Scriptures
by Sea Breeze indoes anyone know of examples where the watchtower used symbolic interpretation to twist the plain meaning of scripture?the only one that comes to my mind right now is in rev.
"then i heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of israel".. .
here, the wt would have us believe that the number of those sealed are literally 144k; but supposedly "israel" symbolically represents anointed jw's.
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Disillusioned JW
Even in the SCI-FI TV show called "Stargate SG-1" one character told a Prior of the Ori that he (the Prior) twisted and acted against the meaning of a passage of the scriptures of the Ori.
