Posts by Fernando

37

What words has the WT redefined?

by Splash in

these days, virtually every public talk speaker thinks it's interesting and intellectual to include a dictionary definition of some word.

often the word is in common use and needs no explanation, such as 'exercise', or 'knowledge', or whatever.. now contrast that to all of the words that the wt has it's own meaning for, and referencing a dictionary for the common understanding of it would be viewed unfavourably.. words like 'generation' or 'men' (as in jesus is mediator between god and 'men' - 1tim 2:5-6).. what words have the wt redefined that you know about?

- i'd like to compile a list if possible.. splash.

Fernando

Prophesy

The gospel

Faith

Spirituality

Apostasy

Religion

Legalism

Moralism

Ethnocentrism (doctrinal)

Gnosticism (religious)

Obligatory Tithing masquerading as "voluntary" Pledging...

18

This is a CASTING CALL . . . for a scene in my book

by Terry in

jw
friends

attention!.

i'm in my final re-write of the monorails of mars novel.. as you may know, the book is a sci-fi allegory concerning mind control by the watch tower.. .

i have a scene in nikola tesla's laboratory in which he is about to attempt an exchange between mars and earth.. the volunteers--instead of actually traveling physically from one planet to the other will instead swap minds.. need i say--it will go wrong?!.

Fernando

I flew for decades, in my dreams, until my conscious mind got wind of it.

75

What would be your favorite job if you could do anything.?

by new hope and happiness in

on the basis that most of us realise the w.t wasnt really the best " job" or way to spend our days, it would be fun to find out what people would really have liked to have done with there lifes and if this is still possible.

or maybe its not even a very realistic ambition just a dream.

in my dreams i stay at home all day and make a living from being a professional artist.maybe i need a phycholgist?.

Fernando

I'd like to have known much more about Psychology much earlier in my life.

59

Books that changed your life-

by new hope and happiness in

i am not much of a reader as i have two many distractions, but i fancy a challenging read, so please list any book that has changed your entire world view on everything.

i remember as a teenager buying at a yard sale, norman vincent peales " the power of positive thinking" and at the time that had a big impact on me.

but i am a little bit more in to " realistic positive thinking" now..

Fernando

The Bible.

Radically.

But only when I stopped letting Watchtower propaganda and lies dictate what its central message was.

28

Germany loses 22 congregations and 41 KHs in 3 years (2011-2014)

by Viva la Vida in

jw
friends

i just compared the latest data provided by the german wt and data i found searching for the same page in archive.org.

congregations 2011: 2232. congregations 2014: 2210. kh 2011: 1075. kh 2014: 1034. source: http://www.jehovaszeugen.de/statistik.18.0.html - this is a oficial site for germany.

.

Fernando

(Proverbs 25:25) . . .As cold water upon a tired soul, so is a good report from a distant land.

(Revelation 18:10) . . .‘Too bad, too bad, you great city, Babylon you strong city, because in one hour your judgment has arrived!’

(Revelation 18:21) . . .And a strong angel lifted up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying: “Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon the great city be hurled down, and she will never be found again.

79

Your final WTF? Moment!

by restrangled in

jw
friends

it was a long time coming for me.....when i read about the extened generations, after being raised on1914 being the be all end all, and millions would never die....that was the end.

i was part of the 1975 fiasco, the 6 month only truth book studies, suffered through a disifellowshipping and their version of a rewind.

i finally am free and hope others can eventually look in instead of inside looking out!

Fernando

When 3 hostile and contemptuous elders confirmed that their "righteousness" was not imputed (as a free gift per the liberating gospel message).

17

Internet Dating - I feel like I am being love bombed again

by KateWild in

i am on three or four sites and lots of guys are showing an interest and trying to be genuine.

it reminds me of being love bombed by the jws.

i am having so much fun and loving all the attention, i almost got carried away with it all, until i got a pm on jwn.. i have just been absorbing it all and it dawned on me i am still vulnerable, and possibly not ready to date.

Fernando

I wonder if some well considered and unobtrusive questions could uncover a controlling nature?

https://www.google.com.au/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+to+spot+a+control+freak

45

Religion vs the gospel

by Fernando in

our family's journey out of the watchtower has led us to see the gospel as the antithesis or exact opposite of religion.. for us religion is men telling us what to believe and do (to control us).. for us the gospel is god telling us what he has done (to liberate us from such men).. how have you come to see the relationship between religion and the gospel?.

Fernando

Hey Laika

Yes, I agree, as I'm sure many who attend more moderate churches with less authoritarian hierarchies, are permitted to, and actually do hear directly, frequently and distinctly from God.

Sometimes even despite contradictions from those that presume to speak for God.

However, due to our fallen state, giving prominence and authority to a central body or person is fraught with danger. This is where the arsenic often gets into the honey.

It is no accident that so many (who should be soldiers or warriors for the gospel of grace) are lulled into spiritual passivity and mediocrity - in what some describe as the "greatest indoor spectator sport in the world"...

It is religion's fault that in more than 40 years of door knocking, in Christian countries and communities, not a single person ever shared any part of the gospel, in any way, with me at their door. (Not that the gospel is exclusive to Christians).

All it took in the end was a dead easy and ridiculously simple question: "Please Fernando, could you explain to us what is the gospel, in one word?" The rest as they say is history (including the Watchtower organisation's hold on our family).

44

I Need Help Getting My Head Straight.......

by TTATTelder in

one of the things i have been wresting with mentally is unraveling the "us vs. them" mentality that has been driven into my skull in the organization.. i am starting this thread seeking advice on how others have come to grip with this.. this is what i struggle with:.

i like the feeling/thought of being among people that live, or try to live, or at least know they ought to live by higher standards of conduct (maybe it is just what i'm used to...).

when you walk out of a convention of people dressed up, clean-cut, shaven, non-smoking, less-profanity-speaking, fairly orderly etc and see what greets you in the streets outside, it is a big contrast.. i am also still trying to understand how a religion that has conned people (so is morally wrong) could also be so well organized and have a lot of truly decent folks among their ranks.

Fernando

Our family is finding that the liberating unabridged gospel message, hidden in plain sight throughout scripture, helps us to see a more unified picture of the human race, and to see the heart, rather than the external appearance which as Billy said can be carefully crafted window dressing, especially in the case of religious folk.

45

Religion vs the gospel

by Fernando in

our family's journey out of the watchtower has led us to see the gospel as the antithesis or exact opposite of religion.. for us religion is men telling us what to believe and do (to control us).. for us the gospel is god telling us what he has done (to liberate us from such men).. how have you come to see the relationship between religion and the gospel?.

Fernando

For our family religion is about middlemen, whereas the gospel is about dealing direct.