Simon Morley

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Posts by Simon Morley

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  34

  My critical thoughts about Paul

  by I Want to Believe in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  so this is an area of thought i had before even before i fully took the apostate plunge.

  i started noticing that almost everything about the congregation pointed back to paul.. "do not forsake the gathering of yourselves together.

  " not jesus' words.

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  Simon Morley

  Paul had much to say on how the 1st century christians were to act, but a lot of what he stated was not based on scripture but more on extant culture of his day. What is interesting is if you read the greek scriptures in chronological order - it is no wonder the likes of of Peter, John and Matthew needed to set the record straight and move what was transfered orally to written forme before they passed away. Putting the Gospels first completely changes the context of what follows. It explains why it took Paul 14 years to get to Jerulsalem - he did not go to see a governing body, congregations in Antioch were getting pretty upset and some matters needed to be set straight. I like Paul and did a remarkable job despite the culture he was in.
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  24

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 01-29-2012 WT Study (TRAIN OTHERS)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  barbara anderson http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com.

  to do to qualify as a ministerial servant.. .

  68:19) so our heavenly father can help a. brother to take on responsibility in the congregation.. a brother who is not serving as a. ministerial servant or an elder will also find it.

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  Simon Morley

  Second claim: "They cultivate a warm, close relationship with their fellow believers by taking time to show personal interest in them..."

  Hardly, I bumped into an elder from the same BOE that I was on before I left two years ago. After the "when are you coming back, you are missed, we this, we that..." routine and pious look of concern I reminded him that I told him personally that I was sick of the the gossip, slander and hyocrisy on the BOE and others and rampant amongst the CO/DO clan. No wonder these three things are endemic amongst the witnesses, the so called leadership smacks of duplicity. he just nodded and gave me one of those blank vacuous stares that witnesses are notorious for when I asked "have things improved?"

  It is so sad that many of the well meaning elders (many of you are here now) who trully tried to be good shepherds ended up stepping away or leaving completely. I reminded him that he was one who was instrumental in my departure as I went out on a limb time after time, he was one of many at the other end trying to cut it off. I had to remind him that in 2009 I had a serious ulcer that resulted in being hospitalized, sleeping problems and ailments that were wearing me down - all because gossip, slander and hypocrisy were out of hand/control and not dealt with in the same way fornication and adultery were. Witnesses are notorious for talking about one another but rarely talk to one another when they have a problem.

  "So how are you now? he replied, "Never better!" I responded and told him I put it down to good prayer habits, better bible reading and following such admonishment found in Proverbs that states "shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself" I don't need that shit in my life and especially my family that bore the brunt of these ill mannered, unloving, hurtful people when I was not arround or my back was turned. Anyway, rant over....

  Thanks Blondie you do an incredible job in being extremely objective on most subjective material found in the WT, but this one made my blood boil!!
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  234

  Suicide - How many do you know within the JWs

  by Lady Lee in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  thw wts likes to play games with their statistics.

  one interesting but truly tragic is the number of jwhovah's witnesses who commit suicie.. now i suspect that if a person commits suicide shortly before or after they are disfellowshipped then the elders would say that person wasn't a witness or that they had done something so terrible that they were too guilty to admit it and by their action of committing suicide they pretty much declared they were no longer a jw.. yup fancy talk to make sure any crap didn't fall on them.. so my question.. do you know of cases like this?

  if so then can you answer a few more questions.. had this person been dfed or in real danger of being dfed or whatever the equivalent is if they were never baptized?.

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  Simon Morley

  Lady Lee that is terrible and heartless. When I served as an elder there were a few who were suicidal my immediate thought was one of helping them - never did I think of encouraging any behaviour of friends and family that would tip them over the edge. Often, I would encourage them to seek professional help and that I would follow up to makew sure they did. Elders cannot deal with mental illness no different than one who had a serious physical illness. That does not mean that there were not a few heartless elders who saw suicide as a "sin". One only has to recall the events King David had post the loss of his son - if ever there was an account of one suicidal in the bible that would be it. How God dealt with that is an indication of how we mere humans should folow suit.

  I recall In the two decades I was part of this cult I recall four suicides (I gave a funeral talk at one) compared to not one amongst my workmates, aquantances and work community for the same period.

  I had chance to visit recently with my family physician who had retired (he was happy I was no longer a JW) and he commented in his years of family practice the highest incidence of depression and alcoholism was with his JW patients. Add to that the ones with imagined diseases and conditions. No wonder many resort to suicide as the only way out, how terribly sad and a shameful indictment on the leadership for perpetuating false reasoning. they have been instrumental in forcing a self inflicted postponment of hope.

  How correct that Benjamin Franklin stated:

  "I conceive that the great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by false estimates they have made of the value of things"
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  6

  Sedge-moor JW Pedophile Dustin Gandley

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/9492203.paedophile_jailed_for_30_months/.

  paedophile jailed for 30 months4:00pm friday 27th january 2012. a paedophile from sedge-moor has been jailed for 30 months for sexually abusing a young girl over a period of four years.

  dustin gandley, 37, sexually assaulted the girl, who was aged under 13, a total of 11 times until she told her mother and he was reported to the police.

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  Simon Morley

  So much for the "spiritual paradise" that was promised - this young girl is scarred for life. 30 months is a slap on the wrist.
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  15

  Tebow: "What part of Matt 6 do you not understand?" (go to your room!!!!)

  by FatFreek 2005 in

  1. social
  2. physical

  this from my issue of time that arrived today: "'when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father, who is unseen.

  ' this passage from the gospel of matthew was quoted by many readers who object to tim tebow's showy displays of his faith on the football field ... " "hey tebowers," wrote bill de armond of winfikeld, kans.

  "what part of matthew 6:5-8 do you not understand?".

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  Simon Morley

  Here I thought he was just being cautious and checking that his laces were tied properly or waiting for that burrito induced indigestion to pass.
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  98

  Hilarious picture in April 15th 2012 WT

  by Mickey mouse in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

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  Simon Morley

  I wonder if they will reuse this one when the come clean about the pedofile elders praying on innocent members....with the heading:

  "In times past some unscrupulous elders saw the congregation as a something to prey upon...."
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  138

  Still a hard line on DF family members WTApr15 2012

  by Gladring in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the april 2012 wt study article has some of the most strongly worded statements about contact with disfellowshipped family members.. page 12, paragraph 17: -.

  good that can come when a family loyally.

  upholds jehovahs decree not to associate.

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  Simon Morley

  But, he admitted, had the family associated
  with him even a little, that small
  dose would have satisfied him. However,
  because he did not receive even
  the slightest communication from any
  of his family, the burning desire to be
  with them became one motivating factor
  in his restoring his relationship with
  Jehovah.

  If the above was true then the evidence would show the opposite would it not? Huge numbers of DF'd returing in droves because they family adhered to this "law". The sad fact is that it has the opposite effect, including sucide so it cannot be divinely inspired - as that law is based on what is the loving thing to do.

  We have to remember that in the 1st century, it was Paul who set up much of the rules first, more to counteract a pseudo judasim emerging and so we find that on a number of occasions he almost cites the mosaic law as what they should do. It was not until some 20 - 30 years later that a written account of what Jesus did and said was recorded as reliance on oral history was weakening. If we read the greek scriptures chronologically you can see it clearly. I am sure that after the gospels were available and could be examined there were a few church leaders that perhaps seriously questioned disfellowshipping along with other rules they imposed.
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  77

  I have allegedly been charged with apostasy

  by Igot2bme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i recieved a letter today and it reads:.

  sister jennifer b****,.

  we request your presence for a judical hearing.

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  Simon Morley

  Don't let it rattle you. You have options.

  1) Send a DA letter and get on with your life, put in as much as you want, state facts, you never know one of the committee may get a conscience... then go and do something that gives you immense enjoyment

  2) Keep doing the things that give you immense enjoyment, don't respond and let them proceed to allow a pea brained JC chairman with mock humility and an air of being deeply saddened wander up to a falling apart podium, with a backdrop depicting some paradise scene painted by a brother who knows squat about art at the end of the night and make some feeble announcement and then cheerfully ask all to rise (if they can) and sing song number 3, "God is Love..." ponder on the irony of that.

  3) If you have the courage and tenacity - pull an Ed Dunlap, go out on a high note. Request emphatically that you be afforded your scriptural right to face your accusers (TWO not one) and let those dipsh*t's squirm (I have seen that before, it ain't pretty for the accusers), insist on your right to ask for specifics, dates, times, evidence, etc. Put them through the wringer...then go and do something that gives you immense unselfish enjoyment

  All to often some dipsh*t feels they have to tell the elders and let them do their dirty work. When I was an elder I made it a point that if they had a problem, the scriptural thing to do is to approqach them first with the evidence. If that did not work, come back with the evidence and we will talke about it. If not don't waste my time and several evenings away from my family to all hours of the night (and morning).

  No matter what happens, come back here, you are amongst friends who actually care about you.
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  16

  How do elders deal with Hermeraphrodites / intersex?

  by garbonzo in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/intersex.

  how do they deal with it?

  most religious views of homosexuality and intersex individuals if one of the major reasons why i am an athiest now (of course with all the contradictions of the bible and other books, etc.).

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  Simon Morley

  It is none of their business. The bible is silent on many matters for good reason. Supposed higher law (divine law) is man-made in most cases - "Our law is this but God's is really this". Hermaphrodism occurs naturally and has done for a very long time. It would be unkind and unloving to ask such a person to make their own choice and then stick by that, God's law, which is hard to fully know is based not on right or wrong but on what is the most loving thing to do. Last para of WTWizard applies - they know how they feel and they should not feel that a hetrosexual or homosexual shoudl determine what they should do in my opinion. I would not ask them anything, reveal little and live a life to the fullest with the gifts given.
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  55

  CO visit. New light

  by 2tone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you want to skip to the new light or understanding, its underlined for you pleasure.

  i think some will find this interesting.

  we had the co tonight.

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  Simon Morley

  Lets wait to see it in print.