Posts by ABibleStudent

22

Pot...Meet Kettle. Kettle...Pot

by undercover in

jw
friends

from a new wt article (may, i think) about predicting the future.

and i quote:.

religious leaders sometimes predict tragic worldwide events to warn mankind and gather followers.

ABibleStudent

Many people have the tendancy to see their faults in others and like to point it out to other people.

I have a friend whose wife was very upset about him leaving his tooth brush on the bathroom counter-top. My friend went to the bathroom with his wife, looked at the counter top, and put a towel over his tooth brush and asked his wife whose tooth brush did she see now. She was a litle embaressed to now see her tooth brush on the counter top.

I wonder how to show/talk to JWs so that they can objectively see their faults without focusing on other people's faults.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

8

My JW mom is coming for her 2nd visit this year!

by Faithful Witness in

my kids are so excited to see grandma again, after just a month.

she canceled her visit scheduled for 2 weeks ago, when she realized it was the weekend of the circuit assembly.

(they drive 75 miles, to go to the assembly hall, which is 3 miles from my house... we still wonder if they take the long way, or just hold their breath as they go driving by our property unnoticed).

ABibleStudent

Enjoy your time with your family and Mom, Faithful Witness. Building happy memories with your Mom is your best option to strengthen your relationship with her.

If the subject of your sister is brought up by your mother, you could ask your mom if she feels that your sister's attitude is being "unduly influenced" by her husband and/or has your sister's husband become more controlling of your sister.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

55

Research on legal implications of group shunning

by BreathoftheIndianNose in

jw
friends

hey everyone!

i haven't posted here in a while, over a year i think.

just goes to show where i'm at in the recovery stage.

ABibleStudent

Hi BreathoftheIndianNose, In the USA constitutional protections are from government and not from organizations like the WTBTS.

IMHO the only way to comply with the USA constitution and pro-actively influence organizations like the WTBTS is to revise non-profit laws to require that non-profit organizations must report child abuse/molestation ASAP to local law enforcement and to prevent organizations from using "undue influence" to promote shunning ex-members/not associating with outsiders to its members because it promotes religious discrimination and hatred.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

21

Where Do You Shop For Good Deals/Lower Prices?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i know some people swear by ebay.. i like to actually see the product i am buying.

i'm not a big internet shopper.. places like job lots or discount stores like dollar tree are what i usually like.

k&g men's clothes and dsw shoes are other great spots to get big discounts.. where do you shop?.

ABibleStudent

Amazon usually has lower prices if you have a Prime Membership for free shipping and sometimes no sales tax.

Costco is good if you can use the large amounts before things spoil.

Sometimes companies have cheaper prices through their internet websites than they have through their retail stores.

AllStarHealth has cheaper and more recently manufactured goods than through GNC retail stores.

Shop around (including using the internet) and be an informed consumer before buying.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

19

As a JW, What statements made you "stop thinking?"

by Faithful Witness in

thought-stopping platitudes, like "we are in the last days!

"jehovah's witnesses are the only ones with the truth...".

what statements or claims did you use, or hear, that made you feel comforted by the fact that you were part of jehovah's organization?.

ABibleStudent

DATA-DOG - "They are the channel God is using."

JustVisting - "Why bother with researching yourself when the Society has capable brothers assigned to do that for you."

How would JWs react to a person saying the following to overcome the above platitudes:

(Must say in an innocent and inquirying tone of voice)

"How do I respond to Christians, who say, "How can JWs follow God's Greatest Commandment to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’? If the Watchtower requires JWs to blindly follow the Watchtower’s leaders, how are JWs able to follow the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ when it differs from the Watchtower teachings to fulfill God’s Greatest Commandment?”

(Pause for JWs to respond)

“Please help me to find Scriptures where Jesus Christ condones shunning and not associating with non-believers. I need scriptures to counter what is written in Mt 15:21-28, Mt 22:37-40, John 6:60-70 to prove to Christians that the Watchtower does have the “Truth” and does follow the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. How can I save other people, when they say that JWs are like the Jews in Mt 15:1-20, who do not use their minds, do not follow the Holy Spirit that God gave each of us, and instead blindly follow blind guides?”

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

57

Please...I need your help

by Strawberryfieldsforever in

jw
friends

my heart is heavy as i write this letter.

i have been trying to live my life as best that i can since leaving jehovah's witnesses.

my dad was not a witness and was my rock when i left the religion.

ABibleStudent

Hi Strawberryfieldsforever, I'm sorry that your Mom is sooo deluded to follow the WTBTS. Her recent e-mail may have been triggered by a meeting that she attended, so it may blow over with time.

How do you feel that your Mom would react to the following:

Why are you asking me about my beliefs? Mom, I love you unconditionally. How much do you love me?

I'm following the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ as is written in the scriptures. Do you remember what Jesus Christ said were God's greatist commandments? They are (Mt 22:27-40: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If I follow God's greatist commandments, how can I be thinking like an apostate?

(Insert what you are doing today that you want to write to your Mom.)

Love,

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

19

As a JW, What statements made you "stop thinking?"

by Faithful Witness in

thought-stopping platitudes, like "we are in the last days!

"jehovah's witnesses are the only ones with the truth...".

what statements or claims did you use, or hear, that made you feel comforted by the fact that you were part of jehovah's organization?.

ABibleStudent

I feel that JWs use the following thought-stopping platitudes:

"Where else would we go?"
"They (GB) are just imperfect men."
""True Christians" need an organization to lead them" (or someting similiar)
"We are waiting on Jehovah."
"Only JWs do life-saving work by preaching door-to-door like 1st Century Christians."
"JWs are the happiest (or most loving, most trust-worthy, most caring, most giving, etc.) people in the world."
"All JWs behave the same."
"JWs are the most knowlegable about the Bible." (or something similiar)
"The End is soo sooon."
"The End must be soon, because there are sooo many earthquakes (or another natural disaster, war, grisley murder, etc.)."

How would you overcome the WTBTS's thought-stopping platitudes when JWs say them? Since the WTBTS teaches JWs to use thought-stopping platitudes to imprison JWs' minds, IMHO overcoming platitudes may be a very effective way to help JWs to critically think for themselves. If JWs' cult persona feel that saying a platitude will absolutely protect them, how would JWs respond if someone could help JWs' authentic personas to easily destroy platitudes?

For instance, how would a JW react to the following to overcome the thought-stopping platitude of "Where else will we go?":

Don't you mean, " to whom shall we go ?" Simon-Peter answered that rhetorical question in John 6:60-70 when he said "(Lord) You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Why do ask "Where else will we go?" (wait for a JW's answer)

Do you follow teachings and examples of organizations made by men or the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

22

Conversation with elder's wife

by Faithful Witness in

yesterday, i had a chance meeting with an acquaintance from the kh we used to attend.. after being away from the meetings for so long, and really starting to feel like i've almost entirely shed their false teachings, i have somehow lost sight of the fact that there are actually still people who really believe it.

i read the magazines now, and find it virtually impossible to comprehend how anyone can actually swallow those ideas.

it seems so warped and twisted to me now.. i guess the best way i can describe this encounter, was being "cornered" in public.

ABibleStudent

P.S. - Faithful Witness, A couple more thought-stopping platitudes that JWs use:

"The End is sooo sooon"
"The End must be soon, because there are sooo many earthquakes (or another natural disaster, war, grisley murder, etc)"

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

22

Conversation with elder's wife

by Faithful Witness in

yesterday, i had a chance meeting with an acquaintance from the kh we used to attend.. after being away from the meetings for so long, and really starting to feel like i've almost entirely shed their false teachings, i have somehow lost sight of the fact that there are actually still people who really believe it.

i read the magazines now, and find it virtually impossible to comprehend how anyone can actually swallow those ideas.

it seems so warped and twisted to me now.. i guess the best way i can describe this encounter, was being "cornered" in public.

ABibleStudent

Faithful Witness - Robert: What are the 5 most often used WTBS platitudes, and how do I overcome them?

Hi Faithful Witness, I was never a JW, so many ex-JW members would be able to recall thought-stopping platitudes better than I.

I consider the following thought-stopping platitudes that JWs use:

"Where else would we go?"
"They (GB) are just imperfect men."
""True Christians" need an organization to lead them" (or someting similiar)
"We are waiting on Jehovah."
"Only JWs do life-saving work by preaching door-to-door like 1st Century Christians."
"JWs are the happiest (or most loving, most trust-worthy, most caring, most giving, etc.) people in the world."
"All JWs behave the same."
"JWs are the most knowlegable about the Bible." (or something similiar)

Why not start a new thread asking for help to identify, rank, and overcome thought-stopping platitudes? I will comment when you do.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

18

A startling example of a JW ignoring evidence

by Pyramid God in

i happen to work with my father, and today we got into another debate about the origin of life.

during the debate, while rebutting a lot of creationist canards, he said that mutations are always harmful to an organism.. .

after he left i sent him a quick email with a link to talk origins on the subject of mutations.

ABibleStudent

Pyramid God - During the debate, while rebutting a lot of creationist canards, he said that mutations are always harmful to an organism.

Hi Pyramid God, Has your father read about Darwin and his theory that was based on the process of natural selection? For the process of natural selection to occur, mutations must occur and are beneficial for the existance of a species. How are mutations bad then for the continued existance of a species?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert