just a small commentary for those so inclined to read on what i think is a very important factor to successfully leaving jw's and moving on with your life.. it is understandable to leave at a bad/low point in your life.
jehovahs witnesses are a cult, and whether they force you out, or you choose to leave on your own, its still on their terms.
I've been reading 'Every day a Friday, How to Be Happier in Seven Days' by Joel Osteen, (I know, I know, he is a pastor and his book has a lot of references to God, which I am ignoring) and it is really, really good. He helps you start off your day in a positive way. I've been reading it aloud to my deeply ingrained JW spouse, and he finds it helpful too. I was going to return it to where got it from when I saw all the references to god, but after I started reading it, I decided to keep it. If anyone needs a boost to help them feel more positive, they might try this book.
It is funny to read someone, not a JW, (Joel Osteen in this instance) using scriptures that we are all familiar with, in a way that is upbuilding, instead of brow beating you with the bible. He quotes lots of different bibles, and many of them seem more poetic and soothing than what the NWT reads like.
ATJ-thank you for the reminder not to let ourselves get mired in misery.
Wanderer-Welcome, welcome, welcome! You have had a really tough row to hoe! I hope that you find a new person to love and share your life with. Are you in contact with your son at all? I hope so, so he doesn't feel as alone as you have in the past. May you find peace, love and happiness.
reading idly through this magazine , i read the study article "rejoicing in our hope" which discusses the two "hopes" according to the wtbts ie heaven & earth.. a couple of points were of interest:.
(1) absolutely no mention at all of the 144,000 or rev 14. usually an article like this would be filled with references , but it isn't even mentioned.
it does discuss the "limited number" , but only in contrast with the "no man can number" great crowd.. (2) a much more laid back attitude towards the two hopes.
I once asked an ancient, "annointed" brother (he was born in 1906, if I remember correctly), about the 144,000. "How can there only be 144,000, when so many Christians were killed in the first century and?" His answer was, "Many of them weren't really annointed, they were APOSTATES somehow, therefore, they didn't go to heaven".
I thought about that, just imagine you were thrown into an arena in some Roman place, to be that day's entertainment for the masses, torn apart by lions or wild dogs or perhaps you were to be a human torch, all for your faith in Jehovah and Jesus, and somehow you weren't good enough to be one of the 144,000. What a crying shame and waste.
i was at the congregation bible study recently (aka "book study") which has been expounding in depth regarding the 1st century's unbelievable resemblance, in organizational terms, to our modern-day governing body and how big decisions are made now.
surprise!
it's exactly like it is supposed to be, according to the bible!.
Morbidzbaby-I too researched circumsion, and we chose NOT to do it for the same reasons. That was just fine with our hospital, because they were embroiled in a law suit where the pediatrician had lopped off too much of the poor baby's penis, and of course his parents sued.
I could never figure out how the Jewish Christians knew the other Christians were not circumcised. Did they greet each other with 'Hello, can I please see your penis, before I get to know you further?' Did they have competitive pee-ing, where all the guys lined up to see who pee farthest and sneak looks at the neighboring contestants?
earthquakes continued unrelentingly in christchurch on saturday, including one measuring 5.l at 6.37am (0437 aedt), as residents of the city prepared for a christmas overshadowed by an ongoing natural disaster.. quakes measuring 5.8 and 6.0 on friday left dozens of people with minor injuries, while damage echoed previous quakes that had rattled the city since september last year.. saturday's morning quake was located 10km east of akaroa at a depth of 9km, gns science said.. there were also two magnitude 4.2 quakes and two magnitude 4.3 quakes overnight and many other smaller shakes.. there are still about 400 residents without power on the eastern side of the city and aftershocks have cut water supply to the suburbs of sumner, redcliffs, moncks bay, balmoral hill, richmond hill, clifton and scarborough, parts of st andrews hill and mt pleasant.. the palms shopping mall, which serves the eastern suburbs, is not opening on saturday.. however, public transport is operating and a carols by candlelight concert is going ahead at hagley park north on saturday night.. "liquefaction, rockfalls and water supply are the main areas of concern following yesterday's cluster of aftershocks in christchurch," the ministry of civil defence and emergency management said on saturday.. on friday belongings fell from shelves in homes, others were swamped by liquefaction, windows smashed and once again stock was destroyed in stores where business as usual had only just resumed for the pre-christmas rush.. malls were evacuated, as was christchurch airport, disrupting travel for holidaymakers and those heading home for the festive season.. power was knocked out to 26,000 customers and phone lines became jammed, but key infrastructure, including water and sewerage, were largely unaffected.. some quake-weary residents once again left their homes.. denise and max ferris, who live in the eastern hill suburb of mt pleasant, packed up their young daughter, her new kitten and their car and headed to leeston, 40 minutes drive southwest of christchurch, for a reprieve.. their home was too damaged again to stay in overnight.. "we would be lucky if there are six people left in our street," mrs ferris said.. the family plan to return home for christmas day but expect to have a picnic outdoors, not trusting it will be safe indoors.. "like most people, we have to try and make it as normal as possible under very trying conditions," she told nz newswire.. deputy mayor ngaire button was adamant the quakes would not set back the city's recovery.. "we believe that this event will pass quickly and that we'll all be able to enjoy christmas on sunday.".
geonet project director ken gledhill told aap the quakes are part of a pattern that has been seen repeatedly since september 2010, with aftershocks petering off ahead of quakes last boxing day, and in february and june.. .
i can't type worth a damn and have had operations on my main (left) hand, so i sometimes send a pre-recorded response to emails and messages from people who are down and out about getting out of the witnesses, and some are near suicidal.
