Theredeemer

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Posts by Theredeemer

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  35

  Live Forever on a Paradise Earth

  by HeyThere in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  sometimes this sounds good...but....forever?

  forever in a jw idea of perfection?

  does this mean no sports, or detective tv shows, or bad neighborhoods?

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  Theredeemer

  Even the israelites started to hate the magical, honey tasting food from the sky!
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  156

  When we die...

  by Finallyfree12 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you beleive our spirit lives on in other dimensions or are we really just dead?

  ?.

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  Theredeemer

  To say that something happens is as extreme to say that nothing happens, therefore, I think the proper answer is: I dont know and no one else does either.
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  35

  Are we seeing the beginning of the end for Kingdom Halls?

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after all, "at this time,over 13,000 kingdom hall projects and 35 assembly hall projects are needed worldwide.".

  hmmm, not too sure about that but all the recent re-branding seems to be heading .

  could this be the long game?

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  Theredeemer

  That quote always gives me chills!
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  50

  Recent changes

  by Thumblina in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was on this board a lot when i faded and left 6 years ago but not been on much since.

  is there any thread/s in particular to read showing the changes in the past 5 years?

  or any kind willing person who has time to summarise them as a reply below??

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  Theredeemer

  Also, the meaning of the toes of Daniel's great image changed again.
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  130

  Involved with a JW woman

  by jonza in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  okay so i'm dating a born-in jw woman, she's younger than me and has no kids.

  i'm a christian man whos divorced with 2 kids.

  we're in love and seriously want to be together.

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  Theredeemer

  I married an active JW after I already had left. I was never df so she and I would still talk since we were best friends since we were about 15. I told her plainly that I would never stop her from going but i would never accept the religion as anything other than another useless religion and a big lie. I would go with her to the meetings just to be with her but if she asked what I thought about it I would not hold back. I wasnt in her face about it but I wouldnt sugar coat anything. After the change in the FDS teaching she realized the BS of it all. I really think she knew that what I was saying was true but she needed that final nail. So she left and since then our marriage has never been better.

  In retrospect, what I did was very foolish since there was a big chance that our marriage would have been miserable had she not seen TTATT. I really dont know if we could've lasted, especially after all the changes that have happened since. I dont think I would've even been allowed to go to the new bible revealing party since I am reproved; besides, I cant see myself sitting through meetings much longer.

  In a marriage or serious relationship you are seperated by many factors like, for example, work; throw in a religious cult who demands every ounce of extra time and you have a recipe for disaster.

  However, if had to take that risk of marrying her I would do it again. I love her and I would rather try and fail than to have never tried. That being said, I would have never considered having children with her if she was still in. In fact, children were off the table back then. Thankfully, now we are trying :).

  So my advice is, do what you want but just know exactly what you are getting yourself into and mentally prepare yourself for the uphill battle. Relationships are difficult whether you are a witness or not; Just know that yours might be a little harder than most.
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  14

  Easy to believe the FDS gets direction from God if you do this. Did you?

  by Wasanelder Once in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ok how many of you while a jw took the advice to pray on a problem and then open the bible and start reading.

  did you seem to get "just the right scripture" that answered your prayer?

  they encouraged that where i was.

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  Theredeemer

  Even a broken watch is right twice a day.

  Also its the same way fortune tellers or palm readers can be "right". When youre looking for answers and you decide to rest your hope on the supernatural, it wont take much to impress you. The right scripture is probably some practicle advice that can be applied to just about everything.

  A supernatural event would be if you opened up the bible and the scripture said "Hey you, John Doe! STOP WATCHING PORN YOU WEIRDO!!" in case that was your problem ;)
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  28

  What do you think are the future doctrine changes will be?

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the whole organization is going through huge and big changes.

  it can be seen by names of departments, to how things function and teaches.

  my questions to you is, what do you think the future changes will be, both in teaching and organizational matters?.

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  Theredeemer

  Growth=money. In order to grow they must become completely mainstream. This transition has already begun. What I feel was happening over the last decades was that the leadership was a unified post. Leaders were in charge of both theocracy and finances. Knorr was the last of these. With the big wigs gone there was a schism. The leadership broke off into two : Corporate and Theocracy. Since the mid 2000s the Lawyers and corporate side of the Org have been pushing for change in order to grow, seeing the coming stagnation and possible scandals with the internet age. The GB, being the theocracy side, were probably at first relunctant to completely drop all off-puting and cultish ideologies because they truly believe they are god inspired, so, lawyers held back and allowed the GB a chance to continue steering the ship. But evidence and numbers can no longer be ignored, by them or the rank and file. Money is not coming in like it use to and apathy is taking hold.

  Therefore, power has shifted towards the corporate side; hence better PR, marketing and internet presence. Better real estate moves are being made since a presence in one of the biggest cities in the world is no longer needed. I honestly think in 2011 they had a huge pow wow and came up with a 10 year plan. Its about money and logic tells you, why have 8,000,000 people donating 1.00 dollar a month (example) when you can drop the cult stigma, become mainstream, double your membership quickly and now you have 16,000,000 people donating a dollar a month. Just incase this does not pan out or the scandals become to heavy, cutting costs by printing less and using the internet for just about everything; cut off DO expenses, assembly expenses and rely more on what is basically televised meetings will help to cushion the blow.

  A true cult would not care about mainstreamism or finances. They would continue believing despite ridicule or stigma. Control is absolute to a cult. PR would be of no importance. This was the witnesses that we knew. This was the JWs we were a part of. We were part of a cult.

  The cult known as Jehovah's Witnesses died two years ago. This is now a religion which to me is a word use to describe a 'holy' money laundering scheme.
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  52

  Has a critical mass of exJWs been reached?

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it took the better part of 15 years but i believe we have finally arrived at that point where there is now a critical mass of former witnesses.. thousands of exjws come together on forums like this one and discuss findings, ideas and research.

  there have been documentaries and even a movie made about life in the jehovah's witnesses.. ex jw websites, online forums, and discussion boards that set the wheels in motion in the early to late 90s have matured into powerful tools of social change within the organization.. the lies and false doctines taught by the watchtower bible & tract society are plainly accessible with just a cursory google search.. active elders leak boe letters, often weeks before they hit the notice board in a kingdom hall.. social media has allowed exjws to connect with those still in as well as those who have left.. the society have no game plan because information is power and they have lost the information war.

  all they can do is cry wolf and warn the rank and file not to listen to apostates.. i don't know what future the society will face in the next ten years, but changing world events, social trends, and reactionary change from headquarters based on their own faulty biblical chronology has got them cornered like a raging animal.. it doesn't look good..

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  Theredeemer

  Its all about cash flow. As long as people believe there will be cash flow. A trickle of cash flow is better than nothing. The Org is now almost completely dependent on born ins. Hence, they are pushing young ones to get baptized. Thier sell offs and cutbacks are evidence that the cash flow is down to a trickle and that the preaching work is dwindleling. Born-ins more than likely make up the majority of the new publishers which is ironic since Witnesses shouldnt really be having kids this close to the end. Many born ins however will have a tough time since 1.) College is discouraged 2.) Thier parents will probably depend on them as they age since there was no plans for old age or retirement 3.) Work is becoming increasingly competitive. This will create a very hard life. The answer for a hard life : paradise earth.

  This and guilt is what will keep the Org in control. How long is the question.
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  30

  Were you a minor when you were baptized

  by Watchtower-Free in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

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  https://www.facebook.com/groups/xjwrg3/permalink/10152034643265835/?qa_ref=qd.

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  Theredeemer

  I got baptized at age 10. Recently I argued with my brother who insisted that, because I was baptized, leaving the Org was worse than someone 'worldly'. He also added that I knew what I was getting into and I made a dedication to remain loyal to Jehovah. I asked "Did I honestly know what I was getting into? Does a ten year old really have the proper mental comprehension of the seriousness of a binding contract between himself and an organization?". I asked "If I had fallen in love with a girl from the hall and was convinced that I must marry her at age ten, do you believe that I should have been allowed to do so?". Obviously, he had no answer because he knew where I was going; we dropped it.

  If the commitment between god and person is viewed much more serious than a marriage, how on earth could any one under the age of 18 be allowed to get baptized? Jesus got baptized at age 30! There is no recorded instance of a child or under 18 youth getting baptized. If they are so dedidcated to biblical examples to back up thier practices or avoidences like birthdays (which has little biblical backing), why not avoid baptizing under 18?
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  91

  ...What do you Do,when People Ask You for Spare Change?...

  by OUTLAW in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  .. .........................some people are truly in need..some are not... a man passing by on his 10 speed bike,asked me for $2.00 for a cup of coffee... .................................................."uhhh,no"... ............another asked me for spare change outside a super market... ......................................i said i didn`t have any... ...................so he say`s "how about a credit card?!"......lol!!...

  .. ....................what do you do,when people ask you for spare change?...

  ..... .. ..........................................whats the most outrageous thing... ......................................you`ve been asked forby a stranger?...

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  Theredeemer

  Kind of off the subject but, I dont think Ive ever seen an Asian homeless person.