Well said Francois! I have come to believe that Jesus died to show us that death could be overcome and not for any "ransom sacrifice". His sojurn here on this plane must have been to show us what the possibilities were if we could reconnect with the memory of who and what we are. His so called "bitter teachings" seem to have more to do with wasted opportunities in this world than in some sort of eternal punishment. I'm not discounting the possibilty that remembrance of our short comings might be somewhat painful in an after-life. There is a line in A Course in Miracles that says, "God's will is for you to be in heaven, and nothing can keep you from it or it from you." I vote for the concept of an infinitely loving Father/Mother God.
Navigator
JoinedPosts by Navigator
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27
SO WHAT IF YOU GO TO HELL???
by minimus inif all we have to worry about is nonexistence, then why worry about anything?
the worst that can happen is you peacefully sleep, forever.
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55
Fluff - favorite candy
by larc inok, now, it is time for a fluff thread.
what is your favorite candy?
my wife likes mounds.
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Navigator
Mars Bars and Almond Joys are my favorites, but occassionally I get on a Butterfinger jag.
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43
Do You Like Where You Live?
by MegaDude ini'm writing this in dallas, texas.
as i write this, we're having another day of a grade red ozone alert.
in simple terms, our air quality is terrible.
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Navigator
Sorry, your plan to move is disapproved by myself and your sisters!
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KIngdom Melodies
by freedom96 injust wondering if there were any good funny stories out there with the songs.. there always were the loud ones, the ones who thought they could sing.. i remember wrong songs being played on the record, then later tape, (are they on c/d yet?
) and people singing to it, but the wrong music, but they keep going anyways, especially when the "new song book" came out.. how about when the record would skip.. of course there were the brothers back there who so loved their "repsonsibility" in the hall, and took the "privledge" of doing the music so serious.. i remember back when they allowed someone to actually play the piano, she sometimes would jazz it up a little, and the congregation loved it, made it more lively, until they were chastised for it.. and then of course, no one could play live anymore, didn't want to make the musician too proud.
do you think that was really the reason?
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Navigator
Actually, I rather like the melodies on the CD. Perhaps it is because my wife is a really fine pianist and played them well. I always thought they had a familiar sound to them and occasionally will hear a familiar thread when I listen to classical music on the Dallas/Ft. Worth Classical Radio station. I never learned the words since I only rarely attended a Kingdom Hall with my full time Pioneer wife, but I remember the fiascos with the tapes and records when I did. I do recall a couple of assemblies when I was stationed in Germany where they had some really fine orchestras.
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Something to Believe In ....
by LyinEyes inas i watched all the coverage of the 9/11 tradgedy, i felt just a fraction of the grief that the families who lost loved ones that day.
i shed tears, i lit candles , i even thought of praying.
i just hoped that god would read my heart and would help me to find faith in him again.
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Navigator
Saint Satan
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
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GOOD NEWS
by UnDisfellowshipped inthe gospel of salvation -- the good news of god!
all scriptures below are from the "literal translation of the holy bible" (go here for information about this bible translation: http://www.kconline.com/paul/litv/litv.htm ).
you can see clearly below that the watchtower society is not teaching the true gospel of christ:.
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Navigator
Dazed
It is in man's inherit nature, even before Jesus came on the scene, to be kind and loving towards one another
Did you sleep through history class? Was the hollacaust an example of man's inherent loving nature? How about the 30 years war? Millions have been slaughtered in the name of Christ.
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I cant move on!!!!!
by In_between_days inwell guys, i just cant do it.
for a long time now i have been trying to get on with my life and try to forget the rage and hurt i feel at the wtbs.
my resignation from the board a few weeks back was part of this.
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Navigator
jst21aws is correct. The subject of forgiveness could be a thread all its own. As jst21 pointed out, failure to forgive binds that person or organization to you and gives them the power to disturb your peace and delay your healing. If you want them to disappear from your life, along with the pain and distress they have caused, you must forgive for your own sake. However, the kind of forgiveness I am talking about goes beyond just choosing to overlook a wrong that you believe was done to you. It means coming to a realization that the Real You, that part of you created in the image and likeness of God, that part of you that will survive this earthly experience, is unharmed and untouched by the experience with the WTS. Was it a learning experience? You bet it was! Was it painful? Certainly! Will there be consequences to the WTS for the damage they have done to families and individuals? Probably! But we shouldn't delight in their demise, although the human part of me is sorely tempted. That is vengence and not really healing. I live with this situation every day as my wife is a full time Pioneer. I have experienced first hand the destruction wrought by the WTS in family life and family values and live with it every day. One of my 6 children is still in because he can't get out without losing his wife. My contact with him is rather limited and I know he feels the pain of not being able to associate with his brothers and sisters.
Reading the work of those who specialize in healing can help. Dr. Wayne Dyer has already been suggested. I found Joel Goldsmith, Walter Starke, and A Course in Miracles helpful as well.
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September 11, an opinion from Mark Price
by Celtic intoday i am hoping very much that your anniversary of the twin towers catastrophe and the pentagon/pittsburgh goes well with all of you, god forbid, anything else happening today.
in some of my posts, it would appear to some that i might have a few problems with the american people.
this is not wholly true.
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Navigator
I know it is a long shot, but would you happen to be kin to the Jane and Jack Price that used to live in Louth, Lincolnshire?
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I cant move on!!!!!
by In_between_days inwell guys, i just cant do it.
for a long time now i have been trying to get on with my life and try to forget the rage and hurt i feel at the wtbs.
my resignation from the board a few weeks back was part of this.
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Navigator
You will never be able to move on until you forgive the WTBTS. Do it for your sake, not for theirs! You also need to forgive yourself for the mistakes you have made and let go of the guilt. As others have pointed out, you have learned from the experience. Those lessons may have come at a high price and in a negative way, but you have learned. I doubt that you will ever allow yourself to be ensnared by a cult again as you will be able to spot mind control tactics in a flash. Time will help you heal, but only if you let go of the anger and resentment. Holding on to anger and resentment is hazardous to your health as many on this board will testify to.
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Higher Education is from Satan the Devil
by avengers in"higher" education not needed in god's new order
in the june 8, 1967 issue, the awake!
magazine printed an article on pages 3-8 entitled "second thoughts about a college education.
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Navigator
Most of my children fell victim to that propoganda and were actively discouraged from going to college. I was able to prevail with my oldest daughter and she attended the university that her mother and I both graduated from. She wound up being disfellowhipped for not putting "her service to Jehovah" ahead of her school work. She also started dating and later married a boy who was of another religious faith. None of her brothers and sisters attended her wedding. Her mother also refused to attend. That was, of course, extremely painful to my daughter and she still hasn't gotten over it. Her mother and her brothers and sisters actively shunned her. Well, the system didn't end in 1975 and her brothers and sisters wound up in menial jobs working for people who were not as bright as they were, but who had a college diploma. They finally realized their mistake and her two sisters began getting a college education. Of course by then they had families and jobs and could only go part time. One is now a Registered Nurse and the other, who is a senior in college, is an executive with a national company. I am glad to say that all are out of the cult now except for one son who is married to a JW. He suffers greatly by not being able to associate with his brothers and sisters. There is now a whole generation of JWs and former JWs who are earning far less than their potential so that the WTBTS could get free labor to propogate their organization. The price is much higher, however, because they were not allowed to develope their intellect and expand their consciousness. It is much easier for the WTBTS to exert mind contol over people who are under-educated, and that, of course, was the real reason for the policy in the first place.