matt2414

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Posts by matt2414

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  1

  A JW college athlete reveals he's gay on Facebook

  by matt2414 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i don't know if anyone else has posted this story, but i found it very inspiring.

  he's a great example for gay and straight witnesses alike.. http://www.outsports.com/2015/4/5/8344915/david-gilbert-lewis-clark-college-runner.

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  matt2414

  I don't know if anyone else has posted this story, but I found it very inspiring. He's a great example for gay and straight Witnesses alike.
  

  http://www.outsports.com/2015/4/5/8344915/david-gilbert-lewis-clark-college-runner
  
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  6

  Unrepentant,sincere repentance and genuine repentance

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  watchtower april 2015 ( study edition ).

  god pardoned davids sin because of davids sincere repentance.

  (ps.

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  matt2414

  When I was an elder, we were instructed to use Acts 26:20 as a guide. Sinners "should repent and turn to God by doing works that befit repentance." They say that "works" are actions that the sinner takes to show repentance, e.g., confession, apologizing to the recipient of the sin, prayer, meeting attendance, personal study, reading the Bible, etc., etc. Lying, trying to cover up the sin, lack of spiritual activity, etc., who mean the person hasn't turned to God and therefore hasn't repented.

  
  But like sir82 says, it all depends on the whim of the elders. One elder may see "repentance" while the others may not. Let's face it, most elders are unqualified to be "judging" other people for their so-called sins. The JWs and their Pagan governing body are more interested in covering their asses against lawsuits than they are in helping people.
  
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  49

  Terminology the Society Hates?

  by toweragent in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in my most recent talk, i got counseled for using some terms that were not prefered.

  for example i said "new testament" rather than "the christian greek scriptures".

  i also used the term "gospel", but even worse, i made reference to the "synoptic gospels" and the "gnostic gospel".. i guess i never thought of it before, but when i looked at the societies information on the matter they always say things like, "the so-called new testament..." or "the so-called synoptic gospels..." why with all the "so-called?".

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  matt2414

  Perhaps you should counsel the local elders when they say "true Christians." You are either a Christian or you're not. Adding the word "true" does nothing to the meaning. It's like saying "real pregnancy." Either you're pregnant or you're not. There's no in between.
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  49

  Terminology the Society Hates?

  by toweragent in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in my most recent talk, i got counseled for using some terms that were not prefered.

  for example i said "new testament" rather than "the christian greek scriptures".

  i also used the term "gospel", but even worse, i made reference to the "synoptic gospels" and the "gnostic gospel".. i guess i never thought of it before, but when i looked at the societies information on the matter they always say things like, "the so-called new testament..." or "the so-called synoptic gospels..." why with all the "so-called?".

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  matt2414

  They hate to use the word "hierarchy" in the congregation, but it's OK if they're trying to convince a judge they have the right to take away money and Kingdom Halls from the local congregation.
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  10

  Audrey Mock Knorr Hyde And Where Are We Going?

  by ctrwtf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been thinking about audrey mock knorr hyde since i heard about her death some weeks ago.

  i met her while at watchtower farms in the early eighties.

  i knew her second husband glen before alzheimers really began to take its toll.

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  matt2414

  ctrwtf and pontoon, were you both at the Farm? I was there from 1989 till about 1991, before leaving for a foreign assignment. I knew Audry and had some interesting conversations with her. She frequently referred to "Nathan" in conversations, during morning worship and during the Bethel family WT "study." She was very nice, but for some reason I always felt a little sad for her.

  She told me before leaving on my mission that "Nathan always used to say that 'if you can learn from a problem, then it wasn't really a problem after all. It was simply a learning experience, and that's a good thing.' So just remember that when you get to your assignment."

  I'm surprised she lived nearly 25 years after telling me that. She was already using an electric cart to get around the Farm.
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  14

  Jesus is the Problem-"Christian Parents (not JWs) kick their son out for being Gay

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jesus had nothing to say - for or against, homosexuality.

  yet in his name, ignorant 'christian' parents will shun their children.

  and jesus does not interfere.

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  matt2414

  Actually, the Bible doesn't mention homosexuals or homosexuality at all. People who say the Bible mentions homosexuality are only expressing their own personal interpretations and biases, which says more about them as people than it does about God.

  As a linguist, I know that there is a word in every language for anything that's important. There are at least 40 words in English that we use for money, and at least 50 that refer to sex. We even use multiple words to refer to homosexuals -- gay, queer, lesbian, lgbt, flamer, f**, and so on. Some fundamentalists act like the fact that the Bible didn't have a word is no big deal. But it is, it's huge. It shows that people in Bible times didn't distinguish between gay and straight. They didn't make a big deal about same-sex relationships. Historical documents show this to be true. That perhaps also explains why the prophets and even Jesus never mention or refer to same-sex relations even though it was quite common in Bible times. If Jesus had condemned homosexuality or bisexuality, he would have, in effect, been condemning God who created plants, animals and even humans to exhibit such behavior.

  Yes, in certain narrow circumstances the Bible warns against "men who lie with men," that doesn't mean, however, they are homosexuals or that God is condemning homosexuality. When the Bible condemns rape, is it condeming heterosexuality? No, that would be foolish to believe. People, religionists, are only repeating the hateful biases that they've been indoctrinated with since childhood by ignorant fundamentalists. That explains why young people, who haven't been smothered by the brain-washing of extremists over many years, are more tolerant of human diversity.

  Same-sex relations were often used in pagan worship and rituals. It's also no secret that people in Bible times despised women and men who may have behaved like women, dressed like them, had mannerisms like them, not because they were gay, but because women were considered so low, it would be a disgrace for a man to act like one. Even one of the words Paul chose to use in his writings, Malakoi, refers to a man being effeminate. Upon analysis, this is more of an insult to women than it is to gay men because not all gay men are effeminate. This would also explain why little if anything is mentioned about "women who lie with women," because that would be OK since they were just women anyway. We need to remember that the Bible was written for people living when the words were penned, not for us in the 21st century. So we can't be applying the words as if they were written in our culture, in our times. If we can't explain exactly what the original writers meant with their words hundreds of years ago, we are certainly in no position to try to apply them now. Like Peter said, we would be twisting them to our own destruction.
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  63

  pros and cons of anti depessants?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  obviously i'm having ex cult issues, family still in and a wife that's all kokoo for cocopuffs as well as our marriage isn't good.

  i would like to leave her, she has never been the kind of wife i wanted.

  anyway the stress is getting to be to much, thinking about things all the time and its effecting my work as well as otherthings.

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  matt2414

  I was initially prescribed Prozac, but it's effects were not pleasant. At first, I became suicidal, which I wasn't before. So the psychiatrist upped my dosage. Then, as mentioned in previous comments, I turned into a zombie. People would be laughing around me and I would just sit there with my eyes glazed over. I would drive places and not remember how I got there or where I parked my car. I was sleepy all the time. Once I drove to the store to get groceries and then rested my head on the steering wheel after I got there because I was so tired. Next thing I know, I woke up after midnight, it was dark outside, the store was closed and my car was the only one left in the parking lot. On top of all this, the sexual side effects were intolerable.

  A close friend of mine had been on Prozac but said it turned him into a zombie, so he quit cold turkey. I considered doing that, but a breakup with my boyfriend and my mother's death drove me to another major depressive episode, or "nervous breakdown" as they used to be called. A friend got me to a doctor who took me off Prozac and put me on Wellbutrin. It worked great! No zombie feelings and my sexual desire and stamina were back. Not only that, Wellbutrin is often prescribed to curb hunger, so there was no weight gain.

  After a couple of years on that, the depression was greatly diminished -- I don't know if it ever goes away 100% -- but I still had very dark sadness over any death-related events, entertainment or news. A new psychiatrist did a more thorough examination and found I had both depression and post traumatic stress disorder because of my work and recent personal experiences with the death of several close friends and family members. So I was put on Pristiq to treat both conditions. The meds seemed to work better for a couple of years, but then my doctor moved away and I had a hard time finding a new one who would prescribe me more meds without a lot of examinations. So I gradually weened myself off of the drugs and I've been drug-free for about three years now.

  I can feel the depression there at the door, so to speak, but I try hard not to let it in my life. I try to get exercise regularly and I take vitamin B (Super B complex) daily to help regulate my mental health. So far, so good. It also helps to talk to others you're close to so problems don't build up. This seems to work for me, but I know I'll probably have to go back on meds if depression returns for more than a couple of weeks. But I'm good for now.
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  27

  Did the organization admit declining growth and stagnation in today's watchtower?

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did anyone catch this quote?

  "over seven and a half million witnesses of jehovah really have found him and they truly love him.".

  why are they no longer touting "nearly 8 million" witnesses?

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  matt2414

  It's possible the WT study article was based on a convention talk from 2013. The WT is notorious for not updating talk-based WT study articles, leaving them with outdated information.
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  106

  If you thought Tony Moris the Third was extreme, wait till you hear this other GB member!

  by Island Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqzc2m8_mba&list=uus0vqkpnsxult0gsz6ahpta.

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  matt2414

  I've never heard anything so stupid in my life! Samuel Herd is a flaming idiot! Brain size has nothing to do with anything -- my new small notebook can do a lot more than my old clunky PC. On the one hand, he says that men's brains are bigger, therefore, women are not qualified to be elders. Then on the other hand, he talks about women who are smarter than men. He tries to have it both ways in his argument ... and to confuse listeners even more, he compares women who want to serve as elders to homosexuals. Huh? Samuel Herd is all the proof we need that God is NOT directing the Governing Body.
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  23

  Will reserrected Gays and Lesbians have to give up homosexuality in order to stay in the new system?

  by booker-t in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do jws believe that if a gay or lesbian is reserrected after the great trib he or she will have to give up homosexuality in order to live..

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  matt2414

  Actually, the JWs have long taught that in the new world, people would no longer die and the Earth would eventually become filled with perfect humans, just as God purposed in Genesis, so there would no longer be any need for child-bearing. That would mean that all humans would have to be either sterile ... or gay. Too bad the governing body members won't live to see it. (Rev. 21:8 " But for the cowardly, the faithless, the vile ... and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”)