truth_b_known

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Posts by truth_b_known

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  42

  Name one POSITIVE thing you took from your experience as a Witness

  by geodude in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i was thinking about this at work the other day, and realized the one positive thing i can truly credit the jws with: .

  i have no fear of public speaking.

  i was a shy kid, fat, clumsy, with crooked glasses and worse teeth, who wore hand-me-downs in one of the wealthiest counties in all of america, who sat still while classmates got up to salute the flag or recite the pledge of allegiance.

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  truth_b_known

  Public speaking is a good one. All the required reading made me an advanced reader in school. However it is a cost vs reward scenario. The cost on my life far exceeds the ability to speak publicly.
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  18

  News Reports are "Apostate Lies"

  by truth_b_known in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  with the most recent investigative news report show entitled "the witnesses" i noticed a number of posters whose family members are pimi refer to such shows as "apostate lies.

  " even the governing body (possibly loesch) made such a statement (possibly on jw broadcasting).

  i was thinking of how to reply to such a statement.. first, ask "who is the apostate?

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  truth_b_known

  With the most recent investigative news report show entitled "The Witnesses" I noticed a number of posters whose family members are PIMI refer to such shows as "apostate lies." Even the Governing Body (possibly Loesch) made such a statement (possibly on JW Broadcasting). i was thinking of how to reply to such a statement.

  First, ask "who is the apostate?" An apostate, according to the Watchtower, is a baptized publisher who leaves the organization and privately or publicly declares that Jehovah's Witnesses are not the true religion or professes to believe something that opposes the doctrine of the Watchtower. So, ask who fits the profile. The response would most likely be "the alleged victims of child abuse."

  It's not the investigative news reporters. It's not the attorneys who represent the victims. They were never Witnesses to begin with.

  Next ask "Do you think the investigative news reporters haphazardly publish their findings without finding corroborating evidence to support the claims of the victims? Isn't that the basis of a civil liable suit? Wouldn't that be irresponsible news reporting?"

  Next ask "Why doesn't the Watchtower have their attorneys counter-sue the alleged victims if the victims are lying and the news agencies for liable?"

  Finally ask "What is the 'apostate lie'?" Are the victims stating the Jehovah's Witnesses are not the one, true religion? Are the victims stating stating that the Watchtower doesn't use the "two witness" rule to support their internal policy of not reporting child abuse?

  What is the lie? The abuse didn't happen or that the Watchtower headquarters never told the local congregations to keep child abuse out of the hands of law enforcement?

  The answers are important because why would a news agency risk their reputation as truth tellers and risk civil liability publishing a lie about the Watchtower if 1) the abuse accusation is false or 2) Watchtower never instructed local congregations to cover up the abuse? Number 2 would not happen if number 1 never happened. If number 1 is a lie, at the least, the news agencies would publish a story stating that as is the custom when errors in news reporting have been made.
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  21

  When many of the GB are dead in 10 years

  by HiddenPimo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what will be their new plan?.

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  truth_b_known

  I think Watchtower has done some things, not necessarily for this reason, to ensure there isn't another schism as when Charles Taze Russell died. With Watchtower taking direct control over the property rights of every Kingdom Hall and congregation funds it seem really unlikely for that to occur.

  In the past, there have been whole congregations that parted ways with the Watchtower. I remember as a kid always thumbing through the telephone book inside our hotel rooms. I would look up the local Kingdom Hall in it. One time I came across two separate entries. I asked my dad what the second one meant (It had a different label than "Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses). He said it was most likely a whole congregation that "left the Truth." You could do that if your congregation owns the Kingdom Hall like back in the day.

  Watchtower says whatever it wants and the Witnesses believe it like their lives depend on it. They can tell you the sky is yellow and I can already hear Witnesses saying "Yeah. Yeah. I can actually see it now. The sky is sort of a yellow."
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  19

  Words, phrases ,that do not appear in the Christian Greek Scriptures /New Testament that Jehovah`s Witnesses use.

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  where does one begin ?.

  jehovah`s witnesses pride themselves as being a bible based religion ,that their beliefs and practices are all bible based ?.

  words & phrases jehovah`s witnesses use or have used that are not in the bible.. organization.

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  truth_b_known

  <Insert Word> Class

  Watchtower loves to divide people into classes rather than unite people in Christ.
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  24

  Evil Wind Chimes

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i remember going door to door in the late 60's with my mother as a 5 or 6 year old.

  one time she caught me looking at the wind chimes on a porch.

  she told me they had pagan origins, were evil, and were somehow connected to demons.

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  truth_b_known

  Being a young, school aged child in the 80s the Watchtower had me scared to death of everything that went bump in the night. I was terrified of demons, demon possession, and demon activity. There were so many JW demon filled urban legends I felt like I was starring in the movie Poltergeist. Then there were the actual demon stories portrayed as true in the pages of the Watchtower.

  Watchtower has always had a knack of making everything in life wrong, bad, or demonic. Pick any mundane thing and you're bound to find a JW somewhere that will tell you why said thing is wrong, bad, or demonic. Even more so if it is something that brings joy or happiness.
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  19

  JWD a Dysfunctional Place?

  by Victor_E in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with the recent blood baths we have seen in this forum it got me wondering of how you can objectively understand it and more importantly not let it affect you if you so choose.

  what i write is not meant to be taken as gospel truth since there is no gospel truth nor is it my intention to get on my soap box since i left it when i walked out of the kingdom hall.

  most of what i have to say is subjective based on personal experience and i feel no need or desire to debate anyone about anything i write.

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  truth_b_known

  This forum is as dysfunctional as any flesh and blood family. Just like with flesh and blood, may disagree with you, but I will defend you all just the same. No matter what your point of view is, if you are a person who was brave enough to leave the Watchtower and start living life, you have my love and support.
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  16

  Illustration in todays WT

  by road to nowhere in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  quick glance.

  the guy working the cart has a skinny suit.

  i assume they stage things so where did the sports car come from?

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  truth_b_known

  PunkofNice:

  Great call on the Pavement Publishers blocking everyone, especially those who use wheelchairs. Blocking the Sidewalk is a crime.
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  12

  How Fear is Weaponized

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  fear is used by politicians, marketeers, social scientists, military psy-ops tacticians and just about anyone who wants to manipulate or destabilize another.

  to illustrate, look at this 1964 political ad by pres.

  johnson against barry goldwater:.

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  truth_b_known

  Love and Fear are the two base emotions. All other emotions stem from them. The very word "emotion" comes from the Latin "to move." That is to say to cause someone to take action.

  All fear and anxiety are is the human brain trying to prolong the life of itself. Your brain causes you to concentrate on past pain and the anxiety of future pain to work out a solution to avoid said future pain. Pain from the past and anxiety of the future create prison that robs you of joy, peace, and happiness. Living in the present is important because that is the only place life really exists.

  Western culture is obsessed with preserving the Self. It teaches that each person is separate. We are taught as children this and we create this fictitious persona that fears coming to an end. That is why Christianity is obsessed with salvation. Salvation is nothing more than giving your ego immortality so it can rest easy at night.

  Like all other living organisms, humans do not have and never had "everlasting life." We are born. We live and then we die to make room so other have a chance to live.

  Fear of death isn't the real issue. It is fear of not living forever that is the issue. Once a person no longer desires to live forever religious control groups no longer have control over the individual.
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  28

  Mental Illness among JW's

  by Victor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  disclaimer: this article has some broad generalizations that will have exceptions to what is stated.

  this is the only way i can even attempt to address the topic.

  i've looked for scholarly articles published on peer reviewed journals for years.

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  truth_b_known

  Back in the 70s & 80s my father was a big mover and shaker withing the realm of the Watchtower. He had been recruited by the Watchtower to make a documentary on District Conventions back in the 80s. A previous project he started on his own was looking into mental illness among Jehovah's Witnesses.

  My fathers findings were that there was a higher percentage of mentally ill among JWs than other Christian sects and that JWs seemed to attract the mentally ill into their ranks. He was told to bury his research.

  I personally saw many mentally ill recruiting into the Witnesses. In fact, most coming in who are not born-ins tended to live in poverty, be mentally ill, or both. What was sad was how many of these who suffer from mental illness were told to stop taking their meds and seeing doctors. They were told that there mental illness was actually demons and that they needed to rely on Jehovah, not medicine, for help.
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  68

  Unwritten, congregational 'rules'

  by Thetruthhurts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what were some of yours?

  the big one in our hall was no frontal hugs!

  these were generally thought of as inappropriate, only side hugs should be given between sisters and brothers.

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  truth_b_known

  At one time men were not allowed to give parts unless they wore a white dress shirt. I was told there were congregations that had spare white dress shirts just in case a brother with a part showed up with a colored shirt on.

  You have to wear a suit to deliver the public talk. A sports coat and slacks was not allowed.