SanFranciscoJim

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Posts by SanFranciscoJim

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  29

  What Makes A Person A Potential "Apostate"?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the more i think about things, the more i believe that i have been, as the society likes to say, "courting sin".

  for years, i've questioned internally, the policies of the watchtower, the teachings, the directives of co's and do's and the overall "attitude" of jw's.

  mind you, no one would have ever thought that i didn't believe this is without a doubt the "truth".

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  SanFranciscoJim

  I most definitely was a "true believer". When I joined the JWs at age 17, I was excruciatingly shy, a loner, and very, very quiet.

  Training in the Theocratic Ministry School and practical experience out in field service changed all that. I gained confidence I never knew I had.

  It was the way I was treated as a JW that made me leave. It had nothing to do with doctrine -- I learned all that later.

  In essence, I was not a "potential apostate" - the JWs led me in that direction themselves, and insodoing unwittingly created a monster.
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  33

  When JWs Knock on Your Door....

  by Frannie Banannie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what are your most successful methods for dealing with their visit?

  do you prefer to "blow 'em off"?

  or do you attempt to dissuade them from their inanity?.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  It's been more than ten years since a JW has come to my door. In fact, I have seen them working my neighborhood, and ring every bell in my building except mine. I am convinced they know who I am and have their territory card marked "Apostate - do not call."

  If I see them doing street work, mall work, or at the DMV (they do this in California, don't know about other places), I will deliberately go over to their table and engage them in conversation. It's a captive audience - they are in a public venue and can't simply walk away, nor can they tell me to go away.

  I am polite, but start asking them questions about the blood issue, tax paying in France, pedophiles in the organization, etc. Once the seed has been planted, I hope they will do follow up research.
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  6

  Biblical one-liners... too cool

  by wonderer2003 in

  1. social
  2. humour

  q. what kind of man was boaz before he married?.

  a. ruthless.

  q. what do they call pastors in germany?.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  Q: Did you know God has a driver's license?

  A: Yes, he drove Adam & Eve out of the Garden of Eden in a Tempest.

  Q: Can you name the men in the Bible who were constipated?

  A: Cain (wasn't Abel)

  Moses (came down off the mountain & took 2 tablets)

  King Solomon (sat on the throne for forty years)
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  21

  Did NASA want you to see this?

  by Pleasuredome in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://shadowboxent.brinkster.net/moon/esjmoon.html

  the august, 2003 issue of electric space craft, a scientific journal, contains an amazing series of images taken from nasa footage included in the tv program, nova: to the moon.

  the significance of the images has only recently been noticed.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  Using ultra-high resolution forensic technology, I have been able to make out the following words on the side of the object:

  ROSWELL WEATHER BALLOON COMPANY
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  42

  Past lives?

  by Lutece in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  anyone here ever try past life regression hypnotism?

  i'm curious and wondering what my "imagination" will come up with.

  maybe it's true.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  I used to have a next door neighbor when I lived in the Caribbean many years ago who believed in past lives and hypnotic regression. He has one of the most fascinating stories I have ever heard.

  Seems he was seeing a hypnotic regressionist on a regular basis when an older woman walked into the hypnotist's office for her first appointment. The hypnotist invited them to regress together, whereupon they discovered that they had been brother and sister in a previous life. After the session, the two started dating, fell in love, and eventually married, because they felt that they should spend this lifetime together as well. He was 20 years old. She was 55.

  They stayed married for over 30 years until she died of old age.
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  15

  past lives?

  by free will in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you could take a guess as to what you were in a past lifetime - what or who would you be?

  in my opinion,(since i don't necessarily believe in reincarnation - i'd guess what i'd like to have been.

  ) if some of you delved further in this topic and actually know what or who you were, please share.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  I have a psychic friend who insists I died when the Titanic sank.
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  8

  Captions anyone?????

  by Savage_Buda in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most pictures that are submitted to a captions anyone post are about people no one really knows (exceptions do happen) and most of the submissions are hilarious while others are *cough* ok.

  so here is one of me go for it, lets see what you got!!

  savage

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  SanFranciscoJim

  "Thank you, yes, I know I have a raccoon trying to crawl under my hat."
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  26

  Some Questions; Civil Answers Please

  by Swan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am questioning whether the internet is a good place to hang out.

  last month i was scammed by an impostor who took advantage of me while i was depressed and vulnerable.

  even this discussion board has become very vicious lately.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  .....but similar attacks on gay people in the last couple months were allowed to continue. I see this as an unfortunate double standard. Why is NAMBLA always brought up on threads about homosexuality.....?

  As a gay exJW, let me try to field this portion of your question.

  As you know, Jehovah's Witnesses teach that homosexuality is "an abomination", "detestable", and other similar synonyms. As recently as 1997, Watchtower publications have said that homosexuality is caused by demon possession. Other Watchtower articles continue to propagate the myth that homosexuality is somehow associated with pedophilia and/or beastiality. Unfortunately, the majority of the flock are drawn into the Society's homophobia simply because "it says so in the Watchtower".

  As exJWs, many who have exited the Organization retain a certain degree of their old belief system, simply because no one has shown them an alternative view in a reasonable, logical manner. It is not that such explanations aren't out there - they are! The "A Common Bond" web site at http://www.gayxjw.org/ contains a wealth of information regarding gay & lesbian former Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as explanations on what the Bible really has to say about homosexuality.

  Nevertheless, there are those whose mindset remains behind the walls of the Watchtower. Others, having exited the Witnesses, have simply joined other religions which teach similar misconceptions about homosexuality.

  I have engaged in innumerable private discussions over the years with heterosexual exJWs regarding homosexuality and the Bible. Those with an open mind are willing to leave their homophobia at the door and engage in reasonable discussion.

  Sorry to say that there are still too many out there who take Biblical mistranslations at face value and are unwilling to listen to reason. I find that these people fall into one of two categories:

  (1) They have traded the JW belief system for another equally restrictive system which demands condemnation of those not willing to conform to their ideologies.

  (2) Some individuals suffer from internalized homophobia. Unable to come to terms with their own sexuality, they lash out at those of us who have achieved self-acceptance.
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  10

  Internet Witnessing

  by Nosferatu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as it's been said on here before, the door to door work is very ineffective, and it's incredibly slow.

  with the internet being available at people's fingertips, the jws could get their message out even faster by writing emails, posting on message boards, etc.

  i have to wonder if any of the r&f are thinking this as well, and are wondering why the society hasn't added the internet to fs, phone witnessing, and writing letters.. benefits of using the internet would be reaching more people in less time, putting a link directly to watchtower.org so people can read more right away, easier for the physically disabled.. disadvantages of using the internet would be trying to figure out how to calculate hours, since the society requires a certain amount of hours rather than people reached.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  I can absolutely assure you that if I ever received an email from a JW doing random "internet witnessing", I would immediately report the offender as a SPAMMER.
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  71

  I can't believe Amazon.com is selling this trash.

  by JeffT in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  have a barf bag and your blood pressure meds handy before you open this.

  http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003391229,00.html.

  i think we should let amazon know that promoting the abuse of young children is as bad as abusing them yourself.

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  SanFranciscoJim

  Has anyone stopped to think that perhaps the U.S. federal government has encouraged Amazon.com to carry this book so they can keep a list of who is ordering it for their nationwide registry of pedophiles?

  I don't recall seeing a client confidentiality disclaimer anywhere on Amazon.com. Since Amazon is a commercial concern, and not religious or medical in nature, client confidentiality does not apply, and such purchase records should be easily available to any organization/agency who wants it.

  Witch hunt, anyone?