Topics Started by Apognophos

17
2nd and 3rd Genners -- Did the passing of the 1st/2nd Gen. cause doubts for you?
by Apognophos in
1. jw
2. experiences
i can't discuss my family history here in detail while i'm still fading, but suffice to say that i'm a third-generation witness.

my grandparents' generation of witnesses expected the end to come in the middle of the 20th century.

they led spartan lives and largely went without having kids, as they awaited the imminent new system.
29
Could the allowance of blood fractions be curtailing the growth of the religion?
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. medical
so, imagine that you're just a regular joe who's not familiar with the witnesses and is looking for the answers to life, the universe, and everything.

you hear a knock at your door.

before long, you are studying with a jehovah's witness.
21
Did you know about the organ transplant ban when you were a believer?
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
back when i was learning ttatt, i was shocked to read on jwfacts about the organ transplant ban from 1967 to 1980. this was a large piece of evidence for me that the society could not be god's organization.

growing up as an earnest witness, and living near the headquarters, i knew a lot of the organization's embarrassing history, and it didn't faze me, but i'd never heard of this ban before, and it shocked me.

it's gotten me wondering why no one i know ever talks about it, when it must have affected many witnesses during that time (or were they getting transplants on the sly?
20
Did you expect all non-Witnesses to die at Armageddon?
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
apologies if this has been asked before, but i couldn't find a thread where the focus was specifically this yes-or-no question.

reach back in your memories to when you were at the peak of your faith in the religion, and tell me honestly:.

"did you, personally, believe that non-witnesses would die at armageddon, even if they hadn't gotten to hear the message at all?".
12
Wasn't a letter about the NGO situation read at the Hall?
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. scandals
okay, so i've been seeing the occasional comment here and there on the forum that some jws, even elders, do not seem to have heard about the society ever being an ngo.

am i not remembering accurately?

back when this scandal happened (2001?
1
Society claims Bible creation account is unlike pagan myths, clearly doesn't read any scholarly work
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. bible
so, during the service meeting this week, they were showing a few pages on the web site that we could share with an interested one (using the projection screen in the hall), and i sat up a little in my seat when i read this part of the page "do science and the bible agree?

" (er, or "does science agree with the bible?

", depending on which place you look for the title):.
2
Mugger: "Your self-importance or your life!" JW: "Hold on, I'm thinking..."
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
just a short thought that i wanted to put out there.

it's human nature.

the religion gave us a chance to believe that the world revolved around our little lives -- our every thought and action was of cosmic significance in the battle between good and evil.
1
Let's celebrate 2014 by looking back at C. T. Russell's era
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
the society likes to boast about the rich spiritual heritage of their history, pointing out all their organizational improvements and accomplishments since the founding of the religion, and since jesus' reign began in 1914. let's get a sense of historical context by looking at the state of technology during the lifetimes of three end-time prognosticators who set the stage for the modern jehovah's witness religion.. .

miller's, barbour's, and russell's lifetimes.

william miller (1782-1849) started the millerite movement, predicting the end of the world would come in 1844. he died five years later.
23
What does the building of Warwick HQ have to do with the Society's expectation of the end?
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
this topic is a couple years late, but i just wanted to get this off my chest.

i don't understand why people say that the society starting a project that won't finish until 2017 means that the end can't come until then, or that they don't expect the end before then.

this isn't a very logical line of thought.
28
Should some people actually be Witnesses?
by Apognophos in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
it seems to me like certain people actually benefit from joining the religion.

primarily i'm thinking of ones with drug problems who are only able to quit because they are working towards baptism.

another example would be those who are always getting in fights or who have a big ego, and who learn to be pacifistic and humble as a witness.