Posts by pronomono

43

The medical specialist told me something alarming today. Pretty bummed.

by Julia Orwell in

so i've been going to doctors for years with chronic fatigue, a condition i managed ok but which took a drastic nose dive in late 2011 to 2012 to the point where i could barely function.

work was part of the problem, so at the end of that year i left that stressful environment.

but in the meantime, for the last few years i've been going to doctors, specialists, psychiatrists and psychologists and undergoing every sort of blood test you can imagine and seeing all sorts of medical people.

pronomono

The JW faith can definitely take a toll on us. My blood pressure has been on the rise from my awakening. I don't sleep well. I drink to help me sleep. It's a vicious cycle I'm working to break out of. My thoughts are with you.

15

Ever considered joining the Church of Satan?

by J. Hofer in

every now and then i read up on the church of satan, most of their principles make sense to me, in the end i'm still leaning to a more humanist world view though.

what's your view on the church of satan?

pragmatic nihilism spiced up with a few funny rituals?

pronomono

I've considered it. I've downloaded the Satanic Bible for a fun read. I may adopt some of their principles, but I doubt I'd actually ever join.

2

Sins that J kills you for, even if you repent

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

on this thread, i remarked that certain sins 'grieve the spirit' (or whatever term the dubs use to call something a mortal sin).. i was taught there are certain sins so serious that you must pay with your life, even if you repent.those sins are so serious that you must be a human sacrifice like the israelites did with animals to cleanse the sin.. but don't worry--jehoopla will raise you back up to become a zombie on earth.

what a loving god!!.

i haven't heard this discussed in a while so i'm imagining it's one of the many teachings they just stopped mentioning, without officially retracting it.

pronomono

I always wondered this myself. Apparently sins against the spirit are worse than sins against Jehovah him(her)self.

15

I just couldn't do it...

by joyfulfader in

i have recently become friends with some women who belong to a church in my area.

they are fun, great women.

one of them used to be a witness actually but it has been many years.

pronomono

I've had these exact same thoughts.

96

Phizzy Said this......And I am afraid I disagree

by KateWild in

jw
friends

i still find it strange that believers cannot get it in to their heads that atheism is not a belief, but theism is.

there cannot possibly be proof "for" the atheistic position as it is simply a position that says i see no proof for a god.. if someone says there are pink unicorns with purple spots and i say i have never seen any proof of their existence, i cannot offer proof of my "position", the onus is 100% upon the spotted unicorn guy to prove their existence to me.

simple.. where the frustration enters in for us non-unicornists is when the unicornists expect us to listen to inane arguments , non facts and plain nonsesnse and then go along with their delusion.

pronomono

I still find it strange that believers cannot get it in to their heads that Atheism is not a belief, but Theism is. There cannot possibly be proof "for" the Atheistic position as it is simply a position that says I see no proof for a god.

Their belief is that there is no proof. I'm still open to the idea that proof exists, but we are not aware enough of the facts to see otherwise. Creation (or creation via evolution) could be proof of God, but it could also be proof that God doesn't exist. Without seeing how it all began, we cannot know. And if God does exist, he hasn't made it easy for us.

I was thinking about the topic of God and proof of his existence this morning as I lay in bed listening to "Say Something" by A Great Big World. Great emotional song, btw. I came to the realization that all religions have the same amount of proof as to the existence of their God(s) as Christians do. Whose to say Jehovah/Jesus are correct? It could easily be Allah/Muhammed, Buddha, Anubis, Osiris, Zeus, or any other number of Gods. There's just as much supporting evidence for any and all of these. Yes we have a Bible, but that is assuming all the stories are true and not embellished.

Although, I'm personally leaning towards atheism/anti-theism, I'm still open to theism if given the proper evidence.

75

I told the elders that I would take blood and donate blood

by Daniel1555 in

i found it important to be honest with my wife.

so i told her about my conscience decision that in a medical urgency i want blodless medicine but if a transfusion of blood or the 4 prohibited components is necessary to save my life or health i would accept it.

this would apply especially also for our child (that is not such a problem as in our country the wts recommends to comply with doctors as they have the right to decide concerning minors).. i showed her the reasons why i came to that conscience decision (biblical and logical reasons) and that jehovah and jesus do not like anyone to die because of this wrong bible application.. .

pronomono

I have no insight as to what they will do in your case. I agree with AlphaMan, though. They will try to assimilate you. Depending on the elders and their relationship with you, the outcome could be different. If you've ever pissed them off before, this could be just the excuse they were looking for to take corrective action. But if they value you as a friend, they may try to push this under the rug for now and try to progressively change your mind. It all depends on your elders and a lot of circumstantial factors.

Cheers on taking action. I took my Blood card out of my wallet finally last week. My wife hasn't noticed (or at least hasn't said anything). One step at a time, my brother.

14

The Right Religion Demonstrates True Faith In Jesus Christ

by pronomono in

the week of december 9th, i have the talk "the right religion demonstrates true faith in jesus christ" base on the reasoning book rs p329.

the following is the suggested material.. istruefaithinjesuschristbeingdemonstrated?

this involves appreciation of the value of the sacrifice of jesus human life and of his position today as heavenly king.

pronomono

Wow. This is good information. For me, I was always trained that faith in Jah/Jesus involved the preaching work over most other things. Since I preach very little (in field service, at least), I don't want to be hypocritical by recommending this as what faith in Jesus involves, epecially when I know it to be wrong. I'll definitely be using your suggestions in my talk. Thank you everyone.

It's hard trying to reprogram your mind after being a JW for so long.

14

The Right Religion Demonstrates True Faith In Jesus Christ

by pronomono in

the week of december 9th, i have the talk "the right religion demonstrates true faith in jesus christ" base on the reasoning book rs p329.

the following is the suggested material.. istruefaithinjesuschristbeingdemonstrated?

this involves appreciation of the value of the sacrifice of jesus human life and of his position today as heavenly king.

pronomono

The week of December 9th, I have the talk "The Right Religion Demonstrates True Faith In Jesus Christ" base on the Reasoning book rs p329. The following is the suggested material.

Is true faith in Jesus Christ being demonstrated? This involves appreciation of the value of the sacrifice of Jesus’ human life and of his position today as heavenly King. (John 3:36; Ps. 2:6-8) Such appreciation is shown by obeying Jesus—sharing personally and zealously in the work that he assigned to his followers. True religion has such faith that is accompanied by works.—Jas. 2:26.

So, how should this talk really be given.....seriously....as a subtle means to help the brothers and sisters?

4

Interesting Links!

by Atlantis in

here are some links you might find interesting!

.. https://sites.google.com/site/jehovahswitnessesmedia/weekly-meeting-material-packs .. .

http://da-ip.getmyip.com:8080/pdf/study%20prep/2013/?sort=t .. .

pronomono

Great find! Thank you.

73

Maintaining Faith In God As An Ex-JW

by pronomono in

as i fade further from the jws, i'm finding it increasingly hard to maintain faith in god.

i've been exploring many alternatives from atheism, agnostic, apathetic, pagan, and satanism (not devil worship, but the promotion of self-indulgence) to name a few.

i'm thoroughly intrigued to learn how those of you who remained christian managed to maintain your faith in god and christ, especially after enduring all the lies that we've been told about them.

pronomono

Thank you Watkins, Hortenzie, Mr. Cellophane, and others for what has helped you.

Cofty: Our conclusions about the big questions are important. They should be based on a long and rational process that includes facing up to the very best arguments from all sides.

My best advice to exiting JWs is to put the question on hold for a long time. Focus on far more practical priorities like family, friends, fun, education and careers.

Cofty, I definitely like your advice. These things take time, and I need to give it that time without neglecting the other important aspects of my life.

I'm in a kind of awkard place right now, which definitely means I need time to figure it out. I'm not necessarily concerned about being wrong. I'm happy with whatever place I find myself in the afterlife. If it's a state of nothingness, I won't feel anything. If it's heaven, I expect perfection. If its hell, I'll be in good company. I doubt that I'll be punished for my lack of knowledge if I continue searching for this, and if for some reason God doesn't exist, I don't feel that a search for him will be in vain because doing so keeps my mind active. What I find odd about my situation is a general lack of feeling for myself. When I read about the lies we have been taught, I feel for all my brothers and sisters who have been misled, but am not really upset for me. I'm only upset for me when I think of how friends and family will shun me for being misled. It's almost as if I'm looking at most things from the third-person, reading a novel and feeling for the characters, but not really visualizing myself under their circumstances, as if I'm removed (at least emotionally) from the situation. Maybe that's my coping mechanism. I've always felt a little dead inside, so it's nothing new.

In taking time, I really need to take the time to read the Bible. I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it.

It's funny because I've actually been searching for God for a long time, and have just had blind faith. I remember sitting in my room as a little kid with similar doubts in God. I reasoned that if I could prove the existence of the Devil, I could prove the existence of God. So I started screaming to the Devil that I would sell my soul to him for one simple act of levitation. Something to prove that he was real. That of course never happened. If the Devil is eager to steal our souls, he missed an easy opportunity. Needless to say, I was a pretty messed up JW kid. I still have thoughts like this, except now it's going to the cemetery asking the Devil to reveal himself.

But on the opposite end of things. I've started praying to Jehovah, to the Creator, to Jesus. Out of the four, none have answered my prayers. They all seem so lifeless, like figments of my imagination. I can't explain the big questions in life. Who are we? How did we get here? But at the same time I really don't care if I can or not. Those questions aren't that important to me. But I haven't quite found what is important to me except family and friends.

One day I may find some real answers, but I do know one thing for sure. Twenty-eight years as one of Jehovah's Witnesses hasn't provided any answers to me except that they don't have any answers. It may be true that everything I know about the Bible is due to them, but they are also the reason I have been mislead so much about the Bible. Now I'm having to pick up the pieces.

So thanks again everyone for the food for though. The journey continues...