Actuall, I never got a sheparding call in the five years that I was there. Even when I was pointing out lots of contradictions in their teachings and asking for explanations. They just told me to stop asking those kinds of questions or I could be considered appostate. "Why? Becuase I'm smart enough to see flaws in your logic and human enough to demand an explanation?"
crinklestein
JoinedPosts by crinklestein
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23
Why do the watchtower studies have no doctrine anymore?
by truthseeker inover the last few years, it has become apparent that the teachings which were popular in the 80s, the ones that have not changed (unlike the generation of 1914), are no longer being mentioned in the study articles.. teachings like the 1200 days, the gentile times, even 1914 is not referenced with 607bce anymore.
it seems as if each article is nothing more than a lesson, how can we do more, give more, donate more etc.. it seems that only their books contain the doctrine they expound, the watchtower has no doctrine.. what happened to the articles on hellfire, immortality of the soul, condition of the dead?
these are never mentioned in wt articles.. the quality of the articles is so dumb it's laughable.
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How do we stop feeling like exjws?
by Brummie ini dont know.
today i had an episode of dissociation, the feeling of being totally disconnected from everything and everyone.
as if all of a sudden i knew no one or wasnt connected to anyone.
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crinklestein
"I don't see why one necessitates the other. I forsee no problem with me being an exjw AND going on with the rest of my life. My life as a dub had made me who I am. It will forever be a part of me. If I totally purge a huge part of my past, who am I? I say be an exjw, remember the things that it has taught you. . and lead the best life you can."
I agree. I have my feelings of resentment but I also took with me a huge learning experience that helped shape my thoughts and view today. If it weren't for being in the WT I would've never learned as much as I know about the bible now. I would've never have been able to gain this wealth of biblical knowlege and use that knowlege to compare it against what other religions teach. I would've never been able to see that most every religion is wrong in one way or another. And I would've never have been able to realize that faith is a personal matter between you and your god. Faith needs no public displays to legitimize it. Yes, the Bible says faith without works is dead but what man has the right to tell me exactly what those works should be? I feel those works are supposed to be how you use your faith in your life. Works could be teaching your children about God. Works could be helping your neighbor mow the lawn. Works could be loving your wife. Where in the Bible does it say "Faith without going to meetings and field service is dead." If I never read the Bible with an open mind I would've never learned what I needed to learn to get out of this crackpot religion. But just because you're not a JW anymore doesn't mean that EVERYTHING you ever learned is wrong. You just need to reassimilate that knowlege and put things into a different, more realistic perspective. Your info just needs a little reorganization. Then you won't feel so out of sorts. There was one day that I woke up on Sunday, late for the meeting, feeling bad for not being so spiritually strong, feeling guilty and it hit me all of a sudden: The theif on the cross next to Jesus was saved and he didn't do a damned thing! He lived his life as a sinner and at the last minute he proclaimed his faith to Jesus and he was saved! What works did this man perform? NONE!! It was like a parting of the clouds in my head. That was my moment of clarity. Why should I kill myself every week struggling to EARN salvation, struggling to be perfect when it is impossible when this sinner was saved and didn't do anything?
Your experiences, good and bad, define who you are. To deny them would be like amputating your arm and denying it was ever a part of you. I know if you sit there and think about it you will be able to come up with some positive things that came as a result of your assosiation with the JWs.
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Watchtower Signs With GMCVB!
by Voyager ini guess the watchtower thought that they were going to hide this one in the fine print.
the gmcvb stands for (greater madison convention & visitors bureau).
this (bureau) is a department of government.
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crinklestein
What the rank and file should do to help expose their hypocrasy is they should all become members of the UN and they should all buy at least one share of stock from RAND and one share from RJ Reynolds and make it known to the entire congregation. And then watch the hypocrasy begin.
The rank and file probably wouldn't do this so some of us should goto other halls where we are not known, start up a study and get into the hall as a member and then do these things and expose them. That would be worthy of Dateline.
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My JW Friends reaction to the Vicki Boer press release
by shiloh ini forwarded the press release to my jw friend yesterday afternoon and we talked about later that evening when i saw her.
i could see that she was confused and somewhat bewildered.
she first wanted to know more details about the case itself and when i supplied them, she became even more confused.
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crinklestein
When they have the facts in front of them and they say it's all lies, you know who that reminds me of? The Germans who think Hitler had the right idea and that the Holocaust was fabricated by Americans as propaganda. Freaking idiots.
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The government of the New System is already in place
by truthseeker inare you still waiting for god's government to begin ruling?
are you still hoping that divine rulership is nearly here?
do you long for the time when jehovah will 'set matters staright among the nations'?.
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crinklestein
Exactly! THey have no power except the power you give them. It's like the pope. The pope tries to step in and make governments do what he wants but when you look at it correctly he has no authority what so ever. Neither does the WT. It's funny though how hard it is to stop giving them power over you.
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Why do the watchtower studies have no doctrine anymore?
by truthseeker inover the last few years, it has become apparent that the teachings which were popular in the 80s, the ones that have not changed (unlike the generation of 1914), are no longer being mentioned in the study articles.. teachings like the 1200 days, the gentile times, even 1914 is not referenced with 607bce anymore.
it seems as if each article is nothing more than a lesson, how can we do more, give more, donate more etc.. it seems that only their books contain the doctrine they expound, the watchtower has no doctrine.. what happened to the articles on hellfire, immortality of the soul, condition of the dead?
these are never mentioned in wt articles.. the quality of the articles is so dumb it's laughable.
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crinklestein
One time when the WT study article had something about giving more I made a comment that Jesus didn't ask the old woman who gave a penny to give more. And I also pointed out that after Jesus died the Mosaic Law was abolished and so was the requirement for a tythe so it was inappropriate to ask us individually to give more than we are.
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Nauseating e-mail
by SpunkyChick inmy friend's intentions are sweet, but read this forward she e-mailed me and tell me if you'd reply, if so, what would you say?
i found myself getting angry that people would actually forward this crap to me.. .
god still sits on the throne.
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crinklestein
I would just respond saying "So God now can't bless anyone unless YOU pick the four people he going to bless? How presumptious of you."
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11
didn't someone here have a thing about 11:11 on a clock?
by Ravyn inor some other time similar like 1:11,2:22, 3:33, 4:44, 5:55, 11:11, 12:12?
seems to me i read something about someone thinking it odd that they kept looking at the clock and seeing a particular time like that...the thread i think had to do with dreams or paranormal/strange occurences and it was in the last month or so..... well anyway, at the time i read it i wanted to comment, but i did not have my ideas straight.
then just recently i ran into this on another board and remembered it, so i wanted to post a link to the other board about it.
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crinklestein
There was a question that was asked in my algebra class: At what time is you digital clock the brightest. At what time is it the dimmest. 1:11 is when it's the dimmest. There are several times at when it is the brightest though.
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Did You Feel Bad About How YOU Treated Disfellowshipped Ones?
by minimus inbeing an elder, i could talk to df's ones to see how they're doing.
the wt.
tells the rank and file that those disfellowsipped are as "dead" in jehovah's eyes.
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crinklestein
We didn't have that many disfellowshiped ones around our hall so I didn;t get a chance to really deal badly with them. We had one couple that was disfellowshiped and they started coming again and after the meeting they were in the back and I was headed for the bathroom and we met eye contact and I nodded my head and said that it was good to see them and hoped everything was well.
The next week one of the elders got on stage and made a VERY strongly worded admonition about talking to disfellowshiped ones. He got beat red and was almost pounding on the podium in fury. That opened my eyes a little bit more because I could tell that this wasn't the love that Jesus talked about. And even Jesus wouldn't act this way. Look at how Peter denied Christ and how Christ still acted in a loving way towards him and never removed him from being an apostle. But if you deny the GB then you are as good as dead. Explain that one you deformed body of elders.
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Eric Hoffer says we'll probably never recover completely
by DanTheMan infrom the true believer, p. 87:it is doubtful whether the fanatic who deserts his holy cause or is suddenly left without one can ever adjust himself to an autonomous individual existence.
[...] an individual existence, even when purposeful, seems to him trivial, futile and sinful.
to live without an ardent dedication is to be adrift and abandoned.
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crinklestein
I think what he says is true, immediatly after the person breaks away he is left with a void. But soon the void is filled with something else and what was abandoned is no longer needed.