tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post8003867753839402104..comments2024-03-15T19:59:22.975-05:00Comments on DISMYTHED: Do Not Stop at Asking the Question [Opposers Dismythed]Dismythedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-33099188386383022412021-03-26T20:38:34.990-05:002021-03-26T20:38:34.990-05:00I am reareading this to review material that could...I am reareading this to review material that could be helpful for an email and felt I should address this.<br /><br />Anonymous wrote: "I loved your honesty in this article, but maybe it would be nice for some other contributors to give experiences of their own crises of faith! Maybe people like me could find a story that is a bit more relatable.<br /><br />"It can be hard to talk about such things openly, but it can be such a great boost to know that you aren't the only one. As for me, the sense of community in the congregation is fantastic and difficult to find anywhere else. For now, this is what helps me to hang on tight."<br /><br />I have only been contributed to by one other person and made him my writing partner. He has written many articles on this site and I indeed go to him for more perspectives whether in a post or in an email reply. I also put up a link on the Desktop site providing qualifications for submissions, but I have yet to get a contributor.<br /><br />As to perspectives, the afore-mentioned heading now titled "Examine Your Own Experience Before You Make a Judgment" provides a whole slew of questions that each exhibit a different perspective. I was attempting to be exhaustive to all claims made by apostates about why they left or the self-proclaimed roles of savior they take for themselves.<br /><br />Any person whose situation is addressed by one or more of those questions would do well to follow that question to a definitive answer. Because logic would then deman that tbey stop thinking so shallowly and stick close to Jehovah's organization.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-66558470524405457832019-01-29T19:07:58.006-06:002019-01-29T19:07:58.006-06:00Anger managenent, staying positive, seeking peace,...Anger managenent, staying positive, seeking peace, learning to trust, hoping for the best, allowing myself to love and appreciate others, and giving myself permission to laugh and be happy.Opposers Dismythed / JW Advisorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01497322949880289903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-22709819579825325192019-01-29T16:20:52.184-06:002019-01-29T16:20:52.184-06:00Thanks for looking into it! You also have dealt wi...Thanks for looking into it! You also have dealt with depression? What were the major factors that helped you to overcome it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-28441612589178367372019-01-28T17:57:18.603-06:002019-01-28T17:57:18.603-06:00I see. After closer examination of the word, I see...I see. After closer examination of the word, I see that "introspection" may be correct. I have always tended to see it as more relating to self-absorption than self-examination. But apparently my understanding was limited.<br /><br />But the form that can drive people crazy seems more akin to rumination or depressive self-doubt. (Which is prejudging yourself without honest analysis.) But it is definity possible in examining oneself with anyone suffering depression. So I see where you are coming from.<br /><br />The questions in the article seem difficult to answer with self-doubt. Apostates who don't know they are apostates, or at least pridefully resistant to acknowledging it, would probably deny the answers before even considering them, while someone with self-doubt, unless they have apostate tendencies, would not be inclined to answer affirmatively because they know the difference between beating themselves up over something minor that they think they actually did and accusing themselves over something they didn't do at all.<br /><br />Jehovah always wants us to examine ourselfs honestly. And the organization promotes seeing ourselves as others see us, and especially as Jehovah sees us, which is more objective than we see ourselves, which has been helpful to myself. (I had a lifelong bout with depression until 2012.)Opposers Dismythed / JW Advisorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01497322949880289903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-72587234370018244482019-01-28T16:36:20.496-06:002019-01-28T16:36:20.496-06:00Okay, sorry if I wasn't clear.
I used "...Okay, sorry if I wasn't clear. <br /><br />I used "introspection" not to suggest that the article in its entirety is *about* introspection but as another way to say "examining yourself". Mostly in reference to the section headed "Examine Yourself Before You Make a Judgment". <br /><br />Especially the emotional and viewpoint components mentioned in that section strike me as certainly containing components of introspection. No? Maybe a better synonym would be "self-examination"?<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, I think it's an important aspect of all life, including spiritual! Some people (like me) can go crazy. While others probably need to do it more. That's what I mean!<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-18125746425522426892019-01-28T09:12:46.292-06:002019-01-28T09:12:46.292-06:00This topic is specifically focused on one of many ...This topic is specifically focused on one of many tactics our apostates use to draw others after themselves, (Probably the primary one) as well as the tendency of some to be reactionary rather than carefully considering things.<br /><br />The word "introspection" does not appear in the article because the article is not about introspection, but about reasoning and analysis. Introspection is an inward look at oneself, but this post is about looking at our environment and the history of that envirnment, and its effect on us, and the choice set before us before making a rash decision. Introspection, on the other hand, as indicated in your comment, is about our personal feelings and opinions of ourselves.<br /><br />Satan and our apostates want to stop our thinking by training us in the habit of stopping at the question, but Jehovah wants us to consider our steps wisely. (Pr 3:21-23; 14:29; Ec 5:2)Opposers Dismythed / JW Advisorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01497322949880289903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-29436520160046246192019-01-28T07:06:43.856-06:002019-01-28T07:06:43.856-06:00This looks like an article with a lot of personal ...This looks like an article with a lot of personal feeling in it. I appreciate the personal touch!<br /><br />As it is personal, the emotions of someone facing a crisis of faith probably varies greatly depending on the person.<br /><br />If you ask 10 people what drew them to a particular religious organization, you might get several answers. <br /><br />Therefore, what shakes the faith of one person may be nothing to another and what inspires greater faith in one person might be insignificant to another. This is the beauty and the "curse" (for lack of a better term) of individuality that our creator gave to us. <br /><br />Everything and everyone is on a spectrum, like the colors of the rainbow. I think that it is perfectly possible to have a crisis of faith in the absence of an overtly negative mindset or outlook. I think that it is also perfectly possible to suffer a crisis of faith in the absence of a self-centered or arrogant attitude. <br /><br />Introspection is a must in such cases but I feel from experience that too much introspection can challenge even the most steely psyches. Some people need much more introspection and some people much, much less! (You can make yourself literally sick with self-doubt!)<br /><br />Sometimes, we may view things as only being a few ways. Or we may feel that if we have experienced "A", others' experience with "A" should be the same or at least similar. In reality, it can be unrecognizably different.<br /><br />I loved your honesty in this article, but maybe it would be nice for some other contributors to give experiences of their own crises of faith! Maybe people like me could find a story that is a bit more relatable.<br /><br />It can be hard to talk about such things openly, but it can be such a great boost to know that you aren't the only one. As for me, the sense of community in the congregation is fantastic and difficult to find anywhere else. For now, this is what helps me to hang on tight. <br /><br />Thanks for everything!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-25164785614927330242018-07-05T14:55:33.256-05:002018-07-05T14:55:33.256-05:00We are glad you appreciate our work. We have more ...We are glad you appreciate our work. We have more planned on the alleged sexual abuse issue, but as much as we have handled the the false prophet claims is as much as we are going to handle it on this site. Though we may at some point touch on it on JW's Understood when we get back to shooting that.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-62858882650824182622018-07-05T14:49:50.905-05:002018-07-05T14:49:50.905-05:00[Originally posted by Anonymous on July 4th]
I li...[Originally posted by Anonymous on July 4th]<br /><br />I like your posts. I look foward to more dismythings. I would like you to do more on the child sex abuse [claims] because we are getting a lot of attacks with that one and some on the accusations that we are false prophets. ... Thank you and glad to see people exposing these lies.<br /><br />[Edited for content.]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-14934010224599363812018-04-20T14:18:22.650-05:002018-04-20T14:18:22.650-05:00Yes. Thank you. In January, we lost an MS and my r...Yes. Thank you. In January, we lost an MS and my responsibilities immediately increased, but my partner and I at the outset said our families and congregations would be our priorities over this. But we are happy that you appreciate the content!Opposers Dismythednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-60936368793881684842018-04-20T06:10:23.528-05:002018-04-20T06:10:23.528-05:00I understand. Time is a precious commodity at the ...I understand. Time is a precious commodity at the moment especially with family commitments and our spirituality. All the best. AgapeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-53815044120194068662018-04-19T19:45:13.843-05:002018-04-19T19:45:13.843-05:00Yeah, it's a little slow going at the moment. ...Yeah, it's a little slow going at the moment. I have been tending to my grandmother and I am trying to get a freelance illustration carrier off the ground. My writing partner has had to fill in for the loss of a ministerial servant or two in his congregation, so has been very busy. We'll eventually post again if Jehovah wills.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-57797566965499515402018-04-19T16:08:03.140-05:002018-04-19T16:08:03.140-05:00I miss your posts..just a comment.☺I miss your posts..just a comment.☺Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-17451066879896126952017-12-29T12:49:17.699-06:002017-12-29T12:49:17.699-06:00Apparently not. The reason why we know those verse...Apparently not. The reason why we know those verse are spurious verse is because they are not on the oldest copies. It doesn't take much effort to know what's been added and whats original at that point.Opposers Dismythednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-89098450384829300552017-12-28T16:40:26.231-06:002017-12-28T16:40:26.231-06:00To Anonymous of December 28, 2017 at 2:26 PM:
You...To Anonymous of December 28, 2017 at 2:26 PM:<br /><br />You do not appear to know much about us. You only know the lies spread about us. You need to do your own "independent research" on what are called "spurious verses". If you should know anything about the Bible, you should know that much.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-73302382157035790872017-12-19T00:19:10.179-06:002017-12-19T00:19:10.179-06:00Crickets.Crickets.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-17662705490171036022017-12-11T21:13:41.754-06:002017-12-11T21:13:41.754-06:00True, there is no one way to identify true (or fal...True, there is no one way to identify true (or false) religion as there is some overlap. <br /><br />Ask yourself what did Jesus do? He preached and teached, first and foremost, and he was distinct from the world around him. He spoke about the Kingdom over 100 times in the gospel accounts, and his teachings were opposed. The apostles were not at all involved in the government of Rome. Jesus taught contentment and simplicity of life, and did not advocate seeking riches and glory among men. His disciples were hated. Christians of his day were persecuted for nothing. <br /><br />While Jesus was indeed a charitable man, he never stated that his purpose was to give charity as that does not lead to salvation. Atheists are charitable, yet, they shun the existence of God and his Kingdom.<br /><br />So there are a lot of factors that identify true religion (and false) religion as well.<br /><br />Discipline is a factor, but organizations that disciple can also promote pagan holidays like Christmas, well knowing too that all of the Christmas traditions were borrowed from false religion, and that Jesus WAS NOT born on December 25th.Opposers Dismythednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-21715250368209731892017-12-11T21:03:20.802-06:002017-12-11T21:03:20.802-06:00The extent of the failures of the Catholic Church ...The extent of the failures of the Catholic Church are a matter of public record. You are asking to enumerate all of them, which is unreasonable. The ARC and the Charity commission did thorough studies of the matter. Go to them for such proof.<br /><br />As to Scriptures, look up: Acts 26:20; Romans 8:8; Ephesians 5:5; Hebrews 10:6; James 4:4 Revelation 21:8.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-30510023941735398862017-12-11T20:43:16.478-06:002017-12-11T20:43:16.478-06:00There is no "one way" to identify false ...There is no "one way" to identify false religion. The primary salvation doctrine is just one way of many and not very effective for the peraon looking for the true religion. What is more effective for that person is in identifying who is obedient to God and Christ. That eleminates any religion that says fornication is okay or that you can worship any way you like, or who create salvation doctrines not found in the Scriptures, like belief that God is a Trinity.<br /><br />There is also the matter of obeying in the little things. If they hold fast to a doctrine they believe to be true, but they do not have faith enough to apply what they view to be minor things, then clearly they are not putting faith in the word of God and therefore cannot be the true religion.<br /><br />As to numbers, numbers of sins very much matters. If they let their members and clergy sin at their liesure, then not only is the salvation message rendered meaningless, but it is condoning sin. Thus the true religion will educate its members on Jehovah's highstandards, and even though they may sin, sin is extremely reduced because they have the actual goal of seeking to overcome sin. A religion that does not have that as a goal cannot be the true religion.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-88503399241857483862017-12-11T20:34:37.601-06:002017-12-11T20:34:37.601-06:00Admin,
What if the Christian expecting doesn'...Admin, <br /><br />What if the Christian expecting doesn't find dicipline in his denomination? Do you have any Scriptures that tell us that, what will disqualify an organization from being the true religion and lose its divine authorization is if at some point those taking the lead happen to tolerate sin or fail to dicipline and refuse to deal with problems adequately?<br /><br />You need names, and dates and specific sins to justify your claim, merely hypothetical or abstract or vague accusations against no particular priest, bishops, pastors in no particular time, are not sufficient to substantiate your serious charge against them. Some sources claim we have 30,000 denominations in Christianity, are you including all of them in your category of modern Christianity?<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-41562018584485157512017-12-11T19:38:53.113-06:002017-12-11T19:38:53.113-06:00Admin,
The claim is not ridiculous or unreasonabl...Admin,<br /><br />The claim is not ridiculous or unreasonable. I'm saying that the position of Albert is neither fitting nor true.<br /><br />In the Protestant world , without a governing body and official teaching, the doctrine of the Church is just the practice of its leaders. This is their understanding and I believe Albert's too..This is precisely why for them sins are sins against the Organization's ’s holiness, rather than detractions. So the problem is that it mistakenly treats sins by members as if they are sins of the Organization rather than as sins by members of the Organization.<br /><br />I'm still having trouble following you on your last response, can you restate your answer? For example, what does "effectiveness" have to do with identifying the true religion if the number of sins dont change the identity of the true religion and if there is a distinction between persons in the Organization, and the Organization herself?<br /><br />If the formal moral teaching for Witnesses and Catholics has not changed, and if dicipline or failure to dicipline( different from the Organizations holiness.)is not a mark in identifying the true religion. Then why not make a distinction that the only reason a religion is not God's organizations its because of false teachings and not because of the failures of its leaders, why bring up the accusations and assertions below?<br /><br />"Because we are convinced that they genuinely have our best interests at heart. No other religion can claim that. When you look around, you see priests being allowed to molest children by the thousands while our apostates lyingly compare us, and see evangelists fleecing their flocks, popes vying for political leverage for their own advantage and sending their own members off as fodder in unholy wars about greed for their own gain, or rousing their members against Jehovah's people, purposefully misguiding them with doctrines they know to be false simply to fill their coffers from which they embezzle right before their eyes and betray the one whom they claim to serve."<br /><br />"The Catholic church doesn't even care about repentance, while repentance is probably the most important feature of our worship. So if you want to start comparing their actual over all per capita figures, you WILL lose."<br /><br />"Another thing is that the prime driver behind the high number of molesters among Catholic priests is the unscriptural celebacy rule, which we do not have."<br /><br />"There is a huge difference between an organization that cares and one that does not."<br /><br />"Organizations that care organize training and education. Those that care more about holding on to their membership know that commenting on moral behavior is a no fly zone. "<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-26081001564073197932017-12-11T17:43:53.901-06:002017-12-11T17:43:53.901-06:00Sins alone do not disqualify one from being God...Sins alone do not disqualify one from being God's organization. 1 Corinthians 5:1 speaks of unspeakable sins being carried out in the congregation:<br /><br />"Actually sexual immorality is reported among you, and such immorality as is not even found among the nations—of a man living with his father’s wife."<br /><br />Paul noted that those sins were not even found among non Christians. <br /><br />Jesus noted in Revelation 2:20 about his followers:<br /><br />"Nevertheless, I do hold this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezʹe·bel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit sexual immorality".<br /><br />Anyone who reads the Bible should expect the congregation to have to deal with problems of many sorts. But as was mentioned, what disqualifies an organization is if they tolerate those problems and refuse to deal with them adequately. <br /><br />So we have taken steps to deal with them. We do not simply remove unrepentant sinners and leave it at that. We have an extensive Bible training program, weekly, that deals with helping prevent problem. THAT is the key. <br /><br />It is a fact that modern day "Christianity" is more about conformity to the world's standards and convenience, which is why "Christians" are involved in every single thing non-Christians are, even things completely contrary to scripture, and these religious leaders are advocates of it -- leading the charge. So its hard to tell who is a Christian and who is not. They do not stand out at all. <br /><br />Opposers Dismythednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-43875967848553891442017-12-11T17:03:02.113-06:002017-12-11T17:03:02.113-06:00Albert is a troublemaker whom I usually ignore. He...Albert is a troublemaker whom I usually ignore. He toes his party line without faacts and never accepts any kind of correction of his viewpoint about JW's. The only reaaon I allowed his post was because it touched on points that were common lies I wanted to address. He had no "question". He only wants to assert that JW's are an evil cult that preys on children, simply because he disagrees with our doctrines.<br /><br />As to your points,it is God's word, the Bible that defines how to identify true religion, and we fit that criteria to a tee. Most religions fail because they refuse to worship on Jehovah's terms.<br /><br />As to whether any amount of molestation disqualifies us, such a claim would be ridiculous. There is no organization in the world free from child molestation. The question is not whether it happens,but how effective the organization is in preventing and handling it by means of God's word. No organization will be effective in that regard if they ignore God's word. We are so effective as i've shown because we do obey God's word.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-77304290878999590722017-12-11T15:28:40.251-06:002017-12-11T15:28:40.251-06:00Admin,
I agree with the motivation and overall p...Admin, <br /><br />I agree with the motivation and overall purpose of your post to educate and prepare the readers. The stakes are too high. If someone is going to lay a serious charge against a religious group,they cannot do so by speaking only in the abstract and hypothetical. They need concrete evidence. (1 Timothy 5:19)<br /><br />After following your conversation with Albert I wonder if perhaps your missing a piece of the puzzle. I'm trying to understand your responses after reading them several times. Can you explain the official teaching of Jehovah's Witness or whether the comment below is a true presentation of their position?<br /><br />I think Albert's point or what he is ultimately asking or wants to know is whether sins by Jehovah's witnesses, and especially elders, make the Organization into something that is not the true religion. And the true answer to that question if I'm not mistaken is, no. Even if the rate of untrustworthy elders were much higher, even higher than that of Catholic priest, that would not change the identity of Jehovah's Witnesses.<br /><br />This is true even when the sin in question is the failure to discipline a member or elder who ought to be disciplined. Sins of failing to discipline are not qualitatively different than any other grave sins with respect to changing the identity of Jehovah's Witnesses. The failure to discipline certain persons just means that this is a failure on the part of a leader or leaders to conform to the official teaching. Not that the Witnesses or Catholics condone such practices. Both Witnesses and Catholics moral teaching condemns all sin, including sexual sins, it has never changed.<br /><br />One can look at particular incidents of failing to discipline abuse and declare that this says alot. But as long as we use these phrases like says alot, anything can be proven with any evidence. Whether some particular event says a lot is not the question. Or one can even say that the situation is so bad that it cannot be God's Organization. But that conclusion does not follow from that premise. In order to get the conclusion to follow, one must add another premise stipulating that some number and gravity of sins committed by elders or priest are the point at which that religion is no longer established by God, or is shown never to have been his Organization. But that added premise would be a mere stipulation out of one’s own mind. Is like saying either that there is a certain number and gravity of sins by members of the Organization that turns Jehovah's Witnesses into something other than God's Organization and that that number and gravity of those sins has been reached in the Organization or that there is a certain number and gravity of sins by members of their community that demonstrates that this community was not established by God, and that one knows what that number and gravity are, and that it has been reached in the Jehovah's Witness or Catholic Church. But that is just doing ecclesiology by mere human reason, with one’s own standards. <br /><br />The fruit of something is best determined by examining that which is most deeply united to it and lives fully and completely in it. By those who live in conformity with their religion,and who fully and devoutly embrace it, not by that which is only marginally related to it, rejects its doctrines, and lives contrary to its rules and practices. Jesus explained how much of the seed falls on rocky ground, is eaten by birds, and choked out by weeds. Those results are not a good way of judging the fruitfulness of the seed. The right way to judge the fruitfulness of the seed is to examine the cases where the seed thrives and flourishes, and then one sees the fruitfulness of the seed.<br /><br />We cannot justifiably by our own human reason either add the qualifiers or stipulate by our own standards for what does and does not preserve the identity of God's Religion or its purity/holiness. To do so is to create a man made religion. That is idolatry which is an even greater sin than sexual sin.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-6855836975277033492017-12-10T10:54:50.656-06:002017-12-10T10:54:50.656-06:00Also, Albert, you seem to be working very hard to ...Also, Albert, you seem to be working very hard to avoid addressing my use of "per capita" as I have highlighted it several times, but you continue to make assertions that ignore the term. It would be rather foolish by now for anyone to believe you have simply failed to see it. It is clear that you are purposefully dodging it.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.com