Steve Lowry

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Posts by Steve Lowry

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  7

  Had a Nightmare

  by Undecided in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  last night i dreamed i had to prepare some type of talk for the meeting at the kh.

  it went on for most of the night it seemed.

  on the way to the kh i noticed i had on a tee shirt and had to go back for my white shirt and tie.

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  Steve Lowry

  I never ever dream of anything concerning the Watchtower Society anymore. But that comes with being out for twenty-five years, I guess.
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  8

  Maturity....

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from alexei panshin's "rite of passage".

  "it was only after i came back from trial that i came to a notion of my own as to what maturity consists of .

  maturity is the ability to sort the portions of truth from the accepted lies ad self-deceptions that you have grown up with.

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  Steve Lowry

  When you can pee into a can and drive at the same time, then you're mature! (Jus? kiddin?)

  No really now, I think being mature starts with the child, and his or her ability to make decisions that involve self-sacrifice (even small ones) as well as the ability to recognize the needs of others as well as himself or herself. I think it kinda starts there and develops. When I think someone is acting immaturely it?s usually when he or she is acting inconsiderate and rude. When I see a young person being polite and courteous then I think that that young one is acting like a mature adult. Conversely, when I see an adult acting like a self-centered self-absorbed three-year-old, then I think he?s acting immaturely. I see this in traffic everyday.

  I think a harder question may be this; How does a boy know when he?s become a man? What is the litmus test for this answer?
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  36

  What do you think about before you go to sleep?

  by dh in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  Steve Lowry

  Sometimes when I can?t sleep, I close my eyes and I imagine I'm in a small cabin set deep in the woods, way back in the mountains. It's the dead of winter and the snow is several feet deep outside. I can hear the sound of the cold wind whipping just outside my door, as I imagine how cold it must be, yet inside I'm nice and toasty in my bed and I hear the occasional crackling noise form a dying down fire from the fireplace. I'm alone and responsible for no one but myself. I think the solitude of this imagery helps me to fall asleep. It?s very peaceful.
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  5

  Why?

  by Undecided in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  almost all my memories are connected to the jws in some way.

  if i go down an old road i haven't driven on in many years almost all the memories are about some bible study there, some store that i ate dinner in when in service, some place where we met for meetings, a home that some jw lived in back when i was a kid.

  i get sort of melancholy remembering my parents and cousins who are all dead now.

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  Steve Lowry

  I'm of an age, that my parent?s generation?s memory of their childhood was that of the Great Depression. Folks like my dad for instance, shared with me many times as I was growing up, "We didn?t know we were poor". Meaning, that even though with all of the hardships that were going on around him, the Depression happened at such an early age for him (it began when he was about four years old) that they (his family) was so busy pulling together just to survive life?s hardships that all he remembers now is the warmth and love he experienced with his family through those difficult times. Of course, now he realizes they were poor because everything is relative and he now has things and money in the bank and an easy life. And while he still cherishes his memories of growing up with his family through the Depression, he worked very hard at being a provider for us while grew up so we would have plenty. He wanted better for his children than he had; yet he wouldn't think of trading his memories of his youth.

  I think many former JW?s may feel this way about their childhood and growing up as a JW. You can as a parent today want your children not growing up under an all or nothing, black or white headset, extremely demanding unforgiving religion. Yet somehow your memory growing up under it, is still something you cherish because your family ?made? it a good memory. It makes sense when you think about it.

  Steve
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  19

  Ways to motivate the Witnesses

  by RR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, so if you were running the watchtower and noticed a slump in its activities, what would you do, how would you improve it or motivate the dubs?

  i'll start.

  1. issue a watchtower visa/mastercard.

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  Steve Lowry

  Well, first I'd make up some kind of time tracking form that the JW could fill out and feel real proud of, for how much time he or she were giving the organization, uh, I mean God.

  Then, to create a special elitism within the group, I'd create a special class, maybe something like 'Pioneer'. This way, those who spend more time and make more sacrifices could feel real special and above the rest. And others would want that special recognition and aspire to be ?Pioneers? too.

  Next, I would try and place subliminal messages in their magazines for them to read that would make them feel guilty for not selling more of the, uh I mean, not ?placing? more of the product, uh I mean literature.

  I?d create a sense of urgency with more messages in the magazines they read, maybe something like how the end of the world was coming and how they would need to make great sacrifices to spend as much time placing as much literature as possible before the end. Maybe even give some examples about how some faithful followers sold their homes and gave up careers to further the cause.

  I would also put some really cool stories in the magazines about those faithful followers who have been placing the literature. Some bad stories about how some would experience difficult situations but how they overcame and were "blessed" for their efforts. And some really nice stories about how sweet and rosey and beautiful the experience could be selling the stuff.

  Lastly, I?d let them know through more subliminal messages in the magazines that they could never really do enough to please God, but selling more and more literature just may offset any "sins" in their lives come judgement day.

  I dunno, but I think if the Watchtower Society were to ever pick up on any of these tactics and were to put them in to use, that?s probably all it would ever need to successfully motivate its followers. Lets? hope they never figure it out!

  Steve
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  37

  Second question: If you weren't roped into this religion by your parents...

  by 2good2bad in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  would you have chosen this faith on your own?

  is it too hard to live righteously?

  do you really bel i eve it's a cult?

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  Steve Lowry

  Anyone who would (as an adult) willingly submit to Watchtower rule over their life (albeit a subtle process) is in my opinion the type of person looking to be controlled. I truly think there are these kinds of people who feel the need to be controlled by others. So, as an adult, no I couldn?t fall for such crap. I make my own way in this world.

  As for your theory about JW?s being God fearing people based on the premise that they lead dedicated lives so as to "please" God. Remember, those who flew planes into the World Trade Center also thought they were pleasing God by their sacrifices. Nah, dedication does not a true believer make.
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  21

  Confused JW sends email to me -- response suggestions?

  by Quotes in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  another email from a very confused jw: .

  date: mon, 05 apr 2004 18:55:00 +0200 .

  from: "gideon blankenaar" .

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  Steve Lowry

  You come to an XJW site and ask for suggestions on how to make improvements to a Watchtower "tract", to another JW? You're kiddin' right?
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  13

  My brother is a JW, and I love him.

  by earpick18 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my name is sara, and my older brother is a jehovah's witness.

  i stumbled this website when i was feeling upset about my brother's association with jws.

  i just wanted to thank you so much for creating a website like this.

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  Steve Lowry

  You be very careful about saying negative things about the Watchtower Society to your brother. This is just what the Organization will use against those who try to reach out to the JW, by claiming persecution of the "Truth". Ever see a movie called, Alien? This creature attaches itself to the victim?s face and wraps its tail around the victim?s neck. As the doctor tries to pull the tail away from the neck, the tail just tightens even more.

  Just be very careful how you go about ?pulling the tail?, as it were. Try to keep it generic. I like your idea about mentioning JW?s making the news with the UN. That?s good I think. You have to be crafty like a fox but remain innocent like a dove, or the ?tail? will tighten. He?s gonna be bombarded several times a week by Watchtower ideology. So, keep in mind it will be hard for him to hear your ?voice?. You could just try not mentioning anything about his religion and see how that goes. But then you?ll probably blame yourself for not trying to do something. In all actuality though, sadly, there is very little you can do. Becoming a JW is a bit like getting to close to a whirlpool. The pull inward starts gradually in beginning, but very soon the force of it overwhelms and the victim is pulled completely in. And very often there is little to do to save them.

  I wish I could be more encouraging but my experience (and that of many others that I have seen in very similar situations) tells me that the odds are against you if you are planning on getting your brother out of the group. Just let him know how much you love him and by all means let him know about your successes in life. JW?s don?t like to think that other?s besides them are successful life or are truly happy. They ?want? to think that they are the only truly happy successful people on the earth. So, use this to your advantage. If you believe God has blessed you in some way, then share that with him. If he suggests to you that that wasn?t God, don?t argue. Just smile and say you believe it was and give him another example of His provision(s). But don?t do it in an argumentative way. Just state the facts, as you believe them to be.

  Good luck.

  Steve
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  23

  Louisiana cops can come right in without a warrant!

  by Yizuman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  link: http://www.theneworleanschannel.com/news/2953483/detail.html.

  court opens door to searches without warrants .

  posted: 3:55 pm cst march 26, 2004updated: 4:36 pm cst march 26, 2004. new orleans -- it's a groundbreaking court decision that legal experts say will affect everyone: police officers in louisiana no longer need a search or arrest warrant to conduct a brief search of your home or business.

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  Steve Lowry

  Just last night a cop came to my door and asks where my wife was. (Really I?m not kidding.) She had just stepped out to get us some burgers for dinner when he knocked on my door. When I told him of her where abouts, he said she had called the police because we had had a fight. To which I said, no fight had taken place. He asked me if my address was "####"? I said it was but no fight or problems existed. To which he said, "Don?t tell me there?s no problem, I got your address on my computer!" About this time some lady came running down the street shouting her address which was just two digits off from mine. Instead of this guy apologizing, he looked back at me and said, he that he was just about to go into my home and look for my wife, and then he left. He was a power hungry nazi little prick and it showed in the way he handled himself. Well, I got fking pissed and I called the police department and raised hell. Five minutes later a Sargent knocks on my door. I told him about the situation and he apologized, but defended the cop?s behavior. To which I said, you always have to behave professional and this clearly was unacceptable behavior. He reluctantly agreed and apologized again and said he would 'talk? to the officer. He also told me they had had an officer stabbed in the line of duty that evening during a domestic violence call, so everyone was a bit on edge. Sure I understand that but that doesn?t give the guy the right to act like an asshole at my door just cuz he?s a cop and he's a bit on edge.

  I guess if that woman hadn't of come down the street shouting when she did, I would have had a cop forcefully entering my home without my permission and scaring my little girl half to death.
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  17

  Check this illusion out...

  by getting it in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  or click this link... http://www.tekzoned.com/weird/weirdo.html

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  Steve Lowry

  When I was a kid my cousin and I would lie in bed and close our eyes and imagine a bright light (like a light bulb for instance). After doing that for a while (maybe like for a minute or so), we would open our eyes and see a kind of illusion like you would if you were to really look at a light for a few moments and then look away. It was a lot of fun, until I told my (JW) mom about it. She said it was demonic and we shouldn't do that. Yea, everything's demonic to the JW.