Posts by Phantom Stranger

Bravo! The best combination of wonderful writing, heartfelt emotion, and incisive analysis I've ever seen here! While I applaud the work, I regret the pain that brought it forth, m.

19

Baptism 1973 and 1985 Questions hmmmmmmmmmm!

by Beans in

i was doing some research and noticed that the baptism questions were changed several times over the years.

the questions in 1973 were as follows: *** w73 5/1 280 baptizing follows discipling *** if you feel the same about serving jehovah god and taking christs yoke upon you, we suggest that you consider the following two questions, which are asked of candidates for baptism:.

(1) have you repented of your sins and turned around, recognizing yourself before jehovah god as a condemned sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the father, through his son jesus christ?

Phantom Stranger

This seems pretty clear to me - the first set of language gives the ~~attempted drowning victim~~ baptised one support in thinking that they could, just maybe, be a channel or conduit for holy spirit someday.

The second set of language clearly says that you just get to "associate" with those who have the spirit, and the organization gets it, not you.

My guess is the first question was simplified because too many people said "huh?" to it...:)

29

First dates....what to say....and "all 'dat".....UPDATE, UPDATE

by logansrun in

yeah....see below....

Phantom Stranger

oh, Xena, you're evil... :)

93

My two week consulting trip to Bethel (the beginning of the end) part 2

by seven006 in

jw
friends

as we entered a door of the administration building we did not head to the elevator to take us up the eight floors to the main administration floor.

i looked around the room and asked, "what's up with her?

i was going to work with the elder from hell who ran the photography department.

Phantom Stranger

who needs a drink?

7

Too young to pioneer

by freedom96 in

jw
friends

i was talking with an old friend of mine who had gone to the assembly just a couple of weeks ago.. he told me the story of a young boy, who went with his mother door to door all his life, from a very young age.

apparantly, the boy was upset when his mother when to pioneer school without him back when he was 4 years old or so.

but, of course, he was too young to attend the school, so his mother went without him.. the boy is now 11, a regular pioneer, baptized, and very disappointed for he will not be allowed to go to pioneer school until he reaches the minimum age, 16.. what a fine example everyone!!.

Phantom Stranger

Are you kidding? With that level of energy, he'll be on this board by the time he's 25.

17

What does it mean to belong?

by jgnat in

jw
friends

one of our "new ones" inspired these questions.

many of you talk about a feeling of isolation, of not "belonging", both while you were part of the society, and, of course, when you left.

though i never felt rejection by the wts, as a natural introvert, i have struggled at times to become a part of the group i am with.

Phantom Stranger

My dad was OK in his way, but my mom was (and is) very conditional in her "love" and affection - the witnesses have fed this tendency, but she had it already. Also, psychologically speaking, there's a strong narcissitic streak, and fear of being out of control. So doing things right was a way to keep her linear, not freaking out and yelling and crying, not punishing, and not making our lives as somehow a reflection on her. We walked on eggshells so her freakouts weren't our fault.

I suspect that much of the "rod"-based "discipline" that we experienced as kids would qualify as child abuse today. All I can say is, if you don't believe in levitation, you've never hit a six-year-old across the back of the legs with a Hot Wheels track - but I digress.

Our relationship is better now than it has ever been... but it's not "normal". I can't get the kind of support from my mom that I now understand is typical with most parent-child relationships... and I never will. Talking to her is wearing. I am fortunate to avoid the worst of the nuclear-powered shunning that many here receive - perhaps since we almost never talk about religion.

41

Just Get Over It?

by sens in

jw
friends

in the last couple of days ive been reading info on the un & wts ...so have been pretty absorbed with the amount of info out there on the wts...

anyway...it hasnt been that long since i left the wts...and a close friend of mine (never a witness) said to me ,twice now, and rather strongly again today...

"its over, you have left, get over it...your obsessed with this, who cares, just get over it before it drives you mad...its really pathetic"

Phantom Stranger

OMG, shotgun, my sides hurt.

17

What does it mean to belong?

by jgnat in

jw
friends

one of our "new ones" inspired these questions.

many of you talk about a feeling of isolation, of not "belonging", both while you were part of the society, and, of course, when you left.

though i never felt rejection by the wts, as a natural introvert, i have struggled at times to become a part of the group i am with.

Phantom Stranger

I don't know if I'd characterize it as a responsibility of others... but one way that humans feel as if they belong is if they feel the freedom to make mistakes without rejection or punishment.

Love doesn't stop just because you make a mistake, and we do not deserve to be punished.

When we really start to get that feeling, that's when we feel as if we belong somewhere. I never felt that way in my home growing up, and that's why I never got homesick when I left on trips - they were all just another place.