Welcome and congratulations on a huge step.
Phantom Stranger
JoinedPosts by Phantom Stranger
-
46
Just wanted to say "Hi" to all and "Thank You"
by codeblue inhello to everyone of you on this forum.
i am new here...have been reading this site since january of this year.
i have been raised in the truth and published for 36 years...(yes, i have been very timid about posting...because i am new and because i feel i must have something of value to contribute).. since feb. i have seriously been reconsidering this org.
-
-
-
51
(unaided by God)Things we can not do!
by Deputy Dog inin the world today (especially in america) we believe that we can do what ever we want or will to do, but god still rules the universe, and according to his word there are some things that we can not do.
unless god wills!
i thought i might list a few things that (unaided by or apart from god) we can not do.
-
-
Phantom Stranger
Funny thing is, you're right, you are in the same boat as everyone else - being responsible for creating good in the world. You just seem not to know it.
Whoops, got trolled again. My bad.
-
42
How old were you when you got baptised???
by digderidoo in.
i was 15, quite old compared to some.. a friends child has just got baptised at 13.....to think that she knows what she wants for the rest of her life at that age seems ludicrous.. so, who here got baptised at the youngest age?.
dig
-
-
Phantom Stranger
I think I was 12.
-
27
Are those out of the org. in better mental health than those in?
by JH in.
i was wondering if those in the jw organization would be in better or worse mental health than those who quit the organization?
any thoughts?
-
-
Phantom Stranger
I dunno... it's like the term "functional alcoholic" - you're still an alcoholic, and someday the wheels will fall off if you're not working with it.
I would term that one the illusion of stability.
Adolescence is so painful because so much growth occurs on so many levels. Just like that, leaving a church that's been your crutch will hurt, but there's growth on the other side, no matter who you are. You're far more likely to get good treatment for your mental illness outside the WTS than within.
-
21
As a JW did you ever date in secret?
by Victorian sky in.
did you ever date a dub-ya or a nondub in secret while active?
i did, with a ms who said we had to keep our relationship on the down low 'cause he was being considered for the big e and he didn't want the brothers and the c.o to quesiton his personal life, now that's code for 'i don't want the elders to know i'm making out on non-meeting nights!
-
-
Phantom Stranger
First date, senior in HS, lied to get the car, took her to a matinee! She was a wonderful woman I met from another HS. I was fricking terrified, but excited in a good way. We never went on another date, but are still friends 19 years later. Ironically, I stopped being religious and she started, and is married to a very nice guy from my HS who is now a Methodist minister.
I think my mom knew what I was doing but was glad to find out I wasn't gay :) (not that there's anything wrong with that, darnit).
-
27
Are those out of the org. in better mental health than those in?
by JH in.
i was wondering if those in the jw organization would be in better or worse mental health than those who quit the organization?
any thoughts?
-
-
Phantom Stranger
I would say even if they are grappling with G/F, they are still better off.
Hey - let's create a hierarchy! Mental Health, from -10 to +10.
Pioneering/Bethel -7
Publisher -5
Inactive -3
Involuntarily Seperate -9
Voluntarily Seperate feeling guilty and unsure 0
VS, building self-esteem in other ways 3
VS, having big successes in other ways 5
VS, going for weeks at a time without remembering being a JW 7
At one with everything/everyone :) 10
-
48
How Does Your Internet Persona Differ From....
by Frannie Banannie inhow does your internet persona differ from your face-to-face personality?
do you interact with people differently on the internet than you would face to face?
yes...i know.....the second and third questions are a re-phrasing of the first...that's in case someone doesn't "get the drift" of the first question.... frannie b
-
-
Phantom Stranger
tee hee.
The best way to find this out (if you're single) is internet dating. Exchange blind e-mails with someone. See their photo. Then talk to them on the phone a few times. By the time you actually meet them, you will be presented with someone totally different than the person you made up in your mind.
Nothing against internet dating - met great people that way, met my fiancee that way. But get off of email ASAP and off of the phone ASAP and meet for a drink or coffee.
Oh - JYIS="Jane, You Ignorant Slut" (with apologies to anyone out there named Jane, or too young to remember SNL Weekend Update with Jane Curtin).
-
51
(unaided by God)Things we can not do!
by Deputy Dog inin the world today (especially in america) we believe that we can do what ever we want or will to do, but god still rules the universe, and according to his word there are some things that we can not do.
unless god wills!
i thought i might list a few things that (unaided by or apart from god) we can not do.
-
-
Phantom Stranger
Dog, it belongs to your God to judge us, not you.
-
48
How Does Your Internet Persona Differ From....
by Frannie Banannie inhow does your internet persona differ from your face-to-face personality?
do you interact with people differently on the internet than you would face to face?
yes...i know.....the second and third questions are a re-phrasing of the first...that's in case someone doesn't "get the drift" of the first question.... frannie b
-
-
Phantom Stranger
Uhhh.. folks, I'll interpret the statement "I'm exactly the same person on or offline" as meaning that you do not try to create a different persona when you're online (like some do).
However, it's been shown that people think differently through text than through speech. The act of typing, of composing your thought, shapes the development of the thought totally differently than if you were speaking one-on-one. Our conversations would be totally different in person - not just because of the sequecning issues, but because our thoughts would progress in different directions. It's like squeezing toothpaste out of the tube - the act of squeezing it forms the structure.
Another thing that changes on the internet is our reactions to other's body language, tone of voice, and volume of voice. You can tell which of us probably speak loudly... but those of us who are conflict-averse don't react to the loud voice people the same way, precisely because of the nature of the medium.
I tend to be a bit more cerebral and a bit less JYIS than in person. If you doubt that, read the geekfest above:)
-
7
The Star, God's Plan or Malicious Plot of Satan?
by ignorance is strength ini'm not talking about stars in general; such a subject about stars in general would be ridiculous.
i'm specifically talking about the star that the three magi saw that led them to jesus.
the wt holds that this was a malicious plot of satan's to bring jesus to herod.
-
-
Phantom Stranger
I go along with Arthur C Clarke's "The Star" (one of the best short stories ever written... ever).
If you've read it, you know... if you haven't read it, I won't ruin it for you. But it's a worthy read for any who think about God and religion.
It's often found in short-story collections in Sci-Fi...but it is not a science fiction story, it's a speculative look at the past with interplanetary astornomy as a backdrop.