Posts by apostrate

57

Couple questions....like if JW's not the right way then what is?

by world in

jw
friends

new member here so don't attack :d here is a couple questions i have been contemplating lately.. .

if jw isn't the right religion, then which one is?

or is it basically believe in god, the bible and you'll be fine?.

apostrate

JWdaughter,

Your last paragraph brought back an old memory. Back in the 70's a "brother" that I worked with would get angry and refuse the Christmas cookies that some of the ladies in the office would bring by. However, another "brother" who worked there would gladly accept the Christmas cookies. But, before he would eat the cookies he would scrape the ornamental icing off of them. Uum-good!

This really ticked off "brother" #1. I don't know if the humor comes across in print, but to see it in person was hilarious!!!

4

Jw's attitudes toward the act of baptism

by _Morpheus in

i attended (meaning was emotionally blackmailed) a jw baptisum ceremony today.

i was awestruck at the "event" status given this.

to be sure it wasnt the first time i witnessed it but for whatever reason it really stood out to me what a spectical they have turned this into.

apostrate

This may not be exactly answering your question......but, I find this piece of information from The Watchtower extremely insightful:

"The practice of baptism, however, predates the Christian faith. It was employed in Babylonia and in ancient Egypt, where the cold waters of the Nile were thought to increase strength and bestow immortality." The Watchtower April 1, 1993, page 4.

Seems that JW's like to hang on to certain pagan traditions.

57

Couple questions....like if JW's not the right way then what is?

by world in

jw
friends

new member here so don't attack :d here is a couple questions i have been contemplating lately.. .

if jw isn't the right religion, then which one is?

or is it basically believe in god, the bible and you'll be fine?.

apostrate

Everybody responding to your questions are making excellent posts! But go back and read AlphaMan's earlier post again. Get a copy of Crisis of Conscience and then decide for yourself. In spite of what the WT will tell you, YOU WILL NOT BE AN APOSTATE for reading this book! The Bible plainly says that a man who makes a decision without hearing both sides of the issue is a fool. If you don't read the whole book, at least read Chapter 6, "Double Standards". Then YOU decide!

Good luck, remember that you are not alone!

26

JWs say, "They don't judge"

by skeeter1 in

what is up with jws?

lately, i've heard this line, "we don't judge .

but, doesn't everyone judge?

apostrate

Very similar to what Phizzy stated, I will be the first to admit that I do judge people. It's really an assessment, but I don't "judge" anyone as to whether they are worthy of eternal life, or paradise, or whatever. I will "judge" a person as to whether I want to associate with them or not. Just because I don't care to associate with a person, for whatever reason, doesn't mean I wish them a horrible death or life in HELL!

I once told a fellow JW (while I was still "in") that there are some "brothers" I will treat as DF even though they were not. Needless to say, that didn't go over very well!

28

Top 10 Signs that Jehovah's Witnesses Want to Disfellowship You:

by OnTheWayOut in

i've posted these years ago and was reminiscing, so i thought i would share the laugh with you again.. top 10 signs that jehovah's witnesses want to disfellowship you:.

10. there's two guys in suits staying all night outside your home in a four-door sedan.. 9. an elder you spoke to on the phone calls and asks you to repeat what you said the other day, but asks you to speak slowly and clearly.. 8. suddenly, jw friends stop by and ask an awful lot of the same questions.. 7. your laptop computer was moved, left on, or is missing.. 6. you left your car unlocked, it was thoroughly searched by someone but absolutely nothing is missing including your gps which was searched too.. 5. your boss asks if you are in trouble with the law or someone, stating some really polite men were asking about you and left some "tracts.".

4. someone picked up the cigarette butts around your back porch.. 3. the bartender at your favorite nightspot asks if you have ever before seen the guys in the corner booth that have been ordering "cokes" all evening and pulling out a camera everytime you order a beer.. 2. you receive registered mail and you already served on a jury this year.. 1. your jw mother who finally had accepted that you will never go back starts begging you to either go back to the kingdom hall or move with no forwarding address.. .

apostrate

An elder asks you how long you have been a Jehovah's Witness, not counting today.

They're all good, but that one really tickled me!!

20

Q-tips and Coffee Filters helped me learn TTATT

by RedPillPopper in

jw
friends

well they didn't fully teach me ttatt but helped me on the way.............. first thing i do in the morning after waking up is grinding some nice coffee beans and getting the brew started while i take a hot shower.

after the shower i like to clean out all the nasty wax out of my ears with a q-tip (or cotton swab for those not familiar with that term).. while cleaning out my ears i would think about how nice it is we have things like q-tips and coffee filters that make life more enjoyable but at the same time realize that somebody somewhere is in a factory making these.. i can't imagine a child saying "when i grow up i want to work in a factory making coffee filters".

the people who end up really doing that as adults did not set that to be a life goal.

apostrate

Captain Obvious,

Dead Body Burial Duty! That's hilarious!LOL!

Yeah, I guess there will be that, after all, the animals, germs and bacteria are all going to gorge themselves on so much dead carcasses they will be puking and turn vegetarian! What a mess, survivors will be wishing some of those dead people weren't so dead so they could help them clean up this mess!

28

Top 10 Signs that Jehovah's Witnesses Want to Disfellowship You:

by OnTheWayOut in

i've posted these years ago and was reminiscing, so i thought i would share the laugh with you again.. top 10 signs that jehovah's witnesses want to disfellowship you:.

10. there's two guys in suits staying all night outside your home in a four-door sedan.. 9. an elder you spoke to on the phone calls and asks you to repeat what you said the other day, but asks you to speak slowly and clearly.. 8. suddenly, jw friends stop by and ask an awful lot of the same questions.. 7. your laptop computer was moved, left on, or is missing.. 6. you left your car unlocked, it was thoroughly searched by someone but absolutely nothing is missing including your gps which was searched too.. 5. your boss asks if you are in trouble with the law or someone, stating some really polite men were asking about you and left some "tracts.".

4. someone picked up the cigarette butts around your back porch.. 3. the bartender at your favorite nightspot asks if you have ever before seen the guys in the corner booth that have been ordering "cokes" all evening and pulling out a camera everytime you order a beer.. 2. you receive registered mail and you already served on a jury this year.. 1. your jw mother who finally had accepted that you will never go back starts begging you to either go back to the kingdom hall or move with no forwarding address.. .

apostrate

problemaddict,

That reminds me of one I heard years ago, but it's still a good'un,

If you're walking down the aisles of Home Depot, but just can't resist the urge to knock on the display doors........You just might be a Jehovahs Witness!!!

28

Top 10 Signs that Jehovah's Witnesses Want to Disfellowship You:

by OnTheWayOut in

i've posted these years ago and was reminiscing, so i thought i would share the laugh with you again.. top 10 signs that jehovah's witnesses want to disfellowship you:.

10. there's two guys in suits staying all night outside your home in a four-door sedan.. 9. an elder you spoke to on the phone calls and asks you to repeat what you said the other day, but asks you to speak slowly and clearly.. 8. suddenly, jw friends stop by and ask an awful lot of the same questions.. 7. your laptop computer was moved, left on, or is missing.. 6. you left your car unlocked, it was thoroughly searched by someone but absolutely nothing is missing including your gps which was searched too.. 5. your boss asks if you are in trouble with the law or someone, stating some really polite men were asking about you and left some "tracts.".

4. someone picked up the cigarette butts around your back porch.. 3. the bartender at your favorite nightspot asks if you have ever before seen the guys in the corner booth that have been ordering "cokes" all evening and pulling out a camera everytime you order a beer.. 2. you receive registered mail and you already served on a jury this year.. 1. your jw mother who finally had accepted that you will never go back starts begging you to either go back to the kingdom hall or move with no forwarding address.. .

apostrate

Thanks for posting that! I'm laughing out loud! They are so true and funny at the same time! I also have to laugh when I hear JW's say THE ELDERS ARE NOT SPIRITUAL POLICEMEN. Oh yeah?

Back in the 70's a young (in her late teens or early twenties) sister was having an affair with a (married, but separated, I believe) Ministerial Servant. Several of the elders sat in their SEDAN most of the night waiting for her to show up at the brothers apartment. She eventually did. The elders gave them a few minutes before abruptly knocking on their front door to catch them by surprise!

Now, the point is, doesn't that sound like "spiritual policemen" to you? In fact, we know that many are more like spiritual Gestapo Agents! The reason that I know this is because I worked for a couple of the elders. And on the jobsite they openly talked about this and many other things right in front of me. Of course, I was young (about 17 or 18) and I seemed to be invisible to them.

And, in the end, I did the #1 and moved and left no forwarding address.

20

Q-tips and Coffee Filters helped me learn TTATT

by RedPillPopper in

jw
friends

well they didn't fully teach me ttatt but helped me on the way.............. first thing i do in the morning after waking up is grinding some nice coffee beans and getting the brew started while i take a hot shower.

after the shower i like to clean out all the nasty wax out of my ears with a q-tip (or cotton swab for those not familiar with that term).. while cleaning out my ears i would think about how nice it is we have things like q-tips and coffee filters that make life more enjoyable but at the same time realize that somebody somewhere is in a factory making these.. i can't imagine a child saying "when i grow up i want to work in a factory making coffee filters".

the people who end up really doing that as adults did not set that to be a life goal.

apostrate

OneEyedJoe,

This may be a little off the subject, but your line about "wouldn't be much of a paradise" immediately brought to my mind something I heard a stand-up comic say back in the 80's.

He said he was approached by a Jehovah Witness. He told the JW, "No Thanks". The JW said, "What's the matter? Don't you want to live forever?"

"Not with a bunch of Jehovahs Witnesses I don't".

I always thought from that moment on, it really wouldn't be much of a paradise if it's filled with nothing but Jehovahs Witnesses.

65

Did you AWAKEN from the JWs by yourself?

by cultBgone in

jw
friends

i was thinking about how so many posters here on jwn are frustrated and frantic to help their loved ones get away from the brainwashing of jws, and how much advice is given about how to help family members and loved ones.

i considered my own leaving and that it was internal turmoil based on the teachings getting weirder and child abuse issues, to name just a few, and it made me wonder:.

did you self-awaken or were you assisted by the gentle proddings of a friend or family member?

apostrate

To tell my story would fill a big thick book. But, to narrow it down to a few sentences, it came down to this. At about 25 years old I could no longer bring myself to go out door-to-door telling people that becoming a Jehovahs Witness would bring about true happiness, it was the best way of life. I had been associated with JW's for nearly 15 years at that time, and it did not bring any degree of true happiness in my life, so I could not endorse this way of life to other people. So I stopped attending and eventually moved to another city in another state.

I had nobody to help me transition into life away from the WT. I did it on my own and I felt like I was the only person in the whole world with my particular problem. I had to figure out what I, alone, believed as opposed to what some organization was telling me to believe. And it took me almost another twenty years to find out that there were tens of thousands, at least, who were going through pretty much the same situation as myself.

When I read Crisis Of Conscience, all of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place!