Stuck in the middle37

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Posts by Stuck in the middle37

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  8

  When WWII ended, how difficult was it for the JW's that had been in prison to adjust?

  by Sobeit in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my husband seemed to have a hard time..

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  Stuck in the middle37

  I've known people and talk with them about their experience of being in prison during ww2 it didn't seem to effect them in a good or bad way it was just something they felt they had to do.
  I spent some time in prison(Tucson federal) in the early 60's for the draft there was about 14 JWs when I got there and about 24 when Ieft. Other then having to leave my wife it wasn't that bad of an experience. She moved down to Tucson and came up(it was about 19 mi. out of town and half way up Mt. Lemon) to see me every Sunday. I never thought it was for or because of the org. I thought this was between me and God(I don't use the word Jehovah any more). Iv'e never suffered in any way from the experience.
  
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  29

  Pioneers, Prayers and Pills

  by Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  looking back on my two decades as a jehovah’s witness, i’ve come to realize how the constant theme of endurance is playing a detrimental role on the individual's psyche.. jehovah’s witnesses have become far too good at keeping going.

  they’re experts at surrendering to the demands of the watchtower, living up to what’s expected of them, and getting on with the priorities that those in power have defined and imposed upon them.

  they keep showing up, presenting themselves a dutiful pioneer or ministerial servant.

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  Stuck in the middle37

  I don't come here often and post even less.I passed your post up a few times looking for something to read then decided to take a look. I must say it was the best thing I've read in sometime. I enjoyed it and the way you wrote it. The comparison to a revolt was very good. I was in the org. for well over 50 yrs. I think it was,at times, the way I felt and I know I've seen it in every congregation I was ever in. Again thank you.
  
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  45

  COLD today

  by wasone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's a cold 13 degrees fahrenheit in tennessee this morning where i live.

  glad i'm retired and don't have to work outside today.

  what about where you live.

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  Stuck in the middle37

  Phoenix Az. 74 today. Middle 70s all week.
  
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  24

  Went to a sunday meeting Waterbury, Connecticut, yawnfest x100

  by Brokeback Watchtower in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  well went on a vacation cross country for 10 days to see relatives, and so decided to drop in on my old kingdom hall to get a look at some old friends i haven't seen in more the 27 years.. came in around 1:15 pm middle of the public talk wearing tight fitting jeans and an old sweat shirt, and sat down in front of person i served with as an elder.

  the talks was so boring i can't remember a word of it, i can only recall that it was very disjointed with tremendous leaps in logic, so that my mind could not and would not follow the speaker.

  watchtower study was a complete brain shrinking repeat of putting on the new personality or something, with the conductor fishing for baby food comments where none of the 3 or 4 young ones gave any comments only the hard core braindead were answering.

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  Stuck in the middle37

  I was looking though some of the topics and seen yours. I read your letter to the congregation and was surprised to see it was Sunnyvale Calif. it just brought up a lot of old memories I spent many years in the Sunnyvale congregation but that was years ago, my wife and I was married in that hall. I don't know where the hall is now, but we built the 1st one on Freemont Rd. None of the names sounded familiar But like I said that was some years back. Good to hear you're out and doing well. I left a few years ago, I was in a long time, I have a lot of memories, not all bad but just so much wasted time.
  
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  25

  Watchtower No.3 2017 - The Four Horesmen

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is the first time i've read through a watchtower magazine in about a year.

  although i've been our only 8 months it really git me how crazy i must have sounded when i was a jw talking to non jws.. while other bible based religions talk about the 4 horsemen and back up their theories with other scriptures or historical evidence, the watchtower have taken so such steps.

  1914 is thrown in there as if it's universally agreed that jesus started ruling since then.. even when i was a jw i never really understood why, if the pale horse represents jesus, why is he first?

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  Stuck in the middle37

  I agree with those that say it can't be Jesus. It makes some sense when you throw in 1914 and say Jesus came 1'st as king followed by the other world conditions.

  I think it best understood as Rev.1:1 says, Jesus shows John in a vision or by signs what he had described by only words to his disciples.

  Matt 24:5-9 mark13:5-8 Luke 21:8-11 . False Christ, wars, Famine, death.
  
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  66

  When you were fully in, did you believe that you would not die?

  by TTWSYF in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know that it must seem silly to ask, but my brother and his family think that the big a will arrive before they die.

  i tried to explain to my brother that everyone else who has ever lived in the past has died and only jesus has [physically] rose from the dead.. it is amazing that anyone could buy that line.

  what crazy cult culture that could make people believe such nonsense?!.

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  Stuck in the middle37

  Some years ago when I was "in" I use to give a talk entitled (can you live forever? will you?). It expressed the idea that man had with in his self, if everything was working properly, the means to live a long life or possibly forever. It was only the sin we inherited from our 1st parents that caused our life to end. We could transfer our parentage to Jesus as adopted children and keep living. I though also we might be living in a time of history when something could happen.
  As time in the organ, past and things did not happening as they said, with teaching and doctrines changing I lost all faith in WT beliefs. The hope of living, however is a bible teaching not just a WT doctrine so I don't know if I have given up on that. Some days I think Yes other times or most times I just don't know. You might say I'm Stuck in the middle
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  21

  60th Anniversary today - I was baptized 9-01-56

  by Bonnie_Clyde in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  60th anniversary – i was baptized 9-1-56 .

  my parents weren’t witnesses at the time, but my witness uncle studied with my brother and i. i think the only reason my parents let him was because my brother was having mental issues and were hoping it would help him.

  my father surprised me a few years later, started studying and was baptized in 1961, later appointed an elder.

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  Stuck in the middle37

  Hecce; How are you?
  I should have been more detailed, I was trying to be brief. I was referring to the pre qualifying questions that a person must go over before baptism. They're found in the back of the Organization book, New book now I think There were about 124 I believe. 3 elders reviewed them with you, then meet together to see if you qualified for baptism. I went over them a lot with people.
  Yes, I think they always had the two at baptism they weren't a problem. Look at the information again and the referral to JW FACTS. Need more information let me know.
  
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  21

  60th Anniversary today - I was baptized 9-01-56

  by Bonnie_Clyde in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  60th anniversary – i was baptized 9-1-56 .

  my parents weren’t witnesses at the time, but my witness uncle studied with my brother and i. i think the only reason my parents let him was because my brother was having mental issues and were hoping it would help him.

  my father surprised me a few years later, started studying and was baptized in 1961, later appointed an elder.

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  Stuck in the middle37

  I liked you story. It is the same time period as when I was baptize Aug. 1955. A small assembly in southern California held at Ganesha Park down by Pomona Calif. I still have the lapel badge. You didn't have to answer any questions or tell any one, it was just between you and God.
  Let me till you a little bit about my 50+ yrs. it hard to do in a few paragraphs so I'll just high light a few things

  We(mother, sister and I)moved from the Midwest(Indian Territory) To a small town in central Calif. (It was only about 12 miles out side of town that James Dean was killed on his way up to the Monterey Peninsula we went out a week or so later to look around there was nothing to see) This is where we came into contact with Witnesses 1953. A guy (jw) moved in to town and we became the best of friends we went to high school together and all the large assemblies in Los Angles and the small circuit assemblies around central Calif. he was the best man at my wedding and I was his. He was killed in the early 70's .I Also went to a lot of R&B dances at the boardwalk in Pismo beach.
  There was no work in that area so after high school we moved up to the San Francisco bay area
  This was a great place to grow up and a great time. It was the 50's Rock& Roll, witness party ever week end ,the beach at Santa Cruz. My friend from high school came up and spent a lot of tine there too. This place had it all. I also hung around with some great guys we all were witness and knew what the limits were. No one ever told us what we could or couldn't do. I was the WT conductor for awhile I told them I thought I was to young. I also went around to the congregations in the area giving talks but sometimes we also went up to North Beach in San Francisco to look around.
  Went to New York for the big convention in 58 The next year(I got to tell you this) I met the best girl she wasn't a witness I didn't care no one has ever told me what to do even in prison. I went with her for a year and got her to marry me.She surprised me and got baptize so we were married in the hall.
  
  Two years later they came and got me and put me prison. My wife moved down to Tucson to be close. She was only about 18 at the time I was able to sell some land to help her while she was there They had visting ever Sunday and she was always there. Sometime we were the only ones. Went to the Rose Bowl in 63 had a good reunion with the guys from prison.
  I was living in northern Calif. when we went though the 1975 thing. Had two sons by then and I stopped going for a while because of 75 and some odd articles in the magazines they retracted them a little so I want back.
  A few years later we (wife and I) went back to the Midwest(Indian Territory) to see if we could help a small cong. and to see if I could talk to the Indian people. we had a lot of success I'm now sorry to say.

  Went to Utah was there for some time. It was fun talking to the Mormons. While I was there I went to Moab for a quick build hall a bad experience it was the worst work I have ever seen I don't tell anyone I worked on that hall. I did do some work on Robert Redford's Sundance Ski Resort and on his house It was while he was preparing for the movie Horse Whisper. It was while we were there that my wife got very sick and still is. We had to leave for her heath we moved to Las Vegas that's when I began to take a hard look at this religion There had been times in the past when things just didn't feel right I remember at an assembly in ok.city I just got up and left I couldn't listen to it any more or there would be times during the WT study when I would have to go out side for awhile. I now began to see things that had been there all along. I gave up my elder position and quite no more meeting or service. The last meeting I went to I ask a couple elders to go in the back I talked to them and left. A short time later they changed all the cong. around moving every one to a different hall. I may have got lost in the mix We left Las Vegas. a few years later. My wife and I have moved to Arizona. I was a little worried how my wife was going to take all of this. but like I said I married a great girl we're doing OK.
  
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  23

  JW charged regarding child pornography

  by Listener in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article39058014.html#1.

  church shouldn't have divulged child-porn suspect's alleged confession, attorney says.

  elders in the jehovah’s witnesses church violated the confidentiality of steven lindhorst of paso robles when they told police about an alleged confession he made regarding child pornography, according to a defense motion.. .

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  Stuck in the middle37

  Anytime I see the word or name Paso Robles it gets my attention I spent a lot of time in that part of California. I knew Steve when he lived in Sacramento early 90's I think. Last I heard of him he had moved to Atascadero which is about 10 or 11 miles south of Paso. He was a elder there I believe, maybe at some point even the P.O. I didn't know he had moved to Paso Robles or when.
  Steve was a (life of the party, center of attention, kind of guy) when you met him it was hard not to like him.
  When I saw his picture I didn't recognize him, it had been a long time, but the name rang a bell I ask my wife and she though it was him. I called a person ( jw) that knew him well. He said that was the name, he looked at the news story and said that was the same person. He then got mad at me, thought I was making fun or going to say something about Steve or the Organ. and hung up on me.
  
  
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  45

  The Ray Franz Saga

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just curious as to how it all happened.. to explain.

  many years back, before ex-jw websites, i called on a local lady in order to design an extension to her already enormous house.

  she was a young, voluptuous gal, married to a much older local business man who spared little expense in order to give his young wife whatever her heart desired.. we chatted for ages.

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  Stuck in the middle37

  I was in Oklahoma at the time. The thinking among the elders in that area was that Ray was involved in trying to introduce new or different thoughts about the heavenly class, and was doing it by translating it into Spanish literature.
  I knew little about Ray only heard a few of his talk, it meant little to me.