Posts by FlyingHighNow

41

A question for the Brits...

by Country Girl in

jw
friends

i've so enjoyed my conversations with the folks from the uk and australia on here.

i'm enchanted by their darling expressions, and different banter than we have in the us.

but i've always noticed one thing.

FlyingHighNow

Woops! That's Chicken in a car and the car won't go. That's how you spell Chicargo.

41

A question for the Brits...

by Country Girl in

jw
friends

i've so enjoyed my conversations with the folks from the uk and australia on here.

i'm enchanted by their darling expressions, and different banter than we have in the us.

but i've always noticed one thing.

And what of Country Girl's question about what Brits think of our accents? I have heard that some Brits don't care for the Southern USA accents. Of course there are lots of different Southern accents. They vary from one state to another and from one part of a state to another. Here in the USA there tends to be prejudice of non Southerners against the Southern accents and dialects though some find the difference charming.

In Georgia we carted our groceries through the store in a buggy. We put our groceries up instead of away. We ran to the store whereas in Michigan they quickrun to the store. They quickchange their clothes. They quick do a lot of things. Where I am from, basically all over the Southeast USA, we hurry up and run to the store. We change clothes in a hurry or hurry up and change. We do a lot of things in a hurry.

In Chicago, I lived there, too, they ask, "Are you coming with?" "Are you bringing that with?" In the South we ask "Are you coming with us?" Are you going to bring that with you?"

In Southern Lousiana, I lived there for five years they ask you to : come see. Elsewhere they ask you to come here. There say you have a boe boe when you hurt yourself. Elsewhere they say boo boo. They hop around and say oooo eye eye eye eye when they hit and hurt their toe on something. Elsewhere they say Oh oh oh oh! Or they say ow ow ow.

Somewhere along the way I picked up: I slammed on breaks or he put on breaks which means I or he stopped his car very fast. Or in Michigan he quick stopped his car.

American Brit

While = whilst

toward=towards

learned= learnt

Jehovah=Jehovar

nuts=gone round the bend

truck=lorrie

stroller=pram

realized=realised

idea=idear though when I was a child I used to say idear and Chicargo and my mom stopped me. That was when I lived in Mobile, Alabama where I was born, on the Gulf Coast. They say: yayis=yes, lay ingth for length, sayix for sex.

See, we here yanks have differing dialects, too.

What do y'all think? What do you think of our dialects and accents?

Heather S. And on that note: chicken in the car and the car won't go. That's how you spell Chicago

99

What resurrects, the person or a perfect copy?

by JH in

i remember my boss asking me once this question, since he knew i was a witness.

he asked, "what resurrects, the body, the soul, what?.

he knew that witnesses believe in the resurrection of the dead on earth, in a different physical body during the millennium.. i told him that it won't be the same physical body, and maybe won't be identical, but it's the same person.

FlyingHighNow

Don't JWs teach that Jesus was unrecognizable because he sacrificed the body his disciples knew? That he appeared in different materialized bodies? This is why he was not recognized according to JWs. What do other churches teach about Jesus using different bodies to appear in?

Heather S.

99

What resurrects, the person or a perfect copy?

by JH in

i remember my boss asking me once this question, since he knew i was a witness.

he asked, "what resurrects, the body, the soul, what?.

he knew that witnesses believe in the resurrection of the dead on earth, in a different physical body during the millennium.. i told him that it won't be the same physical body, and maybe won't be identical, but it's the same person.

FlyingHighNow

Alanf,

If God made ten copies of us would that make us a tenity?

Just wonderin'.

Heather S.

11

Jesus - was he just an exceptional teacher?

by SM62 in

i have been doing a lot of soul-searching lately.. i have never considered questioning the bible before.

as a child, i was taught that to question the bible was blasphemous.

but lately, since coming to this forum and reading all the various posts and links to other sites, i have started thinking really seriously about things.

FlyingHighNow

Terri,

I listen to the voice in me now that sends up red flags when something sounds unfair or unjust. We know that men change the Bible. Most of the time it's to support the trinity or hell but other times it's to support other doctrines. Most religion is about control. The evidence is there for everyone to observe.

As for Jesus. I look at the influence his existence still holds in this world today. We have most of the world going by calendars based on his life and death. I may change what I believe. My beliefs are evolving. But I tend to go with what my logic and heart told me when I was a child. I automatically knew that God was loving and I never questioned for a second that anything I could do would be unfixable or unforgivable in his eyes. I just knew that he had unconditional love not just for me but all of his children. There was no question about it: God was love.

Thank goodness my mother and the Episcopal Church never mentioned hell. No matter, I didn't believe in it anyway. I had the wisdom even as a school aged child to know that nothing anyone could do would warrant such punishment. God would never do that to his creatures I felt.

Jesus said that if we were like little children that the Kingdom belonged to such like ones. I tend to lean towards my childhood beliefs. Children have a deep sense of what is fair and just.

When you look at the Bible, I say listen to your voice of reason and sense of justice and fairness. Does something sound more like it has an evil source? Most of us who have left the org. had moments during WT studies or other lessons or talks when someone would say something outrageous and we would think: Huhhhhhhh??? I used to think that when we studied books like Revelation: It's Climax At Hand. I used to wonder where they came up with that stuff. It sounded ridiculous. It sounded like made up wishful thinking.

Have you ever seen the movie Yellow Submarine? I believe we are in a situation similar to the inhabitants of Pepperland. Only instead of Ringo being the hero, it's Jesus that is the hero.

I don't know if I am making any sense to you or answering your question. I just go with my feelings that someone does care about us earthly inhabitants and someone does have a solution to all of this misery. I believe it is a loving, fair and equitable solution. Otherwise, it sounds to me like bad is going to triumph over good and maybe Satan really is God.

Heather

11

Jesus - was he just an exceptional teacher?

by SM62 in

i have been doing a lot of soul-searching lately.. i have never considered questioning the bible before.

as a child, i was taught that to question the bible was blasphemous.

but lately, since coming to this forum and reading all the various posts and links to other sites, i have started thinking really seriously about things.

FlyingHighNow

Terri,

I am at the point in my journey outside the org that I, too am questioning. I mean I have been questioning for a while now. But I feel this way at this point:

The WTBTS doctored the Bible to read the way they wanted it to. Catholic monks have doctored the Bible when they were copying it ( when they did it word for word by hand ) to say things they wanted it to say. Ray Franz still maintains that hell is a mistranslation. I am of the opinion that people change the Bible a little here and there to support their own doctrines and agenda. I believe they do it for two basic reasons:

1. Control of others/power 2. Monetary gain

At this point though I do still believe the basic message of the Bible is still there. Man was created. He rebelled. He died. His children died. Jesus came to undo the mess Adam got us into. I believe Jesus is much more loving and understanding than most translators paint him. Why he even asked that his murderers be forgiven. He lead a humble life spent with the "trash" of Jewish society.

I believe he performed those miracles to show how much love he has for suffering humankind. Remember he felt pity for the crowds because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd. Do you think that pity stopped just because he died and was resurrected? I don't. I remember hearing that he had special affection for humankind because he helped create them. I believe he knows the sad circumstances we are all born under. He knows the struggles we all endure. I believe his grace is far broader than most churches dream it is. They want Jesus to be very exclusive. When he was here on earth he was not exclusive. The only people that he was angered with were the exclusive Priests, Scribes and Pharisees and the demons. He didn't like the burdons placed on the people by those religionists. I don't think he likes the burdons most churches would place on us today. I don't think he approves of them trying to use fear of death or fear of hell to control us. I am pretty certain he would rather us be drawn to him because of the love he has for us rather than fear.

One thing that drew me to JWs was their teaching of us not really having a chance in this life and that our death pays for and aquits of us our sins.Don't most any of us suffer enough hell right here on earth? I believe we won't really know the accurate truth until we die and God tells us what it is. I don't believe any church on earth today knows the accurate truth. I know for darn sure JWs don't know it.

Hugs,

Heather

21

JW Lifestyle Encourages Bad Health??

by Latte in

so would you say that you had enough sleep whilst you were an active dub?

i personally remember feeling tired all the time.

i had two young children and the treadmill just never seem to stop.

FlyingHighNow

My thoughts on WT org and its affects on health:

My family, especially me, all were plagued with health problems while in the org.

My exjw husband had to have a quadruple bypass at the age of 42. I mention health problems being one of the catlysts that caterpulted us right out of the org. in my profile. You just can't imagine the illnesses we all suffered in addition to the strepthroat I mentioned. I knew several families suffering similar plights. I knew lot of individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome and chemical sensativities. I knew lots of individuals as well as whole families that suffered from debilitating depression and anxiety.Ditto lots of people with obsessive compulsive problems. I saw lots of people with a warped need to control themselves and others to their detriment. I saw people with cancer and hepatitis C, etc. who were bullied into doing more, more, more. Then when they did so, they were held up as examples to beat those of us who couldn't keep, up either in health or ill health, over the head with.

If the org didn't affect your health then you are one of the lucky ones. I noticed only the very tough could do all the org wanted them to without it affecting their emotional or physical well being. I truly believe that the basic beliefs and philosophy of the governing body encourages a survival of the fittest ideology. The ideology causes people to become like the lyrics in the kingdom song: Proud hearts that know no pity for the meek. Only we could change that to: Proud hearts that know no pity for the weak, ill or suffering.

The human psyche and body do not handle stress well. Stress always affects you in some way. It might not show up until you drop dead of a heart attack at a young age: but it's there all the same.

By the way, I noticed my temper was much worse when I was in. I rarely lose my temper now. Only when someone tries to control me or treats me unfairly do I find myself having to calm down. Thank goodness, outside the org. this rarely happens.

My 2 cents or pence for the British friends here.

Love, Heather

22

my letter from ray franz

by the mole in

i recieved another letter from ray franz and it was in type but it didnt have the same personal feeling like the letters i had recieved before.

his health must be getting worse.

...brother franz had told me to keep strong and continue to do what was good to my children and dear friends as he survive his turmoil so i too i will survive.

FlyingHighNow

Thank you so much for the kind welcome, J2BF and Skally.

Love,

Heather

22

my letter from ray franz

by the mole in

i recieved another letter from ray franz and it was in type but it didnt have the same personal feeling like the letters i had recieved before.

his health must be getting worse.

...brother franz had told me to keep strong and continue to do what was good to my children and dear friends as he survive his turmoil so i too i will survive.

FlyingHighNow

Dansk & Family,

Thank you for the welcome. I think I will. It's more than nice to be able to speak

my mind now that I am out. It's also wonderful to be able to read the free thoughts

of others once trapped inside the org.

Love,

Heather

22

my letter from ray franz

by the mole in

i recieved another letter from ray franz and it was in type but it didnt have the same personal feeling like the letters i had recieved before.

his health must be getting worse.

...brother franz had told me to keep strong and continue to do what was good to my children and dear friends as he survive his turmoil so i too i will survive.

FlyingHighNow

For those of you have heard from Ray:

How is Ray these days? I see from your post that he might be ailing.

Is there an address where I can send him a card? How old is he by now?

Love,

Heather