Posts by franklin J

24

Wohoo ... Passed another exam !

by Simon in

jw
friends

i took my second microsoft certification exam this afternoon ... and passed !.

phew ... it was tough - i thought i might have revised the wrong book at one point because it didn't seem familiar at all .

.net and microsoft visual studio .net.

winner of the pulitzer prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work,the denial of death is ernest becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the "why"of human existence.in bold contrast to the predominant freudian school of thought,becker tackles the problem of the vital lie----man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality.in doing so,he sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates more than twenty years after its writing.....to read it is to know the delight inherent in the unfolding of a mind grasping at new possibilities and forming a new synthesis.. a while ago there was a post topic on the subject of "death anxiety"and this book was mentioned in that post,so,i went to barnes and nobles and found the only copy left.i am half way through it and find it distubing because if the views are correct,then all we have to look forward to is oblivion.that would certaintly be a cause for death anxiety as mentioned by another poster and the responses given.. however,there is some mention of a leap of faith in the existence of a "creator" which leaves the door open that life does go on after death.has any one else read this book,if so what are your thoughts about the subject matter,"the denial of death".. blueblades

franklin J

I have not read the book but thank you for the suggestion, it sounds like good reading.

My father ( who had been an elder at one time, but fell away, like me) passed on in March, and having no answers, I am only left with his absence. I know what I was taught about death as a JW, and I know that I no longer believe it.

I think of my father often, and oblivion is too harsh a concept to accept. Whenever I think of him he is smiling. Which is good. If nothing else, brings comfort to me.

I admit that I have no answers....I am not sure that I am looking to replace the beliefs.

the book sounds like interesting reading.

regards,

Frank

Anyone from Huntington New York?

by franklin J in

jw
friends

is there any one in this forum from the huntington, long island, new york, usa congregation, circa 1960 or 70s?.

if so, please pm me to catch up!

i left from the huntington congregation in 1980 and am wondering what became of all the old friends and families that i grew up with.. regards,.

franklin J

Is there any one in this forum from the Huntington, Long Island, New York, USA congregation, circa 1960 or 70s?

If so, please PM me to catch up! I left from the Huntington Congregation in 1980 and am wondering what became of all the old friends and families that I grew up with.

regards,

Frank

22

Comments You Will Not Hear At The 10-19-03 WT Study

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 10-19-03 wt study

review comments will be in black and parentheses ()

wt quotes will be in

franklin J

Blondie,

Very articulate, and very accurate and "to the point". But you know, the people who need this info the most would never accept it. We, however, do.

I will join you all in that drink ( how about 2 or 3?) .....this brought back a slew of memories from 20 years ago that made me ill....

Frank

16

OK I'M MAD

by Dan76 in

my sister is a bethelite.

i got into a discussion with my mother over e-mail about how i thought she generally was at bethel not for the spirituality of it, but because of the prestige.

it got me to thinking.. why do people really decide to become bethelites?

franklin J

Dan,

I am sorry you have to go through that. Families can hurt

But think of it from this perspective .....she cleans toilets for a living.... that has got to put a smile on your face

feel better

Frank

86

Is this for real

by Shanna in

jw
friends

well ive been studying with the jehovah witness for about 3 yrs now and im really thinking about making myself a publisher and i want to know is this website real and why are people talking about hiding their names what are they hiding it for shouldnt you be happy that youre studying with the jw and the jehovah called on you.

and what's up with all the swearing havent you thought about keeping up good lanquage in case someone visits this site and see that and whats up with the half naked pictures of women whats really going on

franklin J

Welcome, Shana

As you can see from previous posts, this website is mostly for people who were, but are not any longer, JWs. It is a support group, and it is very supportive.

You must do what is right for you. If you believe that what you are learning from JWs is satisfying, nurturing and ehancing your life,by all means proceed.

We on the other hand have lived through some unfortunate experiences with JWs, and our stories are spilled out over these posts.

good luck to you

Frank

37

A Candle for my sister.........

by Tatiana in

this is the anniversary of my sister's death.

bring me to life.. i've been living a lie.

franklin J

Tatiana,

My thoughts are with you.

Frank

28

What's the point in being Married?

by YoursChelbie in

jw
friends

divorce lawyers make thousands of dollars every year handling the breakups of over 50% of all the marriages in this country.

children end up being pulled in both ways during drawn-out legal custody battles.

aside from money issues, another big reason people file for divorce is infidelity.

franklin J

Marital fidelity is more than just sex (or lack of outside of marriage)

Marriage is older than Jehovahs Witnesses teachings, and is universal.

In my experience, I married at age 30 (after much dating many people) because I met a girl (non JW) who was compatible with me, we loved each other and wanted to have children together. I suppose that is it, finding someone you know ( as was mentioned previously) and can trust, and most importantly, will GROW with. Ups and downs are routine in any relationship. The children are the "icing on the cake" and make it all worthwhile, provided, that is if you want them. We had lived together for two years before making the big commitment and when my wife to be said she wanted a big Catholic wedding at St Patricks Cathedral in NYC, I gasped and said "how about a justice of the peace?" She really wanted that big wedding and that is what we did. I will say that the positive energy and well wishes of all of the guest was a real "high". Wonderful memories. NOTE: that came after my departure from JWs

Frank

8

Assemblies are like Infomercials ???

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

does anyone else feel that those of us at an assembly are like the audience in an informercial ???

at the last circuit assembly, i noted the following:.

1. when a person gives an experience, we all ooohhh and ahhhhh, smile, nod our heads, turn and look at the person next to us, and then start to clap.. 2. when the speaker asks a question and modulates his voice at the end of the sentence, we clap.. 3. at the end of the public talk, we clap.

franklin J

As a child growing up I hated assemblies. They were too long and as a young child I remember my parents giving me coloring books to keep me busy. As I got older, I was expected to "sit there" through the long hours of hearing some fanatic (or worse yet, groups of fanatics) speak. As a late teenager and a pioneer, I had been given some small talks at circuit assemblies, and once, a small assignment at an International assembly. In hindsight, I think my attitude due to participating in these assemblies ( bolstered by the JW teachings) made me a shade arrogant. To this day, when I am in an auditorium with poor acoustics, I shudder at the memories.

I think it cruel to expect the children to sit through the long hours. I suppose the up side of it for me was that my entire family was together....still no fun ( twisted form of family unity?)LOL

frank

24

How Does A Jehovah's Witness THINK???

by minimus in

jw
friends

witnesses have been trained to think a certain way.

"conversation stoppers" was invented so that a witness could change the way an argument was heading.

when you are able to "pick the brain" of a jehovah's witness, you may tend to get easily irritated or astonished as to how they reason things out in their mind......so......how would you describe the brain of a typical jehovah's witness??

franklin J

good topic, minimus

I tend to agree with JH, in that they DO NOT think. In my experiences growing up, I was taught to be "narrow minded". I was taught to have a "closed mind", and was taught to be "intolerent" of other ways of life.

As an non JW adult who can think for myself, I take pride in being "broad minded", keeping an "open mind" and tolerant of all lifestyles ( to the best that I can as a family man). The world is, despite the internet global village, a very big place. Fortunately, we live in a time and place where all things are literally possible ( an unique time in history) when communications, education, and a good standard of living are available to most who will strive for them ( no materialism intended here!)

I have taught my children to question everything ( including my authority) and especially religion, and anything that would take away their ability to think and reason for themselves.

Frank