Posts by Alive!

44

Should I get babtized?

by BlackWolf in

jw
friends

i know this sounds like a ridiculous question but i was talking with my mom in the car today and of course we got on the topic of getting babtized again.

she told me that jehovah holds me accountable for my sins regardless of wether i am babtized or not so i have no reason to be holding back because it won't change anything.

my parents are the type of super strict jw who will shun you just for not being a witness.

I had a discussion with a JW friend a couple of years ago at a transitional point when I was starting to wake up - we were having lunch and she proudly talked about her 11 year old daughter, the good girl she was becoming etc - sadly she was being badly ignored by the other youngsters within the congregation, who come from big influential families in the organisation. My friend said that her daughter was really keen to get baptised.

A friend who was with us that day and in 'excellent standing' said its better to wait until she's older.

And I said something like ' it IS better she waits until old enough to understand what baptism as a JW really means, it's not just a personal dedication to God which begins a life journey - but a vow to obey the organisation.....and for that reason alone, she must be old enough to make that vow whilst understanding everything it means'

Perhaps you could say to your mother that you consider a vow to the organisation to be a very serious situation - many non witnesses get baptised into a relationship to God and call themselves Christians , but JWs are different - we vow to obey men as an extra to the scriptural baptism.

That's serious in a mighty different way.

21

Finding time

by Jordandemm in

jw
friends

is it possible to full time pioneer while working a full time job without making up the hours?

i know of a brother who recently got married too a pioneer the guy was really desperate to get married because his wife despite her many 'spiritual credentials' has very few christ-like qualities unfortunately, anyway that's besides the point.

he is a pioneer now and i'm sure he will be a ms soon the organisation likes that type of stuff the 'pioneer couple' so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

Alive!

I used to Auxillary Pioneer - and like everyone here from around the globe, I observed 'tricks' of the trade.

The telephone call from home to an RV meant the 'day' had officially started to count time, this trick was used regularly by the career pioneers.... An RV close to KH was highly prized and overworked...RVs when it was raining to those who were stuck at home and were likely to invite in.

It was and is awful really.... Counting hours like that - four of us huddled in a car, driving around empty residential streets to visit NHs and RVs - counting time, counting time. Driving way across town to visit an obscure RV that hadn't been at home for the past 2 years despite numerous 'calls' since first 'found' - I saw it all.

In the final months of attending meetings I gave 'service' as many hours as I could fit - I'd go out practically every morning or afternoon, I'd been deeply depressed and really didn't want to stay at home feeling bad. Going out just made it worse.

One morning as I looked at the faces of my group, as we had coffee, I thought how wrong this all was...I felt really sick and following a comment by a brother that he could leave a tract in his favourite house in a hyper wealthy suburb to claim it in the new system ( said in a joke?) - I left the group and never went out again.

41

Caption This Photo From The January Study Edition

by JW_Rogue in

so as some are probably aware the january study edition has two articles on the anointed.

one basically discouraging people from believing they are anointed and another about how ones should view partakers.

this photo is from the second article:.

Alive!

I really dislike the photos and illustrations contained in the publications showing brothers and sisters in certain settings.

Every posed stance, facial expression etc is to 'teach' an idea - to infer something, to shape the mind and so often, it has a sharp ring of judgement about it. No doubt a question will be asked at the study concerning this photo - probably on the lines that one shouldn't judge who is or isn't a partaker ( I haven't read the article, sorry) and all this after planting the reasoning that a number of partakers are mentally unstable. Nice. What a mental prison. The more I observe and think - the more I see how thoroughly manipulative the org is.....how horrible for those who feel they must partake to have these unpleasant words read out aloud and commented on - especially if in fact they are mentally unstable....ugh, I don't know - what a mess.

46

My cat died suddenly!

by Fisherman in

jw
friends

i did not realize that they were symptoms that something was wrong with my cat -but i did notice that my cat was breathing a little differently for a period of about a few days.

i also noticed prior and after to that, that on occasion, my cat would cry at the litter box, but that was a very seldom event.. anyway, about a week ago i noticed the symptom that my very loved cat was breathing heavy.

so i called a taxi and i was going to rush him to emergency room for cats.

Alive!

Fisherman,

it sounds like he was a darling oriental syphnx cat, being hairless.

I've had and have 4 beautiful oriental cats in the course of my life - each one was and is individually irreplaceable - the utterly wonderful things they do, the sheer joy, laughter and tenderness they bring into our lives.

No words to describe the pain of loss - but somehow the loss softens.....and the grief turns into something else that is kinder. You know?

Your boy sounds very special, what a delicious life he must have had with you (((( hugs)))

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

Alive!

Yes - please share.

74

Richard Dawkins has had a Stroke

by cofty in

he is back home and making god progress.. he has issued an audio statement here....

Alive!

Strokes are terrible attacks on the life of anyone.

Listening to the poor man, one senses he is strongly affected by emotions - he mentioned the understandable stress of being 'hated' by those who he understood to be in opposition.... But was deeply hurt and stressed by his perception of 'hate' ( I think this were more or less his words) by those who he thought were 'supporters'

I hadn't understood him to be so sensitive and vulnerable to feedback and response.

A high profile character who perhaps has been misunderstood - he is in need of care like the rest of us.

83

Why I think the J.W. Religion will be around for a long time yet.

by smiddy in

on the one hand , if their is a disaster , a natural occurrence such as an earthquake , tsunami , tornadoes etc, the witness armageddon barometer kicks in .many fence sitters , relatives etc.

flock to the nearest k.h.

for a time.. on the other hand ,.

Alive!

Many sects 'stay around' - the JW religion features far more in the mind of those who WERE members or ARE members - to the average neighbour in your 'hood' they are simply known to not celebrate certain things like Xmas, and they don't donate or receive blood...

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

Alive!

'The witnesses are the only ones preaching the good news.....'

False. I have found this to be absolutely false.

I feel ashamed I delivered publications in Gods name that claimed ridiculous and now abandoned 'truths' by the very 'class' of self acclaimed anointed - and all this with the view that unless the receiver accepted a 'current' truth they were rejecting God.

Former Brother - I hold the one who is Eternal Life in far higher regard.

Religion is the result of our own foolishness and vanity.

Universal hope is pure..,.

And..... The fact that JWs spend so much time reading scripture or thinking on it is not anything to be proud of as their tendency toward lies, deceit, twisted words and sin in general is ridiculous.

I was a convert - after two decades I realised the game was up. I couldn't bring anyone into this mess.

30

Control - Whose worse, the JWs or the traditional churches?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

we once experienced, the "you'll die at armegeddon," fear instilled into us as jw's.. was that worse or better than the fear of eternal torment instilled by more conventional religions?.

john spong gives his view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkah3hemv3m.

Alive!

Over the years, the misery and anxiety that I felt about the lack of new disciples, how our witnessing was not bringing people - and the ones we saw flirting with the 'truth' were on average....strange. More interested in paradise for them, than the invitation to know Christ.

And then having to face the anger of an interested recipient of our publications, the trinity brochure and the blue creation book - he was never a witness, but showed me the dishonesty and twisting of quotes etc in these book - I was absolutely gutted. It felt like cold water running through my veins.

I'd spent my witness life, anguishing over presenting the best witness to others, in behaviour and words - and then I learnt I'd be delivering the most appallingly deceitful publications - why should anyone trust us?

There's no 'well this is a concept and general interpretation we are offering for public discussion' - it was a case of believe and swallow everything in this book NOW or you can't be a servant of Jehovah.

'smooth words' comes to mind..

18

Just heard from someone who was just in Cozumel that there are 9 Kingdom Halls in about a mile zone.

by Butyoucanneverleave in

it's because of their tremendous growth.

can anyone verify?

Alive!

Ah - Mexico/ South America.

Here's a joke from the early nineties - told by a very, very popular PO..with rock solid connections through COs, Brooklyn Bethel and worldwide ( family in there) .... At one of his usual drinking sessions, he told us this weak joke that was circulating ....

'why are so many South Americans coming into the truth? So that we can all have our own gardeners and housemaids in the new system'

This was a joke circulating at 'Shepherd' level.

Yep, senior level Christianity JW style.

25 years later their adult kids are going to servie where the need is greater .... You guessed it... With their privileged friends and cohorts - on the lovely beaches of Mexico.

Now, there is something wrong here. This was trickling down from the higher 'circuit' level.

There is a better way.....there has to be a better way.

This man, who was immensely popular got away with more than I wish to write......

so... Where is the boast that JWs are 'different' from Christendom?

They have no shame.

I haven't ever written even a fraction of what I know.....and I hope I won't be tempted further....I hesitate to write the above anecdote....it's not always helpful.

The issue for me is doctrine and error.

But, if you are a JW - please, please take care.

That's all.