Posts by Jahna

9

Divorce after 20 years ?

by oldflame in

i was talking to a friend the other day, he told me that he wanted to get married but there was a problem with that.

he told me that he and his wife split over 20 years ago and he does not know where she is.

he said he has looked and cannot find her so he can file divorce papers.

Jahna

Your best bet is to contact a lawyer in your state for legal advise. They should be able to help you.

Good luck

Jahna

17

Helpful JWs

by greendawn in

we generally hear negative stories about the jws but were there any who did an act of kindness towards you that really helped you out?

When I was pregnant with my second I was put on bed rest (I was very close to losing her). Not easy having a two year old running around and living in the country. One sister came by every Tuesday and cleaned my house for the book study that night. She even took all my laundry and within a few hours I had everything back, shirts even pressed. She was such a wonderful lady. She was also the first and only Witness who really did any act of kindness during this time (but for some help from family who lived over an hour away), or after. The rest of the congregation, well, didn’t even call. They even stopped having the service meeting on Wednesdays because I couldn’t go out. It wasn’t even out of the way, I could see the houses of everyone who went out from my driveway, guess it was too far. Little did they know, I really looked forward to the spiritual time, and company. The sudden stop without reason left me depressed. What the real killer was, was having the whole sisterhood in the congregation help my mother in law (yes we were in the same congregation) make pickles (cause her back was giving her problems) yet not even a visit for me when I was stuck in the house for at least a couple of months trying to watch for my son. I made the stupid mistake of not missing a meeting, or the assembly, I guess. Shows what being spiritually strong actually means.

That time period of my life was ultimately the one that started me down the path of leaving.

Jahna

6

Not whole blood, but individual parts okay

by daystar in

since i am unable to search this forum, i thought i'd ask for help.

i have heard that the org now says that all the parts of blood are okay for transfusion individually, just not whole blood.

but i've not actually seen this in any wbts publication.

Jahna

That is because like everything else, the elders are not up to date with new thinking and doctrine. Who can since it changes so darn often.

Jahna

42

I'm new to the forum and desperate for support

by muse in

jw
friends

i will be very brief on my introduction as i need to get straight to the point.

i was raised in the 'truth' from birth.

i got baptized at 16 (elder dad hassled me) and managed to do the 'slow fade' at 18 (it helped that i moved 50 miles away from home).

Jahna

Hello Muse, welcome to the board

My heart goes out to you at this time of personal difficulty. It is very hard to watch your loved ones go into the hospital for any sort of operation. Because your belief systems are different from your parents I can understand the dilemma your facing. My own personal bit of advice is this:

Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.

In matters of health care there are so many factors that everyone can’t agree on. Do not resuscitate orders, types of medication, treatment ect are all personal matters. Unless your asked your opinion, you should respect the choices of others in such personal decisions. As much as you don’t agree, wouldn’t pick it for yourself, trust that your loved one has made the best choice for them and really who are we to interfere. If you want to interfere, and not respect this choice, expect that your choices are not to be respected back.

Jahna

43

Did you ever feel like you never fit in?

by Dragonlady76 in

jw
friends

when i was growing up in dubland, i always felt like i never "fit" in with the other kids in the cong or their families.

i always knew deep down that i didn't like being a jw and their had to be more to life than meetings and field service.

i just wanted to be normal, like the other kids and have sleepovers, birthday parties, after school activities and christmas etc..... my folks were and still are devout dubs and my dad in particular is the nicest man you will ever meet, he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, no questions asked.

Jahna

I never fit in. For one, as a child through my teens I always got along better with boys. They always were more interesting. When my parents went back to the JW’s when I was a teen, I found out, a girl can’t hang out with boys, that’s bad. I had little to nothing in common with girls who ignored me anyways.

I tried having friends of my own sex, had a couple but it wasn’t all that close. Near the middle to end of my career as a JW, I honestly felt as if God himself was keeping me from finding friendship in the congregation because I was such a bad person! I always found excuses for the JW’s, I was to young, old, not part of the family ect, till finally it was all my fault.

Now that I am out, I still get along far better with men then I do with women. I just can’t sit around and talk about kids and dance music all day like many of the ladies around me. At least now, I can talk to a man and not get in trouble for it. Though, I still have a very very hard time making friends. I have to admit in that part of my life the JW's screwed me up royally.

Jahna

29

Did anyone find the DC encouraging?

by sweet tee in

jw
friends

i remember going to the assemblies and conventions and feeling encouraged by the information that was presented.

in hindsight, i may have just felt that way because that's how you were supposed to feel.

i was a 100% brainwashed fool for many years, if the gb said it, i did, i felt it and i believed it .

Jahna

You mean other then being in the men’s washroom with a baby or two, and coming back to your chair hearing “be at your seats” “do more” “why aren’t you pioneering” “do more” “don’t have kids” “do more” Getting a migraine and trying to keep three kids happy listening to “do more” I found the whole thing very encouraging. So encouraged I never want to put myself through it again!

Spiritual refreshment? I never witnessed it. Back pain, migraines, the mandatary all three kids get sick a week later, guilt trip, argument with spouse, tired aching feet, whining kids, spilled drinks, ungrateful “do more” society kind of killed the refreshment part of the whole experience.

Jahna

34

What are the differences between JWs of different countries?

by DannyBloem in

.

when i read some of the posts i cant help wondering that things do not go always the same everywhere.

.

Jahna

Hello Danny

We had a brother visit from Germany and he showed pictures of the congregations there, I noticed he also had a beard, and was (he says) in good standing. That would not fly here in Canada. Being topless (even though legal here in Ontario Canada) is a big no no. Showing cleavage is a no no in many congregations.

I have found though that even within the country, certain areas have different no no’s then others. Out east sisters must wear panty hose, all of the time. They were real anal about the length of hair for men, etc. In Ontario, you don’t have to wear panty hose, men’s hair can touch the collar of their shirts but not below and white shirts are not required by most congregations. Some even allowed the men on platform without a jacket if it was too hot, though I had one who despite not having air conditioning or even a breeze through the windows made everyone wear full suits. They figured extra fans and chasing after notes flying around made it all better! The odd man passing out from heat just added to the interest of dull meetings. I also never got in trouble over my splits in my skirt and they were above the knee (had to wear panty hose though lol).

I find it funny that unwritten laws seem to differ in each congregation, when most of them are personal preference to begin with. As for disfellowshipping rules, I have never personally witnessed any member being brought up for talking to family members who were disfellowshipped. Then again most just wouldn’t at least for a time.

Jahna

27

Canadians will need a "Passport" to enter the US, starting next year

by JH in

jw
friends

i read that late next year, canadians who will want to go to the us, will need a passport.. it was so easy to go to the us in the past.

now, when you cross the border, you need lots of id, and they even ask for you birth certificate.. but, late next year, canadians will need a passport to enter the us.. knowing this, i went to the post office to get a form to fill up, in order to get my canadian passport.

i was surprised to see all those questions on that form.

Jahna

Actually you won't need the passport (yet) to get into Canada, but rather, to get back into the US.

Jahna

40

District Assembly eating rules....

by JH in

jw
friends

during our district assembly which will be held at a coliseum, we were told not to go outside during the intermission, and not eat in restaurants near by.

we were told to bring our own food and eat inside the coliseum.

usually, the coliseum offers hot dogs and hamburgers and drinks, but the brothers refused this service.. .

Jahna

LOL Crumpet

Does that mean if you walk into a restaurant all good loyal JW’s walk out mid meal? It makes you wonder huh.

Jahna

9

How many early Christians?

by Jahna in

jw
friends

i was wondering for about a week or so, if anyone has done any research on the number of early christians?

last week i looked up the number of anointed still on earth and in 1935 there were 52 465. using that number you have to assume that about 91 500 slots are left open for early christians, who the wt says were all anointed, and any others who still need to be found in the past, and or future.

if we can add up all of the numbers some how it would either be more, or less then the magic 144 000. what that number honestly is, i imagine would be quite telling about the doctrine regarding this magic 144 000. .

Jahna

Thanks Blondie that was very helpful information.

So what the WT is saying is maybe some may not have been footstep followers, and maybe some may have not preached and maybe some were not actual Christians. Sounds like a lot of assumptions to me. MAYBE they have it wrong but won’t admit it.

In other words there is historical evidence that does put their doctrine up for scrutiny and said historical records can tear apart their nice little specialized group. I read over the 1951 Watchtower now that I got my cd to work again and it stated in 95 CE alone some 40 000 Christians suffered martyrdom. One could suspect that in 95 CE the vast majority were “True” (tm) Christians, we don’t even know how many more were put to death in the years before.

Remember we only have about 91 500 to play with according to the 1935 numbers of partakers.

In the year 300 CE we have the numbers you quoted about 844 000 early Christians, by simple math alone the WT is trying to say that so few “True” (tm) Christians actually existed (remember these are only the figure of the dead not the actual representation of all who existed during these times) one has to wonder why even mention this history of Christianity, the WT’s claim is that they don’t even represent “True” (tm) Christianity at all! Though interestingly the article goes on to mention that in about 300 CE Christians stood apart from the world, refused military service ect which isn’t so far off the mark of “True” tm Christians. In fact you can use the WT’s own history as proof of this.

According to Dec 15 1997 WT, on the great apostasy it says:

This great apostasy began after the death of the apostles. (Acts 20:29, 30) Following the so-called conversion of Constantine in the fourth century, vast numbers of pagans flocked to the form of Christianity that then prevailed. With what result? The book Early Christianity and Paganism states: “The comparatively little body of really earnest believers was lost in the great multitude of professed Christians.”

All in all history puts serious doubts on their doctrine and magic numbers. Even by their own words the numbers of “True” (tm) Christians are more then likely higher in 300 CE then they would like to have us believe, the WT claims much of the apostasy actually happened in and around the time of Constantine, which was 400 CE. A hundred years after the 844 000 were persecuted.

Jahna