Posts by CeriseRose

You know, I understand about feeling safe, and wanting to protect yourself. Put in that perspective, I can understand how scared he might be that his paradigm is wrong or faulty.

I just have a problem with people dropping baggage on everyone else to protect themselves. I make it a point not to tar every JW in the entire organization with the actions of the few that hurt me. It continues to hurt me that I'm maligned and misunderstood by those few, in the process of being shunned. It hurts me even more when I'm continued to be pigeonholed by those who have no understanding of me as a person and individual on a forum such as this.

It hurts me when I have read the stories of many on these forums who have been through way more crap than I have and haven't spent their time maligning and going on witch hunts for JWs that caused them harm and they are also lumped into this description because someone else feels the need to do it. That someone sees their own perspective without *seeming* to have an iota of empathy for others and their position, carelessly boxing them in a slot and making them out to be something he doesn't know for sure if they are.

So for me, I'll stop. I think making labels and judging people is wrong. I don't think anyone here should be allowed to judge others. However, all that being said, I'll leave my comment at that and hope that slim can figure out what real life is all about before he causes hurt to others.

My 2 cents.

37

A Poem for Jehovah's Witnesses and Apostates

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

in broken images he is quick, thinking in clear images; .

i am slow, thinking in broken images.

i become sharp, mistrusting my broken images, .

CeriseRose

So you are the only one who doesn't know if they have the truth and therefore are in a labelled classification all by yourself.

Got it.

I'd probably be giving that a different label...

28

The Most Unkind Cut From An Elder/ MS..

by Englishman in

jw
friends

.

this was mine:.

"you're a brand rescued from the burning..in israel you would have been stoned to death..get down on your hands and knees, get your head hard down on the carpet and beg jehovah for forgiveness".. they don't tell you about that sort of thing when you first have a bible study.. englishman.. .

CeriseRose

The two I can think of weren't elders but their wives. Both were after my Mom died.

The first...my Mom lived 5 hours away from me and I worked full time. For the last few months of her life, I travelled to see her every other weekend, missing weekend service and meetings. In addition, the KH was in the middle of renovations so instead of a Thursday night school and service meeting, it was moved to Friday, which I missed because of the visits (I did go to other congregations' meetings as I could, but everyone didn't know about it...my bookstudy conductor and his assistant - both elders - did). However, everyone in my KH knew Mom was in her final stages. After she died and I made it to a meeting, this elder's wife approached me deliberately and asked me if I was in the congregation. Surprised, I said yes. She said "Well, we never see you." I responded that I'd been out of town visiting my Mom who passed away. She said "Yes, I heard about that." and walked away without another word.

The second...after feeling the love from comments like that, combined with the horrific social anxiety I was experiencing, I was having trouble getting to meetings. I -finally- made it to two meetings in a row (Sunday and Thursday). At both, the topic was death. The public talk, the Watchtower both were over 50% about it. The Thursday night school was about the Reasoning Book topics...death. After the school I was overloaded. I was almost hysterical feeling that the comfort and balm I should be feeling there was like salt in the wound. I didn't want to think about death or dying, I wanted something to distract me. I left midway through the two meetings (which was actually a fairly common occurrance in that hall). An elder's wife followed me out of the hall and physically restrained me from leaving...to tell me that no one would help me if I didn't come to meetings, and that included Jehovah.

Talk about kicking someone when they're down...

35

Why remember the bad treatment?

by Joker10 in

jw
friends

there are people who have had bad experiences and don't look back.

but many people on this forum remember it and post about it almost, if not, everyday.

personally, i've had my share of bad moments.

CeriseRose

Wow. 17,000 members.

No wonder the WTBTS website stats don't show a percentage increase or decrease...

55

Signs of the end, are they so clear that we don't see them anymore?

by JH in

jw
friends

7 ?for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another.

8 all these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.

9 ?then people will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name.

CeriseRose

I frequent another message board (nonreligious) and had been away for a few months. I went back and caught up. There was a thread from about a week ago titled "Mt. St. Helen's possibly erupting again...sign of the end?"

I thought it was a joke. It wasn't. It was a poster (who I personally think is nuts, for more reasons than that post) who was seriously contemplating that that one mountain in her local area was a sign of the ending of the world.

I don't look at events in the same light, like a vulture hovering over every news story looking for scraps of the dying system. I will say that I do sometimes see something going on, and wonder if the JWs I knew would be getting their panties in a bunch thinking it's a manifestation of the "sign". Today it's the passing of Terri Shiavo...I'm sure some of them are looking at the comments about religion and politics being too close and thinking that the UN will step in an it will all begin...

37

A Poem for Jehovah's Witnesses and Apostates

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

in broken images he is quick, thinking in clear images; .

i am slow, thinking in broken images.

i become sharp, mistrusting my broken images, .

CeriseRose

You don't know and yet *you* make judgment on others? How do you know that *everyone* who's left JWs believes the same? Or that they don't believe? You don't know if I believe some or none of JW tenet. You don't know if I'm in/out/or what MY circumstance is. I doubt you know everyone on this board to make similar distinction.

Do you believe *all* Iraqi people are one thing and *all* Brits are another? When I hear about a U.K. criminal, should I be lumping YOU in with them, even though I don't know you from Adam? I wouldn't be very mature or thinking to do that now would I? There is a danger to painting people with one brush. History has shown when you do that you can end up with things like genocide, racism, violence, etc. That's not a very healthy attitude you're fostering there in your short-sightedness. Even JWs, for all the other faults, are taught that God is not partial. We're all individuals and it might be in your best interest to learn that...because otherwise you simply come across as petulent and pedantic.

You don't know me (although I did respond to the thread that Valis referenced here) and you didn't bother to respond to my questions there. So as far as I'm concerned, you're not worth much more of my precious time.

17

Those local to Vancouver.

by Mr.D.Frost in

jw
friends

i would very much enjoy meeting up with some of you, to just chill and talk.

as i am reading all these wonderful posts, i wish to put a face to some of these, hear other stories, enlightenments and the such.

CeriseRose

OMG that is bizarre, in a really cool way. :)

My honey grew up in Eastern WA but has lived in Longview/Kelso for the past 5 years or so.

I fell in love with the place pretty much right away. (Although that may have had something to do with him being there too... )

17

Those local to Vancouver.

by Mr.D.Frost in

jw
friends

i would very much enjoy meeting up with some of you, to just chill and talk.

as i am reading all these wonderful posts, i wish to put a face to some of these, hear other stories, enlightenments and the such.

CeriseRose

Oooh, yes I know it's close. I love Powell's books (yes, I'm a reading geek).

As soon as I can cross the border (can't till the visa is approved) I'll be heading into Vancouver/Portland fairly frequently methinks. I'll actually be living in the Longview/Kelso area.

4

Kingdom Hall Decorating

by AuntieJane in

jw
friends

never been in one, but know they are not all exactly alike.

are any pictures hanging in them at all, of jesus, god, etc?.

are there kids' bible story pictures or anything?

CeriseRose

The Assembly hall in our area had lovely painted pictures - scenes from the Bible Stories Book (or Great Teacher?). Bah, my memory sucks.

Anyway they renovated the hall and I cannot for the life of me remember if they kept the pictures.

Kingdom Halls have pretty much nothing. Usually just signage for the year's scripture. In my hall there were two, one in Chinese.