I believe that the witnesses do use terroristic tactics. And not just mind control. They might not personally threaten to take your life, they do however teach that if you don't follow their rules the god that they serve will destroy your soul. IMO, that is much worse. As a christian, I value my soul more than the life of my body.
As a side note: Anyone who believes that the JWs are non-violent and do not make actual death threats didn't grow up in my family.
Ciara 
drinking and driving?
my cousin (non-jw) died in a car accident related to a drunken driver in my mid-teen years ?
he was very cool, i miss him.
I have in the past, but it just isn't worth it anymore. Actually, I don't drink that much anymore since I left the witnesses. My life dosen't suck enough to need it most of the time, now.
Ciara
.
i started buying cds back in 1991. i haven't counted them lately, but i believe my collection is hovering somewhere around 500. how many do you own (not including burned ones)?.
i've also got about 100 (prerecorded) cassettes, about 150 lps, and 100 (pre-recorded) 8-tracks.
I don't think I can count high enough to tell you. 
I know I've had small CD avalanches in my living room on occasion.
Ciara
this was mentioned at the service meeting.. but, it should be worrying to the society, not as wonderful as it may sound.
the number getting baptized each year is shrinking rapidly.. at one time, they boasted of baptizing 1000 dubs a day which equals to 365,000 dubs.
this was back in 1997.. at the dc this year, it was 5,000 a week.
But, it should be worrying to the Society, not as wonderful as it may sound. The number getting baptized each year is shrinking rapidly.
All this means to them is that armageddon is closer.
Ciara
utah law dictates that concealed weapons are allowed in a church, unless the church has posted a written ban at the entrance, or has registered with the state as a "restricted zone.".
us constitutional issues obviously come into play here, and even opinions about self-defense in unknown situations.
one person said: "what better invitation to a terrorist to attack a church than to let it be known far-and-wide that there are no weapons for self-defense in that church?".
I carry my pistol everywhere, unless specifically prohibited, including church. I don't believe that God expects me to be defenseless. Also, there are 4 cops in our church and they carry guns at all times(on and off duty). But, that being said, I don't think with all the instability about terrorism, that it's a good idea for the media to go announcing that you can tote a gun into certain places.
Ciara
> one afternoon a man came home from work to find total mayhem in his house.. >.
> his three children were outside, still in their pajamas,playing in the mud,.
> with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.. >.
I like it, simplesally. 
Ciara
i finally dumped aol after seven years.
for the last year i've had cable modem service....much faster...and my use of aol declined to almost nothing.
i finally dumped them and their slow crappy service.
AOL is of the devil!!!!!!!!!!
Ciara
P.S. It really is a b**ch to get off your system.
my mom is an ex jw and was disfellowshipped in 1980. she is worried about my upcoming plans to picket the convention, she is afraid that i will get arrested and lose my job.
i told her this is basically something i feel i have to do and the only way to get this off my chest and feel a sense of satisfaction.
i assured her i wouldnt scream or cuss at people but would act civilized and pass out flyers concerning several issues.
talk about some gnashing of the teeth, trying to draw others after them and how they leave us YET THEY STILL WANT TO BE WITH US- instead of moving on with their life, , since typical former jw protesters dont protest with a SMILE ON thier face, the speaker will point out LOOK- HOW ANGRY or sad THEY ARE, FOAMING AT THE MOUTh , SHOUTING out at their former brosif the postester just stand there holding a sign or passing out tracts he would say: they say they want freedom and don't want to do field service yet they are doing Street corner witneesing right now just on the wrong side of the issue and will get no reward-
and a good speaker would take a Protester like this person here and make him the POSTER CHILD of why not to leave the org
so during lunch or at the end of the day, the jw will leave MORE RESOLVED THAN ever to remain faithful to jehovah's visible organization- smile
JT:
1. No one ever said that JG was going to go out and shake his fists and frown at them, and I just can't see him "foaming at the mouth" either. For one thing, that's quite silly. Also, I think JG is intelligent enough to draw the line at "the right to a peaceful protest". That's all we're talkin' about here.
2. "they don't want to do field service yet they are doing Street corner witneesing right now just on the wrong side of the issue and will get no reward- "
There is a big difference between preaching something that you don't believe in, and preaching something that is going to help you regain your inner peace.
3. People like JG that spoke out against the JW's are the ones that helped me start questioning my beliefs, and later to break away.
Ciara
i've been thinking about this guy i used to know when i was a jw.
we went to school together and were in the same congregation.
he was fading, but one day me and my dad were passing a convenience store and we saw him smoking outside.
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply.
I would love to apologise to him, but I have been unsucessful in finding him so far.
If you're out there, Anthony, I'm sorry. 
Ciara
i've been thinking about this guy i used to know when i was a jw.
we went to school together and were in the same congregation.
he was fading, but one day me and my dad were passing a convenience store and we saw him smoking outside.
I've been thinking about this guy I used to know when I was a JW. We went to school together and were in the same congregation. He was fading, but one day me and my dad were passing a convenience store and we saw him smoking outside. Now, previously the elders had no grounds to DF him, since they had no proof of his "wrongdoing". We only had 3 elders and dad was one of them so he made me testify in the JC. I felt bad about it because after he was DF'ed his parents shunned him and eventually he went into the military. I suppose he had nowhere else to go. He had been a witness nearly all his life.
I really wish I had refused to testify. But, then again, maybe I did him a favor. I haven't seen him in about 6 years or so.
Have any of you ever had to participate in someone else's JC. If so, how do you feel about it now?
Ciara
