The money lost while in the Watch Tower was material and thus insignificant. But the time we wasted was important. If we made converts then we caused spirtual harm to those we ensnared.
Athanasius
Athanasius
JoinedPosts by Athanasius
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Total Cost
by JH inif you could get back all the money you spent with the jehovah witness, would it addup to alot.
you can count, clothing, gas money, donations, books,magazines,hotel rooms for out of town assemblies, and just about everything you had to purchase to be a j.w.
edited by - jh on 23 november 2002 20:58:29 .
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Are There Any Episcopalians Out There?
by Robdar inokay, the episcopalians are out to convert me.
i have recently made a couple of new friends, both episcopalian, and they are eager for me to attend one of their services.
they have nothing but good things to say about their church and its members.
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Athanasius
Hi Robdar,
I am an Episcopalian and it is good to see that you are going to give the Episcopal Church a try. However, there can be significant differences between each parish. Some are Anglo-Catholic, where the Mass is sung and incense is used. If your friend is taking you to an Anglo-Catholic service you will find it very similar to the Roman Catholic Mass. If you attend a Charismatic church, they will follow the service as outlined in the Book Of Common Prayer, but some of the parishoners may act like Pentecostals. There are also traditional parishes that use the old 1928 Prayer Book. The beauty of our church is the variety.
The parish that I attend uses the New Zealand Prayer Book in the service. It is slightly different than the American version of the Book of Common Prayer. Though I am Anglo-Catholic, I do enjoy the folk Mass that we have on ocasion. It may be somewhat Charismatic, but its nice to experience change now and then.
Enjoy the experience, Robdar.
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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Do you "LOTTO" or Gamble now that u r...
by breeze in.
i love the greyhounds and the horses...... i need to hit the lotto, just to help all of my kids - grandkids?
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Athanasius
Of course I play the Lotto. I play bingo too. Thats one of the sacraments of the church.
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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Who is the best looking, most intelligent,
by Dutchie inbest dressed, wittiest, sweetest, nicest woman who posts on this forum?.
it's eyegirl .
the fact that she sent me the best christmas gift that arrived in the mail today, to my total and complete surprise and delight, has absolutely nothing to do with my assessment of this person!
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Athanasius
Sorry to disagree with you all, but Robdar is my choice for best looking and most intelligent.
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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funny field service moments anyone...
by hannibal inout in feild service many years ago a freind of mine was at the .
door with a middle aged mentally challanged guy from the hall,.
it was his turn to give a presentation and being challenged he.
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Athanasius
Does anyone remember the special Kingdom News Tract work of the 1970s? Well I was in this car group working rural territory with the Watch Tower's life saving message. We drove up to this house in the woods and the householder was out in the front yard taking a shower. Of course he was naked as a jay bird. Fortunately it wasn't my turn to present the Tract. So Terry, whose turn it was, got out and presented the tract to the guy, who was of course all soaped up and dripping wet. Terry said that the Tract had a special message and that he would leave it for the man to read. Then as Terry turned to leave he said: "By the way we're Witnesses." The man replied: "You sure are."
When we got back to the KH after service we related the experience to one of the older sisters. She got real excited and said: "Oh, I wish I had been there."
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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How many times have you been Baptized??
by refiners fire ini was baptized twice in the witness organization.
twice within three years.
as an explanation, my old man made me get baptized the first time under threat of physical violence.
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Athanasius
I was baptised twice. First as a JW, and then as an Episcopalian.
Athanasius
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Have you joined another religion?
by freedom96 ini don't think i will never join another organized religion.
that being said however, i have enjoyed going on occasion to non-denominational churches, watching the band play music, and the speaker.
if you did or would attend another church regularly, which one would you go to and why?
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Athanasius
After leaving the JWs in 1984 I attended a number of churches, including the Unitarian Universal. However, in 1987 I began attending Episcopal services. In 1991 I was confirmed and received into the Church. The Episcopal Church has been very helpful to me. However, I can only speak for myself. Others who have left the Watch Tower have chosen different spiritual paths. You have to find what works for you.
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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Why the Ambivalence?
by Robdar infor the past day or two, i have been having conflicting feelings of hatred and then nostalgia for the org.
after reading bay64me's thread entitled "crisis of wardrobe!
", i fondly recalled shopping for those dowdy dresses, trying to find the perfect match between what i liked and what the society dictated for me to wear.
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Athanasius
Hi Robdar,
It is not uncommon for individuals who have left an authoritarian movement to have nostalgic feelings toward the group from which they exited. Former Communists and Nazis have expressed similar thoughts. Though I never get nostalgic about the Watch Tower, there was a special camaraderie that we experienced as JWs. We were part of an elite unit facing overwhelming odds, but since God was on our side we knew that we would prevail. While I don't miss this either, several ExJWs have expressed to me alonging for the old comradeship of the Organization.
While I left in 1984, I don't recall the women in the KH that I attended wearing dowdy dresses. Most of them dressed up in the latest fashion. This may have agitated the strict constructionist elements in the congregation who were very concerned about what they considered to be the proper length of a woman's skirt. However, since I haven't attended my old KH in almost 20 years, the women there may have changed their style of dress to conform to whatever the Watch Tower dictates.
Though I don't have any warm feelings for my former religion, I do like to occasionally attend a KH or two in another state where the local JWs don't know me. I dress conservatively with a cross or an American flag pin in my lapel and act like a person interested in the JW religion. The meetings haven't changed; they are just as boring as they were when I left. But once the service is over the JWs will love bomb you. Then have some fun. Ask them questions like: What is a "system of things?" That's a term unique to the JWs, and it puts them at ease because they think that you don't have a clue about their belief structure. The JWs have fun too because they are counting time for their effort at witnessing to you.
But, Robdar, there is nothing odd or wrong with having fond memories of your former church, even an authoritarian religion like the JWs. After all the Watch Tower did train us to be effective public speakers.
Sincerely,
Athanasius
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Athanasius
Way to long. Should have left sooner.
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Do You Think The Society Will Ever Go Broke?
by minimus inif the local congregations have no money to pay their own bills and the numbers of witnesses continue to drop off, how will the society last?
we've heard about down sizing and layoffs.
we've seen congregations merge because the bills aren't getting paid.
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Athanasius
I don't see the money issue bringing the WT Society down. It will have a negative effect upon their operations. However, it may result in positive changes to their doctrinal structure. Maybe they will finally realize that their shunning policy is not only losing them donations, but also eating up their existing resources.
Sincerely,
Athanasius