Athanasius

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Posts by Athanasius

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  42

  Friday DC Releases

  by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  end of morning program, dvd video released: "the wonders of creation reveal god's glory".

  end of afternoon program, announced upcoming release of a new songbook: "sing to jehovah".

  excuse me while i go barf now.. b the x.

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  Athanasius

  What color is the new song book? When will it replace the baby sh_t brown song book?
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  2

  about mormons

  by megaflower in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  does anyone know how they treat a house when they get someone home.

  do they consider it a retun visit as the jw's do.

  my nephew encountered some mormons today(got a call from sis) as she saw him talking to them when she returned home.

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  Athanasius

  Two Mormon Missionaries called on me today. They asked if I had the Book of Mormon, and I told them that I did and though I appreciated their call I told them that I was Episcopalian and my wife is Russian Orthodox and that we are both satisfied with our church families. They weren't pushy like the JWs and didn't try to leave me any literature. Interestingly they asked if I needed any help around the place, as I own almost 4 acres. This is something the JWs would never ask. In fact during the ten years that I've lived here the JWs have never called.
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  25

  What Is Your Favorite TV Program?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is there any show you try to make sure you don't miss?.

  when the sopranos was on, i religiously watched that show every sunday night.

  is it me or has tv become mostly boring?.

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  Athanasius

  Lost.
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  35

  This Thread Is For Elders & Those Affected By Them

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as an ex- elder, i can look back and see all the power and control we had as "shepherds".

  when i was an elder i genuinely tried to comply with anything "mother" demanded of us.

  i would reason that since "mother knows best", i would comply with the organization, even if it didn't quite seem so fair or right.. as time went by, i could not help but see the unfairness of soooo many rules and regulations.

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  Athanasius

  Like several other posters, I was also 26 when first appointed an elder. Though there were seven elders, including myself, on the BOE, three of us had been to college. I had two years of college at the time, another elder was a college graduate, and the third had served as an officer in the Marine Corps during WWII. Interestingly the three of us formed the liberal wing on the BOE. However, the longer I served the more liberal and independent I became. Since I didn't suck up the the CO, during my 12 years as an elder I only had one Circuit Assembly part even though I was considered a good public speaker.

  The former Marine officer and I served on several JCs together during which we handed down compassionate decisions. Of course these decisions were criticized by the more strict elders, and during the CO's visit we were also criticized for being too liberal.

  In the spring of 1984 the elder who was a college graduate was deleted as an elder. About that time I read Crisis of Conscience and realized that I could no longer in good conscience serve as an elder. I resigned in September of that year and faded.

  Unfortunately most of those whom we dealth with in a compassionate manner during JC meetings are still JWs.
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  54

  What Did You Do With All Your Watchtower Publications?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i needed room when i moved so i sadly threw my entire library away.

  i mentioned this to an exjw.

  he and his wife took all the hundreds of books, including bound volumes from the 1800s and are now using them for research and proof of watchtower lies.. what did you do with your books?.

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  Athanasius

  When I left the JWs in 1984 I had the Watchtower bound volumes going back to 1962. Since the Watchtower had ripped me off, I felt that I should get some money back at least. So I sold the collection to a JW Ministerial Servant for $120. I had some reprints of Russell's books which he also bought. I didn't tell him that the Russell reprints were published by the "Evil Slave." Why throw away trash that somebody will pay good money for.
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  10

  Baptism valid or not?

  by RaraAvis in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am curious to those of you who were baptised as jws and who have left the organization, but still consider yourselves christians, do you consider your baptism valid?

  how many of you out there felt the need to be rebaptised?.

  ra.

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  Athanasius

  I was only 9 years old when I was baptised as a JW and didn't really know what I was doing at the time. However, back then the JWs were still baptising in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So when I decided to be received into the Episcopal Church, I asked my priest about Baptism and he said that there was no re-baptism, that you were baptised or you weren't baptised. However, he recommended that I get a second opinion, so I visited another Episcopal priest who said basically the same thing. However, he said that if my JW Baptism bothered me, then I could be "Conditionally Baptised," a sacrament for those who didn't know if they had been baptised or not. Generally this was for adults who weren't sure if they had been baptised as infants.

  Therefore, I was Conditionally Baptised, confirmed, and received into the Church. Nevertheless, I don't consider my JW Baptism as valid.
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  39

  Sunday School Teacher Indicted for Murder and Rape - Still Lots of ?????

  by flipper in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  as some of you may have heard about the tragic rape and death of an 8 year old sandra cantu here in california in the town of tracy - there are still a lot of unanswered questions which beg to be answered and indeed the young girl's brutal murder cries out for an answer.. in case you missed it, to sum up briefly this young girl went missing from her mobile home park the end of march and for about 10 days the police and volunteers put on a massive manhunt .

  then finally after 10 days some farmworkers found sandra's body in a suitcase in an irrigation pond only about 2 miles from her home.

  search warrants were put out and neighbors were questioned including a baptist minister , his wife, and his 28 year old grandaughter melissa huckaby whose 5 year old daughter played with sandra all the time.

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  Athanasius

  Hi Flip.

  BizzyBee's scenario seems the most logical, that Ms. Huckaby accidentally killed the girl in a fit of anger and tried to cover it up by making it look like a kidnapping and sexual assault by an unknown perpretrator. She may be a mother, but mothers killing their own children are not that uncommon these days.

  Nevertheless, women are capable of heinous crimes. During World War II some of the women concentration camp guards were more brutal and sadistic than the men.
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  47

  Have you joined a new religious organisation since leaving the JW's?

  by Wee John in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  since leaving the jw's did you actively seek out another organisation, or did it find you?.

  .

  have you found yourself apathetic to all religions?.

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  Athanasius

  Left the JWs in 1984 of my own volition. For a couple of years I didn't attend any religious services. Beginning in 1987 I attended a variety of religious services, Independent Bible Students, New Age, Unitarian, Conservative and Reform Synagogues, Roman Catholic, and Unity before being received and confirmed into the Episcopal (Anglican) Church in 1991.
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  27

  Did people with those signs outside the assemblies and meetings strengthen or weaken your beliefs?

  by BonaFide in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  whenever i saw people with signs against the witnesses outside the assemblies, it always strengthened my belief that the witnesses were right.. what about you?.

  bf.

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  Athanasius

  It depended on the sign and the people displaying them. If their arguements were based on what we as JWS were taught was a mis-interpretation of Scripture, I would ignore them. However, those that brought up Watchtower scandals from the past, did perk my interest. However, it was reading Crisis of Conscience that really got me out of the JW religion.
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  4

  Attended Episcopal Wedding Ceremony Last Month

  by Athanasius in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone.. yes, i attended an episcopal wedding service last month.

  my russian fiancee and i finally tied the knot.

  we had a beautiful service.

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  Athanasius

  Hi St. Ann. Did the elder who performed your wedding ceremony at the KH give the audience a lecture about others not kissing the bride, throwing rice, etc.? My ex-wife and I were married at the KH in the 1960s and that was something that was in the wedding talk outline I think. Anyway, its so good to be free of all those rediculous Watchtower rules. What was nice about our church wedding was that my priest made it very personal. It was about my wife and I and God and our happiness. Not like the Watchtower infomercial that we had to endure at a KH wedding.

  Sorry that during your wedding ceremony at the KH you had to come down the aisle to the tune of the Shulamite Remnant. My ex-wife marched down the aisle to Praise Jah With Me. Watchtower hymns are so, well difficult to sing, terrible to listen to, and, and a number of other things better left unsaid.

  Isn't it nice to be free of Watchtower bondage.