Hi Hubert
What a really interesting topic - At my KH there was a sister who was disfellowshipped for a long number of years. She was disfellowshipped because she couldn't give up smoking, but her daughter and son still attended, as did she - every meeting without fail.
As a kid I used to watch how people would recoil and behave as if she had the plague, terrified that if she spoke to them or vice versa that they would lose valuable Paradise Earth entry points. No-one except her son and daughter spoke to her. Her niece also attended our hall, long with her elder husband and their children. I never saw them speak to her at all during the years I spent at the hall. They were of course fine upstanding dubs who were firmly esconsced in the clique. Little did they know that their son introduced me to cigarettes and almost introduced me to the delights of the opposite sex in later years..hee hee but that's another story......
This sister and her son and daughter were treated like outcasts - they always sat at the back, no doubt because they felt that they were somehow inferior to everyone else and they were the black sheep.
I always thought that this was terribly wrong and when I mentioned this to my JW mum she told me that Sister X had numerous chances to 'reform' but could not uphold the standards required (i.e. in this case - stop smoking), therefore it was really her own fault and this was her punishment.
This sister was also excluded from her son and daughter's weddings etc. It was also ironic that Sister X's own sister 'brought my mum into the truth'. This sister also died a few years after I left the KH and I regret that I never had the chance to apologise for my own part in her treatment, albiet it was a minor one as I was only a kid.
The son and daughter and their families are apparently still faithful attenders - but how they could still belong to an organisation which treated their mother so shabbily is beyond my comprehension.
It just goes to show how big a mind bender the WBTS really is.
FF
Freedom Fighter
JoinedPosts by Freedom Fighter
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What if potential convert sat in back of K.H. and talked w/ shunned j.w.'s?
by hubert ini've been hearing a lot about shunned j.w.
's having to sit in the back of the kingdom halls when they go to meetings.. so, what would happen if a new bible study person went to the kingdom hall for sunday meeting, (or whatever) and sat in the back of the hall, and talked to the shunned j.w.'s?
also, are there always shunned j.w.
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Freedom Fighter
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Freedom Fighter
Nice one badger -
Good to see a kid spared all the crap from the JWs.
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Ozzie's Weekend Poll #116
by ozziepost ing'day fellow weekend posters!.
how's things for you this weekend?
strange turn of events weatherwise here downunder where last week we were "enjoying" 100 degrees fahrenheit and this weekend is now at a miserable 68!!!
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Freedom Fighter
Definitely American - but divinely inspired of course......
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JWs, ex-JWs and Non-JWs
by CeriseRose ini'm going to preface these comments with a disclaimer: in no way am i meaning these observations to be inflamatory, exclusionary, or to devalue anyone.
i believe everyone has a right to their opinion, and observations, and to share themwithin the terms of the board.
i also believe that there is learning to be found from a variety of sources.
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Freedom Fighter
WP
You have summed the whole thing up nicely.
Here's my analogy: this board can be likened to JW soup. All the posters on here are all the different 'ingredients'. This is what gives it the flavour and makes it appetising, just like the 'soup' you would serve to eat. If the ingredients were all the same, then the end result would be both bland and unappealing, therefore, only one type of poster = uninspiring board.
I have found it invaluable to read about different JW experiences to my own - it has really given me a much better insight and made me aware of practices etc. that I would probably never have discovered. We have all been affected by the JWs in one form or another - that's what unites us and brings us here, although I do think it is unfortunate if somehow people's experiences become graded as to 'worthiness' or level of importance.
We all have much to learn from each other - IMO this should be the most important foundation of this board.
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8
TELL ME YOUR LONELY B-DAY STORIES!!
by tresbella inmy 21 birthday was saturday.
goodbye late nights; hello botox!
) i was kinda sad b/c i was hoping this year i would be able to have my first b-day party since i found out through my own research that celebrating them are not wrong.. but i was not able to plan a party or anything (hopefully next year).
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Freedom Fighter
" MY 21 BIRTHDAY WAS SATURDAY.(I KNOW I'M GETTING OLD. GOODBYE LATE NIGHTS; HELLO BOTOX!) "
Jeez Tres - I felt quite spritely until I read that!
Seriously tho - there'll be many more to come and I am sure you will enjoy them all.
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What Kind of Animal are You?
by patio34 inwhat kind of animal are you?.
http://www.animalinyou.com/survey.asp.
i'm a wild dog .
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Freedom Fighter
Well, what d'ya know -
I'm a beaver!
There must be some jokes in there somewhere.....
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Freedom Fighter
Brilliant - one for every day of the year and then some!
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WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON INTELLIGENCE?
by Terry inan intelligent person--describe them for us; what are they and what are they not?.
who are your hero-types of intelligence?
great thinkers, writers, philosophers or ordinary people?
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Freedom Fighter
It is my belief that intelligence can be sub divided into different categories. I have experience of people who are 'academically and scholarly intelligent' but lack common sense. Give them a practical problem to solve and they run a mile, but they could however write a paper about it.
There are many non - academic people who are blessed with a great practical intelligence - like engineers, trades people, the people who take ideas and make them into practical reality. Unfortunately the educational system in the UK places much greater emphasis on academic achievement rather than vocational. This is why we currently have a shortage of decent plumbers, joiners, etc.
The next category I would propose is emotional intelligence. There are people who may be very intellectual and well read, or technically expert but cannot relate to people. This is what happens when these people are made into managers, they are great at their job, but cannot manage staff- I have seen this quite a few times in my own workplace. The person who can tune into and instinctively help others is definitely worth their weight in gold. They always know the right words to say and how to manage potentially stressful situations.
I would say that we should rethink the whole concept of intelligence. For too long it has been defined in a very one dimensional way - this stops us from celebrating the gifts that we all have and often don't classify as intelligence.
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How Did You Describe Awake! On The Door?
by Englishman inwhen i first started selling the mags from door to door i was but a wee lad of 9 years old.
( 9 years old!
what a bleedin' travesty!
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Freedom Fighter
"Good morning. We're just making a brief call on you and your neighbours in the area with our 2 magazines the Watchtower and Awake. The Watchtower deals with Bible subjects and the Awake is just like the Readers Digest and you can have them both for a contribution of 8 pence."
Yup - that's practically word for word what I used to say - the only change was the price - I think it was 50p when I did it. The only difference was that I said, the Watchtower and it's companion magazine the Awake.
There are few memories that make me cringe more than that!
FF
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OMG. I Don't Think That Anyone Here Has Seen One This Big Before.
by Englishman in.
absolutely huge.
englishman.
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Freedom Fighter
Wow!
I can't even imagine what the mpg must be!
FF