Freedom Fighter

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Posts by Freedom Fighter

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  18

  I didn't love God enough to stop smoking

  by embeth2525 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yesterday, i went to visit my friend, who is the jw that i was studying with and i told her about the problems i had had with the other congregation i had been in before.

  i told her about how they had treated me not so very nice and how i had a terrible time, then quitting cigaretts.

  i wasn't able to quit smoking back then, although i have since quit about 3 years now.

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  Freedom Fighter

  Sherry is spot on.
  
  A sister in my old congregation was d/fd just for smoking, which was nothing compared to what the so-called upstanding ones got up to.
  
  Alcohol causes far more damage and heartache than cigarrettes.
  
  FF
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  57

  what sin is facial hair supposed to lead to?

  by little1 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am curious as to why jws aren't allowed to have facial hair.

  and why, then, was it okay for jesus?.

  inquiring minds want to know.. l1

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  Freedom Fighter

  Several of the elderly sisters at our old congo would certainly be in line for a disfellowshippin!
  
  FF
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  32

  How did field service duty affect your zeal for the troof?

  by M.J. in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  did it reinforce your dedication to the cause?

  or did it burden and disillusion you?

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  Freedom Fighter

  In my case it killed any enthusiasm stone dead. Knocking on the door of people I knew, especially school friends, filled me with absolute dread and shame.
  
  I hated every single minute of it, the only time it was bearable was when I partnered my mum and I could refuse point blank to do any speaking at the doors! I am so glad I'll never have to do that again!
  
  FF
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  109

  Pathetic JW Web Site

  by DevonMcBride in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  this guy needs a friend...and a life.

  definitely a few fries short of a happy meal.. http://www.flyinhi.freeservers.com/.

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  Freedom Fighter

  Y'know, having browsed through this site, I agree with Devon 200% on this one. Reeling in the vulnerable at it's worst.
  
  I bet this guy plays the banjo and will soon be engaged to his cousin.
  
  FF
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  23

  More On The Jah-Jireh Homes For Elderly JW's:

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they now have their own web-site here: http://www.jah-jireh.org/index.html.

  click onto the "news" section to see an excerpt from their new promotional video.

  the bit about the 15 grandmothers had me close to tears, i can tell you!.

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  Freedom Fighter

  I had no idea that these homes existed - interesting web site.
  
  Notice the re-emphasis on contributions though. What intrigues me is the impact of any potential religious discrimination laws on their recruitment policies. They will have to provide a very strongly justified case to avoid this, they will no doubt use the Genuine Occupational Requirement route.
  
  They will also have to comply with all aspects of employment legislation regardless of their charitable status, so they must pay the minimum wage.
  
  FF
• 
  10

  THE GOLDEN GIRLS

  by sandy in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  .

  does anyone else love the show as much as i do.. i think it was one of tv's funniest sit-coms.

  i enjoyed it while it was in prime time and i was too young to really understand it.. now, as an adult it is absolutely the one of the funniest shows i have ever seen.

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  Freedom Fighter

  This has to be one of my all time favourite shows. Every character was so well written and acted making it both funny and thought provoking without being preachy. Every episode was as good as the last which is rare for many sitcoms that span a few years.
  
  I see that there is a DVD released in the States - I hope it won't be too long before we get it here in the UK.
  
  
  FF
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  24

  I'm soooooo cold!

  by Evesapple in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  another polar air day, and way too much grey.

  i'm tired of being inside and my son is sick again with a virus, by the time i leave to workout it's dark outside and even colder than earlier....ooooohhhhh i just want to stay under my covers until spring..... anyone else out there surviving this cold???

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  Freedom Fighter

  It's pretty cold over here too - the wind is howling and whipping up a humdinger of a storm. The rain is battering against the windows.
  
  I worship the God of Central Heating.
  
  FF
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  26

  For those of us with active JW parents

  by JustTickledPink in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there seem to a commonality around here about active jw parents shunning us.. my question is: if your parents weren't a jw, do you think they would be normal, act kindly, be a real parent to you?

  or would they still be cold and callused towards you, controlling, etc.

  my thought is this, so many times i used to think i wish my mom wasn't a jw because then i thought she would be this wonderful caring mother that i could go to lunch with, share shopping days with, recipes, and we'd be close.

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  Freedom Fighter

  My mum is still an active JW, although poor health prevents her from going out in field service. She has never shunned me or treated me any differently since I cut my ties with JWs. I suppose when I look back she has been very liberal and has let me get on with my life without too much condemnation.
  Religion has become one of those topics where we agree to disagree, although I have always been resentful about the amount of time spent on JW activity rather than spending more time with me. That's a small gripe compared with how it all could have turned out.
  
  FF
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  39

  Education - How encouraging low self esteem creates better witnesses.

  by BigG in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  funny title you might think but consider this point and apologies if i am covering old ground here...its not intentional.. i was raised by my mother who was and is a devout jw and as such until i was 20 (10 years ago) i was the same...trying my best to fit into the social environment i clearly was not made for but benefiting from good wholesome association with fellow brothers and sisters (note the sarcastic tone...make what you will of it).. althought at the time i didnt realise it but i was what others consider intelligent and quite academically able; i had a mind like a sponge and would spend hours in the jw library at the kh (which surprisingly enough contained non jw literature)...it was this that i read and would digest endlessly where i could.. one of those books (why it was there i dont know), was what i later undertood to be criminal law reports concerning cases that had gone before the courts.

  my childish thirst for knowledge was intrigued...(i was then about 12).

  the legal arguments i hadnt a clue what they meant but the facts surrounding these crimes were good reading.. i then knew i wanted to be a lawyer and that was what i said when an elder asked me what i wanted to do when i grew up; i mentioned trusting this man that i had read a book in the kh library and found it interesting...and that i wanted to be lawyer...i remember him smiling and saying that it was better to pioneer rather than seek a highly paid job...personally i didnt know what he meant properly but i felt a bit sad...and demotivated...i later in the week went back into the library and found the book had gone...!!.

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  Freedom Fighter

  Hi Big G and welcome to the board!
  
  
  What a great post - I remember being in a similar situation myself. I wanted to go on to university and was constantly discouraged or advised to turn my mind towards more spiritual pursuits. What always emerged was the old theme of - well, the world's going to end soon anyway so what's the point.
  
  
  The thought of throwing my potential away to spend my time peddling magazines for a religion I did not believe in caused me many hours of despair. I was greatly heartened when an elder's daughter stood up to her father and went to university. Her penalty? From that point on she was shunned by her father. I often wonder if she stayed in the troof or finally broke away.
  
  
  The irony of it all was that there were several brothers who all held good jobs, and they were not expected to downsize their comfortable lifestyles in keeping with spiritual goals. However, the peons were not supposed to set their sights too high.
  
  
  This scenario was the final straw for me - I was determined not to be cheated out of the rest of my life and face a life of what might have been. There are so many intelligent people on this board who have suffered because of this and have not been able to fulfil their educational goals. That is a real social crime.
  
  
  This also reminds me of the way the main Christian religions ruled by fear, as the people were so uneducated that they didn't challenge what they were being fed, despite the often non sensical beliefs that they were forced to uphold. How ironic that the JWs have adopted the same principles of the very same organiations that they revile so much.
  
  
  FF
• 
  160

  Say Something Jehovah's Witnessy........

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know there's no such word as "witnessy" but this can be a fun thread.

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  Freedom Fighter

  LOL - I love threads like this!

  How about - 'Buying out the opportune time' " I haven't seen So and So for a while, I think they have, (cue hushed tones), fallen away "

  FF