Posts by Confession

20

Counsel by school overseer...

what was your worst point of counsel?

i think for most men, it was gesturing to an audience while trying to make it look natural.

i remember writing on my notes to gesture and to speak slowly... what was your hardest point of counsel to work on?.

I'll give this from the reverse perspective: as the School Overseer. I still believe that the TMS Guidebook is not a bad publication for anyone beginning to speak in public. The problem is that oftentimes the Overseers were not particularly good public speakers themselves--and often didn't understand what the book was saying--or how to give someone else counsel. But that's probably not unlike any local chapter of Toastmasters, is it? They did their best.

I too had a hard time giving negative counsel--especially when the person giving the talk was twice my age--and had enormous experience in public speaking. The toughest one came when a fellow elder's wife was being counseled on "Personal Appearance." Under the subheading "Proper Attire and Grooming," it has quite a lot to say about not dressing in a way that would draw attention to oneself, mentioning that women should exercise all due modesty. The elder's wife was certainly not the flashy sort. Very introverted and sweet. But she would ALWAYS wear a dress or skirt with a slit that HAD to rise to within an inch of her vagina. She would ALWAYS cross her legs in such a way as the main part of the dress or skirt would simply fall away under the table, exposing both of her legs in a way that (trust me) you're just not used to seeing on a Kingdom Hall stage. (They were pretty hot, by the way. Allow me a moment to calm down... (pause) Okay, I'm back.)

Anyway, during her entire talk, as I was looking over the info from the Guidebook, I began to get really nervous--because (y'know) I was supposed to be specifically counseling her on her appearance. How ON EARTH could I possibly tell her to cover her legs and thighs up more in front of the entire Kingdom Hall? I did EXACTLY as the other contributor mentioned: "Well it looks like we're running a bit short on time; we'll just give you your counsel after the meeting." Then I quickly went to another older elder for his suggestions. He just smiled, agreed that it was a difficult spot, and left it to me. She finally approached me, and asked very kindly if I was going to give her her counsel. I stared at her for about three seconds, debating what to do. Then I completely caved, saying, "Oh, I marked you "Good" on that Sister. Nice talk!"

21

Who is this 'Pistol-Packing Cutie' on the cover of the Watchtower?

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

a nice guy named robert de vrije has put a link to his site - http://websitemaker.kennisnet.nl/jehoshuafellowship/index.htm - over at thewatchtower.org.

i can't read dutch so the site is useless to me except for the fact that i am drawn to this wondrful mock-up!.

i don't know why clint eastwood is there or what the significance of the gunslinging girlie is but i love it!.

Confession

This is hilarious. For those of you caught off guard as I was, I'm pretty sure this is a joke. I highly doubt the Society would feature multiple photos of Clint Eastwood--or Joan Blondell--on it's cover. LOL!

10

Almost 3 Decades of Same UN Criteria!

by Voyager in

also, under the heading at the bottom of the page: current legislation: we read, "such arrangements may be made with international organizations and, where appropriate, with national organizations (after consultation) with the member of the united nations concerned.".

1.3 current legislation .

the article states that the ecosoc may make arrangements for both national and international ngos: .

Confession

Having come to understand that my family and I have (for more than 60 years) been subject to a cult, high-control group, etc. only for the last seven months or so, I'll give you my take on this issue. I've thoroughly researched the Watchtower/NGO issue, and certainly see the irony. Similarly I can see why current Watchtower adherents would be able to make a case that all this hubbub is opportunistic faultfinding. But...

We are talking about an organization that itself demands its followers exercise an unusual degree of caution regarding association or affiliation. An organization that--perhaps more than all others--emphasizes separateness from "the world," even denying JWs certain privileges for their association with those they call "worldly." So I AM going to hold the WT Society's feet to the fire on this. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Perhaps better put, what's good for the rank and file should certainly be good for those who purport to be the true God's "sole channel of communication."

What would the Society's Service Department have to say about an individual Witness having such a close, official affiliation with, say, a certain Catholic church for so many years? And which is more reprehensible from the Society's perspective? A single church--or The Wild Beast itself?

Do I think the NGO thing would, under any usual circumstances, be a big deal? Not at all. BUT when it's the organization that ITSELF demands the type of blind, staunch separation from its "little people," they deserve to be exposed for gross hypocrisy.

92

Compiling List-Trivial Items People Are Counseled Against

by love2Bworldly in

jw
friends

i hope this is not a repeat of past threads and i hope to get a lot of response.

i am compiling info of how people are treated within the wts.

i just read the post about a person being counseled for having baby shower games.

Confession

We had an 82-year old P.O. who discouraged get-togethers among friends outside of meetings and service. I was a brand new, 29 year old elder at the time, and there were other elders in their 40s and 50s who would challenge him on it, saying we NEEDED to spend time together. He would say things like...

These folks get into TROUBLE at these get-togethers. Why, one time they were havin' Watchtower studies at each others' houses--and IMMORALITY BROKE OUT!!!

One of the elders who'd been around for awhile said...

Bob, that was ONE time in 1962...

I piped in, saying...

Yeah, I wasn't even born back then.

It didn't seem to faze him. He was usually a fun fellow outside of the meetings, but very RARELY came to any social gatherings. I always remember how he couseled two young sisters when we were both in a meeting with them. He was trying to emphasize the need to keep our mouths shut about sharing sensitive matters with other friends. He asked one of them...

"How many people have you told?"

"One."

Turning to the other, he asked, "How many people have YOU told?"

"One," she also replied.

Then he very seriously held up the index fingers of both hands so they were pointing up and together. He said, "You told one person, and you told one person. Now you know how many people know about it?"

They shook their heads...

With fingers still in the air, forming two numeral ones, he replied, "ELEVEN!!"

One time, when questioning a couple of young ones about whether they'd been involved in immorality while alone together in an apartment for a long time, he asked them...

"What are we supposed to think you two were doin' in there? Whittlin' little men outta wood?!"

15

Rhapsody

by seattleniceguy in

jw
friends

i've just signed up for rhapsody, the online subscription music service, and i have to say, it is pretty cool.

for those that are unfamiliar with the service, in a nutshell it is this:listen to any music you want streaming to your computer from their collection of 1 million songs and 60,000 artistsmonthly fee is $9.95purchase tracks to burn to cd for $0.79 each.

first, i have to say that i have never been a fan of real networks, and had i known that rhapsody was their invention before i downloaded, frankly, i may have let that prejudice affect me.

Confession

Curious, folks... What has been your experience with filesharing sites such as Limewire? I find I'm able to download whatever I need free of charge. Do you consider it risky? Thanks in advance.

11

What is a JW Apologizer?

by the good life in

jw
friends

i'm new here and only studied for 6 months before quitting, due to being told i had to give up my worldly friends so i could "cultivate my christian conscience" i have been reading the posts here and think i made the right decision.

can some one tell me though exactly what is a jw apologizer?

i never heard of that before.

Confession

steve2,

you killed me softly with your song...

wow

12

The Watchtower - taking the "personal" out of choice

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

when is a personal choice not a personal choice?

when it's hobson's choice.. .

dictionary.com defines hobson's choice as this:.

Confession

During the Service Meeting on Wednesday, our local Pharisee Elder gave the part about attending the convention. With reference to name badges, he really drove home the point about needing always to wear it. He attempted to define every situation in which you might be tempted to remove it. For instance, he said...

When you go to a restaurant, it's not uncommon for some of us brothers to want to take off your suit coat. Well that's okay, but you shoud, then, remove your name badge from your suit coat and pin it to the front of your shirt.

He then asked the congregation when would be the ONLY possible time it would be acceptable not to wear your name badge. Another elder raised his hand, was called on and replied...

ONLY if you decide to go swimming in the hotel pool.

Then he emphasized the point the Kingdom Ministry made about children sitting with their parents. He asked the audience what age the Society has told us that a person is still considered "a child." A sister answered "18." He looked up with a disappointed expression on his face and said...

No, actually older than that. The Society has told us that raising our children is a twenty-year job. So if you are age 20 or under, you should be sitting with your parents. You should simply ask them where they are sitting, and then go put your books down next to their seats.

20

Are You/ Were You Careful To Follow Rules??

by minimus in

jw
friends

when we were in the organization, i noticed that some persons wanted rules.

needed them!

there are people in society that also feel secure when they have stricter rules than not.

Confession

Wow... I've been wating for a chance to comment on something like this. Have you ever studied Human Temperament? It's basically the Myers-Briggs stuff, and while it irritated me in the beginning, the more I learned the more fascinated I became.

Here's how it shakes out: about 40% of the population are Guardians, 40% Artisans, 12% Idealists, and 8% Rationals. Guardians are basically defined as Concrete Cooperators. They are the Supervisors, Inspectors, Providers and Protectors we find in society. They want to be seen as dependable, beneficent and respectable. They are the people among us who promote the institutions of society, the ones who always remind us that if we don't follow the rules everything will go to heck in a handbasket.

The good thing about Guardians? They dutifully get stuff done and look after people. The bad thing? If you're not careful, and too great a percentage of them come to be in control, you get Pharisees. Yes, they like rules. And why not? In the absence of rules you have chaos. Where is the balance? I'd say the goal is to have just enough rules to prevent chaos--and just few enough not to restrict the freedom of individuals. That balance though may be defined differently by all of us. The idea is that if enough of us (with our accompanying temperaments) are involved in making decisions within a nation, community or organization, that a balance is struck. The problem? It's the Guardians who are usually the ones who volunteer to oversee, manage and direct groups of people. So a disproportionate amount of them come to be in public office, in managerial positions and, yes, at the helm of a religious organization.

Now I know most of you may have done more study about the history of WTS, but I've done a bit myself. For the great majority of C.T. Russell's life, he seemed to be pretty hands off. Thinking that the term "organization" was something to beware of. Saying that he recognized as "brother" anyone who professed a belief in Jesus Christ--and who endeavored to act in accord with God's spirit (or something like that.) But, as invariably happens when any organization starts to get too big... Problems develop, disunity occurs. Enter J.F. Rutherford. You can bet just as many of us today recoil at his tactics, there were many who felt the same way back then. But, despite his methods, a number of people liked the way he cracked the whip, the way he took charge. It seemed to shut people up a bit. And you can bet that a huge percentage of the people who appreciated Rutherford were Guardians--the people who nearly always vote in favor of organizational unity, more rules, life definitions clearly laid.

And that's what we've got today, isn't it? When an elder body (or a Governing Body) sits around the big table and votes on something, who wins? The people warning that too many rules create the environment of restriction that Jesus Christ sought to vanquish? Or the people who vote for MORE rules, in the name of caring for the friends, in the supposed best interest of others, and to support commitment to the organization? Well, when the body is 60 to 80% Guardians, unfortunately the latter argument nearly always wins.

3

Limited Release of Silentlambs archive material

by Dogpatch in

limited release of archival material

30 days only 4/15/05 - 5/15/05 archive # 2

pat garza publicly accuses ted jaracz of molesting her as a child on the front steps of 25 columbia heights, brooklyn, ny.

Confession

Randy,

Help me out here... Forgive me, but I can't for the life of me understand how to access this limited release. Do I tune into a TV network? Is that what CBMT is? I notice the mention of 6, 9 and 10pm, but when? Is it really every day 4/15 - 5/15/05? Can I view this from a website?

Thanks in advance...

13

Calling All Ex Witnesses

by FiveShadows in

jw
friends

it's me again...most of you don't remember me, but i am in need of personal experiences and comments that you may help me out with.

i met someone online who has apparently turned out to be a good associate of mine.

however, she has informed me that though she has her own beliefs and hates religion itself, she does like to get different perspectives on what people believe.

Confession

You absolutely have permission, Jaffacake. Thank you for your comments.