Posts by Balsam

60

What Was The Stupidest Rule In Your Hall?

by minimus in

jw
friends

....or even, "what's the stupidest organizational rule that you know of"?

Balsam

The multitude of rules they had for men's haircuts, no beards, sometimes even no mustaches. No colored shirts woren by anyone on the plateform. Poor guys they always caught it I thought. I had a husband and 3 sons and it seemed the boys were always targets for being criticized for their hair, or clothing , even their shoes.

Not being able as an adult to go see an R rated movie even though it might have a historical subject, like Rob Roy movie, or Last of the Mochicans. I was so glad when they came out with VCRs, then we could watch what we wanted without sneaking around.

Or how about how many holes you can have in your ears for ear piercings? Our congregation was no more than two per ear. One Elders wife though was scrutinized because she had 4 in each ear before she arrived in our congregation. LOL

Men having to wear a shirt and tie,in the door to door even when it was hot as blazes outside.

Women not being allowed to wear slacks out in service when it was freezing cold outside.

Pioneers, Elders wifes must be an example to the congregation in proper behavior at all times. And Elders too. Ministerial servants. We know darn well hardly anyone did this. If they did they were so up tight and anal they were horrible to be around.

84

Chilling experience

by TallTexan in

o.k....most people that know me know me to be a rational and logical person not prone to hype or the sensational.

nor am i infatuated with the supernatural as many jw's/ex-jw's are/were.

with that said, let me relate what happened to me at work last night.. on saturday night, we had four bad burns come in.

Balsam

Everyone is a skeptic until they have a personal experience with someone who has passed. That is what changes peoples minds. As JW's we were told that only demons appear to people pretending to be lost loved ones. Funny that the bible does not support such a notion. That is no where in the bible at all. That is a notion made up by the WTS to keep people fearful. Fear is the greatest enemy of a open and reasoning mind.

TallTexan,

Your experience was special a gift to you. To know that the pain is gone and is not carried on after death, and that people consciousness continues right on through the body is dead. What a comfort that can be for dying people, instead of being afraid of death.

Balsam

45

Could C T Russell been gay and hid behind a sexless mariage?

by frankiespeakin in

i mean could that be the reason behind no sex with maria he had a boy friend like that guy menta sturgeon.. from his account of his last days with russell seem quite emotionally attached december1 1916:.

http://www.ctrussell.us/::r6001 : page 360::.

after several hours his robe proved to be rather inconvenient, because the sheet and blanket could not be kept together.

Balsam

Wouldn't it be great if Maria had a diary and told the story of her marriage to Charles Taze. Who knows it make be locked up in the secret vaults of the WTS brought from her family after her death.

Oh just my imagination running away with it self. I smell a story that we will never know though but I bet it is a good one.

Balsam

52

Hello Everyone . . .(Questions)

by Frobrisher in

this is my first post here, though i have been browsing these forums over the last week for more than a few hours.

in the interest of full discloser, well as much as anyone would on a public forum, i?ll tell you about me.

i was raised as a witness, and have no real horror stories to tell.

Balsam

Very interesting comments. I had flash backs of saying much the same thing as you did back three years ago when I starting reading here. No to all your questions at the last.

When I left the witnesses back three years I still believed in the God of the bible was represented by it. That it was divinely inspired. But my reseach into the bible has caused me to draw some different conclusions in the past year or so.

Because of no longer looking at the bible as inspired of God Almighty. Nor any group of men who claim to be anointed of God being divinely inspired, what they or the bible says is pointless in my opinion. I don't look for the end of the world as we know it today unless men managed to blow us all up. Will it be divine judgement? No But I also realize that people do believe in the bible being from God if they want too that is fine, but I have no interest in it myself.

I simply don't care about JW and the WTS anymore and what they teach. If people want to believe it that is their business. I personally will never return to it ever. I spent 30 years of my life doing that and I won't waste another moment living that life. My life is 200% better. My abusive JW ex-husband is a thing of the past, and he has his little piece of the JW paradise with his new wife. I have mine which makes me prefectly happy. The only thing that I am concerned with when it comes to JW is no more folks dying because of the false reasoning of the WTS about blood. That is the only thing I crusade about. It is time to stop the governing bodies lies about blood being prohibited.

Stick around. How long has it been since you stopped meetings?

Balsam

2

Scarred for life by judicial committee

by ohiobigboy in

jw
friends

i still suffer from the guilt and embarrassment from a meeting with the elders when i was about 17 years old.

myself and another congregation member the same age as myself were exposed of having homosexual conduct with each other.

i went to the kingdom hall with my father to meet with the elders and they proceeded to ask me graphic questions about my activity with this other boy.

Balsam

Ohiobigboy,

Boy you really went through hell didn't you? I am not a lawyer, but I lost a child to death because of the blood policy. It is very difficult to sue the WTS, there lawyers are very cleaver and unless you can afford to fight them your money would likely be better spent on getting some therapy from a therapist who understand the affects of growing up in a cult and is sympathetic to your being gay. I know there are so many horror stories of what people have faced in judical committees. They are awful.

Just know they are wrong the way they treated you, the bible is a good book to forget, because life does no depend on it. Look for support groups with the Unitarian Universalist Churches. They have folks who are gay and are welcome to life affirming services with those who are not gay. The services are very healing for those who have abused by traditional Churches. I've found much comfort in their freeness of thought.

Good Luck,

Balsam

24

On Shunning

by Sunspot in

the command of men to practice shunning is cruel and heartless, as we all know.

it tears people up from the heart and hurts everyone involved.. the rigidity and "uptightness" of believing that only you have the "right way" to god, and that being warm and cordial to someone who has left your religion, or attending another church service is going to "cost you" (god will getcha for that---or the elders will) in some way....is so self-limiting.. we all have the right to the pursuit of happiness and to find a faith that renews and motivates us to be our best.

being humans and experiencing growth all the while we are "here", what may be just the "ticket" for us personally at one stage in our life---may not fulfill the same needs a number of years later.. it is not fair that a belief system ( or religious leaders) rather than being a comfort or a teacher any longer, should have the right to keep a "hold" on any person because they choose to move on to another form of worship to the same god.. this flies in the face of what we hold dear in this country and in most others, being forever captive to men who believe that they have the right or the power to penalize ones for the rest of their lives for walking away from their religion.

Balsam

I started attending meetings in 1971, and shunning was alive and well, and even more harsh than in later years. They actually had set times for people to live in a disfellowshipped state for set amounts of time. Like if a girl got pregnant outside of marriage she was start across the board disfellowshipped and shunned for a period of 4 years no less. There was no repentence to get out of it easier.

There was a young woman in the congregation we attended who was being shunned with her infant child. As a study I asked about it and thought it was cruel how no one would talk to her or even help her when her baby was crying. Once she was crying in the lobby she was so distressed with how she felt so cut off and I spoke to her. The wife of the fellow who studied with us began to help her with the baby so she could listen to the meetings. That satisfied me then shortly after that they change disfellowshipping so that if a person was repentent they could be reinstated sooner than the rescribed period. This girl was out for less than 2 years. She was so grateful. That was late 1972 when that happen. That is when they made the change in having overseers, and Elders rotate too.

Anyway little has changed. It is all dependent on men on God if there is one. It is just a bunch of men controling the rank and file followers.

Balsam

17

Who here does NOT own a bible?

by unbeliever in

jw
friends

when people find out i don't own a bible they can barely believe it.

my friend thinks i am the only person on the planet who does not own some type of bible.

i don't think that is the case.

Balsam

I think one of the most gratifying things that happen this summer was my 16 year old son NWT bible burning. We had gone camping and my son wanted to cut be free of the WTS control and to be free mentally too. So he burned the bible he had been given at his baptism 3 years ago by his father. My two sons and I have come along ways in 3 years.

Out of our family of 5 my ex-husband is the only one who remains in it. Now if you think of this happening all over, the JW's have got to be decreasing for sure.

Balsam

51

Are Circuit Overseers Stuck in Their Jobs?

by metatron in

jw
friends

during a recent c.o.

visit, the latest itinerant from the society seemed a bit subdued as he talked about the difficulties.

of his employment.

Balsam

Hey as there ever been a Circuit Overseer who stopped being one and then actually left the JW's? Has there ever been any on here. I know lots of ex-Elders are on here but what about ex-CO? What about a District Overseer who becomes an ex witness?

Just a thought I was wondering about.

Balsam

30

Is Rug Doctor a Witness owned business?

by garybuss in

jw
friends

today i rented a rug doctor carpet shampooer.

when my son was living at home and was a recent high school graduate he pioneered and worked part time for rug doctor.

most everybody that worked for them here were witnesses.

Balsam

My ex-husband here in North Carolina works for RUG DOCTOR, and has been working for them now about 10 years. A JW Elder in the congregation back then got him working for him. Promised him all kinds of good pay only the ex later found out the guy lied to him.

Yes the Orginal company was owned by two JW brothers. One was disfellowshipped and started his own rug cleaning machine company that competes with rug doctor later on. The ex used to get these news letters from the president of the company (can't think of his name) with him sitting at his desk and all the WTS publication proudly seen behind him in vast book cases. Well the Rug Doctor company is as corrupt as any other big business. They hire people from all over but seem to prefer JW because they are so stupid and easily lead about and fooled. Funny my ex hates the Rug Doctor company but continues to work for it. He is afraid of looking for another job at 57. He figures he'll retire in 8 more years or so. Oh that is right he thinks the end is coming before that. LOL The machines do clean carpets good through, can say I've used them a bunch of times.

My ex-sister-in-law worked for Trimline also up in the NC mountains detailing cars for the dealerships. It allowed her to pioneer which she did for 10 years.

That tickles the heck out of me that Dan Hall got out of the business and the witnesses and is now working against them. Now that is cool.

Gosh what a trip down memory lane.

Balsam

66

September 1,2004 WT Beware The Voice of Strangers

by Wolfy in

jw
friends

i managed to get my scanner working on another pc.

i'm not sure about the policy about posting scans of watchtowers here so if you want me to send you the scans let me know.

the scans are in a zip file which is password protected.

Balsam

Doublespeak at its finest. Do you think the Governing Body has read the book "1984" by George Orwell and modeled its organization on it way of thinking. After reading a WT like that it would make one think so.

It is just laughable, except that I imagine ones like my ex-husband and his new wife will gobble up that like they are starved. They are viewing our two sons age 20 and 16 as having turned to Satan, this will just fuel the fire more. My ex-husband is as dumb as a rock anyway. Pet rock of the WTS at that.

Balsam