Glenmore

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Posts by Glenmore

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  42

  Since JWs Never Helped Anyone But Themselves, What Do You Do 4 People?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we, as witnesses were taught to believe that our giving the "truth" to people was the most important gift we could give!

  forget about giving money to charities or helping any other group out----we needed to give them the "real life".

  do you find yourself giving back to the community or to others now that you're out?

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  Glenmore

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/76735/1.ashx

  I spent my day doing this.
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  12

  Elder occupations

  by Iforget in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my dad is an elder.

  he is one of the most level headed compassionte men you will ever meet.

  even though he never received a college education he was kind and understanding.

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  Glenmore

  Sorry to hear that, Iforget. I cringe as I can see your kangeroo court in my mind's eye.

  These are the ones I remember (over 17 years):

  House painter; warehouseman; building services - concrete, framing, carpets, tiles, homes; septic tank pumper; water hearter repair; engineer (of the "anointed"). I suppose that's the average blue collar occupation in rural Portland Oregon.
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  10

  I'm not sure why I do this ...

  by Glenmore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after about 18 months "out" (2000) i got myself a minister's license from the universal life church and registered with the local county (clackamas) so i can perform weddings.

  originally it was because one of the gals at work was getting married and the fellow she had lined up to officiate backed out.

  i thought (at the time) it would be deliciously naughty to "belong" to another "religion" and use my jw training to give a talk - it's kind of like a demo at a service mtg.

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  Glenmore

  Hey guys, and thanks everso much for the good thoughts. My part went quite well - and I basically conclude that I must be addicted to the relief of something uncomfortable being over. Bikerchic got the closest figuring I must love pain of this kind - that's eerie Kate, you are right but I don't know why, I have several Mum-stories that would back it up tho'.

  Anyway, the parents of the groom are like the Sommer family. You know them, great people but as frustrating as hell when it comes to time management, with everything. The sort you invite an hour before everyone else. The service started 75 mins late. The guests were asked to be seated on a 85 degree muggy day about 30 minutes earlier than required, outside in rural Estacada OR. I had a mike in my hand about that time. So I warmed the audience up a bit - the fact that the kegerator had Coors draft helped too, it was nicely liberal. I don't really have to say anything, just the sound of my voice was strange enough to do the trick. Mom Sommer was late.

  It was a pretty quick ceremony, as intended. I had 3 opportunities (aka screwups) to test everyone's sense of humor, it went okay. I got a lot of thanks by the bride, groom and both families that was genuine enough to make me fell like I will do it again if asked. Now that to me is puzzling. I can go several ways on this as to the real reason I do this, and maybe that's it, it's a medley of reasons, like life itself.

  1. In all marriages (6) I have performed since 2000 there have been just one jw, a very fine local jazz musician named Thera who worked with the bride. We barely talked, I didn't know him, he played the trumpet, excellent. So one point could be that I am doing things for the gratitude of "worldly people". And it feels good. Never had that as a dub, well maybe a handful of times and I tried really really hard.

  2. I am an only-child needing attention and getting it. It pains me as I am desparately shy. Because I have slogged through a lot of stuff in my 50 years, not the least being 5500 miles from Chelmsford, Essex UK (aka home), I only know "being exposed" as a method for attention (aka self image/worth)

  3. I can't say no to helping anybody. Actually I had never met the couple nor the parents before, despite the fact that my daughter has dated another son for a couple of years. My daughter asked me if I would marry them as one father (cancer) and one grandmother (cancer) were dying (the couple has had a house together for five years, so it was for their family as much as anything) . So I said yes. And then found out it was bigger and bolder (and later) than I had been told.

  I don't mean anything by this, but retail at my hourly rate (www.greenstead.com) that was about $1500 of my billable time over several weeks. So it's a nice gift to someone I didn't know and I do feel good about that.

  As I said, thanks for your kind thoughts (above) and through quantum physics they must have reached me as it went way better for my role today than I expected.

  Father Glen
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  10

  I'm not sure why I do this ...

  by Glenmore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after about 18 months "out" (2000) i got myself a minister's license from the universal life church and registered with the local county (clackamas) so i can perform weddings.

  originally it was because one of the gals at work was getting married and the fellow she had lined up to officiate backed out.

  i thought (at the time) it would be deliciously naughty to "belong" to another "religion" and use my jw training to give a talk - it's kind of like a demo at a service mtg.

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  Glenmore

  Thanks for the kind thoughts. Yes, I was nervous at all the weddings I officiated. And (sorry about this) I used to get the runs before meeting and assembly parts, yet I still volunteered. I'm sure there's something in my psyche that makes me do this, I can't believe it's an adrenaline rush, I feel sick. And I used to say that the difference between a wedding and a funeral is "one" so it's not like I actually love weddings.

  Time to get ready ...........
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  17

  WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? Are you?

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  methinks i pushed the topic button a wee tad too early!

  here is what i meant to say.

  if nobody else is responsible, then, are you?

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  Glenmore

  Actually, one more thing. When we were about 6 months out one of the elders finally came by. He's "one of the annointed" and a lovely man. He told me he couldn't leave as he had helped 61 people into the "Truth" (I wasn't asking him to). The thing I won't forget is this:

  A long-time brother at Bethel had told him that "the brothers would not be able to stand the changes to come".

  At the time, I just thought it strange, just JW folklore about "special knowledge". But on reflection it seems to me this comment came from someone who KNEW the truth about "the Truth". It was bogus. And his position was to assume that it was better not to tell The Truth, but that is best for the R&F not to know.

  That is controlling information to keep people in line, and that is EVIL.
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  17

  WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? Are you?

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  methinks i pushed the topic button a wee tad too early!

  here is what i meant to say.

  if nobody else is responsible, then, are you?

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  Glenmore

  Terry, that's better. I'd say that the individual becomes responsible when he or she KNOWS the facts and still follows blind leadership. Glen
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  17

  WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? Are you?

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  methinks i pushed the topic button a wee tad too early!

  here is what i meant to say.

  if nobody else is responsible, then, are you?

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  Glenmore

  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
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  21

  Is Jesus the Same Jehovah of the Hebrew text????

  by JT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  http://www.fundamentalbiblechurch.org/foundation/fbccitiesofrefuge.htm

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  Glenmore

  Sorry, that's bogus. They aren't the same, never were, never will be. But don't worry it's all a crock anyway. Jah've is the Midianite volanco god of Moses' father-in-law Jethro. Moses (the Greater Rutherford) had a mixed band of Israelites and monotheistic Egyptians (Aten worshippers) and needed a rallying theme. Jah've was picked by saying he picked them. It seemed it worked out. Jesus (IMHO) was a jewish-buddist-free thinker. The rest is made up.
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  10

  I'm not sure why I do this ...

  by Glenmore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after about 18 months "out" (2000) i got myself a minister's license from the universal life church and registered with the local county (clackamas) so i can perform weddings.

  originally it was because one of the gals at work was getting married and the fellow she had lined up to officiate backed out.

  i thought (at the time) it would be deliciously naughty to "belong" to another "religion" and use my jw training to give a talk - it's kind of like a demo at a service mtg.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Glenmore

  After about 18 months "out" (2000) I got myself a minister's license from the Universal Life Church and registered with the local county (Clackamas) so I can perform weddings. Originally it was because one of the gals at work was getting married and the fellow she had lined up to officiate backed out. I thought (at the time) it would be deliciously naughty to "belong" to another "religion" and use my JW training to give a talk - it's kind of like a demo at a Service Mtg. So the first one was fine.

  Then came another, and another and another. I have one this afternoon, my daughter's boyfriend's brother. I don't (and won't) charge and I have this really weird transatlantic accent that many find endearing.

  But it makes me really nervous, I have smoked 8 cigarettes so far this morning and have rewritten the wedding script twice - last night's rehearsal was almost a disaster. I don't really want to do this, but then I got this epiphanous moment about 1am: Maybe this is the best gift I can give anyone, maybe this is the best use of this talent I seem to have (I had several assembly parts when in the Collective, got a few laughs), so maybe it's a good thing to do. Smiling inwardly I drifted off to sleep.

  I feel un-epiphanous this morning, but it will be over with by 3pm PST, I'll post y'all how it went.

  But it does bother me why I open myself up for things like this, it's not the first (nor last) time I volunteered for something way out of my comfort zone.

  Father Glen
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  22

  Swearing on the platform

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did you every hear anyone say something really dodgy from the platform when giving a talk?

  i heard a couple of stories of people getting really enthusiastic when giving a talk or pray accidently swearing.

  one time in my book study group a sister called someone a dickhead in her answer, it was very hard not to laught.

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  Glenmore

  Well, I was chairman one Sunday and after the talk I said "let's stand and a shake a leg or two or three and sing song such-and-such". I was counselled not to say things like that from the stage. As usual I always gravitated to turning my performance into some kinda stand-up comedy routine. I also said "half-assed" one time. I sincerely thought it was "half-fast" as in half-fastened - I'm a Limey I didn't know, the elders heads dropped (as usual). It's probably best that they deleted me later for telling them I should resign due to my immoderate drinking. Cheers! Glen