Posts by Bendrr

Hamas, I don't really know best what to say. I'm sorry to hear of yet another friendship falling under the iron boot of the Empire. Both of you took a loss. Both you and your "friend". Don't forget that he also lost a friend.

If he ever comes around some day, be there waiting with open arms. It doesn't have to be a permanent loss.

Mike.

53

What was your biggest pet peeve at the Kingdom Hall ???

by run dont walk in

jw
friends

.

was there anything in particular that drove you nuts at the kingdom hall ??

?

Bendrr

Hey Run, I'd almost forgotten about those! Guess that gives away your age there, some kids today don't even know what vinyl is!

I can remember when I was a kid and they first started letting me run the sound system at the meetings, it was on records. And of course there'd always be one or two that would skip and the whole congregation would turn to look when it happened.

They didn't go from records to cd's though. Remember those huge volumes of cassette tapes? There'd always be some slowpoke operating the sound system who'd forget to rewind the tape and the whole congregation would have to wait while he re-wound it, smilingly oblivious to his screw-up, and then he'd forget to rewind it once the song was over.

Oh the sound systems! Anybody remember this stuff?

1. The brother who could never get the volume right. It would either be too low, or have way too much feedback. He'd also forget to even turn on the roving mics. And sometimes the podium mic.

2. The microphone handler who'd stand with the mic on his shoulder right under one of the loudspeakers.

3. The brother who sometimes worked the sound system who had no concept of "numerical order" and would leave the tape for song #9 in between the ones for songs #82 and #34.

4. The microphone handler who just couldn't keep up. Someone in his section would be called on to comment and he'd just stand there. Or he would look and look and not be able to find the person he was supposed to hold the mic for.

5. The cong members who when commenting would either grab the mic in an iron grip and practically swallow it, then when done instead of just turning loose would literally shove it away sometimes hitting the person in front of them in the back of the head. Or the ones who had some kind of phobia of the mic and kept moving their heads away from it and you'd have to "chase" them with the mic so everyone else could hear whatever mindless comment they had to make, which unfortunately usually meant they'd try to re-read the entire paragraph under discussion.

6. The brother at the podium who'd sing at the top of his lungs into the mic, but once the meeting began and it was time to speak he'd back away and speak at an almost inaudible volume.

Mike.

53

What was your biggest pet peeve at the Kingdom Hall ???

by run dont walk in

jw
friends

.

was there anything in particular that drove you nuts at the kingdom hall ??

?

Bendrr

Aside from the cliques, the gossip, the politics, and the general low morale and lack of love? I'd have to say it was the dedication of the new KH we built in Perry back in the 80's. Out of the three teenage elders' sons in that congregation, I was the only one who actually worked on that project. Every weekend and quite a few nights after school. My best friend who was not an elder's kid stuck with me and busted his ass too. Which didn't do any good for either of us either. He was black and I was white, so some didn't care for that factor. And we had this irritating habit of cutting up and enjoying our work, no matter how shitty the assignment, which irritated the powers-that-be to no end. They gave us the bottom end of the shit-work and we still managed to do the job well and have a good time.

When the dedication was held, they had this slide show of the construction. The other elders' kids got plenty of face time in the slide shows and got complimented heavily for all their hard work. WTF?!!! They never so much as lifted a finger to help the whole damn time!!! I and my friend never got one mention. The jerk of an elder giving the dedication talk even mentioned "young people" from OTHER congregations, but not us.

Not too long thereafter, in one of my regular elders' meetings, I got my say on it though. The meeting had dragged on for near about an hour without them pinning anything on me, which at that time there was nothing to pin on me since I was still trying to be a good lil dub, and one elder turns to me and remarks how I hadn't really contributed to building our new hall. I told him "Arra and I have worked more on this hall than all of y'all's kids put together and for that matter we've done more than some of you have". It got real quiet for a minute, then the meeting ended and nothing was ever said on that subject again.

Mike.

26

The Emerging 'Schizophrenic' Witness

by metatron in

jw
friends

i have a 'loyal' witness relative suffering various watchtower-related trials, who, i believe, represents an emerging.

new form of jehovah's witness.

she seems to have a sort of 'spiritual schizophrenia'.

Bendrr

You know, I kinda see the Society as being like the Soviet Union in the 1980s. By then no one really debated the merits of communism vs. capitalism (as they did in the 1920s and 1930s). The system sort of lurched along by its own momentum.

But what if there was no glasnost? Or Gorbachev? Would there still be a Soviet Union today?

Good call. Look at what's left of communist nations today.

Mike.

4

MUST BE HIS LUCKY DAY!

by Kenneson in

a texas state trooper pulled a car over and told the driver that because he had been wearing his seat belt, he had just won $5,000 in the statewide safety competition.

"what are you going to do with the money?

" asked the policeman.. "well, i guess i'm going to get a driver's license," he answered.. "oh, don't listen to him," yelled a woman in the passenger seat.

Bendrr

Two yankees were driving through L.A. one fine summer day. (That's L.A. as in "Lower Alabama") An Alabama state trooper pulled them over for speeding, 58 in a 55 zone. After writing the ticket, he punched the driver in the face and told him to "git back where you come from". Then he walked over to the passenger's side and whacked the passenger upside the head with his club. The passenger said "why'd you hit me?" The trooper said "cause when y'all git up the road I know you're gonna look at him and say 'I wish that sumbitch woulda tried to hit me!'"

Mike.

32

Change of "look" after leaving the organization

by JH in

jw
friends

i was wondering how many men here let their beard grow, when they decided to quit the organization.

since having a beard in the jw's is not permitted, it would seem appropriate to let one's beard grow just to show that we don't go by their rules anymore.

maybe for others it was growing a mustache or maybe shaving their head.. did you change your "look" right after leaving the organization?.

Bendrr

Soon as I left, next day I went to the mall and bought a KISS t-shirt. The "Revenge" one, with the guys on the front and one of them shooting a bird (best I can recall anyways).

Grew my hair long, cutting it once in '93 on orders from my job then let it grow back out again. Wore it permed for a while, imagine the 80's rockers yeah that was me, then straight. Got a tattoo and three piercings in my left ear. By '01 my hair was so long that the front bangs hung well below my chin.

Now I'm back to a clean-cut look. Honestly, it feels pretty good. I don't even wear my earrings much anymore, but they're there on the shelf just in case.

Mike.

47

JWs at my door ... FINISHED the STORY !!

by Amazing in

jw
friends

[now for the rest of the story ... it begans again below with ### in front of the continuation] .

well, well, well ... well, well ... well, uhmmmmm ... this ought to be good .

these two ladies were standing there ... one was obviously an elder's wife ... say late 40s ... likely aux.

Bendrr

I don't care if you're about to drive cross-country Jim! FIND A WAY TO POST WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING!!!!!! You're killin' me here, big guy!

Mike.