Posts by blindfool

By the way, yesterday at the KH, not one mention of the significance of this week. Just bashing all of Chrisendom like normal. I'd sure like to hear a little Muslem bashing just occassionally.

29

To all of my family.... and yes I mean you all

by LyinEyes in

jw
friends

i just wanted to tell all of you how very much you mean to me.

i want to especially thank my husband wild turkey, for finding this place and showing me the light.

he was so encouraging to me when i first came into this room.

blindfool

Your letter really touched me lyin'. I haven't posted much lately because I just started a new job and I'm trying to really work hard at it, but I am keeping up with all of you from your posts.

My wife went to the meeting this past Sunday for the first time since "Dateline". I don't really know what she is thinking. My wife and I can talk about everything, except religion.

I'll be thinking of you and WT, I know its going to be tough for you tonight when the announcement is made.

BTW, have your kids started school yet? It was really interesting to me reading about how excited they were about attending school. My situation is a bit different. Since I have never been a witness, I've been able to at least have my kids involved in school and sports for a long time.

Take care and if you talk to joy in chat, tell her hello for me!!

23

WT Fortifies Its Firewall

by belbab in

jw
friends

a friend asked me to accompany him to the district assembly held this past weekend in our area.

in the talk at 11:40 am sunday, entitled be like jeremiah--fearlessly proclaim the word of god, as others have posted on this board, a reference was made about the dateline program, but no specifics were given.. from the meagre notes and memory, i will try and paraphrase the argument the speaker read from his pre-packaged discourse.

he quoted the text from 1john 5:19, ....the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.

blindfool

He quoted Ephesians 4:32, But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.

Well, I guess we should forgive the pedophiles? What about forgiving the other members of the congragation that may have sinned? What about the ones we just disfellowshipped? How about we forgiving members who really make trivial mistakes before we forgive pedophiles.

I know a witness that was disfellowshipped for spending the night with her fiance a few weeks before her wedding. At what point does the congragation show a little compassion for her?

How about a witness who struggles to stop smoking? Any tender compassion there?

The elders I have seen and heard about, wouldn't know tender compassion if it jumped up and bit them on the ass.

22

Witnesses Are Great Folks

by FrankRaven in

jw
friends

i know i'll get a lot of flack from this,but witnesses are good folks.and your average witness is concerned about you,non-witness.i've been there and i almost became one.my ex did become one.

it's not what they are taught by the watchtower,it's how one is taught.if one was what a witness was taught there wouldn't be any witnesses.it's how one is taught.most of the witnesses always told me,if you have any questions there's a book by the society that will answer your question.

(s)the watchtower is persistent.well so was i.the more books i read that the watchtower wrote,the more questions i had.and i,always,made sure i stayed on the topic.they never did.they always avoided my questions.and they are real good at that.

blindfool

I agree with ashi.

Last night I was talking to a parent of one of the kids on my sons baseball team. This parent just happens to be a Southern Babtist minister. We were discussing some of the coaches in our league and who might be a good coach for his son. I told him of one coach I really like and thinking it might be important to this paticular parent, mentioned that he was a "good church going man."

The Southern Babtist minister let me know quickly that he didn't equate going to church with being good person.

I know some really good people that are JW's. I also know some really good people who are members of other religions. And I also know some very good people that don't have any religion in there life at all.

45

What makes you smile?

by WildTurkey in

jw
friends

what brings a smile to your face?

i cant help but smile when my wife laughs, or when my kids play outside.

i also smile when my boy, who is 15 wants to talk to me.

blindfool

Summer time makes me smile. Playing ball with my kids, even when they beat me. Being with my family. Getting a new customer or a big order at work. Watching my 8 year old catch fish. Watching my 16 year old water ski or wake board (it looks like it takes no effort at all for him). Watching my middle son pitch a baseball or shoot a basketball. When my wife walks by and touches my hand. So many things.

Thanks WT, you gave me a lot to smile about this morning!!!

3

Is the Watchtower Structure Liable?

by metatron in

jw
friends

i would think that most strict hierarchy -religions use paid, trained professionals at the.

congregational level - a priest, pastor, or whatever.

i would also think that most religions.

blindfool

I'm not so sure about all this. I don't have the experience of being a former elder or ms or even a babtised witness, but from what I've read here, it doesn't seem so different than a large corporation with multiple local operations or branches.

In large corporations, small branches have guide lines they must follow. The company can shield itself, somewhat, by having written policies on everything from customer service to empolyee break times. The larger the corporation, the more written policies. At some branches, the managers don't even have direct responsibilty over the branch employees.

The WTBTS is run like a business, not a religion. The only real difference is that they have volunteers, not employees, on the local level.

24

I'm busted!!!!!

by terafera in

jw
friends

oh man....check this out.. my brother, an active jw, whom i am very close too, called me sometime last year to tell me about the un issue.

i never cared to talk about religion .... most of my family is in and i'm not.

so i boringly reply,'oh yeah'..not really listening.

blindfool

I also doubt the "doing research" excuse for your brother being here. Maybe he was doing research, but not for a talk he's going to give at the KH.

The real point is, how many witnesses have their own doubts, but are tied to the society because of family or friends? What percentage of JW's would like to be out, but feel trapped?

35

Is It Fair To Discipline Born-Into-It's?

by Englishman in

jw
friends

a born-into-it teenager or maybe someone in their early 20's, gets df'd for an unspecified offence.

later the df'd person protests that df'ing is unscriptural and inhumane, only to be told "you knew the score, you knew what would happen, it's your fault".. but is it?

maybe it might be fairer for a converted person to be df'd for breaking the rules, after all, a converted person has joined the jw's willingly and has therefore accepted the witness rules.

blindfool

Great point E-man,

The DF policy seems harsh especially with the born into its and the ones who were babtised as minors.

Biggs,

I don't see much difference between your situation and someone being born into the religon. Most 8 year olds would not be able to disagreee with their parents about whats for dinner, much less what church they will attend.

13

What If...

by Undecided in

jw
friends

i was sitting in my swing looking at the clouds, trees, birds, etc, and thought, what if there was nothing at all everywhere, no god, no space, nothing material or any deminsion, just plain nothing.

no space, light, sound, universe, life, thought........ am i going nuts?

ken p.

blindfool

Undecided,

Just wondering, were you perhaps smoking a joint when you started having these deep thoughts?