Posts by AK

17

I NEED HELP!

by nolongerconfused in

jw
friends

guys, i have faded about a 1 month ago...now 1 elder, who i consider a friend as a person and like a father is texting me.... i don't hate the guy, i consider him my friend even though i don't believe what he believes...he's telling me he hasnt seen me at the meetings and he's worried...he asked me if i could go in service with him this weekend...i have not responded, i dont know what to say since i don't want to go through no judicial committee or something like that...nobody there knows i know ttabtt...any suggestions on how i should respond?.

thanks!.

AK - Jeff

Tell him the heart is willing but the flesh is weak. Suggest that some things have been done that 'stumble' you - but tell him in no uncertain terms that you do not want to discuss it at the moment. Get some time between you and meeting attendance. Let them forget about you over time. If they make efforts to restore you - just tell them you need more time to heal over the stumbling blocks.

I did not fade. I had to say what I knew. In my case it worked out pretty well since I have few family members in the cult. Some fade, others just leave. You have a chance to think it out, plan it if you like and then execute your plan.

Good luck.

Jeff

49

Republican Party is pretty much done!

by free2beme in

jw
friends

after leaving the jehovah's witnesses, i started getting in to politics.

i naturally found myself going republican and voted a long those lines.

however, with my more pagan nature and being pretty much against christianity.

AK - Jeff

It seems that many former Jw's go through this. I did. I still am finding my way almost 10 years into my exit.

I find that on most issues I am moderate. I think both parties take strong stands that are unbalanced in some ways. There are moderate positions on almost all issues that are not all or nothing. I embrace fewer conservative issues than liberal ones now - but like you, my initial voting and leaning were toward Republicans. I don't fit cleanly into any of the main parties - but my absolute opposition to gods and magical thinking takes most of the Republican ideologies out of the game for me. If there was a god, I would be thanking him profusely that Mitt and the magic underwear cabinet did not win this election. I support gay rights, the need for population control and birth control, alternative energy. I also believe in the 2nd amendment and gun ownership - though I think it needs to be addressed nationally.

Isn't it great to be able to think and express those thoughts. I believe that in some ways former cult members make better citizens because to us it was not always allowed. We tend to think it through instead of just voting absentmindedly like millions do who never had the right usurped by the GB.

Jeff

42

Interesting District Convention News.....

by Pyramid Scheme in

jw
friends

i wanted to share some news from a family friend (he is my wt mole - still an elder, hates the shenanigans, but is still hanging on for all the reasons often discussed on this site) i know the various rumors have been discussed on here, and unfortunately the rumor about the conventions being eliminated weren't true!

(what a burden on the jw community - financial hardship for a good portion of them, guilting people into actually quitting their job to attend, physically exhausting for many, etc...etc......).

anyway, he told me that the district convention is being moved to 11 weekends at the jw-owned circuit assembly hall, and they are no longer planning on renting stadiums/large facilities in our area (northern ohio/southern michigan).

AK - Jeff

It's the logical next step. Take an assembly of 10,000 in an arena, and reduce it to 10 weekends with 1000 at an otherwise underused assembly hall. With ATM's in place now, the money will roll in, none of the 'worldly' distractions interfere, and the society has total control of the operation.

If I was still a JW, I would welcome the change. It would be soooooooo easy to just say that 'oh, we went two weeks later or earlier' that's why we didn't see you there.

Jeff

295

Survey: Who here is an atheist? Who here still believes in God?

by Christ Alone in

jw
friends

i just wanted to take a survey.

let's not let this get into the same old same old debate of atheism vs belief.

just respond with "atheist" or "believer" or "maybe god exists".

AK - Jeff

Atheist.

18

Is CoC out of print?

by AK - Jeff in

today i was looking for my copy of coc, and unfortunately it has come up missing in action.

perhaps i lent it to someone and forgot to whom.

whatever the reason, i began an online search for a copy to replace mine - and lo and behold, the copies i found available were priced from $35 or higher, and those places that advertised it at a lesser cost had it marked 'unavailable'.. i am not worried about replacing my copy - i have read it several times.

AK - Jeff

Thinking about the suggestion of another poster that the WTS may try to buy the rights to this book someday, and thereby stop circulation of new print copies - I wonder if anyone within the xjw community [maybe Watters?] has the money and know-how to buy the rights and keep it available? After all, Cynthia is not young, and in time the Watchtower wolves may try to get the rights somehow when the time is right.

If I had the money to do so, I would buy the copywrite [if offered] myself and seek to keep it in print. Perhaps a coalition of xjws could do it together somehow. This would be a terrible loss IMO if the WTS swallowed it up.

Jeff

18

Is CoC out of print?

by AK - Jeff in

today i was looking for my copy of coc, and unfortunately it has come up missing in action.

perhaps i lent it to someone and forgot to whom.

whatever the reason, i began an online search for a copy to replace mine - and lo and behold, the copies i found available were priced from $35 or higher, and those places that advertised it at a lesser cost had it marked 'unavailable'.. i am not worried about replacing my copy - i have read it several times.

AK - Jeff

Thanx for the input. I forgot to mention that the prices I referred to were for used copies - new ones were $150 plus as mentioned by another poster.

Jeff

18

Is CoC out of print?

by AK - Jeff in

today i was looking for my copy of coc, and unfortunately it has come up missing in action.

perhaps i lent it to someone and forgot to whom.

whatever the reason, i began an online search for a copy to replace mine - and lo and behold, the copies i found available were priced from $35 or higher, and those places that advertised it at a lesser cost had it marked 'unavailable'.. i am not worried about replacing my copy - i have read it several times.

AK - Jeff

Today I was looking for my copy of CoC, and unfortunately it has come up missing in action. Perhaps I lent it to someone and forgot to whom. Whatever the reason, I began an online search for a copy to replace mine - and lo and behold, the copies I found available were priced from $35 or higher, and those places that advertised it at a lesser cost had it marked 'unavailable'.

I am not worried about replacing my copy - I have read it several times. But I worry that others who have left the organization, or who are seeking answers to the problems they see within, might find it too costly to purchase this book that I considered a lifesaver personally.

Does anyone know if the printing of CoC has ceased upon the death of Ray Franz? Is there anything that can be done by any of the members here, if that is the case to get this book out there at a lower cost? I have no idea where to start, but believe that Crisis of Conscience might be in crisis.

Jeff

41

My introduction/experience

by happy@last in

i have only just recently found this site, in fact only recently gone online to do research of my own about jws.

before i left i had only gone on my gut instinct, not even realising i was not alone with my feelings.

the week i was appointed an elder some 11 years ago, i had had to write to a congregation many miles away from me about how unloving they were (more details below).. not long after i started to have concerns about jws, expecially as the message of 'following the bibles message' subtly changed to 'follow the fds', this did not sit well with me.

AK - Jeff

Welcome. It is a hard pill to swallow - but once done, the best possible choice is to leave and start healing.

Jeff

98

Latest "Shun Your Family" Statement - Jan 2013 Study WT

by LostGeneration in

solomon alluded to it yesterday in a thread, i found the online large print pdfs here, not sure where the regular version is yet.

here are the full paragraphs, grab your barf bags .

19 on the other hand, if you choose the path of resentment.

AK - Jeff

These people are being restrained like a powerful spring.

Once the spring releases it's kinetic energy it will fly away. Some of these people will do that over time. I did.

Jeff

52

Have you ever worked with someone famous or relatives of any celebrity?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

i have!

i worked with hank aaron's daughter for 18 months.

she was a sweet lady.

AK - Jeff

Bumped up against a couple - never worked with any.

Brad Miller [great NBA superstar] is from our town, and his sister is involved in the local basketball leagues that I have my grandson enrolled in [and that I have occasionally substituted as a coach]. She seem down to earth and a nice lady.

Jeff

AK - Jeff

Posts by AK - Jeff