As Juni said " Who wasn't gossipped about?"
In my experience, the Elderettes were the worst offenders (although hardly anyone was squeaky clean).
This is one of the many, many reasons that I am glad that I broke with this lot 12 years ago.
Jack.
Reefton Jack
JoinedPosts by Reefton Jack
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75
Were YOU Gossiped About In The Congregation?
by minimus indo you know who the worst offenders were??
the elders.
the elders, because they were "shepherds and overseers" believed they had the right to talk about you, your family, your job, your personality and so forth.....they pick apart any male in the hall under the guise of seeing whther someone "might qualify for privileges".
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Pallbearers, Are JW's allowed to be pallbearers
by skin ini once heard that we were not allowed to be pallbearers, but i can't find anything in the wt.
any idea's?
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Reefton Jack
In answer to Blondie's question: - when I acted as a pall-bearer at a funeral, it was over 30 years ago.
This was at the funeral of my grandmother; and the service was conducted by a minister of the Presbyterian Church - but was held in the chapel at the Funeral Director's premises.
In those years, I did believe that the World (mine anyway!) trembled at the mere shadow of the WTS. Consequently, I did get the green light from the local Body of Elders beforehand.
My experience with the matter, anyway,
Jack.
PS: The question that begs answering is - if nobody is allowed to be a pall-bearer, how do they move the coffin?
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When and What was your "Spiritual" height?
by Dune inthe highest i ever got was my being considered for a ministerial servant back in fall'ish 2004. .
of course, i also started college that semester, and was given an ultimatum and now i'm here .
but anyway, when and what was your pinnacle height in the organization?
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Reefton Jack
I regard my "Spiritual High" to have been achieved after I broke with the dubs.
The "highest" that I got in the JW heirarchy was Ministerial Servant - and I didn't make MS until I was over 35 ( I had obviously managed to piss off a few people who counted in such matters!)
From the time that I was finally appointed an MS, I never had any aspirations to make elder.
Certainly, looking back on things from the perspective of where I am now, I am happy that never was. i.e. I do have many regrets - but at least participating in the spiritual / emotional / mental abuse of the the rank-and-file JWs is not one of them!
Jack.
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Do You Believe in The Supernatural?
by Blueblades inthe bible is chock full of information about the supernatural - ghosts, demons, spirits - and the list goes on.. the apostles, jesus, and god spoke of the supernatural.
the bible says that the supernatural is real.
does the "swine" ring a bell?
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Reefton Jack
It would be hard not to, after working in Papua New Guinea for 15 years.
In particular, there was an incident in which I misplaced my keys one day, while carrying out an inspection of two hydro-electric plants.
I went back, firstly to the Lower Power Station, but without success. As I set out from there to the Upper Power Station, the operators telephoned ahead, letting the Upper Station staff know that I was on my - and for what reason.
Apparently, as soon as the Upper Station's Security Guard heard this, he "immediately knew where my lost set of keys were" - Those were his exact words to me afterwards.
Anyway, on arrival at the Upper Power Station, I set out to retrace my steps around the building.The Security Guard, on the other hand, went straight to my Double-Cab Toyota Hilux ute, and immediately picked my keys out from up behind the rear seat.
He knew that the keys were there, as soon as they had received the telephone call.
What must have happened was that the key holder on my belt broke off.Then the jolting off the vehicle over a rough road - and while going uphill - managed to shake the bunch of keys backwards along the floor. These eventually lodged themselves in the corner behind the rear seat, where it touches onto the cabin wall. (The bunch of keys ended up hidden behind the back seat).
So ---- I can explain how the key ring ended up lodged behind the back seat (and I certainly bought a more robust key holder after that!)
What is more difficult to explain is how that Security Guard "knew" immediately where to find the keys - even before I had arrived on site. I am open to suggestions, but find that difficult to explain without the involvement of the Supernatural.
(The only explanation that I will NOT accept is that the whole story is BS - because I was there, and saw what happened!)
Jack.
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Re: NWT
by A Paduan in.
if the nwt was produced by people who can't read and write the translated languages - can it really be a translation ?
or, is it a transliteration - have they used other bibles (of english) to produce the work - altering the words as they go ?
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Reefton Jack
Mayor of Turiwhate - you aren't the character who used to ride horse called "Buck" by any chance?
Jack.
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Pallbearers, Are JW's allowed to be pallbearers
by skin ini once heard that we were not allowed to be pallbearers, but i can't find anything in the wt.
any idea's?
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Reefton Jack
I was a pallbearer at my grandmother's funeral, some 33 years ago.
I did that after "clearing" it first with the JW Administration - so, no - there was never anything said that put it on the "no-no" liist.
Jack.
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How Were You Affected By Elder/Ministerial Servants/Pioneer Appointments?
by minimus inwere you ever affected by seeing a man or even a teenager being made a ministerial servant or a young man being appointed an elder-----knowing that the person is not really qualified?
you could be thinking, "i can't believe he gets to be an elder when my husband (or brother or father or friend) is doing everything but headstands for the elders!
" when such appointments were made did you see to it that you would not go to that person for direction or counsel?
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Reefton Jack
Forscher's experience with such matters could have almost been my own:
- I looked after a Remote Group that was 160 km from its congregation.(Took the Watchtower study, the Book Study, some of the Service Meeting and Ministry School parts - amongst other things).
- The Body of Elders told me that "nothing was disqualifying me from being a Ministerial Servant."
- The Circuit Overseer said repeatedly that he "liked my teaching methods."
Despite this, I was never appointed an MS:
- somewhere, I must have managed to get into someone's Bad Books. (Either that, or I failed to kiss the right arses!)
Soul Destroying was the feeling I had at the time.
Now, I look on it as being a sad situation to be in when the most you can look forward to is becoming a Ministerial Servant or Elder.
Jack.
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Do you not care anymore?
by Pleasuredome inhas anyone here got to the stage where they just dont care about the wts anymore?
whether they exist or disband, whether its about doctrine and dogma, attitudes, flip-flops, what they think of you, scandles etc.
would this be the end goal of recovering from the jws?
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Reefton Jack
I would describe myself as now being close to not caring a rat's ##se anymore about the WTS and their lunacy.
When I get to that happy state of being 100% unaffected by my 28 years of WTS madness, I would then anticipate not caring anymore one way or the other about them.
Jack.
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JW's and sickness
by Honesty indid it seem to you that a lot of congregations had more than the usual sick people in them when compared with their worldly neighbors?.
could it be a common problem among jw's?.
do you think it may be mold?.
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Reefton Jack
In the circuit that I was in 16 years ago, 5% of the "publishers" were suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
These included my wife, and my (then) 12 year old daughter.
Conversely, since I broke with the JWs 12 years ago, I have never even HEARD of anyone suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
It did indeed seem that JWs were more prone to these more obscure illnesses than others.
Jack.
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Reefton Jack
No b-----y way!
Jack