BlackSwan of Memphis

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Posts by BlackSwan of Memphis

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  99

  Many Questions

  by urstruly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi i'm new to this forum.

  i've looked at other websites to and i see all this about the jw's, now i'm not one, i was raised a jw but made my own decision and my parents respected that.

  i've read so many horror stories, but my life wasn't like that at all, as a matter of fact, when they first knocked on our door and my mother accepted a study our life changed for ever, it was for the best in many ways.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  urs,

  I am truly, NOT being sarcastic.

  I am asking YOU a question.
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  8

  Advice needed on starting own business...

  by kittyeatzjdubs in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the more me and matt go to work at our respective jobs, the more we seem to fantasize about having our own business.

  how hard is it exactly to get started?

  and what are good businesses to run from home?

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  If either of you have talent that you think you could turn into a business, that's a start. Take a trip to the bookstore and check out the magazine section there are a few great ones on the market for people looking to start their own business. One helps people figure out what kinds of start ups there are out there. Beware for pyramid scams though.

  I think this a pretty good time to start your own business. Good luck!!!

  Are either of you artistic, or technical wise? When you see yourself owning a business, what kind of a business do you see yourself owning? Do you want to work from home? Or would you rather have an office that you go back and forth to?

  mmm that's all I can think of for now

  Meagan
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  99

  Many Questions

  by urstruly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi i'm new to this forum.

  i've looked at other websites to and i see all this about the jw's, now i'm not one, i was raised a jw but made my own decision and my parents respected that.

  i've read so many horror stories, but my life wasn't like that at all, as a matter of fact, when they first knocked on our door and my mother accepted a study our life changed for ever, it was for the best in many ways.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  
  
  Thank you Willow!

  And thanks Urs for clearing that one up, I wasn’t sure myself so I didn’t know how to respond.

  JW's are NOT forced to reject a blood transfusion they base their decision on what they believe and act upon it, you're right my understading is there's consequences but that's the whole point if you know what the consequences are why even agree to become on of them in the first place?

  What if you are a 16 year old girl/boy and you are going to have major surgery that will require a blood transfusion with the following setting the stage:

  a) You have Never been allowed to read the opposing view point of the blood issue

  b) If you don’t accept the blood you will most likely die, if you do, you will be considered disassociated, as your action defined that you did not accept the teaching?

  c) You have been raised in the ‘truth’ your entire life and this is the only life that you know and will lose all your friends and family and everything you know

  I say 16, because at 16, a court might be willing to hear your case before forcing a transfusion.

  Ok, another scenario:
  You are not raised in the truth, rather you came into it, about the age of 20 or so. You met a person, married, had kids and believe all of it. One day, you get to talking with a person in the congregation who makes a strange comment about the old days, when they weren’t allowed to accept an organ transplant. ??? You have Never heard of this. You go to Ebay and Amazon and find old Jehovah’s Witness publications to increase your knowledge of the Society. You learn things that make you wonder, Why didn’t they tell me any of this? You see the major changes in doctrine and thinking over the years. You wonder, “If I sign this blood card, and they’re wrong, like they have been about so many other things, what happens if I need blood? Am I ready to die and leave my precious family? If I don’t sign, I’m in trouble.”

  Now, really, truly, what would you do? That happens all the time. I was raised in it. I was given a completely Different version of the history of the jw’s. Not the real one. When I was baptized, I didn’t know ¾ of what I now know.

  meagan
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  99

  Many Questions

  by urstruly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi i'm new to this forum.

  i've looked at other websites to and i see all this about the jw's, now i'm not one, i was raised a jw but made my own decision and my parents respected that.

  i've read so many horror stories, but my life wasn't like that at all, as a matter of fact, when they first knocked on our door and my mother accepted a study our life changed for ever, it was for the best in many ways.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  I didn't mean to attack anyone of you and certainly not to be attacked by anyone either. I just voiced what I've heard and seen, and my perception so far as far as cursing and living inmoral lifes is due to some of your own personal stories. If you don't agree with the JW's why curse them, call them dumb, etc. etc.?

  Hey, you’re entitled to your say and your opinion.

  Part of being on a message board, forum etc is that once you post your opinion, others will have something to say about it. You came to a board, where many people have been hurt. Many have lost families. Many have literally lost loved ones to the blood policy, to the former organ transplant policy and many are hurt because they feel they were lied to. There is a lot of hurt that is being felt by people around here.

  The reason why sometimes, the jw’s get the brunt of the anger, is because, well, the reason why so many lives have been destroyed, has been because of the jw organization.

  Perhaps rather then feeling attacked, you could Try to look beyond the anger, and look at the actual experiences of many on this board and put yourself in the actual shoes of a mother who lost her son and her grandchildren. Put yourself in the shoes of a person who lived their entire life for the org only to find out later in life, that the organization they were supporting has lied to them

  Think of it like this:

  Would you be ok with your spouse or closest friend, lying to you, making unnecessary demands on your time and health? No. In fact, I’ll bet that you didn’t know, that the Organization actually fit’s the profile of an emotional abusive person.

  I really hope that you stick around and just keep reading the experiences of people. Think how you would react if one day you woke up, and simply for wanting to know the whole truth of the matter, you lost every person in your life. You haven’t committed adultery, you haven’t used drugs, heck you don’t even swear…

  Simply for wanting to know the whole truth and coming to a different conclusion then the one you had before, you have just lost your mom, your dad, your siblings, your best friend, your kids and maybe even your spouse. They won’t even acknowledge your existence.

  How do you deal with that? If you have a better answer, please, please share it with us. I’d really like to know. No sarcasm intended.

  meagan
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  14

  I saw John from Revelation at Bethel

  by Funchback in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how lame was i that when i toured bethel many years ago, i was all giddy when i saw the old man who was "john" from the wtbts 'revelation' book?

  "ooh!

  it's the guy from the revelation book!

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  My nephew appeared in the W during the year of all the International Assemblies about 5 years ago. He's the tall brown haired singing from his songbook on like page 3 or something like that. He was the prominent figure in a group photo.

  meagan
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  99

  Many Questions

  by urstruly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi i'm new to this forum.

  i've looked at other websites to and i see all this about the jw's, now i'm not one, i was raised a jw but made my own decision and my parents respected that.

  i've read so many horror stories, but my life wasn't like that at all, as a matter of fact, when they first knocked on our door and my mother accepted a study our life changed for ever, it was for the best in many ways.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  Many, if not most of the people on this board were not disfellowshipped for immorality or drugs or whatnot.

  Many were disfellowshipped for simply wanting to know the whole truth about the Organization. Some of us, who were born and raised in it, have learned things After we were baptized, that are quite unbecoming of a religion that claims it is the sole channel of communication from God, that it is the one and only truth.

  I am really, really happy that you have not lost contact with your mom or family. Many, many others have.

  A person should not have to choose between the way they choose to worship God (OR not worship God/dess as the case may be) and their family.

  truthfully, that's the tip of a very large iceberg.

  welcome

  meagan
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  13

  Do you fall back to blaming the "Wicked Sytem of Things" for everything?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  as witnesses it was the 'catch all' phrase.

  we blamed illness, crime, economic probs, job issues, marital probs, and whatever else came down the pike as the fault of the wicked old system.

  recently a former friend of us, a long time witness had a stroke.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  It took me awhile to get past the wicked system of things as a reason for sad things happening to people.

  One of the things that helped me get out of that mode was one time at a UU church, not that long ago really, the Reverand was answering questions about the church.

  One question was, how do you explain the bad or sad things that happen in the world?

  He put it like this:

  bad luck.

  meagan
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  10

  doan got no handle

  by BlackSwan of Memphis in

  1. social
  2. humour

  to set the stage: .

  this is an excerpt from a book ghost towns of michigan.. the following is a letter that was sent by a man in deward, michigan in 1903.. enjoy:.

  cleveland saw co. deward, mi may 8,1903. cleveland, ohio.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  To set the stage:
  This is an excerpt from a book Ghost Towns of Michigan.

  The following is a letter that was sent by a man in Deward, Michigan in 1903.

  Enjoy:

  Cleveland Saw Co. Deward, Mi May 8,1903

  Cleveland, Ohio

  Gentlemen,

  I got a saw which I buy from you. By why for Gods sakes you doan send ne no handles? I loose to me my jobbing. Wants the use a saw when she doan got no handles? Sure thing you doan got no handles? Sure thing you doan treat me rite. I rote ten days and my boss he holler for logs like hell for saw. You know it is plenty cold winter now. And the men no pull the saw, she got no handle so what the hell I go go to do with it? With them? With saw? Doan send me the handle pretty quick I goan send her back. I goan get some handle saw from Meyers Company, Good-By!

  Yours Truly

  Anthony “Push”

  Ps. Since I rite you I find de god dam handle in the box. Excuse please.
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  62

  607BCE or 587/586BCE explained

  by truth about the last days in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hello all to all my brothers of the faith.

  i have some information in relation to the dates 607bce and 587/586bce, with the simple explanation of the 70years exile.

  the wt still sticks with the 607bce due to the fact that the governing bodys explains that the jews returned back at about 537bce, assuming that they were finished with their bondage.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  Thank you Auld Soul!

  Two things shook my faith in 1914/607.

  I did not read the Gentile Times Considered, I did not sit down and add the reigns of each king, I did this:

  Read the bible and this is what I learned.

  a) It is out and out wrong to try to predict the date of the end.

  b) It is out and out wrong to run and tell others “Look! Here is the Christ,’ “

  That is just simply what the bible itself teaches. When a person does that, they are running ahead of what was taught by Jesus.

  IF your parents go on a trip and they don’t tell you when they’re coming back, they tell you what signs to watch for, are you going to go around and tell the neighbors that you have calculated the date they are returning (or that they have returned in spirit?). Uhm, NO!

  On top of that, was this the pyramid logy.

  Russell was claiming to be the faithful and discreet slave, that He was God’s channel. He was teaching that these dates were God’s dates, this was God’s divine plan.

  He said that the pyramid was God’s witness in stone.

  What would have been his source of inspiration? GOD or the pyramids? There can only be one right answer.

  Also, was he predicting when Christ simply was going to take the throne and that the end was Not imminent? (I Have a problem with it either way, but…)
  No, he was predicting the date of the destruction of this system.
  As much as the wts tries to get away from it, they indeed fit the biblical view of what a false prophet is.

  Thank you Ian for posting that link.

  meagan
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  12

  IT'S SCHNE' BIRTHDAY

  by inbyathread in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  happy birthday to you.

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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  Happy B-Day!!

  although, why is your jw father in law singing you Happy Bday? still cool!

  meagan