Posts by TheListener

56

Update: So I've been going to some meetings (and other things)

by WingCommander in

i've been absent from this board from some time, as i've been through alot the past few months.

firstly, my mother passed away after complications from her surgery.

so i've lost my entire family since 1999. i'm an only child.

TheListener

I wish you the best wing commander. We all must live our lives in our own way. I'm very sorry for your losses. I can't even imagine the pain you must be enduring. I will keep you in my prayers.

You have your eyes open and it seems that you do see both sides of the picture.

All I ask is that you please please please don't allow anyone, the congregation, elders, etc to cloud your view of God's grace. We don't have to earn God's grace and we don't have to earn God's love - he gives it freely and willingly. I understand that once we accept God and Jesus into our lives we will be motivated to act and that is good and acceptable. Being motivated to act, whether it be informal witnessing or living your life with Godly principles in mind, is completely different from having to obey the FD&S, attend all meetings, have the pioneer spirit and maintain a regular monthly ministry, etc etc in order to maintain a relationship with God.

Good luck, and I look forward to all your updates.

5

Star Wars Robot Chicken

by FadingAway in

did anyone see this on cartoon network's adult swim last sunday?

i thought it was hilarious:.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fzho7cb9wsy.

TheListener

I loved the part where the emperor said "uh, I love you too" to Darth Vader on the phone

That was the funniest thing I've seen in years.

10

Fear tactics of the of the Governing Body, the elders, and what John 9 says

by R.F. in

i was reading this earlier and it reminded me so much of what jws go through with the tactics that the gb have in place for the congregation elders to enforce.. .

(john 9:18-41) .

.however, the jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and had gained sight, until they called the parents of the man that gained sight.

TheListener

side point: I've known several longtime dubs who have trouble explaining and understanding why obeisance to Jesus isn't worship; even after reviewing the Reasoning book.

23

for any of you that have read my threads(im a struggling one)

by MUNKAFATS in

jw
friends

they way im seeing it is that jw seem to teach only honesty which i dont see as being a bad thing at all so why are some of you on here using **** this and **** that or im going to do some fornication now blah blah blah , i dont mean to be offensive at all but some of you say you are christian????

or is it that you have been repressed for to long ?

help me as i feel stuck in the middle , dont know what to do

TheListener

Hi Munkafats. What an unusual name.

Asking your witness friend questions is a good idea. I caution, though, don't just believe everything they say. Yes, they will use some bible scriptures to back up what they say, but the real question is, what scriptures do they leave out? Do they consider the context of the scriptures? Things like that.

Discussing things with a witness can be tricky. They absolutely do not mind questions, but, they expect their answers to be accepted. After pressing for more information or trying to get a witness to understand a point you're making they will get frustrated and eventually label you as unwilling to learn.

Go easy with your friend. Do you intend to tell your friend that you got your list of questions from the internet? It would be interesting to hear the reaction.

You may want to stick with one or two main points. Points that you can easily get a second opinion on, here or elsewhere.

Good luck.

I've been confused before too. I wish the best for you.

6

I miss Auld Soul!

by TheListener in

jw
friends

auld soul i consider you a good friend.

i haven't been able to reach you via pm or telephone.

i want you to know that i care about you and hope everything is going well.

TheListener

Auld Soul I consider you a good friend. I haven't been able to reach you via pm or telephone.

I want you to know that I care about you and hope everything is going well.

You haven't posted since April and I miss your comments.

I'm sure many here miss Auld Soul.

If you're able to, please let him know we're here thinking about him and wishing him the best.

68

Assembly Hall shakedown - Columbia SC

by sir82 in

jw
friends

from someone who attended:.

there was a big elders meeting in columbia sc on saturday june 9.. around 240 congregations, 2000+ elders.. the society wants to build a brand new assembly hall in columbia, sc, to handle the huge influx of jws moving to the us southeast from up north.. they expect to have it done in 34 months (finished by april 2010).

total cost estimated to be approximately $8 - 9 million.. they want to have the whole thing paid for by the time the building is done - no long term loans.. they "strongly suggested" that each of the 240 congregations commit to supporting "their share" of the expense.

TheListener

From my experience the congregations just don't have the money.

The society will want each congregation to be able to show proof (the financial obligation sheets) that they could meet $1,000 a month or more. Most congregations aren't even paying enough for their literature requests much less having an extra $1,000 each month.

If this thing gets built the WTS will have to front the money.

27

Success with the Holocaust Museum!

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

background: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/134406/1.ashx.

i just got a letter from the museum saying they have added all documents i donated to their archives, and they have m. james penton's book in the archive as well!.

activism does work sometimes!

TheListener

This is just fantastic news. The Holocaust museum is a real feather in the WTS cap. Individual witnesses are always mentioning how "featured" the dubs are in the holocaust museum.

Wasanelder,

I always thought the WTS was so honest by printing what they did in the Yearbook. Until I actually looked at the backup. I simply couldn't believe they would do something so blatant. Good catch on your post.

27

Faders with a JW spouse, let me ask....

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

do you ever want to share something with the spouse that you read here on jwd or .

at other anti-jw information sites?.

examples: "dear, i heard that magazines won't be handed out to the df'ed anymore.".

TheListener

OTWO,

I have the same situation as you.

My wife and I talked about everything. When I was strong in the truth I could express any doubts I wanted. I could agree/disagree with almost anything. She usually agreed with me. You know how there are lots of little things that different congregations do differently or even different individual witnesses? My wife and I agreed on basically all of those conscience matters. We felt the same way about stuff and conversation was open.

Now, communication couldn't be more boring. I have a whole new side to myself that I can't share. I would love to talk about this scripture or that or how I feel about a particular belief. Really, I have nowhere to turn. I can express myself here but as great as this place is I need real face to face conversation - especially with my own wife.

I am so tired of hiding who I am. What choices do I have? I could just start talking about things. That wouldn't go over well and my marital situation would end up worse that it is now. I can continue to withold my thoughts but I am not really sure how long that can last.

Our marriage is fairly strong. We love each other deeply. When I was first fading out we did have conversations and she assured me she would not leave me over the truth. But, she also told me that I wasn't to discuss my doubts and issues with her - she felt it wouldn't be encouraging. I can see her point.

I'm a man with a wife and kids yet I am so so lonely.

103

Jehovah's Witnesses turned Christian....Post Here

by R.F. in

i would like those of you former jws turned christian to post here.

specific denominations can be mentioned.

i'd just like to get an idea of how many of you there are.

TheListener

Hmmm....

answer 1- Well, honestly, I think I know where he is but I haven’t felt any type of calling or anointing. Which, by the way, may mean I’m not truly a Christian yet. Perhaps I’ll never be.

answer 2- I figured it was sort of a logical conclusion. Before typing that statement I thought about someone who is crazy and thinks they’re the historical figure of Napoleon or Benjamin Franklin – they’re not that person but they think they are. In my mind that is like the Witnesses who say they’re Christians yet, in my opinion, they’re not. IMHO they don’t follow Christ but men. My definition may be too narrow but there it is. It probably includes a lot of other faiths that put the word of human(s) above Gods’ word.

answer 3-Using the guidelines included in the scriptures. I could go through a whole litany of scriptures but I’m sure you are already familiar with them – some of them are even posted earlier in this thread.
Plus, I don’t feel that I have to be a Christian to recognize what makes one. Just because I don’t fit the Bible’s definition doesn’t mean I can’t see those that do.

answer 4-Those are fair questions. No, I don’ t talk with Jesus. I would like to but my conditioning as a dub has made me afraid. There is a thread about this somewhere on the board. Unfortunately I am not alone in this. I think it is correct to pray to Jesus and talk with him but I have this deep rooted fear that if I do so and I’m wrong – uh-oh. One day I will break through this and freely talk with Jesus.
As far as whether or not he will listen. I can’t answer that question. I have faith that when I talk with him he will listen. Do I have tangible evidence that everything I ask will be answered, negatively or positively, no. I just have faith that he will listen.

19

How about birthdays?

by molybdenum in

hi... i'm a newbie here.

i have been associated with jw's for quite some time however there is one aspect of being a witness that i can't quite come to terms with that is the prohibition on celebrating a person's birthday i have of course read the arguments for this but find them somewhat unconvincing.

is it really the case that everyone follows this direction?

TheListener

Welcome Molyb.

I will say that my wife and I ignored the counsel about birthdays. We love our kids and use every excuse to have a good time.

Also, I would add that the argument that Job's kids celebrated their birthdays doesn't actually hold up under close scrutiny. It's one of those issues that we're not able to perfectly define.

However, the WTS reasoning on birthdays is not logical. There are some great older threads on this board - which have been catalogued - that you can use to get a full understanding of the birthday celebration issue and other holiday issues.