TheListener

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Posts by TheListener

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  29

  MY PEOPLE!!!!!!!

  by JohnnyMarr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just wanted to say hello to everyone.

  i'm an inactive, spiritually weak witness of not so good standing who stumbled on here the other day while trying to find out what tomorrows big announcement was going to be, after being told my mother that i might wanna go to the hall on sunday to find out.

  it's cool seeing so many people who have shared some of the same experiences i have in the past.

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  TheListener

  Welcome Johnny Marr. Have you seen Morrissey lately?

  Seriously. Welcome. I look forward to hearing your point of view on things.
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  17

  My on-again/off-again disfellowshipping is on-again

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  two of the elders on my appeal committee called me yesterday to let me know they are upholding the decision to df me.

  of course, there was no question that they would do that, i even told the guy last time he called that i only appealed to buy some time before the announcement to visit with my jw family.. the interesting thing is how long this has drug on.

  my original committee decided to df me towards the end of january, i appealed at the beginning of february, and now i'll finally be announced near the end of march.

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  TheListener

  http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/pub/au/2001/stresspill.au

  I don't know how to post links but I found this fitting.

  I'm sorry that you're going through this. Please know that others are being helped by your experiences. That might not make any of it easier but please keep it in mind. So many of us are or will be facing what you are now. Perhaps even without the benefit of our immediate families. I thank you not just for having the courage to undergo this process but for sharing it with all of us. I truly appreciate your posts.
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  33

  C.O. visit; They sound desperate.

  by TonyT in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my mother recently told me that the congregation was scolded by their district sales manager....errr circuit overseer for poor meeting attendance.

  it seems that at times attendance would sink as low as 60%.

  she didn't respond when i said that maybe there was something good on television that night.

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  TheListener

  Some of the things the dubs say are simply outrageous. It's as if they don't think anyone will actually think about their words. They're very offensive at times.

  However, I have noticed that there aren't as many of the die hard meeting attenders left. Even among the elder body and their families. It seems that most people have some sort of illness like fibromialja or chronic fatigue or something like that. Which I know are real but I believe also fall under the acceptable excuse list for meeting attendance by the majority of witnesses.

  The COs are in town for only 1 week every 6 months or so. They've got to beat the flock hard to keep them going for another 6 months.
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  36

  A Pivotal Date: March 20

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am just giggling myself inside out with the stupid antics regarding the march 20 release of the new org book.. of course, in great irony, only the apostates seem to know what's going on.. meanwhile in the congregations, a excitment tinged with mystery and suspense is tweaking the r&f.

  my entire book study was just about begging the conductor for any hint.. to emphasize the surprise, congregations that meet on saturday (march 19) are actually moving their public/wt meetings to sunday just for the event.

  just imagine the drool letdown when they find out the truth, that old br.

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  TheListener

  I know that even though dubs are united each congregation can be different.

  However, there was no special talk on Sunday for releasing the book (the special talk comes after the memorial). A short letter was read at the end of the WT study and the book was announced as being available at our literature counter for publishers (baptized and unbaptized) after the song and prayer. The short letter basically said that dubs recognize that there are thousands of organizations in the world but that only one has Jahs spirit and is following the bible accurately. The letter mentioned the simplification for announcements regarding df'd and da's but didn't get into any specifics at all about what that meant. The letter didn't address any detailed policy changes. If some of our relatives came away from the meeting with extra guilt or thoughts it may be that they just feel guilty and this new spiritual provision gave them the courage to state what they've been thinking for a little while already. Or it could be that some local elder bodies went past the directions for Brooklyn.
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  35

  Did anyone applaud the release of the OD book at YOUR hall?

  by proplog2 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  there had been some buzz because no one was supposed to know about the release.. i swear everyone at my hall must be visitors to this forum.

  or the elder's wives network must've done their usual job of telling everyone.. i would have expected an applause.

  not even a line of people to get the book.

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  TheListener

  Just for info.

  There was no applauding or gasping at our hall. There was no long literature counter line. People did pick the book up they just did it casually as opposed to forming one big conga line (sung to the conga tune - "we're gonna get our book now; we're gonna get our book now!").

  I expected more emotion from the congregation than I actually saw. Made me feel happy inside to see the cong. frozen in silence. I can just imagine what was running through their minds. "What, another book on organization!! I haven't read the last one yet!!" "I thought that was only for elders!!" "I hope I don't drop it in the toilet while I'm reading it!"
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  14

  Help with Israelite Example

  by TheListener in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've searched and searched and can find nothing that specifically addresses this issue.

  i've checked coc and isocf.

  please help me or at least point me in the right direction.. this is the subject that i'm not good at discussing or refuting:.

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  TheListener

  Thank you all for your replies so far. I have read and will continue to review your statements. This is the brick wall that I keep hitting. Before I begin to slowly dismantle it I need to really feel comfortable.

  The examples of the Israelites not following god's chosen representative were awesome. I had something like that in mind but couldn't express it. Thank you all.

  The good you do today may be quickly forgotten, but the impact of what you do will never disappear.
  --Anonymous
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  19

  Why do I never see a bearded Jehovahs Witness (man I mean!!!)?

  by sting in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i heard recently that jw men are not allowed to have beards - is this correct and what about ct russell?

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  TheListener

  Because when food gets stuck in beards it begins to smell bad. Bad smells have been proven to contribute to low meeting attendance.
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  23

  More conversations with my wife - birthdays this time

  by ithinkisee in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was out to lunch with my wife today and she was telling me how our child did not want to go to school that day because they were doing a bunch of st patricks day stuff.

  our child really can't stand being different and left out.

  i feel so bad for my child.

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  TheListener

  IthinkIsee,

  I have had the same kind of conversations with my mate. It is so exhilerating when they agree with logic and seem confused if even for a split second. Keep up the excellent work!!

  I have only one caution. Well, not caution really but just a lesson I've learned. They will agree that certain things don't make sense and then when there is no other JW scripted logic to give you the answer becomes ' well the GB or Society says we shouldn't do these things and even if it doesn't make sense we should be obedient to Jehovahs' org'.

  I'm not saying I don't believe that logic can be overcome it is interesting to see when someone has to finally admit that just being told by the society is the real reason they do things. That in itself after it happens enough can make someone wonder about their beliefs.

  Another avenue is how will she explain birthdays or other things to an outsider since she knows her logic is flawed and can't readily admit to worldly people that she won't celebrate them because the Society says not to. I've seen that cause real headaches and just plain avoidance and even some lessening of the pressure on the young ones. Nobody wants to feel dumb in front of their kids teacher with logic even their silly old husband can dismante. They actually begin to like it when nobody questions them about their beliefs because they can't really explain them. Thus they start to let the young ones do a little bit more.

  Hope this wasn't confusing.
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  29

  It was surreal. Your impressions of the "Monthly Awake!" service meeting?

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  at our service meeting the conductor of "more emphasis on the bible!

  " (the march kingdom ministry article discussing the monthly awake!

  ) routinely asked the questions, comments were read from the paragraph and there was a rediculous emphasis on the scriptures cited, even to the point that wt references were given that had nothing to do with the subject.

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  TheListener

  Our meeting was uninteresting. You'd think everyone was sleeping. I thought for sure there would be some sort of electricity in the air over such a big announcement (awake monthly that is). But, we covered the material in a boring way and didn't really discuss it much. There were some comments on how money must have been a part of this decision. It doesn't sound like anyone is connecting the money dots. The changes keep happening due to money but no one seems to wonder why Jah's people don't have enough funds, or why our numbers keep stagnating.

  After the meeting I didn't hear anyone even mention the song announcement or the awake announcement. I'm disappointed. I thought at least a little discussion would be interesting. Seems everyone truly is Asleep at the meeitngs.
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  21

  Hi and what about free will!

  by clare in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i think i've finally left the jw's.

  i have not been an active member since 2000, but always thought i would go back.

  the problem (or solution) has been that i started to reason on how the true god or super being really viewed mankind.

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  TheListener

  Hi Clare. I agree with a lot of your statements. The rules and more rules can get very tiring. Just like they tell us the Pharisees did to their contemporaries (as you said).

  Hope to hear more from you in the future.