Posts by TheListener

15

UBM: Bringing CoC Home

by TheListener in

jw
friends

i don't post as much as i used to.

i certainly don't start many threads anymore.. but, i thought it would be nice to get some feedback.

both from those that know my situation well and those that don't.i am a ubm.

TheListener

Gary, your comments, as usual, strike home. That is exactly how I feel about it. However, I temper that feeling with the thought that I can somehow save my children from being raised as I was.

Because of my sacrifice my children have much much more freedom than I ever had and much more freedom than other children at the kingdom hall. I am very hopeful that my children will grow up free from enslavement to the WTBS. If they don't I will have peace of mind knowing I did everything I could to protect them.

I did make the decision a long time ago that if my wife would accept me as a non-witness I would accept her as a witness. She does and so do I.

That being said, I would love it if she woke up and we could both laugh about the insane WT rules and regulations and all of the numerology used. Maybe one day.

501

Warren Schroeder from Bethel on Freddy, Kline and the apostate books!

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

having problem pasting this...

TheListener

Now all we need is a current long time Bethelite to defect and bring copies of the Governing Body meeting minutes with him.

15

UBM: Bringing CoC Home

by TheListener in

jw
friends

i don't post as much as i used to.

i certainly don't start many threads anymore.. but, i thought it would be nice to get some feedback.

both from those that know my situation well and those that don't.i am a ubm.

TheListener

Thank you everyone for your comments. Your thoughts are just like mine. They go from bring the book out in the open to let sleeping dogs lie.

I'm going to take my time making a decision. Once I bring the book out I can't undo it. So, I'll take my time and see which way the winds continue to blow.

Changeling,

I am a baptized witness who faded away.... Now I am a married man who no longer belieives, thus I consider myself a UBM (unbelieving mate). Perhaps my definition is incorrect. But, I don't think there is a qualification of never having been a witness to be a UBM. Regardless, your points are on target - damned if I do, damned if I don't.

15

UBM: Bringing CoC Home

by TheListener in

jw
friends

i don't post as much as i used to.

i certainly don't start many threads anymore.. but, i thought it would be nice to get some feedback.

both from those that know my situation well and those that don't.i am a ubm.

TheListener

I don't post as much as I used to. I certainly don't start many threads anymore.

But, I thought it would be nice to get some feedback. Both from those that know my situation well and those that don't.I am a UBM. I completed my fade 2 1/2 years ago. Wow, time flies.

The fade was very traumatic for my wife. We are still together and happy. We talk about the "friends" at the hall and she keeps me up to date with the latest gossip. We don't discuss too many religious topics but she knows I read and study quite a variety of religious material. My wife totally believes the WTS but she's not super active - I wish she didn't believe but at least she's not overly active.

I've never had any apostate material at home. I've never let her know that I've read CoC and ISoCF and GTR.

I am seriously thinking that the time may be right to buy CoC again and have it delivered to my home.

I'm of two minds on this one. First, I want to leave it around so she can snoop in it if she chooses. I want her to know that I'm still thinking and I am open to hearing all sides of an argument. But, on the other side, I don't want to destabilize the fragile peace we've developed. If she sees that I'm reading that book she may become more of a zealot and write me off entirely.

Can our marriage survive our don't ask don't tell policy? I guess so. Will it be the happy marriage I always dreamt of having? Probably not. I would venture a guess that she would give the same answers to the marriage questions.

Opinions? I know the board is hesitant to give opinions but in this case please do. hahahaha

12

How are they controlling the use of technology during meetings/conventions?

by candela in

there was no texting or cellphones readily available for all teenagers and kids when i last attended a meeting or convention.

you use to have to talk or draw or write notes to keep yourself entertained during the long hours of boredom, which wasn't easy to do discretely.

i would've love to have texting phones in that time!

TheListener

The WTS doesn't control it through technology. They control it through intimidation and peer pressure.

There are a lot of youths that use their phones for texting during the Assy., and Conventions. But, they are labelled weak.

Strong youths pay attention and listen to the information.

501

Warren Schroeder from Bethel on Freddy, Kline and the apostate books!

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

having problem pasting this...

TheListener

Ooops. Yes, John not Paul. My bad. sorry.

All in all I really enjoyed Bethel. The camaraderie that we all shared along with our youthful ignorance and energy made for a fun time. Did we get in trouble? Sure. But, it wasn't serious long lasting trouble.

We were smart and always left goodies for our housekeeper. She never ratted us out for music, books or anything else.

501

Warren Schroeder from Bethel on Freddy, Kline and the apostate books!

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

having problem pasting this...

TheListener

Couch's rhetoric was in the 80s.

He used to mention how some Bethelites would walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and visit the club CBGBs. He would go so far as to ask rhetorically 'how could anyone touch a door handle that hoooommmmmmooooooooosexuuuuuuuuuuuals touched?'

It's been a long time but as I recall it he was fixated on homosexual behavior. What does that say about him? I have no idea.

26

Responding to "It's the truth because it follows the Bible, ..."

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

"it's the truth because it follows the bible, rejects the trinity and hellfire, engages in worldwide preaching.".

i hear that from the jw's in my life.

the last time, i challenged the aspect of a worldwide preaching work.. i said that the work is barely scratching the surface in 2/3rds of the world- muslim, hindu, buddist lands.

TheListener

OTWO,

My wife always throws this conversation stopper out to me: "The Israelites were just like we are now. They were God's chosen people. They made mistakes like we do, they made corrections to their worship like we do and they followed Jehovah's orders, like pooping outside the camp and not eating certain foods, even though they had no idea why these laws were beneficial. Why do you have to nitpick the WTS so much?"

For arguments sake, I don't nitpick.

Any disagreement with the WTS is nitpicking in my wife's book.

We've developed a solid don't ask don't tell policy about the truth. I would like to overcome this particular thought of hers however.

I hope this doesn't derail your thread. If it does, I'll start another one.

501

Warren Schroeder from Bethel on Freddy, Kline and the apostate books!

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

having problem pasting this...

TheListener

Gangas would always ask biblical questions like he was testing your loyalty to God or something. If there were 2 or 3 of us in an elevator with him you tried to go unnoticed so he didn't ask a question you didn't know the answer to. I think he did it to keep his memory strong.

George Couch as the most anti-gay heavy (non-GB member) I ever met. Every time he spoke at morning worship or in person he had to throw something in about homosexuality (when he said the word he would stttttreeeeeeetttttttccccchhhhhh out the pronunciation.

Anyone remember when Fred Franz would give a prayer? He would semi-whisper the entire thing and then yell out AMEN, JEHOVAH!! and scare the poop out of everyone.

I also remember (either Couch or Gangas) saying their prayers and going on and on about how great Jehovah is. Something like "oh Jehovah, you are wonderful, wise, our mighty God, our rock and counselor, mighty aqnd wonderuful Jehovah God....."on and on he'd go. I'm thinking it was Couch but I could be wrong. I do remember counting the number of adjectives.

I haven't heard many people discuss Glass or Redford (gilead registrar and instructor respectively). Glass was the model for the apostle Paul in the Revelation book. He was old and frail; his wife drove her electric wheelchair like a bat out of hell. She didn't care who she hit or how hard. Jack was a firecracker of a man. He would have been as an oil field roughneck. He always referred to groups, when he was instructing, as an orchestra. God forbid if your part of the orchestra didn't have their volume up.

Can anyone tell me where the old 360 Furman overseer is now? Devine.

283

News from Mother ship

by jefferywhat in

1. bethel in ny suspect high level apostate, cant identify it but know its there.

2. major organizational changes about to start rolling out, one is changes to the "service committee" and titles, po to be done away with, thats all i know for now.

was told that if you are the sort of person that cant handle changes, you wont stay in the org for long.

TheListener

I love this thread.

I've been faded for a few years but I will try to contact some old buddies of mine to see what's up. Since I've faded and I'm not apostate I can use their desire to save me to gather information. If I find anything out I'll post it.

By the way, perhaps the name will officially be changed to "Christian Witnesses" sort of like the corporation's name of "Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses". Just a thought.