under the radar

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Posts by under the radar

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  36

  Gorby says goodbye

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my eyes for ttatt opened in 1995 with the generation change and the wt magazine stated "some witness thought that the generation started in 1914".

  since 1997, with internet at low speed, i followed h2o hourglass, www.xjw.com and later on www.jehovahs-witness.net.. did a bachelor and post bachelor since then.. now, nearly completed with fading, i feel it's time to go on with my life and do some other things, spending more time with my wife abd children instead of thinking about jw topics in my head.

  goal is being a better person and less grumpy at 45.... everything what could be said is already said.

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  under the radar

  Well done on your education, Gorby! Have a safe trip, and do drop in again from time to time.

  So long, my friend.
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  38

  Hard to Remember but Back in the Ninteen Fifies...

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my writing a book about my strange life as a jw.

  i need some help.. does anyone remember when they used to get these charts out at the service meetings which had all the hours, "back calls" and bible studies on it?

  what did they call that?.

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  under the radar

  I clearly remember the congregation activity chart you're speaking about. And yes, it listed quotas (not goals) for each item and then that congregation's actual numbers. I believe it gave the numbers for about a year, but I don't remember whether it was a calendar year or a "service" year (September through August).

  I have some old 8 mm film of my sister's 1961 Kingdom Hall wedding. Sure enough, in several of the shots is that congregation chart, mounted in some sort of frame (but not behind glass) just to the left of the stage. It's not clear enough to read, but you can easily see that it's the chart we're talking about. I was very young at the time, but I remember seeing rolls of paper about the size and shape of a typical fluorescent light bulb. The paper had numbers printed on it and whoever kept the chart up to date had to cut out the desired numbers and paste them onto the chart. If I remember correctly, they used some kind of rubber cement. It came in a glass jars and was applied with the brush built into the cap. Similar to a bottle of fingernail polish, but larger.
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  20

  JUst wondering if the Funeral will be at Kingdom Hall

  by ShirleyW in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  probably not, since his mom already passed and no other family members are jws.

  was he officially dfd or he just walked away, don't remember.

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  under the radar

  I was just wondering, what name did The Artist Formerly and Once Again Known as Prince go by when at the Kingdom Hall? Did he give talks in the Ministry School? If he ever actually went door to door, what name did he use in his presentations?

  I have to admit I wasn't a big fan, but I'm seriously interested in the answers to these questions.
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  45

  Under WT rules, can JW women file for a divorce? Or can only men file?

  by JimmyPage in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the reason i ask is because while watching the "dateline" episode about ralph candelario, the claim was made that only jw men could file for divorce, not women.

  .

  i had never thought about this before.. also, how does this apply in cases where a husband is "apostate" while the wife is faithful to wt?

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  under the radar

  Women and men alike have always been "allowed" to divorce for whatever reason they like. The first issue that arises if they divorce for other than an "approved" reason is whether they will thereafter be considered "exemplary" and allowed "privileges" in the congregation like pioneering or, if equipped with the appropriate appendage, serving as an elder or ministerial servant. That can be pretty arbitrary, depending on how well-liked one was before the divorce and whether the elders think the divorce was justified or not.

  Aside from the stink-eye from various self-righteous busybodies, the biggest issue arises when the first of the parties wants to remarry. Then it gets complicated. If one of the former mates is an unbeliever (including those DA or DF), the one still in good standing only has to declare that they are scripturally free and that's pretty much it. If both are still JW's, one would have to provide "proof" of fornication or adultery before the congregation would sanction a remarriage. The level of proof required varies wildly, depending largely on the whims of the local elders.

  It can get even more bizarre. If the guilty mate admits to adultery and is dealt with judicially (public or private reproof, or DF and later reinstated), they still are not considered scripturally free unless the "innocent" mate rejects them by formally saying they are not willing to forgive or by remarrying themselves. If the innocent mate still says they want to forgive and they do not agree to a divorce, the guilty party is not considered scripturally free. If they remarry anyway, it is considered an "adulterous marriage," and even if they are later reinstated they cannot be used in any exemplary capacity until the innocent mate either dies or remarries.
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  20

  Got a call, my dad is in hospice...

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  our last conversation was him yelling at me because i "loved the gays".

  translation, i pointed out that nobody chooses their sexuality.

  i've been shunned since daing last september, and really for a year or so after visiting my df'ed brother.

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  under the radar

  I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, dubstepped. I was with both my parents when they entered hospice, my mom in 2007 and my dad in 2010. Certain family members decided on their own to start shunning me (to varying degrees) after my mom passed. They didn't interfere with my spending the nights in dad's room (so he'd never be alone) and we had normal conversations about his condition and planning for how to handle things afterward. However, when it came to his memorial service, I was warned not to show up at the gathering afterwards for the "friends" or there would be a scene. I decided to let them wallow in their piety and self-righteousness in peace.

  I'm very glad your mom is clearing the path for you to spend some time with your dad. That's very classy of her. I hope you can maintain a close relationship with her after this is over. She's gonna need you, whether she realizes it or not.

  Stay strong, my friend.
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  76

  1958 Convention Program. 8 days from 9am till 9pm. Anyone attend?

  by StopTheTears in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how in the world did they justify this torture?

  imagine the children forced to sit in the summer heat at yankee stadium for 12 hours a day.

  for 8 days.

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  under the radar

  I was there as a 5 year old. I clearly remember the LONG days and nights. I was bored to death, but I do have rather fond memories of the 35¢ meals and the excitement of riding the subway to and from the stadium.

  We were back for another dose in 1961. I have my dad's 8 mm films from that one, including shots of us on the way there and on the way back home. Besides the dizzying shots of NYC (he moved the camera much too fast), there's footage of a little excursion we took up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain one day. No sound on any of it, but the films do bring back some good memories. Note that none of the good memories have anything to do with the assembly itself.
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  10

  2 Requests for documents!

  by Atlantis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  2015 guidelines for training potential circuit overseers.. http://we.tl/tagk4vycdl.

  .. 1925 message of hope from page 141 of the 1988 revelation climax book.

  page 3 starts the reprint shown in the golden age magazine.. .. http://we.tl/wjaevwvztz.

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  under the radar

  Thanks, Atlantis and wifibandit!
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  44

  My "best" friend (active JW) has just died

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  johnny santa cruz and i met around 1959 at a movie theater in fort worth, texas.. the purpose of that meeting was to create a fanclub for horror movie director william castle.

  a week or so later, johnny stopped me as i was walking home from elementary school.. "hey--i think i know you.

  weren't you at the william castle fanclub thing?".

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  under the radar

  So sorry for your loss, Terry. Sometimes there's little rhyme or reason to friendship. Just like love.
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  10

  My life

  by wasone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in 1968 merle haggard released a country song with the lyrics " and i turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole.

  no one could steer me right but mama tried, mama tried.

  " the following year i too turned twenty-one and found myself in prison but not for the reasons haggard sang about.

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  under the radar

  You're a great storyteller. Keep 'em coming...
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  23

  Kingdom Hall Built on Site of Former Slave Market

  by Wild_Thing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in mississippi, there is a historical site called forks of the road.

  before the civil war, it was one of the most active slave trading markets in the south.

  it was a triangular piece of land formed by ... you guessed it ... a fork in the road.

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  under the radar

  I don't know for sure, but I imagine that line of tall trees was planted specifically to hide the KH from those visiting the historical site and vice versa. The JW's wouldn't want to be visually associated with even a historical site related to slavery.

  Ironic, considering that their precious Bible doesn't condemn slavery at all. It fact, it presents it as a societal norm in both the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the Greek Scriptures (New Testament). What scant few regulations regarding slavery there are basically protect the slave owner or prohibit only the most egregious mistreatment of slaves. In the New Testament, slaves are ordered to be obedient to their masters. Not even a hint can be found that slavery is wrong in and of itself. Thank goodness society as a whole has outgrown the Bible in that regard. Now if we could just get rid of all the other superstitions...