First off, I'm a little confused by the question; "ever blown off your NON-JW family..." but many posters replied about avoiding their JW family...guess that's what you meant? Anywho...sparing all the gory details, at age 13 I was simultaneously DFed from the WWCG (Armstrong), and made a ward of the state after being removed from my parents by the courts. The two events were directly related, and even though I was allowed to have "family visitation" in the various group homes I ended up in, I usually did not pursue it, or if pressed by the counselors just told them I wasn't interested. After I graduated high school, I joined the military, and volunteered for my first duty station to be overseas in Japan. Avoidance? You betcha. I later learned, after I finally achieved some level of normalized family relationship, that my parents had even gone as far as to hire a private detective to try to track me down.
AllAlongTheWatchtower
JoinedPosts by AllAlongTheWatchtower
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Ever blown-off your non-JW family due to cult dynamics or whateva?
by Madame Quixote ini shouldn't have done this, but i did it, and don't know if i regret it or not.
i guess i am in deeply narcissistic mode or something.. the plan was to meet my aunties for dinner here in my town, but i started projecting the night before about their motives for both suddenly being here, one announced (and one unannounced until the last minute).
i suspect it has something to do with my jw grandma's declining health, but who knows?
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New Corporate Smoking Policy - Need some suggestions.
by El Kabong ini work for a fairly large corporation.
our company is establishing a new tobacco policy where smokers and tobacco users are no longer allowed to use tobacco in any form, either cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chew, or snuff, anywhere on company property.
this includes inside or outside the building, the parking lot, or even in your own personal vehicle while in the parking lot.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
El Kabong: I as a smoker am curious as to the company's justification for this new policy, as I am sure any tobacco users who work for them will be, too. You might want to start by explaining to them WHY the company implemented this policy...will it let the employees get a cheaper rate on their insurance? Doubt that, since it's unlikely most will quit at home too. I've never gone further in management than low-levels of a dozen employees or so, but one thing I've learned is that new stuff has to be explained to people in some way, even if all you do is say "sorry, I have no idea why, I'm just the scapegoat who has to tell you".
I've heard the productivity arguement before, and quite frankly I think it's BS. There are lazy smokers and lazy non-smokers, the lazy smokers would be taking 15 minute breaks whether they were a smoker or not, if they weren't smokers they'd just need some other justification (I've known many non-smokers who took 15-20 minute "bathroom breaks"). One thing that really sticks in my craw over the years is when I work my tail off and deny myself a break until I'm done, then I stop and light up a smoke, only to have some stupidvisor come along and ask why I'm not working (especially if the no-good I was working with, who only did about 1/4 of the work, suddenly acts busy when the stupidvisor comes along, and takes all the credit...).
Now, there are some situations when I agree that it's fully acceptable to regulate such things...if you work around gas tanks, or computer equipment; something sensitive to temperature or contaminants, then of course it makes sense...but for a company to arbitrarily make such a decision rubs me the wrong way. It also seems strange to me that they want to ban ALL tobacco products...I can't really understand what hazard snuff or anything of the sort could present to anything, although I have certainly had my fair share of disagreements with coworkers who thought the whole world was their spitoon in the case of dip users. There's nothing worse than working in construction or some maintenance industry, and laying down on the floor or ground to better reach an access panel or something, only to discover you've laid in a spot some schmuck's been spitting in for months.
"What is so very twisted is that all of these companies will still allow obesity which is every bit as dangerous to your health as smoking is. It's OK to demonize smokers becuase there are not very many of them but try going after obese people and see what happens.
How soon will it be before businesses will be going transfat free. You can have a cheeseburger but you will have to eat it across the street." - BrentR
Have no fear, Big Brother is already on that situation, no need for individual companies to regulate it, NY city was the first to ban transfat completely (ban actually begins in July I believe, but has already been enacted into law) with many others probably to follow soon.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-12-04-trans-fat-ban_x.htm
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Classical music anyone?
by zagor inlately i've been listening more and more to classical music.
went to several concerts, opera and a ballet..
just wondering if anyone else loves classical music or maybe modern incarnations like styles of vanessa mae, maxim mrvica, bond, amici and alike.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
"Just wondering if anyone else loves classical music or maybe modern incarnations like styles of Vanessa Mae, Maxim Mrvica, Bond, Amici and alike." - zagor
"Switched on Bach" I heard this as a kid (in my school music class, I think?) and loved it, now that you've reminded me of it, I may go out and buy it...I've been thinking about buying some classical music lately anyway, as I've read some things about playing music for unborn children in the womb with headphones on mommy's belly. http://www.menc.org/publication/books/heartbeat/Chapter1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched-On_Bach
"Trans-Siberian Orchestra"
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Gimme your Best Shot.
by Frannie Banannie ini've been re-thinking about what to say when jw's come knockin'.
i've thought about what the scriptures say about jesus' words to the pharisees and think perhaps i might say, "i don't have any interest in the doctrines and writings of the scribes and pharisees of the wts.".
or maybe i could just say, "yall're just wts nazis and you look down on everyone else as if they were jews during wwii, so i'd prefer not to converse with you.".
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
I considered creating a thread similar to this one a few weeks ago styled after the 'taking the piss outta _____' threads that ran their course, but I ended up deleting it without hitting the submit button. But, rational or not, mature or not, sometimes it just feels good to treat them with their own medicine.
I work with maps a lot on my job, and I noticed that kingdom halls are all marked on the map; as any other church is...with a little black square and cross symbol. I have a half worked-out idea in my head about saying to the next JW I encounter "Oh, yes, I know about you people, I've seen your halls marked with a cross in my mapbook.' or something of that sort...kinda lame, I guess, maybe one of you can improve on it.
And back when my wife first started getting involved with the JWs, I jokingly threatened to answer the door chanting 'Baalzebub, Baalzebub' while making rock-n-roll/goat horn signs. Well...mostly joking...at least 75%, lol. Not that it would actually accomplish anything or make them think, but I bet it would have some entertainment value, lol. I also once told her I was going to tape a cardboard cutout smurf on the door, but she didn't get it...I even entertained notions of having a cartoon speech bubble coming from the smurf's mouth, with a message saying "Witness Protection Program" or something of the sort, but I never would have actually done that, funny as it is to think about.
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"Hey buddy, can you spare a dime?"
by gumb in"hey buddy, can you spare a dime?".
we can all help make the world a better place to live in without even involving our purse/wallet, and requiring only a tiny amount of time.
these 'dime time' acts of kindness to our fellow human beings can help reduce stress in others and therefore contribute to a happier world.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
My attitude on being benevolent toward other drivers varies...sometimes I am, but other times if I'm in a hurry I will speed on by. This attitude fluctuates, depending on the competence of the last driver I tried to cut some slack. Meaning, I hate it when you try your damnedest to accomodate a driver who is obviously stuck at a crossing, but then pussyfoots around about going ahead and merging into traffic. I'm nicer when the last person I gave a break to actually takes it, and meaner when the last person I tried to help sat there like a dolt.
I do hold open doors for women at every opportunity (and privately get miffed when not thanked for it), and otherwise in general try to be a decent fellow. Although, being completely honest, must admit that the prettier the woman, the more likely I am to open the door for her... does that make me a bad person? As for actually giving people change when asked...I am adamantly opposed to it. I have no mercy in me whatsoever for people not willing to work for what they want. A lot of this has to do with an experience I had about a decade ago...:
I was working construction at the time, and a guy was sitting on the trashcan outside the door of the fastfood place I went to for lunch one day. I saw as a I approached that as patrons entered, he accosted each one, panhandling change. When my turn came, I told him I only had a $20 (the truth). He had the gall to say "well then, give me your change when you come back out." Initially I was angered by this, but the fastfood place had one of those contests going at the time where you won various prizes by peeling stickers off the food packaging; I won a free meal combo on my sticker. Repenting of my anger, I decided to give him the sticker so he could get something to eat (which was what he said he wanted the money for). I was then cussed up one side and down the other, called a racist, and he threw the sticker down on the pavement. I've never given even a penny to a bum since, let alone a dime.
AATW, of the slightly tipsy and should probably shut up before this turns into a rant class...oops, too late.
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Why are angels always white?
by slimboyfat inin pictures of conventions or the new system they tend to show a mixture of races, but the angels always seem to be white.
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slim.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
I can only speculate and make an educated guess as to the true reason; christianity in general, except for missionary conversions in other lands, has always been predominantly a product of Europeans...from the Roman times, spreading northward as the Gauls became French, Saxons became English, etc. Thus it is probably simply traditional, from a time when most people had never even encountered a person of color, and thus could not even imagine one. In other words...they simply couldn't think outside the box, to put it in modern vernacular. Ermm...though it does seem odd that since most of the "classical" artists were of Mediterranean descent (ie Greeks and Italians such as Michelangelo), they wouldn't have at least given their depictions of heavenly beings a tan. Meh...I've been drinking tonight, I'll just shut up now before I end up rambling off incoherently.
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WHO gives the best?
by avidbiblereader inin my personal opinons, these are some of the best things i see on the forum, please add to the list for those who should be recognized for making the forum what it is!.
best thread starter--minimus.
best wt info--blondie.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
...advice to 'UnBelievingMates' or 'unequally yoked' couples: jgnat.
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How long can you go to the meetings and not get baptized?
by JH inusually, adults who attend meetings regularly and aren't baptized yet are encouraged to do so.
usually after 1 or 2 years a person who attends meetings regularly will get baptized.. i wonder what would happen if a person would go to meetings for years and not want to get baptized.
would the elders finally brand them as evil or start shunning them somehow?.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
My wife only attended meetings for about a year, thankfully, but a few of the people she knew had begun calling her 'sister' even then, and she was never baptized. My own personal background is in the Worldwide Church of God; though I don't think they would have outright turned people away for just hanging around for years and years, I cannot recall anybody who did so. There were always references to scriptures such as "...because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." and others being quoted to motivate people into being more active, and doing what they said. IF anybody was ever tempted to just attend services and never actually join, I'm guessing that sort of thing turned them away.
Also, the congregation itself had a tendency to look down on folks who were just 'hangers on'. From reading here, I've learned that JWs call potential recruits 'interested ones'. In the WWCG, they were called 'prospective members', and sometimes just PMs for short. I remember as a child hearing older members joking about so-and-so being a PPM. This was WWCG insider talk for a 'perpetual prospective member' or various alternatives of that, with the first P being Potential, Perpetual, Perspective (looks like but isn't), or whatever the joke of the week was. This was the prevailing attitude amongst most toward anyone who didn't jump in right away, thinly disguised on the surface by a veneer of friendliness and welcome. I'm sure many who might have hung around longer sensed this as well, and were repulsed by it.
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Assembly talks-WHy did they talk so loud at the end!?
by themonster123 inwhenever i would go to conventions, i thought it was weird how at the end of the brothers' talks (especially the older ones like from the governing body or whatever), they would start getting louder and louder and louder.
ie; "in this time of the end, we need to keep on the watch for our adversary satan is roaring about like a lion!!!!
do you agree??".
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
Theory 1: Biology, or 'the kick'. A person can't give an entire speech in a shout. It'd be too tiring. Perhaps, much like a runner in a race, they save a bit of energy for the home stretch; many coaches tell long distance runners to 'kick it out' or sprint when the finish line is in sight, no more reserve energy is required, you don't need to pace yourself anymore. (I've also heard the reverse arguement that if you pace yourself properly, you don't HAVE any reserve energy left for a sprint, you peter out simultaneously with crossing the finish line. But that doesn't fit my theory, so meh, lol.)
Theory 2: Relief. When I was in boot camp in the military, recruits were punished for misdeeds by getting 'bent' or 'smoked'. Which meant forced physical exercise for an extended period, during which we all had to count out loud the number of repetitions of the exercise. Often the instructors would tell you ahead of time a number of reps that would be done, say 200 for example. There was a phenomenon where all the recruits would begin counting louder at about 190, in relief that it was almost over. Sometimes the number would be extended then to 300 because the instructors noticed this too and got angry that we weren't that loud the whole time. Perhaps the speaker is nearly as relieved as the audience that it's almost over with.
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Specific banned shows, songs, etc...?
by AllAlongTheWatchtower ini know the society tells people not to listen to rock n roll cause its from teh satan, not to watch r rated movies because they're "worldly", etc.
but i was wondering if folks had any specific instances where one song, one show, one movie, or whatever was singled out as being particularly 'evil', and banned on an individual basis?
i was never a jw, but was in the worldwide church of god...the two are rather similar, i've seen many (and made quite a few myself) comparisons on the board; and i can remember as a child that every once in a while certain things would get brought up as being more evil and worldly than others.. examples of specific bans:.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
Oh yeah, forgot to mention KISS: any group of men who wore that much makeup just HAD to be gay. The Worldwide Church of God was very strict on the ("over")usage of makeup by women, let alone men.