JWdaughter

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Posts by JWdaughter

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  15

  Personal rules I live by when talking to Christians

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a former witnesses, i have spoken to tons and tons of christians since my exit.

  some want to convert me to their faith, heal me of what they see as false information in my youth and so on.

  when ever i speak to them, not being a christian now, i have certain things that guide me.

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  JWdaughter

  I'm thinking the OP is having some very short conversations.

  I try to find common ground,but then,I HAVE some as I am a believer. In God, anyway.
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  20

  Your Apartment Stories, Please

  by Bendrr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is my first weekend in my new apartment.

  so that gave me the idea to start a fun thread.. how about your apartment stories?

  favorite/least favorite apartment you've had or maybe now live in?

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  JWdaughter

  Last summer I lived in Egypt and was getting ready to move back home so I took a bag of kitchen supplies/equipment to my next door neighbor, a Sri Lankan Christian man who had previously been nice enough.

  Because of the lighting system, after a few seconds, the light by the front doors in the hallway goes out. I had my flat door open, but I guess not much light drifted through. It was about the middle of September and anyone watching the news would think that Cairo was a hotbed of unrest. Anyone living there knew differently (at the time, mind you!), but apparently this guy wasn't paying attention to the actual city that he lived in (to be fair, we lived close to the edge and he worked farther outside the central area at a large clothing factory and took long hours at work.)

  So, by the time he got to the door, the landing light was off and he couldn't see me well. My nice, female, middle aged self was rather shocked to be greeted at the door by the terrified man holding a LOADED pistol (of some sort, I'm not a handgun kinda gal). He told me he was scared because of the news. Well, we lived in a very secure, locked building and had a gate guard, to boot! PLUS, we only had 3 apartments in the entire building-our upstairs neighbor owned it and there was a preschool downstairs).

  I kinda forgive him for scaring the sh*t outa me, but OTOH, I turned on the internet as soon as I got back in to see if something happened that actually warranted his panic (another soccer ruckus in Tahrir!) and found that my dear friend and prom date from HS had just died. That was a really crap day. And its my only dramatic apartment story except for the crack vial I found while living in the Bronx in 1987. The only shocking thing is probably that I only found ONE there in nearly a year at the flat. Wait, I managed an apartment once where we had a suicide (glad I wasn't that clean up crew!) and the head manager yelled at the family of the tenant who killed himself(he was using steroids-DON'T DO IT) about the deposit. The manager was an evil old biddy.Nothing good to say there, I'm afraid!
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  33

  American Drone Strike Kills 13 people in a wedding party

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  if americans want to understand the reservoir of hate for them that is building up against them - then ask how you would feel?.

  reference: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/12/21879956-officials-us-drone-strike-kills-13-in-yemen-wedding-convoy?lite.

  officials: us drone strike kills 13 in yemen wedding convoyby ahmed al-haj, the associated press.

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  JWdaughter

  Desirous of Change said,
  "Thinking that any citizen of the Middle East could have stopped the 19 terrorists is the same as thinking that any average american has any say about the drone strikes"

  I think that is kind of profound and that point was lost years ago. All reason fled because of the dramatic, horrific nature of 9-11. We got played by a very (relative) few men-and we gave them a real show. Still are.they are dead and we are still reacting to them. And we think we are the sophisticated ones. Uh, huh.
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  33

  American Drone Strike Kills 13 people in a wedding party

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. social
  2. current

  if americans want to understand the reservoir of hate for them that is building up against them - then ask how you would feel?.

  reference: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/12/21879956-officials-us-drone-strike-kills-13-in-yemen-wedding-convoy?lite.

  officials: us drone strike kills 13 in yemen wedding convoyby ahmed al-haj, the associated press.

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  JWdaughter

  The vast majority of the people do not have any level of hate for all of America, but they are going to NOT trust that the military or the government will act in their interest in any way. Would you love the people that bust up your wedding parties with guns and missles? Would you trust them to act in your interest ever?
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  221

  What JW catch phrase DRIVES YOU NUTS!!!!

  by megaflower in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "we should be mindful".

  grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

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  JWdaughter

  "In this wicked system of things"
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  20

  Do You Think Anyone Looks Down On People Who Commit "Fornication"?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think only in strict religious circles, is it considered taboo.. does someone's "fornicating" bother you?.

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  JWdaughter

  I don't think too much about fornication, per se. I do consider sleeping around recklessly to be stupid and yes, immoral. There are too many consequences from sex to treat it as mere sport. The hook up culture, picking up people at bars, all the stuff that results in disease and horrible childhoods spent with only one parent (if that) or visits to abortion clinics repeatedly. . . working with women and children, I see too much. I see men with second families, children who don't know their siblings, and in the end, it is usually women who pay for "fornication" socially and economically the most. Physically, too. Whether you believe in a god or in THE God, or NOT, one can deduce why social mores about 'fornication' came about.

  Thats my opinion and as I have been guilty of the aforementioned behavior and experienced the consequences and choices of it, I am speakig my own truth and from my own observations doing social work. This hurts women and the children (whether aborted or born) the most. No, children are not an inevitable consequence, but they are quite a natural one!
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  38

  Walk into your Kingdom Hall and tell us what you saw !

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this was me driving into the parking lot and into the kingdom hall:.

  every week the same brothers and sisters are late getting to the meeting.

  elders are talking with other elders ( who always have notes and folders in their hands).

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  JWdaughter

  I always looked forward to the part of the service meeting where they did local needs. Often spurred some speculative gossip, but the BEST part was when they gave us some tidbit (didn't make it in the WT/Awake that let us think "THIS IS REALLY IT! THE END IS REALLY AT HAND, NOW" because the presidennt or pope got shot or they made some other pointed reference. . . ah, those were the days. OH and the awkward demonstrations by the sons of the MS who SO wanted to be an elder-that he beat his kids to make them go to the meetings that they clearly hated and every word, move etc they made showed it to one and all. And YET, they toed the line enough to not get kicked out. Cause they needed a place to live, I'm guessing.
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  28

  Ohio woman thanks lawyer for saving her life 36 years ago from Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Watchtower-Free in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/03/ohio-woman-thanks-lawyer-who-saved-her-life-36-years-ago/1#.uqm0_ltwulp.

  ohio woman thanks lawyer for saving her life 36 years ago by douglas stanglin, usa todayupdated 2012-03-27 9:29 amflorida attorney joel cohen says the e-mail he recently got from carolynn ivey "raised the hair on my neck.

  " the last time she was a part of cohen's life, carolynn ivey weighed less than 2 pounds and desperately needed a lifesaving blood transfusion despite the religious objections of her parents.. cohen, then a young pensacola attorney, was tapped by the escambia county circuit court to become temporary guardian to give legal consent for the transfusions for carolynn and her twin sister, julia, the pensacola news journal reports.

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  JWdaughter

  My cousin had a court ordered BT and I think that while it did not save him, it was a relief for his parents, not a burden or sorrow that he did get it. since there was the court ordered bit (too late) they had a huge turnout to the memorial and they were the celebrities of the moment. They both left. He has since died and she has a nice boyfriend. I don't know any of their kids who is still a JW. About 11 total, so, thats pretty good!
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  14

  Christmas presents--"We get things all year"??

  by WTWizard in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have heard that line of rubbish more times from the platform, especially around this time of year.

  yet, given the number of children with few or no toys, about 90% of the time, they get little or nothing year round.

  sometimes it is because of poverty, often induced because the parents are supposed to cut back on their work and pious-sneer or donate excessive amounts to the worldwide pedophile defense fund (or both).

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  JWdaughter

  WE had not Christmas-on the 26th or new years eve or new years day. My dad was not a JW, but he only let it go so far (thanks Dad!)

  I still had that weird feeling though and it was funny to have this conversation with a Muslim friend who is upset about her children being told the Santa Clause fable and making sure they don't participate in any holiday themed parties at school (which are really pretty much winter themed at this point, anyway). I told her to lighten up. Don't tell the "all presents" lie to kids. Don't tell them the best gift is God, blah, blah blah. You know what I really missed? the good FEELINGS that people associate with Christmas-being with family, buying gifts for those in greater need, being kind, making goodies, singing songs.

  I told her not to be a killjoy with her comments. I told her to remember that her kids are not stupid and not greedy for looking at all the celebratory stuff and feeling left out. I told her how to avoid that feeling-DO NICE STUFF for each other, for neighbors, for their teachers. Make them cookies or make them a thank you card or an "I love you" card/gift sometimes. Make up their own family outreach days to be extra kind/helpful/giving. All the best parts of Christmas really were not about "getting shit" it was about giving up or sacrificing for others. TRULY do that-not field service. Not just a smile. Make an outright effort and go out of your way and be inconvenienced for other people. It makes you feel GOOD. And don't make your kids stay out of all the parties. They don't have anything to do with religion anymore anyway except for valentines day (and only in name). Don't make them stay out of the singalongs (which aren't religious anymore, just thematic for season). Don't make them be the weirdos any more than the BOOK actually indicates (don't worship any other gods and don't eat pork-pretty much the only things related to holidays or school that could get them into trouble). I mostly cautioned her that the "presents all year" and "Being Muslim is the best gift" is total BS to any little child and it will make them hate their religion (even just a little) because they are going to associate YOUR lie with their knowledge of the BS. She doesn't have money to give the kids gifts any time of the year. And she doesn't have much for them. She is a hardworking single mom. My husband and I are helping out with as much as we can, and I have found this new way to help-to give those kids the good feeling days. My mom (the JW) had a traditional yearly event with us ON OUR BIRTHDAYS or thereabouts to take a day off of school and play hookey. She took us out to buy us something we needed, went to "the city" and woolworths lunch counter (back in the day!) and then to a movie. We really did think that rivaled anyone elses birthday cause we had special time with our mom. We still called BS on Christmas because we were missing the togetherness/family/dinner/goodwill/peace/charity thing.

  Not everyone is Christian, but we don't have to ruin it for everyone else or even ourselves by refraining from the actual holiday. The good parts transcend religion and people need to acknowledge it, whether they are Muslim, JW, Jewish or Buddhist. Most DO and I know lots of Muslims who do. I'm going to at least two christmas parties this year so far. Donating to the shelters and the kids toy drives and I'm doing what I can for all of my little friends who could use some more joy-of any denomination:)
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  35

  I Want Your Thoughts On This: A 80 Year Old Man Lost His Wife....

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  and within a month, he has been seeing a 69 year old woman who lived upstairs from him.

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  the wife has been sick for a year and she passed away in october.. now, the 80 year old man is like a teenager with this woman, making out in public places with this woman and introducing her to family and friends as his new girlfriend that he "loves".. the father's family thinks this is weird and are concerned about it.. any thoughts?

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  JWdaughter

  Nothing wrong with it. The first Mrs. was gone and had been leaving for some time. I wouldn't be surprised if he was not getting a lot of neighborly care and concern from the lady upstairs-I know my mom has BEEN the neighbor many times. She never hooked up with a surviving spouse, but I could see how relationships could be very intense, close and personal (not sexual during the crisis) and change when the stresses are gone. 80 years old! Wow, how long a courtship would be recommended? Wait until they are ready for life, children, well established,jobs? All the reasons to "wait" are pretty much moot at 80 and 69. Life is too short. Be happy while you have some life in youl.