JWdaughter
JoinedPosts by JWdaughter
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10
Some people called me Santa this weekend ... my wife calls me Satan
by wannabefree inmy mother's church was having a christmas breakfast this past weekend and needed a santa ... i volunteered.. these little ones thought i was the real deal and one is my child.
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when we returned home she went right up to my wife and said ... "mom, santa is real!".
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85
Mormons getting hollowed out: The tipping point has occurred.
by Qcmbr inever since mitt romney turned the spotlight on the lds church a growing tsunami of disaffection has been accelerated and brought to a head.. the lds core faithful members are leaving in increasing numbers such that growth has not simply stagnated in the west but it has actively reversed.
to their credit the church is responding aggressively but not only is it too late, it is an impossible task.
you can only paint sh*t so many ways.
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JWdaughter
A KH in the Seattle area that had 6 congregations meeting there have been condensed to 4 congregations (they combined 4 of them into 2 and left two intact).
When they are having 4-6 congregations meet in one building, that means everyone is driving much farther (good thing they no longer have to go to their very much more local book study groups!).
Saying that they are doing this with plans to build MORE halls is great-but with the new KH building scheme, it will be interesting to see how that works in reality. They could build nice new building using the WT money, pt them in there for a few months and then condense them again because "it makes more sense" then selling the building that they hyped and got donations for (not unlike the Spanish Bethel).
OR, they could let the congregations get comfy cosy for awhile and announce that they were fitting just fine into the building that they are in, or they can sell that one, add a bunch of hype and move them ALL into a new condensed facility (after selling off 4+) and then regularly downsize because of changing needs. we all know they play the game and we all see it in fact.
As to Mormons, having experience with both religions, I'd totally prefer being a LDS child than a JW one. Even the boys who have to serve (insincere or obligatory ) missions are only stuck with it for 2 years, come home, finish the last 2-3 years of college and get married at some point (often while in college). These people have a better standard of and quality of life. They are not obligatory outcasts from normal life, not expected to seek poverty and are (just as mch as JWs) expected to live morally clean lives. They do however, get a lot more forgiveness when they "slip" and are not made outcasts or usually harshly treated. The exception is those who publicly oppose their policy (not unlike JWs), but most LDS just go inactive (perhaps enough to be called "Jack" mormons, but usually just stay low key about it) and keep their loved ones. I knew one who had been Excommunicated and he was still loved, adored and supported by his family no matter what-and trust me, the guy had a LOT of what's! They are programmed for success, supported through hard times and surrounded with a very supportive structure. For most, even if the details of religion are shallow, the basic ethics of morals and hard work and being a good citizen are very traditionally normal. Many are trying to love God in the way they understand.
When God expects perfect understanding, he can come down and tell us all personally. The truth is that the issue of things being real truth does matter and the things that are pure nonsense to LDS folks are hard to accept once they are willing to examine them. The WT is a lot sneakier and more insidious with their lies, IMO.
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The Christmas fence
by Tech49 inso i noticed something the other day on facebook.. a group of "sisters" in several neighboring congregations got their young daughters together for a "girls day", to spend some quality time together.
now this group, of whom i know many, is composed mainly of elders' and ministerial servants' wives.
the general theme, or focus of the "party" was to build gingerbread houses with the kids.. ok, no big deal right?
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JWdaughter
Those same women would turn someone in for taking their mom to a mother's day tea party or holler at their kids for eating a yellow marshmallow rabbit in thes spring (though after Easter, it likely will be overlooked-if stale)
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The best way to debate JW's without being labeled an apostate
by cookiemaster inhey guys!
here's what i found to be the best way (for me at least) to debate jw's without earning the laber of apostate.
this is mostly valid when debating jw's that don't know you personally, but it could help with those that do too.
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JWdaughter
I think your experience is very telling. You can challenge the idea of God and the Bible-that's ok-just dont DARE question the organization. I think that this underlines the point that the JWs are worshipping the organization and not God. Questioning God is not a threat, but give them any challenge to the WT authority and you are OUTA THERE!
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A public thank you to Joe Grundy
by Pams girl ini have been going through the most terrible time these past 4 weeks, which has nothing to do with the jw, and everything to do with being abandoned with anxiety, panic and agoraphobia, and a new diagnoses of an illness called pmdd, which robbed me of my career, and it seems, my marriage, as my husband has moved out and left me with our son.
this man, this "stranger", jumped in his car to offer me support, and travelled 2 hours to be with me, despite what was going on with him, just be with me for a few hours and try to help.
what an amazing selfless act.
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JWdaughter
Pam, I'm glad you had someone there for you when you needed it the most. Joe was a great friend to you. Having been on this board for many years, I am happy to say that he is in some very good company.
Thanks Joe Grundy!
Pam, I hope that your troubles resolve soon and that this present crisis is soon just a distant memory. My best to your and your child.
M.
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How known child abusers are dealt with in other organizations.
by JWdaughter ini was recently reading of the dunblane school massacres (scotland) and the perpetrator was one who was 'suspected' of child abuse.
he was reported to police and after the revelations that the scout organization knew of him, he was "blacklisted".
later, in another area, he tried to become a leader again-and his blacklisting held and he was not allowed.. anyway, the guy was a creep and eventually a murderer.
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JWdaughter
Yeah, that the gossip mill runs rampant if you let a boy touch your breast or smoke a cigarette or play an inappropriate song at your wedding, but you touch your own daughters breast while she is sleeping and suddenly, they are silent.
Stuff that matters, is hidden. Which is exactly the kind of thing that SHOULD NOT be hidden, while most of the nonsense that folks are hounded about and shamed about in the org are pretty minor stuff in the grand scheme of things.
It is a twisted system.
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How known child abusers are dealt with in other organizations.
by JWdaughter ini was recently reading of the dunblane school massacres (scotland) and the perpetrator was one who was 'suspected' of child abuse.
he was reported to police and after the revelations that the scout organization knew of him, he was "blacklisted".
later, in another area, he tried to become a leader again-and his blacklisting held and he was not allowed.. anyway, the guy was a creep and eventually a murderer.
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JWdaughter
The guy who abused Conti should not have even been in the cong. anymore. He should not have been in field service with anyone, much less a vulnerable child in a difficult home situation.
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How known child abusers are dealt with in other organizations.
by JWdaughter ini was recently reading of the dunblane school massacres (scotland) and the perpetrator was one who was 'suspected' of child abuse.
he was reported to police and after the revelations that the scout organization knew of him, he was "blacklisted".
later, in another area, he tried to become a leader again-and his blacklisting held and he was not allowed.. anyway, the guy was a creep and eventually a murderer.
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JWdaughter
I actually can see why if a person is not CONVICTED that they would not want to spread anything that could be construed as gossip around. It is interesting though that the WT gossip system knows of all kinds of 'moral' failings (may or may not lead to DFing) but they think it real important to keep the child abusers privacy rights intact.
This was about banning people from an organization that have not been 'convicted' of anything. They KNOW they have these child abusers and have deigned to be judge and jury for all these years leaving the masses of JWs vulnerable. NOTHING has ever stopped them from saying "you are no longer welcome to step foot in a kingdom hall. You will never have any privilege, including being a publisher or in TMS. They allow anyone in there except for folks who are 'apostate' and willing to talk about it or who have exhibited some violent tendency in front of the congregation. Child abusers fit right in, they play the game, they don't threaten the organization's peace of mind.
They should have a no tolerance stance just as that boy scout group did. There is no obligation for them to forgive or accept repentence on the behalf of God or the children.
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How known child abusers are dealt with in other organizations.
by JWdaughter ini was recently reading of the dunblane school massacres (scotland) and the perpetrator was one who was 'suspected' of child abuse.
he was reported to police and after the revelations that the scout organization knew of him, he was "blacklisted".
later, in another area, he tried to become a leader again-and his blacklisting held and he was not allowed.. anyway, the guy was a creep and eventually a murderer.
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JWdaughter
I was recently reading of the Dunblane School Massacres (Scotland) and the perpetrator was one who was 'suspected' of child abuse. He was reported to police and after the revelations that the scout organization knew of him, he was "blacklisted". Later, in another area, he tried to become a leader again-and his blacklisting held and he was not allowed.
Anyway, the guy was a creep and eventually a murderer. My point is that no one has to accept that people can be part of an organization when they are known or even suspected abusers. JWs are not big on unconditional love and forgiveness for anyone... except apparently, those who molest children/women.
If the Scouts can have a "blacklist" than what is to stop the WT from having the same kind of thing. This guy was NEVER convicted of anything until he went and murdered a bunch of people. That certainly did not mean he was not GUILTY of all kinds of things or known to be a creep. Less than one year after becoming involved with the Scouts, he was blacklisted. No conviction-and he was not allowed to participate anymore.
I dont see the moral or religious ethic that requires known child abusers to be allowed to associate freely in a religious organization. If a nonprofit can blacklist, a church should be able to. This guy was reported to police at a time that they really don't seem to have done ANYTHING about it, yet the organization that served children did what they could to ensure the safety of the kids not only in that area, but within the entire organization of the Scouts-and their actions protected children later when he tried again to participate.
Just a thought.
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31
life after the wtbts
by Hortensia inyou can't move forward to a new, more interesting, possibly much happier life, if you're still looking behind at the former life.. there is so much obsession on here about what the wtbts is doing, and discussing all the forms of injustice and bullshit in the wtbts, or how to bring down the wtbts.
yes, their doctrines are crazy and they are a cult and cruel to boot.
move on.
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JWdaughter
33 Years for ME too!
I'm still here just out of morbid curiosity, I think. What crazy thing have they thought up now? What nutty things are they doing/saying?