They have disabled tables outside when they have more than a couple of tables. I was talking to a Mennonite lady at one a couple of weeks ago who had just had surgery and was using a wheelchair for a few weeks after total reconstruction of a foot. February is lovely in Texas. Except when it's not!
JWdaughter
JoinedPosts by JWdaughter
-
20
BUSTED by a GYPSY
by TerryWalstrom inbusted by a gypsy__________________how do i know they are gypsy?i had some run-ins in l.a. many years back.
had they worn a banner it wouldn't have been more obvious.the patriarch wore a special hat with a silver spangled band.i've seen the old gypsy with his cane and his scowl.
he walks like a king or a panther at prowl.
-
-
-
38
Even if it's not the truth, it's still the best way to live
by Simon inhow many times did you hear that gem?
it often went along with "the truth is a protection" which is their way of saying "living a moral life is good for you ... and you can't do that without us".. but think about what people are really saying.
i think the real message is "i know it's not the truth, but i chose to follow it anyway".. it seems like a pre-emptive argument because they know they can't defend it as "the truth" so instead they switch to defending it as a lifestyle.. of course any kind of lifestyle that has a decent moral ingredient to it, respect for law and order, discipline etc... probably increases people's chances of doing better in life, but they don't have a monopoly on it.. so just remember, next time you hear someone saying "even if it's not the truth" what they are really admitting is that they already know it isn't..
-
-
JWdaughter
It's hate to ask a question? Or to make a point? Simon is right in this case. It is the only defense of one who has no other.
-
104
When You See a JW Do You Get Flustered?
by minimus ini used to dread seeing a witness coming toward me.
now i am quite comfortable and hope that they may say something to me..... does your blood pressure rise when you see a jw coming toward you?
?.
-
-
JWdaughter
Not flustered. Today the doorbell rang at about 11 and since our lawn guy came over yesterday (stellar service! Call HappyFeet Lawn service in Houston-they rock) my husband was looking at me and asked who could it be? I said JEHOVAH"S WITNESSES, they probably came to invite us to the memorial- to which my never a JW husband said-oh yeah, its about Easter time, isn't it?.
But, alas, it was just the postman. After two false starts, I was so ready for them. . . .but they got scared off, I guess. :(
Tom Harley, It's true, btw, that the literature cart is a money making scam. Its not the rank and file JW who is making the money, but the WTS sucks it out of the rank and file while they haplessly try to promote it to the masses. The WTS isn' reallyt trying to recruit, they are just keeping all the nice little JWs out there because they need to feel like they are doing something that matters-since that something is the only reason for the WTS's existence. They take it away (and the carrot and stick of "active service") and they wouldn't get ANY contributions and would die totally and quickly, rather than the slow death they are dying right now..
-
8
Jehovah's Witnesses Knocking at my Front Door
by Richlist ini have jw's knocking on my door about 4 times a year.
they walk along the whole street knocking on all the properties trying to hand out leaflets about god.. i always engage them in conversation.
my street has a very large number of oap's who could really do with some extra help.....grass cutting, shopping, cleaning, help around the house, gardening, diy etc.. never once have i been able to persuade any jw's to do something worthwhile for these residents.. i'm left with the thought that jw's don't want to do anything really worthwhile for these people.......why ?.
-
-
JWdaughter
Too bad the Mormons aren't coming around. THey would actually help if asked. Probably could call the local baptist youth group, too.
-
34
Have You Found Your Place in the World?
by Rainbow_Troll inwe were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.
we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.
obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.
-
-
JWdaughter
The world is a mixed bag, just like the Kingdom hall is. good and Bad. Kind and cruel. Beautiful and ugly.
I don't find the world to be a hateful place, but a hopeful one, and I like it. The WT's world is a false construct so its just an illusion at its best in any case. Real hope and optimism and work towards improvements is better than false hopes, false promises and thinking if we are just patient enough, God will fix everything thats ailing us.
I may not be all that I had hoped, but that is because real life dictates, other people actually DO inform my decisions and my opportunity and my responses. Which means that I don't knock on doors that will never open, stubbornly, all the while knowing they won't open, but sometimes the doors I knock on don't open and that is disappointing, but there is actually some reason to think that the next door will open. JWs just keep banging on closed doors out of pure stubbornness. That's gotta be frustrating. Sales is frustrating enough when you can have a measurable way to track your progress. JWs can only track the time they wasted and the (purchased) sales material that they give away for nothing at their own expense.No one is buying their crap and they know it.
My place in the world is mine, and not dependent on elders or an organization to accept me or my work. I am satisfied.
-
21
I need your opinions and recommendations please.
by bola inafter my exit from the watchtower shunning cult, i have received tons of invitations from different churches.
but because i am aware of religious cults, i need recommendations of churches that are not cults at all.
after exiting the watchtower cult, i don't want to fall into another religious cults.
-
-
JWdaughter
Plenty of churches don't have "requirements", but that can not be said of all of them. Some are more "organized" than others. If you are a believer, a nice neighborhood church, calvary (maybe) or even baptist (various kinds) are great for community and social interaction. Find one that feels comfortable and don't feel the need to "join". In fact, if they are comfortable with you just attending and participating, that's a good sign. I went to a So. Baptist church that didn't keep track of members or non members. They screened any volunteers, but didn't require "membership" to do anything. I also attended an orthodox church which had a great social hour after church, women's groups, study groups, etc. It was small but active within its walls and out in the community with projects and stuff.
Watch out for the mega churches or tiny churches that are very pastor focused (thats how the WT started). If the majority of their advertising is about their pastor or pastes his face on everything, run.
Episcopalians are nice enough, but some are definitely more into building a community than others are.
Find a church that is useful in its community, not just a place to show up for 45 min on sunday. Some may send out the youth group to invite people to the harvest party or christmas services, but the churches that encourage people to show their faith rather than telling everyone about it are kind of the ones I liked best. they have food banks or a regular rotation of folks who work at one, they have donation boxes for goods in the foyer, they have community notices and allow AA meetings and have support groups or social groups organized. NOT counting hours spent propagandizing.
-
5
INNOCENT!! - JW walks free after 20 YEARS in jail
by darkspilver inafter spending 20 years in jail for attempted murder in a compton shooting - this week marco contreras was declared factually innocent and released.. for now, he said, he was looking forward to two things: good mexican food and april 11. he’s a jehovah’s witness, and that’s the day his denomination will remember the anniversary of jesus’ death.. .
question: how many witnesses to the crime where there?.
contreras’ attorneys say an eyewitness inaccurately identified him as the gunman, although he’d been at home sleeping at the time.
-
-
JWdaughter
Good thing somebody went to university-and it's good that "worldly" people fight so devotedly to ensuring justice for others. I'll bet that not one JW is on the staff of the loyalty project there at Loyola.
-
23
11. How can we show our support for the Messianic King? (From book study last night)
by NikL inthe study was on how wt has refined itself over the years by ceasing celebrations of christmas etc.. paragraph 11.
11 what a fine example those faithful bible students set for us!
reflecting on their example, we do well to ask ourselves: ‘how do i view the direction we receive from headquarters?
-
-
JWdaughter
Now, maybe that is the new term they want for themselves. They used to be the society, then the organization, now HQ. Why not? None is scriptural, but lets be real-the Scriptures are merely their tool, not anything that they value intrinsically.
-
20
My mom is into "The Secret"
by BlackWolf inlately my mom's gotten into all kinds of weird "power of positive thinking" kind of stuff.
she watches "the secret" and bob proctor videos all the time, and now she's trying to get me into it.
to me her being into this sort of thing seems kind of hypocritical.
-
-
JWdaughter
Maybe, just let this one go. We all have our hypocrisies and we all have to do whatever we can to get through the day. Christians would call it "grace" in your not challenging her on it.
However:
Encourage her to identify the things she wants to change and work to change it. Results are what she wants, not just the positive thinking-but the WT drones have been doing, doing, doing for over a century and have nothing to show for it. Show her how REAL productive activity has good results-and she can soon see the pointlessness of her unproductive busy work. We know as JWs that they will stick to an action or thought DEVOTEDLY. We also know that they will get nothing out of the WT corporation. Help her accomplish something real and don't address the magical thinking. Just let that be. Positive thinking won't hurt if she couples it with positive and PRODUCTIVE activity.
I'm just avoiding any kind of deep anything with my mom, she drives me batty. But she is my mom and I love her, so we need to find a peace. I keep trying to avoid all the tough things and it gets insane sometimes, but it isn't without value to work at peace even when we don't get along on some (or most!) issues. Sometimes peace means that we let things go that don't actually matter.
-
17
What the "Worldly" media has to say about the proposed Russian ban of JWs
by NikL ininteresting to read the reports from around the world.
i doubt many jws have read any of them.. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russian-government-jehovahs-witnesses-extremist-group-lawsuit-supreme-court-a7634671.html.
russian authorities threatened to close jehovah’s witnesses administrative centre last march, when they issued a formal warning to the congregation that the “religious association will be subject to liquidation” if it failed to eliminate within two months the violations identified by the government as “extremist”.
-
-
JWdaughter
I think that there is a fine line between making illegal certain activities-irregardless of religious or non-religious in motivation and declaring a RELIGION illegal. If an organization is doing things that are intrinsically damaging, I think it is fair game to outlaw an organization. Faith is not something one can outlaw. They can't make JWs nice to ex JWs. They can ban organizations that hide child abusers. Is that to say that a JW shouldn't be able to pray and believe what they want to? No. But should the community support (in any way) businesses or other organizations that cause harm and even enforce it?
I don't know what the WT did particularly to piss off the Russians. But they generally TRY to piss people off, so it's really tough to muster up much sympathy for the organization and its ASSETS. I hate to see individual JWs suffer for a corporate asset or to defend the corporate assets. I would hope that the brothers and sisters in those places remember what actually matters and the organization is NOT it.