at least 2 or three times a week, i get a pm from someone that sounds similar to this:hello richie, .
i just read your recnt post from the assembly.
appears you've no concern about being located?
My dear young man, if you get df'd and shunned by your Mother, than come on down to Florida and go to college! I've raised a son (now 30) and have a daughter at home (17+) and always room for one more (3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1680 sq ft for two people) AND my address is on a do not call note in the territory card!
I just wish I had had the courage to question when I was your age! I wouldn't have wasted all those years of my life!
venus and serena williams get their own reality show .
in a press release, serena said "the series will provide our fans with an up-close, inside look at our lives away from the tennis courts.
" hmmm.
Danny,
I feel your pain. I don't know where you grew up, but in the late 50's early 60's, we were allowed to stand at attention, however my younger brother and I both were hit in the back of the head (by the teacher) with whatever book she had in her hand...and then she'd say something on the line of "oh, I forgot, you don't respect the flag that many people died to defend......"
Netty, Luna2 and everyone else,
Having had a brother in Bethel (yes the same one mentioned above), be assured.......as long as the Williams family can contribute generously (through their Mother most likely), nothing will be said to the girls. Michael Jackson finally sent a letter of withdrawal to the GB they only gave talks from the platform saying his actions at the time were in poor taste, they never df'd him and Prince (yeh kids I know, he changed his name to a sign, but he's going by Prince again) is allowed to record and hang with hollywood, as long as he contributes generously. The GB will take their gold any way they can get it. It has been that way for many, many, many years!
There was a brother in South Jersey a number of years ago that was df'd for gambling......then he won several Million dollars.......his JW family members had no problem with him paying off their debts and the congo had no problem reinstating him, amazingly just before they build a new KH???
My brother served at Bethel and knew Brother Knorr and the Franz's quite well...he went to NYC a true believer in the "truth" and came home tired and disillusioned, our Mother's best friend was married to one of the GB, so we had firsthand knowledge of the attitudes.....and saw how those with assets to be contributed to the WTBTS were cultivated and allowed latitude in their practicing of the "truth"
oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,.
what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?.
whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight;.
Rebel8
I enjoyed your beginning of this topic. I grew up in the generation wherein we read a verse from the Bible (King James), sang America The Beautiful (to the tune of God Save the Queen/King) and Saluted the Flag, every morning in school. I was allowed to participate in the Bible reading, and stood at attention during the singing and salute. I was called every name in the book, spat upon, pushed in the mud and hated recess (outside play) because I was ganged up on on the playground. Plus, I was a girl and "ladies" don't fight....!
I am proud that I am an American, I'm sometimes not too proud of what some Americans do or say! I'm sure our friends from Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium and every other country on this earth are proud to be citizens of their country or "Citizens of the World". I vote, because I don't feel you have a right to complain if you don't at least participate and I pay my taxes without looking for every loophole in the IRS guide.
I travel and make it a point to at least be able to ask for the loo (ladies room, sorry I have alot of friends from England, Ireland and New Zealand), directions and say please and thank you in the language of the country I visit.
I realize that Independance day (July 4th) is a holiday celebrated by the "Colonies", but as I sit here preparing to go down to the local Community College to watch the fireworks and eat tube steaks of mystery meat (hot dogs) I'll say hello to all of the Canadian, English, Cuban, etc., etc. visitors and immigrants that are always there. And, on the appropriate date, I will drink Champagne on Bastile day......and during my trip to England next spring, I'll lift a pint or two in honor of the appropriate English holiday at that time.
The world may not like America, but it seems they always come running when they need something.......and we have Cubans and Mexicans dieing to come to our Country and I see a lot of Canadian "Maple Leaf" flags flying tall and proud over American soil every winter when the "snow-birds" come to Florida for the warmth and great exchange rates!
I too feel that some of our friends north of the border and across the pond kinda like to pick on us just a little, but that's okay......I survived being in the "truth".
first they should have changed "godly obedience" to "society obedience".
i have never heard obey the gb pushed so hard in all my years as i dub.
it was amazing.
A story......1969 a 17 year old girl, offered two full scholarships, one in nursing one to become a teacher....little 17 year old is very obedient......she chooses pioneering.....gets a job with an opthamologist (eye surgeon) 3 1/2 days a week and pioneers the other 3 1/2....after 2 years, she thinks maybe she'd like to go to school...one elder tells her go for it, be true to herself a good publisher is better than a reluctant pioneer......everyone else says no...she doesn't go, the surgeon move to California, wants to take the then 19 year old with him as well as several other of his staff! Alas, the 19 year old stays and continues to pioneer, cleaning houses to make a living.......pioneers in NYC, meets lots of "Bethelites", comes home, meets a non-believer and marries him at 21........! 33 years later, divorced, very few friends (it's hard to be a friend when you never were allowed to make them out of the "truth") with an Associates degree (went back to school at 47), she's wised up.....encourages every kid she knows to go to college....and oh yeh! She doesn't go to meetings and won't touch cool aid!
Thanks for the updates on the assemblies, the ammo helps when my 73 year old mom calls to preach and try to bring me back!
ive been doing a bunch of reflecting and pondering> im just seeing if anyone else has been feeling this and/or if its common.
relieved that i have a new found freedom, free to pursue goals and dreams i never could as a dub.
free from the guilt, always feeling god is watching waiting from me to screw up so he can erase my name from the book of life.
I moved 1100 miles from the area I had been born in, grown up in (38+ years) and where I knew everyone..to an area where I only had myself and my two children (aged 14 years and 15 months)....didn't bother with the KH until the witnesses found me (go figure the first JW's at my door were a couple I had grown up with, they had married at 17 and were pioneering here). I tried the occassional meeting route, but I wouldn't give demos or go in field service (I had pioneered for 5 years and they knew it)...all of which was faithfully reported to my mother and sister in my old congo. I finally decided that I received more help and true friendship from the "wordly" people I met and became friends with, so I haven't attended anything but the Memorial since 1991 and I stoppeed attending the Memorial in 2001 because and elder walked up to me, in front of my daughter 13 year old daughter and a group of sisters and said "Do you really think your once a year sacrifice to Jehovah is acceptable to him, what do you even bother?" with that I picked up my NWTHS and Song Book, took my daughter by the hand and walked out, to the distress of a number of sisters and brothers in hearing range.....I have not walked into a KH again and have requested a "do not call at this address" slip be put in the territory map covering my neighborhood. Yes, you can do that, then you don't have to be bothered if you don't want to.
The God I grew up believing inis a loving God and judges what's in you heart, not the showey display and outward appearance and as I don't believe I'm going to Heaven or Hell, when I'm dead, I'm dead and won't know what's going on unless I am resurrected into Paradise, or who knows Heaven! This site has helped me more in the last few weeks that anything I've done in the last 43 years.
(crying as i write) .
so, our(ip_sec and my) mother getting married on wednesday in her best friends backyard, asked her if i could come, and she says to me........ .
"i don't know, i'll have to ask jo" (her bff) because i am not reinstated.
That is the pits...when my sister was married in the KH, I was not df'd, but I wasn't attending meeting...I was allowed to be her Bridesmaid....my brother was df'd at the time, he attended with his family and was treated as if he were a wordly person.
In this case your Mom isn't getting married at the KH (what's up with that??), so I'd go anyway for the wedding and see how things go!
Hugs and empathy!
for example: we had a 'faithfull' brother getting older and confused.
when something did not really went as he liked it (didn't get the answer etc) he shouted very loudly 'god doom me in the hell!
one time i had to do the closing prayer on the midweek meeting.
I really have two that I remember and having to be "a perfect little example" at the meeting because my Dad wasn't a witness...really make them stand out:
The first, my brother around 3 at the time (now 49 and df'd for 31 years) was taken to the ladies room by my mother for "discipline" because he was moving around to much and not paying attention (??), he was told after being spanked that if he made a "peep" during the meeting he would return to the ladies room and the spanking would be harder! On the way up the center aisle to our 4th row seats, this darling blue eyed moppet with a head of curls turns my mother's face to his and quite loudly tells her "I'M GOING TO PEEP". My mother spent the rest of the meeting in the library, where she could hear but not see the meeting. I will not go into what happened at home....
When I was about fifteen, I was sitting in the front row with ar friend of mine about the same age. We were sitting next to the CO who always used two chairs, one for his ample girth the other for his huge bookbag, which he carried all of his books and talks in and which was always left open. Well, as usual, the meeting was dull and dry and we became distracted by this open, looming, forbidden territory and my friend dared me to put my hand in it...which I did. We got into such fits of giggles that I had tears running down my face......the next thing I knew, I was picked up by the hair of my head and marched down the center isle by my mother.....I was embarrassed because a guy I had a crush on was home from Bethel that weekend. He's no longer associated and neither am I, what a difference 39 years make!
I remembered the older, larger Watchtowers had crosses on them....but that looks more like a sword to me???? I think I'll buy some backing material and draw a similar design and hook a welcome mat for my front door...only mine is going to have the circle with a line drawn through it! Oops! not necessary, my name and address are in the territory map as a place not to call. I think the elders didn't want their new publishers to hear the "truth" from a former full time pioneer. I think I'll do the mat anyway!
.
does anyone have any experience with this or know what is happening?.
moanzy
No matter what the explanation, whether the little one saw something or not and no matter that the older child believes this is her second Mommy...keep the lines of communication open. Don't belittle or ignore their stories, allow them to talk to you. These things will either cease to happen or they will continue....but at least you, as a parent, will know what is going on.
And by all means, make sure the children are checked out by their physician!
desperately seeking joel.
knew him at the jersey shore!
atlantic city/ventnor/somer point areas back in the late 60's early 70's.
Emma, kls and Joyzabel......thank you for the assistance. I'm new to this and thankful you're all here to help a newbie!
