GMahler

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Posts by GMahler

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  5

  Public Discourse - "Jehovah's Table"

  by GMahler in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i confess that i'm more a lurker than a poster.

  my mother, who is still very much an active jw, was recently given this talk delivered by a travelling overseer (a do, i think) bro.

  mack.

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  GMahler

  Hello Everyone, I confess that I'm more a lurker than a poster. My mother, who is still very much an active JW, was recently given this talk delivered by a travelling overseer (a DO, I think) Bro. Mack. I'm not sure what his whole name is. If anyone recognizes his voice, please feel free to post his name. The talk was delivered somtime within the past year somewhere in Florida. It's clear from his comments that he spent a great deal of time at Bethel in the company of GB members. Two things about this talk that stood out to me. First, his comments about the GB. He says that they feel personally responsible for each and every member of the WTS and how they are even deeply troubled when a member goes astray. Anyone whose had the opportunity to learn about how GB meetings are conducted will take issue with these comments. Second, I was intrigued by his comments about Dan Sydlik. I've read lots of things about Sydlik, both good and not so good. On my way out of the Society, I befriended someone who was very close to Sydlik during his time at Bethel. From what I learned, Sydlik was deeply troubled by some of the things going on in the organization and really wanted to reform it. Unfortunately, he would never see the changes he wanted to see take place come about. Perhaps some of the experiences discussed by Bro. Mack in this discourse highlight some of Sydlik's concerns about what was taking place in the organization. Enjoy! http://www.sendspace.com/file/cb28sn
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  17

  ebay 1875 Bible Examiner issue

  by stev in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://cgi.ebay.com/rare-1875-bible-examiner-watchtower-jehovah-witnesss_w0qqitemz7419881079qqcategoryz2198qqcmdzviewitem

  this item has already been sold for $338 (this is just one issue!

  there is a photo of the issue, and information from the seller about russell, storrs, and henry dunn.

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  GMahler

  Years ago, I paged all the issues of the BIble Examiner, but no library had the years from 1872-1876. So this 1875 issue is truly rare.

  stev,

  The Center for Adventist Research at the Andrews University Library in Berrien Springs, MI has every issue of the Bible Examiner available on microfilm. I've looked through their catalog at lentgh. For anyone who wants to research William Miller and the movements his beliefs started (including the Bible Students), this library has the best resources that I could find.
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  5

  Kingdom Melodies: The Remix

  by GMahler in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was going about my daily routine of surfing around myspace and i come across this guy's profile.

  http://www.myspace.com/thorubeo .

  check out track number 3. it's funny, when i was a kid, this was my favorite of all the kingdom melodies.

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  GMahler

  dorayakii,

  Yes, you can download his songs. If you look under the title of each track there is a "Download" link to save it onto your computer as an mp3 file.
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  5

  Kingdom Melodies: The Remix

  by GMahler in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was going about my daily routine of surfing around myspace and i come across this guy's profile.

  http://www.myspace.com/thorubeo .

  check out track number 3. it's funny, when i was a kid, this was my favorite of all the kingdom melodies.

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  GMahler

  I was going about my daily routine of surfing around MySpace and I come across this guy's profile.

  http://www.myspace.com/thorubeo

  Check out track number 3. It's funny, when I was a kid, this was my favorite of all the Kingdom Melodies. I liked it so much that I even memorized it. I wonder if the Society would approve of what he's done to this song. I remember hearing parts at circuit assemblies were we were told that it was wrong to compose "rock music" arrangements of the Kingdom Melodies. I guess this guy wasn't listening.
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  50

  What's the most controversial thing you ever did in Kingdom Hall?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i remember scanning real money and with photoshop pasting the picture of an elder on the bill over the face of the queen.

  then i printed many bills.

  it looked very real.

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  GMahler

  I don't know if it would be considered controversial, but:

  I had a habit of going over the time allotted on my talks. Personally, I think that the 5 minute bible reading is far too short to say anything significant. I always had a lot of material I wanted to cover in so little time. I didn't want to give the same boring ass talks I heard everyone else give, so I always did a lot of research so that I would have something meaningful to say.

  Anyway, this was one time when, I must admit, I didn't really prepare. So before I could even finish my talk, the bell rang. So I pause for a moment, look out into the audience, and say (half-joking):

  "You know on C-SPAN, there have a provision for those who use up all there time. Whenever a speaker uses all his time, he can request to a few more moments or to borrow time from another speaker. I really wish they had that provision for the Theocratic Ministry School."

  To my surprise, people started laughing, I mean really laughing. Some people even started to applaud. I didn't really think about it that much until Sunday when the School overseer called me aside. He said that although he had no problem with my comment, he had received some complaints from others in the congregation. He said that some were offended that I would use the platform to talk about American government, or something like that. I guess they thought I was breaking God's laws of neutrality. I guess the offended were in the minority, though. Most people said they really enjoyed the talk.
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  48

  so what are the "anointed" you know/knew like?

  by nowisee in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  there were two quite old females in my congregation.

  sweet.

  but then they died.. i met several members of gb.

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  GMahler

  At the last congregation I was a part of, on of the elders considered himself to be of the anointed for many years. He was a middle aged man, very quite and unassuming. It seemed like he was assigned to deliver the Memorial talk every year. It was a sight to see everyone's eyes light up when he partook of the bread and wine, especially the kids. When I returned to that congregation after living in Baltimore for 2 years, he was no longer and elder and no longer considered himself of the annoited. He was never an arrogant person. He just kept to himself a lot. He gave great talks, but I always hated it whenever he was a substitute Watchtower study conductor. He would only call on me once and never look in my direction again. My uncle said that there was a women in his congregation who one day decided that she was of the anointed. He said at the first Memorial after she made her announcement, she refused to break the bread for herself. She said that a brother would have to break it for her. It caused quite a scene at that Hall because the young man who was holding the plate wouldn't break it. He kept insisting that she break it herslef. Finally, in frustration, one of the elders approaches them to see what the hold up is, breaks the bread and hands it to her just to keep things moving along.
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  25

  Not everyone left the JW Org for the same reason...Why did you leave?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some left because they couldn't follow the pace.

  some left because they knew they were living a double life.. some left because they rathered live a life of sin.. and some left because they considered it a cult.. i stopped going because i was unable to keep up with all their demands and expectations, and i found them too controling.

  also because they cover their past and give false hope for the near future.. why did you leave?.

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  GMahler

  I left because I was miserable when I discovered that I was being lied to. I did not feel that I could, in good conscience, perpetuate the lies I was taught and bring misery to the lives of others.
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  22

  JWs picking and choosing which rules to follow

  by kristyann in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  does anyone else find that many, many jehovah's witnesses pick and choose which rules they want to follow?

  my boyfriend's parents are jws and i have many, many examples to share with you!

  i'd love to hear if any of you have known of similar type things, or if you know any other rules that jws commonly break.

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  GMahler

  They celebrate Thanksgiving. They do NOT celebrate most holidays because most cost money and effort (and they spend very little money or time on their children) but Thanksgiving requires no effot for them because they simply go to the mom's mom's house (my boyfriend's grandma - who, by the way, is not and has never been a JW) and she prepares all of the food... so they seem to celebrate Thanksgiving because they get a big meal at no cost to them.

  My mother kind of does the same thing, though she would never be caught dead doing all of the other things on your list. Every year on Thanksgiving weekend her brothers and sister have a family "dinner", but they never call refer to it as a Thanksgiving celebration. Apparently this was a common occurence in many congregations because our CO at the time spoke out against it from the platform. He said that many JW's were visiting their family during the holidays and eased their conscience by just calling it another family get together. He suggested that we avoid visiting our families during the holidays and to arrange to associate with them at other times throughout the year.

  Your boyfriend's parents sound like they are on fringe of the WTS. Though I believe such JW's are in the minority, they are probably more common that many conservative JW's are willing to admit. When I was in high school I became friends with this guy who consider himself and his family JW's. But some of the things he told me caused me to have doubts about the seriousness of his families commitment. His parents, for example, loved wild parties and loved alcohol. I think that are some JW's who are attracted to some of the doctrines of the WTS, especially the concept of living for ever in paradise, and they think that just by embracing a few of the beliefs of the WTS and by attending a meeting here or there they are in God's good graces. My brother is kind of the same way. Even though he is disfellowshipped, and even though he believes some of the things the WTS teaches is bullshit, he still believes in the whole "were living in the last days" and "JW's being saved during Armageddon" thing. I think that this belief is so powerful in the minds of some that, while they do not wish to commit themselves fully to all JW practices, they want to do just enough just in case God shows up tomorrow.
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  27

  Does it bother you to realize that life is normal for those left behind?

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you know when you leave a religion or a place you worked at for a long time.

  you want to feel that perhaps there will be a missing irreplaceable piece, that represents the effort you put into the work.

  you know what i talking about, the comment at work of "this place would be lost without me" or in the religion "i am the main person who encourages field service around here.

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  GMahler

  It's funny that you ask this question. A few months ago my mother told me that someone that I dated when still in the "truth" got engaged. We actually broke up about a year or so before I stopped attending meetings (it was my decision), but I couldn't help but think of how life moves on. I thought a lot about my decision to leave and my new life outside of the organization. I thought of how there are others who are still in and how life still goes on and the cermonies of life continue for them as if I had not impact or influence in their life. It wasn't that I expected her, or anyone else for that matter, to put thier life on hold simply because I left. In fact, I was prepared to have very little response or interests from others after my departure. When I was active, I think that some of the elders had big plans for my future. There were some who saw me as a potention CO or even going futher. I think that some of these elders were disappointed with my decision. There are still some who ask about me from time to time, so my mother tells me. In my congregation, however, it seemed that most members of my congregation had very little intrest in me when I was active, so I'm sure that after I left it was not difficult for them to "move on".
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  97

  What silly rules did your congregation make up?

  by weinermcgee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  elders were famous for making up stupid rules with no bible base at all as an ego trip i guess, what were some of yours?

  i am not talking about the stupid rules that we all had to follow, just the congregation specific silly ones.. 1. having to button your jacket while on stage (this was later changed due to all the elders having a beer gut).

  2. suits only or no privledges.

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  GMahler

  I wouldn't say that my entire congregation felt this way, but there was a pioneer couple who had this weird thing about who got to sit in the front seat while out it field service. Those with the most senior positions got to sit in the front seat and all others had to sit in the back. So CO's had seniority over elders, elders over ministerial servants, and brothers over sisters. I remember one time I was in the car with the wife of this couple and we had just dropped off the elder that occupied the front seat. My mother always taught me that if anyone had rights to the front seat, it was because they were older. Besides, I thought out of politeness I would offer her the front seat. She whispered to me that it would not be appropriate for her to take the front seat. I thought that it was odd, but I obliged. Even when her husband was driving I sat in the front seat. I don't know if this is something that is common in other congregations, and I wonder if it was common practice at the congregation that she and her husband came from.