Posts by PoppyR

34

No Natural Affection

by misspeaches in

jw
friends

i was talking to jh about this the other day.... this year will be the 3rd memorial i will have missed.

i've faded not disphellowshipped or disassociated.

to date i have not recieved an invitation to come along to the memorial for any of them.

I have noticed this also. I am fading, about 6 months out and people I considered to be close friends have treated me so badly. One recently had a big social gathering and did not invite me, I am relatively newly single and have two boys and this was an event with lots of children. She then texted me to say she was sorry and explained it was because I was not attending meetings.

I thought it quite telling, that nobody really gives a damn now if my children have 'association' or not. They have cut the whole family off because of my decision, which is fine actually because I dont want the children to have friends in the org anyway! But if they genuinely cared surely a big social gathering would be just the thing to get us re-started?

She then had the cheek to say she would always be my friend and could we do lunch.. Because she is a 'double life' kind of girl and enjoys coming out with me and knowing she can get away with what she wants. Not any longer! I did not bother to reply.

I have found true friendship without any kind of conditions out here in the big bad world!! I have a couple of people I know would love me regardless of what I did or believed and will be there for me to the death. True friendship is a rare and valued thing, and it's not to be found in the org.

Poppy

83

worst Bookstudy book

by darth frosty in

what is the book you liked the least studying at the bookstudy?

for me it was the isaiah books.

side question which book did you like the best?

PoppyR

Revelation book!!! and not once but 3 times.. arggggghh. Hated it, could never understand it and just thought it was misapplied drivel.

Also hated the Daniel book, and again, had to study it twice, although the second time spent a lot of time thinking about other things!

Best one.. that's a much harder question!

Poppy

26

15 years of thinking about it and I finally did it....

by BrendaCloutier in

jw
friends

i got my nose pierced and how have a tiny nose stud on the right side.

PoppyR

I had my nose pierced about 4 years ago while still an active JW, I got a lot of raised eyebrows, nobody actually said anything for ages until I put in a form for auxuillary pioneering (yeah I know, idiot) and an elder counselled me about it and said I was giving a wordly appearance etc. And I would not be allowed priveleges (ie pioneering) while I still had it.

Being humble and a good christian woman I thought about it and took it out, did my month of pioneering, really missed my nose stud and about 6 months later had it re-pierced! I had already decided I was never going to pioneer again!

I also had a lizard tattooed on my foot while still a witness (ahem yes I was slightly drunk) and I spent the whole summer trying to find shoes I could wear to the meeting to cover it up!

Enjoy your new piercing! I love mine, think it gives you that little bit of individuality that is SO frowned upon in the borg!

Poppy xxxx

25

Hate CO Visit

by thepackage in

our cong.

recently had its co visit, and i realized how fake people can be when the co is around.

elders take time off of work to go out on service during the week, ms's that want to be elders kiss butt to the co. taking the co and his wife out to lunch become a competition.

PoppyR

Things have definitely moved on from that in the UK, you still have the ass kissing, but I remember the poor brother chasing round the month before trying to find someone to have them for meals or to stay and getting more and more desperate! Inevitably it was the same people over and over.

Poppy

19

Reasoning with the Witnesses - for newbies.

by FreeWilly in

jw
friends

after reading experiences and correspondence that some have posted on this site i think it might be a good idea to share what has been somewhat effective in conversations with entrenched jw family and friends.

when i was just "waking up" my mind was so occupied with the things i learned that i paid little attention to how i presented my point of view to jw's.

i often employed the "shot-gun" approach using the research i unveiled along with a healthy dose of outrage.

PoppyR

I really enjoyed your comments, I think you are so right!! As soon as I raised a couple of points to my family everything shut down and now nobody mentions anything spiritual to me or asks why I am not going. Their self protection mechanism is incredibly finely tuned!

It's a very 'drip drip' approach I feel, and also we must recognise that unless they are ready to listen.. nothing will have much effect. It can be frustrating, I raised the 607 issue with a couple of people who could not answer my questions, both of them eventually fell back on the old reliable "we must trust in Jehovah to reveal it in his own time" One elder said "who knows we might get new light on this matter"!!

They are totally brainwashed and blinded, and most of us need to remember we were too!

I like your suggestion for an idea to make them question though.

Poppy

7

Watchtower (UK) Data Protection registry entry.

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

financial organisations and advisers.

PoppyR

Also I work in a field where we have to collect data, and we are legally now only entitled to hold it for 2 years without their permission, so every two years we must ask their permission to carry on using it.. Also the electoral roll which used to be available for anybody to view is now only available in certain places and people who wish not to have their details on it can request that.

The laws in the Uk have seriously tightened up, I think the WT is going to have to be careful too.

Poppy

68

Ways to get disfellowshipped??

by beautifulisfree in

jw
friends

i am looking for a creative or a usaul way to get my turn at being disfellowshipped.

i was a witness that married a 'worldly' guy.

so, basically i can do anything i want and not get disfellowshipped.

PoppyR

Send a letter to everyone in the congregation asking them to explain the 607 dillemma??

Apostacy will get you disfellowshipped before your head turns around!

Poppy

71

I found this VERY offensive. What about you?

by Gill in

jw
friends

watchtower, may 15th 2006.

(back page).

the value of 'a weaker vessel'.

PoppyR

This is demonstrated when he, time and again, waits for her to get ready or finds himself needing to adjust his wishes or preferences to his wife’s wishes, whims or limitations.

I haven't seen this one before it made me laugh out loud!! In our house I was always waiting for my husband to get ready even when I'd been up since dawn getting ready for an assembly, had washed and fed two babies, made lunch and got myself looking presentable!

I'm not offended by the article, because I know the real JWs and VERY few of the women are subservient or quiet and mild!

In my wedding talk the brother gave the illustration about the boat needing a captain and a first mate, and one of my 'wordly' relatives got up and stomped out and after said to me "nobody else is steering my bloody ship, especially not a man"!! I just thought that was funny, but 12 years later I saw her at a family occasion and she still recalled the talk! These things do more damage than the GB imagines. Women of today are not attracted by being told they are 'weak' or delicate.

Poppy

37

I'm new here.

by The in

jw
friends

hey everyone, as the subject might sugest... im new here!

they say first impressions last and i hope i make.

this a good one.. .

PoppyR

Hi 'The' and welcome!

When you say you are looking for the truth, I empathise. But one thing you will see here a LOT is that people back up most of what they say with references, scripture, quotes from recognised sources etc.

It wont take you too long in your studies to find that the WT rarely if ever do this. Just do what the organisation tell you to do, examine the scriptures daily to see if these things are so.

Keep checking and cross referencing, and asking and try to filter out all the stuff you've been told over and over the years. Gradually I think you will find the mists will clear and the distance between what you've been taught and the truth will become an expanse!

Poppy x

60

JW DECREASE IN AMERICA of 1.07%

by DannyHaszard in

worldwide faith news (press release), ny - 3 minutes ago .

... 25. jehovah's witnesses, 1,029,902 members, reporting a decrease of 1.07 members.

24. the orthodox church in america, 1,064,000 members, reporting an increase of 6.40 percent.

PoppyR

Just like to add my two pence worth (cents!) and that's because I resented the comment about the UK and christian evangelism being dead, I live in the Uk and work with two very christian people who have spoken to me on many occasions about their beliefs, one regularly reads the bible at break time etc. In fact when I used to be a JW they put me to shame. I can find young Mormon boys in the town centre every single day trying to preach to people. It's a long time since I saw the JWs on my street.

I drive past my local Catholic church (please how can you call Celtic a church!!!!!! It's a football game, how many of those people do you think are in church the next day!) And I see people pouring out on a Sunday, laughing, chatting, dressed in all kinds of weird clothes, all accepted and I smile wryly and remember how much catholic bashing we did and how we were sure all those churches were going to be turned into bingo halls before long...

Actually in my town the congregations have gone from 4 to 3 (a 25% decrease!) and are showing NO increase, yet the other churches are exploding. Why? Because from what I see, those people leave the service feeling energised, spiritual, happy etc. I used to leave the KH feeling frustrated, flat, bored, tired and just relieved it was over. The same old tired songs, talks, Wts, over and over and over. I think nobody would argue that the membership is young and exciting, the people who are propping up the WT organisation are the middle aged die hards that were there 30 years ago.. It's only a matter of time.

Poppy x