Super_Becka

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Posts by Super_Becka

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  14

  JWs and smoking - need some info and proof

  by Super_Becka in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  edit: i changed the subject of this thread, just to be more specific and get more attention.. .

  hi guys, .

  ok, so i was talking to my jw boyfriend a few days ago (heh, how many of my threads start out like that??

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  Super_Becka

  EDIT: I changed the Subject of this thread, just to be more specific and get more attention.
  

  Hi guys,

  OK, so I was talking to my JW boyfriend a few days ago (heh, how many of my threads start out like that??) and we were just chatting about anything and everything, same as always, and we got on the topic of his brother. His younger brother has been camping out with him while he started a new job, and will be moving into his own place early in March, and lately, he's been coming back to my boyfriend's apartment smelling of cigarette smoke and chewing gum.

  Ahh, so the JW brother has taken up smoking, very interesting. Of course, I already know that smoking is banned (haven't JWs been disfellowshipped for smoking in the past??), but I don't let my boyfriend know this, and I take the, "ugh, smoking is a nasty habit", route. Of course, my boyfriend agrees, he's a non-smoker and doesn't like the habit, either, and he says, "Hey, did you know that Witnesses have a rule against smoking??".

  Aha, I already knew that, but I play dumb about it all, just to see what he thinks. "Really??", I say, and he says, "Yeah, you know how the Mormons aren't allowed to have caffeine and other addictive substances like that?? Well, Witnesses aren't allowed to smoke.". So I say, "Well, what about alcohol, are you guys allowed to drink??". "In moderation," he replies, "And if you became an alcoholic, the Witnesses would probably try to help you.". (At that comment, I rolled my eyes.)

  So back to the smoking bit, I say, "Well, what if your brother really is smoking, what does that mean??", and he says, "Well, he's breaking a rule", and that's it. No comments on how a JW could get into serious trouble for breaking WTS rules or anything like that, no comments on how strict JWs are with their rules, nothing. Granted, I don't think his brother is baptized, but that's not the point - my point is, what does my boyfriend know about WTS rules and the policies about disfellowshipping??

  So, ladies and gentlemen of JWD, I need some help. I'm going to use this opportunity, the fact that his brother is smoking and that it's against JW rules, to bring some other WTS rules to my boyfriend's attention and see what his opinions are about them. I'm not going to attack the WTS or try to make him believe what I do, I just want to get his thoughts on some of these things. Does he think that the WTS rules are insane and overly strict and extreme, or does he agree with them, or is he even aware of them?? I plan to bring it up in conversation by saying something like, "Hey, you really got me thinking when you said that smoking is banned, so I was curious and looked up what else is banned..." I'm a naturally curious person, I'm always learning and researching, he'll believe me if I say that I just looked this up because he piqued my interest with mention of the smoking ban.

  So here's what I'm looking for - some good links and information on WTS rules and what's banned, and some evidence from the WTS to back them up, and some information on disfellowshipping/shunning practices and rules. Scriptural evidence would also be appreciated, if it relates to the rules (my boyfriend has a habit of supporting the WTS by saying, "Well, it says *insert rule here* in the Bible, that's why we do it", and I'd like to be able to mention what doesn't exist in the Bible - I'm sure God didn't specifically ban cigarette smoking, for example).

  The catch is that I need information that isn't from an "apostate" source, I need to get this directly from the horse's mouth - the WTS and it's publications. A list of rules and bans from a non-WTS source would work, but then I need to support that with WTS publications. I've mentioned certain things to my boyfriend before that let on that I'd been researching, and the first thing he said was, "Where did you read that?? What are your sources??", so if I mention something, I'd like to be able to point out the WTS references that back it up so that he can't argue that I'm reading anti-WTS sources that just want to make Witnesses look bad.

  So guys, any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure there are other threads on the topic of WTS bans and disfellowshipping, so if anyone can point those out to me, I'd appreciate it. Also, anyone have a link for a Quotes mirror?? That would be immensely helpful, too - after all, can a JW debate quotes taken directly from their own publications?? And if anyone has any other information or suggestions that would be pertinent to my research, I'd be eternally grateful. And if you have any tips on how to be extra-careful with bringing this topic up to my boyfriend, I welcome your input.

  Thanks in advance for your help, I really appreciate it. You guys (and girls!!) are the best!!

  -Becka :)
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  13

  Are Women Allowed To Be Ministers?

  by lucifer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was out last night with my friend that i went to church with a couple weeks ago (he's presbyterian) and i asked him if he had been to church lately and he told me that him and his family went to the main church in town instead of his little one in the country.

  then he told me that his aunt and cousins got up and left the service because it was a woman minister??

  so i asked if they were allowed to have women ministers and he said no that it is against the bible ..."the bible clearly says that women are not to have authority in chuch/congregations..." .

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  Super_Becka

  I don't know much about the Bible, but there seems to be lots in there about women "staying in their place" and being quiet and letting men run things, I just don't know the quotes. The Catholic Church, for one, doesn't allow female priests, either, and I'm sure there's lots of other churches that won't ordain women.

  I'm Anglican, and we have lots of female ministers. The minister in my home parish is a lovely Scottish lady from Edinburgh who prefers to go by her first name - we call her "Reverend Linda". The Anglican Church has been ordaining women for something like 40 years, no problem (and now, the Anglican Church is even ordaining openly-gay ministers and allows same-sex marriage, we're a pretty progressive bunch, I guess).

  I'm sure there's lots of people here who can reference Scriptural passages about women and subservience and how they're not allowed to hold any position in a congregation, etc., I've seen those references on this board before.

  -Becka :)
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  95

  VHS of Elder lying in court...need help getting on net

  by alamb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have the video, finally, of the city overseer perjuring himself.

  in it, he denies wt publications, refuses to read wt articles and quotes claiming they come from "apostate" websites, etc.

  it is about 10 minutes long.

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  Super_Becka

  Ooo, should be a good one, alamb, I can't wait to see it!!

  There should be someone here who can convert video from a VHS tape to a digital format, I suggest asking elsewhere about it.

  Keep us posted, we all want to see this one!!

  -Becka :)
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  16

  Ever had to go to hospital?

  by greendawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in general have you been physically healthy in your life or did you ever have a serious physical illness to the point that you needed hospitalisation?

  fortunately up to now i never had any such illness nor did ppl of my age that i know, except one (heart operation).

  the only one that died actually got killed in an accident at work after the machine he was operating snatched him and minced him.

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  Super_Becka

  I've been healthy my whole life, never had to stay overnight in a hospital or anything.

  But I have had a lot of ear trouble - I was diagnosed with a cholesteotoma (a cyst) in my left ear when I was 14, so I had surgery to remove that and the mastoid bone, then more surgery later that year to replace the ossicles that it had destroyed, and last year, I had a nasty ear infection that made my body reject the replaced ossicles, so I had more surgery to remove another cholesteotoma and the regrown mastoid bone. All three surgeries were day-surgery, though, no overnight hospital stays for me. And luckily, the scars from the surgeries are behind my ear, so you can't see them at all. The only way you'd know that I had ear trouble is that I suffer from hearing loss in that ear and tinnitus (ringing of the ear), so if you talk to me from my left side, I can't hear what you're saying. I wouldn't consider myself to be "hearing impaired" by any means, but I don't hear a damn thing with that ear, so I think I'd qualify as being "hard of hearing" on my left side.

  With regards to people my age being ill, I have one friend who was in a coma for a month in junior high and still has micro-seizures because the doctors don't know what's wrong with him (he's also an insulin-dependent diabetic), and a guy I grew up with died suddenly a couple of weeks ago of a heart attack, he was 21 years old.

  That's about it for me. Other than the ear trouble, I'm nice and healthy. Good thing, too, I hate doctors and hospitals, they freak me out.

  -Becka :)
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  36

  Kingdom Halls and the no windows thing...

  by ObservingTexan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  very first post.

  go easy on me!.

  my question though is this.

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  Super_Becka

  Hey ObservingTexan, welcome to the board!! From one non-JW to another, I'm glad you're here!! Stick around and ask lots of questions, and don't worry about asking something that seems to obvious, I've been kicking around here for a couple of months now and I still ask really dumb stuff sometimes, but nobody here minds, they're good people.

  Hmm, I've heard lots about KHs not having any windows - I think it might have something to do with cost, maybe?? I know that they usually do KHs as "quick-builds", usually as a weekend thing, so it's probably just easier and cheaper to not have any windows.

  I don't know about the rest of the KHs in Newfoundland, but in my hometown, the KH actually has windows. They're not big, but they're there. Thing is - I lived there for the first 18 years of my life, and the only time I've ever seen any lights on there was when I was home for Christmas. Not many JWs in these parts, thank God.

  Again, feel free to ask anything here, OT, and stick around, you'll learn lots!!

  -Becka :)
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  8

  If you wear that suit long enough, it might come back into fashion

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i always got a kick out of the witness fashion sense, or lack there of.

  i would see these old men wearing light blue and burgundy suits, in the 1990's.

  when people said something, like "that is an out of date or fashion suit," they would act like it does not matter.

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  Super_Becka

  Why are JWs in general so unfashionable? Is it because they can't afford anything else cause they're all rug cleaners and janitors? Are they just clueless? Does it just not interest them?

  My JW boyfriend hasn't gone to a meeting in forever, not in at least a year, so I can't comment on his meeting attire. He says he owns a suit, but I have yet to see it, so I have to take his word on that.

  I do, however, know that all he ever wears everywhere else is blue jeans and a white t-shirt. I'm not kidding, he has a drawer filled with plain white t-shirts!! And he's so thin that he had a hard trouble finding them in his size, but he doesn't like going out to shop, so he buys all of his white t-shirts on the Internet. And blue jeans, he has so many pairs of plain, faded blue jeans, I've never seen anyone with so many jeans before!! Sure, he has some long-sleeved shirts, but they're generally black or grey. I saw him in a red one once and I nearly died of shock - he never wears colour!!

  Is it because he doesn't have a good job and can't afford nice clothes?? Nope, he has a BS in Electronics and works for Intel, he lives alone and has no extraneous expenses, so he has cash to spare. Is he clueless?? Yup, completely and utterly. Does nice clothes just not interest him?? Probably not - I tell him that he looks really good in some colours - I've seen him in red once, and once in navy blue, and he looked incredible!! - but he doesn't care, he likes his t-shirts and jeans and he's not interested in changing.

  The lack of colour in his wardrobe (and his apartment in general - the whole place is white!!) is so dire that his JW mother has begged me to take him shopping for something more colourful!!

  -Becka :)
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  24

  I am faced with serious decisions here - Can you help me find the answer?..

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. social
  2. family

  i am going to reveal details of a personal nature here.

  these details may reveal who i am to anyone looking to finally expel me from the organization - but frankly that it of little importance compared to what i am now having to decide.

  i ask those who here - with either the qualifications, or who can direct me to those with such, to respond.

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  Super_Becka

  (((((((((((AK - Jeff))))))))))))

  This sounds like a really tough situation for you and your family, my heart goes out to you. It must be so hard for you to know what to do, and so hard for your grandchildren to understand everything that's going on.

  I'm sorry I can't offer any good advice on this situation, I really don't know what to say. The others here seem to all agree that finding a good lawyer who specializes in situations like yours, so that's probably your best bet.

  And please be careful with this, for your family's sake. I know you'll handle this as best as you can, just be extra-careful with your grandson's father, since you don't know much about him, and be careful with the girls, they'll probably be confused about the whole thing.

  I know you'll make the right decisions. I hope everything works out for you and your family.

  Keep us posted!!

  -Becka :)
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  13

  Weekend Plans

  by collegegirl21 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so tonight i work for a dance dance revolution tournament because i'm on our campus programming and relations board.

  but do you guys know of any fun things to do this weekend?

  maybe not going places since we all live all over... but fun cheap things to do with a close friend?

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  Super_Becka

  Cheap, fun things to do on the weekend??

  First of all, being a university student, I have no time for a social life and no money for it anyway.

  But for fun, my roommates and I (I have three female roommates) like to just hang out in our PJs with lots of popcorn and watch lots of movies. On any given weekend here in my apartment, there's a movie playing in the DVD player, even when there's nobody actually sitting and watching it.

  Sure, it's not the most thrilling thing to do, but we're starving students, we like to hang out together and we like movies. And true, three of us have boyfriends, but they're all long-distance relationships (I'm the only one dating a guy in North America!!), so no dates or hanging out with our boyfriends. We just hang out together, chat, laugh, watch movies and enjoy ourselves.

  Does anyone else have any better ideas??

  -Becka :)
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  7

  How to Stump Your Dub Relative

  by MissBehave in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  right after the 9/11 tragedies i stumped my father because i asked the very simple question "dad, does jehovah love osama bin laden?".

  now according to the bible god loves all of us, right?

  there was a very long pause, but he answered yes.

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  Super_Becka

  Hey MissBehave, good one!! I should try asking my JW boyfriend about something like that, and then come back and toss those quotes from GaryBuss at him. Hmm, very interesting, indeed.

  And welcome to the board!! Stick around, we're glad to have you here!!

  -Becka :)
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  35

  Death to the Pixies: A few questions, just for you...

  by AuldSoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  as an able apologist for jw dogma, i am wondering whether you give me answers with scriptural backing for a few questions.

  in other words, whatever your answer is i would like scriptures to support the answer.

  i hope that is not too much to ask.. (1) was charles taze russell ever the "faithful and wise steward" assigned to give people their "portion of meat in due season"?.

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  Super_Becka

  I'm very interested to see if Death To The Pixies will step up and accept this challenge, these are some very interesting questions and I'm curious to see how he answers them.

  -Becka :)