Posts by Cygnus

12

"....You probably think this song is about you...."

by Preston in

when i was a faithful dub, the biggest, nagging doubt i had was the belief that a book... writing thousands, upon thousands of years ago....largely written in the middle east....was written with a couple of jehovah's witnesses in mind.

it never ceased to amaze me the number of elders that told me that "the bible was really written for the annointed...remember, everyone else just benefits from its non-heavenly related discussion..but only a god fearing, going to heaven annointed dub could truly understand it...in that special way.

the whole thing reminds me of that carly simon song, "you're so vain", you'd have to be really vain....or insane even... to think that a book that ancient was written with a couple of guys in brooklyn in mind, a city that didn't even exist at the time the last book of the bible was written.

Cygnus

So was the Bible written for Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, or Chuck Russell? Will the secret be revealed at the upcoming special convention?

12

"....You probably think this song is about you...."

by Preston in

when i was a faithful dub, the biggest, nagging doubt i had was the belief that a book... writing thousands, upon thousands of years ago....largely written in the middle east....was written with a couple of jehovah's witnesses in mind.

it never ceased to amaze me the number of elders that told me that "the bible was really written for the annointed...remember, everyone else just benefits from its non-heavenly related discussion..but only a god fearing, going to heaven annointed dub could truly understand it...in that special way.

the whole thing reminds me of that carly simon song, "you're so vain", you'd have to be really vain....or insane even... to think that a book that ancient was written with a couple of guys in brooklyn in mind, a city that didn't even exist at the time the last book of the bible was written.

Cygnus

I was impressed with the remarkable way that Bible verses were being interpreted. No one simply reading them could possibly come to the conclusions that the Watchtower organization did. How was I to ever understand the Bible without someone to help me on a personal level? I had no idea that such complex ideology was concealed in Scripture. Who else but someone very knowledgeable could possibly come up with such themes as the modern "Jonadabs;" "Elijah," "Elisha," and more recently the "Jeremiah class"? The Bible appeared to be written just for them. It predicted their assemblies, gave specific detail as to their content, prophesied about the imprisonment of some of their directors, and many other such pointed details all with unerring accuracy! It never occurred to me that any good fiction writer could do the same thing, as such ideas had nothing to do with what the verses used truly taught. Our Lord and his disciples never applied Scripture in the extreme ways that the Watchtower organization did. Verses intended to be examples for future generations became prophecy to be fulfilled in modern times through the agency of the Watchtower Society!

35

Giving up drinking...........

by vitty in

jw
friends

..............the tread about giving up smoking, made me think.

they usually can give you a time scale of how long it takes to give up smoking, i know its different for everyone, but usually 6 weeks and youve cracked it, 3 months and you hardly think about it.. what about drinking, is there a yard stick of how long it takes you to break the addiction.

ive decided to stop for a month, they reckon its a good test.. ive stopped drinking during the week( about 3 months ) and drink only fridays and saturdays, but i must admit by thursday im really chomping on the bit for a glass of wine.. so this week will be my first dry weekend for about 10 years, im excited but also worried that i cant do it.. the problem is i associate drinking wine, with relaxing and welcoming the weekend.. .

Cygnus

Well I tried to have a beer with dinner 2 days ago. Ended up dumping the beer and getting a can of ginger ale. My friend who I mentioned earlier remarked to me that he hasn't been bombed like that night since.... which means he'll probably waste himself tonight. Fine by me, I collect all his/their empties and usually get about 30 bucks.

Go to a bar one night, drink soda, order some food you'd normally eat after having 7-8 beers, and watch the drunken idiots and be proud of yourself. I absolutely love leaving a bar completely sober.

21

An Elder Called Me Tonight

by MerryMagdalene in

i couldn't have been more surprised!.

i've been dfed for 10+ years.

5 years ago they asked if they could stop by and talk with me sometime; i gave them my phone # and said "call first to make sure i'm home" and.....5 years later they do !

Cygnus

Well Leo, I still like the one song where Jesus is compared to Gideon. Maybe my favorite song in that book, besides #23 of course, which I have played and recorded with 3 guitars, bass, drums and me singing in a distorted voice. It's pretty great. Comes through good on yahoo too. I don't think I have enough room on my AOL FTP space to get it on there.

ANYWAY (as Chuck Klosterman would write) there exists a group called "Jehovah's Christian Witnesses." They are trinitarian and have a website I believe. That's why in the late 70s you stopped seeing that phrased used in WT magazines.

26

DID ANYTHING ODD OR UNUSUAL HAPPEN IN YOUR CONGREGATION?

by badboy in

jw
friends

?

Cygnus

I came to the book study with 4 beers in my gut and was asked to say the opening prayer and in the middle of it some girl started laughing. She later explained it wasn't me, it was a "noise" that came from an elderly gentleman near her.

My brother, when he went to meetings, watched the man giving the public talk on sunday drop dead.

Seems I remember an important organization dude dropping dead while giving a talk in Hawaii.

One young brother used to just wing his talks. Always volunteered to give impromtus. He never brought notes or anything but his Bible. Once he was rambling and said "Jesus got the shaft." He got mightily counseled on that.

Interestingly, at the neurology institute that I go to for my hands, a guy who quit the JWs some 20 years ago works there now. I need to say hi to him. He gave a TMS talk and when being counseled he spoke up from his seat, something like, 'Yeah yeah I was trying to do that.. well you know this and that and the other.' I never heard someone talk back to the school overseer.

Once when I was maybe 17 I showed up to the meeting without a tie. Got lectured. My dad used to wear a bolo tie. He got lectured. Once, a guy, whose whole family quit the Witnesses, would show up a little late to the meetings in his Burger King outfit. he got lectured and said fine, I'll just go home instead of coming here.

5

Great section/quote from Joseph Malik's book Beyond the Watctower

by Cygnus in

this was brought up briefly in another thread maybe a week ago.

here's the part of the book that i liked:.

pg.

Cygnus

This was brought up briefly in another thread maybe a week ago. Here's the part of the book that I liked:

Pg. 84 Capter VII

"As our studies and research continued, we looked forward to the summer assemblies with more anticipation than ever before, looking forward to changes being made in doctrine. It was traditional with the Watchtower Society to make major doctrinal changes at its District Assemblies, with few exceptions. The one that we attended in 1977 was held in Greensboro, North Carolina. While we were there, I made it a point to go to the administration department to talk with one of the society's directors and a member of their 'Governing Body.'

I did not know him personally, but years earlier I had purchased a Bible Encyclopedia and a few other books from his wife, who ran a mail-order book business at the Kingdom Farm where they lived at the time. One of these books was The Four Major Cults, by Hoekema, that contained a section against Jehovah's witnesses. Material of this kind was not permitted in Kingdom Hall libraries, and it was interesting to me that he and his wife sold such material on the side.

When I introduced myself to him in the administration-office, he ushered me outside the door. Then, punching me repeatedly on the chest with his finger, he said, 'We kicked that letter of yours around quite a bit,' and continued by saying that the answer to my questions about the Kingdom would be explained in the new book to be released that afternoon. The Kingdom was in three phases, he said, and he gave no explanation as to why my letters had gone unanswered.

There was nothing loving or kind about this man, and it was not surprising to me that the information he gave me at the time was not correct. I wondered to myself if the others were like that!"

Joe's book has never received the credit it ought to have, in my opinion,

Also I just got off the phone with AlmostAtheist, great guy, I look forward to speaking with him again. :)

7

Do you have an unreasonable fear of revolving doors?

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

i work in a place that has them all over, even a few of the automatic ones.

like it wasn't harrowing enough slipping into those things, now they move on their own.

yikes!.

Cygnus

I call such things "irrational phobias." It's a good conversation piece. Flying on airplanes, spiders, being robbed, and common phobias are not irrational. My irrational phobia is shrimp. My father is extremely allergic to shrimp and I"m probably not but I refuse to eat it. My sister shares that same "irrrational phobia." BTW AA you have a PM from me.

36

A JW PEODOPHILE RAPIST WAS BLINDSIDED TONIGHT !!!!

by Apostanator in

to give you some quick details, my ex-wife and her two sisters were repeatedly raped and molested for years by their jw father.

we went to the elders, and as you probably know, nothing ever really happened to him, all he got was privately reproved.

well,...fast forward,, i remarried and have a wonderfull wife who is also an ex-jw.

Cygnus

: hopefully no children will be hurt.

That's the key, and maybe the public embrassment of him and his shame will help prevent further damage.

Thanks for replying nicely to me, I really appreciate. :)

36

A JW PEODOPHILE RAPIST WAS BLINDSIDED TONIGHT !!!!

by Apostanator in

to give you some quick details, my ex-wife and her two sisters were repeatedly raped and molested for years by their jw father.

we went to the elders, and as you probably know, nothing ever really happened to him, all he got was privately reproved.

well,...fast forward,, i remarried and have a wonderfull wife who is also an ex-jw.

Cygnus

maybe the ex-father-in-law got counseling, rehabilitaton, and would never do a thing like that again

i dunno, i can be a confrontational person but i dont see much positive in that story

at the very least lets hope his "date" will ask some questions and he'll be truthful

11

finally reading "Crisis of Conscience"

by glenwoodswoman in

jw
friends

i never had the desire to read the book in all the years i have been "liberated".

joining this board got me curious about the book and i am finally reading it....and i am blown away by it!.

i left for reasons of my own- the society and i could not agree on who should run my life- them or me-i always felt that this life style works for some people, but not for me.. now that i am reading coc, i see the whole issue in a much bigger light!

Cygnus

I hear his uncle is working on a posthumous biography--

"Screams from Gehenna... as told by F.W. Franz"