Posts by onacruse

54

MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALLY CHANGE

by minimus in

jw
friends

most people never really change!

our personalities, whether we are active witnesses or are inactive ones, apostates or almost apostates, are the same.

if we tend to rant here on this board, the probability is we were ranters elsewhere.

onacruse

larc: "As a result of this suppression, there may be larger changes among those who leave the religion than among people who have lived a more normal life."

That does make a lot of sense, and corresponds with the feeling of "arrested development" that so many of us share. Like the "compressed spring."

Robert K. Merton, in Social Theory and Social Structure, presents a schematic typology of modes of individual adaption, ranging from "conformity" to "rebellion." This last is described as "...a type of deviation which leads persons outside of the society to envision new goals by complete alienation from the parent social structure." (Amish Society, John Hostetler) This encompasses the feelings of many ex-JW's.

Craig

Fark, SS: Perhaps you have discovered yet another pizza topping? (aw, poor kitties)

13

witness sites

by freedom96 in

jw
friends

on a post by jonathanseagull, he was talking about going onto witness sites, posing as one, and talking to them.

i surfed a little on the net, and checking out some of the sites, i noticed that there are bigtime restrictions to get in.

they are very critical, better be a witness, etc to even be considered to get in.

onacruse

Freedom, you say, "I do believe knowledge is power...The more knowledge that I can gain from any source, the better. I must be able to keep up to date on changes, viewpoints, etc."

My experience so far...you'll find out things about the WTS faster on this board than ANY JW site, Last month, I/we even got copies of the KM from here 2 weeks before most JW's! LOL

This is where the scoop is!

11

What Really Surprises Me Is............

by Sentinel in

jw
friends

.............that jehovah's witness aren't required to wear uniforms, adults and children.

i mean, it would certainly settle the issue of who's in and who's out, because whoever wasn't attending meetings couldn't pick up their next clean uniform.

also, they would be totally visible out in public and you would always be "safe", if you associated or spoke to one who was properly uniformed.

onacruse

hehe, this reminds me of the "fashion wars" of the late 60's- to mid-70's...are colored shirts ok to wear on the stage? Sports coats and pants? Casual shoes? Can a bro with a mustache be an MS? What about beards? Haircuts? How long should sideburns be? Are bowties acceptable?

Oh, oh, and let's not forget...what kind of car should we drive? Music listen to? Movies see? Why not to go to bars? After-school sports? Chess? College? How to spend summer vacation? "Worldly" friends? Large parties?

The Martians have landed! The Martians have landed!

8

HI AGAIN!!

by Vitameatavegamin in

jw
friends

.

i have not been on the forum in a while-just thought i would say hello to everyone-not that i was ever a prominent poster.

anyway-have a great day all!.

onacruse

Hi Vitameatavegamin!

Congrats and good luck with the nursing career. From what I've seen, getting into a medical program is like pulling teeth out of an alligator!

Craig

34

I HAVE GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Jesika in

jw
friends

i am still shaking from the phone call!!!!!!

i just go off the phone with a reporter from the dallas morning news(paper).

she is a reporter for the religion section of the paper and she was interested and disgusted with what i told her--about the 2 witness policy.

onacruse

Jesika, you are ONE TOUGH LADY!!!!!

Craig

54

MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALLY CHANGE

by minimus in

jw
friends

most people never really change!

our personalities, whether we are active witnesses or are inactive ones, apostates or almost apostates, are the same.

if we tend to rant here on this board, the probability is we were ranters elsewhere.

onacruse

ROFLMAO, SS!!!

54

MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALLY CHANGE

by minimus in

jw
friends

most people never really change!

our personalities, whether we are active witnesses or are inactive ones, apostates or almost apostates, are the same.

if we tend to rant here on this board, the probability is we were ranters elsewhere.

onacruse

minimus, interesting analogies. However, imho your statement "...inside, he is still the same" is non sequitor, for the following reasons:

1) If personality IS defined and evaluated by behavior, then your examples actually PROVE that personalities can and do change;

2) If personality is NOT defined and evaluated by behavior, then your examples are not relevant to the issue.

Furthermore, your statement is rather more an assertion than a conclusion, because you make no logical connection between your hypothesis and your conclusion.

One reason I chose "fear of...." as a case in point is that phobias are recognized as one of the most fundamental compulsions of human nature, eliciting primal responses. That we can overcome such phobias is, to me, proof positive that our personalities do change.

Not to argue for its own sake, just standing my ground.

Craig

25

Mortality

by DakotaRed in

jw
friends

at one time, nearly all of us held the thought that we would live forever.

the thought of our being mortal and actually dying just wasnt there.

deep inside, we all know we are going to die one day, but has the realization of the truth of that ever just hit you, right out of the blue?

onacruse

Dakota, isn't it amazing how the "invulnerability of youth" gives way to reality when we reach middle age and Mortality begins to stare back at us in the mirror? Here I'm 50, in a world that I never imagined would still exist, and while in generally good health, I nevertheless feel that ominous premonition breathing a little more strongly on the back of my neck every day.

fwiw, I still believe I will live forever, one way or another. After all, what have I got to lose? If it's true, great. If it's not, then I'll never know. Just not to live my life from here on out like the fool I've been for 40 years and ignore the things that make life so enjoyable and precious!

Glad that your tests came out OK; I just went through my mid-life top-to-bottom physical (I'm SURE some of those probes the doctors used are illegal!!! lol).

Craig

54

MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALLY CHANGE

by minimus in

jw
friends

most people never really change!

our personalities, whether we are active witnesses or are inactive ones, apostates or almost apostates, are the same.

if we tend to rant here on this board, the probability is we were ranters elsewhere.

onacruse

larc, I would most sincerely appreciate your further thoughts on this. Myself, being relatively new to this forum, leave it to your discretion what and how much to post here.

Thanks!

Craig

edit for PS: Perhaps, to narrow the topic....does "fear of man" qualify as a personality trait? If so, then are those of us who are shedding that fear (and there are so many that are) thereby undergoing a fundamental personality change?

Edited by - onacruse on 4 September 2002 3:30:4

28

Just Someone To Talk To

by Larryf01 in

jw
friends

i've had a hard time finding a place just to chat with jw's.

i'm not baptized...only studying.

yet, i know this is truth and jehovah is the true god.

onacruse

Welcome, Larry!

I hope that, at the very least, you continue to read the posts here....we offer the accumulated experience of literally thousand of years of experience in the organization...running the gamut from "just studied for a while" all the way to elders, Bethelites and more. This is a resource you owe it to yourself to access and consider.

Sincerely,

Craig