Posts by onacruse

13

Stupid questions

by millymollymandy in

jw
friends

things i have always wondered about jws but never asked my boyfriend about (because i thought i would sound stupid!)...

- what goes on at jw wedding ceremonies?

are they that much different from other christian weddings?.

onacruse

What goes on at JW wedding ceremonies? Are they that much different from other Christian weddings?

Naw. People are excited about the bride and bridegroom; there's usually a reception; everybody is hooping it up; some folks have a little (or a lot) too much to drink; everybody goes home happy.

And what about funerals, for that matter?

Perhaps a little bit different. No wakes, or "periods of silence" for the departed. Very very rarely there will be a graveside ceremony. I was a pall-bearer once (when I was a teenager!) for good old Eddie. It was a simple matter of transporting his casket to the hole in the ground; nothing was said.

At what age are young people considered to be first able to decide whether they get baptised or not?

Depends. For many years, it was simply a matter if you could "prove" your worthiness to get baptized (I was baptized when I was 10). Then, the WTS 'tightened up' on the parameters, and it tended to move more toward being at least in the mid-teens.

Are JWs obliged to throw away/burn birthday and Christmas cards and presents that get given to them by unknowing non-JWs?

Not explicitly, but it's "understood" that one should dispose of such artifacts.

I have heard conflicting things about what is supposed to happen to people other religions when The End arrives. What exactly IS supposed to happen to those not in 'the truth'?

Again, it depends. In the "old days," anyone who wasn't a JW at Armageddon would certifiably die the death of Gehenna. They've shifted somewhat from that position, to "only God knows."

39

Is there a list of changes made in the New World Translation?

by Grammy in

i would love to be able to show them to my husband so he can check them for himself since he thinks the only changes made were that the nwt is in a "modern language" he gets quite upset with me when he tells me he has read the bible front to back several times and i say "yes you have, but the bible you are reading has been changed from what the scriptures in other versions of the bible say" thanks in advance for any help with this.grammy

onacruse

There was a NWT that had a list of changes from previous versions listed in the appendix (it may be listed in one of carla's links). I don't have a copy, but I'll call a friend who probably does.

8

grammar

by DaCheech in

jw
friends

my grammar really s_c_s.

($%&%*&).

please excuse me during all of my posts..

onacruse

Hey, not to worry, eh? There are plenty of anal-retentive grammar freaks like me around to "help you out" in your time of need. LOL

30

Is Smoking the practice of Spiritism?

by freedomfighter in

hi guys,.

i was raised as a jw and was baptised when i was 16. i am now 35 and have finally realised that "the truth" is actually the opposite.. my family has a long history of mental illness and i am "lucky" to only suffer deppression and panic attacks.i believe what i was taught as truth has effected me adversely.

e.g " you won't have to go to school son, armageddon will be here before then.

onacruse

5thgen, hang in there. I've been a heavy drinker ever since I went to Bethel (yes, that was where I learned to drink). In fact, my very first post on JWD had to do with that characteristic of Bethel life. And, as with smoking, I've taken some long breaks from drinking, sometimes with help from AA, sometimes without.

My brain is still trying to that elusive equilibrium. Perhaps a seance would be in order. LOL

30

Is Smoking the practice of Spiritism?

by freedomfighter in

hi guys,.

i was raised as a jw and was baptised when i was 16. i am now 35 and have finally realised that "the truth" is actually the opposite.. my family has a long history of mental illness and i am "lucky" to only suffer deppression and panic attacks.i believe what i was taught as truth has effected me adversely.

e.g " you won't have to go to school son, armageddon will be here before then.

onacruse

tooktheredpill:

Can I be disfellowshipped now for using Prozac??

Well, I was on Prozac for about 4 years, and the elders never asked a question. As the doctor explained, Prozac is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and therefore operates somewhat differently than other substances. He said that what it does is simply allow the brain to reduce an unexplainable but accelerated loss of serotonin--it doesn't directly affect the production of neurotransmitters in the way the stimulants and depressants do. But then I took the blue pill, so what do I know? LOL

WTWizard, and others, I totally agree with you that use of nicotine in any form is ill-advised. I've smoked off and on for 30 years, sometimes taking several-year breaks...and I need to do the same again. Whatever I might say against the classification of smoking as spiritism shouldn't be construed (not that you did) in any way as a defense of smoking as a healthy life-choice. But one thing I have found interesting: Some people smoke for decades, and live to a ripe old age. It makes me wonder if it isn't more a matter of how our genes have mapped out both the way we live, and the manner of our death.

30

Is Smoking the practice of Spiritism?

by freedomfighter in

hi guys,.

i was raised as a jw and was baptised when i was 16. i am now 35 and have finally realised that "the truth" is actually the opposite.. my family has a long history of mental illness and i am "lucky" to only suffer deppression and panic attacks.i believe what i was taught as truth has effected me adversely.

e.g " you won't have to go to school son, armageddon will be here before then.

onacruse

Hortensia, one of the things I've learned about nicotine is that it's a serotonin 'manipulator' in the same class with dietary carbohydrates (including alcohol) and stimulants (including caffeine) and all the other neurotransmitter modifiers that we regularly consume in one way or another. The interplay between the pancreas, liver, thyroid, BMI, mitochondrial glucose absorbtion level, etc., is such that the brain is simply looking for an "equilibrium" between the extremes.

Every one of the substances which we consume to achieve that equilibrium has its own disadvantages., including nicotine.

I didn't know about the lithium aspect. Interesting.

19

Are there any Bethelites or ex-Bethelites here?

by Hiddenwindow in

if so, here is a question for you: what absurd rules do they have at bethel that do not apply to the rest of the witnesses?

onacruse

Back before they had tunnels everywhere, there were times when I had to go into public with my janitor jeans and sneakers. I was told that I had to change into dress clothes, cross the street with my work clothes in hand, and then change back into my work clothes.

But we eres still expected to totally clean 10 rooms a day (walls, ceilings, carpet shampoo, including all furniture in and out).

30

Is Smoking the practice of Spiritism?

by freedomfighter in

hi guys,.

i was raised as a jw and was baptised when i was 16. i am now 35 and have finally realised that "the truth" is actually the opposite.. my family has a long history of mental illness and i am "lucky" to only suffer deppression and panic attacks.i believe what i was taught as truth has effected me adversely.

e.g " you won't have to go to school son, armageddon will be here before then.

onacruse

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/142080/1.ashx

If you desire more definitive information, I'd be glad to oblige.

8

Why isn't Rutherford on the Radio?

by jgnat in

we are at the part of the "revelation - it's grand climax" chapter where they talk of the seventh trumpet.

the book boasts of the grand broadcasts to the "world" in the 1920's, on radio.

ever wonder why the witnesses aren't on the radio any more?

onacruse

Part of the picture is that the national radio companies began denying Rutherford airtime; he ranted and raved at length about this in the Watch Tower (especially in the 30s). The WTS began to cobble together their own chains with independent stations (still much bragged about by the WTS, as jgnat points out), but that became prohibitively expensive.

Up through the 60s the WTS did procure TV airtime in selected cities.

hillbilly and JimTX, how are you dudes doin'? Been a while.

36

Wish me well on my Greek exam

by truthsearcher in

jw
friends

as some of you know, i have been taking koine greek classes.

it is very challenging but i am starting to understand the language (which is a pretty cool thing).

i am writing an exam on monday, so you can think of me sweating it out!

onacruse

Congrats! Learning another language is perhaps the best way to learn your native tongue, eh?

Now, after you ace the final (which you will! ), you must continue on and try, say, Hebrew? Perhaps Sanskrit? No, no, I've got it! SWAHILI!

LOL