The first mile is the hardest.
Keep hanging here, kelpie, it's a great wonderful free place to be!
Craig
i would like to say that i have reached the point of "master member".
i know it doesnt mean much to some but to me.. it makes me happy and i hope that some of my posts have made other people smile and feel good as their's have to me.. thanks for all your help everyone.. and simon, thanks to you also.. kelps who is now a master member!!.
ps.. all aussies.. dont forget about the apostofest in march!!!!!!!!
The first mile is the hardest.
Keep hanging here, kelpie, it's a great wonderful free place to be!
Craig
some here are viewed as full-fledged "apostates".
others are "weak" and curious.
what about you?
min: Did I say I was a "better" apostate? No.
Is my bio true? Yes, totally, and many who post on this board can testify to the facts of what I've been through.
And YOU? Have you been df'd? Have you been shunned by your family? Have you lost all the friends you've had all your life?
For myself, for all I think I've suffered, it doesn't begin to measure up to the amount of pain and suffering that so many others that post here have been through. I consider myself lucky to have survived.
It's simply a matter of perspective and experience. I invite you to walk in my/our shoes for a mile.
Craig
some here are viewed as full-fledged "apostates".
others are "weak" and curious.
what about you?
miniman, read my bio, and figure it out for yourself.
btw, what about YOUR bio?
If you are still a JW in good standing (even if supposedly an ex-elder), then you are at best a closet apostate.
Craig
some here are viewed as full-fledged "apostates".
others are "weak" and curious.
what about you?
Another question might be:
What about YOU, minimush?
Craig
i decided to start this thread, because so many time we go at each other because of difference of opinion.
( myself included ) but yet for me i love this place.
i love the different opionions, they make me think, i love the freedom of expression, the friendships, and the expriences that make this a special healing place.
I've found here a community that I never imagined to exist outside the Borg.
It's now my community of choice, to listen to others, to learn, to expand my boundaries.
And maybe to share a few of my own experiences in a sharing exchange.
Craig
while it has been fairly well established that the wt monitors this site, i believe that it is not the only body doing so.
this site, and others like it, are open to anyone, anywhere in the world w an internet connection.
all this is available, not just to individuals, but also to advertising adgencies, intelligence agencies, corporations, etc.
SS: I agree. That's why I post only what I would be willing to say in a court of law, if it came down to it. Speaking the truth is always a proper defense.
minimus: So now you are handing out awards? Give me a break.
Craig
ok, who shares the same domicile with another poster here?
i'm with...maybe i'd better let her reveal that.
or should we make it a game and try to guess who??????????????
(((Angharad))) for being married to a man with only one romantic molecule (the size of a hydrogen atom).
Craig & Katie
from some of the posts i've seen, animal and i aren't the only 'biker trash' here.
i'll show you mine, if you'll show me yours!
bikerchic has some chaps I can wear...does that qualify me for membership in the Hog Club?
Craig
are there now more ex-jws than current jws?.
rumour has it that this years world wide report will show a slight increase in the countries where there has been, over the past few years, either a zero or a negative rate of increase.
my guess would be usa, australia and uk will show a 1% increase.. this can be almost entirely attributed to the new 15 minutes a month rule and the fact that the group study overseer (new pretentious title - no longer a humble book study conductor) is responsible for rounding up all the reports for his group.. however, the big problem will be the numbers getting baptized.
Five years ago I did a statistical analysis of baptisms, disfellowshippings, and reinstatements, and peak publishers, based on the Society's published numbers (since 1952) and actuarial tables. I came up with approx 1.2 million "non-practicing" JWs, a ratio of about 1:5. Of those, about 400 thousand are df'd.
Of course, that doesn't count those that were never baptized, or were baptized and successfully faded.
Craig
jehovah blesses and protects those who are obedient
i dont know how blondie is going to react to this weeks study, but i was really frustrated, like i was being dragged in a direction i do not want to go.
in desperation i began resorting to ridicule instead of reasoned argument.
Good subject jgnat!
blondie, sorry to hear you are not feeling well.
Obedience is a broad-stroke word, covering so much territory that it is difficult to delineate. Some synonyms are: dutiful, well-behaved, compliant, docile, malleable, submissive, acquiescent, conformable.
Considering this range of meanings, I would suggest that obedience based on informed consent and agreement is a good thing; based merely on duty and obligation, it is a bad thing.
For the last 20 years (in my experience) the WTS has progressively been promoting the duty/obligation factor. Isn't it amazing how transparent the terminology used in the WT becomes, when we can view it from a broader perspective?
Craig