billyboy

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Posts by billyboy

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  Jah-Jireh

  by billyboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this continues to expand in the uk - are there similar operations to this in other countries?.

  (if you have never heard of this organisation , the following link gives some info:).

  http://www.jah-jireh.org/index.html

• 

  billyboy

  This continues to expand in the UK - are there similar operations to this in other countries?

  (If you have never heard of this organisation , the following link gives some info:)

  http://www.jah-jireh.org/index.html
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  17

  JWs, 7th day Adventist, etc. -- who was first to prohibit tobacco?

  by Fatfreek in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  as an old timer former jw, i remember well the tobacco prohibition.

  when i came in during the mid 50's it was looked down upon.

  i'd already started smoking in my early teens and didn't actually quit till i was 20. my motive?

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• 

  billyboy

  
  I note your comments but don't agree with all of them. I would still prefer to be in a non-smoking religion than a smoking one. I feel the WTBS prohibition on smoking (based on bible principles) is correct.

  Life contains an element of risks - that why insurance companies levy a higher premium on smokers than non-smokers , but don't ask any questions about lollipop consumption. Your New York correspondent has clearly never seen anyone smoking in the street allowing their children to passively breath in the smoke or assumes that any smokers inside the home do so by themselves , without anyone else present.

  As stated , many ex-Jws exchange what they feel is one element of control for another.

  I asked my PO & he confirmed that DNA is definitely allowed as a second witness & has been for some time.
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  17

  JWs, 7th day Adventist, etc. -- who was first to prohibit tobacco?

  by Fatfreek in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  as an old timer former jw, i remember well the tobacco prohibition.

  when i came in during the mid 50's it was looked down upon.

  i'd already started smoking in my early teens and didn't actually quit till i was 20. my motive?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  billyboy

  Sorry , I was of the view that DNA is allowed as a second witness. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

  The argument that JWs should DF obese people if they DF smokers doesn't follow - obese people are not voluntarily engaging in a habit which kills other people. In the UK there was a famous trumpeter called Roy Castle - he died from lung cancer despite never having smoked & this was attributed to him playing the trumpet in smoky enviroments.
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  17

  JWs, 7th day Adventist, etc. -- who was first to prohibit tobacco?

  by Fatfreek in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  as an old timer former jw, i remember well the tobacco prohibition.

  when i came in during the mid 50's it was looked down upon.

  i'd already started smoking in my early teens and didn't actually quit till i was 20. my motive?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  billyboy

  Smoking is the single most preventable cause of cancer & other diseases, resulting in millions of premature deaths per year.

  Sexual abuse is another issue - sorry , I don't buy into the SilentLamb movement - I think they are quite awful and their motives are corrupt - they have as much interest in protecting children as the Animal Rights movement have in protecting animals. I know that most of the posters on this site disagree - tough!

  An elder in my congregation was removed after wild & bizarre allegations of child abuse & the Silent Lamb people got involved , looking to make $$$ out of the situation. After 2 years , the complainent (a 14 year old girl) admitted that she had made the whole thing up - after destroying the whole family. This is the side of the issue that you will never hear discussed on anti-JW & apostate websites.
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  59

  Slippers / shoes at book studies

  by billyboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  hi everyone!

  was there ever an issue as to whether you were / weren't allowed to wear shoes at a group book study in someones house , so everyone had to dump their shoes at the door?.

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• 

  billyboy

  The growing popularity of laminate & hard wood floors has changed peoples views too. Hardly anyone where I live would take off their shoes when they entered someones house - it just isn't the done thing.
• 
  17

  JWs, 7th day Adventist, etc. -- who was first to prohibit tobacco?

  by Fatfreek in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  as an old timer former jw, i remember well the tobacco prohibition.

  when i came in during the mid 50's it was looked down upon.

  i'd already started smoking in my early teens and didn't actually quit till i was 20. my motive?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  billyboy

  I have to say that any religion that claims to be Christian but allows smoking is certainly not Christian. It is the most disgusting habit & breaks at least 2 fundamental scriptural principles - love of neighbour and sanctity of life. I have walked out of restaurants when people lit up beside me. Thankfully , in my country it will shortly be banned.

  To me the prohibition of smoking is one of the most attractive beliefs of JWs - it is fantastic walking around at conventions & no-one is smoking.

  Incidentally - I've known many who have left JWs & started smoking as a reaction against what they feel was a "control" mechanism ("nobody tells me what I can or cannot do anymore"). My 30 year old relative (who had never smoked before) did this - he is now a 40 a day man. I know many ex-JWs & apostates post on this board - does this often happen?
• 
  8

  Responsible (ie NIL) Childbearing in the Time of the End

  by billyboy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm a bit out of the loop - what is the latest take on this?

  i know that some fervent jws have in the past decided not to have children (which i always thought was a bit dumb) on the basis that they could have perfect ones in the new system but from my perspective , jws (strong & weak) are breeding like rabbits , without any censure or disapproval.. is it still a mark of spirituality not to have kids & is it still encouraged?

  and excuse my ignorance (**blushes**)- how do you guarantee not to have children (eg for married bethelites)?

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• 

  billyboy

  I'm a bit out of the loop - what is the latest take on this? I know that some fervent JWs have in the past decided not to have children (which I always thought was a bit dumb) on the basis that they could have perfect ones in the new system but from my perspective , JWs (strong & weak) are breeding like rabbits , without any censure or disapproval.

  Is it still a mark of spirituality not to have kids & is it still encouraged? And excuse my ignorance (**blushes**)- how do you guarantee not to have children (eg for married Bethelites)? Abstinence? Belt & braces contraception?
• 
  40

  Curious as to what a wedding at the KH is like...

  by Riverwatcher in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know why this has popped into my head.

  just wondering about j/w weddings.. is there music?

  are there any traditions used in the ceremony?

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• 

  billyboy

  Slightly off topic , but logistically KH weddings have 2 problems:

  1...Size of venue - few KHs hold more than 150 people & many rural halls hold far fewer.

  2..As the reception cannot be held in the KH , the challenge is to direct the invitees to the venue for the party afterwards.

  As a result , many of the marriages here are held in private venues.

  On topic , I have to say that I love KH weddings - it genuinely feels like a religious , biblical service. I was married in a KH & cherish the memories of the occason - it was brilliant. The Church weddings I have attended (where usually it is the first time the bride & groom have ever stepped foot inside the building & they don't know the conducting vicar) are a joke & the Registry Office weddings where the Council official reads a 5 minute script are pathetic.
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  59

  Slippers / shoes at book studies

  by billyboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  hi everyone!

  was there ever an issue as to whether you were / weren't allowed to wear shoes at a group book study in someones house , so everyone had to dump their shoes at the door?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  billyboy

  Thanks for all your answers.

  Where I live (Blighty), it is a bit controversial - some householders insist on shoe removal & this has caused difficulties - generally book studies are not held in homes where this is a requirement. Peoples views are split concerning whether it is proper or not to remove shoes - the argument that the living room is an "extension" of the Kingdom Hall is popular as is the "right" of a householder to establish rules for their own house , especially if they have white or pink carpets (yeugh!)

  I remember a book study where the Book Study Conductor (is that Overseer nowadays?) conducted the study in his smelly socks with his big toe sticking out through a hole revealing a broken toe nail - it was a bit off-putting.
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  59

  Slippers / shoes at book studies

  by billyboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  hi everyone!

  was there ever an issue as to whether you were / weren't allowed to wear shoes at a group book study in someones house , so everyone had to dump their shoes at the door?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  billyboy

  Hi everyone! Was there ever an issue as to whether you were / weren't allowed to wear shoes at a group book study in someones house , so everyone had to dump their shoes at the door?

  Just asking......