Posts by penny2

5

The "Orwellian World" of Sister Spry

by belbab in

gary botting, co-author of the orwellian world of jehovahs witnesses, sent me a link to the sister eunice sprys story that has been reported on other posts on jwd.

his subject title for his message was: jehovah would be proud.

gary was seven at the time, he says he doesn't know if the newspapers reported it.

penny2

What a sad tale. He was lucky to survive.

17

Installment # 3 - The Indoctrination of Certainty

by AK - Jeff in

our little town of 600 people was but a dot on the map.

but that year was great.

i saw great mountains, camped at elevation, redwoods, tasted pomegranates and olives from the trees they grew on, dodged black widows, explored and conquered the streets of a little town named patterson.

penny2

Hi Jeff

I'm really enjoying your story. I'm about the same age as you and was "born in the ~~truth~~ lie" so I look forward to reading about 1975 and beyond.

penny2

70

Did you have a favorite food at the assemblies (when they sold it there)?

by kitten whiskers in

jw
friends

hubby and i got on the topic last night.

he was wondering what i was eating- a frozen jello pudding cup.

i remember getting them at the assemblies, especially the hot summer district assemblies.

penny2

Mmmmm the Lamingtons at the Adelaide assemblies

Yes, they were yummy! All home-made, too.

70

Did you have a favorite food at the assemblies (when they sold it there)?

by kitten whiskers in

jw
friends

hubby and i got on the topic last night.

he was wondering what i was eating- a frozen jello pudding cup.

i remember getting them at the assemblies, especially the hot summer district assemblies.

penny2

ssrriotsquad, can't believe you made all those pies! In Adelaide we had hamburgers, hot dogs and sandwiches but I don't remember pies. We also had meals served on metal trays - meat, mashed potato and vegetables, plus a dessert such as cake with custard. Volunteers would go around with big pots of tea and coffee - there'd be milk and sugar on the tables.

Volunteering in the food service was hard work but a lot of fun.

4

What is your experience when a JW causes a potential convert to leave?

by seatrout in

i am not a jw but the person who i care about is.

i'll explain why i do not know myself.

i once was on the verge of becoming a jw myself and knew the jw i wanted to be with very well.

penny2

Hi seatrout and welcome to JWD. Hope we can help you here.

Please don't be offended, but you would not have been seen as a "potential convert". You would have been seen as someone who was interested only because you had your eye on one of the "sisters". You would have been thought of as a "worldly boy" who could corrupt this clean and moral witness.

This is a quote from a Watchtower article which may help you see how JWs view dating someone who shows interest but is not yet a JW (1 Nov 89, "Do Not Yoke Yourselves with Unbelievers"):

18 WhatifyouareattractedtosomeonewhoisstudyingtheBibleandattendingthemeetings,althoughheorsheisnotyetbaptized? We rejoice when anyone shows an interest in Bible truth. The question, though, is: Should you pursue your inclination? Frankly, the course of wisdom is to wait until some time after your friend is baptized and is making progress in displaying the fruits of God’s spirit before you date. (Galatians 5:22, 23) It may not be easy to apply such advice, but by doing so you will demonstrate devotion to Bible principles; this will lay a fine foundation for true happiness in marriage. If your friend genuinely cares for you and is truly coming to love Jehovah, no doubt he (or she) will be willing to wait until both of you are "in the Lord"—dedicated and baptized—before courting.

You would have to be a dedicated and baptized JW, attending 5 meetings a week and going from house to house approx 10 hours per month before she would even be able to think about courting you. PLEASE DO NOT PURSUE THIS PATH.

Even if you were a potential convert at the time, she would not have been disciplined. She may have been counselled for being friendly to you but seeing she overcame this successfully by rejecting you, she would then have been upheld as a good example.

Any strange behaviour on her part would have been because she was trying to hide her friendship with you from her family (severely frowned upon).

penny2

12

The date has now been set i now will have a step mum :(

by helncon in

jw
friends

well where do i start as of the 21st of april 2007 i will have a step mum 2 step sisters and a step brother, and i think even a few step neices and nephews.. i will only ever see them officially on this wonderful happy one day that my dad gets married.

oh great joy !

other than this time i will never have anything to do with them.. now when i got the phone call to say that this wonderful event was happening it came to me that after the words that my dad had spoken to me only last week stating that he had been told by the elders that his is to limit his contact with his df children or he will be facing df himself.. when i go to this wedding i will be saying congrats to my dad and i will be sitting in the front row and will have lots to do with him as i'd say this will be last time i will ever have contact with him.

penny2

Sorry you are going through this. Weddings can bring out the worst problems where JWs are involved. Hope you get to enjoy the day.

penny2

9

Another letter...

by Matt_fs in

hey folks, i sent a letter to a friend, and asked him a question.

here is what i wrote:.

"hey buddy,.

penny2

My reply:

Hey man, I don't have WTs from the 1800's, but what I do have is the Watchtower Library 2005 CD which (quoting from 1 April 1972 WT) states:

"The scroll was doubtless delivered to Ezekiel by the hand of one of the cherubs in the vision. This would indicate that Jehovah’s witnesses today make their declaration of the good news of the Kingdom under angelic direction and support. (Rev. 14:6, 7; Matt. 25:31, 32) And since no word or work of Jehovah can fail, for he is God Almighty, the nations will see the fulfillment of what these witnesses say as directed from heaven.

Yes, the time must come shortly that the nations will have to know that really a "prophet" of Jehovah was among them. Actually now more than a million and a half persons are helping that collective or composite "prophet" in his preaching work and well over that number of others are studying the Bible with the "prophet" group and its companions."

So anyone can quote from a WT somewhere to say anything they want. What I'm really interested in is what YOU think the scripture means.

Over to you man.

28

Should I Stay or should I go?

by Tyrone van leyen in

i have been pondering a dilema.

it is one which has repeated itself many times over the years.

my parents have been helping me, and being very nice to me in the last couple of years.

penny2

My parents have done this to me and I always refuse to go (but I'm polite about it). The last time was to a funeral and I refused to go but it was very upsetting. My parents were distressed for weeks. The person who had died wasn't close to me - we hadn't spoken for over 30 years.

I would lose respect for myself if I gave in to their wishes.

23

My daughter has an assembly part....

by megsmomma in

jw
friends

she just told me last night that she has a part.

it is with her dad.

she will be talking about a music teacher "making fun" of her for not participating in singing holiday songs.

penny2

She also has to wear pantyhose and closed toed shoes

And she's 8. That's ridiculous!

She will be talking about a music teacher "making fun" of her for not participating in singing holiday songs

I have never heard of this happening. Other kids, yes. But a teacher making fun of someone's religious beliefs would not be a teacher for long (at least in Australia). I grew up as a JW and never had a teacher make fun of me and I gather that teachers currently are very accommodating of religious differences.

penny2

16

Do Watchtower Flashbacks Still Haunt You?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

do vietnam watchtower flashbacks still haunt you?occasionally, there are times in which i get up from a sound sleep.

tearful because of my vietnam watchtower flashbacks of being.

one of jehovahs witnesses.. sad to say, these dreams come back to haunt me in a negative way.. do you ever dream of still being stuck in the organization?are there times in which you find yourself back in the kingdom.

penny2

I sometimes dream about going from door to door. Huge blocks with long driveways. I'm working with the PO or CO. And the people behind the doors are people in my life now.

What a nightmare!

penny2