Arthur

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Posts by Arthur

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  7

  bethel lay-offs

  by uwishufish in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  does anyone have any new or recent news if there have been any more or going to be any more lay-offs?.

  uwuf

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  Arthur

  I would like to see them outsource the Service Department to India.
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  21

  Who would tell 9/11 survivors to just get over it?

  by Swan in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  maybe the same people who post on this board and tell us to just get over it.

  i get so tired of them dismissing our experiences and trauma by saying "why do you have to tear jehovah's organization down?

  just get over it and move on!".

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  Arthur

  I get so tired of them dismissing our experiences and trauma by saying "Why do you have to tear Jehovah's organization down? Just get over it and move on!"

  I agree with you Tammy. There is a word for people like that. It is apologist. I think that many ex-JWs still can't bring themselves to see the org for what it really was, or they can't bring themselves to criticize it because of fear of the organization. Somehow, they think that they will not invoke Jah's wrath if they don't say bad things about His "spiritual temple".

  You know, I have come to realize that the verbal attacks toward the WTS on this site are quite normal and to be expected. I have been reading Steve Hassan's story of how he was indoctrinated into the Unification Church (Moonies), and then later got out and deprogrammed. He describes his behavior and fellow ex-members as temporarily being "obsessed" with the Moonies, and wanting to get involved in exposing them. Hassan engaged in protests, letter-writing campaigns, and thousands of hours of volunteer work to educate the public about the Moonies. He and others were very angry for a time. I'm sure that some people would have accused him of just wanting to attack the Unification Church, but they did not realize that this was an important step in recovery.

  I don't pay much attention to those trolls who say that we are just "crybabies" or that we are just indulging ourselves in self-centered bitterness. They are obviously naive, and too uneducated to fully realize what this site is all about and why we do what we do.

  I told one such troll to get off of his soap box and quit trying to evangelize to us as if we were Sunday school children. I never heard back from him. He made about a whopping 10 total posts while here, and I don't think he's comming back.
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  10

  Questioning Apostates

  by The wanderer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  questioning apostates

  i recently read a post in which a man who was married for 27 years was on .

  the verge of a divorce from his wife because she claims he is an apostate.. the apostasy was because he showed her the history of the watchtower.

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  Arthur

  With the documents both from the United Nations and the Watch-
  
  tower he still could not be convinced that the Watchtower was involved
  
  in anything wrong.

  Which documents did you show him specifically? How did you get ahold of these documents? (especially documents from the WTS)? I would like to know, so that I can look at them too.

  Thanks,

  Arhthur
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  31

  It seems.......

  by agapa37 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that despite my sincere efforts of sincerity and honesty that most who interacted with me were rather uptight and rude.

  i really dont understand it.

  forgive my babbling.

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  Arthur

  Why not go back and re-read your previous posts and see if any of them seemed preachy or condescending in any way. I have seen a few newbies come on this site and think that they can "set people straight" by sanctimoniously wagging their finger at us. (I'm not saying that you ever did this, as I haven't seen your past posts). But, for those who have tried to talk down to us, this has always backfired.

  Just go back and see if anything you wrote seems as if you might be talking down to anyone. I made the mistake in the past of posting some threads that sounded preachy, and I got "slapped down" for it. I just learned from my mistake, and changed my approach. All you have to do is start fresh. Don't worry if you were shot down yesterday. Tommorrow is a new day. Just learn to be humble and non-dogmatic in your approach. This is a great place to exchange ideas and to get support.

  Best Wishes

  Arthur
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  85

  A Bad experience with JW is a permit for SIN?

  by El Mariachi in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've been reading some sad experinces here... i dont see anyone talking about the bible... only how misserables the organization made their lives... ok ...so because of that...now i have permission to smoke marijuana and commit fornication?

  this sounds pretty much like aa... and everybody having his/her personal "superior power" who is giving them the permit to do whatever they want...

  i've been df for 4 years now and also dont agree with some jw teachings... why instead of blaming the wt for everything dont we look for the real truth in the bible and make things right.

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  Arthur

  El Mariachi, thirdwitness, and scholar:
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  85

  A Bad experience with JW is a permit for SIN?

  by El Mariachi in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've been reading some sad experinces here... i dont see anyone talking about the bible... only how misserables the organization made their lives... ok ...so because of that...now i have permission to smoke marijuana and commit fornication?

  this sounds pretty much like aa... and everybody having his/her personal "superior power" who is giving them the permit to do whatever they want...

  i've been df for 4 years now and also dont agree with some jw teachings... why instead of blaming the wt for everything dont we look for the real truth in the bible and make things right.

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  Arthur

  Hello El Mariachi,

  You are a newbie on this site, so your naivete is understandable. Let us explain something to you. You will eventually realize that attempting to "broad brush" or categorize the posters on this site is quite foolish. You will also eventually realize that if you attempt to get up on a soap box and talk down to any of us, you will get your head handed to you. Many of us have been preached to for far too long, and have very little tolerance for such sanctimonious finger-wagging.

  Something else that you must understand. Many people post on this site to vent their feelings, and to emotionally heal by sharing thoughts that they could have never shared with their Witness counterparts, or even their own families. Therefore, this site is a source of therapy for many individuals. Letting out their anger is a part of the healing process. So, please try to at least show a little bit of understanding.

  Many well intentioned newbies have come on this site and have tried to "set people straight" or have attempted to lecture us as if we were Sunday school children. Let me assure you that those kind of people either change, or they don't last long on this forum. If you wish to evangelize, try starting your own congregation. If you wish to dialogue however, this might be a place for you.

  Oh, and by the way, I don't smoke pot.

  Gracias
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  33

  Public Reproof: What is it? Has it ever happend in your Hall or to you?

  by jayhawk1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is public reproof?

  does the watchtower corp still use it?

  do they use a judicial committee for it?

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  Arthur

  I was publicly reproved about 3 years ago for getting involved with a girl I worked with. It only lasted about a month, but they announced it publicly because a sister that I worked with at that same company had heard about it.
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  57

  Hi Im new here.

  by IP_SEC in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my first post out of the box was "what is a dub?

  matt.

  (shamless self promoter class) .

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  Arthur

  Well, hello there Matt.

  I just have one question... What is a dub?

  Here is a promotional add that I wrote. Hope this answers your question.

  WHAT IS A DUB?

  1) They are people who go door-to-door and tell people that they are encouraging them to look into their own Bibles for solutions to problems, yet are taught by their leaders that independent Bible study is not enough to interpret it or gain salvation.

  2) They are people who lampoon and ridicule Roman Catholics for puting their hope and trust in the Vatican and the Pope, yet are repeatedly told by their own leaders to put full trust and obedience in their own organization and Governing Body.

  3) They are a people who insist on obeying what the scriptures say about "not adding anything to it" and use this to criticize the Book of Mormon, yet have repeatedly claimed that "flashes of spiritual light" come through the pages of the Watchtower.

  4) They praise Catholics and Protestants who have had to courage to question their churches and clergy; yet are told to never question the "faithful slave class" or the Governing Body.

  5) They are a people who celebrate the ransom and death of Jesus Christ by passing around emblems that 99.9% of the folks don't partake of. The emblems are like a married woman. You can enjoy looking at them, but don't touch!

  6) They say they are the happiest people on earth, yet insist that if one in the faith is not "struggling", then there is something wrong with them.

  7) They are the only ones who have the true religion because they don't do yoga, don't sing "Jingle Bells", don't cling their martini glasses, don't vote, and don't say bless you when someone sneezes.

  WISH TO JOIN?

  ACT NOW, SEATS ARE LIMITED, AND THEIR GOD PLANS TO WIPE YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN OUT IF YOU DON'T SIGN UP
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  41

  Rules you broke?

  by KW13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  what rules did you find, you couldn't help breaking as a witness?.

  i swore sometimes, got me and a mate drunk, copied software e.t.c (caesars things to caesar), celebrated a birthday/christmas or two...went against some stuff we were told not to do in the young people ask book...erm.... how about you?

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  Arthur

  Okay, folks. I was really bad. I did some really crazy stuff. Some of the stuff I did was:

  1) I used my flash bulb during one of the dramas.

  2) I used more than one paper towel in the assembly hall restroom.

  3) When a householder out in service asked from behind their door who I was, I didn't tell them I was their neighbor, or that I was a Bible Student; but that I was a JW.
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  12

  A Beginners Guide To Apostacy

  by fullofdoubtnow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is something trev wrote the other day specially for our friend marion.

  she spent most yesterday with us, and shared our "apostadinner" which is what trev called it.

  she quite enjoyed the article, which is written in a somewhat tongue - in - cheek style, typical trev really.

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  Arthur

  becoming an apostate does not necessarily alter ones physical appearance, although some men have been known to grow their hair longer and even cultivate beards,

  This cracks me up. I remember when I was a little kid, it seemed like all of the male apostates outside the conventions had beards, and shaggy hair. There would be about 30 people outside the one location where we would go in. I swear, all of the guys looked like Jerry Garcia, and the women all looked like Janis Joplin. It looked like a Vietnam war protest.