joelbear69

Joined

• started 41 topics
• posted 199 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by joelbear69

• 
  59

  Do you ever miss it? Ever?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  for me - rarely would be the correct word.

  i don't miss the indoctrination.

  i don't miss the wasted time in service.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  i miss my friends, but I don't miss anything about being a witness
  
  i enjoy intellectual conversation and debate too much. i also don't
  miss having to pretend to be someone i wasn't and pretending to
  believe things i didn't
  
  but i did have many people that i cared about very much and i do
  miss them.
• 
  3

  Yahoo Article

  by Wordly Andre in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  america's unfaithful faithful .

  by david van biema 2 hours, 20 minutes ago .

  a major new survey presents perhaps the most detailed picture we've yet had of which religious groups americans belong to.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  2/3 of us raised JW's leave. This doesn't capture later converts who also leave.

  churn churn churn
• 
  46

  Friday District Convention notes: Control, control, control

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, one third of the convention is over, i had no choice but to attend due to my current situation.. the talks were worse than last year, and as usual if you have seen the program you will not find jesus in any of the talk titles - in fact, the only time jesus is mentioned is during a prayer or in connection with the ministry.. when you become aware of how sidelined jesus is, you can't help but notice that jehovah's witnesses are a modern version of the old testament religion - it's all about control, be attentive, obey the "faithful and discreet slave" etc etc, in stark contrast to belief and salvation through jesus.. only the talks with midly interesting material or that had ridiculous phrases used by the speaker are shown here.. friday.

  9:50 be attentive to jehovah's promises of deliverance .

  would you believe that this 20 minute talk was solely about being attentive to the program?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  don't forget to bring lifesavers candies to suck on and keep you awake.
• 
  46

  IMPORTANT: Elders Mtg at Patterson

  by confusa in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a witness just informed me about a couple that we know who had their assembly recently, and it was announced at the private elder's meeting that there will be a special meeting with all the elders in the us in patterson.

  it was mentioned that we are now living "in the end of end of times" and that the un is talking about prohibiting religions.

  has anyone heard of this??

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  Soon we will be living in the end of the end of the end times.
• 
  7

  The Latest Issues of the Watchtower and Awake

  by joelbear69 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  mitch found the latest issues of the magazines stuck to our door yesterday.

  its the first time i've seen them in quite a while.

  wow!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  Mitch found the latest issues of the magazines stuck to our door yesterday.
  
  Its the first time I've seen them in quite a while.
  
  Wow! they are so much smaller and thinner than they used to be. More
  like the old pamphlets that we charged a nickel for. It was really
  weird to see them look so different.
  
  Are they having to cut back on expenses that much. I don't believe that
  with the billions they have in real estate. I think they are hoarding
  more money than ever.
  
  The new small mags are not impressive. But then, do people get information
  from print magazines anymore? I only read magazines in airports or on
  airplanes.
  
  Don't most people get their information from the net and from TV today?
• 
  38

  WTBTS refuses to return 100,000 pound donation from DF man

  by dozy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  watchtower society declines to return disputed 100,000 legacyby emilie filou, third sector, 13 february 2008 .

  the charitable arm of the jehovah's witnesses should return a 100,000 legacy from a man it expelled for trying to convert call girls, one of the man's relatives has said.. martin davis said the watchtower society should return the money left to it by his cousin donald kennett so it could go to kennett's nephew, who is autistic.. accepting money from a member who had been expelled would damage the charity's reputation, said davis, of dulwich, south london.. kennett was befriended by a jehovah's witness in the 80s when recovering from a serious car crash and joined shortly afterwards, davis told third sector.

  he was 'disfellowshipped' from his group in stockport in 2001 after members discovered that he was contacting call girls.. when kennett's mother died in 1994, she had left half her estate to him and half to his autistic nephew.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  I came to the conclusion a long time ago that its all about
  the money. This just adds more proof to that.
  
  Just like any bureaucracy, the guys on top get the large
  majority of the benefits.
  
  Basically every organization is a bureaucracy, some are
  commercial, some political and some religious.
  
  The way to beat them is not participate.
• 
  53

  Things You HATED About Being a JW

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there were a few things that i hated about being a witness.. i love music and live concerts.

  quite often i'd have to play my music privately or hide an album cover for fear it might "stumble" someone.

  i hated worrying whether someone was going to somehow get "stumbled.. regarding going to concerts, it seemed that certain artists only came to town on a meeting night and i'd miss the shows.. what did you hate about being a jehovah's witness?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  being bored

  being controlled
• 
  32

  Science fiction book suggestions...

  by zeroday in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i love science fiction books and have run into a dry spell.

  i have read alot of david weber but he has been quite slow with new books lately...anyone have any good suggestions for a good read...i need 5 star authors with "blow your socks off" books...any suggestions...

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  childhood's end.

  Foundation series by Asimov.
• 
  140

  Wow, the year is 2008, and still no Armageddon!

  by Nosferatu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  every time we enter a new year, i think about how i wasn't supposed to make it this long.

  i really believed we wouldn't live past the year 2000, and armageddon would change everything.

  it almost strikes me as living on borrowed time, but then i remember that armageddon is a story, not a reality.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  also, remember its never too late to start a new life.

  i got my bachelors degree when I was 46, just 4 years

  ago. it takes effort, but there is a world of opportunities

  out there. c'mon let's go
• 
  140

  Wow, the year is 2008, and still no Armageddon!

  by Nosferatu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  every time we enter a new year, i think about how i wasn't supposed to make it this long.

  i really believed we wouldn't live past the year 2000, and armageddon would change everything.

  it almost strikes me as living on borrowed time, but then i remember that armageddon is a story, not a reality.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  joelbear69

  they told my parents my brother would never start elementary school, that was 1945.

  offering hope is fine i suppose, although false hope still seems to do more harm than good.

  but to offer hope at a high price, education, experiencing life, decisions on health, children,

  etc. thats when it becomes evil.