I echo the burdens that everyone else felt. The guilt about missing a Sat service day was always there. The burden really accelerated once I was made an elder since you really never got a break. I honestly don't know how I did it all. I have friends that are still elders and the number 1 topic of conversation is how they are swamped. But, they (and when I believed I was the same way) think they're doing all these things for God. After all, once you get to the new system, you can do what you want, right?
Doubting Bro
JoinedPosts by Doubting Bro
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36
The burdensome load of a Jehovah's Witness - did you feel this way?
by jambon1 infor me, my life as a jehovah's witness was tiring, depressing & miserable.
surrounded by negativity i felt utterly supressed & unhappy.
to carry out my 'responsibilties' became very difficult.
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Ownership of Kingdom Halls secretly turned over to Watchtower org!
by kool aid man06 inthe watchtower org.
is nothing more than a business masquerading as a religion.
the conference call this sat.
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Doubting Bro
Blondie is correct. Also, less common but still out there is ownership is held by the congregation in trust. Then, 3 elders are designated trustees. I think all of the halls built in the last 20 years are likely held by the non-profit corporation that Blondie outlined because in the event of the congregation being dissolved, ownership could revert to the WTS. Not sure if the by-laws specify or if it would just take a vote by the Board (made up of 3 loyal elders). The WTS has a brochure (of course they do) outlining how these things are to be set up. I've heard there was an effort to get the halls held by a trust to convert to a not-for profit corp but haven't actually witnessed that.
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DF and shunning to end soon...jw numbers will triple
by oompa inrecently at the beach house with my df studly son...a carload of young jw's in service drove by and saw us...old friends of his/me...they turned around and stopped...hugs and all!...i loved them treating him so human.
most dubs now hate to shun...esp.
their own family and there is less and less of it...my own mom will not shun my son, but dad will...she just told me she has no prob treating my son as just her normal grandson because she believe no kids should be allowed to be baptised!....i love you mom!
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Doubting Bro
They certainly need to change the business model but I just can't see them ever giving up shunning. Its too ingrained in the JW culture. On one hand, it seems they are loosening slightly with the elimination of the BS & reducing meeting times, yet on the other hand, the rant against college education continues and will be featured once again in the 2009 service year circuit assemblies(at least here in the US). The WT giveth, the WT taketh away!
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What do you think of this-obese win right to 2 airline seats for price of 1
by sir82 insee this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27827328/.
obese have right to two airline seats, one faresupreme court of canada rules for those functionally disabled by obesitywhat do you think?
just from a purely selfish standpoint, i would be grateful if the 500 pound passenger next to me were able to occupy 2 seats, rather than being wedged into 1 (and spilling over the sides)..
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Doubting Bro
This is a case of the government overstepping the bounds of common sense. The airlines get revenue from selling seats. So, if they have to give away extra seats because a person is obese, they are losing money. To compensate, they'll have to raise fares. So, if I am responsible, exercise, watch what I eat so that I can fit into the seat, I get as a reward the opportunity to pay more so that someone who doesn't care about their health can have more room. In the US, a kid can fly for free if under 2 and only if they sit in the parents lap. That's fair because they aren't taking up an extra seat. However, over 2, they have to pay full price. That's fair because they are taking up a seat that the airlines could sell to someone else. How is being obese a disability? Insane. And you Canadians thought Americans legal system is screwy??
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Nov 5 Dr. Phil - Cult Mind Control - WATCH TONIGHT!
by still_in74 inwednesday - november 5, 2008mind control?its hard to believe, but in america alone, there may be as many as 5,000 religious groups preying upon the weak and vulnerable, and all in the name of god.
dr. phils guests have warnings for you and your children.
seeta says when her 18-year-old daughter joined a religious group called 1 mind ministries, she left home with her 7-month-old son and never returned.
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Doubting Bro
Jesus also raised people from the dead, healed numerous folks from terrible illnesses, feed thousands from a few fishes & loaves of bread. You could see why folks followed someone like that. I'll gladly sell everything and be a JW missionary if the GB can produce even one miracle showing evidence that they are Gods chosen people. Anything short of that requiring strict obedience is probably a cult.
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No children until the new system---Has this changed?
by Iwonder17 ini have noticed that the "wait until the new system for children" montra has seemed to go away in the past few years from the wt.
i am thinking that they realized that if the dubs stop having children, then they will stop growing in numbers.
as a result, they have stopped putting in writing that the dubs should wait to have children.
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Doubting Bro
Where I used to live, there were a ton of young (in their 20s) couples that all said they weren't going to have kids "in this system" including me. Fast forward 8 years, ALL of them that are still married now have at least 1 kid! We're talking about folks that got married in their late teens, pioneered and continued to do so into their 20s. If the WTS were smart, they would be encouraging child bearing because that's going to soon be their only source of growth. And, with the low retention rate among kids that were born-in, they need to have lots just to keep the numbers even.
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I am en elder and I am ready to VOTE!
by outofthebox inhey, .
as some of you know i am en elder.
i don't believe, but for the sake of my family i still go to the meetings.
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Doubting Bro
Jeff - When that QFR came out I specifically asked a CO if it represented a change in WTS policy. Non-neutral activity (NNA) is one of the "deadly sins" that can get you DF'ed and voting has always been considered a NNA. He said that in the US and Western Countries in general, the answer was no. He told me that only in countries where it was mandatory to vote or you could be subject to mob violence would this apply. At the time, I thought,it was inconsistent. We're told that you can't take a blood transfusion which may be mandatory from a medical point of view, preach where preaching is banned, brothers in Malawi died over a political card, etc but you can compromise on this? I filed it away but during my awakening, I thought about how the WTS must have needed to put this out to satisfy some government to make life a little easier for them. Nothing is ever done to help the R&F.
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DA on Sunday, Announced on Tuesday
by passwordprotected inas you may be aware, my wife and i dad ourselves on sunday afternoon.
it was announced to our old congregation last night (tuesday).
it will apparently be announced to their sister congregation tomorrow (thursday).. .
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Doubting Bro
No need to notify the branch on a DAing. If you were adamant (which seeing as how your attending another church I would call it adamant), there were be no need to wait around. They don't have to wait the 7 days for an appeal like they do with a DFing. Also, you were an elder until recently right? That's probably why they're announcing to the other congregation. BTW - Congrats on taking a stand!
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How will the Society prepare JWs when they call on inactive apostates?
by truthseeker ina critical mass of exjws is gradually being reached.
perhaps eventually, there might be several in each town.. inevitably, faithful witnesses will call on these ones, unsuspecting of who they are, what they believe and such prepared demonstration of "how to place the magazines" will not go down well.. reading the many experiences here, for the most part, many exjws try to plant a seed in the mind of the witnesses.. this seed may be discussed with other members of the car group.
the conversation may go nowhere, but a seed has been planted and someone or something will keep on making it grow.. thus spread the seeds of doubt and discontent.. it's the converted preaching to the unconverted who in turn witness to the converted.. the society have a real mess on their hands - exjws are no longer an unknown quantity, a fringe element.
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Doubting Bro
I think the WTS is more concerned about folks in their own midst not fully supporting their directives (i.e. apostasy). Look at the number of elder leaks to this board and others. Look at the number who fake time. The apathy among many congregations. Those folks can do way more damage than occasionally running into someone in service. I often wonder if the WTS will do something so outrageous that there will be a major schism. 2 or 3 million extremely loyal followers are much better than 7 million half hearted ones.
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Law & order SVU HAMMERS Xtian scientists and AIDS deniers on tonights show.
by avishai ingreat episode, anyone else see it?
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Doubting Bro
I saw it with my wife and pointed out that Christian Scientists are a cult because of their stance on seeking medical treatment. Actually, the line from the little boy with brain cancer (he was a CS in the show) was awesome and one that I know my wife thought about. He said "if God created everything, then he also created doctors. If he created doctors and cures, why wouldn't he want us to use them?" She was actually crying a little.