betterdaze

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Posts by betterdaze

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  34

  Anybody a member of AAA? Would you recommend it?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm thinking about joining the aaa auto club.

  my car is getting along in years and isn't going to get replaced any time soon.

  i'm imagining that my stranded-on-the-side-of-the-road moment is imminent.

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  betterdaze

  ***$175.00 to go 5 miles.***
  
  Ouch, lonelysheep!
  
  All you need is 1 tow, or tire change, or battery jump, and it's paid for itself. I pay $53/year for peace of mind, especially since I'm dense about leaving my lights on in the winter and running down the battery.
  
  The the "free" travel books are just so-so... but it's great to have all the maps you'll ever need... Vacation time is too precious to sit around figuring out where to go or worse, getting lost. There's an online fuel price finder which is helpful, too.
  
  Oh... also, if you're a member traveling with someone who's not, and their car gets stuck, your benefits extend to your friend. Neat, huh?
  
  ~Sue
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  184

  UPDATE!: THEY ALL ADMITTED EGGING US -Elders now know, heads are rolling!!

  by Lady Liberty in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  oh.... how the saga goes on!!

  i swear we could write a novel about our life exiting the watchtower!!

  ok..many of you read what happened..our house was egged and so was my sisters car that was parked here, and "frosty" was attacked!!

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  betterdaze

  ***Forgive and forget. Laugh it off.***
  
  UpAndAtom, would you give this advice if it they egged a Jewish neighbor's house, and ripped a menorah off their lawn?
  
  Would it be harmless if it the perpetrators were skinheads or the KKK instead?
  
  Just curious.
  
  ~Sue
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  21

  How do the JW's stay encouraged and persevere?

  by JH in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what keeps them going and going week after week?.

  is it fear of being destroyed?.

  fear of missing out on paradise?.

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  betterdaze

  Pride, and lust for power.
  
  Underachievers feel important in a groupthink of "speshul" shiny people whose god is bigger than your god and is gonna beat you all up.
  
  All JWs are speshul, though Sister Smug and Brother Power Trip are more speshul than others.
  
  ~Sue
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  31

  More JW folklore

  by looking_glass in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  folklore, wives tales, or jw bs, whatever you want to call it, i am sure it will pass around the globe in record time and become an honest to goodness truth.. .

  prayers of children (experience).

  this experience was given at a circuit assembly in california.

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  betterdaze

  I wouldn't trust the JW couple with a goldfish, let alone a child.
  
  • "if they would consider a child of about 7 or 8 years, they would get one almost immediately." Why not wait on Jehovah?
  Anyway, the majority of children for adoption in the U.S. are older, negating the need for overseas adoption.
  
  • I wanna know how the little Vietnamese boy, upon landing in California, spoke fluent English? It's not like the parents had
  been feverishly studying Vietnamese in preparation for his arrival; they had already decided to regular pioneer, waiting until
  the New System to have children.
  
  • "The agency pleaded with them not to cancel." Does anyone see that their decision to cancel is no different than having
  an abortion? Is that what the Society would encourage with a biological child?
  
  I think not. Thank goodness this is fictional!
  
  ~Sue
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  17

  Harry Potter? Are witnesses told not to read it????

  by annalice in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have not been to a meeting for some years now so i would not know if it has been said ,but have the witnesses actually been told straight out not to read the harry potter books?

  i ask this because my in-laws have seen me reading them and now think i am into evil stuff because i have them .

  so is it just them or is this what is now taught in the orginization?

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  betterdaze

  Nellie said: ***They are told straight out not to read or watch or listen to anything that has mystical, magical or supernatural themes.***
  
  This should include the Watchtower publications and videos. The mystical magicians in Brooklyn interpret and predict supernatural themes that cannot be proved!
  
  ~Sue
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  17

  well, i am off to the circuit assembly tomorrow.

  by ?me? in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i will see if i can pay attention.

  after reading a review of some of the stuff said, i may have to even take notes!

  (for my own reasons , of course).

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  betterdaze

  I used to keep my assembly notes. They helped me with personal bible study, which the Society encourages.
  
  The more I studied the bible in depth, my assembly notes made no sense at all. Especially the assertions of the WT speakers. The biblical hopscotch dance was priceless.
  
  Please note every scripture quoted. Later, read them within context in your NWT. Follow up with some cross-referencing using Bible Gateway dot com or Study Light dot org.
  
  Interlinears, commentaries, and concordances are gems. Dig, dig, dig, using all references available to uncover the history and contextual meanings. Compare and contrast with the Society's "Insight on the Scriptures." Or, the Aid Book, if you will.
  
  grissom6471, have you any issue with my method? It was personal bible study that set me free from the Watchtower. It took months before I'd even peer into an "apostate" site like this, yet it confirmed so much I had already excavated on my own.
  
  I've done the hard work, fought the good fight for my faith for about 30 years. Call me *negative* if you will. I literally studied the Word to my way out. Internet sites such as this one, and posters who came before me, just confirmed and expanded upon my findings through intense bible study alone.
  
  In the end, it was my trusted WT publications that stumbled me the worst.
  
  ~Sue
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  5

  Today's Newspaper - JW's Nailed

  by BizzyBee in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  nice print today on the ignorance and lack of compassion espoused by jws.

  this is from today's santa barbara news press, by nationally syndicated columnist (can scroll down to highlighted area):.

  fridge notes william edelen.

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  betterdaze

  ***I wish that Mr. Edelen had cited his quotes. ***
  #14, "FAITH...(noun)...Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge"?Ambrose Bierce
  
  Ahhh, "The Devil's Dictionary." It's a blast! Can you believe my JW mom actually bought a Devil's title as a (humorous) reference work for us kids?
  We loved it. Still do. His definitions are timeless.
  
  You can find it online here: http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/devils/f.html
  
  Dover Publications still reprints it, too: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486275426.html
  
  For more on the author, looky here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_bierce
  
  ~Sue
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  29

  Can You Suggest The Perfect Song

  by Nellie in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  this april will mark our 25th wedding anniversary.

  music has always been a part of our relationship.

  back in the day, my hubby spent a lot of time in the back room because of being a dj both at witness parties and in clubs around nyc.

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  betterdaze

  You're My Best Friend (Ooh, you make me live) by Queen
  
  Through the Years by Kenny Rogers
  
  I Believe in Miracles (Where you from, you sexy thing) by Hot Chocolate
  
  Have I Told You Lately (that I love you) by Van Morrison
  
  Best Wishes,
  ~Sue
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  21

  Were you harmed by WTS policy?

  by Fisherman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is your story?.

  should you have gone to a psychiatrist for helo?.

  perhaps you regret not getting a college ed or pursuing a career?.

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  betterdaze

  Yes, all of the above except #3 about losing a loved one... because my mom actually survived bloodless surgery.
  
  I would add that without holidays, birthdays, etc. my aunts, uncles and cousins are virtual strangers, and my brother and sister and I are awkward at best. There's very little shared experience together, and much of it is painful. Our JW childhood was one of abject misery, and it did not stop at the Kingdom Hall... it permeated our home and oozed into schooltime in the form of persecution as well as social isolation.
  
  Also, my unbelieving father has had his marriage undermined for over 40 years by his conniving JW wife. He knows he's #2 to the Tower, but she has him convinced to go along with her crap because spouses of JWs should be spared at the Big A. She has him convinced he will die if he leaves her (same with my brother, but that emotional incest is another topic entirely).
  
  My current angle with dad is the financial drain: Watch mom like a hawk, count the money in her purse before and after meetings, and watch her checkbook. Sounds awful, but if my father would exercise his "headship" maybe he'll have a little to enjoy in retirement. My mother is "spiritually weak" and flagrantly breaks all the WT rules, but I think the elders leave her alone because of her donations... Money my worldly father broke his ass to earn, money that could have been put toward our nonexistent college educations.
  
  Oh, I know I'm ranting now, but when opportunities came knocking, I was inculcated to view them through the "wisdom" of the WT lens and did not take advantage. Everything was suspicious, Satan's snares. Regretfully, some great jobs and great people slipped through my fingers this way.
  
  So, aside from the family mess, personally it would be "ignored opportunities" that harmed me the most because I have no one but myself to blame in the end.
  
  ~Sue
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  19

  The more expensive house: Vinyl or Brick?

  by YoursChelbie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is a significant difference in the prices of houses that are built of brick exterior to comparably sized ones with vinyl exterior.

  i assumed brick costs more because it's more durable, but was surprised to find that brick houses such as the one i chose at random pictured here for sale in texas actually costs over 50k dollars less than the one with the vinyl exterior in the far northern us.

  both have four bedrooms.

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  betterdaze

  Insurance premiums figure in, too. A *real* brick masonry home, one actually constructed of tied-in bricks mortared together is structurally sounder in a fire or hurricane. It's also pest-resistant.
  
  Extremely low maintenance and energy efficient, too, which figures into the the life of the investment. More labor and materials $$$ up front, but a quality brick-built home retains its value.
  
  Not so with the PVC clad houses: Basically "wood" products covered in plastic. Today, *decorative* brickface is sprayed on or applied like a stucco over wire mesh. Appears authentic and adds an air of wealth, but adds nothing to stability or fireproofing.
  
  Most of the "brick" houses going up today only have bricks in the chimneys. The rest is simply a veneer. The *perception* of durability, safety and low upkeep remains, but we'll see how all these plastic and "brick" McMansions will stand the test of time (ask your insurance agent).
  
  ~Sue