david_10

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Posts by david_10

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  21

  Watchtower: End Game Strategy?

  by sacolton in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  most cults don't go out with a whisper when they know their time has come.

  jonestown.

  branch davidians.

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  david_10

  Thank you, Jeremy C-------------------------------Your points are well-made. Nobody despises the WTS more than I do, but they're not going anywhere anytime soon. Like all corporations, the Society is faced with all kinds of challenges and setbacks, but they continue to meet the challenges, and they prosper. Look at the millions they've just spent on new printing equipment; look at the worldwide building projects; to top it off, they're even showing growth--------------------while the numbers are small, any growth at all is still growth. Nope, I can't see any reason for a deathwatch. I wish there was, but I think we need to be realistic.

  David
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  Warren Schroeder from Bethel on Freddy, Kline and the apostate books!

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  having problem pasting this...

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  david_10

  Fantastic thread. Thanks to everyone for their contributions.

  That's all I have to say.

  David
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  28

  Where I have been!

  by Sparkplug in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been off the net.

  the evil net...lol.

  sometimes other people are really that sick.

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  david_10

  Crimony! That's just incredible that someone would go to all the trouble to terrorize you like this. And for what? Just for the fun of it, I guess. There are some sick bastards in this world, and you've been unfortunate enough to cross paths with one of them. Any idea who it is? If someone actually had to physically load some programs into your computer, then that should narrow it down considerably. I hate to say it, but it's probably one of your kids' friends. I hate to say it (again), but I don't hold out a lot of hope for a legal resolution to this. Good luck----------------I hope you can straighten it out.

  David
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  109

  Your most memorable Kingdom Hall meeting disruptions!

  by easyreader1970 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i remember about twenty years ago some teenagers were caught fornicating in one of the additional schools.

  the schools were downstairs, essentially separated from the rest of the kh.

  they weren't just happened upon, though.

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  david_10

  During the mid-seventies, there was a population explosion in our congregation and I recall that we had around 35 children of pre-school age. Needless to say, the path to the side door was well-worn, if you catch my drift. The neighbors called several times and spoke with the elders and left messages that they were noticing our hard-line stance with the kids and felt that we were being too harsh. However the elders paid no attention, and we all felt that we had a scriptural basis for letting the beatings continue. Imagine the shock and surprise, though, when the police came into the hall one Thursday night and stopped the meeting. They stayed for around 20 minutes and interviewed some elders and parents, but they finally did leave with only a warning handed out. It was extremely humiliating, and, for me at least, a wake-up call-----I don't think I ever spanked my kids again. Ever. Even when they may have needed it. It was a different world 30 years ago, but if this were to happen today, I don't think the police would leave so easily. I think that Child Welfare Services would be called and a lot of parents would be on the carpet getting a huge dose of their own medicine.

  But here's the interesting part of that incident: Do you think that the congregation learned it's lesson and began acting more discreetly and humanely? Yes and no. At the next Service Meeting, a special needs talk was given discussing the situation, and the elders decreed that we should not take our children outside to discipline them anymore; instead we were to take them into the library and give them their whippings in there!!

  David
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  23

  Book study reminiscing - what was your memorable bookstudy experience.

  by yadda yadda 2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i must admit to feeling a bit nostalgic, sentimental now about the loss of the good old home book study arrangement.

  there are many rather pleasant memories coming to the mind of various homes i attended for the book study.

  i can still remember vividly most of them.. it had a warm, convivial, family feel about it.

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  david_10

  I was probably 16 years old, and I was being "used" in the congregation a lot because I was so Theocratic and such a good example of how young people should behave. After the Tuesday night book study in Sister Harrison's home (I think we were studying the old "Babylon" book") I was called on to say the closing prayer. Just as I opened my mouth, this elderly sister let this huge fart. Bless her heart, she was about 90 and she couldn't help it, but my god, it was enormous. My two brothers broke up and they were nearly killing themselves to keep from laughing, but they weren't very successful. My dad reached over and clobbered one of them, but it didn't help. Everyone, even the conductor, was trembling, they were needing to let it out so bad. Two or three people covered their laughing with a coughing fit, but it was pretty obvious what they were doing.

  And there I was, all alone on a high wire.

  I gritted my teeth and made it as quick as I could and willed myself not to laugh, and, somehow, I got through it without breaking down. Even my dad said he didn't know how I did it.

  What a memory.........

  David
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  51

  Meeting schedule rearranged...WHY?

  by sir82 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  official speculation thread.... even if a reason is given for the meeting rearrangement when it is announced on 4/27, we all know how the society spins things (e.g., awake magazine being reduced to one issue per month to "put more emphasis on the bible" real reason.. .

  so why is the society doing this?

  on the surface, it seems to be a loosening of control.

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  david_10

  Everybody's talking like this book study change is a done deal. But does anyone actually have any hard proof of this? So far, it looks to me like rumors and gossip. I just can't believe that the society would do something this drastic. I would have an easier time believing that the big announcement is going to say that it's alright to take a blood transfusion. That's how big this thing is. Unless someone can scan a copy of that letter, I'll think I'll hold off till Sunday and see what happens.

  David
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  23

  Never Had Strong Feelings - Did You Experience that as a JW?

  by cognac in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i went to a funeral and i cried cause i thought it was what you were supposed to do.. went to a wedding and didn't really care, just was happy cause everyone else was.. there was just never any strong feelings, except depression of course.. but anyways, did you guys ever experience that?

  no strong feelings as a jw?

  now that i'm coming out, i'm noticing that i'm starting to actually get more feelings... not sure if that's a jw thing or just cause i'm seeing a phychiatrist now... however, i do notice that with hubby, no strong feelings.

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  david_10

  You know, Cognac, that is a very interesting subject that you've brought up. I was raised a witness, and I left when I was around 35-------------about 20 years ago. And all during the time I was active, I puzzled over why I couldn't seem to feel normal human emotions, grief in particular. I thought it was just me....................I thought there must be something wrong with me. It seems now that this phenomenon is just another one of the side-effects of being a witness. I appreciate everyone who has expressed themselves because it all sounds so familiar.

  I recall that there were a couple of over-riding emotions, though. (I don't count depression-----------------------I'm not sure that condition can be called an emotion, although I had plenty of it.) I'm talking about FEAR. Fear of everything: Fear of Jehovah, fear of not doing enough, fear of persecution, fear of the elders, fear of getting "caught" doing_______________________(fill in the blank.) I mean FEAR.

  And GUILT. My god, they somehow could make you feel guilty for taking the air you breathe, and that's not much of an exaggeration.

  I figured it all must be related to the witness upbringing, though, because I've noticed that in the last 4 or 5 years or so, my feelings have normalized a lot-------------------------I can feel sorrow, sympathy, empathy, joy, contentment, and even grief. Just normal feelings. But like restrangled said, the mindset can be hard to dispel once it's ingrained in you.

  Good thread---------Thanks.

  David
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  140

  huge announcement after the Watchtower study on the 27 of April?

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there will be a huge announcement after the watchtower study on the 27 of april.. for what it's worth, this was just sent to me anonymously.. randy.

  www.freeminds.org.

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  david_10

  I agree with Blondie on this:

  "But the book study has served as a close monitoring device for the elder body." The book study arrangement is a very powerful tool that the society uses and it's the main way of keeping tabs on everybody. Plus, they always say that when persecution breaks out, your book study group will be your first and probably only contact with the brothers. I just don't see them doing away with it.

  Also, it seems to me that this is the type of announcement that is made during the service meeting, not on a Sunday.

  To sum up: I think JWR might be pulling our leg a little bit, and I'm going to wait till next Sunday and see what happens.

  David
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  22

  Is Customer Service/Common Courtesy a dinosaur ?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have lamented for a long while about the lack of customer care in our area.

  fast food restaurants have taken the fast food out it while the price keeps moving up.

  service stations no longer exist - replaced by self fuel bays in front of a so called 'convenience store' - and typically manned by a grumpy cashier.

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  david_10

  Hello there, Jeff. Well, customer service is still not too bad here, but it's slowly getting worse.

  What galls me more than anything is being addressed as "Ma'am." "Thank you, Ma'am, come back and see us." They try to slur it so that it sounds like "Thank you, Man", which is still rude IMO, but nothing like "Ma'am." I've heard other men complain about the same thing, and here while back Tom asked me if his voice is sounding like a woman or something, because at drive-up windows, the kids will call him Ma'am. Can you believe it? Anyway, I googled it and did a little research, and discovered that calling a male customer Ma'am is sales-clerk-speak for "bitch." When I saw that, I saw red. I wrote the owner of Toot'n'Totem and complained about it, and I got a nice reply apologizing and promising that it will never happen again. And it hasn't, and that's been 8 or 9 months ago. I guess he really clobbered those kids. If it happens anywhere else, I put my goods on the counter and tell the punk that I'm not a ma'am and he can give me my money back or I'm raising hell all over this store. Boy, that pisses me off.

  David
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  11

  CAN JWS CHEW COCOA LEAVES?

  by badboy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  aymara indians chew them to help them to work at higher altitues.

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  david_10

  Generally speaking, if it's something that you enjoy doing, then you can't do it. If you enjoy chewing cocoa leaves, or anything else for that matter, then you can be sure that there is a Bible Principle (TM) that forbids it.

  David