Posts by thecarpenter

3

Miranda Rights

by startingover in

miranda rights.

a female officer arrests a drunk for dui, and dutifully advises, "sir, anything you say can and will be held against you.".

the drunk says, "tits".

Stupid Witnesses!

by hamilton_russell in

jw
friends

i just got a visit from my jdub cousin.

not seen him for a year or so.. anyway he's telling me that he's selling his house (his first place bought 2 years ago) as the society are telling them all that the end is in sight sooner than they think!

and he said that he's gonna go part time at work cos he loves the aux pioneering he did last month!!!

thecarpenter

Hey, where can I get one of those little protective bubbles? Would come in handy sometimes

9

Another XJW Graduate !

by Simon in

jw
friends

.

i don't look quite as cool as mouthy (see: nat's gift to mouthy) but me and angharad can also proudly sport "graduate xjw university" t-shirts too .

many thanks nathan natas ... we will wear them with pride

thecarpenter

I ordered three mugs, can't wear the shirt out in the open yet by soon I will.

24

I just discovered Guns n' Roses

by thecarpenter in

i just discovered how good guns n' roses are.

i was listening to a bunch of their songs and i can't believe they wrote so many good songs.

i was a quite a head banger before i became a witness and after joining i avoided a lot of heavy metal rock and a lot of worldly music in general.

thecarpenter

you are right, it was by aerosmith. The mp3 file was mislabeled, now I discovered a song by aerosmith that I like. (Boy, it's like rediscovering music all over again!)

24

I just discovered Guns n' Roses

by thecarpenter in

i just discovered how good guns n' roses are.

i was listening to a bunch of their songs and i can't believe they wrote so many good songs.

i was a quite a head banger before i became a witness and after joining i avoided a lot of heavy metal rock and a lot of worldly music in general.

thecarpenter

I just discovered how good Guns n' Roses are. I was listening to a bunch of their songs and I can't believe they wrote so many good songs. I was a quite a head banger before I became a witness and after joining I avoided a lot of heavy metal rock and a lot of worldly music in general.

(Was trying to listen to good acceptable music)

I am listening to paradise city, welcome to the jungle, Janie's got a gun, sweet child of mine, knocking on heavens door and many more. I heard some of these songs in passing but didn't know who wrote it or really listen to it.

This same thing happened to me about three years ago when I discover many U2 songs that I haven't heard before (can you believe I didn't know who Bono was?)

I discovered Coldplay, John Mayer and Dido about a year ago.

I'm really starting to get back into music again, maybe even playing the guitar again.

Has this happened to you when you started fading or since leaving the organization?

61

Why Do Inactive Ones Sometimes Go Back To The Organization?

by minimus in

jw
friends

thecarpenter

Well, it seems that there are a lot of reasons why people leave and come back.

Last week I attended my first yahoo ex-jw meetup group and met several inactive ones and some df'ed ones. One left because of the lack of love by the elders and friends, another because of the gossip and over controlling elders, others were df'ed for immoral conduct. Interestingly when I spoke with all of them, none had done any real research on the society, they were angry at the organization for various personal reasons. I started telling them a little about the history of the organization, about Ray Franz's books, doctrinal problems and so on. They were kind of surprised to hear some of the stuff I mentioned and at least one of them wanted to check out this site.

Even after our converstion, some of them wanted to go back because of family and friends, although they said that they really didn't believe in the society much anymore. I explained to them what fading was and they liked the idea. Having family under bOrg control really sucks.

31

Making real friends

by choosing life in

jw
friends

i have been away from the meetings for about a year now.

i recently attended a funeral and the witnesses mostly avoided me even though i am not disfellowshipped.

my problem is i need to replace my old friends because they look at me with such suspicion now.. i never had trouble making friends before i was a witness,but that was 30 years ago.

thecarpenter

Those of us who post here need to see one another once in a while.

I agree. I noticed that many attend apostafest which is pretty cool and something I plan to attend next year... but in the meantime, it would be cool to meet some of the posters in our local area. I personally met stevenyc, elsewhere and truthsetonefree at a restaurant. (the truth about the truth) with them (I think I can count that as field service time... I'll send my report to Simon or Scully)

Besides that, I think it is also important to branch out and just meet people. Volunteering is a great way, going back to school, join clubs (bowling, dancing, fishing, etc...). Doing things with your coworkers, neighbors, attend a non-denomination church (if inclined) and attend their social events, and a million other things. But you need to take the initiative, no one can do it for you.

On a personal note, I have a real war that goes on in my head from time to time. One part of me is afraid and socially anxious, and the other part of me tells me to get out and rejoin society, that it is healthy for me socially and emotionally. Sometimes the first part wins and sometimes the second part wins. But it is a struggle that is getting easier over time.

54

One of the most irritating things you can say to a Witness?

by free2beme in

jw
friends

my relatives that are still witnesses, always hate it when i say one thing to them, more then any others ... .

"are you going to church tonight?

"were you at church?".

thecarpenter

You could mention 'Aren't you the guys that sell those magazines?'

102

my bethel servise left me seriously depressed!!!!

by xcaliber in

jw
friends

i auxilary pioneered for a year, then i regular pioneered for 2 years while serving as a ministerial servant.

then i served at bethel for 3 years.

while at bethel i worked harder then i have my hole life.

thecarpenter

Lets calm down on the accusations a little bit. It is a lot to digest in just one day. xcaliber, take all the time you need to digest everything and keep us posted.

1. Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz (former governing body member of the jw's)

2. In Search of Christian Freedom by Raymond Franz

3. Combating Cult Mind Control by Steve Hassan

4. The Gentile Times Reconsidered by Carl Olof Jonsson

5. Expecting Armageddon - Essential Readings in Failed Prophecy by Jon R. Stone

These are a few books that I found very helpful in getting a more balanced view on the organization without all their rationalizing and excuses.
There are many others that you can find on Amazon.com

You might also check out the websites

Freeminds.org - done by a ex-bethlite
Randy Watters who has himself witnesses many horrendous things while at bethel
as you have

reexamine.org - A website that
consist of just Watchtower quotes from the past and present held up to light (no
editorial content, just quotes)

silentlambs.org - Deals with sex abuse
case hidden by society policy; contains a lot of respected video news footage
such as dateline (nbc), BBC, etc...

and also perhaps just Google 'Jehovah Witnesses. As I said xcaliber, it
is a lot to digest and it will take several weeks to do a decent examination but
you have the time. Remember, it is important to do research 'on the other
side of the story'... I like the way Paul said it in 1 thess 5:21 'Make sure of
all things, hold fast to what is fine'

If the Jehovah's witnesses teach the truth, it will stand up to scrutiny.
If they teach a mixture of truth and falsehood, that will also become clear.

63

Semi-Fluff - What is your favourite Science Fiction Book?

by Clam in

for those of you who like science fiction - what is your favourite science fiction book, or indeed film?

thecarpenter

I loved the Foundation series by Asimov but my all time favorite hands down is Battlefield earth by L. Ron Hubbard

If I was selecting Fantasy, it would be The Lord of the Rings by JR Tolken followed by Watership Down by Richard Adams

After reading your selections, I realized that there are a lot of books I am going to purchase in the near future, many of the selection interest me. thanx