Posts by Dawn

7

Sister-in-law reproved!

by Nosferatu in

jw
friends

well, it finally happened.

my brother was talking to me and he told me his wife had been put on reproof (not sure if it was public or private).

her mother caught her smoking and reported her to the elders.

Dawn

Matthew 15:10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ?Listen and understand. 11 What goes into a man's mouth does not make him ?unclean,? but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ?unclean.? ?

Matthew 15:17-19 ?Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ?unclean.? 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

Just goes to show you once more - from the scriptures - that the JW's are placing their efforts and emphasis on the wrong things. They can't see the forest for the trees so to speak - so set on rules and control that they miss the big picture. Sure - smoking is bad for you and you shouldn't do it because you might die from it. But it's not what condemns you - straight from Jesus own words - it is not what we put in our mouth (whether it's cigarettes or birthday cake), it is our heart condition that is of the most importance. Their emphasis should be on cultivating a clean heart.

11

A little more about me

by Ticker in

jw
friends

hello everyone, you have probably read some of my posts but i wish to tell a little more about my story, not all of it but just to give a mindset of where i stand and how i feel.. i had been a witness since childhood as i had been indoctrinated at a very young age by a zealous grandmother who had devoted her life to an organization.

like i had stated before i have come to realize she was serving a image of god created for her consumption by imperfect men, but none the less i know she meant well in her actions.

i have always had a good heart toword others and god, and though at times it troubles me to think of how i used to carry the jw mindset of judging others viewpoints and faith, not intentionally but because of being molded into such a form through misdirected thinking.

Dawn

Welcome Ticker. Thanks for sharing your story - I think it is helpful to put those words out there. It helps you to work through the feelings - and helps others who are facing the same thing.

You're right about children - God loves them! I'm glad you and your wife did not give in to the pressure and miss out on one of life's most treasured opportunities - to have a family.

45

Need prayers for my sister...she just got DF'd

by FreedomFrog in

jw
friends

i'm really concerned for my sister and her husband.

they both got df'd last thurs.

and i found out today cause my mom called crying histerically telling me the news.

Dawn

(((Freedom Frog))) - I said a prayer for you and your sister.

Here is a little tid-bit also for you to consider. The day I was DF'd I just knew it was the worst thing that could EVER happen to me - loosing everything and everyone I loved and knew in one short announcement. It was the worst day of my life.

That was many years ago - but I now look back and realize that had it not been for the DF'ing I probably would never have started researching more, learning the history of the JW religion, reading my bible, and eventually finding freedom. Sometimes things happen to us for a reason - while at the moment it may seem as though it's sensless and terrible, later on it is revealed to have been a positive change. I know now that my DF'ing was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I was not strong enough to leave - my DF'ing gave me the push I needed. It may well be the same thing with your sister and her husband - they may have never left with all your efforts to open their eyes, and perhaps this is a push outside the gates of the prison, and a chance to breath in some new and fresh air.

I pray that your sister and her husband will make it through this to the other side, so they can look back, just as I have, and appreciate how life works it's wonders.

5

Faithfull to the end

by Ticker in

jw
friends

my grandma was a devout jw most of her life, and when i mean devout i mean 24-7 preaching constantly to anyone especially family.

i have her to thank for my indoctrination as a child, but i realize she was merely indoctrinated herself.

her personality traits led to her being such a zealot for the watchtower, so i have no bitterness toword her, as she has passed on a few years ago.

Dawn

I can't believe I am going to die, this wasn't supposed to happen.

Big Dog - I can relate to that. My father passed away a couple of years ago and my mother is really struggling with that fact because she believed all her life that Armageddon would come and they would live forever on a paradise earth. Now at 70+ she's faced with the harsh reality that dad is not with her any longer, and that she too will most likely not see this paradise she so hoped for all those years.

46

Are you Living or Existing?

by Golf in

jw
friends

does your life have a purpose or are you just existing?

over the years i've learned to extract the good out of bad situations and it has given me a different perspective on life.

life is all about learning.

Dawn

Great topic.

I think the difference between Living or Existing is whether you have a purpose in life or not.

I know this lady at work who spends every night on the internet - from the time she gets home until she goes to bed, all she does is chat in rooms or play games on the computer. She's wasting her life away in one little room and has no real life friends.

Life is a gift - like a beautiful crystal pitcher. Some people put it up in a closet and only get it out for special occasions (or never). Others decide it's just too great not to use - so they set it on their kitchen counter and use it every day. I used to be the type to put it away in the closet, but over the years I've become one of those that use the pitcher every day.

Life is best lived "in the moment". For example, when I cook dinner for my family I can just "exist" and cook dinner because it's a task I have to accomplish all the while waiting for the weekend, or a vacation, or something to come in the future - just rushing through the task to get dinner over with. Or - I can enjoy the "moment"- put on music, pour a glass of wine, dance around the kitchen while I cook, visit with my hubby and catch up on the day. I can choose to live that moment of time - to make it a memory rather than a task.

My grandmother was a very independent and great lady. She had a stroke and spent the last 2 years of her life in a nursing home, she could not get out of bed without help and needed constant care. When I visited her one day I realized that she would have given ANYTHING to be able to cook dinner for her family again, to even do just the simplest of chores, to be home again and free. That day I made the choice to live life "in the moment" and not constantly pinning for some future event. Even the simplest of life moments are special - a hug from one of my kids, eating dinner together, going for a bike ride, even vaccuming the house - because that's what life is, millions of moments all strung together - and they can be either "lived in" or "existed in".

So - back to my first statement " the difference between Living or Existing is whether you have a purpose in life or not" - it's true. I have a purpose now - it's to really relish life itself, my health, my freedom, my family, to do all that I can while I can whether it's simple household chores, or learning a new fun activity. I choose now to spend time with family and friends, and I vowed to learn one new thing every year (ie: sucba diving, jazz dancing, etc) .Life is what you make it - and the more you make of it the better it is enjoyed - like the crystal pitcher that's used every day.

41

Understanding why people leave

by Qcmbr in

jw
friends

hi all, just thought i'd introduce myself before i make any other posts - i'm lds through and through 'nuff said.

why am i here, well i've been reading the posts here for over a year and i initially enjoyed them in a sneaky rival faction way (i.e.

one in the eye for jw's yehaw..)but of late i've been redaing these posts and using them to critique my own approach to my faith.

Dawn

No offence but a JW and a Morman in a theological debate is like a couple of one legged men in an ass kicking contest.

I don't agree. It's just that they would both be basing their faith on different texts. The JW's have their own version of the bible (NWT), Mormons have their own version of "inspired texts" - same thing with Muslims who have their own version of "inspired text". Bottom line though - is that all three religions were started by a "prophet" of some sort - same thing with Bahali. So I think the debate would be very interesting to listen to. If nothing else, I think it would help an active JW to perhaps open their eyes to some of their own beliefs and the control system they are in.

23

When were the dubs last in your area?

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

.

it seems that the visiting witnessing group is becoming an endangered species - rarely seen.. is that your experience?.

when were the dubs last in your area?

Dawn

Thanks Qcmbr. I figured it had to be some type of dress code but I was curious as to the all black/white.

41

Understanding why people leave

by Qcmbr in

jw
friends

hi all, just thought i'd introduce myself before i make any other posts - i'm lds through and through 'nuff said.

why am i here, well i've been reading the posts here for over a year and i initially enjoyed them in a sneaky rival faction way (i.e.

one in the eye for jw's yehaw..)but of late i've been redaing these posts and using them to critique my own approach to my faith.

Dawn

Qcmbr:

Welcome - I appreciate your honesty in response to questions, as well as your stand not to preach too much. You seem like a very nice, well rounded, level headed, guy. I look forward to reading more of your posts.

23

When were the dubs last in your area?

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

.

it seems that the visiting witnessing group is becoming an endangered species - rarely seen.. is that your experience?.

when were the dubs last in your area?

Dawn

About 2 weeks ago - before that it was about a year ago. The mormons missionaries with their bicycles are in our neighborhood almost daily - but then again, there's a mormon church right down the street so the missionaries must be home based there.

By the way - how come they (mormon missionaries) only wear black and white? How come they don't wear kahki pants sometimes with a brightly colored shirt - perhaps a polo, maybe an Abercrombie sweatshirt? black and white every day? how boring!

26

It is official-Awake to be monthly-PDF scan of KM for your review....

by CaptainSchmideo in

jw
friends

.

i will post this as a link for download, it's about 3.5 meg (searchable!).

http://members.cox.net/captainschmideo/km-e_us_3-05-march%202005.pdf.

Dawn

brothers making jazzed up - or rocked up versions of Kingdom Melodies and then distributing them receives an unequivocal NO

OMG - you mean - they actually tried to do something creative and self motivated - on their own? - without the societies input, review, approval, and modifications? What the hell were they thinking?!