DB

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Posts by DB

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  31

  My husband is stepping down tomorrow night . . .

  by Prisila in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm extatic .

  my husband is stepping down as an elder tomorrow.

  how do you guys think that will go?

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  DB

  There is a letter to elders on the subject of resigning, it was sent around maybe 4 years or so ago.

  In the letter, mention was made of elders meeting with and 'speaking to' a brother who wished to resign. No specific mention is made, to my recollection, of trying to talk him out of it or not allowing it, but rather to discuss it, as one would expect.

  I believe the letter then mentions that, if the brother still wants to resign, the matter should be held until the visit of the C.O. I cannot recall exactly what is stated next, but my guess is that they'd want the C.O.'s input.

  It seems to be a more complicated process than one might expect. I remember sitting there when the letter was read among the elders thinking "geez, if a guy wants to quit, let him quit". I can see discussing his reasons with him, but I don't think that, per se, he is "not allowed" to resign. However, some of my recollection could be inaccurate. Also, there may be a portion in there about the elders' not accepting the resignation, and if so, that does just about amount to not being allowed to resign. But the fact is, I know personally of elders who did resign and there did not seem to be a fuss made. No elder ever quit from the body while I served though, so I am not sure exactly how the other resignations were handled.
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  17

  I need a cigarette.

  by butalbee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, the good news is i'm on vacation: a time when i should just relax, have fun, do things i like to do when i want to do them, stay up all night, sleep all day, whatever.

  but, i picked of all times to *try* to quit smoking.

  i used to smoke like only when i was drinking, or if i had a really bad day at work, but lately due to a stupid ass man in my life and my family fighting, i have been smoking more than i should.

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  DB

  It is a tough, tough, habit to break, that's for sure. I don't envy you one bit...and hopefully, you can break free from the habit if it's what you want.
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  6

  Best Pro-JW Site

  by Stephanus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yes,yes, i know, they're all reputed to be crap, but there must be a contender for the above.

  one which shows good design, has a seemingy even handed approach to the subject at hand.

  any nominations?

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  DB

  Well, I've lurked on purelanguage, and I found it to be boring. It just seems to be a repeat of things you'd read in a WTS publication or hear from the platform. No discussions about how people feel about things, etc, that I noted.
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  18

  Another Weekend Poll from Ozzie

  by ozziepost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yep, it's now sunday here 'downunder' and another lazy sunday has come.. after you've read the sunday papers, enjoyed a stroll down to the 'local', watched match of the day, how about doing a little poll for all you exdubs?.

  today's topic: what's the most enjoyable thing you do now that you've got 'time on your hands'?.

  disclaimer: apart from 'that' of course!!.

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  DB

  Ozzie, I am still a jw and active, but I will respond in a slightly modified manner:
  Now that I am no longer an elder I:

  Enjoy seeing my daughter participate in track and field for her school.

  Enjoy finally having some ease on weekends instead of cramming all my work/chores in so that I could lead out in servive each Saturday and two/three Sundays each months.

  Enjoy not having my decision-making affected by what others might think of the example I was setting.

  Enjoy not having to prepare and deliver talk after talk after service meeting part after talk, etc, etc.

  Enjoy not having to prepare to conduct the bookstudy.

  Enjoy not feeling guilty about not having a family study.

  Enjoy not having to prepare to conduct the Theocratic School (I spent most of my years as an elder doing the second school and was also School Overseer). It is absolutely a miserable meeting to prepare for, and then there were always the unexpected no-shows and cancellations that made each week stressful.

  Enjoy not having to give up the things I enjoy, like watching a ball game, in favor of meeting preperation or study or some of the things I mentioned above.

  Enjoy not having to sit in judgement of my brothers and sisters, whom I am no better than in any way whatsoever.

  Enjoy not having to send my family home without me late at night for the elder's meetings and other matters that had to be handled.

  Thanks Ozzie, good post.
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  21

  buying new stereo - need suggestions

  by walt in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if anybody can recomend a good stereo it would be appreciated.. brand doesnt matter.

  just something that will rock the house.

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  DB

  Hi walt,

  By 'stereo' I'll assume that you want a home hi-fi system.

  What are your needs? Are you also into home theater, or into mostly music listening? If you are into home theater, then your choices could well be different; for example, you'd likely want a surround-sound receiver with 5 channels for left, right, center, and surround speakers.

  If you simply want to "rock the house" I'd recommend efficient speakers that play loudly without needing to be driven by a lot of amplifier power. My first recommendation would be Klipsch brand speakers, sold at Tweeter stores in the USA or on the Net. If musical accuracy is less of a concern that sheer musical output, you may want to look into Cerwin Vega speakers, but they are not as accurate musically as the Klipsch brand is, generally.
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  24

  WT 4-01-02 article

  by DB in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the april 1, 2002 issue of the watchtower, an article appears entitled "keep on serving jehovah with a steadfast heart".

  paragraph 14 of this article states: "if jehovah's organization knowingly endorsed false teachings, advice to read the bible would never be given to jehovah's witnesses and those to whom they preach.".

  i am withholding comment on this statement, because i'd like to hear from any who would like to post a response.

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  DB

  Thank you for the input, I appreciate the comments.

  On the one hand, it is commendable for any religious group to encourage reading of the Bible. And yes, many religions do not encourage Bible reading and study. So I would say that yes, the WTS is right to encourage Bible reading, and can be commended for that.

  However, as some posts have intimated, encouraging Witnesses and others to read the Bible does not in itself mean that manipulation of these people cannot take place. The avreage person does not know the Bible well enough to be able to avoid possibly being manipulated. As ISP wrote, Witnesses and those who study with them get mostly all their answers to Bible questions from WTS literature, so manipulation can still take place.

  I would liken this to shopping for a car, a used one for example. The dealer can invite most people to look under the hood and 'kick the tires' all they want, but the fact is that most people do not know enough about cars to avoid the possibility of being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous dealer.In many cases the dealer hopes that the buyer asks only him or his staff about the car or reads only the literature they supply; after all, how many car dealers would encourage shoppers to consult, say, Consumer Reports or similar publications that present a more objective analysis?

  Thus, most people can be encouraged to do all the Bible reading they want; in my opinion that does not ensure that they cannot be manipulated or taught false doctrine.
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  21

  Passing time at assemblies

  by joelbear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  1. see how many words i could make out of the assembly theme and/or yearly text.. 2. try to guess which section would have the next person get up to go the the bathroom.. 3. stare at cute guys.. 4. get up, pretend i was going to the bathroom, roam the halls and stare at cute guys.. 5. try to see how long i could hold my breath.

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  DB

  Biggs, I also attend at Vet's Stadium....a/k/a Sweateran's Stadium.

  Passing time: Looking at the young, border-line immodestly dressed gals (can't blame them, it's The Sweat after all)...especially during the lunch break, they congregate on level 700.

  Looking for a street vendor who sells snow-cones.

  Wishing I was in shorts, watching the Phils play baseball instead.

  Thinking about how long it was going to take to get home, especially on Friday; the traffic is a killer.

  Hanging out in the corridors, where there is usually a breeze blowing, and much-needed shade.
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  24

  WT 4-01-02 article

  by DB in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the april 1, 2002 issue of the watchtower, an article appears entitled "keep on serving jehovah with a steadfast heart".

  paragraph 14 of this article states: "if jehovah's organization knowingly endorsed false teachings, advice to read the bible would never be given to jehovah's witnesses and those to whom they preach.".

  i am withholding comment on this statement, because i'd like to hear from any who would like to post a response.

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  DB

  In the April 1, 2002 issue of The Watchtower, an article appears entitled "Keep On Serving Jehovah With a Steadfast Heart". Paragraph 14 of this article states: "If Jehovah's organization knowingly endorsed false teachings, advice to read the Bible would never be given to Jehovah's Witnesses and those to whom they preach."

  I am withholding comment on this statement, because I'd like to hear from any who would like to post a response. I'd like to get some opinions on it, if anyone would care to elaborate. Thanks!
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  14

  were you STRESSED when you joined the dubs?

  by refiners fire in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the technical literature on cults reckons that stress is a big factor in cult conversion.. a lot of cults induce varied emotional states within recruits,.

  they artificially generate conflict in the minds of the recruits.

  in fact, of the ones ive seen, most of them do in some way or other!.

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  DB

  Even the jws acknowledge that many who come in do so during some stressful period in their lives. Also, the sad condition of the world in general (wars, crime, etc) are always kept to the fore in jw publications, which gets people thinking that there must be something better.

  A few years back, my niece made an interesting statement on why she had not felt inclined to look into the jw faith more deeply - she said "my life is pretty good right now". Feeling good about her life and her prospects, she saw no reason to study with the jws.
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  32

  SOMETHING BIG IS GOING TO HAPPEN APRIL 19-20

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the stars are in alignment.. the time is right.. this weekend will change the world.. i just love to make prophecys, it reminds me of someone i know!.

  "failure to respond to the direction of the organization indicates a rejection of divine rulership"---[2/15/1976,p.124].

  "jehovah's witness are not infallible or inspired prophets."[5/15/1976,p.297].

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  DB

  Well, the 19th will be my 22nd wedding anniversary.