sparky1

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Posts by sparky1

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  25

  Lots of newbies posting! Welcome one and all!

  by freddo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is there something going on in jaydub land that has brought this on?

  hope so!.

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  sparky1

  Yes, this is very exciting. I counted 10 new members joining in just the last 2 days.

  
  

  Keep up the good work, boys! At this rate, you will drive more people out from the religion faster than you can drag new ones in!!
  
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  36

  How ballroom dancing helped our exit

  by Finally Left in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just wanted to say hello and thank you for all of your comments.

  when i finally figured out this was not the truth it was nice to know i wasn't the only one - it was a surprise to learn how many there are.

  february was my last month of service after 43 active years.

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  sparky1

  

  Welcome aboard! Thanks for your introduction story and I look forward to your posts.
  
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  14

  “Winning the Battle for Your Mind”

  by SAHS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  “winning the battle for your mind.” that is the title of an article in the latest watchtower magazine, of july 2017, pages 27-30. wow, how ironic!

  here is the direct link:.

  https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2017488.

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  sparky1

  I find it rather odd that the Governing Body (tm) would allow the writing department to quote Noam Chomsky. Noam Chomsky is a very intelligent man, a believer in freedom of thought and a highly rational humanist.

  

  Many old timers here will recognize this article as a rehash of the December 15, 1969 Watchtower article: The Battle For Men's Minds. A rehash of information from almost 50 years ago is now 'food at the proper time.' It's the same thing over and over again with this religion: Everything old is new again!
  
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  19

  Spiritual Welfare

  by wheelwithinwheel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this year’s “don’t give up” convention encourages theocratic welfare.

  brother pioneer is doing a lot of carting and having trouble making ends meet.

  his landlord doesn’t get it and decides to evict him and his wife.. .

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  sparky1

  Why is it that in every fu@king Watchtower video, the Witnesses are portrayed as victims? Always sighing, talking low, furrowing their brows and holding their heads down when encountering the normal issues of everyday life. Then out of nowhere, Jehovah's magic saves them and they become happy and ebullient once again, rejoicing in being one of Jehovah's chosen people.
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  82

  How Far Up The Ladder Did You Go In JW Land?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i pretty much did it all.

  vacation pioneered as a youngster and became a regular pioneer out of school.

  i became a ms then an elder.....the organization pushes you to be somebody within the confines of their realm.

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  sparky1

  "I was like a JW 'golden boy' so to speak". - eyeuse2badub

  I don't know about now, but Jehovah's Witnesses used to LOVE their Golden Boys! Having been one myself I am well aware of the allure. I am reminded of 2 songs. One by Natalie Merchant and one by Freddie Mercury:

  "Top of the fold Toast of the town Everyone stops when you come around They hold their breath for you

  Heroes are born Idols are made We're all fools for this factory fame And you've got the brand new face." - Golden Boy by Natalie Merchant

  "Yes he told the truth, yes he told the truth Accepting every honour with a masterly display Of well rehearsed reluctance to be singled out this way He started to believe that he was all they said and more.........." The Golden Boy by Freddie Mercury

  Those in charge of this religion knew how to recruit new 'commissioned officers' to perpetuate the club.
  
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  42

  Told My Parents Yesterday That I Don't Want to Be a JW

  by Saethydd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i wasn't entirely sure what to expect when i made the decision to tell my parents how i really feel, but i was prepared for the worst, fortunately, it didn't come to that.

  after i told them i didn't want to go to the meetings anymore it led to a long talk with them.

  they made a number of irksome and woefully uninformed statements but at least they were not aggressive and have said that they won't force me to move out over this, though, i can tell they are hoping they can convince me to "accept the truth," as long as i still live with them.

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  sparky1

  Congratulations ..............you have shown great courage at such a young age. May your life be filled with success and much happiness.
  

  My advice is to ignore shadow's comment. Rather, you look and search for the meaning of your life. To quote Viktor Frankl:

  "For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment." (No mention of God or religion. And Viktor Frankl was a pious Jew.)
  
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  6

  Have you ever wondered why the confession of sins is encouraged ?

  by Chook in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it's because we don't need a hierarchy structure without this guilt trip.

  now my sins for this week are .... no i'm telling you unless you promise to forgive me..

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  sparky1

  Three words: CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL!
  
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  80

  Are there any ex-missionaries here??

  by fulano in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have been a missionary in the dominican republic for almost 10 years and i was wondering if there were any ex-missionaries on this forum.. i am back in my country now for 3 years and totally inactive.. what i noticed in those missionary-years was the lack of spiritual interest among the missionaries.. discussions were about rooms, cars and greater responsibilities, the bad territory.

  and the local c.o.s and d.os.. was this only in the dr or are there other experiences??.

  ere other experiences?

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  sparky1

  I never held the position of Missionary but I have been in the Missionary position.
  
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  82

  How Far Up The Ladder Did You Go In JW Land?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i pretty much did it all.

  vacation pioneered as a youngster and became a regular pioneer out of school.

  i became a ms then an elder.....the organization pushes you to be somebody within the confines of their realm.

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  sparky1

  "Were You Ever an elder?"....................no, my conscience would not let me continue as a fraud. As I said in my post, "I changed congregations and refused any appointments."
  
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  82

  How Far Up The Ladder Did You Go In JW Land?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i pretty much did it all.

  vacation pioneered as a youngster and became a regular pioneer out of school.

  i became a ms then an elder.....the organization pushes you to be somebody within the confines of their realm.

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  sparky1

  Quit school and started Pioneering at 16 years old. (Long and sad story, it was 1972) Went to 'serve' in a congregation with no Elders and only 2 Ministerial Servants. The Circuit Overseer wanted to have me stay in this congregation and he checked with the Service Department to see if I could be appointed a Ministerial Servant at 17 years old. They said that under the circumstances it would be approved. He then asked if I could be appointed an Elder at 18 years old. They didn't see a problem with this but said under the circumstances the Governing Body would have to directly approve. This caused a major rift between me and my pioneer partner because neither the Circuit Overseer nor the congregation was interested in appointing him to anything. I wanted to go to Bethel so the 'position carrot' did not sway me. I moved back to my old hall and pioneered from there. When I applied for Bethel service, my cover letter from the new Circuit Overseer and from the congregation really blew up my 'ego'! The letters both stated that I would probably only stay at Bethel for 4 years and then be recommended for the 'Circuit work'. For Christ's sake, I wasn't even a Ministerial Servant yet. At any rate, I became a Bethelite and a Ministerial Servant. 1975 came and went and I had a return of my 'crisis of faith' (I never believed any of it anyway but was persuaded to put my nose to the grindstone and when 1975 came all my doubts would be answered) and had a 'nervous breakdown' while at Bethel. I went back to my home congregation and was immediately appointed a Ministerial Servant. From there I was asked to become the congregation secretary so that the next time the Circuit Overseer came around, I could be appointed an Elder. It was all too much for me and I changed congregations and refused any appointments. By 1980 I took the looooooong fade route. As I look back on my personal history, I see that I was a victim of 'pseudo-maturity' and was pressured by family and my Jehovah's Witness peers to take part in a lifestyle I really did not want.