sparky1

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Posts by sparky1

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  21

  Movies that make you cry?

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been many but i had a total melt down at the end of sophie's choice.

  i hadn't cried in years before i saw that movie in in 1982. i was still very much a jw at the time.

  i have no idea where the pain and sorrow came from, maybe it was the fact there are things people have gone through that we have defied all reason logic.

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  sparky1

  I'm a sucker for an ill-fated love story:

  
  
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  7

  Lost history found ...

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of our research helpers, an expert on watchtower history, located the original of smyth's letter that appears in studies volume 3. he's prepared an illustrated article for our history blog entitled "william morris wright and charles piazzi smyth.

  " [you probably know smyth as royal astronomer for scotland and a pyramidologist.. a few of you follow our research.

  i think those interested in watchtower history in the russell era will find this interesting:.

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  sparky1

  Vienne......I have sent you a PM.
  
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  23

  Did you enjoy your visit to Bethel?

  by Addison0998 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i recently had to take a trip with my family to bethel.

  it was a bit torturous for a secret apostate as you can imagine.

  but mostly just so boring.

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  sparky1

  Key: 505

  Room: E263

  I'll never set foot in any Bethel again as long as I live.
  
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  23

  In the bunker

  by Lost in the fog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  imagine that you are in the middle of the (jws version) great tribulation.

  food and basic supplies are scarce, the secret and not-so-secret police are actively searching for you and your family.

  you have to make it to bro faithful's secret bunker to hunker down with the rest of the congregation.

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  sparky1

  No beards ........

  No running water, no soap, no shampoo, no mouthwash, no toothpaste, no deodorant, no laundry detergent, no toilet paper, no showers, no toilets, no bidets, no douche, no perfume, no razor blades, no electricity for electric razors, no blow driers, no Prozac, no Valium, no Xanax, no Effexor, no Cymbalta, no gin, no whisky, no beer, no wine and on and on and on.Those bunkers are going to be one filthy, smelly and crazy place to be!
  
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  30

  Simple Question:Why Won’t JWs Just Report Child Abuse As The Law Requires?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just don’t get it.

  it would make their life so much easier!.

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  sparky1

  'Cause they're assholes?
  
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  20

  Is that a pumpkin in your window, brother?

  by Fatfreek in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the circuit overseer, henry judson, came up to me during the circuit assembly.

  "brother miller, it's been reported that your family may have a pumpkin in your window.

  " he waited for an answer although he never asked a question.

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  sparky1

  

  I'm not quite as old as you are, Len but our generations 'overlap'! Remember the Assemblies at the old Taunton Dog Track? Here is some names that you must remember: John Stuefloten, Franklin Park, Samuel Belfiore, Rudy Sunel (Brother in law to Don and Joel Adams) ;all Circuit Servants. Charlie Sarakin service dept troubleshooter. Bob Cunerd , special pioneer and then Circuit Servant. Phil Wilcox, pioneer and now Bethel heavy. I believe that Judson died in 1984, just reaching 85 years old. He 'stayed alive till '75', but it didn't do him a damn bit of good.
  
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  73

  1975—Were You Affected By What 1975 Was Supposed to Bring?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for years , we were told to wait until 1975!.

  the end was coming and we better be ready—or else!.

  were you around during this “momentous “ time??

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  sparky1

  Wow, thank you Van for your concern! After two more 'guilt induced' breakdowns, I finally sought professional help from a Ph.D. clinical psychologist. Since 2008 I have a completely different inner life. Life has thrown me quite a few curve balls but I can't complain. I have worked very hard and been successful in spite of it all. Every day is a blessing! Your brotherly compassion warms my heart.
  
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  73

  1975—Were You Affected By What 1975 Was Supposed to Bring?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for years , we were told to wait until 1975!.

  the end was coming and we better be ready—or else!.

  were you around during this “momentous “ time??

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  sparky1

  1975 was the worst year of my life. I was a Bethelite at Watchtower Farms. I didn't believe in the religion that I was raised in. I was raised in a large family by a single, fanatical, god deluded, mentally and emotionally unbalanced mother. I was filled with guilt, shame, confusion and self loathing because I thought that I was a complete fraud. (Quite a paradox. I didn't believe in Jehovah, yet I thought he would destroy me for my hypocrisy!) At any rate, I had my first 'nervous breakdown' as a Bethelite in 1975.
  
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  43

  A Cult Tactic: Removing Guilt By Dehumanising Others

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the real world, very few parents would disown their own children simply because they read a magazine that told them to do it.

  very few people would forever completely ignore their own parents because an elder got up on a platform one day and announced that they no longer follow the same religion as you.. in the real world it just doesn't happen.

  and yet, for 8 million jehovah's witnesses it's very a normal part of their world to treat "other people" differently than they'd treat each other.

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  sparky1

  "There are similarities between absolute power and absolute faith: a demand for absolute obedience, a readiness to attempt the impossible, a bias for simple solutions to cut the knot rather than unravel it, the viewing of compromise as surrender. Both absolute power and absolute faith are instruments of dehumanization. Hence, absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power." - ERIC HOFFER
  
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  18

  "Psychiatrist is an Admission of Defeat"

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  “the christian witnesses of jehovah are the best oriented, happiest and most contended group of people on the face of the earth.

  so why on earth would any good follower need the help of a mental health professional?” the society tells about the evils of seeking help from outside their organization.

  "as a rule, for a christian to go to a worldly psychiatrist is an admission of defeat.

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  sparky1

  "As an FYI to all, Bethel does have a brother who is a psychiatrist on the staff." - RubaDub

  Since when? I knew that they had a psychologist on staff since about the late '80's and my understanding was that he didn't really 'practice' full time. Can you give us some specifics as to who this medically credentialed individual is? I have been out of Bethel for 40 years and no longer have any inside contacts and so I would appreciate concrete evidence of your claim.