sparky1

Joined

• started 24 topics
• posted 2,414 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by sparky1

• 
  60

  Rec'd a letter from my Dad - need some advice...

  by Fadeaway3pointer in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  fader here - last meeting was in autumn 2005. lurker on this site and others.

  not one to get all controversial.. typical situation, pretty much a born in and left the church at age 38 and never looked back.. i'm 53 now, parents getting older - late 70s but very active, dad is still an elder.. parents, in laws, brother and brother-in-law still uber active jws.. my family (wife and 2 adult children) out since 2005.. we have stayed close to our parents - we have treaded religion lightly and have had a pretty good relationship and have kept our personal lives and beliefs/opinions separated from them.

  this was intentional - as we love them and do not want anything to cause shunning since they are getting older and want to be there for them and we respect their beliefs.. got this letter today.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  To me it reads like a "Letter of Termination" from a corporate HR office.

  Fanatical religious people can't think clearly. I remember many years ago someone was putting their personal rubbish in my business dumpster. I decided to go through it and see who it belonged to. In the rubbish was a letter from a devout Pentecostal deacon to his son. The deacon had written a similar letter to his son as the one that you received. His son had decided that he didn't want to be a Pentecostal anymore and the father was playing the same distancing game as your parents. The only difference was that the father knew his son was going to burn in HELL. We love our parents (well mostly) but we can't live our lives for them any more once we grow up. I feel bad for you but you have a wonderful nuclear family of your own that deserves all of your love and devotion. Best wishes.
  
• 
  31

  Don Adams has passed away

  by RubaDub in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i received a call from a friend in new york city that don adams passed away late last evening (30 dec 2019).

  many of you bethelites know him and he was the president of the society for a number of years after the gb got out of the corporate structure business.

  from what i understand, he was generally liked by many there.. some in my family knew him.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  tiki...my mother loved the Sunels! She thought that they could do no wrong. Once when I was 15 or 16 I was assigned to work with him. We got dropped off in the middle of town. He told me 'You go down this side of the street and I'll do the other side. That way we can get more done and use our time wisely.' Can you imagine at that age being sent off on foot for the morning to work by yourself! Like I said before: What a character! He was one of the people that influenced me to become a Bethelite. If he could only see me now.

  Jehalapeno...You got to stay in the infirmary? I knew 2 guys that had breakdowns. They were valiumed up and sent home PRONTO! When I had my breakdown in the Fall of 1975 (coincidence?) I never told a soul and toughed it out. Finally in June of 1976 I told Bob Lang about it and that I was leaving. He looked stunned and all he could say was 'I hope you feel better'.
  
• 
  31

  Don Adams has passed away

  by RubaDub in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i received a call from a friend in new york city that don adams passed away late last evening (30 dec 2019).

  many of you bethelites know him and he was the president of the society for a number of years after the gb got out of the corporate structure business.

  from what i understand, he was generally liked by many there.. some in my family knew him.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  "I knew his sister Jetha quite well..." - tiki

  She was married to the old time Circuit Servant Rudy Sunel. He would go out in the door to door work in the worst blizzard possible and not stop for one minute for a coffee break. What a character he was! Todays soft Witnesses would never survive with him as their Circuit Overseer.
  
• 
  32

  De Niro Wants To See A Bag of Sh*t On Trump’s Face

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  has this guy lost it?

  who thinks like that?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  I dislike President Trump. However, I have never heard anything this heinous come out of his mouth and he has said some pretty mean and hurtful things. Robert DeNiro should be ashamed of himself. He has not raised the bar in the discussion of President Trumps fitness for office. Instead he has lowered the bar even further.
  
• 
  34

  Do You Think Prostitution Should Be Decriminalized?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the us there is a bill in the house of representatives to decriminalize prostitution.

  what do you think about that?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  Over 18 years old and between legally competent parties...by all means.
  
• 
  31

  Pray before sex just like you do for food-W62 3/15

  by krismalone in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the governing body has lovingly provided instructions and reminders to couples that they should pray before having sex.

  please be obedient and follow the wise counsel from the gb leaders who never stick their noses into other peoples business and are not creepy cult leaders at all....not!.

  "had he not created the first human pair so that they could cohabit, planted in them an attraction for each other and then commanded them to "be fruitful and become many"?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me... (AMEN) - Psalms 23:4

  An all purpose prayer useful for both heterosexual women and gay and bisexual men.
  
• 
  31

  The Holidays Are No Big Deal Anymore

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you used to hear christmas music blaring on every radio station.

  not anymore.

  people used to jam the roadways and malls to do their christmas shopping and now it’s no big deal.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  I live in a rural village in Maine. The Victorian house across the street from ours is highly decorated and has 3 separate Christmas trees. The Victorian beside our house was recently purchased by 2 older gay gentlemen and they have decorated their home with excellent taste. (My subjective opinion, of course.) Today I have opened 3 separate Christmas cards/greetings sent to our business and have been wished merry Christmas just a few minutes ago. I helped Deborah decorate her tree over a month ago and she will have 3 different celebrations with her sons and grandchildren and their respective blended families. On Christmas day, she and I will go to the movies and have a picnic down by the ocean. (However, we will eat in the car and enjoy the ocean from inside the warm car.) Someone just came in my office and wished me Merry Christmas while I am posting. I guess your viewpoint on whether or not the holidays are a big deal depends on who you associate with, how many people you are exposed to and where you might live geographically.
  
• 
  16

  JW views on saving and retirement

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  probably one of the most common causes of cognitive dissonance many jws face is the choice to plan for retirement.

  if you're a good jw, then you should believe that the end will be coming soon, surely before you retire.

  that's what i did when i was younger, blowing decades that could've been better spent because i believed the end was coming, so any planning was a waste of time.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  LongHairGal...you are the doyenne of financial responsibility and economic self reliance! You have my utmost respect.
  
• 
  28

  What Are Your Predictions for 2020 and Beyond?

  by The Bethelite in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2020 the society will continue to have financial problems with massive pay outs because of their lack of protecting their young people from a religion that harbors thousands of pedophiles.

  thus this and other religions that has an 1800's mentality will continue to lose their young people.

  with the religion's lies easily found on the internet the smart ones will continue to leave in droves.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  June 1, 2020 I will begin receiving Medicare.

  September 1, 2020 I will begin receiving Social Security.

  Beyond that, I don't dare say.
  
• 
  95

  Greta Thunberg...what’s your view of her?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  she certainly is passionate about climate change.

  🤔.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  sparky1

  

  When the Vietnam War was raging, young people demonstrated against it. They were maligned, made fun of, mischaracterized, and treated with disdain...much like Greta is being treated here by some posters. I for one am glad that young people have the stamina and guts to stand up for what they believe is right.