I don't remember it being called "family day" but we did have several days throughout December and January and it was filled with gifts and such. But my mother always made sure that during the holidays I was out of school and we would do something fun. But I also remember there being a local needs talk about people taking their kids to pumpkin farms around Halloween or Thanxgiving and how that look too much like celebrating those holidays. As we all know no matter what JWs do, it is never good enough, the higher ups always have to find fault, you never want a man who starts to learn to walk to take his first steps.
looking_glass
JoinedPosts by looking_glass
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37
"Family day" Is this a new jdub thing?
by cultswatter ini know of jws that celebrate "family day" at this time of year.
i have asked these jw about where they got the term "family day" was it from the watchtower?
they seem to deny the watchtower had ever mentioned "family day", but i can sense they are trying to hide something here.
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I'm one of the EVIL SLAVE
by Amazing inbasd on my comment to another post titled "1979," i thought that this would make an interesting separate topic.. a little history: many here are aware that i was an ms and then elder and of the anointed while a jw.
i openly professed anointing for 20-years of the 27-years i was associated with the watchtower.
since that time, i have totally and completely renounced all but one watchtower doctrine.
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looking_glass
Ahh, yes JW's and their labels. But isn't it interesting for a group that puts the Anointed on high, they still make the fallen Anointed even worse then Joe Publisher when he leaves. Either way it reminds me of a caste system where there will always be those who are superior to another regardless of their goodness (or evilness)
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km 2/07: Memorial Tract campaign
by GermanXJW ini am not sure if this has been already brought up but i got a glimpse at the feb 07 kingdom ministry.
the watchtower leaders seem to be convinced that the mechanics of tract campaigns to push numbers are a success.
another one will be started in mid-march to announce the jw memorial.
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looking_glass
But Seeker they are making claims of some sort. They are rallying the troops and spinning them like tops. My personal experience is that the quiet ones who have always been laid back and easy going when it comes to the belief and the hard line are even getting worked up. I know that they are making some sort of claim about that stupid tract of theirs. So the question becomes are they going to claim it is 1) the beginning of the end; 2) bringing more people in; 3) [fill in your guess here]?
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21
What kind of Ex-dub are you?
by MsMcDucket inright now, i can't figure it out.
i'm still scared to say anything to offend my daughters.
i don't want them to cut me off completely, so does that make me a weak ex-dub?
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looking_glass
Missy - what you are trying does not mean that you don't have integrity! It means you have insight and wisdom.
Confrontation does not always work. YOU only know your family and how best to approach them. There are few things in life that fit in the black and white mentality that we were taught to believe.
Just be prepared for the frustration. I know personally because my mother who was pretty laid back as a JW when I was growing up has become more diehard. To the point that I often times get frustrated with her and take a hard line approach, only to have it back fire on me. So I am currently collecting ALL the opinions/decisions in the sexual abuse cases (both JW and non) to give her. My idea is that I will have her read the non-JW ones first .. she will be righteously indignant .. and then I will give her the JW ones. My hope is that if I lead her down the path, she will recognize some faults and will question on her own. I do not have high hopes to change anything, she is old and sickly, and I am sure she is frightened of change at her age. But I can dream, can't I.
Good luck to you, I understand completely where you are coming from.
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38
When is a fade finished?
by Nellie inso i was thinking - if i don't da myself and they don't df me, am i doomed forever to this limbo called "fade?
" when do i stop worrying about "what if they find out?
" when will they (if they saw me) just think of me as someone they knew, rather than "one of their flock" - even when they know i'm inactive?
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looking_glass
That doesn't necessarily mean I'm not an idiot, of course
Well Willy, clearly you are a dope because you are wearing white shorts and clearly you are going surfing. Come on, everyone knows you should NOT wear a white suit when you go swimming. Sheesh!
Now w/ re to the subject at hand ... I faded, but I also moved far away to a big city in order to go away and have no one come after me. My family are lifers in the religion and I know that will not change. They tow the party line "trust in Jah" mistakes of the WTBTS are chalked up to "light getting brighter". Blah, blah, blah JW BS. I faded in order to be respectful of my family. But there are times when I still look over my shoulder because of the fear that was instilled into me at birth.
Fading is not a chicken sheet way out, it is in some cases a harder process then simply walking way. I am not saying that one is better than another, what I am saying is that for each person their situation is different and we cannot simply look at another human and project our own experience on them. Whether in and pretending, or fader, or DF'd or DA'd, congrats to all who have reached their own conclusions in life and are doing their best to live within those confines.
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looking_glass
Everything that was already stated (including Hilary's comment). but a real test is someone who you can sit in silence w/ and it does not mean that someone is mad, but rather you are so comfortable with eachother that you can enjoy the silence together.
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34
Sensational news in my Cong!
by Zico ini've just found out something that's going to be a massive thing in my congregation when it gets out.
it all starts with a former jw, who faded away probably about a decade ago, and then moved away, came out as a homosexual a few years ago.
he was never baptised, and he left so long ago, he never got chased up or disfellowshipped.
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looking_glass
if he is ex-Bethel he prob was involved with other Bethelites. These guys, upon returning to the congo's are the worst Pharisees of them all.
Jeff, no truer words have been spoken. There was an MS in my old hall growing up and he returned from Bethel. Well he was famous for being a serial dater. I knew he was way more into just dating because he went out with a family friend who told me some interesting things after she had a few too many. Of course because he was part of the good-ol-boys club, no one ever investigated the many claims that the girls were making. So fast forward years and he wants to become an elder and he is told "sorry can't do that because of your rep, but if you get married, we will do it ASAP". So he marries this chick he has been stringing along for years. 3 months after they get married it comes out that not only did he hook up w/ (both prior and post wedding) with the maid of honor but also with his best friend's (his best man) wife. The reason it came out was because the made of honor ended up preggers after one of the many hook-ups. This guy was famous for wearing his time at Bethel as a badge. And I do believe that is why he was thought to be a catch (because he was not one and I could not stand him and made no bones about it) and the BOE also thought he was the next golden boy to lead the mindless sheep.
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51
Who Will Be The Next President Of The USA?
by minimus ini wouldn't be surprised if hillary makes it.
i hope not, though..
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looking_glass
I will vote for Blondie if she runs. But if she doesn't then it is Obama if he runs. Though I agree he is a young in office, so he may want to wait another go round before he signs up for the show..
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Back of the hall stragglers... were you one?
by Fleshybirdfodder inthere were mother's with babies, there were those suffering from vericose veins that had to stand up.
what about the rest of us?
in my cong there were only a few "gifted ones" who'd do sound and it was behind the literature counter (our hall was tiny).
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looking_glass
I would take several bathroom breaks and linger in the john as long as I could. Does that count?
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DOES ANYONE STILL NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS???
by chuckyy injust wondering if anyone still does not celebrate xmas since leaving jws.....or like me do you think"to hell with it", and join in the festivities.
if you do celebrate it, do you still have pangs of guilt for celebrating this "pagan" festival???.
chukky.
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looking_glass
Mulan you assume by my statement that I NEVER buy gifts for people. My statement was that I enjoy not feeling forced to do something against my will ... like what I lived with for over 20 years. I love getting gifts for people on random occasions. I think it is wonderful that you enjoy the day and enjoy giving gifts. But as humans we are given leave to be different and thus, experience life differently.
To me this subject matter and discussion is another example of the black and white mentality that we were forced to live with for years. Why must it be all or nothing. Why cannot people say ... I do not do it and not get a negative reaction. I never got the impression from the various posters that they were saying they hate the day and hate the festivities. To me the various responses were logical and rational.
As for those who do not wish to participate in the holiday, I say good for us we have an opinion, we have a reason for and we stick by it. We have been bullied by people/religion and we are not going to be forced into ANYTHING that we cannot get behind, whether our reasoning is understandable to another human or not, it is ours and we should be proud we have a voice and an opinion and we are sticking to it.
If you do celebrate it good for you. Go all out. Do everything you have ever wanted to do.
Listen guys, I just got off the phone w/ my JW mom, who just went into the whole this is right and this is wrong thing, so this thread is frustrating to me, because it more of the same that we dealt with in the narrow-minded religion.
Let's all live and let live and commend people for having a different belief from us.
and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!