choosing life

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Posts by choosing life

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  14

  Getting Sick

  by thebigdebate in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many here faked being sick as a kid, so you could skip meeting?.

  my mom and sister still fake there sickness so they dont have to go!.

  thebigdebate.

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  choosing life

  They always have the men's final at Wimbleton on Sunday morning. I would develop a headache each year to watch it live.

  M.E., also known as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are unfortunately very real and there are many people who are not jws who suffer from these diseases.

  I used to think a sister I knew was faking when she said she was allergic to scents. She came to the memorial one year and by the time it was over, her face was swollen and red. She had lost her voice and was short of breath by the time she left. She didn't want to miss this important meeting. I never judge whether someone is really sick any more. I take them at their word.
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  20

  Conversation with an elder today!

  by Maddie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was at work today and low and behold an elder from the kh i used to go to came in.

  i never got to know him very well but he always struck me as pleasant and mild mannered.

  the thing is i stopped going to meetings over a year ago and am now, as i have already shared, being shunned by my jw son and his wife and can't see my beautiful little grand daughter any more.. i haven't officially dissassociated and not met with any elders but don't care what action they take as they can't do any more damage to me now.

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  choosing life

  Maddie, it must be a very nice feeling to just speak out openly to this elder. There is always a chance it will make him think one day. It was the little things that people said to me when I was still a jw that would later make me wonder about things. I am still trying to fade to prevent the shunning. It gets pretty crazy at times.

  They mentioned disfellowshipping when I studied, but they made it sound like only the most vile people would ever have to be dfd. That is why the full blunt of shunning does not hit you until you experience it firsthand. It is one thing out of many that started to wake me up. They dfd my son as a teenager and counseled me not to have any unnecesary dealings with him. I couldn't do it.

  I hope your family comes to their senses soon and I'm glad you have found some peace of mind and can speak so openly now.

  choosing life
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  29

  important counsel about the BS changes... puke

  by song19 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i seem to be on a dubs spam list... anyhoo, i just recieved this now if you really want to read it.

  hello, brothers and sisters:.

  9 at that satan answered jehovah and said: "is it for nothing that jehovah's witness have feared god?

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  choosing life

  That sounds like some twisted logic. This is to teach them how to get their study done more quickly, "in a condensed format"? That's a new thought for me. Are they going to talk faster too?

  If you want to see what is going to happen, just look at how much family study gets done now. It won't take long for them to just settle into a two meeting/ week schedule. Most jws I know are a bit confused why they would stop the one meeting in private homes, as it was supposed to be the place to go when the persecution comes.
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  9

  Are You Idealistic?

  by choosing life in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the past, i was pretty idealistic.

  i believe this is what attracted me to the witnesses' idea of a perfect paradise on earth.

  i was a teenager when i first was contacted by them and quite disillusioned with life.

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  choosing life

  Hamilcarr, I am younger than your dad, but I think the same time period shaped my views.

  Caliber, I always thought an ideal world is the world as we would like it to be and the real world is what we live in day to day.

  Leavingwt, time certainly does change your outlook on things. I think I would call myself more realistic as I get older, rather than idealistic. I still want things my way at times.

  Hi Maddie, There were a lot of social changes when I grew up, racial and women's rights, the idea that "love" could change the world. It makes me think of some lyrics-"I want to know what became of the changes we waited for love to bring. Were they only the fitfull dreams of some greater awakening?" There has been progress in some areas, but the world can still be a scary place.

  The point is that the witnesses used these idealistic views to hook me into the idea of a perfect paradise. I have so often heard them say that some of the best options for recruits are the young. They are right on that one.
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  13

  Brooklyn Bethal lunch break.

  by greenhornet in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hello all you apostates.

  got a quick question on the lunch break at brooklyn.

  when you are working at the factory how long is lunch?

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  choosing life

  I never worked there, but I ate lunch there once. I was astonished how incredibly fast they ate lunch! I was just getting started when the food ran out and most were leaving to return to work. Can't be a healthy way to eat and digest.
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  34

  Tennis Players----Who Are Your Favorites?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i used to love jimmy connors and john mcenroe.

  roger federer is unbelievable!!

  and i'm a big serena williams fan.

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  choosing life

  Current players, I like Ana Ivanovich and Safina on the women's side. There seems to be a less great players to get behind since Henin and Kim Clysters retired. I could never get into the William's sisters, although they are talented.

  Current players on the men's side, I like Nadal the best. Hope he stays around for a while. Djokovic is pretty good too. I see a lot more up and coming talent on the men's side.

  Past players, I loved Pete Sampras, John Mackenroe, Jimmy Conners, Googa, Agassi, Chrissy Everett, Martina Navratolova, Henin, Clysters and many more.

  I love tennis! Please forgive my spelling of some of the names.
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  12

  Finally given in - going to have counselling!

  by dobbie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  went to the docs today, have finally accepted that i need help getting over (or accepting) some of the huge guilt i have for things in the past.

  i persuaded hubby to have it last yr and it has helped him so much that i am going to try it.

  am very nervous as not one to talk about things with strangers but if it gets good results and makes me (and then my family) happy then it is worth it.

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  choosing life

  I have never had counseling, but I think it could be helpful. It is so expensive though! How do you afford it? My insurance only pays half and the other half can be $150.00 for a single session. It gets expensive pretty quickly.
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  26

  Time is running out for the Society

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. january 1, 2015. .

  less than seven years remain before we see january 1, 2015. what will the watchtower's message be then?.

  how can they explain to the flock that jesus christ is now ruling in his 101st year?.

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  choosing life

  I wish! They have conned so many generations into believing they are "the generation" that will see the end and never have to die. That is some powerful stuff they are selling. By the time one generation figures out they have been fooled, another steps up and takes the bait.
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  9

  Are You Idealistic?

  by choosing life in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the past, i was pretty idealistic.

  i believe this is what attracted me to the witnesses' idea of a perfect paradise on earth.

  i was a teenager when i first was contacted by them and quite disillusioned with life.

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  choosing life

  In the past, I was pretty idealistic. I believe this is what attracted me to the witnesses' idea of a perfect paradise on earth. I was a teenager when I first was contacted by them and quite disillusioned with life. Suddenly there was a perfect fix for everything.

  With experience, people tend to lose some of that idealistic thinking. I see a lot of posters on here who left the witnesses after many years. How much of this do you think can be acredited to just growing up mentally and thinking through the many flaws in their teachings?

  So, were/are you idealistic? Did it play into your belief in the jws' paradise/utopia?
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  62

  ** If God is love, you cannot fear him **

  by FlyingHighNow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you will find a host of books and articles that discuss the polar opposites of love and fear.

  the bible shows two opposing gods.

  personally, i believe god is love and the angry god of fear is an imposter.

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  choosing life

  Caliber has a good point in using the word reverence rather than fear. "Perfect love throws fear outside." So, we are not to fear God in a way that a child fears an abusive parent. A parent that would threaten to injure or kill his child would certainly be considered abusive. If God threatens to do the same to his children, he would be no better than the abusive parent.

  Fear is used by most religions today. It doesn't matter what they make you afraid of, only that they truly do make you afraid. The watchtower likes to say they don't teach a burning hell, but their Armegeddon and eternal destruction is just as effective.

  In this life, we will never totally conquer fear. What we cannot control in life causes us fear and anxiety. Suffering, loss of a loved one and the ultimate fear of dying are all about a loss of control. These things can make us feel powerless. The more we trust God, the less we suffer from fear, but I don't think we can totally escape fear in this present life.

  I have always thought that dying is a total surrendering of ourselves into God's care. The ultimate leap of faith.