Posts by gymbob

Welcome to the board! There are good people here who can give you some great advice, and I was at bethel also, and i'm pretty new here, so I know how you feel.

You asked for advice from people here, and THIS IS IT...ready?? Good.

1) START TAKING BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF. Get some sleep and see a doctor.

2) LEAVE THE WITNESSES. They are not what you think they are.

3) GET A JOB. Start taking care of yourself financially.

4) GET A EDUCATION.Find out what you want to do, then learn how to do it.

5) KEEP READING ON THIS WEBSITE. Start your education right here, there are lots of smart, caring people here to learn from.

In my experience, i've noticed that the people who get the most breaks in life, are the people who work the hardest. You're a hard worker, ok. But you have been working for the wrong cause. You have good motives, but anytime you do something with the witnesses (meetings, field service, etc.) is time better spent on YOUR LIFE. If you do this, you won't believe how much time you'll have to fix things in you're life and get back on track.

50

Badges for Conventions

by ThomasCovenant in

each year name badges are handed out at the kingdom halls for those attending the upcoming district convention.

i have always refused to wear one but this was not a major issue as i would say only about 50% wore them anyway.

however i noticed that as the years went by more and more 'brothers' were wearing them including during the lunch break in the city centre concerned.

gymbob

I remember one of the last DC's I attended in Bakersfield, Ca., I worked in the Accounting Dept., we had these little colored badges under our regular badges that we were suppose to flip-up to show we had some "clearance" to other areas and to go pick-up the contribution boxes.

This one old sister (from my own congregation mind you) who was watching her big round contribution box, wouldn't let me take it after I flashed her my "badge-under-the-badge", oh my freakin' god....you wouldn't believe the scene she made! I wasn't going to make a deal out of it, so I go get my accounting dept. overseer, she doesn't care.....she won't give it up to anybody! It took 3-4 badge-flashing attendants about 20 minutes to FORCE it from her, and boy was she mad!

I can laugh about it now.....one of my few fun moments at a convention!

142

539 BCE

by Zico in

jw
friends

a quote from this site - http://www.2001translation.com/jerusalem's%20destruction%20587%20or%20607.htm says that 'most historians agree that 539-b.c.e.

is the date of the overthrow of babylon, for there is much evidence pointing to this.

so, it is called an absolute date.

gymbob

Scholar~

I'm kinda' new here, but, geez.........get a life!

IP's right, why would a person have to go to such means to prove a point that is STILL in question?! In all your "studies", did it ever occur to you that most people on this side of the GALAXY shouldn't really have to (and DON'T) care?

19

Who are you looking for?

by Effervescent in

jw
friends

do you find yourself scanning the posts of new ones here hoping in the back of your mind that it's a friend or relative who has finally "seen the light"?.

there are several people i am always watching for.... my best friend from high school, the only friend i was allowed to have since she was the only girl my age in the kh.

and my brothers... extremely bright and intelligent guys, but very wrapped up in gaining my fathers and the congregations approval.

gymbob

Here's one for you.....

I have a very old JW friend who (several years back) told me he wasn't sure about some of the WT prophecies, and he's always on the internet. He still goes to meetings, but I think he may be waiting for his elderly parents to pass away before he leaves the dubs, that way, they don't cut him out of the will and have everything they own sent to Brooklyn.

DB are you out there?????

15

How much does Bethel pay these days?

by jayhawk1 in

jw
friends

no, i'm not looking for a job, but i need to know how much they pay.

i want accurate info for my speech.

gymbob

Yep, when I was there (back in the 70's) it was $14 a month. But back then I really don't think they expected anyone to NOT get help from home, your old congregation friends, you new congregation friends, etc. and most did, that's how we lived!

I had some "roomies" that made out pretty good, regularly coming in late after the meetings with food, clothing and cash from local bro's.

The whole $$ arrangement, still to this day sucks like a hoover.....

30

New guy here.

by big red in

jw
friends

it is eye opening how much we were all blinded.

3rd generation witness.

gymbob

Welcome Big Red and Jason! You'll like it here, but be careful..... it can be more addicting than a Golfer on drugs! GYMBB

7

The Passing of a Friend

by startingover in

jw
friends

today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, common sense, who has been with us for many years.

no one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

he will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

gymbob

Bravo!!

7

The Passing of a Friend

by startingover in

jw
friends

today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, common sense, who has been with us for many years.

no one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

he will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

gymbob

111

Question about shunning from someone who has never been a JW....

by whyizit in

jw
friends

i wondered, since the jws claim that jesus is their teacher, what evidence do they have of jesus shunning "bad associations"?

it seems to me, from reading the bible, that the religious people of his day really gave him a hard time, because he actually spent the majority of his time with "bad associates", rather than shunning them.

thomas, though he followed jesus, wasn't totally convinced.

gymbob

Gunshy~

Just so i'm not confused here, are you saying that Matt. 10:14 proves that DF'ing and DA'ing is scriptural? You sure are reading alot into "dust-shaking".....I don't even think the Watchtower uses that scripture to support disfellowshipping, (I could be wrong on that point, but if the society did, they would be taking the scripture out of context too.) No reasoning person would come to that conclusion from reading that verse. Can you honestly sit there and say you think this is what Jesus was talking about? If so, he didn't make it very clear, or even elaborate on the matter.

Have you read Matt. ch.10?? It has nothing to do with DF'ing or DA'ing. These are clear instructions Jesus is giving for how to carry on in a ministry, and, "shaking dust off your feet" when someone doesn't want to listen, is just a small part of what he said. Jesus also told his apostles to, "raise dead persons, make lepers clean, expel demons". (Vs. 8) If "ONE OF" Jehovah's Witnesses EVER raised somebody from the dead or cleaned up a leper I think we all would have remembered!

The fact of the matter is that if you decide to start thinking for yourself and come to the conclusion that Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT who they claim to be, there is NO WAY they will let you leave in a honorable way. They will twist some scripture around and apply it to you, or just plain tell lies about what type of evil person you are if you leave. I've seen it too many times, and am embarrassed to say, did it myself. Most people on this site know this, it's what witnesses do, and it's one of the big reasons we left. It's unchristian, uncaring, and frankly disgusting.

I spent a few DECADES as a witness, pioneering and in Brooklyn too, and I know that the Watchtower publishing Co. is just that, and nothing more.

There's a old saying, "Don't pee down my back and tell me that it's raining".