i have a vivid memory of 1975 even though i was only 6 years old.
i remember the whispers and the fervor surrounding the year.
i even had an uncle who marked his calendar every day with big red xs proclaiming that he couldn't wait for "this evil system of things to end.".
I have a vivid memory of 1975 even though I was only 6 years old. I remember the whispers and the fervor surrounding the year. I even had an uncle who marked his calendar every day with big red Xs proclaiming that he couldn't wait for "this evil system of things to end."
Funny now how the Borg disclaims anything to do with that event.
Where were you?
Diana
theres been lots of posts recently concerning the american justice system.
to be fair, most of us europeans dont really understand it very well, and we have been giving you yanks a bit of a hard time lately, so i think that it would be great if we could all have some enlightenment on how it works.. for example, in the uk there is one law that applies to every citizen no matter who they are.
in the us, different states seem have different laws.
Hello Englishman,
I worked in the Crown Courts of the UK for eight years as a court reporter, shorthand writer, including the Old Bailey and now I work in the US courts and I can tell you that there are quite a lot of differences.
In the UK I did mainly criminal cases; I was one of the team of court reporters that worked on the Rosemary West trial in Winchester back in 1994. That was an experience. I also had a few celeb trials, including the Freddie Starr case where his gardener was accused of stealing from him. He was found guilty although he maintained that the items of jewelry were exchanged for sexual favours.( By the way, when he got out of prison after a year or so he moved right across the street from me in Reading!)
I also did the murder case with no body and the ex-policeman, Buckingham Palace guard that stalked and murdered his wife a few years back.
I also sat throught many sad child abuse cases and lots of fraud, including some of the Maxwell fiasco.
In my opinion, I think the British system is better than the US system as far as the proceedings goes. US courts can be more entertaining when it comes to a slinging match, and UK attorneys are much more polite. Plus, the hours are better. In the UK most judges roll into court around 10:30, whereas here in the US, 8:30 is standard.
There are stark differences when it comes to life sentences. Life in the UK is 14 years mandatory with the Home Office making the recommondation as to release, if ever.
In the US life can mean anything from 50 to 300 plus years. Some states also favour the death penalty. I happen to reside in one now at the moment.
Hope this answers some of your enquiries.
Dins
for me i think it was the sunday meeting.. just wanting to stay home and sleep in.. but i think the watchtower study was the hardest to sit threw... you had to have it studied before hand.. and highlighted.. then sit there and listen to it all over again..
I loathed every bloody one of them!!!!
song 113 - "we are jehovah's witnesses".
i've seen pics of sharon stone.
celebreties i'd love to bone.
Very Funny. I always detested those songs, especically the ones that went on and on...and everyone sings the soprano line so it sounds even more awful.
Trying to think of something for the one From House to House...
i received this recently from my mother.
the only contact i've had with any of my family since october has been an occasional email.
you are 28 years old and you made the choice to put yourself, and us, in this position.
Well, all I can say is wow. Sounds like the typical response from a loved one. I wonder if they have some sort of template they work off of? All I know is that this toughlove scenario doesn't make one want to bang down the nearest Kingdom Hall door. In fact, it has the opposite effect.
I had a similar letter once. But over time, it got better. I just asked my parents to respect my decision as I respected theirs to stay in the Organisation. We never had a choice. It was that way or no way. And maybe we are just too smart to buy into the rubbish being proffered from Brooklyn.
I hope you sort things out with your family. But at least you have peace of mind in knowing that you are doing the right thing for yourself and not just following along to please others. Nothing makes you more miserable, as you well know.
Good Luck,
Dins
before i startm let mejust apologizein advance ifmy spacekey doesnt work properly!
!damn keyboard!
anyways, i have been lookingthru theposts here for several weeks, i findmany of theopinions well thought out.
Welcome Glode,
I particularly enjoyed reading your posting.
I was raised as a JW and in our cong you couldn't sneeze without someone noticing. Somehow, by some means, everyone seemed to know your business and was more than happy to get involved.
The question I have to ask of you is, why do you stay in? I don't know your circumstances, but from what I have read it sounds like you might have one foot on each right now. Your congregation may be liberal, but you sound intelligent enough to know that the things you participate in (although perfectly normal for everyone else)would be frowned upon in the society.
Just wondering what your thoughts are on that...
Dins
hello everyone,.
if your jehovah's witness relatves came to you and said..... "praise jah, there has been 'new light" and we can associate with you again!".....
what would you say or do?
I this thing has been beaten to death, but I just want to say how different congregations (and even different countries) have differing policies on this.
My grandmother (who has been a pioneer for over 50 years and still going) was told not to speak to her daughter who was d'fd over 30 years ago when she moved congregations. The old one never mentioned it, funnily enough. She took it to heart and severed ties. It was painful for all.
Just recently, after 10 years, she has limited contact now. But if the plan was to make my aunt run to beat down the nearest kingdom hall door, it didn't work. My aunt got worse. And even though there is contact, I think the damage has been done.
But I said to my grandmother, how can you do this? Your daughter got baptised at 12 JUST TO PLEASE YOU. What do you know at 12 anyway?
Now, my sister who was baptised at 16 is out and there seems to be no problem with my parents and grandmother having contact with her.
I see no logic in this, and all I can say is that it would seem like the light doesn't get brighter...just seems to be directed any way you please as long as it suits you.
Dins
simon did away with the sex forum - so i must take the tradional route and post under "make new friends.
" how mundane!.
fyi ---- for all of us, please take the time to write a sentence or two about yourselves, and encourage new ones to do the same.
Way to go Cautious. Bet you never thought you would earn a degree. It's almost a bad word in the borg.
Baptism is such a crock. My sister was baptised at 14 (she's so out now) and my aunt was baptised back in the 50s at an 8 day assembly when she was 12. (Apparently, the assemblies used to be 8 days long...8 am to 8 pm..WOW!!)
Anyway, after years of being inactive and disfellowshipped, her mother, my grandmother, to another state. My grandmother has been a pioneer for over 50 years. The elders in the new cong told her that she she have NO contact with her disfellowshipped daughter even though well over 25 years had gone by with contact! I was stunned....and if I had any doubts then, I clearly saw how wrong it was.
brits v yanks.
this is just for laughs, but let's be honest us brits are most definately ahead of our 'cousins' across the water in the credibility stakes.. i'll kick us off and see where we go;.
[1] the beautiful game.. it's called football.
Okay...having spent 8 years in the UK I think I can list the pros and cons of both.
UK - Dental. It took my NHS dentist 5 minutes to clean my teeth.
US - Spent over 1/2 hour cleaning my teeth, plus I got a free toothbrush and floss.
UK - Weather. Never plan anything, especially on a bank holiday.
US - Guaranteed summer.
Things I don't miss about the UK:
Richard Whitely
queues, queues and more queues....
Rain
Ribena
pork pies
brown sauce
Things I miss about the UK:
Rugby
Stella Artois
Indian takeaway
Home and Away and Neighbours (for you Aussies)
Harry Enfield (especially Wayne and Waynetta)
Carol Vorderman
Harrods food hall
And the program I miss the most....
Re-runs of Only Fools and Horses because American telly sometimes makes me feel like moving back to the UK!!!
Cheers!!!!
simon did away with the sex forum - so i must take the tradional route and post under "make new friends.
" how mundane!.
fyi ---- for all of us, please take the time to write a sentence or two about yourselves, and encourage new ones to do the same.
Hello everyone,
I am new to this site and enjoy it very much. Never knew there were so many people in the same situation.
I was raised as a JW. Don't have very good memories at all; endless boring hours at meetings and assemblies, out in service where most people were hostile, and lots of hypocrisy and backbiting in the organisation. Fortunately for me, I had a good sense of who I was at an early age and vowed that I wouldn't get baptised even though I was asked constantly when I was going to be. I was the only teenager NOT baptised in the group. (I guess I was marked then.)
My parents were very weak in their convictions and stuck in there probably more out of convenience rather than any sense of belief. It was easier (and cheaper) not to celebrate holidays or birthdays or get invovled with any of the "wordly things."
When I was 18, I packed my car and moved to Florida to go to college, although was advised that it would be a waste of time as Armegeddon was "just around the corner." That was 13 years ago.
I had a wild time, finally living. I married a man from the UK and spent 8 years in London, working in London at the House of Lords and the Old Bailey as a Court Stenographer. I traveled extensively and have seen a lot of things beyond the organisation. I had a lovely son named Luke, who is now 9 years old.
Breaking tradition, my husband and I have since parted company (uh-oh!!) and I am back in the States now. I have a lucrative career in a courthouse as an official reporter and love it. I have finally come out of the feeling guilty stage of my life and I am enjoying every day as it comes.
I shudder at the idea that I might have just listened to everyone, not gone to college, just waiting for the "end of this system of things." I don't consider myself an apostate (apostates were always portrayed by the borg as wild looking old men with beards and demonised eyes). I consider myself and those of you survivors in the best sort of way. I think our experiences have made us stronger and certainly more determined to make something of our lives.
I thank you for reading this. Best to you all..
Dins
