Posts by VanillaMocha73

37

What proof is there that the JWs were chosen by Jehovah to be His people?

by VM44 in

what proof is there that the jws were chosen by jehovah to be a "people for his name"?

growth in numbers is not proof, other religions also have displayed such growth over the last 100 years.. material prosperity is not proof as other religions also have considerable wealth, both in cash, property and real estate.. printing the watchtower and awake!

magazines certainly is not proof!.

VanillaMocha73

Why - here is the proof How Can You Find the True Religion?

3. The most outstanding mark of true Christians is that they have real love among themselves. (John 13:34, 35) They are not taught to think that they are better than people of other races or skin color. Neither are they taught to hate people from other countries (only people from other religions or who might be considered weak, or different) (Acts 10:34, 35) So they do not share in wars. True Christians treat one another as brothers and sisters.—1 John 4:20, 21.

4. Another mark of true religion is that its members have a deep respect for the Bible. They accept it as the Word of God and believe what it says. (As long as it is the Bible they wrote)(John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17) They treat God's Word as being more important than human ideas or customs. (Matthew 15:1-3, 7-9) They try to live by the Bible in their everyday life. So they do not preach one thing and then practice another.—Titus 1:15, 16.

5. The true religion must also honor God's name. (Matthew 6:9) Jesus made God's name, Jehovah, known to others. True Christians must do the same. (John 17:6, 26; Romans 10:13, 14) Who are the people in your community that tell others about God's name? Or at least the name they use for God

6. True Christians must preach about God's Kingdom. Jesus did so. He always talked about the Kingdom. (Luke 8:1) He commanded his disciples to preach this same message in all the earth. (Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20) True Christians believe that only God's Kingdom will bring true peace and security to this earth.—Psalm 146:3-5. Strange, I hear this from my Babylon the Great churches too

7. Jesus' disciples must be no part of this wicked world. (John 17:16) They do not get involved in the world's political affairs and social controversies. Well, unless it is about buying a party card in Mexico or belonging to the UN, or writing a letter in support of Hitler.. They avoid the harmful conduct, practices, and attitudes that are common in the world. (James 1:27; 4:4) Can you identify a religious group in your community that has these marks of true Christianity?

20

Question about JC's...

by Justice-One in

there are three cult leaders (opps, i mean elders) on the jc, right?

does it take a majority or all three to agree to df you?.

can anyone give the outline on the standard jc?

VanillaMocha73

It takes them all of about 5 minutes to proclaim you 'eternally dead.' Nice, huh?

12

My Wedding

by VanillaMocha73 in

so, my mom's trailer flooded last week and her congregation lifted not a finger to assist.

she was given 30 minutes to evac.

she made it out with her clothes on her back and her cats.

VanillaMocha73

So, my mom's trailer flooded last week and her congregation lifted not a finger to assist. She was given 30 minutes to evac. She made it out with her clothes on her back and her cats. The congregation did nothing until suddenly on Sunday (which happened to be the date of my wedding) they decided to all pitch in so they could keep her from coming to my wedding. I'm not sure if I am going to forgive that little move. Somehow, she could not attend "another religious service" - even her own daughter's wedding. That is a loving religion for you isn't it?

61

Were YOU Depressed When You Were A Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i've seen soooo many witnesses taking meds or alcohol because of unhappiness and depression.

i know of one woman who regularly gos to her shrink and is the most depressed person that i know of.

personally, i believe it's because a jw can never do enough to satisfy god or the elders....what do you think?

VanillaMocha73

Wow - you took the words right from my fingers! I was just thinking about this over the past week.

From my early teens I was suicidal, suffered from eating disorder, and basic feelings of low self-worth. Always trying to measure up - do more, and it was never enough. Living among the most critical bunch of people, who would look down their noses at people of other religions, anyone who was "worldly", or slightly imperfect. Being critical myself, because that was how I was raised. I remember the feelings of guilt because part of me would try to think up ways to miss meetings and the other part of me would chastise myself - gotta sit through every meeting, sit still and quiet (I can't sit still to save my soul), make the kids sit still and quiet. Yes, I felt that an unusually large percentage of JWs were alcoholics and/or depressed. But I never put it together until I left and got over the DF treatment.

Now, I realized that I am eager for Sunday and church. I am eager to read my Bible, because it tells of a God of grace and love. The JW God just is not in there. I have not had suicidal thoughts for some time - no sitting and bawling without reason. Amazing!!

Vanilla Mocha

13

NEWS BIG- Church and (pedophile) secrecy

by DannyHaszard in

the church and secrecy

jamaica gleaner, jamaica - 1 hour ago .

... but, what many don't realise is that the jehovah's witnesses have also been the subject of many scandals in the united states and the united kingdom involving ...

VanillaMocha73

Can we increase this scope to domestic violence and abuse? Just because a woman is an adult does not make her any less of a victim. Domestic abuse is very frightening and leaves a woman (esp. an obedient and submissive JW) confused and seemingly without hope. It is handled by the JWs in the same manner - "are there two witnesses?" and "confront the abuser." There is never two witnesses to domestic violence unless the abuser is an idiot. Confronting the abuser simply escalates the issue to dangerous proportions. And then the wife is told to "be submissive to her husband and he won't beat you." When she finally gets the courage to leave she is df'd and loses her family, every childhood friend and support system that was available to her. Oh, and the abuser is now free and in good standing to abuse another JW woman.

37

WTS NO HIGHER EDUCATION dumb dub

by DannyHaszard in

high cierra: teen scores best-ever ib mark at bhs

royal gazette, bermuda - 4 hours ago .

... cierra, a jehovahs witness who was named the islands outstanding teen 2006 earlier this year, does not intend to go to university but will instead carry ...

VanillaMocha73

I also scored in the top 1/2 of 1% of SATs for my state - at the age of 13.... And I also "put Jehovah first" and pioneered from 14 to 31, with a break in my mid 20's because ... get this ... you can't support a husband and baby on a high school education. So... had to work full-time and attend school full-time to get my Associate's Degree so we could eat. And now I am 33 and again working two jobs, one full-time, one part-time and going to school full-time for my bachelor's degree so I can cut down to one full-time job sometime before retirement. The last meeting I attended at my hall, they announced that they did not have enough funds to make their mortgage payment. Maybe because all of us are struggling, uneducated and starving... Didn't work out so well for WTBS did it? VanillaMocha

35

Newbie intro

by Just as I am in

jw
friends

i have been lurking here for a few months now, reading all the net soup archived postings and wanted to make an intro.

i've never posted to a forum before, so please excuse anything not in proper form!

like many of you, i was born and raised jw, third generation.

VanillaMocha73

I couldn't agree more about attending a non-judgemental church. It was so frightening at first, but now I feel like I have a real relationship with Jesus, and church is actually a place of joy. The KH surely never was!!!! Unless you got some sick joy from being critical and slamming other people. There have been a couple "fear factors" for me.... a) Praying and not saying "Dear Jehovah" - I have not been able to get past this one yet. b) The first time I took communion, feeling like I was going to be struck dead on the spot. I actually became physically ill that weekend. How long does it take to heal past those points? I feel like communion does not mean some "special class" but rather the reminder that we are not under condemnation for our errors any longer. But it is still scary...

87

YOUR LAST MEETING.........................

by vitty in

jw
friends

........................at my last meeting, the elder was talking about 1975 and said "it never happened, it is appostates using a time when (some) brothers took the info in the wt wrong"...................i just blinked and finally woke up.. i had been on this site lurking for a couple of weeks, and realized thing werent right, but to have some creep say on the platform " it didnt happen"............when this ruined my and my siblings childhood, just made me snap.

on the way home, i told my hubby "that was the last meeting im going to"................boy was he pleased.. .

so if you didnt get df ......................what happened at your last meeting.?.

VanillaMocha73

So, should I waste my time going back to the meetings, just to prove a point? It could be entertaining, but every time I walk through the doors, I feel like I'm being beaten and demeaned all over again.

87

YOUR LAST MEETING.........................

by vitty in

jw
friends

........................at my last meeting, the elder was talking about 1975 and said "it never happened, it is appostates using a time when (some) brothers took the info in the wt wrong"...................i just blinked and finally woke up.. i had been on this site lurking for a couple of weeks, and realized thing werent right, but to have some creep say on the platform " it didnt happen"............when this ruined my and my siblings childhood, just made me snap.

on the way home, i told my hubby "that was the last meeting im going to"................boy was he pleased.. .

so if you didnt get df ......................what happened at your last meeting.?.

VanillaMocha73

That is a VERY dangerous policy. The first time I went to the elders about my abusive husband, they sent a ministerial servant to sit on our couch and ask if he hit me. Of course, he said "no" - the front door closed behind the MS and..... it don't take rocket science to figure that one out. I was 18 years old and in total shock and confusion. Some years later, a sister witnessed my husband attacking me at the DC. She went to our PO, who called me in. I begged him not to pursue the same course that happened before. He promised me that he wouldn't. One week later, the District Overseer sat on my couch and asked my husband if he abused me. The front door closed behind him and I bet the brothers never even wondered why they did not see me for two weeks... My mother tried to approach the brothers with literature from DSHS about domestic violence and they told her that "that is not the way Jehovah handles things."

87

YOUR LAST MEETING.........................

by vitty in

jw
friends

........................at my last meeting, the elder was talking about 1975 and said "it never happened, it is appostates using a time when (some) brothers took the info in the wt wrong"...................i just blinked and finally woke up.. i had been on this site lurking for a couple of weeks, and realized thing werent right, but to have some creep say on the platform " it didnt happen"............when this ruined my and my siblings childhood, just made me snap.

on the way home, i told my hubby "that was the last meeting im going to"................boy was he pleased.. .

so if you didnt get df ......................what happened at your last meeting.?.

VanillaMocha73

My Last Meeting Two "last meetings." Last meeting I attended because I was "supposed to." The brothers told me how important it was for me to attend all the meetings, even though I would have to quit a job and cease eating in order to do so. Dummy me - I did it. I was still in the "abuse me" stage of life. After this, they never did seem to "get around" to talking to my df committee. My last meeting I was pale, had two black eyes, and was in extreme chest pain. I could barely walk down the aisle to my seat. Nobody cared. My worldly co-workers took one look at me the next morning and dialed 911 - they sent people to make sure I got home and was going to be cared for. Weren't my "brothers and sisters" and "shepherds who tenderly care for their flock" supposed to care more than the worldy people? By their fruits you will know them - that they have love..... I can not picture Jesus ever displaying that kind of attitude and action. Sometime after that, I went to hear my son's Bible Reading - my first trip back to the KH where I was originally disfellowshipped. It was a blast (in an evil sorta way). I sat in the appropriate disfellowshipped row - right beside another df'd brother whom I had grown up with and who also had marriage problems - complete coincidence. I could just see the tongues wagging on that one!!! I looked the brothers who had df'd me right in the eyes and gave them big grins. They didn't know what to do, they totally refused to meet my eyes. I watched the elder argue with my ex-husband that he had to take my section for mike duty (as opposed to the other three sections) and they made him stand right beside me, which I felt was overly cruel. My real friends in the KH came running across the hall to give me hugs after the meeting - to hell with being disfellowshipped. That totally threw the elders into a tizzy. And I walked out with my head held high. I am tempted to return to the meetings in my old KH just to be a brat!!!! (My ex pitched a total fit about my ever coming there again.) List of what I would do: a) sit right beside one of my "favorite" three elders every meeting b) look them right in the eyes with a broad smile c) sing as loudly as possible d) ask for reinstatement every single meeting, loudly e) make barely audible "under my breath" comments about every wrong thing I hear - "1935.. another OTA date." (out of thin air) f) joyfully greet every unbaptized new visitor Originally I was attending my Christian church at 0845 and the KH at 1000a - trying to play both games. I caught myself so uplifted from the real Christian church that I could not fight with myself to attend the "church of condemnation." Sitting through the self-glorification and lies is both amusing and sickening.