Posts by LisaRose

29

JW Records Request - United States

by cappytan in

jw
friends

has anyone in the united states ever successfully gotten their publisher records from the society?

LisaRose

I think it's understandable that you would be interested in your file, but I doubt it would accomplish much for you in the long run. They probably don't write down everything that happened in the JC, so there is probably nothing there you don't already know. And even if there was something controversial in there it would be fixed before they released it to you and justified in their minds as "theocratic warfare" I.e. lying and cheating in the name of God.

It's been said by many that a person can be disfellowshipped for anything three elders agree upon and it's true. Justice, fairness and mercy are not highly valued in this religion and many people have been unjustly disfellowshipped. The good thing is that nobody other than Jehovah's Witness care that you were disfellowshipped or why, so it will start to seem less and less important to you as you move on in your life.

21

Paint Nite - fun evening and a new hobby

by Simon in

we (and by 'we', i mean my wife) decided that we should try something new and she, erm, i mean 'we', liked the idea of painting.

so i enthusiastically (i.e.

begrudgingly) went along for the night to the "pain nite" event she'd booked us for a couple of weeks ago.. the premise is pretty simple: it's held in a pub or restaurant, all the art supplies are provided, the instructor then walks you through how to reproduce a painting they have chosen for the night and you have a glass of wine or beer, do some painting, have something to eat, have some more wine, more painting, more wine, realize you are drinking the dirty paint water and so on.. here's the site: https://www.paintnite.com/.

LisaRose

I think art is very theraputic. I saw a report on CBS last night on the popularity of coloring books for adults. People even get together at parties for it. Any hobby that is engrossing offers some of the benefits of meditation. I can't draw to save my life but I do collage and I love it.

15

Prince of 'P-I-E-C-E"

by freemindfade in

now i have always kept to myself discussing and speculating about this with any witness.

i am speaking of the very talented musician prince.

i remember watching the naacp awards one year ages ago and hearing him thank the one true god jehovah and falling off my couch.

LisaRose

Obviously being rich and famous buys you certain liberties that are not afforded ordinary JWs. I am not a big fan but he is obviously very talented. It would be great to get through to someone like that with ttatt but he doesn't strike me as someone who is likely to go there.

He is in his own little paradise.

69

Average Age of this Forum?

by Garrett in

jw
friends

heyo!.

i'm quite interested in knowing the average age of those of us who use this forum.

i made a quick strawpoll that you can find at the following link: http://strawpoll.me/4340636 just pick an age and click "vote" if you wish to participate.. admins: if this breaks any rules, i apologize in advance..

LisaRose

Sixty here. I used to think it was mostly people my age or at least forty plus, but I have noticed a lot more younger people lately and the survey seems to show a mix of all ages.

I think that's a good thing.

8

WTS is Filling a Void - aka "They're Back!"

by berrygerry in

another site posted this photo at an airport.

http://i.imgur.com/zn11h5y.jpg.

do others remember ridiculing the moonies for the exact same thing.. this blogger makes an interesting post:.

LisaRose

With the security pat downs, lines and delays, flying these days is very stressful. When I land I just want to grab my bags and get the heck out of there. I can't imagine stopping to look at religious literature of any kind.

I guess its just a new way of wasting time in the so called "ministry"

12

How many of you went to your Class Reunion when you were a JW??

by James Mixon in

how did it go for you?

i have a 50 year reunion coming up and.

i am looking forward to it.. they all know i was a jw, it should be interesting.. i figure we won't have many more (reunions) so i must attend, the last round up..

LisaRose

I've never been to one, but in a way every day is a class reunion for me. I connected up with a guy I was friends with in high school twenty eight years later (through classmates.com). I wouldn't date him back then because he wasn't a JW. He even predicted back then that we would meet up again someday and he was right. I ended up on classmates by accident. I didnt see him listed but left my email. He went there two days later looking for me. We have been happily married for fifteen years now.

He wants to go to his 45 year reunion next year, he was class of '71, I was class if '72. It might be fun even though I probably won't know anybody there.

59

On the subject of Child Baptism - Video

by cappytan in

so, the latest "kids" kingdom melody video is out.. here are some screenshots:.

.

yep, that's right, they showed a kid with a teddy bear getting baptized.. here's the video in full for documentation, if you can stomach it.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ellrtyj_maq.

LisaRose

This is ridiculous and completely contrary to their previous teachings. They are obviously aware they have the lowest retention rate of any religion, I guess they figure if they can get them young they can then hold them hostage by the threat of shunning. If and when they later decide they do not want to be Jehovah's Witnesses they face losing parents, friends and family. It's obviously a calculated move and truly disgusting. I hope it backfires like many of their other changes.

7

Bought a car today and the strangest thing happened

by label licker in

i see this picture of a clown in a suit and tie hanging on the wall in the salesman's office so i think definitely reminds me of a joho clown.

this nice salesman is sitting at his desk and so i told him his picture makes you think.

he said he would rather be fishing and has a pic on his computer of him fishing in belize.

LisaRose

How strange that anyone would admit to bigamy to a stranger, especially a Jehovah's Witness.

I bought a car last year and while waiting for the paperwork the salesman asked me if I was religious. I thought that odd question in that context and wondered if my JW past still showed, lol. I said used to be in a cult but was no longer religious. He asked "Jehovah's Witness?" . I said yes, how did you know? He said he had a JW girlfriend at one time. It was very strange, most people do not know that Jehovah Witnesses are a cult.

62

Well, I asked a question and his answer blew me away

by Lost his mind in

first time, been lurking for years, but i asked my husband who has been studying for 20 plus years if he has ever questioned those that were "teaching" him.

blew my mind.

i ask him all the questions that you have asked yourself, but he will not ask them.

LisaRose

Welcome!

Jehovah Witnesses believe the Watchtower is the sole channel of communication between God and mankind. They have been systematically conditioned, through hours of indoctrination each week, not to question anything. Actually, they must accept every teaching of the Watchtower or be disfellowshipped and shunned. They have been taught to fear former members, whom they call apostates. They have been told we are bitter, angry people who want to destroy the faith of the all JWs.

This is so deeply ingrained that JWs become fearful when exposed to anything critical of the Watchtower. If what they taught was really "the truth" it would hold up to scrutiny, but the logic of this escapes them because of the indoctrination. Most JWs know very little about their beliefs or the history of the organization. They are told the destruction of this system is happening soon and the only way to survive is to become a Jehovah's Witness. They don't know the religion has incorrectly predicted the end many, many times over the last hundred years, and then turns around and pretended it never happened. These dire predictions keep people fearful and compliant.

If you want to help your boyfriend, you need to research cults and how they work. It's very difficult to get an indoctrinated cult member to think and see what has been done to them, but it can be done in some cases. Nobody in a cult thinks they are actually in one, so you have to approach it very, very carefully. Many people recommend Steve Hassan's book, Combating Cult Mind Control. For a short description of cults I like howcultswork.com.

113

Are you religious or are you spiritual? Wake up to what?

by Deltawave in

there is a huge difference between been religious and been spiritual.

been religious is about been superior to others in the sight of god.

however, been spiritual is about self awareness, inner peace and unity with the natural world.

LisaRose

I have been ridiculed for saying that I still feel spiritual even though I don't believe in God, but I have been researching and their are other people who feel as I do. Of course you could argue all day about the definition of spirituality, but that is the closest I can come to describing what I feel.

For me, being spiritual means that I spend time every day in meditation and self reflection. I feel connected to other people and with nature. I am happiest when my outward actions match my inner values and I am always seeking balance and peace in my life. I feel that material things are less important than people. Like anyone else I have had my share of life's ups and downs, but I work very hard at keeping an optimistic attitude.

I would never ridicule someone for expressing a belief in God, as I see no point to it. I don't think every one is ready to give up belief in a diety and I do think religion is helpful to some people. Of course I am against any religion that teaches hate.