[the following information is intended as a response to the leaked bethel video regarding masturbation.
if you are not aware of that video, please check it our before attempting to comment.].
masturbation is not sinful, unclean, or wicked.
Jw's don't consider emission due to wet dreams as sinful. -- Drearyweather
Correct, but in the video Br. Breaux asked, "What were you thinking about before you went to sleep?"
The implication is clear that impure thoughts must be rooted out and not dwelt upon; even a young brother's dreams can put him at risk, WT-wise.
my frequent walks these last few years about the neighborhood so familiar to me would ordinarily be construed a pleasant enough non-event.
a little mild exercise - taken in small doses to keep the joints operating properly - and a keen eye peeled for the ever-changing face of nature have rendered the daily promenade a suitable diversion.
until recently.
Of course it was a foolish move, but no one has ever used the word "sensible" in the same sentence with my name.
Lured incrementally towards the house with roots sunk deep into a mire of misery and unalloyed pain, I was helpless to fend off the call of the siren. Warnings gone unheeded were my unfortunate mode of reacting to elders who were more experienced in the consequences of life's greater and more unforgiving contretemps.
Having escaped a few times without any bodily harm during my misadventures, I walked with no little purpose up the curving path. What was within those walls beckoned -- I felt rather than knew -- although there was no seeming menace about the building's placid exterior. The white paint of the lapboard siding was somewhat faded from a brightness that once reflected the summer sun. I recall having to shield my eyes on those warm, languid days, those carefree days when the two of us walked hand-in-hand, dreaming of the day when we would take ownership of the house on the hill . . .
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
Hey, OnTheWayOut:
We're glad you've been hanging about -- in a good way.
THANKS!
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
Thank you, LV101, for courageously sharing a memory, however painful.
There will always be regrets.
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
Thanks, stillin and fulano:
Welcome, Aquarian and spouse of weirded-out wife.
Boy do I understand! As I had written earlier on another thread or two, in the 1950s and early-'60s, we were not JWs; but Mom was a back call and occasional "study" of Lillian Grobel, a very poor but devoted anointed sister.
My on-the-fringe mother's bed was our library away from the Carnegie down the street, in the University District. On it were scattered Astrology Today, Awake!, The Watchtower, The Good Earth and The Egg and I (both copies of which are here in my study), Arundel, Lost Horizon, ad infinitum.
To this day, what sticks most prominently with me were her magazines on astrology, particularly the ads for the Rosicrucians; since childhood, I have been drawn to the "other side":
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
The above photo is from home, not a stock image.
Thanks, Dagney, so much for sharing your experience! In certain matters I may have been somewhat looser, but I can't remember!
Now, loose as a goose!
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
I just had to reply to this topic. So poignant. -- Tara N Seals
There are many clouds in my sky. I am on the 9th . . .
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
Our dear, dear sister, Tara!
Bless you for returning. How we have missed you!
Blessings and peace and love,
CoCo
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
greetings, old timers (in particular):.
of course, we don't share all views in common.
unless i'm mistaken, however, we older, former jws were decisive about what our "bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not.
Greetings, Old Timers (in particular):
Of course, we don't share all views in common. Unless I'm mistaken, however, we older, former JWs were decisive about what our "Bible-trained consciences" would allow -- or not. Seems the younger generation don't get how stringent we were and the difficulty of letting go of our old, super-strict ways.
I remarked in my thread about what the Society may or may not have foreseen in officially sanctioning the Internet that everything seems so different now. I can't even come up with words to express how changed my once beloved faith has become.
I was so super sensitive in my godly conscience that I swore off the "demonized" song linked below (I've changed my tune since I returned to my pagan roots):
