Posts by Open mind

30

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 03-27-11 WT Study (DISCOURAGEMENT)

by blondie in

jw
friends

cope with discouragement.

when holy spirit.

(b) what can power from jehovah help.

Open mind

Blondie's WT comments and OUTLAW's pix & comedy.

Now that's what I call a good Sunday morning.

17

Three years ago TODAY !

by wobble in

jw
friends

it's my anniversary !!!.

i just realised that three years ago, on 25th march 2008, i walked out of the kingdom hall and thought, "i can never go back".

it was a strange and worrying feeling that night, i knew (or thought) i was heading for being df'd, i had been in for 58 years, all my extended family were in, all my life-long friends were in, all my social circle were in, and as i walked away , i knew jw life was at an end, and i would have to start a new life from scratch... it is the most wonderful decision i have ever made in my life, second only to when i impulsively asked my girlfriend of a few months to marry me, she did, the fool, and we are still together after 40 years.. i have enjoyed immensely the feeling of relief, freedom and excitement that has been with me since i left, my journey since leaving has been a fascinating one of exploring ideas and visiting different religion's services, learning about evolution, philosophy, critical thinking, etc.etc.. three years well spent, and the rest of my life in freedom !!

Open mind

Congratulations wobble!!

If we ever make it across the pond, my wife and I would love to share a pint with you and the wise fool who married you.

Cheers!

om

89

the other side of my story and why im going back

by deservingone26 in

jw
friends

there are two parts to this topic you can read one or the other or both if you want, i just figured i post this for differents ones who might being going thru what i am going thru i tried to write this as quick as possible so everything i am posting here is not to offend anyone i know everyone has the own opinions on different things so you can disagree or agree, but this is where i stand.

sorry for any spelling errors or grammar issues up front.

my story .

Open mind

If you're looking for folks who will be supportive of you going back to the Kingdom Hall, this probably isn't the best place to do it.

If being with JW family is what you think it takes to keep you off drugs, well, that's a tough one. I just hope you don't ever need a life-saving blood transfusion if you go back. (Yes, life-saving blood transfusions do exist.)

It's your life and you have to decide how best to live it. (Of course the JWs won't tell you it's YOUR life. But it is.)

I sincerely wish you the best life possible.

om

124

Are JWs the worst restaurant customers?

by Alfred in

jw
friends

(a little background info before i ask my question...).

my sister-in-law (non-jw), who manages a popular chain restaurant near a kingdom hall, just found out that my wife and i have recently faded, so she decided to get something off her chest the other day... you guessed it: she wanted us to know that jws are the worst customers ever!

she then told us some really embarrassing stories about how jws would request a table for 15 to 20 people (after a sunday meeting) and then (when the bill came) some of the jws would start deliberating amongst themselves on whether or not the waiter was diligent or not (to justify the low tip he was getting anyway).

Open mind

OUTLAW, good point on the unwritten vs. written rules of WTBTS.

The Kingdom Ministry quote allows a WT apologist to show how reasonable and contemporary JWs are with society in general.

I think many JWs find themselves in lower income brackets largely due to their WT-induced lack of education/careers. There is also a sense of "Why should I help rearrange deck chairs on the Titantic?" (i.e. This system's going down, so my resources are best used in Kingdom Service.)

In general I have observed JWs whose income level is anywhere from affluent to middle class (yes, they exist) leaving good tips. And before I get jumped on, I'm stating up front this is a GENERAL observation. Plenty of exceptions out there, I know.

om

124

Are JWs the worst restaurant customers?

by Alfred in

jw
friends

(a little background info before i ask my question...).

my sister-in-law (non-jw), who manages a popular chain restaurant near a kingdom hall, just found out that my wife and i have recently faded, so she decided to get something off her chest the other day... you guessed it: she wanted us to know that jws are the worst customers ever!

she then told us some really embarrassing stories about how jws would request a table for 15 to 20 people (after a sunday meeting) and then (when the bill came) some of the jws would start deliberating amongst themselves on whether or not the waiter was diligent or not (to justify the low tip he was getting anyway).

Open mind

*** km 4/07 p. 5 Follow the Christ by Manifesting Dignity ***
Restaurants: In many places, it is customary to leave a 15 to 20 percent tip, depending on the service.

148

Have you ever had a prayer answered?

by nicolaou in

prayer topics seem to be the bandwagon of the moment so i'm jumping on!

seriously, has anyone here asked for something specific in prayer and actually gotten what they asked for?

what convinces you that you wouldn't have got it in any case?

Open mind

One of my biggest worries as a 12,13,14 year old was that Armageddon would come before I was able to drive an automobile. How could a God of Love allow my older siblings to drive and not me?

As a 40-something year old, over a million-mile driver, I can honestly say that my prayer was answered.

Go ahead Nic.

Prove me wrong.

om

124

Are JWs the worst restaurant customers?

by Alfred in

jw
friends

(a little background info before i ask my question...).

my sister-in-law (non-jw), who manages a popular chain restaurant near a kingdom hall, just found out that my wife and i have recently faded, so she decided to get something off her chest the other day... you guessed it: she wanted us to know that jws are the worst customers ever!

she then told us some really embarrassing stories about how jws would request a table for 15 to 20 people (after a sunday meeting) and then (when the bill came) some of the jws would start deliberating amongst themselves on whether or not the waiter was diligent or not (to justify the low tip he was getting anyway).

Open mind

Most JWs were actually born in Australia and then transplanted throughout the globe to do Jehovah's work of not tipping the "worldly" food service worker.

Aussies, correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard that tipping in restaurants is generally not part of the culture there. The rest of the "worldwide brotherhood" has no excuse.

Thanks for sharing this experience Alfred.

om

24

It's my Birthday!

by Found Sheep in

the 3rd one i'm celebrating!

i'm 36 and doing well!

party party.

Open mind

I sure hope no one gets beheaded because of this.

om

6

Leaving your religion. Great interview with a former fundamentalist Christian.

by whereami in

while watching this series on leaving your religion i couldn't help but see the similarities with my own experience.. it's a bit long (13 parts), but well worth it.

i hope you all enjoy.

believers and non-believers alike.. .

Open mind

Thanks whereami.

Marking for a later time with more more bandwidth.

om

6

How to think straight. Useful resource IMO.

by Open mind in

the watchtower, on rare occasions, pays lip service to the importance of good critical thinking skills.

most born-in jws probably think they have decent "perceptive powers", i know i did.

i got good grades in school.

Open mind

Sweet B.C., I remember the first time I saw "Demon Haunted World..." on a library shelf. I thought some of Sagan's COSMOS work was really interesting, (except for all that Satanic Evolution stuff) but as a true-believing JW, when I saw "Demon" in the title I immediately looked away.

How dumb was that?

Fast forward a few more years and "Demon Haunted World" was one of the first books to crack through my JW-trained thinking processes.

om