OnTheWayOut

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Posts by OnTheWayOut

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  18

  Trapped.

  by trapped28 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as i write this,im aware of my heart hammering in my chest.ok where shall i start,ill try to keep this as short as possible.ive never been religious before in my life,the occasional wedding or funeral was the only time ive been in a church or viewed a bibles cover.in 2013 my step-dad was diagnosed with cancer and had to go for an operation to remove the tumor.i became close to his nephew and we communicated a lot and had a few strong feelings for each other,but neither of us told anyone,it was just harmless flirting and a few hugs that lasted a bit longer than normal.two days after my dads operation,he died through complications,and my path of self destruct was set.my boss had also been sexually harassing me at work and i was unfairly dismissed and was told by my landlord that i was to pay the rent or be evicted.then out of the blue my cousin tells me he was an unbaptised publisher (he was baptised at the aug convention last year)and to start having faith in god,that it would all work out.so i went to a kh and took up a study.that was a year ago and they now feel im ready to become a publisher.the thing is..i was made homless and am living with a jw of 50 years,a real spiritual person.these last two months ive been researching and i simply like you all disagree with so much of it.for the past twi weeks ive avoided meetings because of work,or pretended im at work and stayed away from the home i have with this witness.i cant afford to leave but at same time im being pushed to go into ministry and meetings.guys what the hell am i going to do?im so trapped scared and i cant believe i wanted to get baptised!

  !my son lives with his dad and there trying to get a hold on him when he visits me!

  !

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  OnTheWayOut

  Try to put it all on hold the best you can. Say that you have some personal "doubts" and want to stop that ministry until you face those fully. I say to use the word "doubt" as it will automatically trigger them to make allowances for your delaying the ministry and the baptism.

  Don't offer details. Be firm. "I will do my research. You already taught me how to do that." You may have to continue going to the KH if you are so sure you are financially stuck. But really, they can't make you do more, no matter what they say. If they are still studying with you, cancel at the last minute or the morning of your study a few times, then say that you were dealing with something personal. If they get mad, suggest putting the study on hold for a few weeks (which could lead into much longer).

  Get yourself out of that financial bind. Work more, save more. Whatever you have to do. Find a different roommate who is a stranger or friend, but not a JW. After you leave that house, you don't have to bother with them. Drop them cold and say you worked out your doubts.
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  25

  Dangerous "Pent up" feelings inside of most witnesses?

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have often wondered if there is more harm done to people who are stifled or smothered from expressing their natural conduct, feelings or actions because of it being condemned by religious ideals?.

  so if a person keeps suppressing their real personality and tries to mould themselves to the "perfect" or "ideal" version as expected from those controlling them, could they eventually "bust" so to speak?.

  for instance, witnesses condemn many forms of entertainment.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Religion invented "sin." Sin is used to apply guilt to the member in order for them to try to minimize the guilt through donations. Apparently, back in the days the donation could have been a goat or other prized meat animal. But it eventually turned to money.

  The dangerous mind-control cult known as Watchtower uses that very much so. You feel guilty that you didn't get more than the average number of hours in recruiting, or that you didn't ask for voluntary donations at the door, or that you skipped a meeting or three. You feel guilty that you watched an R-rated movie or viewed pornography or listened to rap music.

  Yes, the guilt is way more damaging than the act, because the act is typically NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.

  I do not subscribe to even the existence of "SIN" anymore. Evil exists and so does bad intent and mistakes. But conforming a conscience to feel guilty over matters that should be personal decisions is just wrong. If one person feels that abortion is okay or that casual sex is okay, they may change their feelings later and they may not. But I no longer judge that person. Who am I to determine these matters for another person?
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  23

  There's a pattern emerging

  by stillin in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  the congregation that i am associated with pledged a monthly amount for the construction of a new assembly hall.

  after it was built, that was where we went for several years, even though it was the farthest-away place we had ever had for our circuit assemblies.. after a few years, lo and behold, our congregation is assigned to a new circuit where (surprise!

  ) a new assembly hall is in the early stages of construction.

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  OnTheWayOut

  individual families (probably not ones with an elder or MS in them, as they do what they are told) should simply go to the closest Assembly Hall when it is convenient and to Hell with their further away one. And they should offer no higher monthly amount to WTS for their troubles.
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  25

  Graduating college May 14. Update on Getting my GED and going to college thread from 5 years ago.

  by noni1974 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/187163/getting-my-ged-can-go-college.

  i started this topic 5 years ago letting everyone know i had decide to get my ged and go to college in hopes of getting an education so that i could have a career instead of just a job.

  i wanted fulfillment and a future, not just another job that has no really future in it.

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  OnTheWayOut

  FANTABULOUS! Congratulations on a job well done. Power to you.
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  9

  " Worse things happen at sea " My wife`s recent experience.

  by smiddy in

  1. social
  2. current

  my wife just recently got back from the "cruise ship" from dave`y jones locker ,( hell) i`m not sure if it made news anywhere else in the world but it sure did here in australia.wife and her sister were on the" carnival spirit" 12 night cruise to the south pacific islands .2nd day out they had to try to skirt a cyclone , yet were still buffeted by strong winds and heavy seas .my wife suffers from parkinsons and takes medication for it , and has always been a bit of a panic merchant ,that`s just her nature coming home ,they encountered a catergory 2 cyclone that prevented them entering sydney harbour due to the rough seas .

  7 to 9 metre waves were the norm , with a few 15 metre waves thrown in.this lasted more than 48 hours , causing them to stay another night out at sea ,and missing their flight back to melbourne.my wife did not cope very well at all with this experience probably due to her anxiety fear of water medication and some alcohol , plus the strong sedatives she was given { which she needed to cope } took a toll on her mentally .i was worried sick about her.

  initially their were some issues with her sister that did not help matters either , though she did come good in the end.. thankfully , since the medications she was given has worn off , she is slowly coming back to normal , however i think it`s going to take a few weeks .. not being a medic , i think she had the closest thing to a nervous breakdown .. and to put things in perspective , she was not the only one who thought they were going to die.many people on board were scared out of their wits.. i just thought i would share what we went through this past week as a family .. smiddy.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Sorry to hear of her woes.

  I normally recommend putting an extra land day on either end in case there are delays that cause missing flights, but this past Dec/Jan, we had a flight home directly after our cruise because it just had to be that way to get the wife back to work on Monday. So I break my own rules sometimes. I also find travel insurance is cheap enough and worth it in such cases. I will typically buy it when visiting foreign islands/countries for the health insurance, but it helps if delays happen also.

  Rough seas are no fun on a cruise. You didn't say if they offered a discount on a future cruise or anything of the sort, or maybe a reduction in the final bill. Although it's tough to go again after such a horrific experience, that's their usual remedy- as much as half off a future trip. I think you can gift that most times.

  Our last cruise will be our very last cruise. Nothing went wrong, but my wife is just not up to the motion of the ocean. We will fly to our land destinations from now on. It's not for everyone. Too bad for me. I really like cruises.
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  3

  Video: Do British Muslims have a problem with apostates? The Big Questions

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  interesting to compare with what jw's practice.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plcazztehbi.

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  OnTheWayOut

  nicolaou, I missed the thread before. Thanks.

  V.I., they are close enough. So true.
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  52

  Questions for those that believe in Electricity

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you can't see electricity or hear it or feel it.

  well, there are sparks and lightning bolts and heating elements and the light and heat of filaments.

  and somehow, it lights up neon in a tube.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Viviane, magnetism is another one. Don't get me started.

  Because this isn't such a serious thread, I won't be returning every comment with a response. But thank you all and I hope some who don't believe in things they don't understand may get the point.
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  52

  Questions for those that believe in Electricity

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you can't see electricity or hear it or feel it.

  well, there are sparks and lightning bolts and heating elements and the light and heat of filaments.

  and somehow, it lights up neon in a tube.

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  OnTheWayOut

  TD, I think that my total ignorance was part of the point. Thanks.
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  15

  I'm in a movie!

  by avishai in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm playing pulitzer.. https://vimeo.com/118626005.

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  OnTheWayOut

  Pretty cool
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  20

  Things that I trust more than Hillary Clinton

  by Nathan Natas in

  1. social
  2. humour

  things that i trust more than hillary clinton:.

  mexican tap water.

  any email from nigeria.

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  OnTheWayOut

  I have reached that cynical point in my politics. I generally agree with George Carlin that the real powers allow us to believe we have a choice in the process when we don't.

  It seems that all the choice they give the people in the USA is whether the chief spokesperson for the country is moderately conservative or liberal. Otherwise, I don't think it makes much of a difference who is sitting in the oval office.

  B. Obama has two terms and people are still locked up at Guantanamo Bay. There's still unrest in the region of earth that has more to do with oil than anything else.

  Hillary is the moderately liberal voice that will face the cameras. Powerful people and corporations won't have a problem with that.