Posts by Rebirth

41

What's Your View Of Jehovah's Witnesses As Individual Persons?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you think they make the best parents?.

the best children?.

the best workers?.

Rebirth

Do you think they make the best parents?

How can that be when you force your child to become a clone? That has been proven over and over again to be the kiss of death.

The best children?

In whose eyes? To the JW parents I'm sure they are tickled pink when their child obeys. Of course, fear is not a motivator I want for my children.

The best workers?

JWs are all about obeying rules and using superficial methods to convert more people. What happens when the door is closed is a whole 'nother situation. If they will get praise or credit from their fellow JWs (via doing good things at work and getting praise from their bosses) then absolutely.

The most moral?

Morals, based on whose value system? JWs or conservative Christians? Sure, it is again, all about what others see.

18

White vs Black vs Grey (Gray)

by coolhandluke in

jw
friends

when i was a young man everything was black and white, good and evil, you see?

but then i grew to find that there was only grey" ~ anonymous character.

in the days of dogmatic reasoning i knew that i had the truth.

Rebirth

Wonderful post. I was actually thinking about this last night as I just watched "Gone, Baby Gone." For those who have seen it, they will understand when I say that life is definitely gray.

Coming from a religion in which you are trained to believe that everything is so clear cut, it is only natural that the parents would train their children to think in this fashion. For myself, having experienced that type of upbringing and now raising my own in a "divided" household, I have made it a point to go out of my way to teach my children to use critical thinking skills. I've purchased the "Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong" series of children's books so that I can help my children to trust their judgment in making decisions and to respect the rights of others to feel differently than they do. I am constantly asking my girls to look at things through different perspectives. I feel that I am seeing success in my efforts and am proud of their openmindness and willingness to not accept what others say as gospel just because they hold a place of authority over them.

35

If you had a Time Machine would you stop yourself being a Witness???

by Witness 007 in

what if you wen't back in time and stopped your mother from opening the door to the witnesses...and your family never came into the truth!!

what if you risked changing everything else in your life...not having kid's or the same marriage partner...would it be worth it.

Rebirth

That's a very good question and I believe that the way you answer is more a reflection of how you view your current and future life more than your past. There is no way that you would be the total person you are today without the accumulation of experiences in your life. Every experience is not isolated in it's own vacuum, it influences things seen and unseen, even the smallest experiences. Play the what if game and you will see how much of a domino effect something as small as deciding to take a different route to work could have on you and other's lives. It can be very enlightening.

Being a JW was not something I would wish upon anyone else. But because of what I experienced I know that I have done things with my life that would not have happened had I had it easier. I would not have fought tooth and nail to have a successful business despite all odds. I would not have had the compassion and empathy for those I work with and associate with on a daily basis. I would not have been moved to make it my mission to create a carefree, wonderland for my children to grow up in. So I guess what I'm saying is take your experiences and use them. See if there is something within them that can make your life of those around a better experience. it takes just as much energy to be bitter as it does to be positive and the payoff is way better.

81

Baby GIRL names that start with "J"

by purplesofa in

jw
friends

my daughter is still not decided on a baby name.

she wants the name to start with a j...... .

do you all have any suggestions, please?

Rebirth

We considered Julietta with a nickname of Jules.

Julietta Isabel

Jolie Rose

Jory Lyn

Jazlyn Marie

36

Did being a JW make you overly judgemental?

by Frequent_Fader_Miles in

looking back, being a jw meant constantly analyzing and categorizing others.

on field service, persons were either "sheeplike" or "goatlike".

in the congregation it went even further.

Rebirth

Oh yeah. I actually realized recently how liberating it is to not have all the answers and to be responsible for my own actions and not worry about what others think or do. Honestly, I still find myself saying judgmental things, but it has definitely lessened. I also try really hard not to judge my husband for his views of me because I know that it isn't really him speaking. I know he loves me he is just falling into groupthink.

44

Has Anyone Recieved Their Secret Santa Gifts?

by Nosferatu in

jw
friends

oh my god!!!

a thread that isn't about rr!

but seriously, has anybody recieved their gifts yet?.

Rebirth

Got some wonderful looking goodies from the area my SS lives and beautiful artsy stationery today, but I don't know who to thank, they just put some initials that I can't figure out. I wish I had someone to personally thank, come out, come out whereever you are...

I sent mine but see that they have yet to recieve it. it went out 1 1/2 wks ago so hopefully it will be arriving soon. Fingers crossed...

174

Sorry?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

over the past few days... someone who i'm no longer associated with has been out on vendetta to discredit me.

it started with a mass mail to my myspace friends, which caused nothing more than a few eyebrows to be raised.

that was the reaction of people who know me in real life.

Rebirth

I'm not going to take a side. I just know that as a business owner, I wouldn't have even bothered with posting a rebuttle if someone slandered my business. I would have been on the phone with my lawyer and had a slander suit set up that day. I've dealt with angry clients w/a score to settle and you do everything by the book, crossing all your T's and dotting all your I's.

33

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

by Dansk in

jw
friends

do you find it difficult to know what to get for your beloved for christmas?

(assuming you celebrate it!)..

my wife says to me "don't get me anything, i'd rather we saved the money to get away next year.".

Rebirth

"Experiential gifts"

Tickets to a show/concert/play/symphony

Hot air balloon ride

G.C. to a nice spa (my personal favorite)

Hotel room voucher so she can get away by herself (great for new moms)

A G.C. for a portrait session. She can use it for her grandchildren or to have some beautiful bourdoir photos taken.

48

Be honest, Do you really Enjoy Christmas?

by BluesBrother in

jw
friends

dansk's christmas tree thread got me to thinking .. in this house we do not celebrate since my wife is still a die hard dub.

i have no complaints about that, it was our joint choice for decades and i an the one that changed .but as witnesses we were always given the negative view of the holiday time :-.

"people feel that they just have to do it although they do not really want to".

Rebirth

the music, lights, smells and colors, foods, excitement, sharing, parties with friends - yes!
commercialism, endless commercials, equating love with $$$, the religious stuff - no!

ITA!

50

Rating the MSNBC.com news report to show your support of coverage

by valkyrie in

has anyone rated the news item at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21917798/ (star rating system: 1 - 5 stars) after reading it?

currently, the story has only been rated "2.5 stars by 116 users.

" the report will acquire greater longevity on the website if it manages to be ranked among the "most viewed," "top rated" or "most e-mailed" on the news site.

Rebirth

bttt