AllTimeJeff

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Posts by AllTimeJeff

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  78

  Brand New: Currently Totally Devastated

  by daringhart13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm brand new to the board.

  long time, "big shot" elder, ....taught at km school, conventions, etc.

  yeah, i know it means nothing....but it gives you an idea of how deep i've been a jw.. i don't even really know what to write at this point.

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  AllTimeJeff

  Hi there and welcome! I am a former elder and Gilead grad. I totally understand where you are coming from. Elders who leave because of a lack of love, to me, they are among my favorites to read, because you have a moral imperative behind what you say and write....

  First of all, it does get better. I won't lie and say that in two weeks, or a month, it will all be ok. You have many decisions to make over time. (no rush on that btw) The best, happiest thing for you right now is that you can take the lid off your head. Read, be open minded to both viewpoints and people, and give yourself some time to let it all in. Or out.

  As an elder, in my congregation, we were politically correct, so we didn't openly disparage our flock, even at elders meetings. Occasionally, we all would make comments about certain ones who ticked us off. Thats just how it worked. As an elder, I saw mental illness on a scale I could scarcely have anticipated. The JW people are by and large, a nice group of dedicated, misled people. They need real care, but are denied this by amateur's masquerading as elders, spiritual leaders who can't find there way out of a paper bag. The only real requirement at the end of the day to be and stay an elder is to back up all GB directives with 100% enthusiasm.

  I am guessing that is why there is an elder shortage right now.

  Anyway, welcome! I read you are getting some therapy. (did I read that right?) If so, that is well worth the time, and I wish you all the best as you break free from the sickness that you were in.
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  31

  HOW do you know what you KNOW you know?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  remember how certain you were as a jehovah's witness?.

  you just knew what you knew was right 100%.

  you staked your life on it, didn't you?.

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  AllTimeJeff

  You are going to find that there are people who care about knowing and learning, as opposed to caring about what they believe.

  Beliefs have little to do with what is provable. If I told you that due to my own anecdotal musings, I think that (wo)mankind is hardwired to search for meaning and purpose in life, and that this seems to trump all else, that is a belief of mine that knowledge and learning can't validate 100%. If I tried to say that this quest for meaning is essentially what the word "spirituality" is turning into, those who disagree with me would debate me not on the substance, but on the semantics of the word "spirituality".

  At a certain point, esp after leaving the WTBTS, one must engage in a years long quest, to question everything, to read, to be open minded. At the end of that journey, one only need find himself.

  What happens often (it seems to me anyway) is that instead of being open to other ideas as a quest, the quest turns into a search for self-validation. (i.e. "I know God exists, I must find out where, how, and who is worshiping him correctly, or at least to my tastes....." or "I am certain God doesn't exist, and I will immerse myself in what I already know...")

  Either way is flawed. It is much more honest, and much more difficult, to say at the start "You know what? For whatever reason, I bought into the GB doctrines. There is a lot to learn. I need to be really humble and observe and learn and READ."

  I think it curious that one very major question is not asked by many when they first leave, but to me, I wonder about it for everyone who ever leaves: What was it about me that caused me to believe the GB dogma and that got me to stop thinking? Why did I believe it? What was it about me that was, in my own fashion, attracted to the JW's in the first place?"

  To me, that is where all of us need to start imo. If we can figure out ourselves, and why we somehow bought in, even if we were just born in's, then it gives a much more solid platform to launch into a search into what we know, if only because we start with ourselves first.

  At the end of it all, we will not add to what we are, but discover what we are, and from there, comes the knowledge of what we know, that makes each of us unique.

  I am very much an existential person, and what gives purpose and meaning to an individual while at the same time, respecting the differences in others is a higher road to tread. We all need to "know" and believe in something. But there aren't shortcuts to it. It takes time, serious introspection, and dedication to mine out who we are and why we are here.

  Peace!
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  35

  Why would a woman want to look like that?

  by TD in

  1. social
  2. physical

  i was leafing through a diet and exercisie magazine my wife subscribes to and noticed (not for the first time) that the female fitness models don't look like women at all.

  --they look like anorexic teenaged boys with long hair.. skinny to the point of emaciation is not fit.

  i would be willing to bet that not one of these models could even run a 10k.

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  AllTimeJeff

  The genius of the marketing is that these skinny models aren't designed for men, but for women.

  I think most men know and want women with curves. The problem is, many women get these images from advertisers and think that this is what men want.

  To any women who cares about my opinion, curves are cool and rule. Don't be fooled by this bullsh*t advertising.

  Kate Moss is gross, btw.... Kate Winslet? *sigh* :)
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  78

  Challenge to board:I know the one problem with JW's & Christians in one word.Do You?

  by chapstick in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  AllTimeJeff

  Ok then....

  I think I was a bit hasty on calling you off licking the 9 volt....
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  52

  Will you sink or swim with Jehovah's Organization? June 15, 2010 study article

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hence, many people feel.

  of the psalmist?

  there they will feel.

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  AllTimeJeff

  That entire article is a disingenuous, purposely misleading collection of lies, half truths, and paranoid images from Jaws.

  I can't believe I used to make "profound" comments on WT's like this. I can just see in many congregations the idiot who is going to research sharks for 5 hours that week for their 1 minute comment that most will tune out anyway. Yup, a SR dub will talk about sharks in the first two paragraphs, before the indoctrination sets in.

  I am going for pizza. It goes down better then this crap.
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  78

  Challenge to board:I know the one problem with JW's & Christians in one word.Do You?

  by chapstick in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  AllTimeJeff

  Small apologies to Chappy. This is a weird thread that I honestly can't see how the point was relevant. But I shouldn't have said to lick a 9 volt battery. Thats mean.

  Not that some people here shouldn't have a steady diet of licking 9 volts every 4 hours or so, but I digress.

  Anyway, if the Trinity and Jehovah make sense to you Chappy, all the best for your worldview.
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  120

  Tell us a weird fact about yourself

  by ninja in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i will start....i can speak conversational albanian....thanks to the foreign language field...really useful in everyday life as a cleaner....sniff...why didnt i pick mandarin?

  ..would be useful when they take over the world....but one day i will find an albanian to talk to ...that or a needle in a haystack....the emmerdalian world of jw's

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  AllTimeJeff

  I went to Gilead, and then accepted an assignment to Cameroon. To this day, I have no idea what the hell I was thinking.....
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  78

  Challenge to board:I know the one problem with JW's & Christians in one word.Do You?

  by chapstick in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  AllTimeJeff

  This thread fits the definition of discombobulated.

  Chappy (can I call you Chappy?), if you need that kind of charge, don't start threads like this that make no sense. Lick a 9 volt battery. Pretend its a girl. You'll feel better! Trust me....
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  31

  My Daughter asked me this question................................

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "dad, what do people talk about on that jehovah's witness board?".

  i replied:.

  "we complain alot.

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  AllTimeJeff

  To a certain degree, this board is like a holadeck on Star Trek. We can program it to become what we want it, or better put, need it to be.

  There is no one who understands like a former JW the total head f*ck that this cult perpetrates. This board is all about you and me. There is no one right way to leave JW's. There are many wrong ways, (i.e. self destructive behavior with drugs, alcohol, irresponsible sex, etc) where lessons can be shared and learned from.

  It's not like we are ever going to be happy, like we thought. But then again, we can be REALLY happy, and honest. This board to me accomplishes these things, in no particular order

  1. Expose JW's and esp, GB actions and dogma as false. (not happy or positive, but necessary)
  2. Provide support for those who leave, esp for those who are newly out. (not always happy or positive, but necessary)
  3. Provide an outlet to express opinions and grow in knowledge of other viewpoints and lifestyles. If we can admit we didn't know something, or add others experience and viewpoints to our own, all the better.
  4. Occasionally, we like to joke about whatever.

  This isn't the Comedy Central board, but it serves a great purpose, best known only to former practicing members of Jehovah's Witnesses.
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  9

  AllTimeJeff?

  by poopsiecakes in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  has anyone heard from jeff lately?

  i hope he's ok and that his mum is ok too, it's been a while since i've seen him post....

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  AllTimeJeff

  Hi all. A few of you I have already PM'd, but yes, I am visiting my mom tomorrow. Obviously she is not doing well, but I am hoping for the best. Been busy, but hope to be back posting during work hours soon enough.... ;)

  I appreciate being "missed". It happens a lot. I was never the first pick in basketball or football...... But I digress...

  Nighty nite!