Posts by Paralipomenon

20

Can one man be an Island? Bumping into old workmates - awkward

by needproof in

jw
friends

i like to consider myself a bit of an island.

some might call what i do anti-social.

as an island, i have to face inescapable facts - those being that sometimes, i must travel to the mainland.

Paralipomenon

Weird? Maybe, but if you have an extra ticket for that ride, sign me up.

I can't stand superficial relationships. If I see someone I knew, I'll give them a head nod and that's all I need or expect. When they come over and want to chat I get rather annoyed. I haven't seen them in years, and after we part I won't see them again, perhaps ever.

Why waste time pretending we share some common interest. My wife is quite a social butterfly and thinks I'm quite weird.

22

Aren't You Glad You're Out of the Organization??? Do You Now Have A Life?

by minimus in

jw
friends

funny though, the only time i really think about the good old days is when i come here.

when i meet other exjws, quite often they seem consumed by their present situation.

sometimes i like to go out, have a couple of drinks and enjoy the food.

Paralipomenon

... is anyone actually going to say "no, I wish I was back in the cult"?

12

It never ceases to amaze me....

by EnlightenedMind in

i just came from my mom's house, where my sister was in from out of town.

my sister tells my mom that at her meeting this morning, they announced that while jws are out and about in their dc cities, they are not to wear jeans, shorts, or t-shirts, so as to "stand out as different.

" (guess the full-body placard reading, "we are jehovah's witnesses" would've been a little over-the-top, eh?).

Paralipomenon

Saddly, I think metatron has more divine insight than the GB. You can tell that the Governing Body has never actually traveled to a convention with the R&F. If they did, I'm sure they'd instruct people to bring a change of clothes to the assembly and collect the badges at the exit door.

62

Can You See Yourself With Someone Nearly 20 Years Your Junior?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

can you see yourself with someone nearly 20 years your junior?i happen to work with a young woman who is 19 years my junior.

she is 21 and i am 40 years old.

recently, she let me know how .

Paralipomenon

She mentions she does not like "boys" in her
age group because of all the head games and
they are interest in one thing.

In addition, she claims she likes older men
"daddy figures".

====================

Hmmmm.

Eventually she's going to grow up and the "boys" her age will become men. The "daddy figure" comment, if a direct quote would bother me. I don't mind if people would think that my date was my daughter, but if my date thought of me as a "father figure" I don't think I could help but be disturbed.

The big question was, if you were 21 and met her, would she be interested in you? Sounds like she's just after you for your looks ;)

I'm not sure about you, but I live my life by my gut feelings. If my gut said no, I wouldn't do it. But my gut wouldn't say no because of what others might think.

13

here's what i want to know

by bigdreaux in

i am new, maybe this has been discussed, however, if i am not mistaken, witnesses are allowed now to accept blood fragments.

if it is, those fragments have to come from donated blood.

are witnesses allowed to donate blood?

Paralipomenon

On the "Knocking" forums one of the apologists there stated that if you actually corner someone in the know and ask about donating they will concede that donation is allowed provided you state that the donated blood is to be fractioned before use. Apparently the Red Cross allows this stipulation.

This was based off a letter to the society that he did not provide.

So officially, looking at the last thing printed by the society says members cannot donate blood. Back door questioning may yield a "new light". Just like fractions were officially approved well before their acceptance was published, I would assume this is the case.

But I reiterate THIS INFORMATION HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED BY ANY CURRENT OR EX WITNESS THAT I KNOW OF.

When I get some spare time I intend to write to the society asking for clarification on their stance of donating blood for fractioned use. I don't mind vilifying the society for wrongful practices, but I like to have all my facts in order before doing so.

I'll post the reply if/when I get one.

13

Secrets

by Carmen in

i found this board and have been reading what a lot of people have to say.

i've found it very useful, interesting and informative.

i'm 19 and am in a relationship with a jw who is 22. i know that this is a subject that has probably been posted many times but i wanted to see if anybody could offer me any advice.. i'm catholic myself and studying to be social worker with a major in theology.

Paralipomenon

Wow, alot of bad advice here.

If he was dating you and wanted you to study before meeting his parents, I'd say run.

From the sounds of it, he's looking to get out as well and yes it does need to be taken slowly and carefully.

He does have a definite exit plan which is a far cry better than most of the "relationship" questions from people coming to this board. He wants to get out but doesn't want to sacrifice his education to do that. I completely understand.

However, I would check why he wants to leave.

Does he have doubts about the teachings? Can he see corruption in the ranks?

If he is questioning the doctrine of the religion I'd say wait it out. If he says he wants to leave to be with you, run. The indoctrination is very strong and very real. The only way people make a clear break is once they stop believing it's "the truth". Any other reason leaves room for them to return.

I would suggest picking up the book "Apocolypse Delayed" and read the history of the Witnesses. It is more worded for people that have had little to no exposure to the religion. After reading it, I would suggest offering it to your boyfriend to read. If he refuses, he hasn't made a mental break from the organization yet. Cut it off.

You sound like a perceptive person that was able to realize the warning signs of a high control religious organization and found this site to learn more. It think with a bit of understanding of the teachings you'd be able to ascertain if he's lost his belief in the organization, or is just going through the motions.

I would even suggest you point him to a site like this for him to learn more about his doubts.

36

Husband forgot our anniversary....again

by nsrn in

jw
friends

i'm wide awake at 2 a.m., with my mind ruminating on stuff i should leave alone.

i wish i could turn it off in the night, when worries spin out of control.

let me list my concerns: this was my 26th wedding anniversary, and my husband forgot it apparently.

Paralipomenon

Chances are he forgot, but that could just be him.

Knowing that he has a tenancy to forget, you set yourself up to be disappointed by not mentioning it to him. In the end, you sat up late at night because you wanted to make a point and didn't like the outcome. What is more important to you, enjoying your anniversary together or him remembering?

For some men, anniversaries just aren't that big a deal. If you would like him to remember, why not give him reminders?

From my view, what's worse, a partner who forgets an anniversary or one who remembers but doesn't do anything because they're upset?

I see it as you're both to blame and really need to work on communication.

28

How much of a man are you? Problems with rats, I just can't do it

by needproof in

jw
friends

last summer, i noticed a rat living underneath my shed in the back garden.

i tried my hardest to convince my female counterpart that we had a rat living with us, but as usual was met with a wall of silence.

so time passed and i didn't see rodney the rat again, so i just figured that he had gone away some place else.

Paralipomenon

I'm the same way. I hate taking the life of anything else. Sometimes it's necessary and yes there is guilt, but personally the guilt is fleeting.

Like a bandage, rip it off, feel the pain for a moment then get on with your life.

I think I would be more concerned with someone that enjoyed killing small animals then someone who had to do so out of necessity.

62

Can You See Yourself With Someone Nearly 20 Years Your Junior?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

can you see yourself with someone nearly 20 years your junior?i happen to work with a young woman who is 19 years my junior.

she is 21 and i am 40 years old.

recently, she let me know how .

Paralipomenon

21 is still a bit immature. She might be sick of the mind games the males play with women in her own age group and is looking for someone more mature.

On the flip side, what attracts you to her? Is your interest piqued because she's so much younger or does she have qualities that you actually find appealing? 50 years ago it was seen as taboo for different races to intermarry. People gave up love for the opinion of what others would think.

If you are mainly concerned with how it would be perceived then I think you are doing yourself a disservice.

That said, I would keep an ear open to see what she finds attractive about you. Is it you, or the perceived stability of a more mature man? In essence, I'd say give it a shot if you think it has a chance, but by now you have enough experience to realize the warning signs.

Dating doesn't = marriage. It's to test the waters to see if a longer term relationship is worthwhile.

100

My mom took my son to KH after I told her not to

by unbeliever in

jw
friends

real shock i know that a jw would do that.

i found out today that my mom took my son to the kh behind my back when she was in town visiting.

he's just a little baby so he will have no memories of it.

Paralipomenon

So the only reason she wants to have a relationship with your child is to indoctrinate him against your wishes?

That's a special kind of crazy.