Posts by Hortensia

8

My 2014 Study Units

by fulltimestudent in

i'm getting very religious this year, as you will see.

i've also decided to give myself a lighter workload in semester 1, as i want to go to china at some point.

so in s1 i decided to take only one study unit, which is:.

Hortensia

Would be fun to take a trip to China with you as a tour guide, considering all you know!

39

Any Amateur Astronomers Out There?

by cofty in

i have recently revived my interest in the night sky.

there are a lot of great sights you can identify with just a pair of binoculars.

i am currently relearning how to navigate my way round all the constellations and find some of the best objects.. i live out in the country so we get almost total darkness right outside my front door.

Hortensia

I like watching the Milky Way. We can drive up to about 9,000 feet on Mt. Shasta, way above any lights, put out our camp chairs, wrap up and watch the milky way for as long as we want. I never saw the MW until I moved to the desert, where at the time the night sky was still dark enough for star-watching. There's something awesome about watching the sky.

37

I think my fade has hit a rut. Do I need to grow a pair?

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

so here i am after about 18 months of wake up.

the first 6 months were a rollercoster of feelings as my whole belief system unravelled.

the last year has been more stable but things seem like they are just stalling now.. my wife is aware of many of my feelings although i have held back the fact that i am pretty close to denying all belief in any kind of god.

Hortensia

Thinking about it is the first step to doing it. So, it seems to me you are already working up to declaring yourself and you will do it when the time seems right to you. You'll feel a lot better, although it may open that can of worms you mention. Still, even with the hassle, it feels good to be authentic and to tell the truth.

As for the kids, tell them the truth too. You no longer believe. Let them know when they are old enough they can choose for themselves, too, and in the meantime not to worry about it. If the JWs frighten them with armageddon, tell the kids the truth about that too. You don't really believe you are in any danger, nor are they.

46

I need help in dealing with a toxic family member!!!!

by hoser in

jw
friends

i have a close family member who is a pro in using shame to try to make me feel bad.

they are coming to stay at my place soon and the issue of me and mrs hoser not attending/ doing field service will come up no doubt.. i need some advice on how to deal with this because whenever i deal with these relatives they make me feel worthless.

it is probably part because they are jw's and jw's motivate by fear and guilt.. .

Hortensia

Broken record and fogging are both amazing tools. I remember a conversation I had with my mother once, the first time I tried it. She kept asking why I wasn't going to the KH any more. I kept saying, "I don't want to discuss it." When she added the JW threats -- you'll die at Armageddon -- I said, "you're probably right, but I don't want to discuss it."

After a while she ran out of ideas, and she never tried again. It helps, too, if you can step back and watch the conversation as if it's a movie, and get some amusement out of their reactions.

Also, it's OK -- especially since it's your house -- to name their behavior. "I can't believe you are trying to make me feel guilty." Or, "guilt doesn't work." Or, "I can't believe you said that." Or, if you've had enough of their behavior and are tired of being nice, "you're a bit manipulative, aren't you?" Or, "don't you think that if we open our house to you and treat you like a guest, that you ought to at least pretend you like us?"

The secret is to lob the guilt or insults back at them, and then refuse to discuss it any more.

26

I want to grow my hair back out!

by onlyastory in

a few months prior to baptism i had shoulder length hair which i loved and had wanted ever since i was a child.

i remember sitting with an elder during a bible study and asking him point blank if i 'had' to cut my hair.

whilst the answer was given slightly awkwardly the answer was a no, "there are no rules that say you have to cut your hair".

Hortensia

Well, it's your hair. Do as you damn well please.

9

now I know why god has been AWOL

by Hortensia in

letting all those kids in africa and asia starve to death or die from disease.. according to an ad i just saw on television, he's been busy running christianmingle -- so all those pretty white christians can find the mates god wants them to have.. .

Hortensia

Shana -- I agree!

FHN -- Yes, god just likes pretty blondes as far as I can tell from their ads

93

To SO CAL: What CO's and DO's do we all know?

by IreallydidwalkoutofaKH in

jw
friends

okay, in order it goes like this for me............brother peace 1980-83, brother rose 1984-86, brother yasko 1986-88, brother sekella 1988-91, brother billy ford 1992-95, brother davis 1996-99, brother irskin 2000-03 and then it gets kinda blurry....brother burge and another, brother hairston.

okay, that just about does it.

i have this topic becauce i tried reading the favorite co and do thread, but did not recognize any names......