Those of you who have close Witness family members -- how hard has it been not to just throw up your hands and just return to the Society, just for appearance's sake? My parents, whom I love very much, are Witnesses, and it's very difficult for me to go day to day knowing that I'm completely letting them down. I no longer believe anything the Society says, but oh how tempting it would be to just go back and fake my way through, knowing that I could give my parents peace. I really want my parents to be proud of me; but anything I do in life that's outside the organization is meaningless to them. At least the second time around, I could fake my hours.
Ephanyminitas
JoinedPosts by Ephanyminitas
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28
The desire to return just for family's sake
by Ephanyminitas inthose of you who have close witness family members -- how hard has it been not to just throw up your hands and just return to the society, just for appearance's sake?
my parents, whom i love very much, are witnesses, and it's very difficult for me to go day to day knowing that i'm completely letting them down.
i no longer believe anything the society says, but oh how tempting it would be to just go back and fake my way through, knowing that i could give my parents peace.
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A second chance at life :)
by Sirona infirstly, i'd like to say..... i got the all clear!!!!!!!
for those of you who didn't know, i have been tested for the spread of my cancer to my glands.
i had a lump underneath my arm which had to be removed.
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Ephanyminitas
I don't know you, but I'm very happy for you nonetheless! You bad, you bad!
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What JWs are passing out in response to Silentlamb
by Joyzabel ini was outraged when i read what a friend of ours was given him by 2 jws yesterday when he asked them the question about the child molestation issue.
i can't belive the jws have the guts to pass this stuff out.
the people we were with at lunch today all looked at it and was replused at the wt's reply.. what do you think?.
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Ephanyminitas
How sickening! Is this an official reply from the organization, or did a well-spoken Witness cobble it together?
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Did YOU CHEAT on Your Time?
by minimus inone of the things the congregation secretary has to do is tabulate field service reports.
i always loved it when i would get a report that had an enormous amount of hours and placements.,especially if the person never was seen in the ministry.
i knew a lot of "phantom pioneers".
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Ephanyminitas
Are you crazy?! Cheat and have that picking away on my conscience? And foremost, let Jehovah God down? Never! The closest I came was "borrowing," say, twenty minutes from the next month.
Now that I'm out, I almost wish that I would return and cheat away.
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Yummy Yummy the Dubs are on TV
by refiners fire insilent witnesses
the catholic and anglican churches in australia are already engulfed in the scandal of child abuse, with mounting evidence that they have covered up sexual assaults by members of the clergy and allowed paedophiles to continue preying on young victims, often for years.
this week, we reveal another church has been routinely covering up cases of child abuse in its ranks.
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Ephanyminitas
I'm so jealous!
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the dustrabbit is a poppin' in...
by dustrabbit inhi folks,.
yes, it is the original dustrabbit, justin greene...just poppin' in to say hi.
i'm busy at the the moment and don't have a computer yet.
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Ephanyminitas
Welcome, Dustrabbit. BTW, you're taking this "original!" thing a bit far. I don't think anyone is thinking that Dustbunny (who I believe now has another name) is a copycat or anything. Be coooool, man. :-)
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Panorama BBC1 edited transcript
by Ephanyminitas ini just wanted to let everyone know that i have an edited version of the "panorama bbc1" transcript up at http://207.218.192.12/~davisonline/panorama.txt.
the version i found was full of errors and odd formatting, so those of you concerned with such matters should find this one a bit clearer.
(please report errors to me via e-mail.
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Ephanyminitas
I just wanted to let everyone know that I have an edited version of the "Panorama BBC1" transcript up at http://207.218.192.12/~davisonline/panorama.txt. The version I found was full of errors and odd formatting, so those of you concerned with such matters should find this one a bit clearer. (Please report errors to me via e-mail.) I also took the liberty of using American English formatting where appropriate, without changing the text. My concern is that if you want to show the transcript to someone, it will make a much better impression if it looks good. :-)
E
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Does god love children?
by kelsey007 inmany people claim that the god of the bible loves children and fetuses.
but what does the bible say?
according to god's law, children are not persons but the property of their fathers, who may sell them as slaves.
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Ephanyminitas
JJRIZO wrote: "God loves everybody and people being killed in past times has no bearing in people today xcept that it was history written for a purpose which you'll have to decide why."
Was it your logic here? God killed children. Just because he supposedly doesn't do so today doesn't negate the fact that he killed innocent children in times past.
"The relationship God had with people thousands of years ago is not the same as the relationship he now has with people."
What does this matter? If Jehovah doesn't change, then he's still the same barbaric Jehovah of yesteryear. Just because our relationship is supposedly different changes nothing. He is directly responsible for the deaths of several thousands of people.
"Gods reasons for doing the things you mentioned are his only and there is nothing I can say or do about it now."
Foolish, foolish thinking. You're basically saying, "It's true 'cause it's true." Open your mind.
"Show me how God is so cruel today! People are cruel, not God! God might allow suffering but that does't make him the originator of it."
Whether or not he is the originator of it is meaningless. He allows all manner of suffering and torture to go on when he -- and possibly he alone -- has the power and authority to stop it. Yes, people are cruel, but they are only following their beloved father's example.
E, who can't believe what he read
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Ozzie's Weekend Poll #21
by ozziepost inwe've brought forward this weekend's poll because we're sure to have other things on our mind tomorrow!
just in case you missed it, try this link: .
http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_1149.asp
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Ephanyminitas
I say number 17: Why can't I wear a beard? I have a bit of a goatee on my chin, and so help me, if it was good enough for Jesus and the early Christians, it's good enough for me.
Ephanyminitas, who doesn't even believe in Jesus ...
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Honestly, what would you do?
by Tinkerbell4125 inmany of you know, i have siblins that are j.w.s and some that are not.
since i disassociated myself, i am shunned by my j.w.siblins.
my non-jw siblins and my j.w.
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Ephanyminitas
"Should I continue to put myself in a position where I would be exposed to that?"
Yes. Remember that what they are trying to do is bother you, to make you feel shame. If you decide not to attend a function because they -- your Witness family -- will be there, then they have succeeded. Remember that is it THEY who are wrong -- not you. The shunning might hurt, but stand up for yourself and what you believe. If you give in, then you will just bolster their belief that they are right and you are wrong.
Were I you, I would attend the event and treat them just as you might treat anyone else. Now, I don't know if they are pleased to be doing what they're doing, or if they only do it because they are supposed to; but you are under NO obligation to avoid them or treat THEM badly. Just briefly say hello to them, and say that you hope they are doing well (and, oh, how little Johnny's grown). DON'T say or ask anything, of course, that would require them to make any sort of response at all. Take control of the situation; otherwise, THEY will.
By doing this, you might been asked by someone else to tone it down because you're making your Witness family members uncomfortable. Reply that you are simply being friendly, because despite how they treat you, you are still their sibling, and you will treat them as such. There is, after all, no reason for you to shun them. Be nice. They're your family. I wouldn't spend a lot of time with them at all, but I see no reason why you shouldn't say your hello's and whatnot. Watch 'em squirm.
So in short, stand your ground and be a part of your family. Don't turn and run away with your tail between your legs. If you look happy and pleased with your decision, they will notice. They will notice that, hey, you don't look so unhappy after all -- even when being shunned.