Posts by SnakesInTheTower

41

Letting go, does it really ever happen as an X- JW?

by restrangled in

jw
friends

i have been here over 2 years, some of you for many more.

i come and go with postings.

there are so many fighting history with current marriages to jw's, time put in as elders or what ever title you held.. some of us grew up in the worst possible time period,....description is not always possible here.. sometimes i feel we can;'t get beyond it.....we just keep talking about... is that bad or is that ok?.

SnakesInTheTower

restrangled...I dont get sick of you...((restrangled)).

Get over being a dub?...nah... get through it?...yeah.

It is harder when one has a close relative that is an active JW. My mom is still loyal to the Organization™ Sometimes, I don't know what to say to her anymore. I love my mom dearly; she says she won't shun me. We talk about every 7-10 days on the phone. We live several states apart. It would be more difficult for both of us if we lived in the same town, especially if she were here, where I grew up in the Truth™. I last seen her last summer when she came up for the district convention. I have not been to see her in over a year, since she and my stepdad moved to their new place.

As long as mom is alive I will have to put up with some of the JW stuff. She is 65 and in reasonably good health. I hope for everyone's sake she has a long and healthy life. I am saddened that she has chosen to use her retirement years to "pioneer" (in actuality though not on paper). Her non-JW husband quietly resents the time she spends away from him door knocking. He said he knew it when she married her, though I doubt he knew the extent it would affect them both. He confides in his brother-in-law (my mom's brother) but otherwise keeps it to himself. He and I have talked on vacation, but mom overheard us and it really tore our relationship up for awhile.

I thought I would stop going to ex-JW sites when JWD closed, but of course (and thankfully for my sake I think), it did not. I pop in at JWS and other ex-JW sites occasionally. I am stalled in my progress out of the Borg. I think I will always need the social support of others who have "been there, done that" regarding leaving the JW cult.

And for that support I am very glad.

Snakes ()

4

Newbies

by choosing life in

jw
friends

when will this site be opened up again to new ones?

there don't seem to be any moderators here to annoy and the pace has really slowed down.. new ones often have fresh perspectives on things.

any news on when registration will reopen?.

SnakesInTheTower

I was thinking this today. I guess the bugs are still being worked out. I still get weird code pop up every so often, then hit refresh and its all good. Better to get it right the first time I guess.

We get to be the guinea pigs..lol

Snakes ()

36

Could a single decision/mistake bring down watchtower

by badboy in

jw
friends

with decisions by bankers etc bringing down financial systems, other situations decisions have had wie ranging consequences makes one wonder if a single decision could bring things down.

SnakesInTheTower

I was at lunch with a non JW friend today. She was never a dub, she has tried different religions. We talk about the JWs sometimes. She said something that coming from a non-dub was interesting:

"{Snakes}, no matter how screwed up they are as a church, until individuals do what you did and find out on your own, they will never leave. It has to be their decision."

So, a non dub gets it right. All we as former (and fading) dubs can do is put the information out here on the net in a palatable way (ie, not crazy looking or sounding) and hope that someone (like myself) finds it and starts the process of thinking.

So...unless it is a financial meltdown, I don't think any single decision, or collective series of decisions, will bring down the Watchtower. There will always be a subset of JWs (like my mom) who believe that the Watchtower Society is "God's Organization™" and stick it out.

Snakes ()

18

Wii fit

by John Doe in

jw
friends

well, call me an effiminate girly man, but i bought a wii and a wii fit this week.

i must say after firing this program up that it looks pretty impressive.

i don't think it could be made any easier to keep track of your exercise times and weights and goals.

SnakesInTheTower

inkling and jd...

you did see where I said the guy has a "biased, vested interest" did I not? The guy is a personal trainer, owns 2 gyms, contracts other trainers to work in his gyms, and is a public speaker....I would say he has a huge financial interest in "belly aching" about the Wii....lol

I have never used a wii anything... I dont have video games.

I agree with Simon..the motivation thing is the useful thing from what I can see.

I have a gym membership and it is one mile from my house...and I rarely go since dropping the trainer...even though my favorite coffee shop is in the same shopping center.....

Snakes ()

39

When Someone Was Appointed To A Position Did You Question Holy Spirit?

by minimus in

jw
friends

did you accept appointments announced to the congregation as coming directly from jehovah god and his holy spirit?.

SnakesInTheTower

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.....breathe..hahahahahahahahaha...gasp....

uh yes...especially after they appointed me... then I knew it was a scam.

I knew something was wrong when I heard certain brothers appointed when I knew they were no good even by "worldly" standards. After I was appointed an elder, I seen how things "really" worked. Theoretically, the elders sit down and "prayerfullly" consider the prospective sucka elder's qualifications based on the Bible (written under the influence of God's Holy spirit Jack Daniels.) Yeah, "Holy Spirit"? I don't think so. As an elder, I tried to bring out the Bible and the Wacktower article that breaks the "Scriptural" qualifications down.... and I was shot down as a "newbie." Basically, it has already been decided out on the golf course. Those elders not in the know (read that, not in the golfing foursome) just go along for the ride.

Then the CO (directly appointed by the Governing Body, theoretically annointed by God and are under the influence of holy spirit some good $hit weed) vets the prospective brotha (and allegedly prays for guidance), who then forwards it to the Society for approval.... yeah, guess what? The Gibbering Buddy never sees those recommendations...someone in Service Department (who is supposed to also pray for guidance) literally...and I mean literally....rubber stamps the recommendation and forwards it back to the CO and local yokels for announcement.

And I know first hand that the tide changes for or against a brotha based on what is happening on the links. Before the CO played golf with the PO and SO, I still had a chance to stay an elder....after the golf outing...Brotha Snakes was outta there.

The only praying going on is when the congregation hears the announcement and they mutter "Oh God, what are we in for now?" And the only thing "Holy" is when Brother Closet Pedophile is appointed an elder and everyone goes "Holy $hit."

The only praying I do these days...is ....oh wait... I quit that looooong time ago. Never mind.

Snakes ()

26

Notes from 2008-2009 Special Assembly Day,Rosenburg,Texas 28Feb

by av8orntexas in

jw
friends

this was my first assembly/convention of any type since the 2002 convention at the dome in houston.

i do attend from time to time,probably enough to keep up with whats going on.

there is one experience i thought was a bit over the top.. 12:05 song no.

SnakesInTheTower

av:

I think I wrote too much

nah, your effort is appreciated. It serves as a reminder of why I am soooooo glad I don't go to those Boasting Sessions (as WTWizard calls em).

As to the answer to your question...NO ONE SAYS THAT CRAP. I can tell you from personal experience and MTS training that the assembly "experiences" are massaged to death to match the message the GB wants sent.

Here is what happens "behind the scenes": .. a few months before the SAD or CA, usually over the summer, the CO will send out a letter (or email these days) to all the POs in the circuit, asking for experiences that match whatever the outlines call for. Emphasis is placed on the publishers being nominated drafted for the privlege torture of giving the experience made up bull$hit are "publishers in good standing and excellent examples in the congregation." The list of prospective publishers suckas is forwarded to the CO who then forwards them to the elder handling the part. It will often be the PO that nominated the best experiences that gets the "Atta Boy" and gives the part.

Fast forward a few weeks.... Brother and Sistah Sucka is approached by their PO to be on the part. They are sworn to secrecy. "What a Blessin' from Jehovah!" They will meet for several rehearsals "experience massages" with other explempary publishers and pioneers suckas where the CO and other circuit heavies will listen to the parts, sometimes the DO too. (They may have to travel hours and miss work to go to a Kingdom Hall wherever the CO is serving that week, even if it is not convenient for the participants suckas...as long as it is convenient for the CO, that is what matters.) If the parts are not exciting enough/don't quite meet the criteria/etc...then the CO and DO will subtly "suggest" things that might have happened. Pretty soon, the part that is given performed on the assembly looks very little like the original boring experience.

If for some reason no suitable experiences in the circuit can be had, then the elder handling the part will have some Exemplary Pioneers and Elders Kiss-a$$es "reinact" the part (read that make the $hit completely up) based on an experience in the outline from the Society.

Either way, the Society will get the message they want out to the publishers unwashed masses in the circuit.

I know, this is what they did to me in a part I had to give. A close friend later told me I sounded so generic since they knew what really happened. She also noticed I almost never used the pronoun "I" when giving the part. It was no longer my experience...which wasn;t that exciting anyway.

I am soooo glad I don't have to do that crap anymore. Sorry you are having to go...why DID you go anyway?

Snakes ()

22

My Witness Mom Asks " What Doubts Have you Had ? " - My Honest Reply

by flipper in

jw
friends

even though my 82 year old witness mom has been a jw since 1951 - we have always been close, able to talk about anything as she is not your typical mind controlled witness - she is reasonable and values family over alleigance to the wt society.

in my 5 years being out of the witnesses as a fader both her and my elder dad have respected why i stopped going ( initially over injustices by elders ) and later as i've told them , the child abuse issues , view of higher education, etc.

so when we were having a friendly mom to son chat - my mom opened the opportunity for me to share more about my doubts - and you guys know me - i carefully dived right in.. it started by my mom expressing concern over my fading witness niece blaming her witness parents ( my sister & husband ) for her problems as an adult .

SnakesInTheTower

flipper...

is there something in the KoolAid? Because I just got off the phone with my mon (65yrs old, started studying in 69)..and she asked me the same damn question. I kept to my script about the elders... she is pissed off at a former close friend of mine that is an elder in the town I live in because he refused to provide me the Koolaid WT...I had to come to the KH to get it (his words "you have legs").

I told my mom tonight...we do not have enough time to discuss all of the problems I have with the WTBTS and JWs doctrine. If I spoke my "concerns" to an elder, I would be DF'd. She keeps on the with her whole mantra: "Jehovah has always had an Organization on earth."

I did not disagree but instead told her, "yes and Jehovah has spanked his organization a few times in the course of history" (ie, ...Israel, 40 years in the wilderness..... 70CE with the destruction of the temple.... putting the WT officers in prison....) I then told her.... "I think its time Jehovah does some more spanking." She could not disagree. I told her if Jehovah does some serious cleaning out of the Org I would consider coming back (I know I will never have to make good on that because there is no fuc$king Jehovah and the bible is a fairy tale.)

I told her I loved her and we would agree to disagree. She promised to drop the new Koolaid edition of the WT in the mail this week....yee hah...cant wait.... {{gag}} I got off the phoone and started dinner...which should be done soon....

Snakes ()

5

Pandora radio

by greenhornet in

i miss the "kingdom melodies".

when i go to pandora radio i can't find them.

that really upsets me!.

SnakesInTheTower

I like my Kingdom Melody-Free Pandora radio.

I had to switch from Yahoo Launchcast Plus because Yahoo sold it to CBS Radio and now it not customizable as LCP was. There are also commercials that cannot be skipped.

Pandora gets a thumbs up (if snakes had thumbs).

Snakes ()

18

Wii fit

by John Doe in

jw
friends

well, call me an effiminate girly man, but i bought a wii and a wii fit this week.

i must say after firing this program up that it looks pretty impressive.

i don't think it could be made any easier to keep track of your exercise times and weights and goals.

SnakesInTheTower

A good friend of mine (who has been of help to me some since leaving the dubs) is also a preacher and a professional trainer. He sends out a newsletter every few weeks for his personal training cliens.... back in February he sent the following about the Wii (see at end)

Of course, he has a biased, vested interest in this...but is it true? I dont have any games other than what is on the net.

Snakes ()

Can You Game Yourself Thin?

There's nothing worse than getting ripped off.

To invest your hard earned money on a product that promises results that aren't delivered.

That's how millions of new Wii Fit owners are feeling right now, and I don't blame them.

The Wii Fit is marketed as the latest and greatest way to lose weight and be fit. The specialized Nintendo is supposed to do the job of your gym, your treadmill and even your personal trainer.

That's a lot of pressure for a video game.

With all the buzz surrounding the Wii Fit, I decided that some research was in order. What is this Wii Fit, and how is it qualified to get you into the best shape of your life?

The Wii uses television and a wireless "balance board" that is about two feet wide and half as deep. The board is basically a fancy scale, which measures your weight and detects your equilibrium. To play Wii Fit, you stand on the board and do a series of games that fall into one of four categories: aerobics, balance, strength, and yoga.

My research did turn up some cases of documented weight loss as a result of Wii Fit play time. In each case the person went from a sedentary lifestyle (basically a couch potato) and saw weight loss after doing the Wii Fit for 30-60 minutes per day.

Walking for 30-60 minutes per day will give the same results.

To really understand the purpose of this product I did a search on Shigeru Miyamoto, he's the creator of the Wii Fit.

What he said may shock you.

"I don't think Wii Fit's purpose is to make you fit; what it's actually aiming to do is make you aware of your body," he said. "That's why we wanted people to talk with their families about Wii Fit, and become aware of these things together as a group."

The purpose of the Wii Fit is not to make you fit?!

But what about the marketing pieces that are telling you to use the Wii Fit as your one-stop shop for fitness and weight loss?

What about the people who purchased a Wii Fit with the hopes of losing 30 lbs?

It's time to call the Wii Fit what it really is: a video game...entertainment, and that's it.

Don't get me wrong, the Wii Fit is a fun, interactive game that gets you to burn more calories than you would just sitting on the couch. People enjoy playing it with their kids and it sure beats lounging on the couch watching T.V.

But it's just like the creator of the product said; it's not intended to make you fit. Sure, it may be marketed that way but that's not what it's for and that's not what it does.

Don't sell yourself on the idea that a video game will get you into great shape.

Play the Wii Fit. Enjoy the Wii Fit. Burn a few calories with the Wii Fit.

20

who go ONLY to the memorial???

by oompa in

jw
friends

i was planning on going to a meeting or two with my wife.......maybe one or two a month.....but if i do...... i still really do not want to ever go to another memorial......they have weirded me out for years and most of jw friends know that........but you know once you skip a memorial it is like you are marked for death already....i mean word gets around fast "omg...i just heard oompa did not go to the memorial!

so how is this gonna fly if i go to a couple of meetings a month, but skip the memorial?

and if was gonna try to appease my wife by going to some meetings.......should i just bite the bullet and go to the memorial........and then maybe only do the memorial?......i always thought that was sooo funny that we had a bunch of once a year jw's.........they loved coming and rejecting jesus every year..........oompa.

SnakesInTheTower

I have no intention of going. 2007 was the first memorial in a long time that I did not have an "assignment" in a long time. I attended with my congregation at the local JW assembly hall (about 10 congos that meet in multiple congo KHs go there to relieve overflow. I missed my first one ever in 2008...a streak I will continue.

I always thought it would be real interesting to go to a KH for the memorial where no one knows me. I would have to go two states away and hope I didnt guess wrong. I know people in a lot of places. I could go in blue jeans and tshirt, day or two growth of beard...but clean and neat. Show up with an invitation that I "found" and just see what happens...see how I am treated.... not admit to being an inactive dub...or having a JW momma...... I wouldnt attempt to partake... that stuff tastes awful...I tried the emblems after a Memorial... not so sacred eating emblems out of a ziploc bag and pouring unfermented wine out of a gallong jug. I have not figured out that last one.

Nah...April 9th is a Thursday....I would miss Survivor.

Snakes ()

ps...finally free:

I'd be willing to go to one memorial in exchange for someone paying off my mortgage. But only one memorial.

So you do have a price. I would skip the Memorial for a Klondike Bar.