Its "Mothering Sunday" in Canada, Great Britain, and I think N. Ireland according to my calendar...
Snakes ()
SnakesInTheTower
JoinedPosts by SnakesInTheTower
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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
by free2think inhappy mother's day to all the lovely mummy's.. i hope you all get spoiled rotten.. .
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i am 20 minutes away from a sheparding call........
by oompa infirst one in at least 5 years.......wife does not want to sit in and i just told her if she does not, then i am not either.....this loss of faith thingy has really been rough on our marriage.......i have decided to not bring up a single issue i have........i will relate to them my illustration of the taxi driver who keeps giving out bad directions i posted yesterday.......i think what will surprise them maybe is that my loss of faith goes way beyond wt.......i have lost virtually faith in the bible and god......one has already told the "first place to start is to get going to the meetings again!"....lmao!!!.........
i hope their programed brains can grasp that maybe you need faith in a god first.....then find out what method (or book) he is using to educate us if he wants to....and then if you feel the need....look around to find out if there is a group of folks who all have similar beliefs.........this should be interesting...........oompa.
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SnakesInTheTower
just seen the other post ahead of mine....I wouldnt go with the spiritual vacation part.. that will get them down your throat..as will saying you are spiritually exhausted..they have "answers" for that.... but regular exhaustion and depression might... of course...meetings are the cure for depression right? NOT
Snakes ()
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i am 20 minutes away from a sheparding call........
by oompa infirst one in at least 5 years.......wife does not want to sit in and i just told her if she does not, then i am not either.....this loss of faith thingy has really been rough on our marriage.......i have decided to not bring up a single issue i have........i will relate to them my illustration of the taxi driver who keeps giving out bad directions i posted yesterday.......i think what will surprise them maybe is that my loss of faith goes way beyond wt.......i have lost virtually faith in the bible and god......one has already told the "first place to start is to get going to the meetings again!"....lmao!!!.........
i hope their programed brains can grasp that maybe you need faith in a god first.....then find out what method (or book) he is using to educate us if he wants to....and then if you feel the need....look around to find out if there is a group of folks who all have similar beliefs.........this should be interesting...........oompa.
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SnakesInTheTower
I have little advice... they have already determined their goal for this SC. You have to figure out what that is. Depends on the mindset of the BOE and the individuals elders coming to see you.
Figure out who is good cop and who is bad cop...it goes a long way to dealing with it..
well...7 minutes to go.... I wish you well oompa....
Snakes ()
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Pecking order of Memorial jobs
by Open mind inwhat's your personal take on the perceived level of jw prestige attached to various jobs at the memorial?.
here are a handfull in no particular order:.
parking.
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SnakesInTheTower
In the congo that I was assigned to in rural southern Illinois (after graduating MTS), the Secretary's wife was Head Elderette. She was over providing the table cloth, crystal wine glasses, fine bone china, crackers and wine for the Memorial..it was her Easter, her time to shine.
I was never there for the Memorial as I was only there 4 months, not during the Memorial season. During the short time I was there, the congo was doing a fall cleaning. I ran across this very exquisite set of china and glasses in a cabinet along with this fine linen cloth... very expensive. I asked about it and was told the story. I told the elders (the PO and the Secretary and the new SO) to "remove it from the KH as it is a huge liability if it comes up missing or damaged and that besides it was entirely too ostentatious for such a somber occasion..and this was for the Memorial not a dinner party to impress a foreign dignatary." You would have thought that I had tossed the Pope's chalice into the sewer. OMG there was an uproar. CO backed me..he knew nothing of this "extra."
I did it, not because I gave a crap about the glasses, etc...I didn't....but because that sister was an evil bit#h that made people in the congregation miserable and refused to share anything with others that would take the shine off of her self-appointed "Mother" status. The following Memorial, the sister and her Secretary husband had moved FAR away...with their precious dishes...to cause misery elsewhere..much to the relief of their old congo...
LOL.... so sad... I heard the congo has since been dissolved...6 years later...guess 3 MTS elders couldnt fix that bunch...
Snakes ()
ps...as a side story about this same congo....it was at this same KH fall cleaning that I cleared out the CIA files of the secretary in the KH office...after a 2 month battle to get the file key which involved the CO pulling rank to get me the key..... I pulled 2 Hefty garbage bags FULL out to be burned. In these files were all kinds of personal details about each person in the congo kept over the decades..very personal minute, sometimes embarrasing, details... the secretary had already created a file on me...J Edgar Hoover had nothing on this old creep. He was hot that I had gotten into his file...I asked if the CO knew about the file....that was the end of the discussion....lol..no wonder the elders hated me and most of the publishers loved me......
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Thought y'all might enjoy this one...
by under_believer inhey all, just got this email from one of the jw mailing lists i still seem to be subscribed to.... .
> these are pictures that have just been painted on the various walls of.
> our lovely assembly hall in plant city , florida .
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SnakesInTheTower
too bad such artistic talent is wasted on the walls of a JW assembly hall. And no thanks, I want no part of a JW version of paradise.
I remember the mural at the St Louis Assembly Hall. When the discussion was to replace that wall with windows to look out on (eventually) a beautiful real garden, you would have thought they were talking about defacing the holy grail.
There was a map of the world on the wall of the library in the KH I used to attend. (from the Yearbook). One day, the brother who painted it on there visited his old hall, and seen it was still there and asked "why havent you painted over that? Its out of date." Took another few years until the remodel before they repainted.
Snakes ()
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How long does reinstatement take?!? Question for a elder or someone thats been in this situation
by N-kiki in -
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SnakesInTheTower
Your current hall will conduct the reinstatement hearing, they will probably call or write the old hall for details though.
Has something changed since Dec 2006 when I was still an elder? Last I heard, the congo that DF'd is the one that has the final say on reinstatement. They will share some information from the case with the new congo elders, the new congo will appoint 2 elders to monitor the situation (usually the PO and either SO or secretary, but not always), meet with the DF'd person, and stay in communication with the original JC. If the congos are geographically close (or even in the same circuit), the DF'd individual will most likely be required to meet with the original committee. If there is considerable distance, then the new congo elders will stay in correspondence and give weight to the "progress" reported by the new congo. Much has to do with the status of the individual prior to DF, the makeup and attitude of the JC and the BOE, the nature of the "offense", etc.
6 months is bare minimum. When I was in MTS, and at elder's schools, it was emphasized repeatedly that JCs were reinstating DF people entirely too quickly. As one instructor at MTS told us students very directly: "It makes a mockery of the discipline if someone can commit a serious sin, wait 2 months, or even 6 months, then feign repentence with tears. They should in most cases wait at least a year to emphasize the seriousness of the situation to the individual." End quote..almost word for word. Sick. Not about helping a person, about following unscriptural rules.
And COs are often consulted about cases, especially if the 6 month or 12 month mark is around that time; they will put off a decision until the CO visits. Certainly elders will often consult with other more experienced elders outside of the JC, even though they are not supposed to do that. The CO, DO, and the Society are supposed to be the exception. No one outside of the JC is supposed to know details. (as a side note, when a JC needs to be formed, the elder that is made aware of a situation will contact the PO, the PO will convene all the elders if possible, and a "rough" outline of the charges are to be made known to the entire body. Then the (at least) 3 elders will be appointed by the body to serve on the JC. However...from experience, I can tell you that during the initial elder discussion before the JC is formed, entire details are laid out in violation of confidentiality).
Now...more directly to our new member n-kiki...first of all WELCOME. Second of all, as Homer said..you do realize this web site is considered by the Society as an "Apostate" board and that not only mere presence here, but also your membership, that if you are busted, you will have a very difficult time getting reinstated. Third, I HOPE THE MODS WILL MOVE THIS THREAD TO THE PRIVATE SECTION OF THE BOARD. You see, not to alarm you, but you posted on the PUBLIC part of the board. Meaning even lurking elders can see your posting about this situation. I know because a PO in my old congo used to lurk on the public sections of apostate boards...he often brought printouts to our meetings in an effort to DF a brother. The PO was successful.
Finally, to comment on this:
for my family, friends, the elders that disfellowshipped me and most of all JEHOVAH. I cant imagin spending the rest of my life not being able to see my family and have someone else telling my parents that they can not see there furture grandchildern since my husband and i are both in this situation.
Many here fully understand this need. Some are even in similar situations with their family. Just understand that Jehovah is not a part of the equation. Just like the Nation of Israel of old, if the WTBTS was ever "God's Organization" they are not now. And just as the bible says the nation was DF'd for 40 years in the wilderness, so too the WTBTS needs a spanking. That is operating under the presumption any of that account is true.
If there is indeed Jehovah, do you really think a "god of love" or his son Jesus would treat one of his troubled sheep as the judicial committees treat disfellowshipped individuals? I seriously doubt it. So if you are trying to get reinstated to keep family ties, then go in with the understanding that you give up more than you gain. It is a tough decision...only one you can make.
I am an inactive JW myself according to the Society. I am known on this board as a "fader"...one who leaves and no longer considers themselves a JW....and I am no longer on their active rolls.... but if the elders knew I was here they would DF me in a heartbeat as a traitor. I only fade because my JW mom is still active...otherwise I wouldnt care.
If you need to chat more, send a PM... I will help if I can... I wish you well on your journey..sorry this is so long.. others here know of my long posts at times...
Snakes ()
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I was counciled for putting in Pioneer hours and not officially "Pioneering"
by RubaDub ini didn't want to hijack the thread about people having to "wait" until the society approves their pioneer status.. i recall once an elder was shocked that i had done the 60 hours a couple of months but not officially on the pioneer list for the months.
i told him that i didn't need the title, that the purpose was to do the work, not get a title.. i then heard a long lecture about how that was not encouraging to others, etc, etc, etc.. he got rather annoyed when i asked him what the purpose of the preaching work is.
of course he said to spread the good news.
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SnakesInTheTower
Funny,,, my JW mom is putting in the pioneer hours now. She retired from secular work about 3 years ago and then a year ago moved states with her UBM. She refuses to sign a form to pioneer (blames her UBM..yet he never interferes...she waits on him hand and foot). She still remembers putting in 75 hours to "Vacation Pioneer" in the summer. Now even a regular pioneer doesn't do 70.
I haven't heard if they are trying to pressure her or not. I have a feeling she won't tell me, cause she knows I will drive down to Alabama and give those elders a whatfor. Thankfully, it seems like they are treating her well, even if she did tell them about her former elder MTS grad now inactive son.
By the way, what "benefits" do the Regular Pioneers get any more? No free lunch tickets for the assemblies, no discounted literature. They get 3 hours with the CO and DO before the CA at a pioneer meeting...they get a precious hour during each CO visit...and another special "outline" from mamma from a couple of elders in December to "encourage" them (from elders who hurry up and look over the outline an hour before the meeting and couldn't care less or they would be pioneering).
What do the pioneers get in return? 70 hours a month of nonsense...no one home, studying with the lonely and crazy, dealing with or contributing to the "car group gossip" sessions.... scrambling to find someone other than the wet-behind-the-ears 20 year old single MS pioneer, the single mom with 6 kids, or the crazy old sister that no one wants to work with. Yeah...good times.... Why do they do it?
Snakes ()
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Building new friendships
by troubled mind inon the thread about 'moving on after leaving the witnesses', it brought to mind how hard it is to build new friendships .. for me i have been out for a little over three years .
i knew before i quit that it would be important to fill the void that would be left when old "friends" began dropping us .
lucky for me i worked with some very fun out going people at my job .
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SnakesInTheTower
It is taking me time as well. I am slowly getting involved on campus with a couple of clubs...just as I am getting ready to leave... I wish I had started back in 2004 with them. I am an officer in one club (an environmental "green" club). I am working hard to keep the little group together and recruit for next semester when I will likely no longer be an active student, but a mere alumni.
I dont do much outside of work and school... still a social retard (as CS said)...and I understand that. I have always had issues with trusting people even while a dub...it is hard for me to build new friendships.
troubled mind... I am on facebook...but under my real name. I have one good friend that was never a dub who I also talk to offline...and the rest a bunch of us "apostates."
Snakes ()
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Hello Friends, Part 2
by lonestar63 inas i stated in my first post, i had reached a crossroads.. i was never going back to the kingdom hall, ever.. my struggle was i knew i had to tell my wife.
she is my best friend and soulmate.
i am indeed a lucky man to have found her.
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SnakesInTheTower
Nice. It won't go that well for all of course, and you took a leap of faith of a different sort, but the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward. You showed spine and more importantly your wife seen that you cared about her and the family.
Did your wife say how long she had felt betrayed by the organization?
Thanks for sharing and, if I have't done so already, welcome to the board.
Snakes ()
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Anyone know Brown family from St.Louis, MO or West Lafayette IN?
by SnakesInTheTower inmany moons ago my family was close to a family of dubs by the last name of brown.
i believe the first names of the parents were floyd and dena.
they had a bunch of kids.
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SnakesInTheTower
not that one I guess.... anyone else? bttt
Snakes ()