38 Years

Joined

• started 5 topics
• posted 331 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by 38 Years

• 
  6

  Research materials

  by why??? in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was just wondering how can i get a hold of older wt publications.

  i am still going to meeting as i live with my parents and have access to the hall but i don't see that many older books and even the cd stops at 1950. so how can i get these books and articles?

  any suggestions would be appreciated.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  I've seen some of them on Ebay and Amazon.com (sold by private owners).
• 
  20

  Do you keep clothes that don't fit anymore, thinking they'll fit again.....

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yesterday i bought a pair of jeans, and i don't take the same size as years ago.

  from 31 inch waist 10 years ago, i buy 33 inch waist jeans now.

  a few years ago, i bought many pairs of jeans, and didn't wear them much, thinking i'd be the same weight all my life....lol.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  I keep them and when I look through my closet, I mourn the loss of wearing them
• 
  18

  Blood - things the Society didn't ban?

  by unique1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, crumpets post on the lid of life thread got me thinking.

  when i was a kid and got a cut on my finger my mother would always tell me to suck it.

  which meant i was sucking my own blood, which meant i was eating blood, which meant i was defiling god.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  You know, I hadn't thought about this in a long time. When I was a kid, I used to ask myself that same question about swallowing your own blood. But being the good little Witness, I just dismissed it and thought that if it was important to know, the GB would have told us. I need to make a mental note of this. Another tidbit of how ridiculous Brooklyn is.
• 
  90

  NOT AGAIN! That's right folks, once again we are now 'very close' 2 the end

  by needproof in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have received word that we are now 'very, very close'.

  at the sunday meeting, according to my trusted source, the speaker actually said that 'it is no longer years, nor months - yet weeks and days'.

  so they need you back, now!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  If I didn't know better, I'd think my mom gave the talk. She tells me the same thing every weekend when I talk to her, year after year!
• 
  34

  If The Elders Decide To Get You-----They Will!!!

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  please never think that you can reason with an "older man", a "spiritual shepherd", an "elder".

  elders already know what their agenda is.

  if they want to talk with you, they control the format.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  Hope all goes well for you Amber Rose! Please let us know how things went with the vultures, I mean the JC.
• 
  5

  Present

  by Kant846 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a jehovah witness coworker who is out sick for a couple of weeks.

  we ( a group of coworkers) are planning on sending her a get well soon card and present (teddy bear).

  will this be disrespecting her as a jehovah's witness and her religous beliefs.. thank you for your quick response.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  This is a very kind thing for you to organize. She will not be offended at all. If she is not strong and popular in her congregation, she may not get many well wishes from the members. It would be wonderful for her to see that you cared about her.
• 
  19

  How about birthdays?

  by molybdenum in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi... i'm a newbie here.

  i have been associated with jw's for quite some time however there is one aspect of being a witness that i can't quite come to terms with that is the prohibition on celebrating a person's birthday i have of course read the arguments for this but find them somewhat unconvincing.

  is it really the case that everyone follows this direction?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  Welcome! As a JW, I didn't celebrate birthdays for 38 years (hence the name). After quitting 4 years ago, I celebrate everything, with no looking back. Anyway, here's some information with the link if you want to read more:

  http://www.jwinfoline.com/Documents/Holidays/pagan_celebrations_allowed.htm

  How are new converts instructed?

  When a new convert becomes a Jehovah's Witness they are quickly instructed on the pagan origins of our modern day celebrations. The Watchtower has made it known to its followers that they are to reject national holidays, birthdays, mother's and father's day considering them all to be of pagan origin. It is interesting to make a comparison of the rejected celebrations compared to what is allowed for a Jehovah's Witness.

  Why aren't birthdays allowed?

  Birthdays are not allowed by the Watchtower because two pagan rulers in the Bible killed people on their birthdays. The Pharaoh of Egypt killed his baker (Gen 40:20) and King Herod killed John the Baptist. (Matt 14:6). Is the actions of two wicked rulers sufficient enough proof that God condemns the celebration of birthdays? Is there any evidence in the Bible that proves that a Christian who celebrates a birthday is worthy of eternal death? It is apparent that the forbidding of birthdays did not make it into the ten commandments nor is it listed in the sins that God hates in the New Testament. Don't you think that God would have commented directly on the sin of celebrating birthdays if he provided such a harsh punishment as eternal death?

  What is allowed?

  Job apparently saw no problem with birthdays as he did not stop his children from regularly celebrating their own special days (Job 1:4,5; 3:1-3). And Abraham had no problem giving a party for Isaac when he was weaned, a celebration of his special day. (Gen 21:8) The Watchtower concludes that since the early church did not celebrate birthdays, we must not either. A birthday is in reality nothing more than an anniversary of a special event. Although the early church did not celebrate birth anniversaries, they did celebrate the anniversary of the death of the saints. The Watchtower allows the celebration of wedding anniversaries which is the celebration of the birth of the marriage. The Watchtower had no problems with celebrating their own 100th anniversary of the birth of their organization. Yet at the same time they disfellowship and condemn to eternal death those who celebrate the anniversary of one's birth. How can one celebrate the birth of an organization but not celebrate the birth of one's mate? Surely if the Watchtower is right, the same God who destroys people forever for celebrating the anniversary of their birth would not thinking lightly of people who celebrate the anniversary of their wedding or the anniversary of an organization's birth.

  Are there inconsistencies?

  The inconsistency in the Watchtower's rules is highlighted in the marriage celebration. The Watchtower allows wedding rings to be given even though secular sources show that they have a pagan origin. Should they be allowed for Jehovah's Witnesses? Honeymoons are allowed for Jehovah's Witnesses even though they have their origin 4,000 years ago in Babylon with what was then called the "honey month" after the wedding. Perhaps an article will be printed in the future in the Watchtower banning the honeymoon. Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to use the names of the days and months of the year that are clearly from pagan sources yet celebrating the anniversary of the first coming of the Savior is a definite no-no. Perhaps the Watchtower is waiting until someone reinvents the calendar before they institute a ban on the present Roman calendar. Although the Bible says to honor your father and your mother, the Watchtower says you can't honor them on one particular day - Mother's day or Father's day. If you brought them a card wishing them a happy day on that day or brought them a bouquet of flowers on that particular day, you would be subject to being kicked out of the Watchtower Society and subsequently face eternal death for your actions. Is the Watchtower going beyond what is written in the Bible?
• 
  24

  What was your 1st Deception as a JW?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  was was the first thing that really decieved you, in your jw years?.

  was it the way you were treated, or maybe a teaching that deceived you ?.

  i think my 1st deception was when they said that the resurrected ones wouldn't be allowed to get married in the new system.. then i wondered why ???

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  I learned at a very young age that elders weren't looking out for your best interests. They weren't interested in your concerns, all they cared about was how much field service time you were putting in.
• 
  23

  Sad

  by sexyk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well................ive been in the jw religion my entire life, until last summer.

  im 20 years old now, and miss my family and friends.

  i left because i did alot of research about the jw religion, and i found nothing good and alot of truth.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  It's amazing how scared they really are to be near anything that is different than what they have been taught. They get so defensive. It must be a combination of fear and pride. They are taught they are superior to others, so they should always have the upper hand, the last word.

  I'm sorry this happened to you. I think about my old friends I grew up with as a JW. If they knew I quit, they would just tell me off. One of my friends was on the Awake cover a couple of months ago. My mother sent it to me. It brought back a lot of old memories. It was very sad to see how she committed her whole life to this organization and still hangs on to their promises.
• 
  44

  What do you do to fill the void?

  by R.F. in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i know many of you are dfed, daed, and faded.

  what do you do to fill the void of the time left that was devoted to the religion?

  i just like to know what activities you all are into.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  38 Years

  As soon as I decided to quit being a JW, I researched celebrating holidays and birthdays! At first I felt funny about it, but I read more about it from some websites and they made valid points. After I read Crisis of Conscience, I decided Brooklyn didn't have the right to tell anyone what to do or not to do. Planning for celebrations filled a void I felt for a long time from being left out and watching everyone else have fun. I tried to make myself hate all the pagan celebrations, but secretly I wished I could be a part of it. Christmas is my favorite! I hadn't celebrated since I was 10 years old. I love celebrating birthdays because everyone should have a special, happy day.