Posts by monophonic

31

tired of being an apostate

by Hortensia in

jw
friends

i'm tired of being an apostate, atheist, agnostic, take your pick.

i was going to start calling myself a heretic, but then i decided to look up apostate in the thesaurus.

look at all the lovely words we have to choose from:.

monophonic

how about normal human? it's the propaganda of the wtbts that labels "unbelievers" aka people who actually can think and reason.

19

water to wine---trick revealed

by tula in

jw
friends

an ethnobotanist in santa cruz, california, thinks jesus was munching magic mushrooms at the last supper.

clark heinrich says man has enjoyed the psychedelic effects of mushrooms since thousands of years before christ -- and figured the king of kings probably turned on as well.

in fact, he thinks jesus was high on a psychedelic 'shroom known as "fly agaric" which was hailed for its taste as well as its trips.

monophonic

would be time to go back to meetings if 'shrooms were handed out before the meeting. then coke to stay awake. then bong hits to not get too speedy on the coke.

where's my suit and tie?

13

the stress in the day to day scenario for a jehovah witnesses trying to live their life through the wtbts is the same that cause them to work harder until they either work even harder, fade away, or suffer a mental breakdown.

fear of reproof or divine punishment from jehovah, not love for jesus, grips their day to day activities as they feel they must fulfill their duties of preaching and attending meeting.

many who came into the organization in the 90s; came in due to the friendliness of the people and not the reality of the cult.

monophonic

thank you for your experience...very important to know.

when my father, who stepped down as an elder b/c he couldn't take the hours of shouting matches b/t the hot headed, power hungry brothers in the hall, when he had a mental breakdown and ended up hospitalized, elders from two different congregations, one we grew up in for 18 years, tried to double talk him and find out what his sin was and why jehovah took his holy spirit away from our house.

so, they automatically shunned him without evidence, or making an announcement. when he needed them most, when he had given 9 years of his life as a great elder, and a crap father, 1989 was the time when the wtbts was not down with therapy or getting help....even when i came back for a 'love study' when i was 22, the elders urged me to stop therapy because 'all you need is right here' and they'd point to the bible.

as time goes by people conveniently forget or choose not to remember...it's really important that we keep these experiences alive. and great to get your perspective as someone who came 'in' in the 1990's.

it's such a sham(e).

43

Ladies, is stubble on a man attractive?

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

or does it mean he's just a lazy bugger who hasn't shaved?

my lady insists i'm nice and smooth but gets all hot and bothered over a bristly ewan mcgregor!

i mean, what's a guy to do?.

monophonic

forget stubble, go all the way.

11

Satan Is The Ruler Of This World?

by Sarah Smiles in

do you think satan would be ruler if jesus earthly kingdom arrived on earth in 1914?.

what are the wtbts thinking?.

monophonic

kind of off-topic, but it reminds me of the tom waits lyric:

you know there ain't no devil
it's just god when he's drunk.

22

Actually sat through a whole meeting for the first time in 6 months

by B_Deserter in

a brother from my old hall was giving the talk so my brother (who lives with me and has no idea how i feel) signed us up for hospitality.

i decided i should at least make an appearance to stave off the storm a little.

man, i can barely stand being there.

monophonic

exact same conversation i've had with a relative who is still "in". i told them i couldn't ever let anything stupid being said from the platform without wanting a chance to make the person explain themselves on saying something so stupid....and to watch bobbing heads agree with it would make me freak out.

22

Actually sat through a whole meeting for the first time in 6 months

by B_Deserter in

a brother from my old hall was giving the talk so my brother (who lives with me and has no idea how i feel) signed us up for hospitality.

i decided i should at least make an appearance to stave off the storm a little.

man, i can barely stand being there.

monophonic

i remember when i was 'in' and still bought in, there were a dozen times or so where we'd show up for the meeting, then a couple of us would sneak out and go to breakfast and come back halfway through watchtower.

to the original poster, i feel your pain, and when i do memorial for various family reasons....45 minutes of pain a year = i avoid a tornado of family shit i don't want to deal with, i take some xanax, have a flask with me that i don't mind using, and a pack of cigarettes in my pocket just for the hell of it.

life's lovely rituals.

28

Silent Lambs

by BEROEAN in

so was this all about money or what?

i was hoping silent lambs would resist the money and push for the exposure of the criminals.

instead they cave in to the gag order and they took the money and ran!

monophonic

btw, you bring up a very good point re: the police and comparing the elders.

personally, i was friends with elders from when i was a little kid, and i'm very resolved not to hide my authentic self from any friends, family, associates.

i also have family who are on the police force and know that i do illegal stuff here and there, and they even do it themselves.

so, comparing the two is a bit subjective.

would someone confess all the laws they broke to a police officer who has no relationship with them? no.

would i discuss with my brother in law all night parties i'm going to that should be shut down by police because they're illegal? yes....i might not tell him where they are, but he wouldn't shun me for attending or promoting the parties. i also work with an organization that's doing something blatantly illegal as a protest to a current law. he knows i'm associated with them. still, he would never shun me or tell me i'm wrong....in fact, he has said to drop his name if i'm ever in any trouble.

i have never, in the seven congregations i was in growing up, seen any similar reasonableness among the elders....the minute a rule was broken, even a very light rule, even though i had been friends with them for life, they were up my ass and i probably have more experience in committee meetings on the other side than some elders.

and they weren't being merciful, i knew how to play the game in the backroom when needed and most of the time they were up my ass for stuff i never did and treated me guilty until proven innocent. it turned out there were some jealous sisters who planted fibs here and there b/c i wasn't into them and since they were pioneers and i was a lowly publisher, guess who gets to sit eight hours with elders trying to make them understand i hadn't been near _____ or ever ______, etc. so, in my experience, and the times i have dealt with the police when i've been busted for something, the police have been way more respectful, tolerant and trustworthy than any elder has ever been.

i faded years ago. if the elders saw my authentic self they would DF me in a second. just because i can't believe the wtbts is the spokesman for God. they would need no other reason, i would be an apostate and no longer and jehovah's witness and lose communication with any family and friends who are still witnesses.

not to say that police are the great sympathizers, but i'll take a cop any day over an elder.

28

Silent Lambs

by BEROEAN in

so was this all about money or what?

i was hoping silent lambs would resist the money and push for the exposure of the criminals.

instead they cave in to the gag order and they took the money and ran!

monophonic

i'm glad you're on the forum, sorry for my assumption above.

keep up the research and i look forward to more postings and experiences from you.

14

(Yawn topic) Your Favorite 80's shoe styles

by NotaNess in

jw
friends

1) reebok high tops with the tongue hanging out, and tight cuff jeans behind the tongue.

(any one want to start at fav 80's jeans thread??

don't make me bring up my tight levis with comb sticking out of my back pocket to comb my leif garrett feathered hair style).

monophonic

donde esta Creepers?

plain converse for skating, creepers for the club.