Posts by Flowerpetal

38

JWs Assigned to Fetch Lost Sheep Here?

by HomebutHiding in

jw
friends

i have been pondering the whys of jws who regularly, and not-so regularly post to the board.

the possibility then struck me that maybe they are assigned--have special dispensation--to associate here in order to retrieve any "misguided" or "lost" sheep and bring them back into their fold.

or are they, thenselves, on the edge, wanting the freedom we now have?

Flowerpetal

Hi Gopher and Roybattty!

Thanks for your kind replies. I am also glad to see that Hilary_Step still posts here because I value a lot of what he says.

I do realize that there are a lot of wounded people here due to the meaness of their congregations, friends and family. And I will treat them with respect if they treat me with respect. All I ask is that they don't take it out on me. I really don't know what my future will be as a JW but for now I will stay put. I do see some changes in attitude among the WT study articles about how to treat people in "the world." (with kindness of course) A thing I have been doing all along anyway. The society just has to catch up But we will see what happens....anyway, I feel like I am on my own spiritual journey, and am about to buy a book regarding conducting spiritual warfare written by (gasp!!)......a worldly man!

51

Are all Men Bad?

by IslandWoman in

jw
friends

are all men bad?

of course the answer is no!

it is also true that not all men who work at the watchtower are bad.

Flowerpetal

Dawn, your father was a good man. Sorry you lost him. :(

38

JWs Assigned to Fetch Lost Sheep Here?

by HomebutHiding in

jw
friends

i have been pondering the whys of jws who regularly, and not-so regularly post to the board.

the possibility then struck me that maybe they are assigned--have special dispensation--to associate here in order to retrieve any "misguided" or "lost" sheep and bring them back into their fold.

or are they, thenselves, on the edge, wanting the freedom we now have?

Flowerpetal

I am a JW and I have never thought of coming here to count time, or bring anyone back into the "fold."

I used to post here many months ago, and left because I got sick and tired of ex-jws telling me how I feel and think when I KNOW how I feel and think. I'm not denying that cruelties go on in some KHs toward df'd ones but I have stated that I have never seen it in any congregations I have been associated with, nor the one I am in now. Presently, there is one elder who has 2 df'd adult children who are not living in the home--yet the elder's wife is there to do anything for them that she can--to help with whatever needs they may have. I see another elder who regularly talks to another d'fd person at our hall.

I also feel that it is not the BOE business what books I read, what movies I watch, or whether or not I go to a board where there are ex-jws. So therefore, I feel no compuction to go and tell them what I do in my personal life. I have posted on religious message boards for about 7 years, mostly with people who are born-again Christians. I was cautioned only once by an elder to beware of "apostates" because they are all over everywhere. I had to chuckle to myself because I could tell him many and more things about posting than to be beware of "apostates."

I believe my faith is very strong because it is based on the Bible not on an organization. I have faith in Jehovah--and that proves itself to be the best faith to have since 1975 didn't pan out nor none of the phrases I've heard since then...such as "the end of this system is coming real soon", or "we are "deep in the end of this system," etc. Fact is NOBODY knows, nor can speculate about it. Whatever Jehovah is going to do, and how and when he is going to do it is anybody's guess.

So I just take each day as it comes, thank my heavenly father for the gifts he gives us every day such as the sunrise, the sunset, random acts of kindness I receive from people, the flowers, etc. Things that most people take for granted. You know that phrase, "stop and smell the roses"? I am one of those persons who do that, while still trying to carve out a living.

79

Nitpicking the JW Brotherhood

by IslandWoman in

jw
friends

the jw brotherhood is composed of people.

you know people right?

people are the ones we work with, the ones we live next to, the ones we share this planet with.

Flowerpetal

Wholewheat, you said: The ex-JWs need to remember the good that worshipping Jehovah has brought to millions of brothers and sisters. I think that when all you do is harp on the bad, the good is completely forgotten. It's the brothers and sisters who love Jehovah and choose to live by His principals that reflect what this brotherhood is all about, not outdated theology and the imperfections of a few men.

And these principles are found in the Bible...JWs didn't make them up. There are a lot of non-JW people today who believe the Bible is God's message to mankind and feel that if people lived by the principles found there, the world will be a better place. More and more I see that it is religion that divides people. A person can be spiritual and close to God without professing a religion.

I feel like you do that with the passing of time, after all we are in the 21st century now, the society will probably "loosen its grip".

79

Nitpicking the JW Brotherhood

by IslandWoman in

jw
friends

the jw brotherhood is composed of people.

you know people right?

people are the ones we work with, the ones we live next to, the ones we share this planet with.

Flowerpetal

I am a JW and a long-time absent member of this forum. I think it's more important for one to consider themself a spiritual person, rather than identify what religion they are. I appear to find myself on a spiritual quest and saw a book in the bookstore I am going to buy about conducting spiritual warfare. I perused it the other day, and found it fascinating. I appreciate IslandWoman's remarks but I have had realizations of my own, that don't necessarily agree with the society's view of things (which I wonder still makes me a part of the brotherhood) such as:

What Armageddon is, and what or who if anything is going to be "destroyed"

That the society says we should show humility and not brag, but it brags all the time

That along with all the other religions of the world, its leadership is run by imperfect humans who make mistakes

That what was prophesied by the prophets in the Hebrew scriptures for the nation of Israel (when they experienced calamity), especially in the minor prophetic books, can not necessarily be applied to our time

When I think of more, I'll post them.

83

Who Pays The Ferryman....?

by hillary_step in

french philosopher blaise pascal once noted, "men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.

" a case study for this statement can clearly be evidenced by the governing body of jehovahs witnesses.. the gb present themselves as lovers of truth and righteousness who are the only persons on this planet who speak for god.

this doctrine is at the very core of the beliefs of jehovahs witnesses and is one of the few that cannot be rationalized away by wts apologists.

Flowerpetal

OK I am a JW but not a lurker--I am a member of this forum although I have been absent for many, many months. One reason I left off posting here is because I got the impression that some who posted here were questioning things that the Bible speaks about, but were blaming the society as if the society invented it.

I think HS's post was something worth thinking about, however.

(

Didn't mean for this post to be read--thought I was changing it to purple! LOL

20

Do they try too hard to be 'normal?'

by LDH in

jw
friends

it has occurred to me recently, that a lot of the behavior of jws in good standing is done to trick themselves and others into thinking they're normal.

when in fact, they're not.. example:.

when a young jw man goes to a 'gathering' he will drink one beer loudly and proclaim how good cold beer is!

Flowerpetal

I bet there are even some kids growing up now who think Disney invented the story of Snow White, The Little Mermaid, etc. I have two volumes of these stories, and what I found, in reading them to my kids when they were little, were the very strong, religious and or Catholic overtones in a lot of them.

19

Englishman Unplugged.

by Englishman in

jw
friends

a few posters have asked me questions re my background, so, here is a potted version of my 54 years as an earthling: .

i was born in bolton, greater manchester, in the north of england.. my father was an air-traffic controller and was transferred to london heathrow when i was quite young.

hed flown many missions on lancaster bombers during ww2.

Flowerpetal

Hey Englishman, I was there at Yankee Stadium in 1958 too. I was 10 1/2 yrs old. Maybe we passed each other and never even knew it!

Question for you though.....are you denying Ezekiel's vision or just the society's explanation of it?

13

You Can See Me Dance The Polka Tra La La La.

by Englishman in

jw
friends

when spencer traceys genial dr. jekyll started to whistle you can see me dance the polka we all knew what was about to happen.

sure enough, within a minute or so, the hairs were growing on the back of his hands as the metamorphosis into the odious mr. hyde took effect.. so, im wondering, what exactly are the warning signs that signify that a normally pleasant human being is about to turn into that most wearisome of creatures, youve guessed it, the self-righteous condemning and critical jw?.

i ask because of the impending visit of my auntie lou.

Flowerpetal

Now I'm going to have to ask my atheist friend if my eyes ever glazed over when I go visit her.

5

For Witnesses Only

by Law in

jw
friends

what do witnesses think of other witnesses marrying nonwitnesses?

Flowerpetal

OK I'm a witness and I think in this day and age, life has so many twists and turns, so many unsureties, that if one (a witness) finds a pretty stable individual who is not a witness, and they fall in love, go ahead and get married.

I personally know of a sister who married a non-witness and they have been married close to 20 years, and are still very happy. And I know many witnesses who were married to each other, but are now divorced; some with scriptural divorces and some without scriptural divorces.

Life has NO guarantees, that's for sure!