Flowerpetal

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Posts by Flowerpetal

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  106

  If You Could Write Articles For The Watchtower What Would The Titles Be?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you had the power to print millions of watchtowers & awakes and you could see to it that the articles that you wrote got to all the readers, give a sampling of what the articles highlighting "spiritual food" would say.

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  Flowerpetal

  The Biblical Definition of "Soon" (Deep Study Article -- Special Anniversary Issue)

  I love it and soooo true!!

  integ and Greven -- hilarious!!!!
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  101

  Elders - Law Enforcers or Loving

  by Jim Dee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they don't care

  they enforce the rules without compassion, dogma without dignity and punish with glee - it keeps the others in line.

  they have total control without guideline or being accountable to anyone.

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  Flowerpetal

  It seems like the older ones were the more loving type--more tolerant, accecpting. Even my mom, who died in June of this year, who was baptized in 1941, before she became ill, noticed how different attitudes were creeping into the congregations. She often commented that she didn't understand what was happening.
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  1

  Hilary and David are back!

  by TresHappy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  after a lengthy hiatus due to salary negotiations, hilary and david have returned to jw.com.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/48468/1.ashx.

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  Flowerpetal

  I started it from the beginning...what a story!!!! Great laughs too!!!
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  101

  Elders - Law Enforcers or Loving

  by Jim Dee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they don't care

  they enforce the rules without compassion, dogma without dignity and punish with glee - it keeps the others in line.

  they have total control without guideline or being accountable to anyone.

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  Flowerpetal

  Flowerpetal,

  In my experience, while I have known elders who were tyrannical and heard stories about them, and even experienced one while visiting a congregation, and he was conducting the WT study...just arbitrarily calling on people even though their hands weren't raised, the majority of elders in the congregations I was in, were tolerable and not tyrannical. The cong. I'm in now, the elders really are striving to be Christlike shepherds.

  Hilary:

  Thank you for your refreshing honesty - and good luck with the 'fade'.

  Hilary, you're welcome. And thank you. I also want to add that in considering that people are just people in whatever positions or circumstances one might find them in, one also has to consider what background they come from. One elder in my congregation and his wife are from a Greek Island. They are in their '40's. They have their idiocyncracies which are peculiar to their culture.

  When I asked the wife if she had seen My Big, Fat Greek Wedding--she said yes and smiled. She also stated "you have to understand---it's a Greek thing." That statement said a lot, as far as I was concerned.
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  101

  Elders - Law Enforcers or Loving

  by Jim Dee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they don't care

  they enforce the rules without compassion, dogma without dignity and punish with glee - it keeps the others in line.

  they have total control without guideline or being accountable to anyone.

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  Flowerpetal

  Flower, best wishes to you as you attempt to fade. I too faded over a period of many years. Moving away finally helped too.

  Thank you, Sam....
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  8

  Interesting Witness Obituary

  by apple829 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  Flowerpetal

  Mizpah:

  Apple:

  My impression is that Jehovah's Witnesses had much to do with the writing of that obituary. It sounds too much like an "experience" that one would hear at an assembly or Kingdom Hall. It would be interesting to hear comments from her neighbors and relatives who were not in the organization.

  It's sad that she died at such an relatively early age. As already expressed, I hope she found fulfillment in her active life as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Having been in the organization for that length of time, I wonder if she ever had doubts and questions about the Watchtower Society?

  I know you don't know me from Adam so you can believe me or not, but like I said, I knew this sister, and I knew her husband before he married her. The whole obit sounds like his personality and that he wrote it. When I lived in Buffalo, I saw her drawings. At the time I lived there, right after she was married, she started free-lancing for the department stores, putting her sketches of articles of clothing in the newspapers. I'm not surprised she went on to better things in her work. Her art was part of her personality. If she were ever deprived of being able to express herself thru her drawings, sense of fashion, etc. I know she would have been terrible depressed.

  Since I have been away from Buffalo for a very long time, I wouldn't know if she ever had doubts about the society, but she did tell me one time, that she believed that space travel would probably be something that would be accomplished after mankind was perfected. Also she confided that to me, and asked me not to say anything beyond my family. Maybe she recognized that not all JWs had that broadness of mind to even imagine space travel. I know some who thought in the paradise earth, all would go back to the horse and buggy days. They would have been appalled that a JW was entertaining the thought of space travel.
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  21

  I'm leaving....

  by funkyderek in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ...but only for three weeks.

  (yeah, i know, i didn't fool anybody!).

  i'm going to brazil with my girlfriend on monday.

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  Flowerpetal

  Hopefully one day I'll get there to visit--always wanted to..
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  101

  Elders - Law Enforcers or Loving

  by Jim Dee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they don't care

  they enforce the rules without compassion, dogma without dignity and punish with glee - it keeps the others in line.

  they have total control without guideline or being accountable to anyone.

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  Flowerpetal

  One last point I want to make is that elder body conduct can vary markedly from community to community. I have known many elders who were at least tolerable, but many in my experience have been incompetent at best, tyrannical at worst.

  I agree with your first statement--and maybe that's why congregations are the same way. I have heard the expression that each congregation has it's own personality, and I have visited enough congregations to see that this is true.

  In my experience, while I have known elders who were tyrannical and heard stories about them, and even experienced one while visiting a congregation, and he was conducting the WT study...just arbitrarily calling on people even though their hands weren't raised, the majority of elders in the congregations I was in, were tolerable and not tyrannical.

  The cong. I'm in now, the elders really are striving to be Christlike shepherds. Maybe because some (3) have had problems in their own families and they can empathize with others who have had problems. I can only speak on what I see..I am not one to run to the elders for every little concern that I have; therefore I feel I have the freedom to live my life without their interference. I have always put people who run to the elders for everything, like people who run to the doctor for everything. My parents didn't live their lives that way and I don't live my life that way.

  I am trying to do a slow fade from the org. not because of the elders, but because of my realization that I have been questioning teachings and beliefs, in my own mind for a loooong time. Somehow, something has always held me back, (my conscience maybe?) from believing that every word dripping from their mouths are to be obeyed as if they were spirit-inspired. Elders are just men, no better than any other man; no better than my dad, who was not a witness. Maybe some of my dad's attitude rubbed off on me. They would come to visit him and try to get him interested in coming to the meetings, and try to witness to him. He knew what they were trying to do and he didn't take the bait. He would share with me what he thought of them so maybe because of him, I was able to see these men as just men. Anyway, however I do the fade, it will be very hard because I know the elders in my cong. would be concerned in a genuine way.
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  8

  Interesting Witness Obituary

  by apple829 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  Flowerpetal

  I understand where you're coming from, apple. Knowing her husband as well, it sounds like he wrote this obit. and I'm not surprised that he made it lengthy.
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  5

  Simply Irresistable no More...Palmer Dead

  by SpiceItUp in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  http://www.cnn.com/2003/showbiz/music/09/26/britain.palmer/index.html

  singer robert palmer dies at 54

  friday, september 26, 2003 posted: 8:36 am edt (1236 gmt).

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  Flowerpetal

  I loved "Simply Irresistable" and "Addicted to Love" They were great driving in heavy traffic kinds of music. Sorry that he's gone!