Posts by Flowerpetal

62

What Did you Plan On Doing In The New System?

by minimus in

jw
friends

every child and bible student was told about how wonderful the "new system" was going to be.

"and what animal do you want to have in the new system?

"......that was a very typical question.

Flowerpetal

LOL at Dr. Watson's comment!

On a sour note, at a circuit assembly many years ago, I remember a part about not complaining about those in authority. Then there was a demonstration of how it could even happen in the new system and they showed this one "Faithful" couple walking along admiring the beautiful flowers in someone's garden, and then another couple came along (they were resurrected--the last thing they remembered was being killed in a car accident--screams and all) and they greeted the "faithful" couple and they admired the flowers too--but then the resurrected couple criticized something some "elder" had said regarding some new arrangement, and ZAP!!!!!! a lightning bolt came down from the sky and killed them right on the spot. There were sound effects, the lights went off in the assembly hall, and there was a strobe light simulating lightning. I'm sure it scared a lot of kids....

62

What Did you Plan On Doing In The New System?

by minimus in

jw
friends

every child and bible student was told about how wonderful the "new system" was going to be.

"and what animal do you want to have in the new system?

"......that was a very typical question.

Flowerpetal

It's funny...that when you're a kid you have all these things you want to do. Mine were riding a horse, associating with wild animals, e.g. lions, wolves, etc. But then when you get older, you either have fulfilled these fantasies or have seen others experince dealing with wild animals. When I was a teenager I finally did get to ride horses---although with a saddle. I read an article of a family who rescued a wolf and he lived with them--and the husband had to learn about wolf behavior in order to keep the wolf from being aggressive. The husband had to be the alpha-male and the wolf accecpted that. People today walk among lions -- the ones who understand their behavior. A lady, I forgot her name at the moment, lived with and studied gorillas in Africa. Jayne Goodall studied chimpanzees for over 20 years. So that kind of took my fantasies away--although personally I would love to be with these animals.

In the meantime, I wanted to study things that boggle my mind now such as math, & physics. With a perfect mind, I'd ace those subjects. Also, studying genetics--I find that fascinating.

So then in my young adult years, especially after an elder's wife thought we would embark on space travel, that was my thing too. I love learning about space and just am amazed at the pictures the Hubble telescope has taken of nebulas, etc. So I guess now, in my older life, I still would love to travel in space.

I just hope that if there is to be a paradise earth, we won't become innocents that are food to more evil creatures (ala The Time Machine).

7

NAME A GOOD CONGREGATION 2 GO 2!

by badboy in

jw
friends

.

i would like 2 go 2 1 which has lots of fistfights/scandals etc etc.. make it my day by naming such a congregation.

Flowerpetal

I must have lived a sheltered life! I have never been to a congregation where this stuff went on, at least overtly--don't know what went on in families.

55

sigh I think I'm staying in the borg

by SC_Guy in

jw
friends

i *can't* leave, i'm trapped.

i was talking to my twin sister tonight on how i didn't want to go to the upcoming convention this weekend because we had already been to it 2 months ago... .

i have to prepare some audition matrial for a arts event and my parents are not sympathtic to the fact i got allot to do, and we've already been.

Flowerpetal

Didn't mean to internalize this post started by SC_Guy.

SC_Guy I wish you the best in whatever you decide to do. Just cling close to God and try at least, if you still feel you must associate with the organization, to mentally free yourself from the attitudes and slant on the Bible they have. If it gets to be too much and you need a dose of reality often, come to this board and you will see the "real world." That's what I do.

55

sigh I think I'm staying in the borg

by SC_Guy in

jw
friends

i *can't* leave, i'm trapped.

i was talking to my twin sister tonight on how i didn't want to go to the upcoming convention this weekend because we had already been to it 2 months ago... .

i have to prepare some audition matrial for a arts event and my parents are not sympathtic to the fact i got allot to do, and we've already been.

Flowerpetal

SS and Maverick,

As a late-blooming artist, (even though now looking in retrospect, I've always had that creative personality) your posts speak to me. At times, growing up, I always had the sense that my mom didn't know what to do with me sometimes, because my mind was always sort of off center, even though I was a good dub growning up..she knew there was something about me she couldn't reach. One time she even asked me why I couldn't be like my JW friend, who was always obedient and had that zeal for the "troof" that I didn't. I was her only child and she loved me...my non-JW dad and she had somewhat of a tug of war about me and he always let her win--therefore I was stuck in this religion growing up and now am attempting a fade...

29

JW Friends

by Sassy in

jw
friends

if you are no longer associating with jws either from fading or daing or being df'd, do you miss your jw friends?

have you found over time that the void was filled and you no longer needed them?

did you in fact find out your life was happier without them?

Flowerpetal

All my close JW friends (and there weren't that many) live where I used to live--and I am about 1200 miles from them and I really don't keep in touch and they don't either--just when we go up to visit them which isn't that much. The JW friends I have here are not close, confidential friends, and I prefer it that way. They don't seem like the kind of people I could get close to, except for one who has moved from the area and lives in the northern part of my state.

My best, closest friend is an agnostic and she lives an hour's drive from here. So we talk on the phone, and try once a month to get together for lunch and to spend the day together and get caught up on our lives. I drive to her house and she treats me to lunch. She is non-judgemental and understands how life works and I like that about her.

12

Internal conflict ? A JW is always "sick" and misses meetings. Doubting?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

the person in question is my husband's mother who is a jw.

she is in her late 40s... has been a devout dub for 20 years or so, and has never to my knowledge had any spiritual "problems".

she exhibits every characteristic that the typical rank-and-file should have.

Flowerpetal

This reminds me of a sister in my congregation--although she has had some physical problems too. But right now she is experiencing vertigo, so when she comes to the hall, lots of times her eyes are shut the whole time, or she has to leave because of it. Why bother to come on those days?

The other thing is that she owns her own business and has a place set up in her garage, which looks like one big office with computers and work stations, and yet she seems healthy enough to run that. And when there is a shower to be planned, she is right in there fixing a lot of the food, etc. That part (the social) of being a witness brings her to life and she is always ready!!

15

Is there anything that you preached door to door that you didn't believe in

by JH in

jw
friends

on another thread, elsewhere said that he didn?t like going door to door, especially since he didn?t believe in what he preached.

i was a little surprised by his statement because i, on the other hand, did believe in what i preached.

i don?t think i would have been able to preach something i didn?t believe in.

Flowerpetal

I'm at that point right now, not believing the society's view on certain Bible subjects. So I've avoided going out in service, until I can find something to talk about. Probably something about how wonderful our Creator is and finding scriptures praising him...I would be comfortable with that and The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. I haven't read the new book yet, Draw Close to Jehovah, so I don't know whether I could "place" that or not.

38

What Ways Did Jehovah's Witnesses Make You Feel Guilty???

by minimus in

jw
friends

i believe that many religions try to make their adherents feel guilt.

and of course, the witnesses are no different and imo, are more guilty than most.

people go to a meeting during a snowstorm because the elders feel it's not that bad.

Flowerpetal

I can relate to a lot of these statements, but the ones I felt most guilty about were:

Not always studying for the WT lesson

Not auxilliary pioneering enough

Not having the desire or wanting to go in field service on Saturday mornings, and doing something else instead and feeling guilty that I did something else

Not raising my hand to comment at the meetings

Always feeling inadequate and comparing myself to others, especially those who had become witnesses when I was raised as one--not having the "zeal in the ministry" that they had, even though I aided a few people to dedication and baptism.

17

Oh I get it.........it's WORSHIP

by Dawn in

jw
friends

i feel like such a dufus sometimes .

i started attending a church a couple of years ago - i really like it but was really puzzled at first because they sang a lot of songs at the beginning of service.......like 6 or 7. i've gotten used to it - but still didn't really get it.

that is...until this sunday.

Flowerpetal

Hi Dawn and Ann!

You both make great points and it's true. JWs, in all my time being raised as one have NEVER raised their hands while singing. But...if you notice the picture in the back of the songbook, the priests are singing and raising their hands...that should set the precedent, should it not? I wish they would eliminate one of the meetings or turn it into maybe 20 minutes of singing to praise God.

But..I guess we aren't the only ones who don't put any feeling into singing. I was listening to a comedian (British) yesterday on HBO. His name is Eddie Izzard and part of his routine was criticizing religion and particularly the Church of England. He demonstrated how bland their singing is. Anyway, if I may put in a plug, this guy is hilarious. He had me laughing so hard, I was peeing in my pants!!!