I was on a flight from Atlanta to LA a number of months back and sat across the aisle from her. I was actually taken aback by how good she looked, as I was expecting her to have much more "wear and tear" based on all of the news stories of the past about her. She was pleasant and didn't seem to show any signs of substance abuse at the time. It is a very sad thing to hear of her passing...a truly talented singer. If substance abuse was a contibutor to her death, it just reinforces how insidious drug use can be...
tenyearsafter
JoinedPosts by tenyearsafter
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56
"You will be objects of hatred "a reasonable understanding
by luap inindeed thats just what witnesses are.
everyone hates them.
is there any other group in "christendom "that are hated as much as these.?
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tenyearsafter
Luap,
Welcome to the Board. Rather than just post what you have been told are the facts about JW's versus orthodox Christendom, I would suggest you study in depth the origin of those beliefs you criticize. After you have studied the facts, then you can make comments in a credible manner. This type of study may reinforce your belief in JW teachings, change your thinking to accept orthodox Christendom's belief or reject both teachings. The key to be taken seriously is that you have to be objective and accurate in your pronouncements.
TYA
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You may be a jw if.....
by just Ron inyou may be a jw ........if you spent last saturday traped in a car with at least 4 other people you may be a jw.. if you have sat through a sheparding call where you were told you are unworthy you may be a jw.. if you have alienated your worldly relatives with your preaching you may be a jw.. if you have ticked some one of buy knocking on their door on one of their religous holidays you may be a jw.. if you think the governing body is goods direct channel you may be a jw.. if you have no clue when this system is going to end you may be a jw.. .
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ron.
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tenyearsafter
if the only times you see your non-jw relatives is if you need something from them...
your favorite phrase is "new light"...
you won't say "bless you or gesundheit" when someone sneezes...
you become physiclly ill when some sings "happy Birthday" in a restaurant...
when you say holiday music is awful no matter how much you feel like humming the tune...
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I finally watched Saturday Night Fever
by Billy the Ex-Bethelite ini remember back when the movie came out how it was condemned by wt.
cos, dos, elders, all ranted against the movie.
other than the profanity, travolta adjusting himself in his undies, some violence, sex, and drug stuff, it was not "bad".
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tenyearsafter
The back seat in the car sex scene might have sent most dubs over the top, but I thought it was a great coming of age movie!
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Sins Against The Holy Spirit...
by Merkaba ini remember reading an excerpt of a court case recently wherein a gb member was being questioned by a counselor in a court case.
one of the questions was on the topic of "unpardonable sins".
the gb member was asked by the legal counsel if there was a transgression that would disfellowship a member of the congregation whereupon they would not be allowed to be reinstated.
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tenyearsafter
There are several interpretations of this, but what I always heard was that it applied to those of the anointed that had become apostate and thus sinned against the Holy Spirit by rejecting Jehovah (his Organization).
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Child preachers - I find this very disturbing
by freetosee ini believe young children are often capable of much more then we imagine.
these preacher children are surly very talented.
as much as i find them ever so cute, i find it disturbing how their parents use them to further their own religious ambitions.. .
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tenyearsafter
I remember a movie from the early 70's called Marjoe. It chronicles the life of Marjoe Gortner who started off as a child tent preacher and shows how he changes as he grows up. It then follows him as an adult (and self admitted scam artist) as he goes on a "preaching tour" to expose the business of fake evangelism. Much of his adult anger and cynicism stem from his use as a child preacher. It is a good watch...you can get it on Netflix, etc.
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Worried about my friend
by pharmer ini have a friend who has been a jw for a couple years (baptized).
she might have to undergo gallbladder surgery.
i'm worried for her (about the blood issues)and have made that known.
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tenyearsafter
Ditto to what everyone else has said on "keyhole" surgery...I had it last year, and other than the standard consent forms, blood never really came up. If your friend is unfortunate enough to have open abdominal surgery (not typical any longer), then blood might be more of an issue. Even with open surgery, blood loss is not a major concern unless there is a complication which leads to excessive blood loss.
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Another day, another apostate. Here's my story.
by I Want to Believe inbeen lurking for a bit, and feel safe enough now to tell my story (condensed).. i'm a third-generation born-in, but my parents were inactive for most of my upbringing.
this means i got the worst of both worlds--no worldly friends (home schooled all but grades 2-3), no witness friends (since we never went to the hall except for memorial), and a generally isolated upbringing in a tiny, tiny town.
needless to say, my emotional, social, and personal growth were stunted.
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tenyearsafter
Welcome I Want To Believe!...great first post.
I really liked your use of Pascal's Wager...I am of a similar mind and can really relate to how you feel. I was also a born-in and struggled with it for the first 40 years of my life. What really turned the corner for me was reading Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz. I don't know if you have read it, but I might suggest you do. The first 100 pages are a bit dry, but then it turns on the after burners and you won't be able to put it down. If your wife is open to reading, suggest it to her and let her make her own decisions about what it says. Good luck with your journey (and hers)!
TYA
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Suicide - How many do you know within the JWs
by Lady Lee inthw wts likes to play games with their statistics.
one interesting but truly tragic is the number of jwhovah's witnesses who commit suicie.. now i suspect that if a person commits suicide shortly before or after they are disfellowshipped then the elders would say that person wasn't a witness or that they had done something so terrible that they were too guilty to admit it and by their action of committing suicide they pretty much declared they were no longer a jw.. yup fancy talk to make sure any crap didn't fall on them.. so my question.. do you know of cases like this?
if so then can you answer a few more questions.. had this person been dfed or in real danger of being dfed or whatever the equivalent is if they were never baptized?.
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tenyearsafter
I know of two...
One was a close friend growing up, who became a regular pioneer and MS. He was the "perfect" JW, married a pioneer sister and did everything by the book. He was always under pressure to do more by both the elders and his wife. As I was moving out of that congregation, I noticed that he was acting less happy and somewhat down in the mouth. I think his spirituality was suffering and he had started to struggle. After I had moved, I found out he had put a gun to his head and committed suicide.
The other instance was from that same congregation. We had a young brother who was obviously effemminate, but not openly gay. He eventually was DF'ed for being gay (or so it was speculated). He was out for a a couple years, "gave up" his gay lifestyle and was reinstated. Within months, he took his own life...another victim of the "Happiest People on Earth"!
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Watchtower Growth by CONTINENT and other Statistical Gems
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tenyearsafter
I love the flow chart JWFacts! My friends and I have had a good chuckle...especially the "do you think that underwear can be magical?" filter!