Posts by forgetmenot

3

The best form of defense is.......

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

......attack!.

recent events appear to indicate that the wts has adopted a more aggressive stance toward dissenting views.

the son cannot be an angel, not even an archangel.

forgetmenot

I just loved this one ....

We criticized the building of cathedrals not simply because they are big but because the driving force in building them was often what one historian called the “arrogant pride” of religious leaders. Also financing these huge structures often worked an extreme hardship on parishioners. By way of contrast, Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls are modest structures that are not built to bring praise to any humans. Rather, they serve as places of worship. These halls are financed by voluntary contributions and do not impose an unreasonable financial burden upon anyone.

When we were remodeling our kingdom hall awhile back, I heard a sister ALMOST (though she thought better, apparently) (this is when they were encourageing all to help in the remodel) say "NOW we're going to show this little town, exactly who we are!"

7

this just makes me ill

by uncle jimbo in

jw
friends

to set the mood: think of the lavish $1 million dollar chandelier in the stanley theater, think of the lavish settings of patterson, think of any excess bankrolled by those morally bankrupt geezers in crooklyn.. now, any of you catch the back cover of the feb 1, 2002 wt?

the title is "wise in their own way" and it's about these impoverished african kids who donate to the society from their lunch money.. from the article:.

unknown to their parents, emmanuel, michael, and uchei, their nine-year-old sister, have been saving part of their lunch money and putting it into the boxes.

forgetmenot

HOW SAD! This is exactly one of the reasons why my family is no longer supporting the WT. Our congregation was going through a remodle. Not only did they break rules, but they spent way too much money on it. My father, while sitting at one of the "decussions" brought up the idea of spending less money (he's a farmer and knows how to make a penny go farther). He suggested that we could spend less, and send the rest back to support other countries and their ministry work. The elder who placed himself in charge (not the PO, actually, but he decided he'd step right in front of him and take over) was opposed. In fact his wife told my dad that his faith was lacking, and that he needed to place is trust in Jehovah. Astounded by their selfishness, we no longer contributed to the Society (finding out that stuff like this happens all over the world in the Society!). It spured on a huge study by my father, "Did Jesus ask for money?". It really sheds light on the whole "pay your way into heaven/paradise" that most relgions profess (even the Watchtower, though through passive means). If you're interested, he'd probably share his research.

10

Moulin Rouge

by ashitaka in

jw
friends

who here has a love-hate relationship with moulin rouge?

i despise some of it, and adore other parts of it.

original, for sure.

forgetmenot

Hey duped, about your signiture. My mom puts it this way "Somedays you are the statue...and somedays you are the bird." :)

I've never seen the movie, no good eh? Or just different?

10

What the New Testament was Really Saying

by forgetmenot in

jw
friends

i have heard many people say how confused the bible (specifically the new testament) makes them.

it seems as if the writers jump to different subject that make no sense.

for me it has been very helpful to read the scriptures with love being the purpose of everything they say.

forgetmenot

I have heard many people say how confused the bible (specifically the New Testament) makes them. It seems as if the writers jump to different subject that make no sense. For me it has been very helpful to read the scriptures with love being the purpose of everything they say.

It's an a lot like saying "Do you remember that toy you LOVED when you were little? Or how much you LOVE your children or wife?" Thinking about these thinks envokes a lot of love in a person. Maybe this is all Jesus really wanted, because love makes more than the earth go 'round it makes everything go 'round (after all God is love). The more love we show, the more power God has, and the more he can accomplish.

Just an idea. This is my first time post a NEW topic! So I'm a little nervous about feed back! But don't get me wrong...I want to know what everyone thinks, just be nice! :)

80

To those who need no purpose in life

by gumby in

jw
friends

after reading the comments from many on the thread "is there a purpose in life" by itsjustme , posted a couple of days ago i am confussed.. i cannot understand how anyone can be content and not believe life has a purpose.. to not be compelled to wonder how all the design around us is just here because who knows why ......totally baffles me.. at this point in my life believe in a creator but have so many unanswered questions.

things do not make sense in the bible.. if i were to come to believe that the bible were a fairytale of myths...i would feel as stupid as i did when finding out the borg was a crock.. i also would be emotionally devastated.. here are some samples of your comments about lifes purpose.

we may have been put here by someone, or we may not have.

forgetmenot

My question is, what do you mean by "purpose"? Are we looking for a purpose to life as a physical reward in the end. EX: You need to live this life the best you can because then you will get into paradise/heaven (physical reward.) Or are with talking about a living just because it makes other people happy? EX: We give children presents not because of the present but because we love seeing their happy little faces?

Or am I mistaking purpose with outcome?

29

Have they sunk to new lows?

by duped in

jw
friends

my husband came home from the grocery store yesterday (christmas eve).

and said he saw a witness couple driving around the parking lot handing out mags from their car window.

i mean how lazy is that?

forgetmenot

Here's something to think about. If you hand up Christmas Decorations all year (never take them down) they are no longer considered Christmas Decorations (especially if you don't call them that). It's just like buying holiday candy or singing holiday oriented songs after the holiday.

Actually more than anything, the toleration of other beliefs has given me "freedom". I can now look at the beutiful Christmas lights and say they are beutiful, love people of all faiths, look at stained glass windows of prophets with admiration of artisitc style, and sing wonderful, moving songs about loving God and his many talents and forms.

And I agree with Scully when she said
"Oh, and speaking of "personal Santa Claus", tell us when it is again that Jehovah (your "personal Santa Claus") is going to bring to an end this system of things and plop you into your Paradise on Earth?? 1874?? 1914?? 1918?? 1925?? 1975?? 2000?? Can he not make up "His" mind??"

The JW's Jehovah promises gifts (everlasting life) if we are good, just like Santa promises gifts (presents) if we are good. I see no difference. The key to really enjoying Christmas (or God's love) is to forget about the physical rewards and think about the LOVE all of this inspires!

7

Hark! ...I Need a Herald Please

by Perry in

jw
friends

dear posters,.

since i've been out of the loop for about 5 years i was wondering if anyone could comment on the questions below.

also, if there has been any other changes i would love to hear about it.

forgetmenot

I can see why they stopped magazine subscriptions. I was at my grandfather's house at the time he got the letter about it. You now need to go and picky up your magazines from the Kingdom Hall or, if you are a householder, you need to get them from the person who calls on you.

Reasons why I think this was enacted:
1) It keeps apostates and faded ones out of the loop.
2) You now must come into contact with a person, promoting discussion of Watchtower and Awake articles. (The more you hear something, the more it is drilled into your head and the mose likely you are to believe it.)

8

Are witnesses getting lazy?

by david_10 in

jw
friends

thank you for the warm welcome i received when i made my first post last week.

it is a beautiful christmas day here,more like early autumn than the beginning of winter.

so i was a little surprised when i drove by my old kingdom hall a little after 9:00 am and saw that there were no cars parked in the lot----no one had met for field service.

forgetmenot

LB, how funny! I get the same response when I go to work (I have to drive past the Kingdom Hall around 12:30). I try to wave but think it's really funny how they all stopped trying to "help" me after a couple of weeks. They actually tried saving my sister longer, one JW family has a business right across the street where my sister used to live. She used to come home and complain about how they'd come into the store (after meettings) and act like they were having soooo much fun (but she thought it was really stupid).

There's only one time I remember someone tracking me down at work to talk to me about "encouragement" and "Jehovah's good news". I work at an expresson stand (not a shop but a drive through stand). A car group of JW's came up and ordered the hardest drinks to make. The hardest drinks to make are milkshakes with expresso and flavor in them. We have to hand blend them from real ice cream (some times it is sooo hard my arms feel like they are going to fall off!). Then, the nerve of them, they asked me if I wanted to read the Awake and Watchtower. I politely turned them down (I get them in the mail, ya know [or I used to, I heard that whole thing changed!]). I've had a few more visits from JW's but they don't offer any "spiritual support" or "encouragement". They just order the hardest drink to make and then don't tip!

25

I think Gods talking to me..at last.

by refiners fire in

jw
friends

hi.. ive been experiencing some pretty weird phenomena recently.. it started about two months ago.. what happens is, i get dreams.

they are bad.so bad they wake me up.this is always like, 3am, 4am,then i get up.

after a while i start getting sensations with my hair standing on end and electric impulses running up and down my back, like mild electric shocks.

forgetmenot

First of all, I agree with the aforementioned methods of finding out where these messages are coming from. They are much more reasons why you might be seeing things...my friend used to dream about dead people and black churches; and my mother used to wake up screaming in the middle of the night because of bad dreams (this is actually because of stress). Stress can cause you a lot of problems. If you have just left an organization (for instance the JWs) your unconscious persona maybe fretting about "some thing coming". I experienced panic at times when I began to explore new areas of belief.

28

DIM's sister gets busted!

by DIM in

jw
friends

it seems my mom was snooping around my sisters room and happened to come across her diary.

my sister is 14 years old and unbaptized.

my mom decided to read this diary.

forgetmenot

DIM, my sympathies. While my immediate family is no long part of the Jehovah's Witness Organization, all of my other realitives are (except one Uncle and Aunt and their children). I did however just spend sometime with my grandparents and boy talk about gettting angry! It's hard to play along and act like everything is cool. To be forced to go to meetings (Thank God, I only had to sit trough one!) is more than I could bear. My sister, who we met up with later in the week, almost went off on my grandpa (a prominent elder who cannot for some reason find a way to decently talk to his relatives). It made me so mad when people I had met five times before acted as if they never saw me in their life. And then to listen to the speaker go off on how we need to be clean and pure in the eyes of Jehovah (hmm..would that be Jehovah as in the Society Jehovah or are we talking Jevovah as in God Jevoah?). I could barely stand how he dissed millions of people because thier house wasn't clean. I used to wonder why my mom would go into hysterics when her house wasn't clean; now it's plain as day.

When I went to visit them I had a wonderful idea of who I was and my beliefs, and I could express them openly. But when I came home, I was totally depressed! I'm so glad I don't have to live under those horrible circumstances every day. And I wish that you didn't either.