weird.
after the letter was read, many clapped.
i don't know how to interpret that.. .
My wife, a long time (since 1977) cool aid drinker had this to say: (paraphrased) I’m kind of saddened by the change, but it must be very hard for some people, this is a “loving provision™”. Her reaction was 100% predictable. From an academic perspective its fascinating to see all the dynamics that interplay in cult-think, I just wish my family we not part of the grand experiment.
Freeman
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i was just laying here plonking away at my computer dialed in at the high speed of, yes you guessed it 26.4k... that's 26.4 whole kilobytes per second.. at one time this was state of the art .. i shouldn't complain because it's a free service, but come on, 26.4k?.
anyone else going this slow or is it just me?.
When I first started dialing in, the most common speed was 300 baud (that was in the pre-web days). In fact I still have my dumb terminal with a suction cup modem (like that seen in movie war games). Now I surf the web not from a fifty pound dumb terminal but from my featherweight wireless laptop or even my web ready phone. I no longer connect at a paltry 300 baud but run better then 3 megabits per sec on any given day! I can only imagine what technology will bring by the time my kids are my age. Amazing!
a friend of mine was recently disfellowshipped (lets call him john, false name but serves the purpose of this).
he was a ministerial servant within the cong (heading for elder).
anyway, he got back in touch after the "fall".
Great story.
During my internment as a dud I only encountered so-called apostates twice. One encounter was at a convention in NY City. The bad apostates held up signs that unfortunately I wasn?t allowed to read; my Bible Study conductor hurried me inside. The second encounter was with a young man who was a witness who left because he discovered ?GGGGGGGEEEEEEZZZZus?.
I still can?t understand how one goes about trading one form of bondage in for another, (sorry to you BA folks, I know, I know, his load is light... yada yada) but I have to admit he did indeed seem much happier with his new found faith then he every did as a dud. Yes I did in fact notice that, and now thinking back that did disturb me a little because leaving the ?truth? should have rendered him miserable, or so we were told.
Thank you Sirona for sharing that experience.
Freeman
it must be the end-of-the-mont-scramble to get time in.
i just got off the phone with a gentleman who, talking approx 1000 words per minute, so that i could almost not understand what he said, identified himself as "navin", and wanted to "share a scripture with me".
he clearly did not know who i am or my history, or my website hobby.
Quotes that was absolutely beautiful!
As it turns out the Dark Tower was right all along; the most worthwhile and fulfilling thing you can do with your time is to bring the truth to those that are thirsting for it. We are all so pleased to see that you are reaching out and we want to encourage you to keep up the fine work brother quotes.
Your brother in the un-faith,
Freeman
"and they're both getting baptised today!
no, not that kind of experience.. .
this happened this last weekend at the circuit assembly my (jw) wife attended.
Can't you just feel the love! ??
Freeman
as of next thursday my son will be dis-fellowshipped.
he knew it was only a matter of time; in fact imo he was deliberately doing things to get himself kicked out, like smoking in front of witness friends.
i?m not sure exactly what grounds they used, maybe smoking, maybe drinking, doesn?t matter, they make and change the rules as the go, but whatever they used, it will be announced next thursday.. he said to my wife that he knew he was going to lose every friend he had and asked her if she would now shun him too.
As of next Thursday my son will be dis-fellowshipped. He knew it was only a matter of time; in fact IMO he was deliberately doing things to get himself kicked out, like smoking in front of witness friends. I?m not sure exactly what grounds they used, maybe smoking, maybe drinking, doesn?t matter, they make and change the rules as the go, but whatever they used, it will be announced next Thursday.
He said to my wife that he knew he was going to lose every friend he had and asked her if she would now shun him too. My wife actually admitted to me now that I was right all along and that he should never have been baptized because he was not mature enough to make that decision (He was baptized behind my back and over my objections).
Unlike his so-called friends I won?t reject him based on his current membership status within a publishing and real estate empire. When he is ready I?m sure we will have a lot to talk about. And when we do talk I will not only reassure him that his parents will be there for him, but I will also do my best to lay bare the truth about the organization he is now no longer a member of.
Freeman
i was just surfing thefreedictionary.com and found their definition of jehovah witnesses: a protestant denomination (!?!?
protestant denomination
noun
RR you are spot on! This Frankenstein monster of a religion known today as Jehovah?s Witnesses hardly resembles what CT Russell started many years ago. The organization that exists today is largely the handiwork of a drunken, degenerate, and thankfully now very much deceased JF Rutherford.
Freeman
in 1998 the wt addressed concerns where many felt like they served prison time needlessly due to refusal of alternative civilian service which upto 1996 had been considered the same as military service.
*** w98 8/15 p. 17 strengthening our confidence in gods righteousness ***feelings of having suffered needlessly.
6 in the past, some witnesses have suffered for refusing to share in an activity that their conscience now might permit.
It?s more then just scandalous, it?s downright treacherous! Not only did thousands of young men serve prison sentences needlessly, but also upon their release they carried with them the stigma of being a convicted felon. Think about it.
Just about every job application asks if you had ever been convicted of a felony, and if you answered yes, you could be pretty sure you weren?t getting the job. The gift that keeps on giving, Watchtower style.
F*&KING Watchtower!
Freeman
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do you remember it ?.
did you you learn anything from it?.
At 13, most kids in my area had paper routes or mowed lawns or did something similar. I was a bit different; I worked in a TV repair shop. My first real job was as an electronic technician. Yep, I was a boy working with 40+-year-old men. Needless to say some of the guys I worked with felt a bit uncomfortable having me work with them, doing essentially the same job normally done by adults. After a while they got more used to the idea of having me around and stopped trying to compete with and test the whiz-kid-freak boy.
When they realized that I was not after anyone?s job or trying to show anyone up (something I could not do anyway, as with their experience they were much better then I was, they started sharing with me some of the tricks of the trade. That was a turning point, but the real sign of full acceptance came later on. I knew I was fully accepted when at our noon lunch break one of the guys showed me the collection of girly magazines and offered me a beer.
Beer and soft porn, just what a young boy needs! That was more then 30 years ago, one of the best days of my life and I can remember it like it was yesterday!
Freeman
the watchtower likes to use being jealous for jah as a theme in many of their articles.
of course we all know they are talking about being loyal to the wts and not the true god.
but i wonder if many people get confused about the general attitude of jealousy and its place in a relationship between couples.
I like what you said Maverick:
AS I see it, jealousy is a sign of insecurity and a weakness.
Lets not forget that 1 John 4:8 tells us ?God is love;? and then 1 Corinthians 13:4 says that ?love is not jealous? and then we learn in Exodus 20:5 that God is ?a jealous God.?
With that in mind, it appears Maverick that you are mature, secure, and do not contradict your own standards, something apparently foreign to the likes of the Watchtower and their god. Bravo!
Freeman
