Posts by Frenchy

29

The Dalai Lama said it all!!!

by Zep in

jw
friends

what attracted me to the wt....i read too many of their magazines from 15-19 basically....it almost got me buying into their stuff, but then, just when i had just started getting into it all, i stopped and dropped it with the idea that i'd look into it later.. i remember reading the book of revelation at age 15 and wondering what it meant, all those dragons and horned beasts...then i got hold of some jw literature and there it was...it was all explained, nice and simple.all those prophecies about the end time seemed so good to a kid....i mean, i never really could understand their blood doctrine but you can over look that...after all, the truth is a powerful weapon, you can make people do anything when you have "the truth"...even murder!..

another thing attracted me to it.....they seemed not to be preaching that bad people would burn in hell for all eternity, that there was no hell, that there was going to be a resurrection of the good and bad......yeah, seems pretty good, a caring religion eh!...everyone is going to be given ample chance to learn the truth and change.

but things change, i started questioning as i got older...gave the bible study guy a hard time with all those questions, then we had an argument and i just cut it off....decided to look at it later.... but their stuff was always in the back of my mind.. well, later is now....6 months ago i wander into h20 rather casual like, couple that with the fact that i find out a friend has fallen in with jw's and i get sucked into studying up about it all.....its very interesting.its amazing how much you chance your world view from age 19 to 27......things are all different now, jw's look like nothing more than a high control totalitarian cult with some rather wacky world views and prophecies??????????

Frenchy

Zep: You are an anomaly to me. You make statements like:

After all, the truth is a powerful weapon, you can make people do anything when you have "the truth"...even murder!.
Things are all different now, JW's look like nothing more than a high control totalitarian cult with some rather wacky world views and prophecies?????????? strange eh!
I'm glad they never got their claws into me too deep and that i have no family ties with 'em....
JW's were once fine Chocolate to a kid like me, now their looking like just boiled lollies....go figure!
So another 6 months ago i wander into h20 thinking its a JW board just to check things out, its really an Apostate board if your've been there!...Anyway i just started reading more and more of the apostate stuff...i got sucked in....its was very interesting to see how wrong i could be, how easily dupped i could be!
I view WT mags as an interesting study of propaganda and mind manipulation at the moment

And then you write this:

But to be honest, to be straight up, i'm still not resolved in repsect to JW's...Theres a bit in me that still thinks i might be the truth...

Is it just me or does this seem weird to anyone else?
----
...And that business with Dali Lama and his religion being kindness is extreme oversimplification. Religion is (has to be) more than being kind.

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

31

Looking for One Night Stand

by Seven in

oops.

correction.

looking for 1 nightstand,cherry with porcelin drawer pulls, dovetail joints, to match 1920's dresser with mirror.

Frenchy

I had already typed out my reply and was about to hit the 'reply' button when I decided to read exactly what it was that you posted!
Now I have edit it! Shoot!

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

13

Quotes for waiting

by Seven in

some of my favorites for you:.

1. why is it that when we talk to god we're said to be praying, but when god talks to us we're.

schizophrenic?lily tomlin.

Frenchy

Amen to that! waiting rules!

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

48

Photography

by Frenchy in

okay, so far no one has posted anything about photography on this forum.

so what do you guys and gals think about digital vs 35mm?.

i use to do a little shutter bugging myself.

Frenchy

Seven:
Right now I have a mental image of you, in the woods, with only your socks on, pointing your camera at a fox. Whew! Let me get out of here while I still can!

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

12

Lonely

by Frenchy in

lonely man looking for a good woman with boat and motor to share his life with.

please send photo of boat and motor.. --lonely.

-seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

Frenchy

Dear waiting:
If if brings you any comfort, I'm not happy, I'm married! LOL!

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

67

Purgatory, Limbo or the Twilight Comfort Zone

by SolidSender in

jw
friends

no offence meant but is this place some kind of waystation inhabited by beings neither in nor out of the lie?

this is not a criticism just an observation.

i know it can take time to make up your mind-solidsender

Frenchy

Dear Solid: Thank you for the compliments, you flatter me greatly by your comparison to Byron. I don't think myself in his league.
The 'dream' that I wrote about in my post is the total conviction that I had of having found and being in God's arrangement of things and therefore in line with all the things God had in store for 'the righteous'. I felt that I 'belonged' there. I had a sense of 'being home' so to speak and that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I took great pleasure in helping others to 'see' what I saw and I put my heart and soul into every talk that I gave whether it was on the platform of the local congregation or in neighboring congregations or from the stage of Circuit and District conventions. I was told many times that I had a gift for being able to explain in simple terms what some of the Witnesses found difficult to understand. I don't know if that's true or not but I did enjoy it tremendously. I enjoyed the Bible studies that I conducted and of seeing those people 'come into the truth'. At least one study went on to become a M.S. and then later an Elder. It brought me great satisfaction to see that. The dream was that I was ever so grateful that Jehovah had seen fit to use someone as unworthy as myself to do a work as great as what was now being done. In short, I had found my purpose.

Granted that it’s not easy to walk away from the WTBTS so does that mean you never do? Is there a cut off point?

Obviously there is a cut off point and a time when you do have to walk away for many. But not all do. That is not to say that those who remain are to be criticized in any fashion. Their family and friends are still there and therefore they stay. They put that ahead of their own convictions and principles and remain for support of those they love. I admire them for that. I guess it's like a man I once knew that entered the nursing home with his wife that had alzheimer's. He certainly had his right mind but he suffered the indignities of the home to be with his wife. Sacrifice.

You said “Most people have a difficult time extracting themselves from the dream” from the dream or the reality?

For me, for a very long time it was very real. Now I see it as an illusion or dream. It is only after there is a realization that it is just an illusion that one can walk away from it. The residuals remain as you have noted.

Finally in regard to your comments about Jesus and freedom, is freedom a synonym for happiness?

No because there are many 'freedoms'. It's far too complex of a word and concept to associate it with happiness per se. I always associated the 'freedom' that Jesus spoke of with happiness, however. I viewed 'the truth' that he spoke of as being God's will for an individual. Knowing what God's will was for me gave me a freedom from bondage to ignorance and a satisfaction of knowing I was doing the right thing. I thought that this meant being a JW. Simply put, I thought I knew.
Eve gained a freedom when she rebelled. I don't think she enjoyed it very much. In her case, knowing the truth liberated her in a way she never expected. To coin a phrase: Freedom can be a bitch! -Pardon my French.

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

29

The Dalai Lama said it all!!!

by Zep in

jw
friends

what attracted me to the wt....i read too many of their magazines from 15-19 basically....it almost got me buying into their stuff, but then, just when i had just started getting into it all, i stopped and dropped it with the idea that i'd look into it later.. i remember reading the book of revelation at age 15 and wondering what it meant, all those dragons and horned beasts...then i got hold of some jw literature and there it was...it was all explained, nice and simple.all those prophecies about the end time seemed so good to a kid....i mean, i never really could understand their blood doctrine but you can over look that...after all, the truth is a powerful weapon, you can make people do anything when you have "the truth"...even murder!..

another thing attracted me to it.....they seemed not to be preaching that bad people would burn in hell for all eternity, that there was no hell, that there was going to be a resurrection of the good and bad......yeah, seems pretty good, a caring religion eh!...everyone is going to be given ample chance to learn the truth and change.

but things change, i started questioning as i got older...gave the bible study guy a hard time with all those questions, then we had an argument and i just cut it off....decided to look at it later.... but their stuff was always in the back of my mind.. well, later is now....6 months ago i wander into h20 rather casual like, couple that with the fact that i find out a friend has fallen in with jw's and i get sucked into studying up about it all.....its very interesting.its amazing how much you chance your world view from age 19 to 27......things are all different now, jw's look like nothing more than a high control totalitarian cult with some rather wacky world views and prophecies??????????

Frenchy

Waiting has asked a question which has had me wondering for quite some time.

why do you hang out with us?

Please don't get the wrong impression here. I think I speak for waiting as well when I say that we are happy to have these discussions and that everyone (who is civil) is welcome. But I am curious as to why someone who was never a JW would want to discuss these things with JW's. What possible interest would you have in these discussions? I know that I certainly would feel out of place were this a group of Jews arguing the shortcomings of their faith, or if the people here were Mormons challenging their prophet.
No one who has not been a witness (and I'm not talking about having had a six month Bible study) can understand the JW mindset. I know that's a broad statement but I stand by it. You cannot possibly know what it feels like to be a JW.
There is a discussion board that I frequent every now and then that's comprised of a wide assortment of 'Babylonish' religions, i.e. Mormons, Catholic, Pentecostal, Jews, etc. I have had some real knock down drag out discussions on a variety of subjects but I never, ever criticize their belief system, only individual doctrine or dogma. One participant knows I'm JW and said as much and then I got a lot of questions (none very nice, if you know what I mean) about JW's and my reply was always: "I'm not here to discuss or justify the JW religion or any religion for that matter. I'm only interested in doctrine." I don't defend it nor do I criticize it there. When they ask a question about what JW's believe, I answer in the third person and I am as truthful and straighforward as I can possibly be. They would never understand and it would be futile to attempt a discussion with them on the issues I take exception to with my religion.
Like waiting, I'm curious as to what it is that you get out of this. Would you care to share that with us?

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

48

Photography

by Frenchy in

okay, so far no one has posted anything about photography on this forum.

so what do you guys and gals think about digital vs 35mm?.

i use to do a little shutter bugging myself.

Frenchy

Okay, so far no one has posted anything about photography on this forum. So what do you guys and gals think about digital vs 35mm?
I use to do a little shutter bugging myself. I used to take pictures at weddings, etc.
I was once approaced by a very sexy, good-looking woman and asked if I would take her picture in the nude. Well, you can imagine my uneasiness at that request! I was stammering and stuttering and then she said that she would give me five hundred bucks if I did it. In those days I really needed the money so I agreed but only under one condition --that she would let me keep my socks on to store my flash bulbs!

-Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-

8