Posts by vivalavida

36

How ballroom dancing helped our exit

by Finally Left in

just wanted to say hello and thank you for all of your comments.

when i finally figured out this was not the truth it was nice to know i wasn't the only one - it was a surprise to learn how many there are.

february was my last month of service after 43 active years.

vivalavida

This reminds me of a friend I have in sweden who is also an xjw, in fact, he's the only person I've helped learn TTATT. The thing with him is that he comes from latin america and moved to sweden to improve his life. This was almos 20 years ago and it actually has worked out allright for him so far.

His biggest problem was that for years he tried to "integrate" with the swedish congregation there to no avail. Then he tried the spanish cong., same results. In fact, he used to say that in Sweden the brothers only knew about love from what they read in the mags.

After a while, looking for some type of emotional comfort, he started salsa dancing. To make a long story short, even though he's still alone in a strange country, what keeps him going is his salsa dancing community, he goes dancing at least 3 times a week. It's definitely much more fun to go dancing than to meetings...

I guess I should start doing something like that as well. Definitely not a bad idea.

Vivalavida

16

" We don't need no university education"

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

i left school at 16, because i was studying and getting the best " university education" in the world.

.

how did the theocratic ministry school benefit you?.

vivalavida

In my case, I must say that it definitely helped me in several ways.

Like others mentioned, public speaking.
Not really being afraid to go to a person and start talking to them. I mean, I knocked on so many doors and "tried" to talk to people. When it worked, I did have excellent conversations which very often deviated from the religious subjects we were peddling. Interestingly, Tim Ferriss in his "4 Hour Work Week" book has an exercise that is very similar to doing street preaching work. You know, go talk to people you do not know out there to build your confidence. Obviously a completely different goal and message, but exactly the same action. Lol!
It did teach me to focus on one thing for more than one hour. This I have used to learn about so many different things in life, without having to actually go to school or something. My kids (who have never ever been to a kingdom hall) cannot concentrate on something for more than 10 minutes or less. They cannot understand how I watch educational youtube videos for longer than one hour, just to mention an example.

So, I would say that yes, I did get some benefits from the TMS and the field work. Although, if I take a look from a broader perspective, the disadvantages are much bigger than those few benefits.

My two cents after a long time of inactivity... lol

36

WELL BEARDS ARE STILL A NO NO!!!!!!

by DwainBowman in

well beards are still a no no!!!!!!.

in a new letter from the branch/gb nut's, beards are not acceptable in the us branch area!!!!!!.

my eldub brother in law, shared this today.

vivalavida

Germany also has no problem with beards "mostly". I was in a Saarbruecken congregation where the Watchtower conductor sported a full beard. No problem. It is not a general thing though. It is more the exception than the rule.

12

At last something about JWs on a German news site.

by Driving Force in

for anybody who understands german.. http://www.n-tv.de/panorama/masha-16-jahre-zeugin-jehovas-article18689741.html.

it is quite rare that a german news site actually puts something up about jws, after all they are insignificant from a newsworthy point of view.

but i like the fact that they have put this up..

vivalavida

Very well balanced article. But I bet the only reason it got published is because of the number of views she received in YT. Ich wünsche ihr das Beste!

17

Is JW.org being played?

by jw07 in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wackkicmf4k.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5lsyndc1me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnk52bu92oe.

vivalavida

Thanks for this collection showing the craziness of the WTS.

9

Germany-Trial Over Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses. At least two boys were raped...

by AndersonsInfo in

trial over abuse among jehovah’s witnesses.

at least two boys were raped in the beliefs community at greifwald.

by cornelia meerkatz.

vivalavida

In the kingdom hall and during a meeting!!! Wow sometimes it's hard to grasp what these predators are willing to do to engage in their attacks. What annoys me is that he will get only 1 year and 2 months prison time. It's unbelievable that if it's tax evasion or some hacking of some company's data then the prison times are much longer. This world is upside down, really!

vlv

32

"well beyond the intent of the scriptures" 7:44

by biblexaminer in

if you have the jw app running on your tablet, watch the latest (may) governing broadcast and hear tony the jackass, and when you get to 7 minutes and 44 seconds ...hit the pause button.. read the words at the bottom of the screen as per the jw app close captioning.. "well beyond the intent of the scriptures" .

he is describing the governing body past, like the ghost of christmas past.

yes, the governing body past were a bunch of freaking yahoo's violating 1 cor.

vivalavida

Is 1914 part of the EARLY 1900s?

Just wondering!

12

Full Regional Convention 2016 Outlines Leak in Spanish

by wifibandit in

the full program has been leaked in spanish.. http://www.extj.com/showthread.php?27685-juego-de-bosquejos-de-discursos-de-la-asamblea-regional-2016.

here is my back up, including the files already extracted: link.

i have yet to read it.

vivalavida

Excelente wifibandit, te lo agradecemos mucho.... all my family still in are in spanish congregations.... this will provide some good information to be able to talk at the same level with them...

Gracias!

9

Article: "Why God Won't Go Away" (Contains an example of a JW) An excellent read!

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://committingsociology.com/2016/01/15/transcending-religious-ideas-is-easy-transcending-religious-thinking-is-hard/.

why god won’t go away.

january 15, 2016 john faithful hamer .

vivalavida

The article has expressions that remind me of an expression I read somewhere here on the forum:

"Your JW is showing" - And I believe it's true. Like a friend of mine who also got out constantly says when he catches himself showing typical JW attitudes... I guess you can live the organization, but the organization doesn't leave you that easily.

Changing behavior and how you think are some of the hardest things we can do. Not impossible though, we just need to keep learning and growing and, IMHO exposing yourself to different point of views and attitudes with an open and curious mind.

Vivalavida

19

The danger of thinking we know everything.

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

a thought occurred that there is a danger in thinking we know everything, or have it all figured out in life.

especially when it comes to matters of doctrine or faith.. witnesses (or at least the society as a whole) are so self-confident, so proud to be the only ones who know "the truth" about everything to do with the universe, the earth, our past and our future, that pride kicks in.

and pride is dangerous...(.and before a fall).

vivalavida

Maybe they are all subject to the Dunning-Kruger effect... which can be explained like this:
- The less you know, the more you believe you know.

- The more you know, the hardest is it to understand that other people do not know

- The more you know, the best you can assess your level of knowledge or ability.