Gopher

Joined

• started 209 topics
• posted 10,871 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Gopher

• 
  92

  Do any of you know each other?

  by Lost Diamond in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i was just wondering....how many of you have actually met each other?

  i'm new here.

  what i mean is, are there regular reunions where one can go and meet other ex-jw's face to face?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  Lost Diamond,

  Where are you from? (I don't need the exact address, just the general area...) Once you tell, then you'll probably make a few more friends close by you.

  We occasionally organize informal 'apostofests' where we can put faces and names together. It is a lot of fun.

  Welcome to our board!

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  39

  Heartbraek

  by VeniceIT in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just when you think your immune to the pain from family members shunning you get a surprise.

  my sister hasn't talked or communicated with us for nearly 2 years.

  in november my mom bought her granddaughter ashley a beautiful doll.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  Venice,

  What a complete buzz-kill your sister's actions are. But in the long run, things will balance out. Somehow. We can't know how or when, but at some point when your niece is older, you and your parents may get some sort of reward for your patience.

  Other than that, it sux right now. So sorry to hear, especially for your folks. (The way the JW's think scares me. I hope I, when a JW, wouldn't have returned a nice gift given with good intentions. Geez.)

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  5

  Could We PLEASE Knock Off the April Fool's Stuff??

  by Francois in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  no text

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  We will, on April 2nd, for 364 days in a row. I promise!!!

  It's losing its shock / surprise value, the jokes aren't as funny now. But hey it's better than a flame war.

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  11

  WT 4/1/2002 - 144,000 NOT Literal Number!!

  by slipnslidemaster in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  april fool!!!!!

  slipnslidemaster: "easter so longed for is gone in a day.".

  - james howell

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  Dang, and I thought they were starting to grab on to some actual NEW LIGHT -- called reality.

  What a let down. Dang you, slippy!

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  2

  I decided to get baptized!!!!

  by lostmyself in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  happy april fool's day everyone.... it was someone else's idea.... .

  lostmyself

  1. 
  2. 
• 

  Gopher

  OK, You got me!! LOL

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  6

  Another sick story recieved

  by JEMIMAH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi i have recieved another twisted story from a gung ho bro.

  any one that reads this can see the mental attitude of the average dub.

  " don said, "it's over!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  Just as the ancient Israelites plundered the belongings of the Canaanite nations they conquered, so JW's dream of greedily plundering their neighbor's belongings after Armageddon has occurred.

  This is an interesting twist on "prosperity theology" (which the WT Society supposedly condemns), that is -- go to the meetings, and go in service, and you can plunder the world's possessions after the BIG "A".

  It is greedy, sick thinking. And yet this kind of speculation runs rampant in the organization, despite the Society's weak directives to "not speculate" about the New Order.

  This kind of story reveals a dark, greedy side of JW thinking. It is though, a natural outgrowth of their twisted teaching that 99.9% of all mankind will soon "bite the dust" and those who went out in service will survive.

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  22

  song #87

  by blindfool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, how many of you woke up with this song in your head this morning?.

  no matter how hard i try, it seems i can't get this song out of my head this morning.

  "the bread stands for jesus christ body, he gave on behalf of us all.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  When we sang the "House to House" song, we were singing a song that was composed by a Witness missionary in a Chinese prison.

  One circuit overseer who had us do the "men sing one line, women sing the next, then all together" -- did it for the song "This is Jehovah's Day". The lines were something like, "What will you bring, Jehovah's Kingdom? Triumph of truth, and righteousness...". Ok, that's enough of that.

  Gopher of the wishing-his-memory-wasn't-quite-so-good class.

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  31

  Whats the truth about 1914?

  by Leander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've heard on a few occasions from my research on the internet that 1914 really does not have the significance that wtbs assigns to it.

  from my limited understanding on the matter it involves the wtbs moving the date of the destruction of jerusalem.. can someone give me a little more detail on this or provide a link with a website that does?.

  if its true that the wts has manipulated historical dates and bible scriptures to support this date of 1914 then that would mean everything else crumbles.. thanks for any info on this

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  Jerome,

  Wow that is an excellent summary of the "state of affairs" of the Watchtower Society, circa 1918. Not bad for a troll, ex-troll, or whatever you were supposed to be. (Just kidding...)

  Yes, the facts make you wonder how "different" or "set apart" the International Bible Students (as JW's were then known) were from the other religions. Yes, they were opposed and persecuted -- they were set apart because their anti-establishment message was quite harsh. But were they set apart in a way that God could have approved? The facts seem to say otherwise.

  Thanks for a thought-provoking entry.

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  31

  Whats the truth about 1914?

  by Leander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've heard on a few occasions from my research on the internet that 1914 really does not have the significance that wtbs assigns to it.

  from my limited understanding on the matter it involves the wtbs moving the date of the destruction of jerusalem.. can someone give me a little more detail on this or provide a link with a website that does?.

  if its true that the wts has manipulated historical dates and bible scriptures to support this date of 1914 then that would mean everything else crumbles.. thanks for any info on this

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  Leander,

  You may find the following link helpful. We had a thread on this topic back in January.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=20631&site=3#255910

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.
• 
  21

  Who am I?

  by Nicolas in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this might appear as a stupid question but i still find it hard to find my real personality.

  often, i try to appear as someone else and the result is that i am shy because i have the fear of the judgement of the other people.

  how did you redefined yourself when you got out of the org?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Gopher

  Sumner,

  Welcome to the board! And please know, you're not at all alone in what you're feeling, not by far!

  We're all human, and we cannot suddenly discover exactly who we are and what we want to be. It is a gradual process, a road under construction. The experience of being a JW will never totally leave you, and that's not entirely bad. I've come to view it as a "learning experience", some parts good, some parts hard.

  As far as ethical matters, no need to apologize for who you are or what you feel. Being free means freedom to choose. Pick and choose what you keep, and what you discard.

  And about relationships with others: It's nice to be able to view others in an accepting way, rather than looking at them through some "theocratic" filter, or thinking we have to witness to them or else we'll die or they'll die or something. It's hard to feel normal, but just take one person at a time, one situation at a time, even one sentence at a time. Take little baby steps, practice, and you'll get good at it, eventually.

  -J.R., member, UADNA-MN
  (Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America - Minnesota division)

  This post was not evaluated by any mental health professionals.
  Any opinions expressed are those of a fuzzy, cuddly rodent.