I would take off my convention badge at restaurants after the District Convention. Eating dinner while wearing a name badge just felt so . . . . . Mormonish.
Jeremy C
JoinedPosts by Jeremy C
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55
What Little Rebellious Things Did You Do When Still A JW?
by Seeker4 inwhere there little things that you did just to express yourself and feel like you weren't just some robot clog in a machine?
i was thinking of stuff i did over the years: .
read whatever books i wanted, even apostate ones over the years.
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reinstatement announcement
by isaacaustin indfing- "so and so is no longer one of jehovah's witnesses".
reinstatement- is it still "so and so has been reinstated"?.
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Jeremy C
It was interesting when they began instructing the congregation not to clap after a reinstatement announcement. I never figured out exacltly why that change was put into place.
However, I do remember some humorous episodes when the friends were allowed to clap for reinstatements. I remember a couple of times when very popular and well-liked individuals were reinstated: the applause was thunderous. And then, an individual who rarely attended and was not well known received maybe three or four claps. That had to hurt.
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Inauguration Bible Verse for Mr. Obama
by cameo-d intraditionally, during the inauguration the bible is opened to a "meaningful" verse of scripture chosen by the pres.-elect.. what scripture would you like to see mr. obama swear upon?.
do you think he should be sworn in using a bible, with all it's mistranslations, additions of the divine right of kings, and messages of the destroyer god?
when swearing on a bible, is there an implied allegiance to the catholic church since the papacy had all the authority to chose the canons "allowed" in the bible?.
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Jeremy C
Barack Obama could be sworn in on one of Martha Stewart's decorating books, for all I care.
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13
Those silly 5min sister assignments...
by Newborn injust a stupid show -off and charade.
personally i never used the material in my talks in real life and i always felt quite uncomfortable coz it was just a pretentious show and my biggest concern was that my skirt would not be too short when i sat down on the platform and that i would go over time so the bell would ring.
then on top i had to be counseled by the school minister who did much worse than me...my god.
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Jeremy C
I still don't understand how it's not considered teaching. Didn't we have to talk the householder into understanding bible doctrines through the eyes of dubs?
From a congregational perspective, it is only considered "teaching" when a sister is addressing the audience. The Watchtower's view is that sisters should not "teach" in the congregation, yet they do have an obligation to preach and teach out in the ministry. The ministry is a different ball game than the teaching that goes on in the congregation.
Meetings for field service can get really interesting when the only brother present is one who has lost priveleges. A sister will then have to conduct while wearing a head covering.
I once went to dinner at a friends house. The father was an unbelieving mate (but friendly with JWs). It was only him, myself, and a few sisters. They were unaware that I currently had lost priveleges (private reproof). Had I gone along with the Society's rules, it meant that the mom would have had to go get a head covering and prayed for all of us. When they asked me to say prayer for dinner, I said to myself "Awe screw it" and said the prayer. Let Jehovah discipline me later.
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57
You gotta check this guys photos at Bethel, etc ....................
by WingCommander ini came across this local guys photo albums on flickr while searching for someone i know.
found them, and then this guys albums.
apparently he's a "pro" if you can call taking photos of local girls' sports teams, witness weddings, dc's, and bethel photography.
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Jeremy C
This is an odd thread. I would say that the general tone of this thread only reinforces what Jehovah's Witnesses believe about us: that ex-JWs are petty and malicious in character.
I had quite a different reaction when glancing at the photos. I saw some very nice and decent looking people. Just because we have disdain for the Watchtower and it's leadership doesn't mean that we have to transfer hostility over to individual Jehovah's Witnesses. Many of us tend to forget that we used to be the people in those photos.
Making petty and childish insults about individual Jehovah's Witnesses does nothing to elevate our stance toward the organization. It only demonstrates how small minded the one making the insults are.
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Recently Received Wacky JW Spam re: UN Destroying Religion
by Olin Moyles Ghost ini recently received the following email.
i don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the sender.
it looks like i'm not the first person on this board to receive this email (see http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/166981/1.ashx).
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Jeremy C
As I said, I first heard a variation of this rumor circulating twenty years ago. I think we can safely deduce that this email is a buch of baloney. Certainly not the first time JWs would forward falacious experiences and stories.
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Recently Received Wacky JW Spam re: UN Destroying Religion
by Olin Moyles Ghost ini recently received the following email.
i don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the sender.
it looks like i'm not the first person on this board to receive this email (see http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/166981/1.ashx).
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Jeremy C
[ sigh ]
Do you know how long ago I first heard this rumor? Twenty years ago. This is one of those JW urban legends that has circulated around the organization in similar fashion as the one about the Smurf doll running out of the Kingdom Hall.
While I was at Bethel in 1995; I discovered that this myth had been thoroughly debunked by headquarters. In fact, many rumors have their birth place in Bethel; given the way in which information (or disinformation) can so quickly spead to the rank and file.
It is indeed sad that people will grasp at any feeble straws that they can in order to confirm a deeply cherished belief.
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Did Jesus every mention or say anything about Armageddon?
by VM44 inwhat is in the book of revelation doesn't count!.
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Jeremy C
It is fascinating that Armageddon / global apocalyspe did not factor prominently into Jesus' message. He speaks of Heaven and Hell, and the transitory nature of things in the world, but says very little, if anything about a global destruction of mankind by his Father, by Him, or by the angels in heaven.
Armageddon is a major pillar in the Watchtower's doctrinal structure, and figures very prominently into their preaching message. Supposedly, Jesus was the forerunner to their preaching work. Why was Jesus so remiss in teaching people about this very important aspect to the Gospel message?
As far as Revelation is concerned; one may as well have written a scroll claiming to have received visions from Zeus. When such writings contain cryptic and ambiguous imagery and symbology; how can anyone prove them right or wrong? It ultimately comes down to faith in something. I could have absolute and unwavering faith in Leprechauns while spending an entire life searching for them.
I could very well spend time on an island and return with vivid imagery of monsters, supernatural signs in heaven, symbols, and numbers - claiming it to be a vision from Krishna. Neither could I be proven right or wrong. One could only put faith in such assertions.
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Jeremy C
Many Witnesses do indeed feel loved by Jehovah. I know that for a fact. The question is not whether they are loved by God or not. The question that they feel they must continually answer is how to remain in an "approved state" with God.
Their Jehovah God concept is quite skewed, to be sure. One must perform an endless laundry list of organizational tasks in order to receive approval. Jehovah's Witnesses believe in a God who - despite loving them; can still take their life at Armageddon. Their God is one who is beholden more to His internal sense of "justice" than he is to His love for people. In a sense, Jehovah is limited. He is not omnipotent, but is actually governed by a standard of justice - much like a Judge who does not want to send a deffendant to the gas chamber, but knows that he has no choice.
Now, this is where many JWs have difficulty in feeling love. Many do not necessarily enjoy organizational activities. They mave have difficulty in maintaining organizational rigurs. So, they lack Godly approval. Many of us JWs grew up equating approval with love. In order to gain our parents love, we must have their approval. If one is lacking; so is the other.
I believe that people who are born and raised as JWs have a tendancy to project their own parents' characteristics upon Jehovah. If their JW parents were difficult to please (and so many of them are), then the Heavenly Father is difficult to please.
Jehovah's Witnesses also project the characteristics of the organizational administration upon Jehovah. The Watchtower leadership is very difficult to please. Since the organization and Jehovah are virtually indistinguishable from each other, Jehovah becomes a God who is very difficult to please.
I believe that Jehovah is more or less a cartoon character who has evolved over the last century, much like the way in which the appearance of Mickey Mouse has evolved since his creation. Jehovah is basically a projection of the personalities of the Watchtower leadership at any given point in time.
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Those silly 5min sister assignments...
by Newborn injust a stupid show -off and charade.
personally i never used the material in my talks in real life and i always felt quite uncomfortable coz it was just a pretentious show and my biggest concern was that my skirt would not be too short when i sat down on the platform and that i would go over time so the bell would ring.
then on top i had to be counseled by the school minister who did much worse than me...my god.
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Jeremy C
It's humorous that sisters are only allowed to appear on stage in a demonstration format. They are not allowed to deliver prepared information via the podium, because this would be considered "teaching in the congregation". If they are considered to be "students" of a Ministry School, how can they be considered teachers? Would not the teacher be the School Overseer who is doing the grading? Such silliness.
It is also humorous that a twelve year-old boy can stand at the podium and read a passage out of the Bible, but a sister is not allowed to do the same. And if a sister must conduct a meeting for field service with an unbaptized boy in the room, she must wear a head covering. All in line with "theocratic order".
The longer I am out of the Watchtower, the more I see how neurotic and petty their God is. And just imagine, they get to spend eternity serving that God's whims in the New Order. I'd rather have the Muslim paradise.