Hi rhino chaser:
I noticed this is your first post...so I'll say welcome!!! We'd love to hear your story if you care to share it on why you've joined us.
I'm not from Illinois area but from S.Ontario, Canada.
Love to hear the story behind your name too if you can elaborate.
Had Enough
the future of the jw congregation does not look good.
it used to have a fair cross section of society......but those days are disappearing fast.
the jw lifestyle does not attract your average wholesome family anymore, i guess it never did but i imagine there were plenty of parents who thought they were doing the best for their kids by taking an interest in the wts in the 60s and 70s.
Hi Skeptic:
You said:
Most of the JWs I knew were boring. Not that I was so wonderful, but it would be nice to have a conversation about something other than the lastest WT article or field service experience.
Yes I guess most of us were boring. All we knew was what the WT publications wrote. That's all we needed we were told.
I remember an encyclopedia salesman trying his best to sell us a set, but we were totally convinced and told him so, that we had all we needed and anything we needed to know about could be found by looking in the indexes. Our children could write their essays and speaches on any subject they wanted because they could find it in the WT pubs.
So our conversations always centered around the meetings, org. service, talks, publications etc. What else did we know. We were all obediant to the org.
There were always a few different ones who 'took in worldly knowledge' but they were 'spiritually week' and to be pitied.
I sure shake my head now at how much tunnel vision we had then.
No more...I've
Had Enough
recently,i noticed that some teenagers and "weak" publishers.
weren't actually shunning my step-daughter.
i warned her to meet.
Hi outnfree and LDH:
I'll second that about the required no talking to JWs when you're df'd.
When I applied for reinstatement, one elder quite nastily told me he saw me defying the no-talking rule and was talking up a storm to someone at an assembly.
I had to keep my cool and very respectfully and humbly explain to him that I obeyed the rule of coming in after the song, so the attendant had to find an available seat which was in the middle of a row. Then when the sessions were over it was difficult to get out right away so I just sat there for a few minutes minding my own business.
The sister next to me was a stranger to she thought she would be loving and introduce herself to me. I was embarrased so I answered her questions with one-word answers (yeah really talking up a storm)hoping she wouldn't pursue the conversation but she did so I finally had to tell her I was df'd and had been too embarrased to say so right away....she shut up immediately and the air was so thick right there and then I could have sunk into the carpet.
Anyway...he did relent his accusation but his attitude was still far from wanting to accept me back in right away. He really had been the instigator of my df'ing even though I was repentant, so it was obvious to me how much he wanted to accept me back.
So yes they watch you like a hawk...absolutely no talking on your part to others, or they just prolong your reinstatement if that's what you're after.
Had Enough (because it still makes my blood boil)
i was driving past a disused kingdom hall last week, here in wsm.
it looked very out of place with its watchtower crennelations, like a mediaevel sort of castle, with a huge sign announcing that this was now the home of the british red cross.
however, we are now blessed with a new, quick-build kingdom hall on the outskirts of town.. but this is not the true story, this quick-build kingdom hall took 3 months to erect, unlike the publicity blurb handed out to our local newspaper which claimed that the work was done in 3 days.. being involved in the building trade, i knew that the local equipment hire company had been supplying the dubs with concrete mixers, diggers, back hoes and jcb's for fully 3 months before the build officially started.. all the ground work was done weeks beforehand, all the services laid on, the roof trusses were ready and waiting as was the curtain walling and window shutters.
Our old hall with the castle features also was sold...but to another religious group.
btw..they promptly put the windows back in)Now when we drive by it seems so funny to
see a big sign with the words "church of the somethingorothers" on it.
Have any others had their hall sold to other religions and did it bother you if you
were still associating?
It sure bothered lots of JWs around here as well as caused alot of talk in the neighbourhood
about 'why if we promote our religion so much, would we let some other religion have our hall?
Had Enough
hi everyone, i just read esmerelda's post, i can see where she's coming from, being a new member, myself.. i understand, though, that people have already made friends and have their own little community, and that's fine.. i don't mind at all, i just hope that i can get people's attention by saying something that hasn't been said before...... i'm struggling though......... bye bye.
chris
Hi Waiting!!
Freedom to express my opinions...I guess I can actually thank my husband for that...(present husband,that is...1st husband was a by-the-WT book elder who expected wives to do as they were told and never question a WT statement)
My husband never has been a JW, but from day-1, we've talked and debated, sometimes loudly, but at least my mind started to get some stimulation after so many years of "yes dear" or "what does the WT say?" when it was my turn to express a thought.
That stimulation started my questioning process and the rest is history....I'm here. Now with all that 'stimulation' and discovery that the "truth" ain't the truth, there's a vacuum that needs to be filled. Hence, my excessive amount of time spent here and on other sites searching out info.
BTW sure wish I knew what you guys are talking about...Krispy Kreme donuts? I thought we Canucks were famous for donut dunking...sounds like you guys got us beat.
Had Enough (but not of learning)
i hereby urge every single one of jehovah's witnesses nationwide to stop going out in field service!
according to the january 1, 1989 watchtower, our obligation to field service officially ended last year!:.
the apostle paul was spearheading the christian missionary activity.
Hi professor:
Thanks for the info. I missed that statement in '89, even though I was still active then.
I'm adding this to my "How Do You Explain This One" file. Someday I hope to be able to use what I gather in it with my still-trapped family.
Had Enough
i recieved this email this morning and found it amusing so i thought i would share it here.
the following is an actual exam question given on a university of.
washington chemistry mid term.
Thanks dark clouds:
What an interesting slant on hell freezing over. I'll never be able to say that again without thinking of this piece of work!!
Had Enough
hi everyone, i just read esmerelda's post, i can see where she's coming from, being a new member, myself.. i understand, though, that people have already made friends and have their own little community, and that's fine.. i don't mind at all, i just hope that i can get people's attention by saying something that hasn't been said before...... i'm struggling though......... bye bye.
chris
This is great stuff people!
I love to read your bantering back and forth. My 2 sidekicks and I are like that and they would enjoy being here reading and posting too but they feel totally computer illiterate and don't have the confidence to even try right now....hopefully I'll get them here yet.
Anyway, even though I'm a relative newbie, I have to say what an education this place is for me. I've never been at a loss for words but having been all my life in the org until just recently, my only source of knowledge and info came from the WTS pubs....no extra schooling...no "worldly contacts"....ZIP that's it!
My mind is like sponge right now soaking up the great ideas and education so many of you share...I may not agree with all of them but I'm open and flexable and will think about them for awhile and then form my own opinion.
That's the freedom I enjoy now....to be able to think on my own and express those opinions but I won't get bent all out of shape if someone doesn't agree with me. So I just love to be here to be able to have that freedom to learn, think and speak without having to worry 'Big Brother' will slap me in chains...
AND I know that if I express something out of line, I'll hear about it...and I'll get over it. That's the way it should be!
Had Enough
....this is only my second post, so please be gentle!!!
thank you all for such a wonderful, supporting, loving, caring forum... where the truth at last can be spoken!!!
...i have soooooo many posts to make, and soooooo little time!!!
Hi there poohbear1962:
Welcome aboard!
You'll find a lot of help, encouragement and knowledge here. And a lot of giggles thrown in too.
We'd love to hear your story of what brings you here. We all have one whether it be a sad one or one of finding out the real truth and
just leaving. Some of us are still stuck in the org. due to family ties and don't want to be forced out so we come here to have someone to talk to and share our thoughts, feelings, fears, and get a lot in return too!
Had Enough
even when i was a dyed in the wool jw, there were a few things that never made any sense whatsoever to me.
like most dubs, i glossed over them, here's my top 3 doubts during my period of dubdom, doubts that were never resolved:.
"all scripture is inspired of god and beneficial for teaching".
Hi Englishman:
A couple of things I found very hard to explain because they just didn't seem to make sense were:
1. How the GB could publish or tell us at conventions, 'actual accounts' of God's spirit protecting some faithful person's life during some disaster, or accident, or attack etc. when others just as deserving died under similar circumstances. Why did God pick and choose who he would let live and who he would let die. It made no sense to me to say Satan caused all the woes and deaths in the earth, but when someone miraculously lived, it was God's direction.
2. We constantly heard and were to incorporate into our service messages, the reference to these 'wicked last days'. Everything was 'getting worse than ever before', harder to deal with, more dangerous times, more wars etc. But all we have to do is look at accounts of how little value life had for the ordinary 'joe' in say medieval times, or the times of the different world powers and see how expendible life was, or read of the hardships the first settlers had in new lands, no modern conveniences, machinery, medicines, etc....no comparison to the ease and technology of our life today.
Those are just a couple for now.
Strangely though, ISP, the prophecies of 7 times, 2,520 years, 607 to 1914 all made sense to me and were actually a large part of my foundation of being convinced this was the 'truth'. I grew up with feeling how privileged we were to live in these last days and see the paradise and live forever. That's all I ever knew.
Anyway englishman...like your rendition of 'the other sheep.
Had Enough
