They say that Satan the Devil is a powerful and professional tempter and can get just about anybody to do anything (except Jesus). And yet you get disfellowshipped because you could not overpower his influence. Yep. That's fair.
easyreader1970
JoinedPosts by easyreader1970
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Satan overkill
by Switch ini remember in my teen years thinking about the constant warnings of satan "transforming himself into an angel of light" and wondering how in the world did i stand a chance against a demon?!
a demon thats had thousands of years to suss things out and trick people in various different ways without them even knowing.
he led angels to rebellion.
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It's "lie through my teeth" time again.
by easyreader1970 inwell, the elders are coming over tomorrow for a shepherding call with me and my wife.
i am sure they will discuss my low hours in the field ministry and how i am not doing everything i could be doing.
for my wife's sake, i will be good and mostly "smile and nod".
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easyreader1970
The ordeal is over. They came over but it wasn't as bad as I envisioned. They backed WAY off when we revealed to them that my wife is bipolar and that one of our children is chronically ill (asthma). They said it was a wonder we made it to the KH or out in service whenever we did. So then they read us some scriptures and went on with life. They didn't try to waterboard me or anything. So everyone is happy. The wife got her "spiritual encouragement" that she needed, I wasn't forced to lie (much), and we were not oppressed by the men in black.
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Be honest. Would having more money make you happier?
by nicolaou init's not that simple of course but i would certainly appreciate the freedom and time that cash in the bank would give me.
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how about you?.
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easyreader1970
Having less debt would make me WAY more happier than having more money.
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District Conventions are awful if you have kids. (Learn why!)
by easyreader1970 ini know that many of you have not been to distric conventions in some time, but what i am about to describe is a recent trend.. 1. more people than seats.
for the past six or seven years, they've tried cramming too many congregations into one convention hall at one time.
in many cases, if you do not get to the convention more than an hour before the program starts and you need more than a couple of seats, you cannot find seats.
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easyreader1970
I remember once, the meeting was running far ahead of schedule. I don't know if one or more of the brothers had talked too fast and rushed through their part or not. It was Sunday, I believe, and the program was due to end at 3:55pm. It was 3:20. I remember leaping for joy in my mind. The last brother, who I believe was the district overseer, actually talked and dragged it out somehow to 3:55. I remember screaming in my mind.
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District Conventions are awful if you have kids. (Learn why!)
by easyreader1970 ini know that many of you have not been to distric conventions in some time, but what i am about to describe is a recent trend.. 1. more people than seats.
for the past six or seven years, they've tried cramming too many congregations into one convention hall at one time.
in many cases, if you do not get to the convention more than an hour before the program starts and you need more than a couple of seats, you cannot find seats.
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easyreader1970
I know that many of you have not been to distric conventions in some time, but what I am about to describe is a recent trend.
1. More people than seats. For the past six or seven years, they've tried cramming too many congregations into one convention hall at one time. In many cases, if you do not get to the convention more than an hour before the program starts and you need more than a couple of seats, you cannot find seats. At all. The local brothers will say things like "arrive early to get seats". But the logic is flawed. If everyone arrived ninety minutes early, there still would not be enough seats! I have been to conventions (and also assemblies) where they have literally turned people around and sent them home because too many cars and people would violate the capacity laws. It doesn't help when they have these "invite everyone you know to the convention" campaigns. Where are they going to sit?
2. Poor behavior from servants of Jehovah. So you arrive at the convention early because that is the only chance to get seats for your family of five. You wait at the doors for an hour or more just standing there. The doors open and it turns into an American NFL football game. Grown people--grown people--are running through the place, briefcases and purses swinging, trying to find seats. They will knock you down if you let them. I always have the urge to clothesline someone, but I never do it. But you walk patiently and still find okay seats. Then you get up to go retrieve your family from the vehicle and come back and someone has stolen your seats. They've taken your bibles and song books and replaced them with theirs. Then there are arguments and attitudes.
3. Parking attendants. To this day, I do not know why we have parking attendants. People would fare much better if left to their own driving abilities. They will hose up exiting traffic in ways that cannot be described in words. It once took me almost 2 hours to leave the convention site for sitting in my vehicle in a crowd of unmoving motor vehicles.
4. So, so long. Can't they make these shorter? Yes, I have kids. They are altogether evil, according to the Society. They make me miss spiritual gems that flow from the platform. They distract others. They will only grow up to leave the Organization, anyway. Why not just abandon them? Why are the sessions so numbingly long? Five o'clock in the afternoon? Can we not subject small kids to this sort of torture?
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easyreader1970
Because if the brain cells get too excited they begin to think involuntarily. It's like when the beekeepers smoke the bees. It relaxes them. You come at them while they are frazzled and all hell will break loose.
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I love my parents but...
by mrsjones5 inhubby just told me that my father and mother accused me of stealing a mug from their house when i visited them in october of last year.
my parents sent that mug to me in a box along with some other stuff when they moved to their current house close to four years ago.
my husband knew this and defended me quite nicely but they took the mug with them when they left.
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easyreader1970
You should have someone prank call them pretending to be the police. The police need to know your whereabouts because you are highly suspected of being the ringleader of a Mexican mug heisting cartel. You are considered armed and dangerous and anyone with any information should contact the cops immediately. Make sure the prankster includes the story about how you rolled an old woman in her apartment, stole all of her mugs and even some ceramic cat figurines she made while she was in a convalescent hospital.
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I hate being alone ...
by easyreader1970 inmany times i read the life stories of former jws.
some of these jws are or have been married.
sometimes their spouses share their doubt about the religion and at times they leave the "truth" together or months or years apart.
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easyreader1970
Many times I read the life stories of former JWs. Some of these JWs are or have been married. Sometimes their spouses share their doubt about the religion and at times they leave the "truth" together or months or years apart.
I know that this is not the case for most people. For the most part, one family member leaving the Organization leaves a trail of fire and destruction so horrible that what remains of the family is no longer recognizable. Still, I can't help but feel a bit jealous sometimes when I read biographies where the husband/wife relationship is stronger than the stranglehold that the WBTS has on people. It makes me angry.
I'm just whining, I know.
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It's "lie through my teeth" time again.
by easyreader1970 inwell, the elders are coming over tomorrow for a shepherding call with me and my wife.
i am sure they will discuss my low hours in the field ministry and how i am not doing everything i could be doing.
for my wife's sake, i will be good and mostly "smile and nod".
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easyreader1970
It's not called "lying through your teeth"...it's called "theocratic strategy"
I like that. It sounds much more diplomatic. er
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Are we hyper-sensitised to JW changes? Do we exaggerate their importance?
by yadda yadda 2 insometimes i think we lose all perspective at times on here.
that we are just as prone to over-magnifying any meaning behind relatively minor changes like this in the organisation in the same way jw's are prone to over exaggerate every bit of bad news in the world to mean armageddon is near.. when you sit down in the cold light of day, this change to the bookstudy arrangement for example, is it really that much a big deal?
i strongly doubt it really, despite initial reactions (including my own).
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easyreader1970
For believers still inside the organization: The book study change is a big deal. It has been part of worship for as long as anyone has been alive. The Society has stressed repeatedly how important it is to attend the book study and how members have not been taking it seriously. The Society has stated that the book study is important for many reasons, not the least of which quite possibly being your main lifeline in an emergency or even Armageddon. They have encouraged members to socialize and get to know intimately the people in the book study for decades. Then they come out of the blue and say that it is no longer necessary. An active, believing JW can only see this as some earth-shattering event.
For non-believers still inside the organization for various reasons: I am one of these people. I am hoping this is the beginning of the end (of the WBTS). It would be far easier for me if the WBTS self-destructed than it would be for outsiders to take it down. I think it is a monster that has enslaved the minds of millions of innocent people.
For non-believers outside of the organization: Once again, I think there is a desire to see this organization go down in flames. It has not been determined whether this most recent but important decision is to control minds and stop independents, to prevent lawsuits, to save gas for publishers, or any number of possible theories. Some want it to be an indication that something is wrong, that there is some massive failure somewhere, but that has yet to be seen.
So there is some legitimacy in the excitement that people here feel when changes like these are made. Unfortunately, none of us have any insiders on the Governing Body and their closed meetings so we are ultimately in the dark until we see the fallout.
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