voodoo lady

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Posts by voodoo lady

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  13

  Ted Jaracz on Child Protection Policy

  by iknowall558 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ted jaracz on watchtower child protection policy.

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  voodoo lady

  His tie looks like it has skulls on it... symbolic of the victims of this policy, perhaps
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  16

  What to write in my niece's (JW) wedding card

  by voodoo lady in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my very militant jw niece is marrying a jw boy who i know little about, though i presume he must have priveleges or be a pioneer for her to have dated him in the first place.

  though i feel so sad at the reality she's about to face - marrying a man she barely knows who she's probably never spent time alone with - i would still like to celebrate her love, or at least these exciting new feelings that she's experiencing that she believes to be love.

  (and for all i know may certainly be love).. .

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  voodoo lady

  Thank you guys, all good points there.

  What I mean by "militant" is that she's extremely strict when it comes to obeying the fine print of this religion. She seeks out council, goes to the elders for guidance, and is one of the over-zealous types.

  Her wedding is a JW-only affair, as most are, I guess, though as a little girl attending JW weddings I do recall that other non-JW relatives would occasionally be invited (and they tended to stand out from the crowd and be the talk of the event). Her father (my brother) is devastated at not being invited because he's an "apostate." However, this has been his status since before she was born and is no big revelation. They had a beautiful relationship until her mid-teens when both sets of granparents started preaching to her, and from then on she's wanted little to do with him. She actually called him to tell him he wasn't invited because of his "choice to turn away from god."

  I think I'm probably projecting the hurt that he feels into this, although it's hard not to. You're right changeling - giving the anti-witness would be rude, and though I would never actually write the "men in Brooklyn" comment on a wedding card, it's such a great fantasy! (I even love thinking about writing it on non-JW wedding cards for fun; they'd think I'm insane! But it would only confuse them). I'd just love to write something about them caring for each other and being accountable to each other only. My mother is too unwell to attend but I know she'll write "there are three strands in a marriage..."

  That business card analogy was right-on, Johnny. It's their wedding, and she must truly be excited and hopeful, I know that. It's no place for anything else. In fact, giving the anti-witness would be as bad as their giving tracts at funerals. I've felt the hurt myself when pointed comments appeared on cards after my father's death, and when my mother got sick. I'd hate to be that insensitive.

  Anyway, I actually expect that she might not read my card or accept my gift because of her vigilence in keeping away from worldly people. If I were to try to explain that to anyone else, I'm sure they'd say "of course she'll read your card" and be flummoxed as to why she wouldn't. But I know everyone here understands the frustration and hurt feelings that this type of rift can cause in a family.

  Yes, Parrot, I think you're right and this might be the big occasion! (But how maddeningly exciting and terrifying it must be to be a virgin on your wedding night). I cringe at the thought that somewhere down the track she may go to the elders, or "a mature sister" to ask what she can and can't do in the bedroom! (I hope that would be taking it too far, even for her). But their attempted intrusion into people's private moments is sickening, especially when they have someone behaving so complicit.

  StAnn, TMS, Quandry and White Dove, all lovely sentiments. I do want her to know that I'll be there for her, should there ever come a point in time when she wants me to be.

  For her card, I like: "To love someone is one of the greatest art forms" and I also think Heaven's comment is beautiful. Thank you everyone!
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  16

  What to write in my niece's (JW) wedding card

  by voodoo lady in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my very militant jw niece is marrying a jw boy who i know little about, though i presume he must have priveleges or be a pioneer for her to have dated him in the first place.

  though i feel so sad at the reality she's about to face - marrying a man she barely knows who she's probably never spent time alone with - i would still like to celebrate her love, or at least these exciting new feelings that she's experiencing that she believes to be love.

  (and for all i know may certainly be love).. .

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  voodoo lady

  Hello everyone!

  My very militant JW niece is marrying a JW boy who I know little about, though I presume he must have priveleges or be a pioneer for her to have dated him in the first place. Though I feel so sad at the reality she's about to face - marrying a man she barely knows who she's probably never spent time alone with - I would still like to celebrate her love, or at least these exciting new feelings that she's experiencing that she believes to be love. (And for all I know may certainly be love).

  I'd like to write something in her card to make her think.

  What I'd really love to say is: "there are two people in a marriage, there's no room for nine men in brooklyn as well." But I doubt she'd look favourably upon that. I'd like to write something that is crafted well enough to actually make her think about the interference these men may cause in her marriage if she allows them the power to do so. Does anyone have any idea how this could be written in a more beautiful and lyrical way, but retain the power of its intent?
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  12

  Visiting New York Tomorrow

  by JWFreak in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey i will be in the city for 4 days from this monday.. apart from the usual tourist sites which i have seen before, what unusual places to any of you recommend?.

  thanks.

  jwf.

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  voodoo lady

  • Awesome coffee at the Organic Grill on 1st Ave - but sometimes their coffee machine is out of action

  • Fantastic vegetarian buffalo wings at Red Bamboo on W4th

  • On Monday nights the Sidewalk Cafe on Ave A has open mic night which is usually lots of fun

  • You might spot Tony Pots 'n' Pans performing in Washington Square Park or in the 42nd street subway station

  • Take a whirl on the Staten Island Ferry - Manhattan looks so beautiful at night
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  25

  Using funerals to recruit members

  by keyser soze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i heard a somewhat amusing story from a co-worker over lunch.

  he said he was at a funeral for a jw relative, and they had a registry for guests to sign.

  his wife signed the registry, and included their home address.

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  voodoo lady

  They dehumanise the individual for the sake of their own agenda, giving no credit to the individual's personality whatsoever.

  At my dad's funeral I wasn't mentioned (I'm a love child from his affair with my mother). All his other children (who he had with his wife) were mentioned.

  The elder who gave the "talk" likened it to "steering a ship through dangerous waters." I presume he meant it was tricky not to touch on unsavoury topics like love affairs in case he "stumbled" anyone. However, the love affair was a part of his life, as was I, and there are surely eloquent enough ways to speak of a loving daughter without giving torrid details about his affair.

  They made him sound like he had not an ounce of personality. I found it difficult to be there as a nobody who couldn't simply put a rose on his coffin as did all his (other) children and grandchildren. I was profoundly uncomfortable, especially since it was in essence a public talk. If "non-believers" knew of the conditional wayin which family (and friendships) are regarded, I doubt there would be any conversions from their attempted funeral recruitment.
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  10

  Who are the current members of the GB?

  by voodoo lady in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what are their stories and backgrounds?

  is it true that there are currently only eight of them?.

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  voodoo lady

  Thank you Gayle. I'll do a google search on each of them just to see how much info I can find.

  Has anyone met them personally? Is the average Bethelite likely to meet them personally? Do they even know where these men are physically housed within Bethel, or what kind of (material) privileges they have?
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  10

  Who are the current members of the GB?

  by voodoo lady in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what are their stories and backgrounds?

  is it true that there are currently only eight of them?.

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  voodoo lady

  What are their stories and backgrounds? Is it true that there are currently only eight of them?
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  17

  The meaning of "abstain from blood"

  by voodoo lady in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  this has been a fixation for me lately, mostly in trying to appeal to my mother to at least consider blood transfusions as an option in the most extenuating circumstances.

  my attempts have fallen flat thus far.

  we've discussed principles versus rules, and though she concedes that principles are in fact more important than rules, she reverses her stance when it comes to this particular issue, and rules become more important than principles.

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  voodoo lady

  This has been a fixation for me lately, mostly in trying to appeal to my mother to at least consider blood transfusions as an option in the most extenuating circumstances. My attempts have fallen flat thus far. We've discussed principles versus rules, and though she concedes that principles are in fact more important than rules, she reverses her stance when it comes to this particular issue, and rules become more important than principles. We have, of course, discussed fractions, but she holds technology and medical advancement to blame for the very existence of this issue, rather than the policy-makers who dictate what she may or may not take into her body.

  We recently had a discussion about the meaning of "abstain from blood." I suggested to her that this perhaps means "abstain from blood-guilt" or in other words "abstain from murder" or "abstain from sacrifice" but of course she said there is no other way to interpret this than in the most literal sense. One of the most frustrating things about the way my mother sees the world is that she doesn't understand that humans may interpret things in different ways, even if they have the same intentions. It's like two people reading a novel and having completely different pictures of a character in their minds even though they're reading precisely the same words. She also tells me we can get the bible's interpretation of the bible which is nonsensical - a book cannot interpret itself. I guess I should know by now that logic doesn't apply to JW rules, nor to my mother's way of thinking, but I can't help but try.

  Does anyone else think that "abstain from blood" could quite reasonably be interpreted as "abstain from blood-guilt?"
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  9

  Blood Transfusion? Yes Please

  by finallysomepride in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on monday night i ended in hospital with kidney stones (5th time) this ones plagued me for the last 2-3 years.. i recieved all the necessary pain killers to settle things down, so i was comfotable most of tuesday.

  tuesday night the specialists came to see me, & they asked about me being a jw and would i still refuse a blood transfusion.. immediatley i said no to being a jw & yes to a blood transfusion, i had been wonderng for sometime what would be my awnser be, & how quick i would responde to these questions, so now i know.. by the way there was alot relief on the faces of the specialist when i answered this way.. they have only so far put a stent in to relieve the pressure from the stone blocking the kidney, further treatment to come but could be some months away.. so anyway i'm still in hospital, thank god for netbooks & wireless broadband, i go home 2moro.. just thought i would share what i've been through these last couple of days, & to say i really am feeling like i'm now free of the borg.. kevin.

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  voodoo lady

  It's all about having the option, isn't it! I'm glad you're taking care of yourself in this way.

  I hope you can keep yourself entertained and feel better soon!

  Love voodoo lady
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  64

  Did You Know A Lot Of "Very Intelligent" JWs?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in my lifetime of knowing jehovah's witnesses, i recognized very few as being extremely intelligent.

  most seemed to just go along with the program.. i noticed we have a number of "very intelligent" exjws here..

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  voodoo lady

  I grew up with a guy who was really smart. He went to uni and studied all sorts of things - he knew a lot about different religions (particularly eastern religions), and knew a lot about philosophy. The elders didn't like it. He'd make comments that the book study group would balk at, mostly because they didn't understand, or because they thought he was being a smart-arse. He knew who Tolstoy was for sure! He's an engineer now, I believe, and has thus far remained in.

  When we were teens another guy showed up in our congregation studying to be a lawyer. Now he was smart, but he married the dumbest JW girl I've ever met. She's not a JW anymore, but not because of any critical thinking she might have done (or any thinking at all). I heard that he married again, and as far as I know he's still a lawyer, and still a JW.

  I posted a similar quote in a different thread recently, again from Tolstoy, but this is the only reason I can think of that they can't (or don't want to) see reality: The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.

  I guess the answer to the question is no, I didn't know a lot of them.