I agree, I'm embarrassed at the actions I took while being a witness. I joined two of the ex-JW groups on Facebook recently, and before I did, I gave thought to my colleagues/classmates/friends who didn't already know, finding out. It does make for interesting stories though. And I always warn people not to take the magazines just to be nice, because they'll write you down as having "placed a magazine" and keep coming back to bug you.
Babylon the Great Employee
JoinedPosts by Babylon the Great Employee
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47
embarrassed about having been a witness?
by purplesofa inlast weekend witnesses came to where i work....i work at a barbque restuarant (hey it's fun!
) i recognized two elders before they came in and freaked!!!!!.
the elder obnoxious was at the register and i was sure he did not recognize me.
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Worst Rules
by DoomVoyager inwhat are the worst rules you've ever heard being dispensed from the platform?
"christians do not dance to ymca, as it promotes homosexuality.
"hairstyles that defy gravity also defy joe hoobie.
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Babylon the Great Employee
I thought of another bizarre rule: Sisters aren't allowed to look at themselves in the mirror! At the conventions, they would tape paper over the mirrors so we couldn't see our reflections. (I'm sure they still do this.) The reason was so that sisters wouldn't be fixing their make-up when they should be either listening to the talks, or engaging in "good association." This would be vanity and not pleasing to Jehovah God. I'm sure it also alleviated restroom congestion since you were only supposed to be going to the restroom during breaks, not during the session. Quick, get in and out, you won't be able to go later!
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Strange leaders in the hall?
by lancelink ini was thinking about an ms from my hall in the early 90's.. he worked as little as possible, never made an effort to live up to the standards that the wt states are for any ms, but his brother was the service overseer, (the good old boys club.
in action ) and he had some of the most amazing,weird theories!.
out in service he would tell everyone how the us government was preparing holding areas for anyone who questioned the government.. sort of like the japanese camps from ww 2.. did you just see a black helicopter ??
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Babylon the Great Employee
Chicken or the egg? Does the Watchtower attract the crazies, or does the Watchtower cause the crazy? Maybe a little bit of both.
(Heh, I often say the same thing about the legal profession.)
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Death,Destruction,Gloom, Oh my!
by jetery inisnt a religion suppose to uplift u and encourage u?
when i was a jw(d'fed now) i remember sitting thru the meetings listening about death and destruction and how people were going to die who were not jw.
i was more depressed being one of jw than i was when i was a catholic.
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Babylon the Great Employee
I absolutely agree! Religion should be about bringing out the good in people, coming together to celebrate their beliefs! Not coming together to condemn everyone not there to a fiery death at God's hand. That's truly why I stopped believing: I never thought a loving God would destroy people just because they didn't sit in the Kingdom Hall and listen to them complain about "worldly" stuff all the time.
It always goes back to the story of Lot's wife, how she looked back upon the wicked city as she was running away from it, so God turned her into a pillar of salt. I always thought that story was rubbish. Who wouldn't look back as a city was being destroyed by God? Who wouldn't look back on their home, their friends, all the death and destruction, and say, gosh, I feel bad it's all burning! That story is the whole basis of their smugness about "worldly people." Don't be like Lot's wife! Don't feel bad for them! Be glad they're all going to die! Rejoice in their destruction! Disgusting. How is that different from Islamic extremists cheering when terrorist attacks kill innocent people? It's not.
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Cross-Cultural Experiences?
by Babylon the Great Employee in(first, as an american, i must apologize to our international friends for our country ever exporting the watchtower in the first place.
someone should take up the matter with the wto.
seriously, though, i am interested in the differences (if any) in jw's across cultures.
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Babylon the Great Employee
(First, as an American, I must apologize to our international friends for our country ever exporting the Watchtower in the first place. Someone should take up the matter with the WTO.)
Seriously, though, I am interested in the differences (if any) in JW's across cultures. Are the rules less stringently applied in nations less prudish than Americans? Obviously most of the folks on this board are native anglophones, but I wondered if, especially in non-English-speaking nations that cultural differences impacted what the rules actually were, and what rules were even enforced. For instance, dress codes, what activities were approved or not approved, etc.? The materials are obviously written with an American/western audience in mind, but were those same materials actually translated into other languages or were separated materials published for different nations/cultures?
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In spite of it all- not too shabby
by JimmyPage insometimes i used to get a little sad for being a late bloomer by worldly standards.
but when i consider how i've done in spite of my dub background i feel pretty proud: baptized by 16. servant by 19. disillusioned by 22. first date/kiss by 23 (with a worldly girl- the mind control starting to lose hold!
) chance to lose virginity by 24 (but still too brainwashed to give in to my "wrong" desires).
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Babylon the Great Employee
I feel most sorry for those who have left, but who still hold strongly to their beliefs. I know a woman who left because she was disillusioned by the hypocrisy and double lives, and how the rules were arbitrarily applied. Yet, she still believes all the teachings. So she is essentially alone. She can't have friends in the congregation, and she won't let herself have friends in "the world." She's in limbo, never having really left, but she doesn't have the benefit of companionship from being active. It makes me very sad.
You're absolutely right. Those of us who managed to get out, who weren't destroyed by the process of leaving, are extremely lucky. We could have had it much worse. I honestly think my mother would leave, except she doesn't want to lose her friends or her family. What a wonderful thing to be able to walk away and live life on our own terms!
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Judgemental, hypocritical bit*h!
by Lady Zombie ina friend of mine owns a small ceramics and gift shop.
i guess a year or so ago, she bought up a ridiculous amount of small plushy toys, like beanie babies, webkinz, etc.. she had about 30 of them she had forgot about in a storeroom.
she thought of putting them on the shelves but decided just to write them off.
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Babylon the Great Employee
I definitely would have shamed her, you're a much better person than I am! I wasn't aware that merely sitting in the Kingdom Hall and knocking on doors was what made them Christians. I thought it was supposed to be love and charity and *that's why* they go to the Kingdom Hall and field service. Amazing, they don't even believe their own rhetoric, they're just caught up in appearances and their own hypocrisy.
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does anyone have experience getting a PATENT?
by oompa ini have a very simple little item i want to patent and market....very simple and useful...and my patent search on google shows it is original...so what do i do?....oompa.
btw...i have done some field testing and research....and every single person wants to know why they never thought of this, and when can they get one....it is not a stupid beer drinkers hat or anything.....
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Babylon the Great Employee
Other than taking Intellectual Property in law school, no. But here is the link to the PTO. http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/index.html
You don't *need* an attorney, you can file the paperwork yourself, but the process can be very complex for filing a patent. If you want to make sure it's done right and don't want the hassle/stress of trying to figure it out yourself, I would definitely suggest hiring an attorney. Contact either your state's bar association, or if you live in a larger city, there is probably a local bar association. They will have referral services for patent lawyers. Good luck!
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Ex has gone to Convention with my kids
by cyberdyne systems 101 ini dont know why, but this has left me feeling angry.. it could be that normally i go and pick them up to take them to school on this morning.
i think its more than likely that i know they are staying there in a hotel and that part of things will be made fun for my children - not that i have a problem with that, its because its coupled with the knowledge that they will be associating it with going to a jw convention, and all that will be is an indoctrination session and self praise for the society.. whilst i think the children will see things from both sides, from me no longer being a jw and living a typical non jw life, and then with their mother (who is a good woman) who is a devoted dub, i think the control techniques and cult thinking and propagander are designed to place mental barriers to which someone like me should be unable to penetrate.
whether in practice that turns out to be so, we'll have to let to time show.. its just so frustrating to think someone can be so blinded, and suck up everything thats spouted out from the leaders, and try their very best to bring their children up with that too.
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Babylon the Great Employee
Remember that any religion, when taken to an extreme, is dangerous. The JW's don't have a monopoly on hypocrisy, brainwashing or indoctrinization, they just do it extremely well! There are variations in growing up JW, depending whether the child believes or not, and how deeply the parents believe. Not getting to have a normal childhood because of all the restrictions is one thing, but growing up brainwashed is another altogether. Or the likely medium, struggling between knowing in your heart what is right, and trying to reconcile that with what you've been taught. While some never question, most do. And whether they are supported in their quest for independent thinking makes a big difference.
I think if you make an effort to engage your children in dialog when they come back from the convention, it will help a lot. Ask them what they heard, and if there are any questions they have. Talk to them about God, about what they think God wants. Do they think that God will destroy their dad because he doesn't go to the meetings? Do they think a loving God would do that? Those are all the things I thought about as a kid: Why would a loving God kill my friends at school? My teachers? My aunt who's DF'd? When you find yourself unable to believe that basic tenet of the faith, the rest comes unraveled. Let them know that it's okay not to believe, they have a choice in what to believe or not believe, and continue to reinforce that just because their mom (or dad) believes something, that doesn't mean they have to. But also let them know that they should respect their mom's beliefs, even when they disagree. She has a right to her beliefs, as do all people, but no one has the right to force others to believe or worship a certain way. These are all wonderful lessons you can share with your children, that will make them better, tolerant people. You have the opportunity to turn a bad situation into a good one, while at the same time cultivating your relationship with them and encouraging them to maintain a good relationship with their mother.
While you can't keep them from the meetings and conventions, you can provide them with a safe haven where they can think for themselves, draw their own conclusions, and be independent. Most likely, if they grow up with good critical thinking skills, they won't grow up wanting a career at Bethel. While they're with you, just make sure they have a normal life. Extracurricular activities, spending time with friends from school, doing stuff normal kids do like sports. Let them dream about their futures, in careers and lives that the JW's would never allow. Keep preparing them for life as normal adults in the real world. Even though they won't have that 100% of the time, they'll grow up with some normalcy, and that will prevent them from resenting you.
I resented my parents not for raising me JW, because that was their belief, but rather I resented them for not allowing me to make my own choices and encouraging me to think for myself.
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loan fraud
by wha happened? ini am a broker.
i really do take care of my clients.
recently, a "brother" told me he finances hard money loans.
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Babylon the Great Employee
Real estate law is not my area of expertise, so I can't really comment on the legality of the transaction. But as for your attorney, he would probably be in violation of CA's rules of professional responsibility if he were complicit in an unethical transaction, even if the matter isn't technically illegal.
You can always tell Brother Shady that if he insists on conducting unethical business transactions, you will be forced to have a talk with the elders about how Brother Shady's actions have "stumbled" you. ;) Seriously, I think it would be good negotiating leverage. Tell him as a JW, you are uncomfortable with the transaction! Use it to your advantage.