Posts by The Berean

2

Is the governing body now saying they are APOSTLES?

by yesidid in

jw
friends

i thought i read here that the gb as a group is saying that individually they are modern day apostles.. can someone please confirm and give references.. thank you in advance.. .

yesidid .

The Berean

Another follow-up question might be: " Are the Elders and publishers now saying the GB are APOSTLES"? Those are the ones in front of the curtain ...

43

Bethel tells us not to build a new Hall since no more Bookstudy! Takes our $147,000!!!

by Witness 007 in

yes we saved and loaned and skrimped to build our own hall as we share with 6 other congs amd our area keeps growing bigger.

we even picked out the land....nice, perfect for a hall.

we had 147,000 so....then the advice comes from "above" that bethel advised us not to build since the bookstudy is cancelled our hall can take one more cong????

That any time the church dictates exactly how much money should be contributed by its members it amounts to a TITHE. Whether 10% or not the concept is the same ... my Brother-in-law's church asks 15% for its cut.

7

And it could happen for you ...

by The Berean in

jw
friends

julie(i'll call her) is a friend of mine i met some time ago during a trip to california.

with permission i would like to relate her story of endurance and the will to never give up.. coming from a military background her parents divorced at an early age.

things were seldom "normal" at home.

The Berean

She was cool. She never obligated them. One son is in the military.

7

And it could happen for you ...

by The Berean in

jw
friends

julie(i'll call her) is a friend of mine i met some time ago during a trip to california.

with permission i would like to relate her story of endurance and the will to never give up.. coming from a military background her parents divorced at an early age.

things were seldom "normal" at home.

The Berean

Julie(I'll call her) is a friend of mine I met some time ago during a trip to California. With permission I would like to relate her story of endurance and the will to never give up.

Coming from a military background her parents divorced at an early age. Things were seldom "normal" at home. Reaching maturity, Julie began a series of choices that would lead her thru three aborted reltionships and result in five fatherless children. Destitute in her 30s, she and her youngsters found themselves in a homeless shelter in Bakersfield with no car, income, or hope. Jehovah's Witnesses found her and offered conditional support. With no other options available, she temporarily became a Witness even though she privately questioned many doctrines. In light of her plight, she particularly disagreed with the old gaurd still discouraging higher education. But she was able to play the game of Watchtower bobblehead until she could right the ship for the crew. And that she would do!

With the more-than-willing assistance from certain Sisters as daycare providers, she enrolled in nursing school and began her rise. It would be tough, full of emotional ups and downs, exhaustion, coupled with a tinge of guilt for accepting aid from an organization she knew she would eventually leave. At 40 years of age and after a four year religious charade, Julie graduated near the top of her class and immediately landed a position at a local hospital as an RN. She rented a home, bought a older car, and brought some stability to her immediate family. Of course, damages had been done by years of confusion and the challenge of maintaining some semblence of direction as regards her offspring is an ongoing task.

Yet she moved on. Fading from the organization and dedicating herself to her work, within a year Julie was promoted to Intensive Care which included a six-figure salary! After long hours and hard work an additional 20K per year was added to the compensation package.

Julie is now a grandmother and is in the process of buying a home, She is amazingly resilient and what I consider an inspiration for Mothers with deadbeat Fathers.

Oh yes, I talked to her yesterday. She recieved notification and a phone call from Publisher's Clearing House advising her of a possible prize. While recording the conversation, they requested she be home on August 21. With a certain amount of caution, she told them she would be UNLESS she was scheduled to work that shift! Talk about priorities!

My thought: Life altering "time and unforseen occurrence" can positvely befall any one of us if we just believe in a better way ...

30

I live with little respect from my mate ...

by The Berean in

jw
friends

i have been married for over 30 years to a woman who was as good as i could have realistically hoped for and i probably am as good as she could have hoped for.. yet, over time, she has become less and less willing to respect my experience and conclusions concerning life.

the signs of disrespect are a knee-jerk reaction to doubt and correct my point of view even before i complete a thought or sentence.

while some of that can be seen in her mother and may be conditioned, my departure from the organizartion and her continued dedication to same has amplified her apparent inner distain.

The Berean

Ooo, is that sabre saw a Binford cordless?

30

I live with little respect from my mate ...

by The Berean in

jw
friends

i have been married for over 30 years to a woman who was as good as i could have realistically hoped for and i probably am as good as she could have hoped for.. yet, over time, she has become less and less willing to respect my experience and conclusions concerning life.

the signs of disrespect are a knee-jerk reaction to doubt and correct my point of view even before i complete a thought or sentence.

while some of that can be seen in her mother and may be conditioned, my departure from the organizartion and her continued dedication to same has amplified her apparent inner distain.

The Berean

mouthy, I think you got it!

Thanx

30

I live with little respect from my mate ...

by The Berean in

jw
friends

i have been married for over 30 years to a woman who was as good as i could have realistically hoped for and i probably am as good as she could have hoped for.. yet, over time, she has become less and less willing to respect my experience and conclusions concerning life.

the signs of disrespect are a knee-jerk reaction to doubt and correct my point of view even before i complete a thought or sentence.

while some of that can be seen in her mother and may be conditioned, my departure from the organizartion and her continued dedication to same has amplified her apparent inner distain.

The Berean

I have been married for over 30 years to a woman who was as good as I could have realistically hoped for and I probably am as good as she could have hoped for.

Yet, over time, she has become less and less willing to respect my experience and conclusions concerning life. The signs of disrespect are a knee-jerk reaction to doubt and correct my point of view even before I complete a thought or sentence. While some of that can be seen in her Mother and may be conditioned, my departure from the organizartion and her continued dedication to same has amplified her apparent inner distain. It's quite clear for me to see. For instance, should an elder makes a suggestion, she smiles and readily complies, even when their seems to make little sense. Should I make a similar suggestion, her facial response is just the opposite. No words are exchanged, she simply tunes me out.

So, is my situation unique? Do others tolerate such relationships because the pluses still outweigh the minuses. Is it ever too late to walk away and live what's left alone?

25

Embarrassing Moments on the Platform

by HintOfLime in

i was thinking the other day about a potential answer to the frequent party question 'what was your most embarrassing moment?'.

immediately my mind went to my last experience on the theocratic school.

as an aspiring ms, i volunteered at the last minute to give a #4 talk on a particular individual (ignorant of what i was about to get myself into).

The Berean

There was a ninety year old elder in a local congreagtion who would occasionally still be given small parts as well as be asked to pray ... UNTIL ... on consecutive Thursday nights he brought the house down. In the first instance, near the end of a question and answer assignment the old codger squinted toward the rear of the hall and beckoned to a teenage female who had been raising her hand: " I hope the young sister will forgive me. I have been looking you over for the entire meeting."

The next week would be one of his last on the platform. Again he would initiate gagging, snorting, and choking with words in his closing prayer: "Excuse us Jehovah for our falling shorts"!

I guess it will happen to all of us ...

41

Have you Overcome " Fear " and " Guilt " Instilled in us by the Witnesses ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

steve hassan mentions that the 2 main tactics mind control cults use to control people is " fear " and " guilt " .. definition of fear in the readers digest oxford dictionary : " an unpleasant emotion caused by exposure to danger , expectation of pain, etc.

a state of alarm.

anxiety for the safety of, danger, feel anxiety or apprehension about.

The Berean

Believe it or not, a turning point for me was the movie "The Wizard of Oz." Watching the movie based on a novel written around the time Russell opened his publishing company helped me to equate the alleged powerful man behind the curtain as a fabrication and that the "yellow brick road" represented percieved fear. Afterwards, when I put it all together I concluded that fear and guilt are acquired emotions which exist only in our minds. At some point I then recognized that true freedom was the acceptance that only "time and unforseen occurance" results in unfortunate events which we fear and that there is no need to feel guilt since the Greater Oz is not really watching at all.