someone who shall remain nameless (*cough*snowbird*cough) mentioned she has never been to a bar.. this shocks me.. i was remembering how terrified i was of going to a bar when i was exiting the mother ship.
i was looking for the lightning bolts to get me.
and it was a big nothing really.
*cough, cough*
I was hanging with a tough crowd as a teen. I was going to a bar when I was 16. That bar got busted by the local cops and we ended up going to a bar in a distant town.
I haven't been to a bar in years. Probably 6-7. Now I would be nervous. Then, I was very brave. Even as a JW. I would go out on weeknights when there were no meetings and out in FS on Saturdays. Somehow I scammed my Mom.
in my hall growing up, i remember 6 childless couples.
some have died, some are still alive.. i stayed single for the kingdom, hope to change that.. presently in my congregation, there are 4 brothers over 30, two over 40, that are single for the kingdom.
and about 10 single sisters over 25.. three of the five married elders have no children.
One of my JW cousins, male, now an elder, is childless, according to his mother, because of "this system of things" and "he is waiting to have children in the New System when they'll (the kids) be perfect."
He is 45. His first JW wife left him; she said he was emotionally abusive. The second wife, who is 15 years younger, so far is staying. However, they have been married for only 2 years. Time will tell.
since i left the jws i have consistently sent my mom a mother's day card and / or flowers.
depending on my mood and credit limit i will send her a gift.
she has never asked me not to nor has she said this is a bad thing or not approved by the society.
I would hope that, even being raised as JWs, we would press the point with our parents, if still living, that we love them. Personally, I have major issues with my own mother. However, I still love her and want to let her know the most basic way; with a Hallmark card.
I went to a Hallmark store today and looked at all the cards. There were cards that have recordings of old songs and are funny, cards that you can put your own recording into and cards that are just funny, cards that are sweet and cards that fit any thing you want to say.
The store was really crowded. There were men and women shopping. Which was really nice to see.
Hopefully it will eventually get through to her that sending a card to someone does not make them evil. It just lets them know you care.
when i was last visiting bethel in 2007, i saw some of my old buddies.
without giving myself away, i have it on authority that approximately one house or one piece of property is bequeathed or willed or donated to the society each week.. thought you might like to know.. bf.
My Mom showed me her will about 10 years ago; I am the executor. Everything was divided 50/50 with my sister.
She showed me her new will last year. I am still the executor, however, she now has left the Society 15% of everything. She made me promise that I will honor that. I had to not gag as I said of course I would. That is approximately $150,000. She may have upped it.
since i left the jws i have consistently sent my mom a mother's day card and / or flowers.
depending on my mood and credit limit i will send her a gift.
she has never asked me not to nor has she said this is a bad thing or not approved by the society.
Since I left the JWs I have consistently sent my Mom a Mother's Day card and / or flowers. Depending on my mood and credit limit I will send her a gift.
She has never asked me not to nor has she said this is a bad thing or not approved by the Society. I also acknowledge her birthday and send her gifts at Christmas. She accepts all. I have never, ever received a gift or card or phone call on my birthday. Until today. She called and totally ignored my birthday. She chatted for about 5 minutes and ignored it was my birthday. Cie la vie.
Do you, as an Ex-JW, send your Mom who is a JW anything on Mother's Day? Did you when you were a JW?
how many women felt a twinge of this whilst a witness ?.
finishing school for cate w..
Aren't women's brains smaller? I recall a WT about that.
"Over education leads to ugliness, premature aging and beard growth."
"Women Know Your Limits."
Ah, the good old days
the brothers and sisters that i knew that worked in sales did great in the congregation.
their presentations, their talks, their knowledge of all the publications, they were really on top of things.
those that worked in other fields sometimes really struggled at placing literature and in getting studies.. one brother in my hall used to have special sessions with those that wanted to improve their presentation.
I think I recall reading on here and perhaps other ex-dub boards that one of the major pluses of being a dub was learning public speaking and sales.
I do know, personally, off the top of my head, 7 people who are JWs and who are in sales making a living. From cars to transportation to insurance. While I hesitate to call them crooks, I would not do business with any of them. And my dad was one of them.
when you look back, were you considered a "good" jw?
?.
No
out of all mainstream religions, roman catholicism seems to be the most cultic to me, even more so than jehovah's witnesses in certain ways.. the belief in transubstantiation , i think that's how it's spelled, is weird!
the attire of the clergy is satanic looking.
the view of papal authority is not that much different than a jw's view of "the slave".. .
I was taught, as I'm sure most JWs are, to never, ever go into another faiths church. We were not allowed to go to weddings, funerals, etc. if they were held in a church.
As for "Truth", I believe the old testament is a good book for wandering around the desert. Thousands of years ago.
The new testament? It was written too long after Jesus was around. By a bunch of men who may or may not have been literate.
Truth from thousands of years ago is elusive.
edited to add:
I am still willing to go to Sunday mass and hear what they have to say at the local Catholic church. It is one hour of my time. I can spare it for my spouse and it is rarely boring. The people are nice while in the building. In the parking lot they become a-holes.
out of all mainstream religions, roman catholicism seems to be the most cultic to me, even more so than jehovah's witnesses in certain ways.. the belief in transubstantiation , i think that's how it's spelled, is weird!
the attire of the clergy is satanic looking.
the view of papal authority is not that much different than a jw's view of "the slave".. .
I have not read the whole thread.
I have been recently going to Catholic Churches with my spouse--on Sundays. At first I did not go. I refused. I know that was residual JW stuff.
I have met numerous priests at numerous parishes and they have all been very nice. I met one who was not. He was the priest at my relatives funeral-just last week. He was the priest at her church. Apparently she didn't care for him but he was the only priest there. He was actually from Ireland and speaks with a thick accent.
I don't agree with many of the biblical teachings. That is my issue. That is not a Catholic issue. I simply don't believe the bible. I think a lot of it is ridiculous. And, honestly, a virgin birth? Ummm, I just don't buy it. So, if I can't believe that, the rest of the new testament is a bunch of poop.
So, I go to listen and perhaps hear something different.
It is different.
When I first walked in the first Catholic church I thought for sure Jehovah was going to strike me dead. Seriously. And that was years after fading away and not going to a KH in years. Mind control is an amazing thing, huh?
