Juan Viejo2

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Posts by Juan Viejo2

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  11

  Can't call him father, so "This is my [dad, daddy, daddyo, papa, pops, pappy, sire, beginner, don, begetter, male parent]

  by FatFreek 2005 in

  1. social
  2. family

  dear question from readers .

  i realize that watchtower is clear in avoiding fancy titles when it comes to people.

  jesus said, "do not call anyone your father on earth".

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  Juan Viejo2

  Good question, Len.

  Well, if he's a JW, how about:

  "Hey, Bro!"

  "My Brother!"

  Christian Head of Our Household

  Forefather

  My Old Man

  JV
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  43

  Is it just human nature to gossip or are JW's worse? Feelings are hurt....

  by mamalove in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it is so strange how once you distance yourself from your kingdom hall and friends, that they find it necesary to discuss and contemplate your departure and put out all kinds of statements that simply are not true.. i am licking my wounds today because some kind of nasty things were said about me to a friend of mine who is df, from her ubber righteous sister.

  it was via text, so it was there to read.

  the thing i can't figure out is i have nothing to do with this woman.

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  Juan Viejo2

  I remember as a kid JW back in the 1950s riding in the back seat of my mother's car and going out in service. There were always a couple of other sisters, usually one was an "Elderette," although they didn't call them that in those days, that always had some fresh gossip to share. I think they just ignored me because they thought I was too young to know what they were talking about.

  I remember when a young JW couple had just been married. On their way back right after their wedding in some distant city, the plane they were in crashed and both were killed. We all went to the funeral - it was so sad.

  So I'm riding in the backseat and one of these sisters leans back over the front seat (they didn't have headrests in those days) and starts sharing with everyone that she heard that the young bride was "supposedly pregnant" when she got married. She wondered if this wasn't Jehovah's punishment for them having premarital sex. I just looked out the window with a dumb stare, but I was seething inside. How could she say such a thing about someone who just died?

  On other occasions she'd share stories about JWs in nearby Kingdom Halls, why the Circuit Servant was replaced, and rumors that our KH piano player, a single man in his 30s was a HOMOSEXUAL!!! Not that he was practicing anything, but has anyone else noticed that he is 35 and doesn't have a girlfriend? That kind of crap. My mom just drove the car and never joined in, but I could tell that she was both fascinated and disgusted by what the other sisters were gossiping about.

  JV
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  12

  PEOPLE-We are more powerful then we think.

  by Joliette in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  imagine if people simply stopped going to the meetings.

  if they stopped showing up to assemblies, conventions, internationl conventions, etc.. no protest, violence, vulgar language, etc.. the elderly, teens, youths, babies, everyone.. we simply let our feelings known by not showing up, not being present, not speaking, by saying nothing.. no explanation to the elders, the c.o's, d.o's, the bethel heavies, or the gb.. we abstain to the higher religious authorities, only speaking amongst ourselves.. no donations, contribuations, etc.. imagine what would happen!.

  power to the people!.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Joliette,

  Don't worry about replacing your membership as a JW with another church connection.

  When you make the move, just go. Take time to do plenty of research. If you absolutely must go to a church, try the Unitarians - they don't force you to believe anything specific - you could even be an atheist - but you'd have the community support and fellowship you might need. Then take your time figuring out what church, or none, you might want to check out further.

  Above all, don't try to replace one group of false doctrines with another set of false doctrines. Take your time - and take as much time as you need.

  JV
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  7

  Local Kingdom Hall Suing the WTBTS

  by dontplaceliterature in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  maybe a month ago i read on this forum that there was a local boe from the southwest usa suing the wtbts over ownership rights to their kingdom hall property.

  was it true?

  any recent developments?

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  Juan Viejo2

  More info about Menlo Park is forthcoming. I've been busy with family issues since November. At the same time, the plaintiffs in the Menlo Park case have been less than helpful in providing information, so getting updates has been like pulling teeth out of sleeping bear. But things are progressing and should come to a conclusion sometime in March or April.

  I will let everyone know as soon as something is ready to be published.

  JV
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  18

  KH and DF attendance question

  by diamondiiz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was reading brotherdan's thread about df individuals having to sit at the back or/and leave for song and prayer.

  i know this practice varies from hall to hall or is regional but i was wondering what right do they have to do this if kh is a public place?

  it's a charitable organization, public place open to all i thought.

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  Juan Viejo2

  I was an 8-year old JW kid when that article came out (Mar Vista, CA congregation). That is one of the few articles I remember from that time period. If I remember right, I don't think my parents or I even understood what disfellowshipping was or how it worked. But I do remember that there were a few attendees that always sat in the back.

  Richard Kelly tells about this time period in his book "Growing Up in Mama's Club." He tells the story of a fellow who takes over as Company Servant (that's what the CBOE/COBOE was called in those days) that went on a DF rampage soon after he took control of the KH. Kelly describes the practice of having the DFd ones sitting at the back of the Hall. We all considered it as a "place of shame." It was very hard on those who were in a disciplinary situation who really wanted to "come back to the Truth." It was like the medieval practice of putting people in stocks in the center of town or the "scarlet letter" being branded on a person to identify them as sinners.

  In most communities a Kingdom Hall would be considered "private property." Trespassers or other unwanted persons could be asked to leave by the JWs. If they refused to leave, the police could be called and the unwelcome guests could be charged with trespassing or disorderly conduct. The fact that a sign says that the "public is invited" to attend does not change the status of the building and its surrounds as private property. It would be similar to inviting everyone in your neighborhood over to your house for a barbeque or to watch the SuperBowl on your widescreen. It is still your private property and you have every right to ask them to leave peacefully. If they refuse to leave, even though they had an invitation, you still have the right to ask them to leave or else you can call the police and have them charged as trespassers or for acting disorderly. A court may later dismiss the charges if no one was injured and no property damage occurred, but at least you got them off the property. JWs and any other church with public meetings can do the same thing.

  JV
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  27

  who succeeded Fred Franz not as President but the theological guru

  by ex-Special Pioneer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for decades fred franz was the guru of the watchtower bible & tract society.

  he was obsessed with "biblical prophecy" trying to explain the book of daniel and revelation.

  who took over after he stopped writing and who is considered the authority on the jws teaching today especially the so called "prophetic interpretation?

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  Juan Viejo2

  James Woods - you have a PM
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  26

  Funny how your tastes in the opposite sex change, and how easy it is to forget the past.

  by miseryloveselders in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had to give a talk away today, which came up somewhat unexpected.

  i had a couple days to get this outline together, and thats sufficient enough time for me, but i prefer knowing a week in advance.

  at any rate, it all worked out.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Garth Brook's "Unanswered Prayers" says it best...

  I've had the opportunity to run into some of the girls I either lusted after or dated while I was a JW teenager.

  One was a tiny little thing with the cutest button nose and big brown eyes. Saw her a few years later at District Assemby in San Diego. She looked like a five-foot tall Jabba the Hutt, dragging three kids, all under 4 years old along. Her husband was about 6'5" and weighed about 120. Very, very hard on the eyes.

  Another was not that pretty, but always dressed in a very classy way. More sexy than beautiful. Saw her at a shopping mall. I didn't recognize her but she noticed me. Came over and reintroduced herself. She told me she was "single again." I told her I was DF'd and no longer a JW. You should have seen the change in her countenance. Reminded me of Agnes Moorehead in "Dark Passage." She actually said, "Eewww!" threw up her hands and pointed the palms toward me, and then turned and practically ran away.

  One gal was the niece of our Congregation Servant. She was so cute when she was 11. Cuter at 12. Getting hot at 13. Eye popping at 15. Voluptuous at 16. I dated her a couple of times when we were both 17. Took her to the beach. Couldn't take my eyes off of her. I lusted after that girl, but nothing happened. Ran into her when we were both 20 - she was still single and seemed hot to date again. Told her I was married and had a little girl. Her eyes went cold and her lips flattened into a small crease. I looked at her again and realized that much of her appeal was in her smile and her flashing eyes, not her body. Suddenly, she looked like someone's 45-year old maiden aunt.

  There have been a few others that I've bumped into over the years. Now that I'm in my late 60s, I will see some girls that were in my high school graduating class. Very few have aged well (of course, neither have I), and I'm often relieved that I did not end up with most of them.

  Unanswered prayers! Thank you Jehovah!!!

  JV
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  15

  GOVERNING BODY WIPED OUT IN FREAK ACCIDENT - what happens next?

  by Lion Cask in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  (reuters) the world of 7 million jehovah's witnesses took a horrific turn this morning when an aviation stunt went bad and claimed the lives of the seven members of the governing body of the watchtower bible and tract society.

  the governing body directs both the spiritual and temporal lives of their followers, who believe their leadership speaks to them directly from god.

  dead are samuel herd (age 75), geoffrey jackson (55), m. stephen lett (61), gerrit losch (69), anthony morris (60), guy h. pierce (76) and david h. splane (66).

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  Juan Viejo2

  "Sadly...I don't see a good outcome. I see the JWs stepping up to make sure that there is not any delay in even a single Watchtower. Men from down below would step up and take over the oversight."

  What would happen is that a group of 7 to 10 men in the Service and Writing departments, who are currently "other sheep" class, would suddenly feel the holy spirit come over them and realize that they were now of the "anointed, faithful and discreet slave class," would step forward and appoint themselves as the replacements for the Governing Body. All the drones and clones at Bethel would realize that they would need to establish good relationships with these new leaders as soon as possible in order to cement their own positions and get in line for promotion.

  The event of all of these men in their forties to sixties suddenly being chosen as "anointed replacements" for the late members of the GB would be considered a miracle, giving them even more authority and powers.

  The JWs in the field, of course, would accept what they are told and not murmur, for fear of being disfellowshipped or severely reproved.

  JV
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  43

  Called to be Free - Dissolution of the Worldwide Church of God

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  [the time links work on my website, not good here].

  called to be free - dissolution of the worldwide church of god.

  [note: this presentation is over an hour long and is very well done, but i have marked key time slots from the video so if you are in a hurry you can watch the key highlites.].

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  Juan Viejo2

  I used to watch Garner Ted Armstrong's TV program all the time. He was a lot like that other fellow that wrote all of the books about the end times (name escapes me at the moment), with his prophecies of the "king of the north and king of the south," "Gog and Magog," etc.

  I loved how his prophecies would change as America's perceived enemies changed over the years. First Russia, then Iran, then Iraq.

  Garner Ted got DF'd from the WWCoG by his dad. Then he went to Texas and set up his own branch, which I think is still active and follows a lot of the old WWCoG beliefs. GTA died a few years ago. He was DF'd by his dad because of infidelity in his marriage and was also accused of misuse of church funds for his personal uses.

  I had a co-worker that was a WWCoG member. I remember him telling me that he gave 10% of his GROSS pay to the church, before taxes, med ins, stock plan, etc. He was always borrowing money from the rest of us to buy lunch or to fill his gas tank. He also did not work on Saturday's, so when he was a supervisor at the phone company he had to find a replacement willing to work his weekend duty - and it usually was me.

  They were a weird bunch, but like the JWs, fairly dedicated and trying to be good Christians. But it was so obviously a personality cult under Herbert and son Garner Ted. Plain Truth had pages and pages of Herbert shaking hands with Sadat, and DeGaulle and other major world leaders. I think Sun Yun Moon learned and patterned his Moonie religion after HWA and GTA and their approach to world evangelism.

  Anyone remember that Bing Crosby's concert career effectively came to an end when he fell off the stage at Ambassador College's concert hall while giving performance?

  JV
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  30

  Content is King- Why the Meetings Fail

  by LostGeneration in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the big sayings for those that run websites is that "content is king" it makes perfect sense, as sites like this one have entertaining content for the targeted audience.

  even better, more content is added everyday bringing users back repeatedly.

  poptular tv shows and movies are loved because they entertain customers for a low cost or free.. on the other hand, you have the content provided by the watchtower bible and tract society, delivered though the pages of the watchtower and through weekly meetings.

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  Juan Viejo2

  LostGeneration - check your PMs