Juan Viejo2

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Posts by Juan Viejo2

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  6

  Maybe it's being blonde, but I need clarification on "new light"..

  by diana netherton in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  am i correct in stating the the "new light" is now that the gb are the the fds as opposed to the.

  and is that switch because the number doesn't match and some "deranged" souls.

  are now partaking at the memorial?.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Read Cedars's article over at JWSurvey.org. He covers the whole issue as well as I expect it ever will be explained.

  http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/governing-body-says-we-are-the-faithful-and-discreet-slave

  JV
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  14

  Apostates back in the days of IRC & Chat Rooms

  by JustThatGirl007 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i used to be really active in the jw chat rooms on irc.

  i was an op on several and i had my fair share of banning apostates.

  lol).

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  Juan Viejo2

  I used to get on the Usenet frequently. There were some pretty good threads there until the spammers and pornographers took it over completely.

  I often got into long arguments with OBVES (yes, our own "scatologist"). He/she would go on about how the Bible would show that every single day since Pentecost was significant and should be observed. I think the end of the world, according to OBVES, must have occurred at least 5,000 times since those days in 1998-2000 when he was doing his very best predicting.

  There were a few good posters. Some were very reasonable and used logic in their appeals for all of us to reassess our beliefs. The Usenet was a good thing. It still exists, but its popularity and access is severely limited.

  Now there is Topix and Yahoo!Answers. It seems that the spirit of the Usenet has possessed these forums and others like them. They still make for a few good reads, but for the most part have been taken over by JWs who prefer to copy and paste from the Watchtower CD rather than engage in real discussion.

  JV
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  86

  A Note from Randy/Dogpatch (Freeminds)

  by Lady Lee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this past week randy was hospitalized.

  he is now home recovering and has asked me to let you know that he will need a couple of days to recuperate.

  in the mean time: if you have sent him emails or want to send him an email, it might take a couple of days for him to respond.. feel free to leave messages here for him.

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  Juan Viejo2

  I was really getting worried. Glad to know you are still with us. We need you...

  JV
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  83

  Video tribute to Oompa (Eric Reeder)

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i didn't know eric particularly well, and i feel terrible that i didn't reach out to him more or try to help him while i still had the opportunity.. i feel extremely helpless, but the least i can do is help others remember him who knew him better.. here is a video i've uploaded to youtube in his honor.... .

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67a0imd6dng.

  i hope it helps us as we mourn a much-loved member of this forum.. .

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  Juan Viejo2

  Cedars,

  Because of my connections to you on other projects I've guessed that you truly had big heart and open mind for those who have been damaged by the abuse and loveless religion promoted by the Watchtower. I did not know Oompa at all and only read his commentary here on JWN. Obviously many others knew him personally and cared for him.

  Your video was perfect and a beautiful statement of love. Thank you.

  Eric Reeder is just another example why those of us who are actively exposing the sins of the Watchtower and trying to expose their hypocrisy must not stop. Until the rest of the world understands that there are hundreds just like Eric suffering unimaginable pain and even death because of this cult - we must continue to get the word out.

  I get emails and comments on my websites every week asking for someone to help at all - any help at all. I do my best, but fail miserably in too many cases.

  None of us will know whether a well-timed hug and some quiet time to just listen would have saved Eric. Some of us are just too far away to help. It's just a shame that anyone should ever suffer that much.

  JV
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  241

  5 Reasons Why the DEAF Masturbation Video is different than anything before...

  by BluePill2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you have noticed the asl video warning against masturbation (another guilt trip) is creating waves.

  this is not small fry.

  1. it is humorous - most topics (like other policies) are serious/depressing (blood, shunning, pedos).

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  Juan Viejo2

  Another interesting, yet shorter version. I'm ready to rock - how about you?

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5G-ni6Yk0o

  JV
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  241

  5 Reasons Why the DEAF Masturbation Video is different than anything before...

  by BluePill2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as some of you have noticed the asl video warning against masturbation (another guilt trip) is creating waves.

  this is not small fry.

  1. it is humorous - most topics (like other policies) are serious/depressing (blood, shunning, pedos).

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  Juan Viejo2

  Just in case anyone has doubts that the video is legitimate and its source is JW.org, here is the link one more time...

  http://www.jw.org/apps/index.html?option=QrYQFVTrlBBX&selLang=ASL&selPub=732 (it's #22)

  JV
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  58

  New MS - Looking for the "better" job

  by nochoice in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  long, long time lurker and great fan of the site - first time poster.

  i am not sure if i am truly a lurker since that implies i am apostate-curious.

  in fact, i have been mentally out completely for a long time, but still physically in like many of you.

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  Juan Viejo2

  nochoice - welcome to JWN.

  While you're here and trying to sort things out, maybe you can answer a question I've had for some time:

  In a typical Kingdom Hall congregation, how many elders and Ministerial Servants are there? Is there a minimum number? Is there a maximum number?

  What are all of the "servants" positions called now?

  When I was a JW (back when dinosaurs still lived among us) we had about 6-10 "servants" positions. There were no "ministerial servants."

  Prior to 1953 there were the following positions in the Riverside, California Central Kingdom Hall:

  "Company Servant" (changed to "Congregation Servant" early that year) - (typically a lifetime position as long as the fellow was effective, popular, and met service requirements). We had an excellent, dedicated, and loving brother in that position [Ted Rogers].

  "Assistant Company/Congregation Servant" - typically hardworking and effective. Took total charge when Congregation Servant was ill, on vacation, or otherwise unable to attend a meeting or other gathering.

  "Theocratic Ministry School Servant" - ran the Thursday night ministry school, made assignments, and typically did most of the critiques after student presentations.

  "Literature Servant" - managed the storeroom where literature was kept. Opened the literature counter before and after meetings, collected 3 cents per magazine and 25/50 cents for books and ordered additional supplies as needed. Provided handbills (ours had the dates and times of public talks printed on them) and other specialty items. Would also supply Pioneers with left-over or out-dated literature at no cost for their field work. Was responsible for the accounts for literature.

  "Accounting Servant" (this was often a double-duty job for the CS or ACS). This was sometimes assigned to a brother with no particular skills, but married to a sister who was good at accounting and keeping the books. My mother was acting "accounts servant' when my father was assigned this position for a few months.

  "Territory Servant" - some Kingdom Halls had a separate position for this, but ours was handled by the "Literature Servant." Handed out and logged the territory maps to "pioneers" and ...

  "Book Study Conductors / Servants" - This was my first "elder position" assigned to me when I was just 20 years old. Conducted the Tuesday night Book Study held in a private home. Eight to twenty JWs and their families would meet at a private home for an hour to study one of the more advanced books. Would lead prayer, assign a reader, and (typically during the summer) would assign local streets to those who showed up for pre-study field service. Was also responsible for Saturday and Sunday morning field service management if located away from the Kingdom Hall.

  Some Kingdom Halls had "Building Maintenance Servants," but these were rare. Our janitorial duty assignments were handled by the Assistant Congregation Servant. He'd post a calendar with cleaning dates and times assigned to family heads.

  ---- Jump to the present ----

  When I attended a Memorial Service two years ago, the local Kingdom Hall seemed to have an elder's position for just about every well-dressed older man. It seemed like at least eight elders were involved in the presentation. One opened the meeting, introduced the song, and then invited another brother to say the opening prayer. He then introduced the main speaker (I assumed to be the COBOE). Two younger brothers adjusted the microphones and also carried hand mikes up and down the aisles. I counted four brothers on each main aisle (total of 8) who stood at the front and back during talk and then passed the bread and wine when that process began. There were at least ten brothers acting as parking attendants before and after the meeting. I believe an ASL meeting was taking place behind me, but I couldn't tell for sure. At the end of the meeting, the main speaker turned it over to the first "host", who then led the closing song and called on another brother to say the closing prayer. Before everyone was released (the Spanish congregation was coming in behind us), he turned the meeting over to another brother who made some announcements about the special talk that was scheduled for the following Sunday. After the meeting was dismissed, a nice younger brother (in his 30s) introduced himself and his wife. He then pointed out his wife's father and uncle (not otherwisde involved in the meeting) and told me that both of them were elders. I'm guessing this congregation of about 125 must have had at least a dozen elders and maybe ten Ministerial Servants.

  So - can anyone help me out here? What is the typical configuration for elders and MSes in an average KH now? I've looked through all of my current books and the WT CD, but I can't find anything definitive.

  JV
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  64

  The Good Food Thread

  by MrsCedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my inspiration comes from the ingredients i have at hand, very often leftovers, and also home grown produce, herbs and spices.

  i still have a lot to learn, but i have come a long way since i first started cooking for mr cedars.. i think the first recipe on this thread should by the one that oodad has posted on other thread.... .

  shrimp scampi.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Mrs. Cedars - Your cedar plank Salmon looks delicious. I'll have to try that some day.

  It reminds me to some degree of a recipe that my father taught me that has some similarities. Some of you longtime US readers (especially from the South) may recognize this.

  My father was born in 1915, so as a teenager he was forced to live right through the very worst of the Great Depression. His folks were not quite Oklahoma "dirt farmers" - not because they were better off than most people in Oklahoma - but because they didn't even own dirt.

  Oklahoma still had a lot of of Native Americans mixed among the poor whites in many small towns. The Depression forced everyone to share and try to help out in any way they could. My dad happened to have a young American Indian friend that played with him on the high school football team. One day my father happened to remark that his parents didn't have any food for the upcoming weekend and they were going to have to share a single loaf of bread amongst the 4 of them from Friday until Monday. Dad's Indian friend told him that he should go down and catch some fish at a nearby river.

  "But there ain't nothing good in that river," Dad said. "Just some little ol' minnows and some nasty old carp."

  "Carp makes a good meal as long as it's prepared right," his friend remarked. "Here's how you do it. Catch yourself a big ol' fat carp. Take it home, but keep it outside. It'll stink up your house real bad if you cook it inside. Dig a hole in your yard, bout three feet deep'll do. Shove some clean river sand on the bottom. Get yourself a nice cedar plank, the wider the better. Set it down on top of the sand and then pile a bunch hot coals around the edges. Put that ol' carp down on the board. Then add a bunch of salt and pepper. Toss in some radishes, celery stalks, pretty much whatever you can lay your hands on. Tomatoes and green peppers are good if you got 'em. Dandelions'll do. Add some more salt and pepper. If you have some cooking oil or some butter, sprinkle it all over. Add some cayenne and some o' your grandma's cooking wine - if she got any. Take a second board and lay it on top over that ol' nasty fish and then pile some hot coals on top of that. Use some tin foil if you got some, but it don't matter. Cover the pit with some dirt and let that old fish cook for about 6 or 7 hours. Longer won't hurt."

  My dad asked what he should do next. His friend responded, "After about half a day, dig it up and clean all the ashes and dirt offen those boards. Then get both of them boards out of the pit and brush them off."

  "Yeah. But then what about the fish?"

  "Throw away the fish and serve the boards for dinner..."

  Although this story is certainly nonsense, my dad used to love to tell it right during a fancy fish dinner (trout, bass, or catfish). But the truth is that the Seminole Indians living in Florida and other parts of the south did eat carp and managed to survive pretty well. It is said that they had awful body odor due to the fish oils in their diet, but they were never bothered by mosquitoes and stayed fed during the worst of times. They were also hard to wrestle with. The colonists would die from malaria, yellow fever and starvation because they simply couldn't stomache eating disgustingcarp.

  So Mrs. Cedars - see if you can come up with a new recipe for our southern USA friends who have that disgusting fish in practically every lake and stream. I'm sure you can do it. You've got the planks going already...

  JV
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  127

  Introducing Mrs Cedars...

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just thought you should know that mrs cedars has finally taken the plunge and joined the forum.

  she was able to log on for the first time yesterday.. though we both "awakened" at different stages, mrs cedars was very supportive and non-judgmental when i first began exploring my beliefs from a critical standpoint.

  she is currently in the process of reading crisis of conscience and aquainting herself with some of the facts of witness history that were hitherto unknown.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Gee, Mrs. Cedars. I didn't mean to be a thread-killer, although this wouldn't have been the first time.

  So for the first time ever, I'm going to do something I've never done before and may never do again...

  BTT

  Looking forward to see more of you, Mrs. Cedars!

  JV
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  24

  I just learned that Steve Klemetti, famous JW apologist just got df'd last year

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  google his name and d'fing too.

  does anyone know if it is true or not?.

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  Juan Viejo2

  "sklemmetti" still posts on JWTalks (Yahoo Groups forum).

  I check in over there every so often just to see what is going on.

  JV