Posts by Juan Viejo2

65

Be honest...What movie star do you look like?

by Botzwana in

jw
friends

i am curious as to what the members here look like.

be totally honest now.

not everyone looks like a knockout or mr. buff.... .

Juan Viejo2

Bill Murray when I was in my 30s - but now more like Brian Doyle Murray (his brother). Oh, well....

76

My Story Part I - My Parents

by Farkel in

part 1 - my parents.

it's a funny thing, time.

notwithstanding einstein's relativity, time means vastly different things throughout life.

Juan Viejo2

I qm 5 years older than you and remember those early years very well. I look forward to reading your story and to see where our stories intersect, as I'm sure they will at some point.

JV

59

Elder wants to do "other activities" with me

by InterestedOne in

jw
friends

i'm fully aware that this is a cult, and i was waiting for the social elements to kick in.

so far, i have just been doing the "bible study," discussing doctrine, etc.

however, recently one of the elders said he wants to get together with me to do other activities.

Juan Viejo2

I repeat what I said earlier: Be careful - very careful.

It's easy to think that JWs are all really nice people, godly, and loving. Nice? Maybe some are. Godly? I know a few that are sincere. Loving? Very, very few that I would put in this category.

If you are just going along to see where it takes you, great. Share your experiences with the rest of us. If you need some coaching, there are dozens of forum members who can provide you with the background information that you'll need.

The Watchtower and Awake! mags love to print article (some obviously bogus) about people who were determined to not get involved and only went along with the person they studied with so as not to hurt their feelings. But "Jehovah came into their hearts and opened their minds..." and the next thing they were full-time pioneers in Belize.

Just keep your guard up...

59

Elder wants to do "other activities" with me

by InterestedOne in

jw
friends

i'm fully aware that this is a cult, and i was waiting for the social elements to kick in.

so far, i have just been doing the "bible study," discussing doctrine, etc.

however, recently one of the elders said he wants to get together with me to do other activities.

Juan Viejo2

Depends...

How old are you?

What is your sex?

Are you good looking?

Are you underage?

Be careful - very careful...

13

Watchtower library 2010

by spanco in

when will be wt library 2010 release?.

Juan Viejo2

Is an online link available yet?

23

Why hasn't Jehovah given the GB their "New System of things" manual yet?

by moshe in

jw
friends

i never aked myself this when i was a jw, but i should have- just where is that manual the elders will need to run the new system of things at anyway?

we can't wait until armageddon arrives to print it- the wt presses will be shut down by the evil governments by then!

they have to have it ready and distributed to the kh's ahead of time.

Juan Viejo2

If it's a paradise like Eden, won't we all be naked like Adam and Eve? Then we won't need clothes. Maybe just some sandals to protect our feet from stones and stickers (oops, sorry! No stickers in paradise!)

Can you imagine spending the next trillion years being told what to do by JW / Watchtower leaders and elders?

Suicide would probably be at epidemic levels after the first 100 years...

12

I am no longer an Unbaptised Publisher

by XPeterX in

just like that.

Juan Viejo2

So - what does that mean?

Did you get baptized? or did you use your common sense and get out while you could?

7

attended a jw memorial talk yesterday

by man in black in

after being da'd for two years, i felt it was my duty to attend the memorial talk for an elderly brother who i greatly respected over the years.. i was quite nervous going back to the kh and seeing everyone.. well, my wife and i walked in, and most of the elders we saw just looked away, or acted like we were invisible.

several of our old friends winked, smiled, or waved secretly.

the hall was full, and this elder named jeff renfroe placed us in the 2nd row from the front.

Juan Viejo2

This is one of the major points made by a current elder who wrote an article for www.Ex-JW.com. http://ex-jw.com/elder-shares-honest-opinions

I have attended three memorials this year for two elderly members of my family and one young man in his early 20s. None of these family members were Jehovah's Witnesses. Each one was a non-religious memorial, but had some Christian ethic overtones and commentary. The prayers were non-denominational and intended to be supportive to the family. Each funeral allowed family members and friends of the deceased to come forward and offer their comments and to share stories about the deceased. Each funeral had a video slideshow that showed the life events and growth of the deceased.

When leaving those kinds of memorials everyone feels that they have had a chance to learn more about the person who passed. Everything is upbeat and positive. It is a chance to share hugs and stories. Yes, there are tears shed, but they are simply natural responses that we all feel for the family and the fact that the deceased will never again be a part of our lives - only memories.

Jehovah's Witness funerals are boring. Any mention of the deceased is very limited - usually less than five minutes total. Very little is shared about his or her life, their families, their accomplishments, or what everyone in the room remembers about them. If anything is to be shared in the way of stories or other commentary about the deceased, it must be held until after everyone leaves the Kingdom Hall and maybe goes to a reception in a private home or restaurant. Once out of the Kingdom Hall or mortuary sanctuary, family members can do other things to celebrate the life of the deceased - but even that may be limited. It is very easy for the elders to find fault with the family members who do too much - criticizing them for "glorifying a person over Jehovah."

I know of at least one case where friends and family members simply took over the funeral at a Kingdom Hall. It caused a near riot when the elders tried to stop them. I did not get all the details, but I do know that one of the family members was mentioned after a service meeting as being "on probation" and unable to enjoy any special responsibilities.

If a family of Jehovah's Witnesses wishes to have both a JW funeral and an open memorial, then they should avoid having the funeral at a Kingdom Hall. Have the memorial at a community center. Invite one of the brothers - or a family member who is a JW - to give the official JW talk. Then after the official funeral is over, let a family member take over the memorial and run the rest of it as the family wishes. There may be some gossip and a lot of elder criticism afterwards, but screw them.

Also consider not having a JW funeral. Have a non-sectarian funeral for the deceased. Let the family and friends, both JWs and non-Witnesses attend if they wish. If the JWs have a problem with that, screw them too. They are not really friends of your family if they take that approach.

JW funerals have been a pain in my butt since I was a kid. All of my deceased family members have had JW funerals and they have all been exactly the same - boring, boring, boring! I leave them crying - not out of grief for the deceased, but rather for the way their memory was just ignored and minimized as unimportant.

JV

86

Do You Folks Wanna Hear My Story?

by Farkel in

jw
friends

i've already written "my story".

i've been "out" for 35 years.

but that is not a story that contains the little stuff.

Juan Viejo2

I am from that same generation and time period, Farkel. I'd love to hear your stories and compare them with my own experiences.

What is interesting about that period of the 1950-60s is that there was such a disconnect between the actions of some JW families and others.

For example, Richard Kelly ("Growing Up in Mama's Club") was a good boyhood friend of mine. His parents were ham fisted in their approach to raising him and his siblings, refusing to let him participate in school sports, Little League, and other outside activities. My parents, on the other hand, were very liberal in that regard and encouraged us to play with neighborhood friends, get involved in team sports like Little League.

There were no hard and fast rules about outside activities in those days. It seemed to be determined by how strict the parents were and whether they chose to use the WT guidelines as an excuse for refusing to support their kids activities.

In the 1970s things really began to tighten up as far as school activities and educational opportunities. But most of the kids I went to Kingdom Hall with in the 50-60 time period were allowed to go to college if they wanted to and participate in sports. Just about everyone in my peer group went to junior college at some point.

I'd love to hear your experiences in that regard to compare to mine.

Go for it, Farkel!

JV

64

"Dubs For Dummies"

by Farkel in

dear brothers and sisters in the worldwide brotherhood of jehovahs witnessestm,.

there has been much public interest in our beliefs lately, so we have prepared a very brief summary of our core beliefs in a new pamphlet which you may offer to interested persons.

hopefully, this pamphlet will generate enough interest with honest-hearted people and enable you to start many new bible studies.

Juan Viejo2

Farkel,

THANKS!!!