Juan Viejo2

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Posts by Juan Viejo2

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  44

  SPECIAL INTERVIEW with Jehovah!

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  you live; you die.

  r: but, why give us a bible.

  why send jesus to die for us if everything is "meaningless" for us?.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Very good job, Terry. Will PM you next week after you've woke up from your nap...

  JV
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  33

  Some personal thoughts as 2011 comes to a close

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  first off, if you are in a safe place inside your head, merry christmas.

  i was fortunate to have had childhood christmases in my home growing up.

  many born-ins are probably never going to know what they missed.. also.... i am thinking about all the nice, friendly, happy things i've given up for jehovah and it saddens me.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Morbidzbaby wrote: " I have to respectfully disagree here. As I got older, more and more JW's would go out to eat and socialize after the Memorial. Some would invite a group back to their home for snacks and association. Others here can tell you that in some congregations, the wine and "bread" would be taken back to the home of one of the elders and enjoyed with cheeses and fruit..."

  I'm sure there were a few places where some small get-togethers took place after the Memorial. There were times, especially in the summer, when some JWs would get together after regular meetings. But I knew of far more situations where "celebrating" after the Memorial meeting did not take place even when some among the congregation suggested having a little party.

  The Memorial occurs in mid to late March or early April. It has to begin by tradition after sundown. For most major cities in the northern hemisphere, that usally means that the meeting is not over until 9 PM or later. If multiple congregations use the same Hall, then the last meeting can be even later, some ending as late as 11 PM. That makes it quite late to start partying and most restaurants are already closing down for the evening. For work and school nights, that makes after Memorial "parties" problematic for most JW families.

  Memorial can occur any day of the week. That being the case, people who work and children who go to school are not likely to go out "and party" after a late meeting on a weeknight.

  When I was growing up (during a period when there were a lot more partaking of the emblems), I was aware that the congregation would buy a few extra bottles of wine. We often wondered why the brothers would by a short case of wine (4-6 bottles) to have enough wine to provide for a "half-dozen sips." Sometimes after the meeting, the extra bottles would be offered to anyone who asked for them or the servants would split them up, but for the most part only the older folks in the congregation would ever show interest. Manischewitz (and Mogen David) kosher red dinner wine was not (and is not) that appealing for most folks - and neither were matzo crackers. I never knew of anyone that took those items home to use for "celebrating" with their friends. In fact, doing so (especially after a Memorial "celebration") might have been considered to be in bad taste, "unspiritual," or even sacreligious.

  For most of us, when the Memorial was over we just wanted to get home. It was just another boring meeting that we'd sat through. Celebrate? Hardly...

  JV
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  33

  Some personal thoughts as 2011 comes to a close

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  first off, if you are in a safe place inside your head, merry christmas.

  i was fortunate to have had childhood christmases in my home growing up.

  many born-ins are probably never going to know what they missed.. also.... i am thinking about all the nice, friendly, happy things i've given up for jehovah and it saddens me.

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  Juan Viejo2

  I posted this article on Ex-JW.com yesterday that covers this same subject. http://ex-jw.com/happy-holidays

  I was seven years old when I celebrated my last Xmas in my parents' home. I started acknowledging Christmas again when I was about twenty-five. It is now a regular part of my life.

  In my own family, and among my friends, those who celebrate Christmas and the other holidays seem to have fewer family issues, are clearly happier as individuals, and have a larger base of close acquaintances. People I know (including some of my own family members) who are still Jehovah's Witnesses (or haven't completely made the break), seem more troubled, have fewer friends, and are not as close to secondary family members (cousins, nephews and nieces). Because they have no special events like holidays to bring them together, they tend to gravitate and get together with only their very closest friends at the Kingdom Hall.

  Bottom line: Jehovah's Witnesses, especially born-ins and long-timers, simply do not know what they are missing. It's not about religion. It's not about worshipping ancient pagan gods or myths. The modern world does not care about Nimrod, Odin, Constantine. They don't really care about Herod, the Three Wise Men, or the Star of Bethlehem. None of that matters. What matters is good times, getting together with family and close friends, making connections with old friends and distant relatives with seasonal cards and phone calls. Everyone just seems to be closer to their families and happier overall - in spite of the crowds, the expense, and the miserable weather.

  One point that I make in the article is that our Jehovah's Witness friends are not allowed to have a single day that allows them to just celebrate with their friends and family. They don't go out after Memorial and "celebrate." They just go home and turn on the TV like every other night. I am not aware of anyone that ever invited their Witness friends over to their home for a special Memorial Evening dinner.

  I really believe this lack of celebration or the marking of any special occasion (other than maybe weddings), really adds to the depression and mental stress experienced by so many Witnesses.

  In any case, I too would like to wish all of my good friends and correspondents here at Jehovahs-Witness.net a very happy holiday season. I want to send a special wish for a happy new year to Simon, the webmaster and chief moderator for keeping this great forum running and keeping all of us connected.

  JV
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  46

  Anti-Apostate blog has fascinating articles, photos and opinions!

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the governing body of jehovah's witnesses has decided (oct., 2000) that the positions of president, vice president, secretary-treasurer, etc.

  in the legal corporations (e.g., watch tower bible and tract society of pennsylvania, watchtower bible and tract society of new york, inc.,) do not have to be filled by anointed brothers.

  therefore, all of the brothers that were currently holding these positions, all of whom were on the governing body, have resigned.

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  Juan Viejo2

  I think Ray Franz's point about the Mexican military draft card scandal was that the WTBS / GB was willing to make a reasonable exception to allow the Mexican brothers to work the system and stay out of the military. Using small amounts of money to bribe officers or officials is more or less an accepted practice in Latin America (as it is or was) in some US cities.

  But when it came to the JWs of Malawi they would not give an inch and insisted that the brothers and sisters there not buy a political party ID card. My understanding was that it was pretty much like a drivers license and it indicated that each person was a citizen and by default a member of the ruling political party. Didn't require the JWs to vote or run for office, just pay for the card.

  Ray's point was that the GBs positions were inconsistent. It didn't matter that there were less than 100 JWs a year in Mexico that this draft card would apply to versus maybe several hundred Malawi JWs of both sexes and their children. It was that the general principle was the same and it was applied differently.

  JV
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  19

  Tebowing in the Kingdom Hall... Funny? Not funny?

  by oppostate in

  1. social
  2. humour

  tebowing is defined as "to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.".

  http://tebowing.com/about.

  here's tim tebow in full tebowing stance:.

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  Juan Viejo2

  When I was a kid in my early teens, I'd sometimes look around during the prayers at the Kingdom Hall to see what other brothers and sister were doing. This was a pretty safe thing for me to do; my mom and dad always had their heads bowed and eyes shut so they would not notice me looking up. If they did, they wouldn't admit it for fear of being exposed for doing it themselves.

  What I found amazing is that it was most often the Watchtower conductor and the reader standing on the stage who were always looking around during the prayer. The number of eyes open within the congregation was also relational to which brother was giving the prayer. When Brother Wysocki (a uncontrollably flatulent elderly Polish brother who claimed to be one of the "anointed") would be called upon to say the closing prayer, everyone knew we were going to have to endure an extremely long, unbearable, and nearly indecipherable monologue. Brother Wysocki was only called upon to say a prayer about once every three months, so he made the best of it when he finally got his chance. (How many times can you thank Jehovah for food and warm clothes and brotherly love in one prayer?) Some families sitting in the back of the hall would actually sneak out during one of his prayers after it had gone on for nearly ten minutes. None of the servants in the Hall dared to say anything to him about his problem.

  So it was rather entertaining to watch all the fidgeting going on during the prayers. Every so often a kid would get restless and get a thump on the head or an ear twisted. Some of the older people wouldn't even bother to stand up during the prayers. I'd also notice active conversations taking place (in low whispers, of course) during a prayer.

  That's why I always tried to sit toward the rear of the KH when I got older and could sit with my friends. I found out later that one of the games going on during prayers was a type of coded conversation that took place between mostly teenaged girls. They'd have their Bibles open and then point at words on a page, tapping twice when they came to the next word in their conversation. This allowed them to appear to have their heads bowed and eyes closed, but still able to carry on a conversation with their friends. I wished I'd thought of that.

  A lot went on during Kingdom Hall prayers, but never a drop and pray Tebow maneuver. That would have brought gasps throughout the Hall. You could sneeze, cough, giggle and fart during a prayer and never get a warning. But Tebowing? No way.

  JV
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  31

  Baptism Questions??

  by lepermessiah in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this forum tends to get me thinking about things from the past and then roll my eyes.. i was recalling a particular pharasee in the congregation who used to love showing everyone how "smart" he was.. when i would go over the questions with someone, we would fly through them because it was usually with kids who were raised as jw's and could answer then in their sleep.

  (besides the fact it was an "open book" quiz.).

  well, mr pharasee used to always make it into a marathon session and take 2-3 hours to go over one section of the questions with someone.. he could take a simple question like "what is god's name?

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  Juan Viejo2

  New Chapter, et al. RE: Tyrannis' comment about the elder wanting the full list of forbidden sex acts...

  Reminds me of an old joke from my ancient past. Many of you here have probably heard and remember it. But I'll share it anyway.

  Young man signs up for a Human Reproductive and Sexology class at the local college. One night during class, a guest speaker is announced and described as "America's foremost sex expert." The young fellow is excited to know that such a highly regarded person would actually speak to his class.

  During the speech, the expert proclaims: "There are exactly 103 ways to have sexual intercourse!" The entire class sits quietly in disbelief. Meanwhile the young student goes back through his notes and comes up with only 22 ways for humans to have sex.

  "Excuse me, sir!" the young man interrupts. "I can only come up with 22 ways for humans to have sex. Can I go through my list with you to see what I've left out?"

  "Of course. Please begin," the expert replies.

  "Well, let's see. There is the woman laying on her back and the man on top of her."

  The expert suddenly raised his hands and proclaims - "There are exactly 104 ways to have sexual intercourse!"

  -----

  I know. It was funnier the first time I heard it too...

  JV
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  44

  Give us your vote on the Watch Tower's approach to domestic abuse!!

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  as you may be aware, the feb 15th watchtower features an experience depicting a 'fairytale' scenario of a violent husband beating his wife, and then mending his ways once she starts to apply bible principles.

  to my knowledge, this is the nineteenth experience of its kind to be published since 1958, and it betrays a disturbing track record of negligence on the part of the watch tower society in failing to properly and consistently deal with such a sensitive and life-or-death issue, which effects untold thousands of women.. the experience, page 29, paragraph 12, reads as follows:.

  selma recalls a lesson she learned from the witness who studied with her.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Sizemik and others having problems with commenting -

  I have not been ignoring your complaints. However, I have tested the comment/reply forms located at the bottom of each article and have had friends from all over send test messages using them (I remove the test messages immediately after receipt). I've also retested the comment form on the Contact Page and it has been working perfectly as well.

  Please, if you ever have a problem submitting a comment, please try to use the comment form found on the Contact Page http://jwsurvey.org/contact-us . I've removed the captcha protection for now to see if that improves delivery issues.

  If all else fails - please just email your comment to [email protected], or [email protected], or simply [email protected] and we'll be happy to post it for you.

  Don't try to access the Global Survey again to make your comments. You will be blocked there once you have submitted your survey answers. That is blocked so that any attempts to jury-rig the results or attack bombing can be resisted.

  Anyone contacting us through the contact form or by email can be assured that your identity and email addresses are protected.

  JV
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  44

  Give us your vote on the Watch Tower's approach to domestic abuse!!

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  as you may be aware, the feb 15th watchtower features an experience depicting a 'fairytale' scenario of a violent husband beating his wife, and then mending his ways once she starts to apply bible principles.

  to my knowledge, this is the nineteenth experience of its kind to be published since 1958, and it betrays a disturbing track record of negligence on the part of the watch tower society in failing to properly and consistently deal with such a sensitive and life-or-death issue, which effects untold thousands of women.. the experience, page 29, paragraph 12, reads as follows:.

  selma recalls a lesson she learned from the witness who studied with her.

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  Juan Viejo2

  For anyone having a problem commenting at JWSurvey.org:

  Although you can use any name / pseudonym that you want, you must use a legitimate email address to leave a comment under an article. Because of the spam protection built in, any email address that has been registered as sending out spam can be rejected. Also, totally fake addresses that send an error message back to the system (MAIL ADDRESS NOT FOUND / DOES NOT EXIST) is likely to be rejected. Please use a legitimate active email address - will not be shown or accessible to other readers - only adminstrators.

  If you have still have a problem leaving a comment - or are simply too scared to use a real email address in the comment section, please go to the Contact Us page and enter your comment there. That form allows you to use any name and any email address, even a totally made up one, and still leave a comment. Be sure to indicate what article or survey you are commenting on in your message. Either Cedars or I will then move it over to the proper article and post it for you using your provided name and a "catchall" email address.

  JV
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  44

  Give us your vote on the Watch Tower's approach to domestic abuse!!

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  as you may be aware, the feb 15th watchtower features an experience depicting a 'fairytale' scenario of a violent husband beating his wife, and then mending his ways once she starts to apply bible principles.

  to my knowledge, this is the nineteenth experience of its kind to be published since 1958, and it betrays a disturbing track record of negligence on the part of the watch tower society in failing to properly and consistently deal with such a sensitive and life-or-death issue, which effects untold thousands of women.. the experience, page 29, paragraph 12, reads as follows:.

  selma recalls a lesson she learned from the witness who studied with her.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Sizemik,

  Please try posting your comment again. I've tested it and it seems to be working fine. Try commenting without logging in, just fill out the form below the article and post. It should work either way, but there might be something going on with your IP address. Rather than using a 'captcha' security form, we use a background protection system that is usually just as effective. And yes, you are a registered subscriber in good standing, so when you login your comments should be recognized.

  I think both Cedars and I have commented since you brought this to our attention. Hopefully it was just a momentary glitch.

  In any case, thanks for letting us know. I apologize for any problems you may have encountered.

  JV
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  12

  THIS Saturday, 12/10 - CULT FREE RADIO's first Christmas Special

  by Mad Sweeney in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  don't forget this saturday is the first ever cult free radio christmas special!

  guest host anondude2 of youtube fame will discuss the issue of christmas and the watchtower cult followed by my extemporaneous (and some impromptu) comments.

  discussion will be interspersed with musical interludes of the season, at least three of which will be sung by me.

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  Juan Viejo2

  Cult Free Radio's "Holiday Show" starring Anondude2 and Mad Sweeney is now available online for listening or downloading to your own computer or phone.

  The link can be found at the bottom of the page (Show #12). Be sure to share this link with your friends, even non-JWs, because Anondude2's discussion and analysis of the question "Are modern holiday celebrations pagan?" is timely and educational.

  http://ex-jw.com/web-directory/cult-free-radio-archives-1-6

  JV