jgnat

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Posts by jgnat

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  4

  Worshipping Elvis Unto Death

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  due to chat deprivation last night, i got in on the tail end of a month long biography of elvis.

  the last few years of his decline due to prescription drugs was laid out in excruciating detail.

  elvis was going downhill, surrounded by people that worshipped him, adored him, and cared about him.

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  jgnat

  Elvis and the "new light"
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  4

  Worshipping Elvis Unto Death

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  due to chat deprivation last night, i got in on the tail end of a month long biography of elvis.

  the last few years of his decline due to prescription drugs was laid out in excruciating detail.

  elvis was going downhill, surrounded by people that worshipped him, adored him, and cared about him.

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  jgnat

  Due to chat deprivation last night, I got in on the tail end of a month long biography of Elvis. The last few years of his decline due to prescription drugs was laid out in excruciating detail. Elvis was going downhill, surrounded by people that worshipped him, adored him, and cared about him. How could they let that happen?

  Some of his friends described it this way. "He was the leader of the band. You don't question the leader. You follow him."

  He was adored so much, even those closest to him would not own up to how bad the situation had become.

  Worship may be a natural condition for human beings, but what the tragedy if it is misplaced. Misplaced worship and adoration killed Elvis. Misplaced worship in the Organization is causing undue damage within, and preventing needed reforms.
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  31

  I NEED your advice!!!!! Please reply!

  by worldly girl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok here's the deal..... i've not had much to do w/ my parents since jan '02 when my mother and i got into over her force feeding my 3 year old the "troof".

  when i respectfully ask her on behalf of myself and my non jw husband, to respect us enough to let us teach our child about religion.... her response was "well if you don't want her around our religion, then don't bring her around us".

  and during the course of this conversation she stated this in the most hateful of tones at least 4 or 5 times to both me and my husband, in front of our daughter.... well i was furious.... that she would say such a thing and openly chose to have nothing to w/ my daughter.. without being given an ultimatum<sp> to choose.

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  jgnat

  I had some other thoughts since my first post, and I have seen some of those expressed by others here. There are members of my family that I do not visit. These ones who are so abusive that they add nothing of benefit to my family.

  My mother is a master manipulator. I have learned through the years that she uses manipulation to "force" love her way, because deep down, she does not believe she is lovable. It does not help that she has a mental illness and has deteriorated steadily since I was a teen. I was angry at my mom for many years for not being the mom I needed her to be.

  Getting past my own anger was one of the pivotal moments of my life. I grieved the loss of what I could have, and went about discovering who this woman was, and how I could relate to her.

  This may surprise you, but my mother is not on my "do not visit" list. She is handicapped by genetics and a narrow world view...and my mother has surprised me in the last few years. Despite all her handicaps, she has mellowed a great deal. She posts my letters, cards and pictures prominently in her apartment. A small thing, but it has done a great deal to heal my wounded heart. Do I use her for emotional support? Definitely not! Are we both the better for keeping in touch? For sure!

  My mother is the one who has restored my hope in mankind, that even those who appear lost are capable of reform. My mom and the Berlin Wall.

  The people on my "do not visit" list are the ones who would, in the blink of an eye, hurt a child if it benefited them in some way. For me, this is the definition of evil.

  And whoever is a cause of trouble to one of these little ones who have faith in me, it would be better for him if a great stone was put round his neck and he was dropped into the sea. Mark 9:42 (BBE)

  No one can take away control of your own life. Decide what you want, and set the limits.
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  31

  I NEED your advice!!!!! Please reply!

  by worldly girl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok here's the deal..... i've not had much to do w/ my parents since jan '02 when my mother and i got into over her force feeding my 3 year old the "troof".

  when i respectfully ask her on behalf of myself and my non jw husband, to respect us enough to let us teach our child about religion.... her response was "well if you don't want her around our religion, then don't bring her around us".

  and during the course of this conversation she stated this in the most hateful of tones at least 4 or 5 times to both me and my husband, in front of our daughter.... well i was furious.... that she would say such a thing and openly chose to have nothing to w/ my daughter.. without being given an ultimatum<sp> to choose.

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  jgnat

  Yeah, it looks like they may be having second thoughts on their rash words. It might help if you had a long-term strategy on how you are going to deal with your parents. DJ started a great thread on her story, and used this strategy to bring her parents back:

  To Win my Loved Ones Back

  1. It was a trial for me of extreme patience and tongue holding
  2. I simply bombarded them with loving words to defeat their nastiness. The key was just never ending love.
  3. Silence in the face of their ranting is helpful sometimes
  4. other times just a gentle word or two would do.
  5. They are victims, self-righteous as they may be, they are still victims.
  6. To gently show the love of Christ through words or deeds proved to tame them eventually.
  7. I do whatever needs to be done for my parents because I love them despite their nonsense
  8. There is no mystery here, just doing for others what I would want done for me, loving them

  1. I suggest starting with an encouraging word: "I am so happy to hear from you and that you want to have a relationship with your granddaughter".
  2. Remind them of your stand, "Please remember that you are not to bring up religion in front of her"
  3. Be clear about the consequences "If you do, I will have to ask you to leave right away"
  4. But let them know you are hoping for the best, "I know you don't want to cause a scene in front of your lovely granddaughter. I am really looking forward to your visit."
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  23

  Most unhypocritical religion which one?

  by haujobbz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  think about it when you chose to become a jw why did you choose that belief.. was it because you witnessed there good works or there following the scriptures closely or even there so called similarity to 1st century christians.. when i think about it, i didnt really witness these things it was the books i studied which told me this because if i had really looked closely at the activities and jw roots i would of realised they werent the pure religion they claimed to be.now i think about it why didnt i take my study more serious not just reading what the jws gave me but looking to outside sources for more information, im really gutted i didnt do this now.

  i mean did i look at other beliefs to see how they functioned nope i just believed the books i studied and that was it and i thought i wasnt gullible.. so now in the situation most of us are in today if you were to look at most religious christian beliefs today which would you say follows the bible closely and imitates the 1st century christians the closest,sticks to gods and christ teachings closely.

  also have any of you thought about joining another faith and which one?

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  jgnat

  I would never pick one flavour of Christianity over another. I see all our denominations as the twelve tribes of Isreal, or the seven candlesticks of Revelation, each with their own personality and preferences, each reaching people in their own way. Which makes sense, since people also are so different. And the earth itself is so full of variety. I have argued heatedly with my honey several times about the similarity of God's creation and the many churches we have today. Outside my window I can identify half a dozen types of trees; and these were planted on purpose. In the wild, even more variety.

  Various denominations are having to face up to their failings and sins. The Catholic church is finally apologizing. The World Wide Church of God has done an "about face" on many of their doctrines, resulting in a dramatic decline of their membership. I do believe, though, that the WCG, by owning up to it's failings, will end up stronger and better in the long run.

  Also, many mainline churches are undergoing a self-examination of their doctrines and practices.

  Local congregations are more likely nowadays to team up informally, with pastor prayer sessions and the like. This is long overdue in my opinion, as a half a dozen semi-staffed soup kitchens is not nearly as efficient as a combined effort of several congregations. Also, certain churches can concentrate on a specific need, such as teen moms. As long as other congregations are willing to send referrals their way, those other churches can concentrate on some other special form of care.
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  22

  Do JW's pay tithing?

  by Double Edge in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a friend of mine said that jw's paid tithing.

  i've never heard it mentioned on this board - is this true, and if so is there a set amount?

  it's biblical so i would expect the jw to say something about it.

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  jgnat

  One of the selling points of the WTS is that they do not pass the plate. Nor is there a requirement for tithing. The WTS picks and chooses which sections of the OT are applicable for today.

  The WTS criticizes "christendom's churches" for bleeding their followers for money, and portrays these religions as being fat and loaded with jewels. A nice illustration of the Pope properly decked out in his finery does the trick. Instead, the Society has cute little boxes at the back of the hall and conventions - more spiritual apparently, than a plate.

  From my observation, the WTS makes money by keeping costs down. The WTS has a virtually free labour force. Many congregations share the same building, in shifts; a unified labour force can be quite efficient. At least here in Canada, the study groups take turns doing the janitorial and yard duties. I have read rather tragic stories of missionaries who literally gave their lives to the work, only to be turned down for pension or even a plane ticket home.
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  6

  How do you get your family back?

  by Gerard in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was wondering if any one you know has gotten their family back by showing them proofs of watchtower's un membership or regi u.s. inc (owned 50% by watchtower) fabricating engines for war machines?

  my dear friend is about to do it and i am quite skeptical they will believe this and snap out of this shunning.. respectfuly,.

  gerry

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  jgnat

  A new poster, DJ, recently described how she got back in to her parent's lives (link here). A common theme appears to be lots of patience and love. Frontal attacks just bring up barriers.
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  75

  Let's play Un-Theocratic Ministry School

  by Mindchild in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought it would be a nice break from things to have a little fun and at the same time fine tune our jw repellant skills.

  so it is time for another round of un-theocratic ministry school.

  for this presentation my fine ex-jw friends, we will play door to door games with dubs.

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  jgnat

  WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BABY! Come here, darlin'. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! Give the tie back, honeybunch. <slams door>

  (Had trouble keeping it going and staying true to character, too. LOL!)
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  25

  JW Family, How Do They Drive You Up The Wall?

  by Celtic in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  many of us still have jw family still very much held within the congregation.

  personally, i love my family but they do have this uncanny ability at times to absolutely drive me nuts in sheer exasperation.

  the things particularly that really gets my goat are the following: .

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  jgnat

  My JW honey is far more afraid of what the local WTS congregation thinks of him than Jehovah. Which is kind of funny, considering that the congregation cannot read his heart or see where he goes, while Jehovah can. Perhaps he knows instinctively that the congregation would be far less forgiving than Jehovah would be? I believe this is the root of a lot of the hypocricy.
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  4

  Illustrations to make clearer or confuse?

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  isp's post about illustrations reminded me of something else .... i always thought it was strange that the wts taught 2 different things about why jesus used illustrations:.

  first, they said it made his teachings clearer so people could understand them.

  hence the 'using illustations' on the theocratic ministry school (not as bad a 'gestures' eh?!).

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  jgnat

  I live by a book called, "Managing by Storying Around". Stories and illustrations are a great way to get a message across. They are memorable and engage the audience emotionally. I use stories all the time to make my point.

  I am SURE in the last couple of years that the congregations were warned about making up their own illustrations. Using approved WTS ones are safer. Perhaps because an illustration can turn on you if you haven't thought it completely through? If I find the reference I will pass it on.