Posts by ItsJustMe

18

early marriage

by concerned mama in

in a previous post, some of you talked about your current age and number of years married.

subtract and voila, many of you married young, by which i mean before 20 years of age.

congrats to all of you couples, married long and short!

ItsJustMe

It definitely seems as if children raised as JWs get married very young - between 18 and 21. I was married a few months before my 21st birthday and my hubby was 21.

We have been married several years now. We are still very much in love. BUT......we are COMPLETELY different people now than we were then. We are lucky in that as we grew we grew together and not apart. It could just as easily gone the other way. I have encouraged all young JWs not to be in a rush to get married. If one of us still harbored the goals we had when we first were married, we would be having serious problems right now.

There are always one or two people in their late twenties, early thirties in each congregation, and everyone does seem to look at them as if they will never get married.

I think there is too much pressure to marry the first person you date.

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16

Pioneering

by ItsJustMe in

just out of curiosity, was anyone here ever a pioneer?

what motivated you to pioneer?

what made you get off the list?

ItsJustMe

Just out of curiosity, was anyone here ever a pioneer? What motivated you to pioneer? What made you get off the list? Do you regret it? Do you think you accomplished any good doing it?

I was a pioneer. I was motivated to do it for a couple of different reasons. First, I never felt like I was going to make it through Armageddon and figured the best I could do would be to help other people live through it. Secondly, all of my friends were pioneering when I orginally signed up, although by the time September came around, 3 of them had left the organization. Finally, I liked being part of the thick of things -being a sister pioneering was really the only way to be actively involved in anything.

I got off the list because I enjoyed my job and wanted to work full-time. We needed the money, since my husband and I were both pioneering. Believe it or not, I financially supported him in his pioneering for a couple of months until he decided to get off the list too. We didn't want to live in a cheap apartment for the rest of our lives.

I don't regret it -- I actually had spiritual conversations in service. Not too many breaks, either, believe it or not. I actually had to fight to stop for lunch. I learned a lot from the people I met in the ministry, too. I was curious about their beliefs.

As for accomplishing any good, I don't think I impacted anyone with my zealous ministry.

One more question ---- have you ever driven up to service arrangements, seen the car of a brother or sister you don't particularly like, and just kept on driving?

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42

WTS TO END MAILED SUBSCRIPTIONS

by Seeker4 in

jw
friends

just heard that the society is going to stop mailed subscriptions.

magazines will all have to be picked up at the kingdom hall.

not sure when it's starting, but soon, i suppose.. sorry if this has been posted before, but i think this is very new info.

ItsJustMe

What about the tapes?

17

She Doesn't Look Very Submissive To Me..

by Englishman in

jw
friends

i'm talking about the rather delightful lady on the intro page at * http://www.watchtower.org/.

nice hat too:.

englishma.. nostalgia isn't what it used to be....

ItsJustMe

Oohhhh my favorite stripping song!

14

Is It True The WT Society Just Changed President ?

by Explorer in

jw
friends

there is a word going on down here that the wt society has changed president, and that the new guy apointed for the job is non - anoited.

is that posibly thruth or just a joke going arround?

has anyone heard such a thing?

ItsJustMe

The current speculation in my area is that this change has taken place - having other sheep in positions like this - in order to free up time for the anointed brothers, allowing the anointed to focus on spiritual matters rather than legal and political.

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23

NT Only for the 144,000?

by ItsJustMe in

jw
friends

is the lightbulb that just clicked over my head correct?

does the society teach that the entire new testament is written only to the 144,000?.

____________________________________________

ItsJustMe

Yardif, the implication has always been that the other sheep cannot understand the NT without the anointed. To me that implies that unless I am anointed I will never have a complete understanding of the NT.

23

NT Only for the 144,000?

by ItsJustMe in

jw
friends

is the lightbulb that just clicked over my head correct?

does the society teach that the entire new testament is written only to the 144,000?.

____________________________________________

ItsJustMe

Is the lightbulb that just clicked over my head correct? Does the Society teach that the entire New Testament is written only to the 144,000?

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24

Paradise - I Think I'll Pass........

by Black Man in

jw
friends

one thing that has always kinda ticked me off with the society depiction of paradise, is the completely bland, devoid of personality, stepford wives-ish look given to paradise pics in the publications over the years.

peeps walkin' around smilin' for no reason, no attention given to a cultivation of technology, the arts, space exploration.

there never seemed to be any point to paradise.

ItsJustMe

While most JW's I know won't offically comment on the paradise, as "speculation" on anything not mentioned outright in the Bible is discouraged, there are a multitude of opinions on space exploration (many believe that will happen, some even speculate that we might colonize other planets), electricity (many believe there will be some sort of power, just cleaner), and the issue of clothing (will we or won't we?).

I think most JWs do exercise their imaginations in this respect...but only share it with their closest, most trusted friends for fear of being accused of speculating, which is the first step to apostasy.

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52

PUT YOUR NAMES HERE

by Rex B13 in

jw
friends

hi gang,.

man, what a brouhaha we have going on now, eh?

i wonder if all could please reply to this post with your list of log-on names.

ItsJustMe

I only have this name but am sometimes confused as someone with a similiar name on another board.

5

Location of Congregation

by ItsJustMe in

jw
friends

having grown up in a suburban congregation in a well-educated area, i have not had many bad experiences within the organization.

no one has ever tried to step out of line in telling me how to dress, what music to listen to, who to have over, etc.

(except for my parents when i was living with them, but all parents set their own rules).. i have a strong set of moral values, a close family who cares about one another, and have had some good times with friends within the org.

ItsJustMe

Having grown up in a suburban congregation in a well-educated area, I have not had many bad experiences within the organization. No one has ever tried to step out of line in telling me how to dress, what music to listen to, who to have over, etc. (except for my parents when I was living with them, but all parents set their own rules).

I have a strong set of moral values, a close family who cares about one another, and have had some good times with friends within the org. It would be easier to question the teachings if I did not have such good experiences myself.

That's only one side of the spectrum, though. Some of my friends who have moved to more rural areas have had serious problems with the elders in those congregations.

What makes for a more balanced elder body and therefore congregation? The only difference I see is the location - my hall is more affluent, good schools, etc. These rural ones typically have less money and a weaker school system.

This also back to the whole notion of your place of birth determining your religion. Maybe that's not just dependent on the country you grow up in - maybe that also works on a more finite basis - our spiritual direction depending on our own personal circumstances.

Anyone else see this trend or one similiar?

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