garyneal

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Posts by garyneal

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  9

  Presents at grandmas, why jehovah hates it etc

  by DS211 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  well we just got back from grandmas and the girls my wife and i all got presents.

  my daughter was ripping through them like a madgirl and automatically my wife is like "shes being greedy"....i stood and said "no shes excited she never gets wrapped presents".

  she agreed.

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  garyneal

  There was a time when I seriously considered becoming a Jehovah's Witness and I asked my mother how she would feel if I were to do so. Knowing that it would mean that I would not be spending Christmases with them, I was concerned how that would affect my relationship with them. She said she would miss having us for the holidays but she would be okay with it. She said that she has cousins who are witnesses so she was familiar with it somewhat. It was reassuring to know that she would not be upset about it and would still accept it and me.

  I knew before I decided to "take that plunge," I needed to make sure this really was the one true religion. Well, needless to say, I never became a witness.

  How anyone can get roped in the religion giving all the information that is out there is beyond me.
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  61

  I have JUST become a GREAT GRANNY Of Twins.

  by mouthy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  henry 51bs 12 oz,eve 51bs 14 oz...phil my grnason by marriage just called.. ashley the new mum) my granddaughter who herself was a twin,from my melanie who died when she was 42(cancer).

  they are doing well born by ceaserian at 2.40p.m today!!!!!

  !.

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  garyneal

  Congratulations Granny Grace.
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  57

  oh dear I think I messed up and pushed too hard

  by Frazzled UBM in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  reading all the posts on the wt study on higher education and careers really fired me up yesterday.

  i have 2 undergraduate and 2 postgraduate degerees and a career as a result which allows me to provide well for my jw wife and son.

  i was already unhappy because after 5 or 6 weeks of not going and appearing to be making progress she went back on sunday for the second sunday in a row and as usual was away all day.

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  garyneal

  I think I will need to take a break from reading the posts here because when I read the idiotic stuff the organisation does it makes me so frustrated that I can't get through to her. I am bereft.

  I can totally relate as the same thing use to happen to me. I would read crazy things here and get all frustrated knowing that my wife is in the middle of it.

  You are pushing too hard but it is easy to see how it can happen as it has happened to me several times in the past four years. As others have said, unless you know why she is a witness it will be hard to get her to choose to leave the religion. I can relate myself as I have found it difficult to reconcile my emotional reasons for wanting to remain a Christian and my logical reasoning that ultimately tells me that there are a lot flaws in the belief system (some of them potentially damaging). You may not have the benefit of this kind of empathy for your wife but even if she sees the flaws in her religion, she may still have a hard time leaving it.

  My wife, for example, does see certain flaws but remains steadfast because she does not see any other religion or group offering her what the witnesses offer. She also has strong family ties to the religion, most noteably, her religious and devout mom who she does not want to dissappoint. I think she has lost herself in the demands of others and says that she is now "doing new things" by trying to assert herself. Sadly, however, she still does not want to offend the witnesses too much.
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  7

  Good News! Electricity to go WIRELESS!

  by abiather in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the days of wires powering electronic devices could soon be at an end, with the development of a new system that will allow laptops, mobile phones and televisions to be left unplugged in the home while being recharged.

  the new technology exploits a recent breakthrough in physics, according to the us company witricity.

  it has shown that it can send electricity wirelessly through the air and can switch on a light bulb or keep a computer running.

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  garyneal

  My thoughts exactly Blondie. This reminds me of the Tesla Tower project.
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  43

  Do you look like the apostate they warned you about?

  by Angus Beef in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  after waking up and wanting to get out of this nightmare, the word apostate is really bothering me.

  if i quitely become inactive, fade away will i just be looked at as "always weak".

  i want to scream out how big a fool i was.. and now telling my poor young daughter how wrong i was to bring her up as a jw.

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  garyneal

  According to my wife, I am an apostate simply by associating with you all. However, I have never been a Jehovah's Witness.

  So let's see, does that make Jehovah's Witnesses apostate Baptists or apostate Catholics if anyone in their rank and file were former Baptists or Catholics?

  As Simon said, it is just a word. A word that they load the meaning of to scare and control people.
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  28

  Going Back for the Right Reasons

  by startingover13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm new to this site, but i have been following the topics for some time.

  initially, it was during a deep search into the history of jehovah's witnesses, and yes, "apostate" sites.

  i was born into the organization in 1989. my father was always more inclined to the organization than my mother, and soon after she was df'ed.

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  garyneal

  Good luck to you, whatever path you take.
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  21

  Christmas, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Winter Hellos Card List??

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i will collect names and addresses from whoever wants to participate, just pm me.

  only 21 days until christmas and some cards may have to go overseas.. so i'll make a 2 week deadline...december 18. i will send the names and addresses to you by pm on december 11 and then on the 18.. blondie.

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  garyneal

  There's only two weeks until Christmas. Did you get a good response?
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  21

  Christmas, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Winter Hellos Card List??

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i will collect names and addresses from whoever wants to participate, just pm me.

  only 21 days until christmas and some cards may have to go overseas.. so i'll make a 2 week deadline...december 18. i will send the names and addresses to you by pm on december 11 and then on the 18.. blondie.

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  garyneal

  Wasn't sure if I was going to do this, but I'm in. I sent you a PM.

  Is Grace (Mouthy) participating?
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  9

  Just found out my friend's son is dating a witness.

  by TweetieBird in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  he actually is going to become a witness for this girl.

  her mom is disfellowshipped, trying to get reinstated.

  i found out from a non-witness friend of mine that my friend's son has already bought a ring for this girl and is planning on becoming a witness for her.

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  garyneal

  Of course, beyond the rush of the baptism, msny who hsve spoken this way, simply don't last the distance.

  I can attest to this. I've seen members of my own family as well as other people that I know lead a life of drugs, drinking, and getting into trouble find God and "turn their life around" only for it to last less than a year at best.
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  50

  How Jehovah's Witnesses benefit those humble enough to study the Bible with them.

  by Stand for Pure Worship in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  excellent material can be found within the reasoning book, page 328, para.2, 3. occasionally, i see posters make presumptuous comments like, "all you need is the bible", or, "i'm born-again, so there's no need for spiritual assistance from another christian", or,"i'm saved", or my favorite, "jesus talks to me directly.

  " on one hand, i can't be overly critical of such ones because they do attempt to read and understand the bible on their own.

  (acts 17:11) not to mention they're generally peaceable folks, just self-misguided when erroneously believing that they can go it alone.

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  garyneal

  That's right, under angelic direction, Philip sought out this man in need of spiritual assistance and brought him up to speed on The Truth as it was known in its limited scope for that time.

  Under angelic direction? I don't recall the Bible saying that. I thought it said that Philip was being directed by the Holy Spirit. Of course, your statement makes sense in light of what the WTS use to teach when it taught that Jehovah was sending His angels to Judge Rutherford in the early days after Russell died. Yeah, maybe that's it.

  Thankfully, they were humble enough to accept truth according to the Scriptures and adapt their mindset.

  During my six years of studying with the witnesses I realized that they expected me to critically examine my beliefs against the evidence while refusing to do likewise. Which one is more humble?