Billy, you forgot to include your phone number.
Posts by JeffT
-
96Let's Talk About Sex
by cofty ina old thread was bumped recently in which posters from 9 years ago raised objections to evolution basesd on personal incredulity regarding sexual reproduction.. i remember an elder in one of my old congregations saying something to the effect that "how could evolution be true, if men evolved before women...blah blah" you get the picture.. i have refreshed my memory of a chapter in nick lane's excellent book "life arising - the ten greatest inventions of evolution" and put together a summary.
it would be great if others would add to it - cantleave, adam, tiktaalik, s&r, bohm et al?.
here is my starter focusing on the problem with non-sexual selection.... if the driving force in evolution is the struggle of selfish genes to pass on copies of themselves to future generations, then sex seems counter-productive.
-
-
-
46
Number of anointed partakers in new yearbook?
by JWOP ini haven't seen the 2014 yearbook on the jw site yet.
i'm looking to see if the number of partakers has increased again (as it has for many years now).
anyone have a scan of it yet?.
-
-
JeffT
My money is on a directive from the GB stating that all persons wanting to call themselves "anointed" will have to receive permission from the GB. They already approve other appointments, why not this one. Although that would raise other complications for them - they would not be able to claim they don't know who's annointed if somebody sues the "anointed".
-
11
HALF AND HALF or 50/50
by Terry inthere are only a thousand people left on earth.. about ten percent of the survivors (of some unnamed disaster) have professional expertise of some kind.. 80 per cent have some education, but not any practical grasp of how things operate.. 10 per cent are extremists of varying kinds; a sort of lunatic fringe with knee-jerk "solutions" they propose to carry out.. a temporary leader/spokesman acts as a referee to sort things out.. a meeting is conducted with all 1000 present.. after much arguing, a vote is conducted.. 51 % want to carry out one set of plans while 49% want know part of it.. the thin majority start doing things their way and the minority get more and more outraged.. what happens next?.
.
-
-
JeffT
A friend of mine gave that speech at a college rally in 1969. I think he became a stock broker.
-
32
When the death penalty should apply.
by smiddy inthese two guys that ran over a man and then hacked him to death , shown on cctv where their is absolutely no doubt as to their involvement ?
they should be taken out and shot , no trial ,end of story.and they admit it , trying to use an excuse of warfare or whatever .kill the bastards.. smiddy.
-
-
JeffT
Wow. If you want to understand the mindset of those that hung Black men from trees for looking a white women, just read this thread. Unless you want to live like barbarians, people get trials. And those that think jail is a joke or vaction should spend a couple of days in one.
-
90
Why do so many think JW Religion is a Cult? (NO APOSTATES PLEASE)
by Brother Mike inmy question is, why do so many think the watchtower bible tract society is a cult?
.
-
-
JeffT
An apostate is one who leaves the JW religion and purposely tries to go out of there way to stop others from learning the truth.
That doesn't apply to almost everybody here. We're all going out of our way to make sure that others learn the truth.
-
20
Five dollars says you can't guess what this is...
by RayPublisher ini recently heard a very funny story about this strange (and common) plant and did some research on it.
i already knew a little about it like the common name, etc., but what i found amazed me.. .
.
-
-
JeffT
Years ago I worked for the Washington State University College of Pharmacy. Mostly I took care of research animals, but we had a green house for growing a number of "interesting" plants. Jimson weed was one of them (I recognized it the second I saw the picture but got here after it was identified). Billy's right the smell is ... unique.
You do NOT want to experiment with this plant. The active drug is scopolamine and related alkaloids. When I was working for WSU an article came out in one of the scientific journals about teenagers in Arizona using Jimson weed to get high. One kid announced at a pool party that he was going hunting for "red-eyed sharks" and dove into the pool. He never came up. Another wandered out into the desert and was found dead three days later.
-
3
Do you always try to find something to sue for big money?
by Iamallcool ini have no desire to sue anyone.
i was wondering if any of you try to find something to sue for?
.
-
-
JeffT
You can't "find" something to sue for, at least you're not likely to have a very good case. To successfully sue somebody you have to have suffered damages of some sort, and be able to show that another person caused that damage through malice or negligence or some other legally identifiable cause.
-
13
Death Of Print Update
by metatron inhttp://gawker.com/new-york-magazine-begins-to-give-up-on-print-1474820408.
little by little....... print media is dying.
i understand the head of buzzfeed asserted that 'there are no new newspaper subscribers being born', statistically speaking.. metatron.
-
-
JeffT
Besty, my apologies. It's what I get for trying to post something while getting ready to get out of the house for an appointment. If I ever get published I'll autograph a book for you.
-
13
Death Of Print Update
by metatron inhttp://gawker.com/new-york-magazine-begins-to-give-up-on-print-1474820408.
little by little....... print media is dying.
i understand the head of buzzfeed asserted that 'there are no new newspaper subscribers being born', statistically speaking.. metatron.
-
-
JeffT
What Crofty said. I can find the recipe I want in an instant just looking for the stains on the page. I will thumb trhough a book at the library to see if I want to check it out. I find books I want to read by wondering around a bookstore and looking at...books. As a writer I've been watching the market for a long time. I've been seeing articles about the death of the publishing industry on a regular basis for years (also news about the immenint arrival of the paperless office are starting to sound like the WTBS predicting the Big A). The industry is changing for sure, it isn't dead yet.
But would I swap the Kindle Paperwhite for a stack of shelves with dust covered books?
&^%* YES!
-
5
Interview with an Apostate: JeffT(homas)
by JeffT intell us a little about yourself and your family.. im 62, retired accountant, free lance writer.
my wife is a just retired preschool teacher.
we have 3 adult children, one granddaughter, who lives with us.
-
-
JeffT
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
I’m 62, retired accountant, free lance writer. My wife is a just retired preschool teacher. We have 3 adult children, one granddaughter, who lives with us. None of us are JW’s.
Were you a born in or a convert?
Convert. Baptized in 1973, the year I graduated from college.
Are your parents / family JWs?
No.
How many generations have been JWs?
None.
Did you hold any position in the WTS? (MS, Elder etc...)
Does irregular publisher count?
Did you *really* believe in the bible, in spirits (angels, demons)?
For the first few years, less and less so as time went on.
Did you get baptised? When and why?
Yes, because I thought it was the right thing to do. Then the baptism questions talked about commitment to God, not an organization.
What was the initial trigger that made you start questioning things?
Following the 1975 failure I became disillusioned about what was going on, but did not know how to break free. As time went on I came to realize that the whole thing was irrelevant to my life. In 1988, I decided that I did not want my children to buy into the anti-education nonsense.
Where did you find information? Internet sites? Books?
The internet didn’t exist when I was leaving. I did most of my research at the Seattle Public Library.
How difficult or painful was the process of leaving?
One of the best times of my life, for the most part. It was hard to leave some friends, and my wife had a few family still in, but we’d moved to the other side of the state. Mostly it was liberating.
Was it a big dramatic exit or a careful quiet fade?
Quit going to meetings for almost a year while doing research, then we sent a big letter to Brooklyn and the local elders.
Did you convince anyone else to leave with you?
Can’t say I convinced anybody, in the spring of 1988 my wife and I found out we both had hidden copies of Crisis of Conscience. She may have been mentally out a lot longer than I was.
How were your family relations affected by your decision?
My parents were thrilled. I think the two older children were confused by parts of the process, and the sudden change to some previously forbidden things (birthdays, holidays) becoming OK.
Were you or are you still being shunned by those who didn't leave?
A few weeks after the DA letter went out, we watched a group of JW’s cross the street in front of our house, and then recross to get to our neighbors. We got a good laugh out of that. We’ve since moved and are unlikely to see a JW that knows us. I’m not sure anybody even remembers us now.
How long have you now been out?
Quit going to meetings in 1988, DA letter went into the mail on March 18, 1989
Was there anything you looked forward to doing when you left?
Celebrating Christmas, building my own relationship with God, growing my beard again (actually did that in the summer of ’88).
What are you most proud of achieving since you left?
Sobriety, although that’s not JW related. I’ve written (but have not published) two novels based very loosely on my JW experience. I’m rewriting one of them in an effort to attract a publisher.
Is there anything you miss about life in the congregation?
We had some good friends, I miss the social interaction. Not any of the rest of it.
Red pill or blue pill? Do you regret waking up to reality at all?
Never once regretted it, sometimes wished I’d done it sooner.
Did you become an atheist or transfer your faith elsewhere?
We went to an independent Evangelical church for a number of years. Left that a while back over administrative nonsense. We have not been to a church service in almost five years.
How do you now feel about religion in general?
I still consider myself a spiritual person, I have no need of organized religion.
Do you feel any guilt celebrating xmas or birthdays or doing any other JW "no-no"s?
No.
Have you attended any face-to-face meetups of ex-JWs?
We attended a support group for xjw’s for a while after we left. It was interesting, but we don’t need it.
Describe your circle of friends - mostly other ex-JWs or regular people?
Non JW, mostly non religious.
Do you tell people about your JW past?
Generally yes, if it fits in with some conversation going on already, I don’t feel a need to advertise it to everybody I know. People who have been around me know about it.
Do you feel animosity or pity toward current JWs?
Maybe some animosity for the GB, who should now better. I think most JW’s are just trying to do what they think is the right thing, they just don’t know how to think about it at all.
How do you respond to witnesses when they call at your door?
Haven’t seen one since we moved seven years ago. Were in a fairly populated area, I don’t know why we don’t see them. Last time they came to the door, I brought up the mediator issue. They assured me I didn’t know what I’m talking about (didn’t tell them I’m xjw). I gave them the Watchtower references and told them to come back. Never saw them again.
Storm the barricades or tend to the wounded? (do you favor activism or support)
Tend the wounded, and educate the public. I don’t think that attacking the Watchtower will produce a good result and feeds into their persecution complex.
What do you think is the most effective approach to reaching people still in?
Maybe plant questions (like I did with the ones that come to the door) and be ready to offer guidance when they need it.
Do you think the WTS can or should be destroyed, will continue on as-is or grow / change?
I believe that if the WTBS disappeared tomorrow a lot of its members would just finds somebody else to tell them what to do. More than a few would commit suicide. So I do not think that destroying it is either possible or even desirable. I don’t know what the future holds for them.
How has your life been impacted by your JW past?
If I hadn’t listened to the GB in 1973 I’d have at least a Master’s degree now. I had been accepted into grad school and my parents would have paid for it. Oh well. On the other hand, I picked up a lot of material to write about.
Are there things in your life you blame the WTS for?
I can’t blame the WTS for not getting the Masters. It was my decision, as it was I went back to school a few years later and studied accounting, which might have been a better career move anyway.
JW upbringing - a protection or a curse?
Doesn’t apply to me, we got out before we’d screwed up our kids too much.
How do you fill your time now it's not filled with meetings and field service?
Used to be work until the economy forced me into early retirement. Now I take care of my mother, write, and assemble 1/700 scale warship models.
Do you still have an interest in JW beliefs and doctrines?
Some, although it seems they really say much these days.
How much of your time is still spent on JW related matters?
Just some fooling around here mostly.
What do you think of the ex-JW community?
Bunch of &^%*$$#!!
Ok, seriously. There are a lot of xjw’s out there, many of whom are not part of any “community.” My wife is a good example. We talk about it if I bring it up, I think a few of her friends know about her past, but by no means all. Those of us who participate in forums like this on a regular basis of may be a very small slice of xjw’s. I don't think it is possible to make any sort of general statement about xjw’s.
Do you see yourself still being associated with the ex-JW community in 5 or 10 years time?
Probably in some way.
Do you fear the future?
Not really.
What advice would you give to anyone starting the journey of leaving the WTS?
If you have questions ask, and don’t take anybody’s answer as absolute fact. Learn to disagree with about being disagreeable, and think for yourself.
What would you change in your life if you could go back and talk to yourself?
I’d talk myself into quitting drinking sooner, and getting a real job before getting married.
Do you have any regrets about life since you left?
See above.
Can we read your life-story anywhere? (links to online or books
My blog is located at http://pathologicallyintellectual.blogspot.com/
I've been away from it for a month, dealing with a family problem. I hope to get back into it soon. If I get a book published, you will hear about it.
Want to share your own story? Please use the Interview with an Apostate: Template and post it in the Personal Experiences & Reunions section with the title "Interview with an Apostate: [your name or alias]"