i did very occasionally, notably for formula 1 and wimbledon finals..
I have never missed a meeting for a sporting event as I have never participated in one nor do I intend to start now. I have missed a few meetings to sleep through some events that Cantleave wants to watch makes a change to dozing at the kingdom hall.
Cantleave is allowed beer but only if he clears the empties away.
sorry, to be so blunt- for a whole day i have watched people here patting themselves on the back- we're a large army, oohh, look out wt, we might do something, well not today or tomorrow, but someday!
maybe, i have to just accept that a lot of jw's who are exiting the kh by the back door will never find a backbone to stand up to mummy and elder daddy.. jw's have a learned ability to see themselves in a better light than everyone else sees them.
ask a jw, if they are a charitable religion and they would likely all say they are, but when pressed to name a charity they will be unable to do so.
I don't think it is helpful to suggest that because someone chooses an indirect exiting strategy to someone else then they have less moral fibre then anyone else. People choose fading not just to escape cult backlash but for many varied reasons. I have done a lot of bridge burning in my life and it is not always best.
As a family we made our decision to fade and see it as a temporary measure. We fully accept that there may be painful times ahead but ultimately what we choose for ourselves and what is best for all may be very different things. Some of the most courageous posters started as faders who knows what any of us will prove to be in the future. Have we really reduced ourselves to arguing our own psuedo hierarchy on a support board. didn't we all just leave a cult that did that?
We have respect for all those who have been up front and faced the JC with courage and conviction but I also respect all those who have taken courage to leave the organisation through whatever route. Admitting you were wrong when for decades you followed a false prophet is hard enough.
Even the DA'd and Df'd among us can be evasive about their JW past when meeting new aquaintances. We all hide things we are uncomfortable about from others.
what he claimed was "required":.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/03/10/25418.htm.
lawrence bullard says he should be allowed to proselytize door-to-door twice a week with other witnesses, as their religion requires.. .
With so many witnesses hating the service it is always the most inappropriate people who fight for the right to do it. He should have appreciated how wholely inappropriate it was for him to push this point. If he freely admits he did something wrong then he should also accept any legal penalties resulting from it.
just some posters, not all.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4yjmwcs6h0.
I have found the board to be a welcoming and warm experience in the main. Sometimes it can also be a little in your face espeacially if you've posted something a little crass. We sometimes forget that behind the type there are real people with real emotions and intentions can be misunderstood. We all have the potential to offend others that is part of being human unfortunately.
Thankfully malicious posts are few and far between so they tend to have more impact when they surface.
i see over and over so many times jws and x-jws alike complaining about wt's lack of charity work.
it almost seems to imply that wt would be an ok religion if only they opened a soup kitchen or had some charity pet project.. do you really think that a food bank would reconcile all of the sins of that organization?.
would you be more inclined to accept wt teachings if only they would do something to help "needy people"?.
I used to frequent a coffee shop near college because the coffee was good and the scones were cheap. My friends and I went everyday and loved the place. Then one day they locked the doors moved some screen and we discovered we were in the back of a church and were expected to take part in a carol service. We all headed for the door and demanded to be let out so we would not be late for college. We never went back.
It doesn't matter what they do how good the coffee is, if it isn't done to help and only done to advertise the org then it wouldn't be good enough. Too little, too late.
The lack of charity for fellow humans is endemic it is part of the doctrine it would require a huge cultural shift in the organisation that goes against years of conditioning. It does make you wonder how they can possibly believe they could deal with a worldwide disaster zone.
i just wanted to let everyone know that my post on my dad exposing himself and the elder who said it never happened was to let everyone know how crazy this religion is.. everyone seems to think that i am suck in having to keep going.
i am not going to the meetings.
please understand that.
sex crimes are some of the worst to deal with and can haunt you for decades. You think you are over it and then you discover you are not. In the hall where immorality, fornication and spiritual cleanliness are frequent topics you have past experiences constantly brought back to mind. In JCs you are made to show how sorry you are for what you did rather than have an opportunity to say it really wasn't your fault and you were a victim. Children who are targeted by sexual predators have to endure a life time of pain and guilt and the torment of walking away and leaving potential victims unprotected is a dreadful load to carry.
It sounds like the elders are the worst kind putting company policy ahead of humanity and common sense. Witnesses are told not to judge and not to ask questions so are ill equipped to make judgements about sexual predators based on who says prayers at meetings. Sexual predators are surrounded by young innocent children with no checks or balances on their behaviour thus increasing opportunities to reoffend. This is not shepherding the flock it is a disaster waiting to happen.
I don't know what I would do in your position. I would seek therapy from professionals to help deal with how I had been messed up but in view of potential risks to others that is hard. I'd seek advice from specialists in the area as to the best approach. I know once when visiting a hall I was taken aside and told discreetly not to let my children go to the toilet unattended as there was a convicted child molester attending meetings. I was grateful for the heads up. I didn't need to know who it was it was sufficient to know that there was cause for concern. I wonder how many other halls I have visited where the threat was present but no one told me? I have always been vigilant but others are like sheep and don't even consider the possibility.
it is the congregation's co visit this week.
it is first one since i stepped down and i have not attended any of the programme.
i just received a phone call from a sister, i answered thinking it was someone else.
So much fun when I am cleaning and hoovering and caring for the sick. I was sorry I missed it. Not sorry I am missing the CO visit though by all accounts this is old school not upbeat and interesting.
"sd-7 is no longer one of jehovah's witnesses.".
i always imagined this day would come.
i'm not sure exactly how i knew.
Christopher, you have been true to yourself and that takes great courage. It is early days for you and for your wife so feelings and attitudes are easily coloured by recent events. Don't read too much into how she looks at you remember she has been through a humiliating experience and is emotionally fragile at the moment she hasn't behaved well and she probably realises it deep down. By being loving and considerate by showing care and concern for her you can get through this. At the moment she is taking false support from the congregation but you are her husband and you have as much right to be supportive and considerate of her feelings as anyone else.
How they behave to you in the hall is up to them how you behave in your own home is up to you. Taking control of your life can be a tricky business so take help where ever you need it.
Good luck in all your future efforts.
http://www.freeminds.org/blogs/musings-of-a-watchtower-insider/thousands-die-each-year.htm l. this blog article is solely my personal opinion, but i have tried to present important material for your consideration because i believe that one life lost to this blood-ban is one too many and there have too many deaths since 1945 and it's time something is done about it.
however you think on the subject, just wait until you read the conclusion of my blog article.
oh, by the way, all points of view are important to me and most welcome so i look forward to reading them here on jwn .
A very thought provoking blog and very sad. I feel it is extremely likely that many die prematurely because of a failure to accept blood. Their deaths are masked under the heading of serious illness and hidden from the spotlight as a result. My concern is that even if it becomes a conscience matter how many witnesses who have been fully indoctrinated in the blood doctrine for so long will actually feel comfortable accepting blood.
It will probably be postioned that refusing blood all these years has been of benefit to gods people as the procedure was extremely risky in the early days resulting in many deaths. Haven't we been lovingly protected by the GB. Now that procedures are fully tested and because the command to abstain from blood relates to food not transfusion it is now a conscience matter. I could scream.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/03/10/25418.htm.
imo, this jerk doesn't have to go door to door.
he could get his time in by informal witnessing.
Reading the article the man made a mistake. He behaved badly and sexually assaulted his on off fiance.She was probably extremely traumatised by the incident and he was stalking her. He has been punnished but not treated and I would be concerned if he was engaging in witness activity in my area. He was regarded as a sufficient threat to be put under restrictions and monitored so even though time has passed since the original incident it would be better if he didn't take part in witness activity. The fact that he can't seem to see that for himself is a concern perhaps he wants freedom for a whole other reason.
