ive been reading thesr posts for a while, thinking on them, pondering as the wt has recommended over the years.. having grown up as a witness, and having been involved in both the boring and the more exciting parts of the ministry, i know what it is like to be part of a team, and more importantly , i know what its like to be a team player on gods side.
and then one day, things start to unravel, the marriage, the relationship with bethel, the relationship with members in the congregations, and then, on another later day, suddenly you find yourself on the outside.. so, as time passes, a person begins to miss the association, the meetings, the laughter of the ministry groups, even the smell of the kingdom halls.....and effort is made to restore self to favour....and in time that too....comes to pass.. but here i am, a few years later, once more isolated, but this time by my own choice, beset by doubts and concerns over something that i held and hold sacred.. my circumstances have changed.
i chose the path of marriage again, to a wonderful person that has filled my life with contentment without the pressures of having to be an elder or an example to others in the christian manner, for those that are or have been in positions of oversight, you will know what this means...and yes my wife is one raised as a witness, and having her own journey that she may or may not choose to share with you...in any case, i feel priveleged to know her just for the decent human she is.. so, here i am, watching, reading, thinking....and i admit to being a little lost.. firstly, 607, it may or may not be correct, frankly my dears.... the ever changing date of armaggeddon...well that would appear to be a previousness on the part of the leading lights...after a while it gets tedious and a little self defeating.... the meetings and requirements for field service...well as i see it, the bible indicates it is a requirement to meet together, and furthermore a requirement to tell others about jehovah....the application of the principles have become (almost law,) in order to belong to the organisation known as jehovahs witnesses...that is a minor problem, despite the best efforts from co's and do's from the platform, the unoffical stance is that if you aint cutting it.. you aint spiritual.. now,where im at in this stream of time, along with all the confusion about what is right and what is wrong, i have to just look for other confirmations that jehovahs time is at hand...if indeed it is near at all.. man is now developing life in vacuums, primitive cellular structures it may be, but the leaps of testing criteria has been enhanced by the use of computers to cut time.... man has the ability (proven) to destroy earth.. man is killing the earth.. now if i was the creator, and he once before destroyed civilisation when they built the tower of babel, i would be thinking that soon they would know stuff they shouldnt know, and in any case, the earthdewellers are so dumb they will destroy themselves..id better start big a... my concern is,, that in the bigger picture..does it really matter if we get it so wrong, so many times and so quickly?
I got this info from a friend..thought I'd pass it on...just in case
---Be advised a "new" telephone scam has been taking place. The way the scam works is outlined below. Pass this information on to everyone you know.
I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician who was conducting a test on telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine(9), zero(0), the pound sign (#), and then hang up.
Luckily, I was suspicious and refused. Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number. I was further informed that this scam has been originated from many local jails/prisons.
I have also verified this information with UCB Telecom,Pacific Bell, MCI,Bell Atlantic and GTE. Please beware DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE
i've spent most of my web time over the last 2 years at another site full of ex-jdubs...i'd say about 50 people post there on occasion...many of that number regularly.. what struck me from the beginning, as i got to know the people posting there was...how many were now atheists...non-believers in god...the bible...pretty much anything they once held sacred as jw's!.
i dare say...90 some % do not consider themselves christian now!.
Your comments about gettin' to know each other better, by knowin' the information everyone was kind enough to let on about themselves...is so true. As a newer one here...it benefits me greatly in knowing the types of people I am posting to....so...thanx are in order to everyone that opened up.
Also...I learned that there is much more diversity here in this regard...than at another site I frequent...that more have retained a belief in a personal God...even if they admit to being in a seeker-mode now in their post-JW life.
Plus the respect that was shown in the posts was great!
i have been reading this site for a couple of months.
last night i stayed up all night, (not unusual for me though) and read the posts by ......well you know...the new kid on the block...who created so much fury.
at first i thought she was a fake, and i still do.
