joelbear

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Posts by joelbear

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  8

  Things to read before a Judicial Committee

  by JEMIMAH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on the sd course i have just finished it is interesting what elders are specifically required to look at before sitting on a judicial committee,.

  1. chapters 5a, 5b, 5c in the ks91.

  2. article on repentance insight book.

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  joelbear

  Since there is no format for a judicial committee in the Bible, there would be nothing there for them to look at.
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  26

  C.J. Woodworth - New historical information

  by Lee Elder in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the following information was obtained from skip higgins who is a distant.

  relative of c.j.

  woodworth.

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  joelbear

  I have a moderate case of OCD, for instance I obsess over the number 5 and multiples of it. I will buy things in 5's or store things in 5's.

  I think that a scientific study of witnesses would show that there is a higher than the norm rate of OCD among witnesses. This is simply my opinion and therefore is based on personal observance and not any scientific measurement.

  joel
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  43

  Did you/Do you actually LIKE Field Service?

  by LovesDubs in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  god i hated it..every living breathing minute of it.

  it was pure hell for me, and based on the pace i see the jws all over the world moving, they aint so fond of it neither.

  the persecution that the jws feel they get is from irritated householders who know nothing about their religion except that they hit people over the head with it and then judge them because they dont like being hit over the head with it.

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  joelbear

  Stevie brings up some interesting points.

  If the field service is a dividing work to determine those who respect Jehovah's Universal Sovereignty, why do anything other than explain this point to householders and ask them how they feel?

  Anything other than this specific issue is surreptitious and manipulative.

  Maybe they aren't interested in what god thinks about the olympics or bonsai trees or whatever.

  If it is truly a dividing work then it should be proffered as such.

  hugs

  Joel
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  20

  what brought you out?

  by uncle_onion in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was intersted in what brought "you" out.. with me it was the 607 bce thing.

  i always followed the org and would have died for it but when i saw the fallacy of the 607 date that blew it for me.

  i am now on a quest to try and find something to feel comfortable with.

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  joelbear

  Not one specific thing.

  Several of the main factors were:

  The administrative bureaucracy I saw at Bethel.

  The 607 or 1914 thing that I investigated while I was pioneering.

  But the main thing that made me leave was the illogic of Jehovah's supposed judging procedure.

  People ignorant of him in Mongolia would die and be resurrected in a paradise earth where faith would no longer be required since Armageddon and their own resurrection would be proof that god did exist. I would therefore be better off being a Mongolian who had never heard of Jehovahs Witnesses.

  Also, the impossibility of an equitable judging scenario. All tests are not equal. The circumstances around our tests are too dissimilar. The way we were treated by a judicial committee could vary from loving to inquisition. The witness that worked our territory could be inept at explaining their beliefs,etc, etc, etc.

  Also, the immense difference in level of service by witnesses, some willing to live in poverty in order to pioneer while elders in the same congregation were millionaires. Some elders sending their kids to college while others were practically shunned for finishing high school.

  As you can see, fairness is a main driver of mine. In the end unfairness made me decide that my fate lay in the hands of a power higher than the Watchtower BTS whether that power be Jehovah or simply a nonpersonal spirituality. So I left.

  I certainly have my weaknesses. I certainly have made mistakes in my life and in the way I have treated others. I try to be kind, honest and fair and I think I succeed for the most part.

  Now that I know "worldly" people personally, I see no determinable amount of difference in their general behavior patterns and that of witnesses. I therefore conclude that their faith or truth is no more evident that any other group.

  hugs

  Joel
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  43

  Did you/Do you actually LIKE Field Service?

  by LovesDubs in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  god i hated it..every living breathing minute of it.

  it was pure hell for me, and based on the pace i see the jws all over the world moving, they aint so fond of it neither.

  the persecution that the jws feel they get is from irritated householders who know nothing about their religion except that they hit people over the head with it and then judge them because they dont like being hit over the head with it.

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  joelbear

  Most people don't like selling and even those of us who do never really get completely over the anxiousness of having to talk to strangers constantly and in the mode of trying to convince them of something at the same time.

  I think this is because it goes against our natural tendency to bond with people before trying to get something out of them. Human nature dictates social interaction at a more friendly level than selling allows.

  I did field service with the annointed quite a bit when I was a kid and a teenager. My memories of that are truly weird. One time a householder turned us away and while we were walking away from the door the annointed guy said, "He will make great fertilizer for the ground." I about freaked, cause it was a big guy behind the door.

  Im a skeerdy cat. I have had dogs sicced on me, a gun pulled on me and was physically threatened a number of times. I ended up studying with all the old "cat lady" people in my town. You know, the ones who live in a house with a bunch of cats. sheesh.

  leoj
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  23

  If modern day JW could stone apostates would they?

  by nojw86 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  via "new light" of course.

  would they truly follow it as scriptual bashing of evil ones forsaking their god jehovah, all this old light changing into new light makes one go hmmm........regards nojw

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  joelbear

  In my opinion the psychological effects of disfellowshipping and shunning are much worse than stoning and much more unforgivable.
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  43

  Did you/Do you actually LIKE Field Service?

  by LovesDubs in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  god i hated it..every living breathing minute of it.

  it was pure hell for me, and based on the pace i see the jws all over the world moving, they aint so fond of it neither.

  the persecution that the jws feel they get is from irritated householders who know nothing about their religion except that they hit people over the head with it and then judge them because they dont like being hit over the head with it.

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  joelbear

  I liked it when I was a kid. Man could I sell truth books. And now 30 years later I am still a salesman.

  We had some hysterically funny times out in service when I was a teenager. We had a lot of rural territory where I lived so there was lots of time for hilarity between houses. I was always happy when one of the older sisters would get stuck on a long call, then I could sleep and still count time.

  Me and my buddy Chris made up a song one day in service that I still remember.

  You have crushed my gate with your pachydermic weight
  and now you expect me to thank you
  but let me tell you this
  you have taken me amiss
  and I'll never ever speak to you again

  I liked my bible studies, although I always rushed over the 1914 stuff, man it didn't make sense.

  I have a 1000 field service stories, anyone want to buy me a beer and get me started.

  Joel
  www.joelbear.com
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  166

  BRITS v YANKS

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  brits v yanks.

  this is just for laughs, but let's be honest us brits are most definately ahead of our 'cousins' across the water in the credibility stakes.. i'll kick us off and see where we go;.

  [1] the beautiful game.. it's called football.

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  joelbear

  Top 5 reasons the US whoops the UK.

  5. We don't have to go to another country to get some sun.

  4. Our cows may be a little loopy but they aren't mad.

  3. Y'all are closer to France.

  2. We have more sense than to try and conquer India.

  1. Our queens don't pretend they are running the country.
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  23

  I am no longer a Ministerial Servant

  by cocolocoii in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yesterday was announced that i was not longer a ministerial servant.

  to be honest i felt really good about it.

  i literally was tired of been pretending.

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  joelbear

  I encourage you to find some meaningful volunteer work to become involved with. Amazing how this will fill the gaps left from meaningless witness work.

  hugs

  Joel
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  18

  Exorcise Me

  by hippikon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  need help bad.

  i think i have the demon of apostasy please someone exorcise me.

  yesterday my black sabath cds jumped up and ran out of the room.

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  joelbear

  If you guys listened to the Carpenters like me you wouldn't have no demon problems.

  Why do birds suddenly appear, la la la, la la la. Sigh, Im getting all goose pimpley.

  huggle snuggles

  Joel