why is it that everyone and his cousin shows up for the memorial?
what is it about this meeting that makes people come out of the woodwork?
is it like going to church on easter and christmas or something?
It IS christmas/easter for witnesses.
I've never understood those who go to 'hedge their bets.' Why bother? Don't they get it? If you still give any credence to the witness doctrine, then you're either a 5 meetings a week/10 hours a month witness and you're saved, or you're not and you're doomed. The dogma doesn't allow for hedging.
-Josh/Joe
P.S. hey prof, long time no post to (my fault). I see the girls prevailed upon you to change your profile pic back. Wrapped around a finger or two are we?
hey everyone, great site!
at last ex jw's can express themselves and be heard!
i came out of the watch tower about four years ago, best thing i ever did.
Hi Tzu (and bittersweet), glad you're here! Hope to hear more from you. This board has really been theraputic for me, hope you enjoy it too!!
-Josh
my children and i just returned from a trip to germany where we visited my deceased husbands parents, his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, and assorted cousins, all of who are jehovahs witnesses.. before we left, the children and i agreed that since their grandparents were old people and not in good health, it would be an act of loving consideration not to cause them any further distress by announcing that we were no longer active in the congregation.
so we went prepared to attend meetings, to go out in field service and to pretend that we were still die hard jehovahs witnesses.
we packed the proper kingdom hall attire, suits, ties, ankle length dresses, as well as our bibles and songbooks.. i suppose to some this may seem the cowards way out, that i should have just announced our new status and let the chips fall where they may.
Dutchie!! Glad you're back! Sounds like the fam had a good time overall and that great to hear.
I must say that we all did a fine acting job. We sang kingdom songs, answered at the book study and watchtower study and looked up all the scriptures. We did, however, draw the line at field service. On the weekends we always had important things to do and so could not meet for the door to door work. We feigned a deep regret and disappointment in not being able to engage in the preaching work and the relatives commiserated with us.
Hey, I did that for the last year and a half!
An interesting incident occurred. We went to a gathering at the house of one of the brothers and I could hardly believe my eyes when some of the younger brothers, as a joke, dressed up like women, with makeup, high heels the whole works. I told them that if they had done this in the United States they would have been disfellowshipped on the spot. They found that amusing.
I've heard this from several people. In fact, while I was at bethel a good friend stayed at the german branch while vacationing in europe and admitted that he would have been kicked out here for what he did there (and he said he 'abstained' from a few activities that were just 'too much' for him!). Very interesting.
Glad you're back home safe and sound!
-Josh/Joe
just been given this watchtower and found the 2nd study article very interesting..... is this the societies damage control to panorama and dateline?.
para 8 onwards says...... 8 satan tries to break our integrity through the sowing of doubts about what we have been taught.
today, as in the first century, apostates and others seek to destroy the faith of the guideless ones.
Thanks for posting this Tish.
I'm always interested in seeing the latest manipulation coming out of dubdom. Isn't it amazing just how transparent such tactics are when you're actually awake and not mindlessly parroting?
Makes you wonder why any of us did, and many still do, fall for anything the WT says. But I guess if you really want to believe something, you'll find a way to believe it!
-Josh
.
top ten things you learn your first week at bethel: .
10. the average guy you're taking orders from is 50 yrs old and has never kissed a girl.. 9. all the suggestion boxes have been converted to donation boxes.. 8. after watching 'weekend at bernie's,' it dawns on you that all the gb are actually dead.. 7. the definition of a cult: running through the streets at 6:59am in shirt and tie.. 6. the only graffiti in the bathroom stalls are masturbation tips.. 5. the guys in the writing department sell some kick ass marijuana.. 4. no one thinks your fake malawi party card is funny.. 3. for a good time, call 1-900-ted-jarecz.. 2. the private parking pavilion is for un members only.. ...and the number one thing you (should) learn your first week at bethel.... 1. without two witnesses, jr brown can't prove you sodomized him with a baseball bat.
- If you are married, you are expected to lay your partner VERY quietly. Those walls are DAMN thin. Wouldn't want to give the poor bastards next door "dirty thoughts", considering how they've been bottling up sexual tension for decades. There might be an explosion or something
Hey Syn, I swear to god that all newly married brothers got a "discretion" talk from their overseers that basically said this EXACT THING!
.
top ten things you learn your first week at bethel: .
10. the average guy you're taking orders from is 50 yrs old and has never kissed a girl.. 9. all the suggestion boxes have been converted to donation boxes.. 8. after watching 'weekend at bernie's,' it dawns on you that all the gb are actually dead.. 7. the definition of a cult: running through the streets at 6:59am in shirt and tie.. 6. the only graffiti in the bathroom stalls are masturbation tips.. 5. the guys in the writing department sell some kick ass marijuana.. 4. no one thinks your fake malawi party card is funny.. 3. for a good time, call 1-900-ted-jarecz.. 2. the private parking pavilion is for un members only.. ...and the number one thing you (should) learn your first week at bethel.... 1. without two witnesses, jr brown can't prove you sodomized him with a baseball bat.
Hey Elsewhere,
Remeber then sitting and sweating at the table during "morning worship" and thinking 'this is what I ran for?!'
We were such idiots.
.
top ten things you learn your first week at bethel: .
10. the average guy you're taking orders from is 50 yrs old and has never kissed a girl.. 9. all the suggestion boxes have been converted to donation boxes.. 8. after watching 'weekend at bernie's,' it dawns on you that all the gb are actually dead.. 7. the definition of a cult: running through the streets at 6:59am in shirt and tie.. 6. the only graffiti in the bathroom stalls are masturbation tips.. 5. the guys in the writing department sell some kick ass marijuana.. 4. no one thinks your fake malawi party card is funny.. 3. for a good time, call 1-900-ted-jarecz.. 2. the private parking pavilion is for un members only.. ...and the number one thing you (should) learn your first week at bethel.... 1. without two witnesses, jr brown can't prove you sodomized him with a baseball bat.
TOP TEN THINGS YOU LEARN YOUR FIRST WEEK AT BETHEL:
10. The average guy you're taking orders from is 50 yrs old and has never kissed a girl.
9. All the suggestion boxes have been converted to donation boxes.
8. After watching 'Weekend at Bernie's,' it dawns on you that all the GB are actually dead.
7. The definition of a cult: running through the streets at 6:59AM in shirt and tie.
6. The only graffiti in the bathroom stalls are masturbation tips.
5. The guys in the writing department sell some kick ass marijuana.
4. No one thinks your fake Malawi party card is funny.
3. For a good time, call 1-900-TED-JARECZ.
2. The private parking pavilion is for UN members only.
...AND THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU (SHOULD) LEARN YOUR FIRST WEEK AT BETHEL...
1. Without two witnesses, JR Brown can't prove you sodomized him with a baseball bat.
were you raised as a jw, like me, or were you converted (at least i have an excuse)?
Born and raised. baptized at 15, out at 27 and trying desperately to get back to school and pretend the last 12 yrs never happened!
LOL @ Tinkerbell, you and me both
an intriguing aspect of the child abuse scandal among jehovah's witnesses is why don't the wts want these offenses reported in the first instance to the police?
why is it that other offenses, such as fornication, adultery or theft, are dealt with publicly and usually swiftly, why is the matter of child abuse treated differently?
why is it that the borg's procedures ensure that the crimes against silent lambs are kept hidden from the authorities?
The problem is since when are janitors and lawn men qualified to evaluate matters of this nature.
Because God is helping them.
If they accept that "experts" exist in the evil, ungodly world that know better than the local elders, they'll lose their authority.
This is the classic "God is with me, so what do I need you for?" thinking that got the crusades off to such a rousing start.
As long as the witnesses see their organization as the only one with God's ear, they won't pay any attention to what anyone else thinks. I'm afraid this means that eventually there may be an outward decision to change the policy (designed to avoid drowning in lawsuits and make the media leave them alone), but within the congregations everything will continue as usual.
Fundamentally, the witnesses cannot accept that anyone outside the organization has any authority over them. Period.
-Joe
i recently got an email from mr. moe.
amongst other things, she says that she hated df'ing when she was a dub, so she abhores the banning of certain posters from this site, because it seems so similar to df'ing.. i think her opinion is of great value and warrants looking at closely.
is suspending someone for the contents of their posts justifiable then?
Is it really comparable? I believe in many respects, it is.
Your story of the guys in the bar (which gave me a chuckle, by the way) is about a group of outsiders they didnt know anyone there and the worst harm that was done was they had to find another pub. But what if such action had to be taken (justifiably or otherwise) against a pub regular?
As far as Im concerned, posters like MrMoe are (were) family around here, and cutting them off from the board has a very similar effect as Dfing does, whether the action is reasoned to have been justifiable or not.
That having been said, Simon is very fair and most of those deactivated can simply speak with him to get themselves reactivated if they really want to.
So....I guess my concern is that this EXTREME action not be taken too lightly, especially when its taken towards one of the regulars. Im afraid that in the heat of the moment in the last few days, there were extremes taken on both sides. You may think otherwise, but its good to keep in mind and I thank Englishman for starting the thread.
-Joe
