This lady was a minor at heart.....yaaaahooo !
exwhyzee
JoinedPosts by exwhyzee
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30
Were you a minor when you were baptized
by Watchtower-Free in.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/xjwrg3/permalink/10152034643265835/?qa_ref=qd.
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45
Talked to JW's in Service Today (kinda long...sorry)
by exwhyzee ini was in my company vehicle and i spotted some jw's going from door to door.. i circled around the block and pulled over.
when they passed, i rolled down the .
window and asked the pleasant looking middle aged couple as they passed, if they were jehovah's .
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exwhyzee
Yeah Shirley, that's pretty much the sense I got. They seemed too tired to worry about whether or not it's right of wrong. Jehovah will fix everything in the end....it doesn't matter what happens to us now.
I also told them that while I was in Bethel I made thousands and thousands of books every day saying, "I guess it was kinda' all wasted time because all those books I made are full of wrong information. I wonder if this means I was part of misinforming thousands of people? Hopefully God won't be mad at me ha ha"
They just sort of chuckled and looked at their shoes and sighed and said Hmmm.
Yeah Apognophos It's as if they've realized that all that matters is that you live as best of a life as you can and you don't necessarily have to be a JW to be saved in the big A. In one part of the conversation they said that they don't pay attention too much to dates. I asked them if they would be free to say that out loud in front of others or from the platform.
Thay agereed they wouldn't be.
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45
Talked to JW's in Service Today (kinda long...sorry)
by exwhyzee ini was in my company vehicle and i spotted some jw's going from door to door.. i circled around the block and pulled over.
when they passed, i rolled down the .
window and asked the pleasant looking middle aged couple as they passed, if they were jehovah's .
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exwhyzee
I was in my company vehicle and I spotted some JW's going from door to door.
I circled around the block and pulled over. When they passed, I rolled down the
window and asked the pleasant looking middle aged couple as they passed, if they were Jehovah's
Witnesses. They seemed pleased that I recognized this and came right over. It was raining,
she had an umbrella and he was wearing a trench coat and Indiana Jones type hat, so they didn't mind standing there.
We had a long friendly chat and they were really nice.In the few JW' encounters I've had, I've tried to remember how it felt to be in their
position, that of trying to stick up for Jehovah and the Organization using, what I realize now, were flimsy doctrines and half truths. I
have a soft spot in my heart for the ones on the in the trenches, doing the day to day grind. So I try to approach the conversations I've had, in a way that lets them know I'm on their side in a way, because I've been where they are, myself.Here's how it went. (sorry if this ends up being too long to read)
Me: (wink wink) I thought you were JW's, I can spot you guys a mile away ha ha.
Them: ha ha ha !
Me: I used to be a life long Witness myself but left about 5 years ago…kind of a long story….
Them: ooooh (sigh) really ???
Me: Yeah, so it's been awhile since I've been to a meeting or read anything….anyway, I was wondering what the word is, now that it's 2014 and the generation that was alive in 1914 are all gone.
Them: Ohhh Yes…(excited) it's been 100 years since 1914 and yes, they're gone.. Do you still think the world will end soon?
Me: Well, who can really say...especially me? I figure there's no reason I shouldn't be part of whatever good thing God may have in store for us so I just don't worry about it like I used to .
I just wondered what everyone is saying now because I was taught since childhood, that the end would come before those folks died out and I went around telling everyone that….yikes…kinda embarrassing (laughing ..rolling eyes)
Them: Ha Ha….Well we know it must be really close now right ??? ha ha ha
Me : But they are all gone….I was taught that it would happen before they passed away.
Them: Well there are still some of them left…
Me: Ha Ha not too many 100 year olds runnin' around these days.
Them: Well….(looking very sheepish) the Society is really staying away from dates now and the current thinking these days is that a generation could also include younger ones who lived
at the same time as those as those who were born in 1914 (both looking very embarrassed having said this out loud)
Me: (smiling) Well it's probably a good idea they're staying away from actual dates...they've made some pretty big claims in the past. Laughingly I said….I fell for it hook line and sinker. I trusted my Mom and the other adults
and built my whole life around the idea that the end was right around the corner. I even went to Bethel…. I knew a lot of the Governing Body members back then and sat at the GB table at Bethel.
I knew back then those Sons of Guns would find a way to explain their way out of 1914 if it didn't pan out…ha ha
Them: Ha Ha well…I've thought the same thing you're thinking, but seriously...we do know it must be getting very close.
Me: (smiling) Yeah, I was a kid when the whole 1975 thing was going on and I never expected to get out of school let alone be the father of two grown Sons. Ha Ha...If I'd have known some of the things I know
now about the Society, I'd never have taken it all so seriously. It would have been nice to have grown up with out worrying about the Big A all the time .
Them: What made you leave ?
Me: I said it was a "perfect storm" of events. I explained how my (studying) non JW Father listened to the Brothers and died not taking a blood transfusion when he had surgery. How less than 2 years later the Society began allowing blood fractions, which could have saved him.
Them : Oooh Nooo….gasp !
Me: Yeah it was a horrible death for such a good man to have had to experience. My younger sister was in the hospital room when it happened . He woke up out of his semi coma , scrambled down to the end of the bed and grabbed onto her neck and begged her to help him. The rest of us walked in just as he slumped over in her arms. My sister has been a wreck ever since. A few the brothers said that Dad would be resurrected because he died faithful to Jehovah, but when we asked them to use the K.Hall for his memorial they said no because he wasn't baptized.
Them: That's terrible….oh my gosh !
Me: Shortly after that my the oldest of my two young Sons and his fiancé, tearfully came to my Wife and I to tell us they had slept together. We advised them to talk to the Elders and assured them they'd be fair especially since they were repentant and had come forward. Instead to our shock, they were disfellowshipped but it took them about 3 weeks to decide this. During that time, my Son found a lump on his testicle but because of everything that was going on, he ignored it and not wanting to cause his Mom and I any more worry, he didn't say anything to us about it. After they were DF'd our son was diagnosed with a bad form of Testicular Cancer. He underwent surgery, Chemo and a stint in intensive care where we almost lost him. None of the JW's helped him or us or came to visit. The only help we got was from worldly neighbors and coworkers. They were the best. The last meeting I ever attended was the Memorial. Our Son who was ravaged by Chemo, bald sick and thin forced himself to attend. We listened to the talk about Jesus loving sacrifice and the forgiveness of our sins and saw 200+ people we've known forever, walk past our son as if he didn't exist. (I started to get choked up just thinking about all that again)
Them: Gasp... Ohhhh noooo !
Me: That's when I realized there is something very very wrong about a religion that could encourage people to be so heartless and vindictive . We've never been back. It took them nearly 3 years before they came looking for us. The Circuit Overseer came by and I told him the same thing I just told you. He was shocked and seemed perplexed that such a thing could happen. He asked me if I would like the latest magazines. I asked him why he would think I'd ever want to read anything published by an organization that would cause such pain to my family and countless others ? You are out recruiting new members when lifelong Witnesses are dying on the vine
Them: I can't believe he'd ask you that !
Me: Anyway now that we've left, we've been able to learn things about the founders of the religion and the origin of some of the doctrines. Have you ever heard of Candace Conti.
Them: Noooo…..why?
Me: She's the one of many young people who grew up as JW's and were molested by congregation members and it was hidden from the authorities. Candace Conti won in the neighborhood of 28 million in a lawsuit against the Society which is being appealed. Google her name , read up about it and ask yourself why you haven't heard about this from the platform.
Anyway, It went on and on back and forth. They really listened and from their facial expressions and body language, I could tell they knew exactly what I was talking about and had the same feelings themselves. I talked to them about how upset I was to find out too late, so many things I should have known about the Organization I based my whole life around. How if I had only been allowed to look into things from all angles, I could have made my own mind up instead of being tricked by one-sided information. I told them I researched Cults and learned that the recruiting tactics and the experience of those who leave them are much the same as JW's.
The car group drove by so they had to go but they told me their Son is disfellowshipped…it involved a divorce apparently. He doesn't want anything more to do with JW's . They said they still love him and talk to him on occasion. They told him to get rid of all his resentment and just have a good life….just ….have ….a good….life. The Sister said to me " You are such a kind man and have been hurt badly, please try to leave it behind, go out and make new friends and be happy and just live the best life you can" He repeated that line as well. I told them that it's hard not to have friends anymore and it's hard at this stage in life to explain to potential friends why you don't know anybody. Even so, I'm freer and have more peace of mind than I've had in my whole life and you can't put a price on that.
They both shook my hand and said they were glad I talked to them.I wonder what the car group conversation was on the way back to the Hall and if anyone will Google Candace Conti.
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16
Thoughts After Saturday Morning Service
by lambsbottom inwent out with a good friend in service this morning.
my spouse and kiddos joined us.
me and my spouse are awake jws, have gotten over the initial shock and disgust with some of the lame wt doctrine, and are determined to let god direct us wherever he may (even to another church - i'm going to a baptist service tommorow).. we have fun doing a little bit of service with the kiddos, letting them watch deer, play with sticks, and write not-at-homes down.
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exwhyzee
I hope you are right about so many thirty-something's and the younger generation being awakened. I hate to think JWs will go on and on.
I think this is true not only of teens and twenty somethings but of 30 and 40 year olds as well. They know all the do's and don't rules about the religion but cant really explain in any depth, the basis of the doctrines JW's beleive. That's why they get so defensive when you ask them anything beyond the basics.
I think the next group of adults coming up will change the face of the religion and will sand off all the hard to deal with rough edges that exist now until it is no more than just a nice way of life that works for some. They won't have the basic grounding that enables one to fully carry out what the WT society want them to do. It will be very frustrating for the G.B. to deal with the upcoming apathy.
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5
Rental car companies and their gas policy.
by jam ini rented a car with a 1/2 tank of gas and i returned it with 3/4 tank.
of gas,no reimbursement that's their policy.
ok the next guy comes.
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exwhyzee
I've rented cars in the U.S and in other countires. In Austrailia last spring, they offered a deal where you could bring the car back needing Gas so long as you had taken advantage of their offer to let you pay for a tank of gas up front at less than the going rate per litre. The idea I'm guessing is that most people end up bringing the car back with at least some gas in it so the company would only have to fill it part way. It could be a good deal if you were able to time it right so that the car was running on fumes rather than return it with a partial tank.
The thing I learned about renting cars is that you need to be absolutely sure (in writing) about your own insurance coverage when you opt not use the insurance the rental car offers. Be absolutely sure your insurance covers you in the State or Country you rent the car in. Same goes for the Insurance offered by your credit card. We had a fender bender with an old man who ran into us while in Austrailia and we had to pay the damages to our rental car upfront before leaving the country until the matter was settled. We were assured over the phone by our agent before we left the U.S that we were covered but found out when we got home that if it had been our fault, our insurance wound't have covered us. The fine print on our specific policy, revealed that Austrailia wasn't one of the coutries included in our coverage. That could have been a mess especially if there'd have been injuries.
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14
Intenational DC in Seattle
by tresdecu inanyone here being forced to go to the int dc in sea.
it is july 4-6 at university of wa stadium.
my wife unfortunately just booked airfare to sea yesterday.
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exwhyzee
Husky Stadium is a nice venue located next to Lake Washington and at least there'll be lots of things to do and places to go afterward. Trouble is it typically rains here in Seattle on July 4th (my birthday) and the stadium is mostly outdoors. Oh well....at least the rain will be warm. I already told Mrs Exwhyzee that her out of town family (very nice folks) aren't staying here....not for an assembly of all things. She agrees and I think they know better than to ask, on this occasion.
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2014 DC: Fewer, but larger venues in the U.S.
by doinmypart inin the u.s. there are fewer venues this year, but they will be held in larger facilities.
as long as i can remember my family travelled no more than 2 hours to attend and in the last few years the dc was local (within a few minutes travel).
this year my family is driving 6 hours to a major u.s. city.
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exwhyzee
The last few District Conventions I attended in the "Dome" near here, were in comparrison to the old days, like depressing Ghost Towns. Whole sections of empty seats and others that were sparsley populated. In corridors that were once hard to get through, there was only a smattering of people. The lower floor was filled with old folks whom I remembered from back when they were young. There were so many disabled ones there as well. Sunday was somewhat better.
I'm guessing they're wanting to really "pack em' in" to not only save money but also to give the impression that the orgainzation is made up of a mighty throng rather than a dwindling and aging populace. It would be so much more encouraging to those who are still going these days.
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BIG conversation with the missus MKII. Ended well. Wish I could argue better!
by Captain Blithering inwell, had a loooooooong conversation with the missus again after being accused of being overly critical of the borg.. .
i stated that i thought the borg was marvellous, full of really good people, (in our experience, it has been so far), but that i had difficulty with the dogmatic stance we had on certain issues that we couldn't possibly be sure about, and that if i were to vocalise any of these issues and unrepentantly not change my thinking, then i could be df'd for that, which i view as an unloving bullying tactic.
organ transplants, vaccinations, (jah will resurrect, don't worry), new understandings of the fads and generations etc... particularly the thought that only jw's will be saved.
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exwhyzee
You sound you have a reasonable wife. I think your idea of leaving things out for her to find herself is a good idea. Sometimes you need to give them an "out" and a way to save face until they are in a place where they are wiling to consider the possibility that your points have some merit. My wife came around quite quickly because I'd ask her questions about things that weren't making sense to me anymore. I'd let her know when she expained her understanding of things to me, that I could see her point and then I'd show her the alternate explanation I wondered about and then I'd leave it at that. Pretty soon she started hearing the holes in the logic being taught from the platform on her own after I had stopped going to meetings.
One thing you might remind your wife of (if you haven't already) is that JW's beleive the end is near and it is imperative that each Witness spend as much time as posslibe in spreading the "life saving" message from door to door. They believe that anyone not heading their message and not getting themselves out of Babylon the Great will share in her destruction which could happen any day now. They believe they could lose their own lives if they don't participate fully in spreading the message. To believe this and to go around publicly recommending ones way of life to others, is to also say that you yourself and those in your religion have it made and everyone else had better make some big changes....quickly.
Ask her if she thinks whether or not people who have no religion at all or don't belong to a church will be spared at Armageddon since technically they aren't part of Babylon the great.
Ask her if a person would be better off at Armageddon if they had never heard the "message" at all compared to someone who did hear the "message" at all and refused to accept the "truth".
Ask her if she had to guess, who besides Jehovah's Witnesses, have a good shot at surviving Armageddon.
Ask her if because of all the recent changes in the Societies understanding of certain doctrines, whether all the Witnesses from the past who died believing they were worshipping god in Truth, were in fact displeasing to Jehovah since they went around teaching things that are now considered falsehoods.
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My mother tried to "friend"me...my reply
by mzmmom inso strange that last night my experience was bothering me so much i posted about it here.
this morning my mother sent me a friend request after 20 months of no communication from her.
i replied in a message.. this is what i wrote:.
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exwhyzee
It's interesting how some JW's expect you to just come running back and be so grateful that they threw you a crumb after being so hateful for so long. Anything could have happened to you or your family while she took her time to forgive you or whatever it is she is trying to do. No thanks to her, you have a nice family and you are all safe and sound.
I also find it interesting that your Mom "friended" you a day after you made your post here about having been "thrown away" and also that she did this on New Years Day or Eve which is also the 100 year anniversary of the oh so important 1914 date.
It's a long shot I know but do you suppose she or someone else you know, could be lurking on here and saw your post and figured out who you were ? Or what if, because of the 100 years of waiting, on the part of JW's, she's having second thoughts about their history of failed prophecies and is also rethinking the whole shunning thing?
Either way, I think you have the upper hand in this situation now. I like how you let her know that you weren't even sure if her contacting you was intentional and might even have been done by mistake. If she's ready to start treating you decently, the ball is in her court but it's up to you to take it or leave it. For better or worse, you only get one Mom so who knows it might be worth another shot.....I'm just sayin'.
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Simon the Spoiler!!!!
by cantleave ini can't believe he used the term "the late brian griffin" in a thread, causing me to google if he meant the the brian griffin i know and love.. it seems it's true :-(.
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exwhyzee
Do dog's have 9 lives ?
