Reopened Mind

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Posts by Reopened Mind

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  41

  Wife wants me to read Secret of Family Happiness, any suggestions?

  by insearchoftruth in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hello, have been on this board for a few years, and now my wife is asking me to read the subject book with her.

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  it seems pretty 'vanilla' in my scan through it, seems to lift up the male headship issue a few times and of course the cure to all ill is to 'attend christian meetings'.. am still working to fully open her eyes, anything in here i can use that may help, any conflicts with current doctrine i could possibly point out??.

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  Reopened Mind

  Read it. Read it with her. Then put on your critical thinking cap and have a good discussion. O, and bring in other resources and get her opinion.

  Reopened Mind
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  34

  Is there a new "full court press" to bring back "lost ones"?

  by tenyearsafter in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i ask the question because all of a sudden i am getting bombarded by my mother and other family members to "take my wife's hand and run back to jehovah before it is too late"!!

  i am getting e-mail with screen shots of the un website (http://www.un.org/en/peace) stating "peace and security", being told that this could likely be the last memorial celebrated and that the door to the ark will be closing soon.

  has anyone else been seeing an up-tick in these "prodigal son" appeals from jw friends and family?

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  Reopened Mind

  I agree with Outlaw, you're probably on someone's radar. It also could be that more are auxiliary pioneering this month because of the reduced hour requirements (only 30).They need something to do to ease their conscience that they are actually accomplishing the preaching work. So they put you on their radar.

  As for the UN, a large part of the reason for their existence is to promote peace in the world and do all they can to ensure security.

  Have any of the prophecies of the WT come true in their 130 year history? Why would you believe them now?

  Reopened Mind
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  32

  Just had my first JW visit in almost 13 years. . . weirder than I could have thought.

  by Ilovebirthdays in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have an old friend from jw's that has been trying to track me down.

  she finally found me today.

  of course to invite me to memorial.

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  Reopened Mind

  Ilovebirthdays,

  You were so there for your friend. Your old friend needed a friend in the worst way, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on. You showed her something she cannot get from her WT "friends"---Unconditional love. Just being there for her was the best thing you could do for her. I'm glad you exchanged phone numbers so she can contact you again. Trust me, she will need you to keep listening.

  GOOD LUCK and please post an update when you hear from her again.

  Reopened Mind
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  70

  May 15th WT - Wives Should be Obedient, Submissive & Not Disagree

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  once again we received the may 15th " witness only " wt from our lurking jw friend.

  even though i've been out for over 7 years and haven't attended in that long - i never cease to be amazed at the arrogance of this patriarchal man pleasing wt society in it's dismissive attitude towards women .

  it's horrible.

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  Reopened Mind

  I was so naive when I was a younger Witness. One of the things that attracted me to the JWs in the first place was that they would (supposedly) change their understanding of scripture as new light became available. But unfortunately I had no idea how this worked. So I kept waiting for new light on the treatment of women. Surely they would see that we women could be a valuable asset to the congregation. And that we too had valid ideas and concerns. Eve was created equal to Adam. The first person Jesus revealed his messiahship to was the Samaritan woman. And who was it that was the first to know that Jesus was resurrected? IT WAS WOMEN! Other women too played a vital role in the early church. So I waited and I waited. Years. At pioneer school we were told that because we had three heads, Jehovah, Jesus, and our husbands, we had three layers of protection. Well I have earned the living, I have managed the household finances. I have proven myself just capable as any man. I dare say more so than many. I have had to deal with a husband who was deeply traumatized by being raised in this cult.

  I quit waiting. I now know that the WT is a dictatorial, rule by decree, good old boys club that isn't about to change. So I changed. I reopened my mind to the reality that if there was going to be any changes I would have to make them for myself.

  TotallyADD and myself are in a marriage that is far better now that the WT is not meddling. We decide and we are the only ones who decide what is best for us. We have much more respect for each other. We are far more cooperative together. And we relax and enjoy each other's company more.

  Should women be obedient? Not blindly. We cooperate when we understand the reasons. And we are glad to do so.

  Submissive? Submissiveness for the sake of being submissive is never a good idea. It only builds resentment due to the imbalance of power.

  Not Disagree? I wholeheartedly DISAGREE! We women must speak up when we feel our husbands are making the wrong decision. We need to talk it over in a respectful way until we can both agree.

  Respectfully,

  Reopened Mind
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  73

  New Believers, Studying.

  by cupcakekourtney88 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey y'all!

  my name is kourtney and i am new to this form and jehovah witnesses.

  right now i am studying the book "what does the bible really teach".

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  Reopened Mind

  CUPCAKEKOURTNEY88:

  Please, please please give what Mad Sweeney above said careful consideration.

  I began studying with Witnesses when a teenager, baptised at 20. I am now 58. For the last 3 years my husband and I have been researching and planning our exit. This is extremely difficult because we have grown children and minor grandchildren who are still Witnesses.

  Back in the late 60' and early 70's (when I studied and was baptised) Armageddon was being hyped as going to occur in the mid seventies, specifically 1975. Guess what? Nothing happened.

  Cupcake, I relate to your situation as you sound just as young and naive as I was before I became a Witness. It is much easier to research both sides of the issue now with the advent of the internet. I encourage you to do so.

  PM me and I will be happy to help you in any way I can.

  Reopened Mind
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  65

  Hi, new to this forum. Figured I'd let everyone know about my story before I got involved.

  by JonathanH in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  if you just want the juicy details where i leave, i'll make disclaimer where it begins, if you just want to know what happened with the elders and organization after i realized it wasn't true, i'll mark that seperately.

  we didn't do jack shit in service, or in the congregation.

  maybe this was how jehovah came about?

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  Reopened Mind

  WHEW! Just read your long introduction. I prefer tea---Earl Grey, hot. Anyway welcome to the board. Keep writing my friend and keep us posted.

  Good science and religious mythology just cannot be reconciled. I too began seriously questioning the flood story, the frequency of earthquakes, WT's medical advice, and how a sudden creation just didn't jive with the fossil record. It made a lot more sense to me to listen to people who had spent the majority of their lives studying a particular subject than to people who never got beyond high school.

  Reopened Mind
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  24

  Moving 1000 miles in 28 days need suggestions

  by TotallyADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as many know my wife and i will be moving and starting a new business this summer.

  in many ways it will bring freedom to us for no one knows us where we are moving.

  being a born-in i would like to ask all of you what are some great ways we can meet new people and make friendships outside the jw cult?

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  Reopened Mind

  Many years ago when TotallyADD and I were MUCH younger we moved from TN to FL, about 600 miles, with 3 kids with chicken pox and ten cats in a VW van.

  Reopened Mind
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  40

  Admitted!

  by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  just wanted to drop in and share the good news that i have been accepted to "the big city university" this fall.

  sorry i haven't been around much lately, this is a busy semester as i'm just getting on with a really exciting life.. wow, has my life changed as i look back over the years!

  and jwd/jwn has been an important part of the positive direction that my life is now headed.. my previous thread and history are in the private section for members.

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  Reopened Mind

  Billy,

  That's great news! You have your whole life ahead of you. Make the best of it on your own terms.

  Oh and GOOD LUCK

  Reopened Mind
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  45

  My 16 year Old is Having Surgery Tomarrow

  by lovelylil in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  boy am i glad we are not witnesses anymore.

  my son is having two large cysts removed tomarrow, they are in sort of a delicate area.

  because of where they are located, the potential for heavy blood loss is high.

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  Reopened Mind

  Thanks for the good news.

  Reopened Mind
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  45

  My 16 year Old is Having Surgery Tomarrow

  by lovelylil in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  boy am i glad we are not witnesses anymore.

  my son is having two large cysts removed tomarrow, they are in sort of a delicate area.

  because of where they are located, the potential for heavy blood loss is high.

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  Reopened Mind

  Lovelylil,

  My best wishes for you and your son as he undergoes his surgery today. And yes it is good not to have the added burden of having to reject a procedure that could make a big difference in your son's recovery. And aren't you very glad that his surgeon and his medical team spent their time getting a real education instead of a WT education?

  TotallyADD and I will be awaiting your update later today.

  Reopened Mind