how did you handle the embarrassment?.
did you feel good about it, and say that 'it was done to jehovah' and take pride in it?.
were you ever assaulted on the ministry?.
My very first door was a woman who announced that she wanted to be on the do not call list before she slammed the door in my face. What a way to begin:)
The worst was the guy who chased us to the car with a shot gun. Seems his seventeen year-old son was studying without his permission and he wasn't very thrilled about it.
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because of the connations(sp?
) of `mother goddess', a pagan super goddesss,should a jw use this phrase?.
We were just studying something along this lines in mythology. Some archeologists and mythologists feel their is ample evidence to support the fact that religion originally centered around the worship of a great goddess. Over time, they say, as a result of the Bonze Age, the Indo-European cultures began to conquer agrarian societies. Around this time, the mother goddess began to have male consorts (some think people may have realized that it takes a female and a male to procreate, and changed their religion to fit with their new knowledge).These males were thought to worship and live for the goddess, and procreate with her. Often, they offended the goddess, and the goddesses killed them in rage, at which point the goddesses would grow remorseful and bring their consort back to life. This is known as the "dying and reborn god" motif.
As the Indo-European culture gained strength, there was a gradual change to worship of male gods. But the mother goddess wasn't done away with-she was assimilated into the new sky god religions in different roles. Interestingly, some archeological evidence has been unearthed that at one time, Yahweh may have had a consort goddess (which would also fit with the "bride" reference in Revelation). A city was unearthed in which the tetragrammation was above every doorway, along with the name of a goddess.
It's interesting to read the Bible and compare it with various myths. It is really quite similar to them.
Maybe that's why my very Baptist mother-in-law was so horrified that I was taking mythology:)
okay folks,.
this below or the blue eyeshadow ??.
the show is irritating enough.
I've always felt a twinge of empathy for Anna. I don't know if she needs a pat on the back for marketing herself so well, a spanking, or a hug.I'm leaning toward the latter. I get the feeling that she didn't get a whole lot of unconditional hugs, love, and affirmation while growing up.
What amazes me is how many of her former male "fans" from her Playboy days now dis her because she is "fat".Ever consider the fact that this turncoat behavior of her former admirers might be part of her alleged drug problem??People often seek the limelight because of the need for approval and admiration. People often anesthesize self-esteem problems with drugs and alcohol.
In the end, it always seems to end up being about a woman's size, age, or outer appearance in this culture, doesn't it? The youth/hottines factor always rules. You'll cheer on a bimbo as long as she "gets" you in all the right places, then jump on the bandwagon of her vocal (often jealous)critics as soon as she is of no use to you in your little fantasies.After all, there's always another younger, firmer one around the corner to replace her with, huh? Disposable women. I thought they only did that in China. How sad!!
We hardly bat an eye when yet another male sports hero with way too much money to throw around gets arrested for cocaine possesion and other infractions of the law. Heck, journalists who report the stuff actually get threats from irate fans for reporting the truth! Male athletes who boast of their sexual prowess are admired, and no one gives a crap how flabby they get, unless it causes them to lose the game. Yet we have no problem "discussing" a woman's intellect, weight, drug habits, clothes, etc.and trying and convicting her in the public forum for her idiotic, all too human behavior.
Anna's not a horror. She's a very beautiful, living human being. With feelings.Try and keep that in mind.
Cicatrix
Of the now I think I know why Marilyn Monroe killed herself class
hey hows everyone doing... i am a resident of edmonton in canada, and i am only 16 years old, i just left the jw religion.
i just knew it wasnt in my heart, my parents dont care but i told them that i dont want to go to any meeting or talk to any of our old friends.. they still dont know why..but i fell like it was to much of a currupted situation..i felt like i was taking orders from man, not from god.
i was not baptized yet, but i was going strong in the ministry as a unbaptized publisher.
Welcome Rocker
I left the religion myself last summer, after my kids (who are around your age) explained to me a lot of what you just covered ( one of them had even considered suicide, due to feeling so overwhelmed by the constant legalism). I had been experiencing many troubles myself, but lacked the ability to consider the facts outside of the JW mindset until my kids woke me up.Now we are healing and getting closer as a family, and the kids are having a blast exploring all kinds of new interests.
I suggest you use the search feature on this board and look up archived information on cult mind control, and things that you may experience when you exit a cult. I was surprised when I experienced several of them myself. Educate yourself as much as you can. It will help you understand why your parents can't see your point of view.
You have a lifetime ahead of you to plan for. How wonderfu! Enjoy, but don't self-destruct (sorry, just have to do the mom thing):)
when you were an active witness, you were led to believe that you were saved, and the rest of the world was doomed to die at armageddon, did this make you feel superior to non witnesses?
from that point, did you develop a superiority complex over them?
now that you are out, do the witnesses give you the look as if you are only bird feed?
Well, since I was constantly getting myself in trouble and counseled for things as diverse as owning a two door sports car (oh my), coloring my hair, wearing black clothing (only witches wear black I was told. I countered with "So the majority of New Yorkers are witches?" Uh, didn't go over so well:) ), and "not being a submissive enough wife" because I wouldn't silently tolerate my husband slapping me around anymore, I never really thought I measured up by witness standards. Besides, my Bible reading without a "Bible aid" nearby led me to realize that only Jesus could do the judging of "worldly people" according the the Bible.
I felt very responsible for people though.
Now that I'm DA'd, some treat me very badly (and my daughter, who was never baptised, didn't live an immoral life, but left quietly and married a -gasp-"worldly" man (I have always despised that term). Some smile when they see me, and seem confused. Some walk right up and say Hi.It just depends.
i don't know if this has been posted recently but... .
i was just talking to a friend (a ms jw) that told me that he was told by the elders on a talk he was about to give that according to their last elders school there are instructions not to use the terms "the watchtower society" or "the society" or "the organization" anymore... but rather to now always use "the faithful and discreet slave" or "the slave"... .
edited by - email on 15 january 2003 16:8:10.
At the mention of FDS, I get this visual image of a feminine deodorant-hehe.
if a person is disfellowshipped, can they talk to anyone in the congregation?
and if not, what scripture says they (the disfellowshipped person) can not.
and, has anyone ever heard that an elder or someone else suggest a disfellowshipped person wear a letter "d" (the scarlett letter) when they go to public functions like an assembly?
Hi Sableindian,
Why does this elder's reported comment not surprise me?? I read The Scarlet Letter and watched the movie with Demi Moore right around the time I decided to DA. I had read the book before and found amazing similarities between the governing church body in the book and the elders in my former congregation, lol.
I sent my DA letter in a red envelope in honor of the book,hehe.
Sometimes I think it would be fun to go to a convention proudly wearing a scarlet letter A. For apostate:) Except that I just don't buy into that title the way the WTS want to interpret it.
Regards,
Cicatrix
when you joined the jw's, what year did you set in your mind as the latest date for the new system?
we were all told that the end was very close, but how close did you think it was, when you joined?
if you would have known that the end was atleast 30 or 50 years away, would you have pioneered as much, or would you have given as much time to them, or would you have kept much more time for yourself?
At first, I agreed that we were indeed living in the time of the end, but somehow I could never reconcile myself to a certain date. Whenever we had chronology lessons, my mind just tuned right out. I still couldn't explain to you the whole Daniel years thing. Those dates just wouldn't stick in my head, no matter how hard I tried to memorize them:)
I wanted to pioneer because I thought that's what a person who wanted to show that they loved God should do. I had to wait until my children were older,though (I just couldn't force my kids to sit all day in a car-it didn't seem natural or loving to me). By the time I could do it, I couldn't find anyone who would pioneer with me (I was considered "bad association" because of local gossip).I had mixed feelings about pioneering. I loved talking with others about the Bible, but I always felt as a publisher that I was invading people's privacy when I called on them without their invitation in the early morning (maybe it's because I would have rather been sleeping in than knocking on doors waking people up. I always liked afternoon door to door better-people seemed to be a little less cranky when you didn't drag them out of bed).
I never made spirtual deadlines, consequently, I was always considered to be spiritually weak.
yesterday morning.
she had a heart attack when she was at dialysis.
thank god, she was already at the hospital.
{{{{Adrienne}}}}
Just take it one day at a time, honey. One minute at a time if you need to.
I just lost my favorite Aunt suddenly last month. It has helped me to talk about her with family and friends-to remember the good times and cry about losing her too soon (it is always too soon, isn't it? But it seems worse somehow when death comes suddenly).
My heartfelt condolences to you and your family.
Love,
Cicatrix
does anyone here have any experiences with any unusual kingdom halls, such as architecture, location and furnishings.
in eaton ohio there was a small kingdom hall that sat next to the railroad tracks and everytime the train went by it shook the building.
in salyersville ky there was a small kingdom hall in a storefront buliding, no sound system and they had a kerosene heater at the back of the hall.
I attended a very unusual kingdom hall for my area--it actually has windows:) But they are selling it so they can build one without windows--they must all be in agreement, you know.
