Kaethra

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Posts by Kaethra

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  102

  What Was The 1st Thing That Made You Question?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a youngster raised in the "truth", i had my questions.

  but anytime you ask a question that is unanswerable, you are told to just wait on jehovah.

  as time passes, i believe that we store up a number of unanswerable questions that forces one to eventually think about everything.

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  Kaethra

  While I did not realize it at the time, I began questioning the bible before I began questioning the Watchtower. It was when I started reading the bible on my own that I began having real doubts that I tried desperately to resolve using the society's publications. I had so many questions for which there was simply no satisfactory answer. Nearly every damn verse of the "Hebrew Scriptures" had me shaking my 12 year-old head, thinking 'this just doesn't make sense'. But like a good little dubbie, I stuffed my doubts away and "left it on Jehovah" for years.

  The one thing that I could not manage to stuff away was the teaching that all non-jws were worthy of an imminent, horrible destruction by our all-loving Heavenly Father. I tried to stuff it away. I tried to rationalize it. I tried not to think about it; but in the end it was that teaching that led to my exodus from the borg.
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  105

  Please participate in my survey

  by Zechariah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have received inquiries about how i was trained by spirit as a psychologist.

  i was led to many sources of enlightenment.

  books routinely was i led to that it was important i read.

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  Kaethra

  Preferentially: 52130647
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  13

  SDA Church Must Pay $2M To Abused Girl

  by blondie in

  1. social
  2. current

  http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=50511

  jury gives abused girl $2 million .

  an 11-year-old son of a church pastor molested a 5-year-old in 1997. .

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  Kaethra

  Nathan's comments: "I have to confess that I'm surprised that an eleven year old, pre-pubescent, presumably non-testosterone poisoned boy would be inclined toward this behavior. Certainly he didn't come to it on his own, but learned it from somewhere, don't you think? I wonder what stories this kid could tell about his Daddy and Mommy."

  Those were my first thoughts exactly.

  I know of a case in my old congregation where a girl was sexually abused by her older brother. It began when her brother was ten or eleven, or possibly younger. I've always believed that he had to have been abused himself.
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  51

  Did anyone really ever study?

  by freedom96 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know we were taught to study all the wts stuff.

  prepare for each meeting, prepare for service, (gotta know the articles) etc.

  i mean with all the personal study to do, how could anyone have time for newspapers, novels etc.

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  Kaethra

  This thread is bringing back memories...

  Yep, I was one of those studious little ones. I studied and studied and studied some more. When I started reading the bible on my own, I would go to my family's library of bound volumes and concordances for nearly every verse. Most of the time I still could not find a satisfactory answer to my questions from those sources and even from my studious elder father....guess that's when the initial cracks in the facade started to show through for me. It's too bad I didn't do as ExPat did and research external sources more in-depth. I'm sure that I would have left the jw world behind me much more quickly if I had.

  Having said all that though...I do recall occasions when I simply did not have the time to read the latest magazines or study my Watchtower. Oh the guilt and shame! The absolute worst was when, (I believe it was dsgal who mentioned this already), I would forget my Watchtower. The ignominy of putting up my hand when the conductor would ask, 'Does anyone need a Watchtower?' The judgementalism of the rest of the congregation members on those who had forgotten their most precious, life-giving (-stealing?) Watchtowers! Am I glad to be away from all that!

  This also reminds me - Did anyone else ever hurriedly underline random passages of their unstudied Watchtower or book study material on the way to the meeting, just to avoid the inevitable "tsk tsk" from Sister/Brother Holier-Than-Thou? :)
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  15

  Non-JW and newbie to board w/ ?'s...

  by BlazingButterfly3 in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  where do i begin...well first let me say that i have similar situations with others on this board because i am involved with someone who is a witness.

  as i stated in my title, i am not.

  i am also a newbie to this board, and i am curious as to know if there is anyone out there who was a non-jw who converted and is glad that they did so?

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  Kaethra

  Blazing: What is it they teach that is so wrong?

  How do I count the ways?

  The lovely image that jws project - peace-loving, family-oriented, moral, law-abiding citizens...it's all very good! And, in many ways, it's quite true. But, then again, it's true for the vast majority of humankind. Most people ARE good....and peaceful...and pro-family...and moral...and law-abiding. JWs would have you believe that only THEY are all of those things and that all others are heathens bent on sowing chaos and destruction.

  It's the stuff that they do not tell new converts that is so perverse....the way that you will be isolated from your non-jw friends and family. Oh yes, they will not tell you directly that you cannot associate with "worldly" ones...or that such ones are doomed to destruction by Jah at any moment now...but that teaching is something that you will come to accept and act on eventually. It's inevitable.

  How about the teaching that it is better to let your child die than to accept a blood transfusion? You do not see that as evil incarnate? If you do not, then you are far more indoctrinated into the cult than you are admitting to us here.
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  36

  I Got Bit By a Squirrel!

  by Funchback in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i feed the squirrels that hang out near my home.

  there are (4) that take advantage of free peanuts.

  one out of the four comes up to greet me as i park my car in the driveway.

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  Kaethra

  I was bit by a squirrel when I was three. We had a "pet" squirrel that used to visit our front kitchen window, where we would put out peanut butter for him. We had petted him many times. One day, my mom left me alone in the house while she worked in the garden just outside and I decided that it would be so much fun to let the squirrel inside. So, I opened up the kitchen window and in he scampered. Well, I don't think that he liked the tile floors very much and he became quite confused as to how to get the heck out of there. He scurried off into my parents' bedroom and up the curtains with his sweet little feet. I was so excited, clapping my little hands...but then I saw that the squirrel was frightened, so like any little animal lover, I tried to help him...to put him back outside...that's when he bit me. I screeeeeeched blue murder, mainly because it frightened me so, and my mother came running. I can still see the blood pouring out of my little finger. I think that that was the first time that I'd ever been injured. Even as a three-year-old, I knew that it wasn't the squirrel's fault, and I didn't hold it against him.

  But, I didn't contract rabies. :) I don't think anyone in my family even thought of it as a possibility. I'm sure that you're fine Funch!

  BTW...thanks for bringing back one of my earliest childhood memories!
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  15

  Non-JW and newbie to board w/ ?'s...

  by BlazingButterfly3 in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  where do i begin...well first let me say that i have similar situations with others on this board because i am involved with someone who is a witness.

  as i stated in my title, i am not.

  i am also a newbie to this board, and i am curious as to know if there is anyone out there who was a non-jw who converted and is glad that they did so?

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  Kaethra

  Hi Blazing,

  I doubt that you will find many happy jw converts here. The "faithful" ones are not supposed to be on discussion groups like this and most would avoid this place like the proverbial plague.

  I'm sure that there are "happy" jw converts among the 6 million or so active members. It's just too bad that they do not allow free discussion from "worldly" persons among their online groups. You need to have high-level security access to any of their boards. They're always wary of bad association, don't ya know?

  So, you're in love with a jw, huh? Hoo boy! Good luck and bonne chance to you. You're gonna need it....not that I'm trying to discourage you, but, if you really want to be with this person, be prepared for a long and painful ordeal. Have strength and courage. And be prepared for the fact that no matter how wonderful you are, the pull of the jw cult is almost inevitably stronger. If you are willing to convert, make sure you know all sides thoroughly first. If you are not willing to convert and your partner is not willing to leave, you have an impossible situation. Even if your partner does leave the jws, you are still in for a world of hurt. Be sure it's worth it.
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  31

  Open Letter to the Board

  by searcher in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am not, and never have been a jw.

  my interest in them started 1 year ago when i started to 'study'.

  going on to the internet, and searching ' jehovah's witnesses' led me to this board, (among others).

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  Kaethra

  Searcher -

  If I had been in chat with you and you had said that you needed to talk about ______, then I would have listened and responded. I wait for people like you to come into chat. But, until you do, I mostly joke and laugh with the people who are there. Most people in the chat room here are very empathetic...but you have to introduce what's on your mind, or we'll never know.

  ((Hugs to Searcher))
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  18

  Athiest Moral Code?

  by Xena in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was talking with an athiest friend the other day and he brought up the subject of how society in general has been governed by the christian moral code.

  some christians apparently predict chaos in society if an athiest moral code ever replaced the christian one.

  this made me wonder....what is the athiest moral code?

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  Kaethra

  The ultimate goal of course, is to convert all of these nasty monotheists and atheists to PAGANISM!!

  YAAAYY!! Let the healing begin!
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  33

  Serena thanks "Jehovah" after US Open...

  by jack2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  serena williams, after winning the us open women's tennis championship tonight, thanked "jehovah" for blessing her family.

  in the background were numerous us flags, and of course, prior to the match, the williams sisters were there and standing while various patriotic songs were played (oh, that's right....they were already standing since they had to walk out onto the court....guess that's okay).

  while watching all that i could not help but think of all the jw youths who have been told that they could not particicpate in organized sports at school or otherwise.

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  Kaethra

  SP -

  You're right, of course. It is not only soul/rap artists who thank Jesus. But, in my experience with award shows, which is admittedly and thankfully limited, I've yet to see a rock/alternative band get on stage and thank Jesus for their grammy or AMA or whatever.

  I feel sure that you are correct in saying that many country artists also thank Jesus. Not being a huge fan of that musical genre however, I have not seen many award shows dedicated to that particular type of music.