Red Piller

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Posts by Red Piller

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  37

  As of September 2012,20 branch offices are CLOSING DOWN

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  fresh out of the jw.org website http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/world/jehovahs-witnesses-office-consolidation/ .

  the society as from september 2012 is closing 20 branches worldwide .the best bit is the last paragraph :.

  workers are available to spend more time preachingbecause of the mergers, qualified ministers who had been serving in small branches can now concentrate on preaching the good news.. a witness in africa, who was reassigned to the preaching activity, wrote: "adjusting my lifestyle to suit the new circumstances was a challenge during the first few months.

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  Red Piller

  "8 million employees and growing. There are no layoffs in Jehovah's organization." - Our last circuit assembly
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  104

  It is OFFICIAL they want MORE MONEY : NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i just came back from the meeting .although the local announcements have been abolished recently as an item for the second part , an elder came on the platform to announce that the society needs more money and there is a letter on the noticeboard for all the congragation to read to this effect.

  although the announcement was read half heartedly (this elder's daughter is an apostate ,it looks like he knows what's going on) the implictions are dramatic .

  the society in brief,requests any brother or sister with funds sitting on personal accounts to loan them to the society ,he didn't go into any specifics but i will take a picture of the letter next time and make it available here .. i'm not amazed that they're asking for money ,i thought it will happen sooner or later .what i'm amazed is that 99% of the congragation are oblivious to the financial crisis that the society finds itself these days and the reasons why .i can see the future now .the watchtower will be the fist part of the babylon the great to go down in a blaze of scandals and financial troubles !.

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  Red Piller

  I went to both meetings this week. There was no letter read....Did anyone else have this announced?

  (not doubting you - just wondering how widespread this announcement has been)
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  33

  From JW's To Islam

  by Bangalore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  life story of a brother who converted to islam.. .

  http://tiigerr.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/raphael-my-journey-to-islam/.

  bangalore.

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  Red Piller

  Gefangene, that deserves its own thread. You're a JW married to a muslim. How does that happen?
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  27

  Our First Halloween

  by Red Piller in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  (i grew up in the "truth".

  ) very risky, considering we are still active in the cong..... so we started at the first house and methodically walked up and down each driveway as worked along the street.. we were quickly over-taken by kids who were zig-zagging across lawns and doing houses in random order.

  suddenly, it dawned on me.

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  Red Piller

  Xanthippe - I know my name is a bit over the top. But The Matrix really resonates after you wake up. "You were born into a prison. One you can't touch or feel." This little act of trick-or-treating was just one more mental jail-cell bar removed.

  loading - my goal is to vote in the next presidential election.

  crmsicle - I am optimistic about my approach with the kids. Like all born-ins, my perspective and experiences were very narrow. As I became more independent, I would do things that were frowned upon. Almost every time, I would make great friends (that I kept secret) or have great experiences. It all stood in contrast to the negativity coming from folks in the hall. (With all due respect to the small circle of JW friends I have that care about me.) The disconnect eventually woke me up. I want my kids to start on this path early. As they see and do more, the closed-off JW world will fade in its appeal.

  Good to see so many firsts on this thread. Halloween is just one of many things denied to us that foster a sense of community and family. We've all been left out too long.
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  27

  Our First Halloween

  by Red Piller in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  (i grew up in the "truth".

  ) very risky, considering we are still active in the cong..... so we started at the first house and methodically walked up and down each driveway as worked along the street.. we were quickly over-taken by kids who were zig-zagging across lawns and doing houses in random order.

  suddenly, it dawned on me.

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  Red Piller

  Thanks for the well wishes you guys. It was an experience tinged with sadness. What took us so long to see through this nonsense?

  Troubled mind: I think when I'm totally free I will be very over-the-top for every holiday. It must be a way for some of us to cope and heal.

  creamsicle: Good point on how financially strapped many witnesses are. It's sad. We've lent money, also. To their credit, it was repayed.

  As far as the 'double life', I decided at the outset that there were too many complications to the whole rip-the-band-aid-off approach. So, I've been trying to gradually remove harmful influences from my kids lives. And trying to replace those influences with positive experiences and people. I don't have a specific plan - I've been more opportunistic. This event was definitely the furthest I've reached. It's a milestone. This measured approach won't continue forever. But I do think I need it, for now.

  innerpeace:Isn't it exhausting? The constant doom and gloom and joylessnness.
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  27

  Our First Halloween

  by Red Piller in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  (i grew up in the "truth".

  ) very risky, considering we are still active in the cong..... so we started at the first house and methodically walked up and down each driveway as worked along the street.. we were quickly over-taken by kids who were zig-zagging across lawns and doing houses in random order.

  suddenly, it dawned on me.

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  Red Piller

  cobalt: Another fellow who was walking alongside me kept telling his kids, "Keep track of the ones who aren't home. We'll come back to them later!"

  That was not helpful!
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  27

  Our First Halloween

  by Red Piller in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  (i grew up in the "truth".

  ) very risky, considering we are still active in the cong..... so we started at the first house and methodically walked up and down each driveway as worked along the street.. we were quickly over-taken by kids who were zig-zagging across lawns and doing houses in random order.

  suddenly, it dawned on me.

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  Red Piller

  I agree WTWizard. Better to try and screw up. I learned some things - and will know for next time. And it was all houses of people we knew thankfully....

  Yes, Honeybucket, mixed feelings throughout for me. Why was something so normal and friendly so demonized (literally)? But, every journey begins with small steps.

  The org does create a lot stingy people. You're never buying anyone a round of drinks or hosting a dinner, or giving candy or giving gifts...All the normal holiday or birthday cheer stuff.
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  27

  Our First Halloween

  by Red Piller in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  (i grew up in the "truth".

  ) very risky, considering we are still active in the cong..... so we started at the first house and methodically walked up and down each driveway as worked along the street.. we were quickly over-taken by kids who were zig-zagging across lawns and doing houses in random order.

  suddenly, it dawned on me.

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  Red Piller

  It was a first for all of us.(I grew up in the "truth".) Very risky, considering we are still active in the cong....

  So we started at the first house and methodically walked up and down each driveway as worked along the street.
  We were quickly over-taken by kids who were zig-zagging across lawns and doing houses in random order. Suddenly, it dawned on me. OMG! Were doing the houses in the standard field service pattern! That thought saddened me for a moment - the programming is so deep....you don't even realize it, sometimes...

  However, about midway through, my kids picked up on the fact that it doesn't have to be so "proper". And they started picking whichever houses and walking on lawns. You could almost physically see their minds taking down one more barrier.

  What struck me was how un-awful and normal it all was. Our neighbors were welcoming and friendly.

  At the end of the evening, they "clinked" chocolate bars and toasted to "To our first Halloween".
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  66

  Watchtower's Weirdest Photograph?

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  watchtower's weirdest photograph?.

  you wont believe it when you see it.

  and is available at: http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2012/10/watchtowers-weirdest-photograph.html.

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  Red Piller

  Brilliant find. How did you do spot that?

  Also, is this photo in any of the publications, like the Proclaimers book?
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  41

  My introduction/experience

  by happy@last in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have only just recently found this site, in fact only recently gone online to do research of my own about jws.

  before i left i had only gone on my gut instinct, not even realising i was not alone with my feelings.

  the week i was appointed an elder some 11 years ago, i had had to write to a congregation many miles away from me about how unloving they were (more details below).. not long after i started to have concerns about jws, expecially as the message of 'following the bibles message' subtly changed to 'follow the fds', this did not sit well with me.

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  Red Piller

  Welcome. This org has poisoned so many lives...

  Best wishes as you recover from it all.