Posts by snakeface

27

Anyone With Major Judicial/Service Department Experience?

by A question in

jw
friends

is there anyone on the board with a large amount of experience with judicial matters or (preferably) with the service department of the society or perhaps even worked on the service department?

if so, i would appreciate the answers to at least some of the following questions:.

does the society ever take the initiative to remove elders, and if so, how do they do it?

snakeface

I know of a case where the PO was having an affair with a publisher's wife. Many of us did not know about it though. Suddenly we had 2 new brothers start attending our Hall - one from the congregation to the east of us, and one from the west of us. They were elders and immediately started giving meeting parts, conducting book studies, etc. They said they were asked to come and help us cover our territory, and left it at that.Within a couple of months the PO was df'd and 2 other elders were removed; all 3 of these moved away. A year or so later the two elders from the neighboring congregations went back to their own Halls.

Here's an example of a MS being removed by the Society: Me. When I was a "prominent" MS, I befriended an elder in another part of the state who also served as a substitute CO at times. This elder invited me to share in various aspects of the ministry with him in his area whenever I visited him. My own elders had mixed feelings about it, and said basically, "Well...as long as it doesn't take time away from your responsibilities here...we need you here.." but they never specifically told me NOT to. (I have to point out that at this time I was single, giving public talks and doing many things in the circuit, working 50 hours a week, and putting in about 26 hours a month in the ministry and sometimes aux pioneering.) Some time later I found out that this elder friend and my current CO had been at odds with each for a some time. Each one would talk bad about the other to me and each told me not to listen to the other. Eventually the CO told me specifically to "tell [elder and his wife] goodbye'" and that Jehovah assigned me to serve in my own territory. I continued anyway, visiting this elder friend and his wife and going in the ministry with them. My elders were aware of this. Then the CO's two years were up and he moved on. Afterward my elders told me they received a letter from the Society instructing them to remove me as a MS immediately. I did not lose any other privileges; I could still comment at meetings, be in the ministry school and so on. The elders told me they did not want to do this but since it came from the Society they had to, and that they would inform the Society that I showed repentance. "whatever"

14

Church vs Kingdom Hall

by snakeface in

some of you have previously posted your experiences of going to other religions' places of worship.

i'd like to post mine, primarily because i think it would be helpful to any newcomers here who are still in the organization.. i no longer believe god to be an actual person or being.

i am not looking to be taught or led or shepherded.

snakeface

Well this particular denomination does not have any set of doctrines; you can believe whatever you wish. Like myself, the pastor does not perceive God as being an actual person or being. Therefore she does not believe the Bible is "inspired". But some people there do believe in God, the Bible, some may believe in the trinity, soul, hellfire etc. and still belong to some other religion.

32

Not dated in a while - could use some tips, advice lol

by callitquits76 in

jw
friends

i guess the title says it all, but i'll expand.. recently met this beautiful girl who through another party expressed her interest in me which was quite flattering to be honest.

im a 27 year old guy and truth is that i have really struggled with this kind of stuff since leaving the dubs a few years back now.

i guess i still have their theories floating around in my head, you know, all the old rubbish about dating some of which goes back to that youth book.. we spoke today for the first time properly and i think it's game on.

snakeface

Keep in mind that not all "worldlings" jump into bed on the first date. So don't feel like it's expected. Just be yourself. Be honest. Follow the "golden rule"; treat her with the same kindness, honesty, and respect you would like from her. As others have said, do some fun things together such as a concert, restaurant, theme park, etc. Just be yourself and let nature take its course.

If you're not experienced sexually do try to learn a little about such things as condoms, oral sex and so forth. Some websites such as Wikipedia and perhaps some medical sites may be helpful.

31

Is Being In A "Relationship" Important To You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i am referring to a personal/sexual relationship with someone, perhaps, that you could possibly love.. i know a lot of people who are very content to date, possibly have sex and look for another partner..

snakeface

No. I actually do better in life when I'm NOT in a relationship. I get tired of having to drag that extra weight around.

I think it depends on if you're introverted or extroverted. An introvert (myself) receives his motivations and inspirations from within, whereas an extrovert receives these from outside sources.

14

Church vs Kingdom Hall

by snakeface in

some of you have previously posted your experiences of going to other religions' places of worship.

i'd like to post mine, primarily because i think it would be helpful to any newcomers here who are still in the organization.. i no longer believe god to be an actual person or being.

i am not looking to be taught or led or shepherded.

snakeface

mrsjones that sure looks like a lively and energetic church! It must be FUN to be there. And I bet the time goes by quickly....as opposed to those torturous Kingdom Hall sessions which feel like hours and hours and hours.....

70

"Who else are we to go away to?"

by simon17 in

to the intellectually honest witness, it seems like it often comes down to this principle.

"fine, if the witnesses aren't the truth, then show me the better answer and i'll consider it.

" and how do you deal with that?

snakeface

Quoting (or misquoting) that scripture implies that there is nowhere else to go. That is a lie. It is not a matter of "who else are we to go away to?" but rather a matter of "who we need to get away from".

14

Church vs Kingdom Hall

by snakeface in

some of you have previously posted your experiences of going to other religions' places of worship.

i'd like to post mine, primarily because i think it would be helpful to any newcomers here who are still in the organization.. i no longer believe god to be an actual person or being.

i am not looking to be taught or led or shepherded.

snakeface

This particular religion does not believe it is the one and only true religion. In fact they claim many members still adhere to other religions but attend theirs and practice their guidelines. (whatever that means) The pastor said from the platform Sunday that there are many good things we can take from other religions; they are just different paths. And it is up to each one of us to find the path that is right for us.

I'm going to ask about the tithing. I get the impression it is not "enforced". I used to hear (in the JW congregations) stories about church members being called into the office and being talked to about falling behind in their tithing, and reminded that it's part of theior contract. Maybe that was exaggerated? This church I visited, they already invited me to participate in things. No one said anything like, "If you decide to join our church you'll be allowed to join the chior..." or help with this or that. They just said I am "welcome to" do these things.

I still am amazed that there were no goatshaped demons prancing around, no babies being thrown into fires while drums were beaten wildly, no Amorite women dancing suggestively (I surely would have noticed that!), and no one's head got cut off. I did notice that people acted like they actually wanted to be there. How refreshing.

14

Church vs Kingdom Hall

by snakeface in

some of you have previously posted your experiences of going to other religions' places of worship.

i'd like to post mine, primarily because i think it would be helpful to any newcomers here who are still in the organization.. i no longer believe god to be an actual person or being.

i am not looking to be taught or led or shepherded.

snakeface

Well their website says they practice tithing, but they recognize that not everyone can afford to. So they encourage people to give what they can. The website stresses that "tithe" means "a tenth" but if someone can give only 3% or 5% it's better than nothing. I guess they don't kick you out then, or shun you.

I - like many people - used to budget a fixed amount to donate at the Hall each month. (In my case it was less than 10% of my earnings!) But then there were also the CO's reimbursements, assemblies, conventions. and special events such as natural disasters for which I personally donated hundreds of $ at a time. Add to the that the cost of gas/snacks for field service, and gas/motels for conventions. I bet all that came out to more than 10% of my earnings. Also, think about my time/effort/energy doing things such as cleaning the hall, cleaning the convention site, mowing grass at the Hall, helping repair the roof on the Hall. I never got paid for that. (Didn't expect to, but my point is, doing those things was a contribution.) With the church, I can just send a check each month and they have a janitor, a secretary, and a staff who has gone to school to learn how to provide such services as grief counseling, marriage counseling, teaching children, and so on. I don't have to clean the urinals or climb on the roof to clean out rain gutters or spend Saturday afternoon raking leaves or sweeping the parking lot.

14

Church vs Kingdom Hall

by snakeface in

some of you have previously posted your experiences of going to other religions' places of worship.

i'd like to post mine, primarily because i think it would be helpful to any newcomers here who are still in the organization.. i no longer believe god to be an actual person or being.

i am not looking to be taught or led or shepherded.

snakeface

Some of you have previously posted your experiences of going to other religions' places of worship. I'd like to post mine, primarily because I think it would be helpful to any newcomers here who are still in the organization.

I no longer believe God to be an actual person or being. I am not looking to be taught or led or shepherded. I don't feel any void in my life. I just wanted to embark on a new path, some new philosophy. After all, most of my new "worldly" friends belong to churches and have been inviting me to attend on special occasions such as Easter. It serves a purpose for them, so I started researching religions to see if maybe there is something out there that suits me. I did find something that appealed to me. It does not require you to have any specific beliefs; it is more of a "program" for applying spiritual principles in your daily life. (I will not name this group because the purpose of this post is not to promote any particular religon.)

I was impressed that this - and most others - church has its own website. By viewing the Photo Gallery I could see how the people dress and the variety of age groups, and also their activities. Picnics, various ministries such as feeding the homeless in their own community, and all kinds of things that look like a lot of fun. I googled the minister and learned about her educational background and the many things she has done in the past in other churches. It was impressive!

So then I showed up at their Sunday service, and it was a wonderful experience! None of the men wore suits. Women wore pants or dresses, whatever they wanted. Everyone was "themselves". People came up to me and introduced themselves. People were referred to by their first names - Tom, Linda, Judy, Mike, etc - instead of Brother or Sister so-and-so. The "music group" had drums, a guitar, and a keyboard and performed lively, entertaining music. The children went off to their own Sunday school. When the pastor spoke I could tell she was educated and genuinely concerned about the audience, and that she herself believed in what she was preaching. She expressed herself clearly, coherently, and logically. Her message was so warm and bright and positive and loving. I felt nurtured. And she even used correct grammar! What a contrast to the Kingdom Hall where some good ol' boys who never went to high school get up there and flounder around. At one point during the service the pastor asked of there were any visitors present; a few of us raised our hands. She welcomed us, the audience applauded, and those seated around me shook my hand and introduced themselves. An attendant came running around giving each of us little Welcome Packets of info about their church. After the service many people were still welcoming me, and they invited me to come next door to the Fellowship Hall for refreshments. The refreshments were like what you'd find at any witness gathering. They said they do this every week. After that I got to chat with the pastor. Now I think I will go ahead and become a member, because it was such a delightful experience. Yes, this church does require tithing...but let's face it, there are expenses to be met in any group. And I always gave $ to the Hall, so why not here where I feel like I really am receiving something mentally beneficial.

The whole time I was there I felt a sense of freedom; I could wear what I wanted, I could have a beard - some had tattooes. I could get up and go to the restroom. No one was telling me how sinful I was and how I needed reminders. It was then that I realized that the WT really is a cult. A cult that destroys your self will and your self esteem, and your sense of individuality, and that beats you down and keeps telling you that you are worthless and that every move you make is displeasing to God, and that no matter how much you do it will never be enough. I noticed I kept thinking of the pastor as "Sister" so-and-so; I had to force myself to say "Reverend" so-and-so.

The lesson I am trying to convey is, sometimes it is only when you step out into the light that you realize you were in the dark.

17

Another New Guy

by MartynAndrew in

i didn't want to read to much before putting up my story.

some time in the late 80's i heard from my parents that my brother now a jw.

my family had been through some ups and downs so it wasn't that big a suprise.

snakeface

Welcome Marty!

I, too, came in from "the world" in my early 20's. I have to admit that my time in the organization did serve a purpose at that phase of my life. It did help me make some changes in myself. But eventually I started to realize some things were wrong so I got out.