I would be respectful of their prayer but I would not partake in it, bowing my head, holding hands, closing my eyes or saying amen at the end. This applies to ANY religion though, because I don't wish to make it look as if I still believe in an imaginary God.
shepherd
JoinedPosts by shepherd
-
49
Would You Listen To A Prayer From A JW And Say Amen If They Said A Prayer In Your Presence?
by minimus inmy mom has had visits from various jws and they have asked her if they could say a prayer before they left.
i respectfully listened to the prayers while i was visiting and might silently say amen if i felt the prayer was appropriate for my mom.. i'm just curious, how would you handle this type of situation?.
-
-
-
59
what is the dumbest thing you've been reproved/chided/df'd for?
by rather be in hades ini'm a big science nerd and i remember when we were going over the creator book, that the big bang doesn't necessarily prove there is no god.. i said this comment during book study and the conductor's jaw dropped.
everyone was pretty uncomfortable and it didn't help that he ct me off as i was explaining the red shift and mom wasn't too happy about all that.
i had to do a lot of bible research and write some nonsense about how the big bang was not reality or some sort...ugh.. .
-
-
shepherd
I wouldn't be surprised if Rocky_Girl is in my dreams tonight too :) But don't worry I won't put it in my diary, or post what happened here....
The stupidest thing I was corrected for was always sitting closest to the aisle rather than my partner. The elder said it looked more loving to sit on the inside of the row. Honestly!
-
59
Surprise Elder's Visit-FAIL
by iclone in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng /> </o:officedocumentsettings> </xml><!
[endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-ca</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:enableopentypekerning /> <w:dontflipmirrorindents /> <w:overridetablestylehps /> </w:compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val="--" /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><!
[endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* style definitions */ table.msonormaltable {mso-style-name:"table normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"times new roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language:en-us;} </style> <![endif].
-
-
shepherd
Jonah demonstrates that there is a way for a prophet to keep his credibility even when he is wrong. Assuming there was some truth to the myth, Jonah says the city will be destroyed in 40 days. Nothing happens. So, God forgave them, LOL. It was not that the original prophesy was BS. Very clever.
The JWs did something similar - they said 1914 was when Christ would return and of course he never. So they decided he did, but it was invisibly :)
Well done on putting it to the elders, but they won't forgive you for it. It's just a matter of time before they get rid of you now.
-
24
Can You See How Idiotic The JW Religion Now Is?
by minimus ini was telling my gf about my mom's removal as a regular pioneer when she was about 80 years old because she went to my daughter's wedding (and she married a non-jw).. my girlfriend couldn't grasp the severity of my mother's sin and as i explained the witnesses' position, it all sounded so absurd!.
have you experienced anything similar?.
-
-
shepherd
My son would not let me attend his wedding reception, and for the wedding I was to sit at the back, not with the family, and leave just before the ceremony did (so I decided not to go). However, he and his new bride had no problem meeting me the next day to receive their wedding gifts.
They sat and drank with me - but they would not eat anything because they took the scripture literally that says eating with an unbeliever is wrong (I had disassociated myself). Apparently drinking with me was acceptable, though. I think that is idiotic.
Anyway, in the end they lost out, because apart from some gifts I also had an envelope of cash to give them, but their attitude pursuaded me to keep it in my pocket.
-
17
JW Forum Closes Due to 2012 District Convention
by biometrics indoes anyone know what was said at the 2012 district convetion about websites?.
subject: jw forum .
http://www.getphpbb.com/phpbb/index.php?sid=a428e22582822b1665b41d48ee8f58c9&mforum=jw.
-
-
shepherd
This is not new. The WT have asked JW's not to run JW themed sites for years. However, many ignore the advice until their conscience/pressure gets the better of them and they close it. However, when one closes, another opens - it's always the same.
-
210
Spare the Rod and spoil the child, How did that work for you
by jam inin proverbs there are several verses on the wisdom.
of using the rod for discipline.
the notion that children.
-
-
shepherd
It seems to me the ones most often defending smacking also tend to be the least able to express themselves fluently. Perhaps they are more likely to get frustrated and lash out. WasBlind still seems blind to me (and in need of a keyboard that has a working letter g).
There is no justification for hitting a child. There are many other ways to discipline when it is needed, but the most effective way to bring up a child is to encourage/reward good behavior instead.
-
210
Spare the Rod and spoil the child, How did that work for you
by jam inin proverbs there are several verses on the wisdom.
of using the rod for discipline.
the notion that children.
-
-
shepherd
I was beaten all the time. In fact, if we were told it was time for the 'family study' I knew a beating was due that night because he would soon get frustrated with us all and find some reason to use his belt on my backside.
He was evil - and a well liked elder.
When my mother finally told the elders (his friends) what our lives were really like behind closed doors she was told she needed to show him more respect, she needed to read the Bible more and be more cooperative with him. He was given some private advice and although I don't know what they told him, he did lay off for 2 months or so. Of course he remained an elder in good standing.
When my mother finally left him she was disfellowshipped because she sought refuge at the house of an old friend who had previously been disfellowshipped - so she was mixing with them and that was how they removed that small problem. My father continued as an elder for a while longer, and as my mother had left and got herself disfellowshipped it was assumed by the rest of the congregation she had commited adultery. The elders, and my father, did nothing to squash that rumour.
I was baptized by that time and I also reported him - that gave the 2 witnesses needed by the cult (although I had also confirmed things before being baptized, that did not count - apparently, in our congregation the 2 witnesses rule only applied if both reporting were in good standing in the congregation - and non-baptized or worldly people were all treated as unreliable and untrustworthy people who could be ignored). So, he decided to resign as an elder. As a result congregation sympathy for him doubled. I was a bad son for reporting him. I even had the scripture read to me how children would turn on their parents - yet HE was the sick violent bastard!!
For some reason I stayed in the Org. for years after...I must have been really blind. There was never any sign of justice, of love, or of holy spirit. And when I later said that to an elder he said it was a test, that I needed to wait on Jehovah....which is JW code for say nothing about it, do nothing about it, and leave it to an imaginary god to fix some time many years from now. And I fell for it each time.
-
38
William Osbeck-The CO that helped me get out of the borg.
by Sadie5 inafter reading cruzenheart's post on the letter about her father, and the treatment he received from the co, william osbeck, and the elders of his congregation, it brought back my own memories of this particular co and his treatment of people.
it was 1995 and one of the hardest years of my life.
in february of that year, i learned i was pregnant with our fifth child.
-
-
shepherd
It's actually against the scriptures to put in a time slip with your name on. If they needed it for stats this can be done anonymously, but putting your name to a slip is actually unbiblical. It's not making a sacrifice or gift in which the right hand does not know what the left is doing. The same goes for applauding those pioneering at the beginning of the month before they have even begun - it too is unscriptural.
So it's not just that the guy was a jerk and he stumbled you out, as some apologetic may claim, the fact is the entire thing about reporting with your name on the slip is against Bible principles. And as for the excuse it helps the elders run the congregation - isn't that what the 'holy spirit' is for?
I am atheist now, so none of the Bible is inspired in my opinion, but it's still worth noting for these believers, the Bible actually disagrees with named time sheets. And for those of you who are Bethel lurkers, think about it!
-
27
Talk Coordinator: A pretty sucky job
by Open mind ini got this "privilege" thrust upon me for about 6 months many years ago.
i was a hubby, father of young children, service committee member, working 2 jobs and then this.
it truly is a thankless task.
-
-
shepherd
This is one job I did. They called it a privilege but it was an amazingly large pain in the ass. I could not believe how selfish and uncaring many quest speakers were - I would call the a week before and be told it was okay - then call again the night before and they would make some reason they were not coming. They may have known for days they were not coming, but never thought it important enough to let me know.
Then they would turn up and give a completely different talk to the one agreed on. This led to times the congregation heard the same talk 2 weeks in a row (the funny thing was, few noticed).
I had something similar happen to what Blondie described - I had a hospitality arrangement canceled DURING the meeting when they saw it was not the elder they were expecting - so much for real hospitality :)
It was a thankless job I was glad to get rid of. Despite booking months before, calling a week before and then the night before, I still had no-shows, and then I would get looks from certain elders as if it was all due to my incompetence. And you would be amazed how feeble the excuses would be sometimes...
-
39
Proof of the 75' incident
by iamwhoiam inok, am i correct in saying that the fds never stated armegedon was coming in 75'?
however, they led everyone to believe it was coming in 75'?.
if the latter question is true, can you provide links to talks or articles that point to this?
-
-
shepherd
I am a witness - to the 1975 fiasco.
My parents were baptized in 1969 and I saw and heard it all with my own eyes and ears. Whatever they now say, the JW org DID promote 1975 as the end. They may not have done it with an outright statement, instead they used phrases like 'in the remaining months ahead', not years, and things like that. I was in attendance at the convention in London where the speaker even said it was okay to max out on credit because you will never have to pay it back. Okay, so the GB may say this was not in the script, but it was said in front of many thousands and there was no retraction or correction whatsoever from the platform (in fact, in all my years as a JW I never once heard a correction or retraction and even when someone said something insane during a PT we still all clapped at the end).
So when a modern JW says it never happened that way - I was there.