i called bethel recently asking a question.
the question was do you have a bible example of someone that showed pricipled love to anothet human by giving them the silent treament for months?
answer well bro are you a jw yes well we will aens the elders over to help you.
This is exactly why I love this site....
there are so many ideas that just expose the insanity of Watchtower behaviour, I ideas that I could never have thought up myself, I mean, why the heck didn't anybody think about that one? Now you've pointed out, it's so frikkin' obvious...
I bet the bethelite on the other end of the line was pretty shocked...
the watchtower corporation is ripping the carpet out from under sincerity.. they teach that god knows our private thoughts, the inclinations of our heart.
how can they possibly think that it's okay to dangle a drivers license in front of a teenager under condition of baptism?
how can they possibly think it is okay to dangle renewed association with family under condition of reinstatement?.
Kaboom..... rumble, rumble... (Like lightning followed by thunder fading into the background)
I remember when that thing about reinstatement hit me like a bolt of lightening out of the blue one day, maybe a year after I got disfellowshipped... it was so bloody obvious, does anybody really go back for Jehovah? can't Jehovah see the enormous conflict of interest there? If I'm returning because I can't take the 'shunning' anymore, am I really returning to 'Jehovah'??? am I returning because I love him???... or do I just want my friends back and will do just about anything for it...?
this is just one of those things that made me realise my relationship with the Jdubs totally over...
this is the list of my favorite terror movies that i used to watch as kid and still was able to be a good little jdub and son of the cobe.
looking back, the wt made me more curious to watch these movies.
some great memories!
Invasion of the body snatchers 1978, yeah, that film was the bollocks, one of my faves.
Pet Cemetery 1989 (scared the shat out of me)
The Omen Trilogy...
before joining the 'dubs' with my mum I remember watching horror films with my family when only 8 years old.. they indoctrinated me with horror films, I remember sitting between mum and dad watching all sorts of horror films... and at Christmas parties whilst all the adults used to be drinking and dancing in the living room, we kids would huddle up and watch the available horror film in the wee hours of the night...
then during the JW time I still secretly watched a few horrors with some more liberal brothers... and one of the first things I did after getting DF'd was watched horror film after horror film after horror film after horror film... had to play 'catch up'... it was so liberating to invite 'Satan' into my home again....
i was invited to a small get-together by a long time friend.
we both served as elders for years.
he is in his late 70s.
OMG, my jaw is on the floor.... f***
Amazing shit is going down....
i remember a good friend when i was in and active who was d'fd.
when he started coming back, for me at that time is was gut-wrenching not to say 'hello' or at the very least encourage him to continue.
i thought even at this time, does this act of shunning really effective?
I was lucky enough in the sense that any close friend that was D'fd didn't come back to meetings and moved out of area so I never got to see them again, (if you can call that lucky... ) but even with people in my cong that were not close friends, I found it hard... I would often crack a small smile to them, I just couldn't help it.... saw no point in 'cold shunning'... I mean, when they got reinstated, you're all smiles? isn't that the epitome of two-faced-ness?
I was always uncomfortable with the idea of shunning D'fd brothers... and totally understood anybody who refused to shun family...
i awoken today and realised immidiately i'm 44 today... and after 3 years of being out, decided to acknowledge my birthday.... i'm off out to treat myself to a big hearty breakfast with cup of tea in the local weatherspoon's by the massive pond full of weird bird-life, later today i'm giving myself a gift of a 90 minute relaxation session in a float tank down by canary wharf in london.... only really have 2 close friends (it's a slow process trusting people agian) and they probably won't be able to see me today, but i'm sure i'll have a belated surprise from them both.... the first thing i did when i remembered was to rush to the computer, connect to the web and put on stevie wonder's 'happy birthday', as i listen to it, tears stream down my face... all those years of my life stolen ' but..... i'm free....'.
Thanks GrreatTeacher..
I am doing my cake today and thought of the 1 candle idea too.... Lol.. what happened to your husband... I definitely won't be putting 44 candles on there...
i awoken today and realised immidiately i'm 44 today... and after 3 years of being out, decided to acknowledge my birthday.... i'm off out to treat myself to a big hearty breakfast with cup of tea in the local weatherspoon's by the massive pond full of weird bird-life, later today i'm giving myself a gift of a 90 minute relaxation session in a float tank down by canary wharf in london.... only really have 2 close friends (it's a slow process trusting people agian) and they probably won't be able to see me today, but i'm sure i'll have a belated surprise from them both.... the first thing i did when i remembered was to rush to the computer, connect to the web and put on stevie wonder's 'happy birthday', as i listen to it, tears stream down my face... all those years of my life stolen ' but..... i'm free....'.
Thanks Rebel8,
Weatherspoons is a chain of pub/restaurants with family atmosphere here in the UK.. (I presume they are a UK company, though not 100% sure)
float tanks, are sensory deprivation tanks... full of water with a high percentage of Epsom salts, it looks like an 'escape pod' from a sci-fi film.. you get inside, put earplugs in, float in the water, get a short spell of music and then 'nothing' no noise, light, sensations etc, deep relaxation... similar to deep meditation... affects everyone differently, I came out totally dazed and slept like a baby last night.... totally relaxed.. look up experiences on youtube if you get the chance...
i awoken today and realised immidiately i'm 44 today... and after 3 years of being out, decided to acknowledge my birthday.... i'm off out to treat myself to a big hearty breakfast with cup of tea in the local weatherspoon's by the massive pond full of weird bird-life, later today i'm giving myself a gift of a 90 minute relaxation session in a float tank down by canary wharf in london.... only really have 2 close friends (it's a slow process trusting people agian) and they probably won't be able to see me today, but i'm sure i'll have a belated surprise from them both.... the first thing i did when i remembered was to rush to the computer, connect to the web and put on stevie wonder's 'happy birthday', as i listen to it, tears stream down my face... all those years of my life stolen ' but..... i'm free....'.
A final thank you to you all.... it was a beautiful day... believe it or not I spent a lot of it in tears when I wasn't being watched, especially when reading most of the comments here.... thank you thank you thank you thank you ALL very much...
i awoken today and realised immidiately i'm 44 today... and after 3 years of being out, decided to acknowledge my birthday.... i'm off out to treat myself to a big hearty breakfast with cup of tea in the local weatherspoon's by the massive pond full of weird bird-life, later today i'm giving myself a gift of a 90 minute relaxation session in a float tank down by canary wharf in london.... only really have 2 close friends (it's a slow process trusting people agian) and they probably won't be able to see me today, but i'm sure i'll have a belated surprise from them both.... the first thing i did when i remembered was to rush to the computer, connect to the web and put on stevie wonder's 'happy birthday', as i listen to it, tears stream down my face... all those years of my life stolen ' but..... i'm free....'.
thaaaaaaaaaaaaaank you all sooooooo much..... just off to the float tank now...
i awoken today and realised immidiately i'm 44 today... and after 3 years of being out, decided to acknowledge my birthday.... i'm off out to treat myself to a big hearty breakfast with cup of tea in the local weatherspoon's by the massive pond full of weird bird-life, later today i'm giving myself a gift of a 90 minute relaxation session in a float tank down by canary wharf in london.... only really have 2 close friends (it's a slow process trusting people agian) and they probably won't be able to see me today, but i'm sure i'll have a belated surprise from them both.... the first thing i did when i remembered was to rush to the computer, connect to the web and put on stevie wonder's 'happy birthday', as i listen to it, tears stream down my face... all those years of my life stolen ' but..... i'm free....'.
More on the ducks etc:
Canadian geese arrive from time to time and a few pairs have taken up permanent residence.
There are numerous ducks including Mallards, Aylesburys, Red Crested Pochards, Coots and Moorhens.
