Quendi

Joined

• started 68 topics
• posted 1,912 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Quendi

• 
  77

  What books, songs, artists, movies, etc were banned in your JW home?

  by serenitynow! in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my mother was very strict about entertainment.

  in school i was doing a project about teen suicide and had checked out some books on suicide and abortion.

  i had alot of explaining to do for that.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  The “irony” I see is your calling this man, COBE or not, a “brother.”

  Quendi
• 
  13

  Will The Governing Body Tighten Control Over Rank & File Members Even If It Opens Them Up To More Lawsuits?

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  when we look at the conti case we see the amount of control that the governing body has over the rank and file makes them open to lawsuits.

  i see lots of areas where this can work against the financial and legal interest of the corporation, for example:.

  1. a banning of blood transfussions enforced by disfellowshipping.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  I don’t believe the Governing Body is in control of the WTS anymore. The Service and Legal Departments have assumed that role with the Governing Body simply following their edicts. After all, the real brains behind this outfit prefer to operate behind the scenes, not in the open where their actions can be scrutinized, studied and accounted for. While the names of the Governing Body members are public knowledge, those who head these departments are unknown. It’s the old game of being the power behind the throne, operating in complete safety and impunity.

  Quendi
• 
  77

  What books, songs, artists, movies, etc were banned in your JW home?

  by serenitynow! in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my mother was very strict about entertainment.

  in school i was doing a project about teen suicide and had checked out some books on suicide and abortion.

  i had alot of explaining to do for that.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  I lived on my own for most of my years as a Witness, so banning items was never a problem. However, I own an extensive private library of more than two thousand volumes as well as scores of DVDs. These books and movies were prominently displayed on bookcases and shelves around my apartment. It was always amusing as well as instructive to see the faces of the Witnesses who visited as they gazed upon my collection. Awe, wonder and even fear were the emotions I saw most often. One or two—mostly elders—would venture a mild criticism about the relative scarcity of “theocratic” books and the overwhelming preponderance of “worldly” ones.

  I think the books which frightened Witness visitors the most were the ones on geography, history, mathematics and science. I had many novels as well including such hackles-raising titles like The Lord of the Rings and the works of Stephen R. Donaldson and Isaac Asimov. But nobody dared criticize me to my face, preferring to whisper behind my back. But had they cared to voice their concerns, I was prepared to discuss rationally and calmly why I enjoyed reading them. On the other hand, if they didn’t want a respectful conversation, I had my rhetorical knives out and wouldn’t have hesitated to use them. I think many knew that as well.

  The facial reactions to my library said all I needed to know about the anti-learning and anti-intellectual culture Jehovah’s Witnesses live in. It is a sad commentary on a religion which professes a reverence for knowledge and learning that its members abhor both.

  Quendi
• 
  8

  Assembly/Convention Schedules

  by Quendi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  [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-us</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="&#45;-" /> <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:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; 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;} </style> <![endif].

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  bttt
• 
  62

  Should I just DA or get DFD?

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my never-a-jw dad told me today that mongrel jws who turn on me were never truly my friends and i'm better off without them, so why worry if i get disfellowshiped?.

  i fear being disfellowshiped because my name will be dragged through the mud.

  i also think it might be a good idea to da or get dfd because then the link is broken and the fade is over.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  It seems to me, Julia, that you have already decided to leave this cult. So why should it matter to you how you are perceived by its members? Leave on your own terms and live your life to the full. As George Eliot wrote: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

  Quendi
• 
  8

  Assembly/Convention Schedules

  by Quendi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  [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-us</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="&#45;-" /> <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:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; 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;} </style> <![endif].

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  I don’t know if anybody else noticed this problem. In Colorado we used to have a serious problem with scheduling circuit assemblies and district conventions. That may no longer be the case now that there is an Assembly Hall in metropolitan Denver, but I can remember when scheduling these events caused considerable hardship.

  This is what I mean. It would frequently happen that a circuit assembly would be scheduled as little as three weeks before a district convention. Now, if you lived in the greater Denver area, this was inconvenient, perhaps, but really no big deal. Few of us used hotels for either event as they took place in venues that were an easy drive from home. But for Witnesses who lived in other parts of Colorado, these could create serious economic problems. Those who lived on the Western Slope (all of the state west of the Continental Divide) faced extra difficulties.

  This was because they would have to travel long distances on their side of the state just to get to a circuit assembly. That could be as much as two hundred miles away from their homes. Then the district convention—which was always held in Denver—would be slated for two or three weeks afterwards. That necessitated a trip of three hundred or more miles for many and additional expenses. For many of these Witnesses, convention season involved considerable financial sacrifice.

  When I would bring this up, it was pooh-poohed. Some said that this was an excellent test of Witnesses love for Jehovah. One elder admitted the difficulties this would impose, but said the scheduling problems arose due to the scarcity of suitable venues for these events and the demand for them. “We have to take any dates we can get,” he explained to me. It still seemed like a weak excuse to me. I wonder if that is still the case not only in Colorado but elsewhere.

  Quendi
• 
  62

  So, Whats the real reason JWs are no concessions open at the DC and are discouraged from supporting nearby vendors?

  by BU2B in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so ever since they discontinues the food service at the assemblies and dcs, jws have been "lovingly encouraged" to pack a light lunch to eat.

  the secretary at the hall that i am held hostage in said during the service meeting that even a sub would be too heavy to eat, and that a light salad was the best option.

  what do you fine people think is the real reason why, in the absence of food service, jws are told to not leave the building at lunch?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  Even though the WTS has tried to compare its large gatherings to the yearly festivals celebrated in Israel of old, those comparisons are false. The biblical festivals were really joyful events, large family reunions as it were. Consideration was given to women and children in that their attendance was encouraged but not required. So a family could decide not to make the journey to Jerusalem if that would create hardships. Menfolk were commanded to attend, but again, this wasn’t a time of sitting for long hours and listening to boring, inappropriate and tactless speeches. These were festivals that began and ended with a “holy convention” but had other days that were given over to rejoicing and recounting one’s blessings. Nothing the WTS has staged can even come close to what Passover, Weeks, Booths, Purim and Dedication meant to the ancient Jews.

  So allowing Witnesses to sit down to a merry meal, extensively fellowship and visit with others, and take time to reflect on accomplishments of the past year would take the spotlight off the WTS and its controlling and manipulative officers and onto the rank-and-file and possibly onto God himself. People might actually begin to think for themselves again, and no cult wants that.

  The money aspect can’t be overlooked either. Money spent on restaurant or concession stand food is money that isn’t deposited into contribution boxes. The organization is run by money-lovers of the first degree who want to fleece their flock. The district and international conventions are not the eight-day meetings of yore, but they are still a big source of revenue.

  Quendi
• 
  17

  Just wondering...

  by molybdenum in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for those of you who are "out" forcibly ( disfellowshipped) or voluntarily ( dissasociated) is there anything.

  that you actually miss about the witnesses or meetings?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  There are people I cared about, but my partner said something the other day that made me think. He told me that I had no reason to miss people who had completely cut me off. What kind of friends were they really? Aside from the people, there is absolutely nothing about the WTS and its religion that I miss. In fact, I’ve promised myself to never attend any gathering of Witnesses again.

  Quendi
• 
  32

  My JW Experiences and Living in No Mans Land

  by wizzstick in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  lots of proper pioneering (90 hours), lots of calls, lots of studies, lots of interest.

  enough to make it all interesting.

  driving this buzz was the sense that armageddon was imminent.. my father was never a jw, and was very opposed.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  I know you’ve been getting all kinds of advice and so I won’t burden you further. I will say that the “core doctrines” you have mentioned are the ones I have decided to retain. I believe they are scripturally correct. They don’t originate with either C. T. Russell or the Adventists of the nineteenth century but pre-date both by a considerable span of time.

  I will also say that I’ve noticed an almost Pavlovian-style rejection by many to anything WTS connected. Some of these reactions are more emotional than they are rational. I can understand that because there are many things about WTS theology which affect me in the same way. You must make up your own mind about these questions and I wish you every success on your life journey.

  Quendi
• 
  4

  Supporting "Babylon the Great"

  by Quendi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  [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-us</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="&#45;-" /> <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:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; 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;} </style> <![endif].

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Quendi

  Thanks for the PM, oubliette. The experience you relate and its aftermath were both very instructive. We’ll talk more about this “backstage.”

  Quendi