Posts by Larry

23

Suppose God is....

by Larry in

jw
friends

sen. robert f. kennedy, in look magazine said "but suppose god is black.

what if we go to heaven and we all our lives have treated the negro as an inferior and we look up and he is not white?

what then is our response?

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, in Look Magazine said "But suppose God is Black. What if we go to Heaven and we all our lives have treated the Negro as an inferior and we look up and he is not white? What then is our response?" - There was no answer, only silence.""

My hypothetical question is - Suppose God is Black, and suppose all the biblical men of old (Moses, Job, Abraham, Jesus, etc.) were portrayed as Black, would that change our perception of Christianity?

Of course I've heard all of my life that it doesn't make a difference, but is that so? I wonder if the face or color of Christianity were non European from the start to the present, if it would make a difference in our perception of Christianity?

Peace - Larry

2

Implied Teachings of the BORG

by Larry in

jw
friends

i use to think that the '1975 end of the world' thing was implied.

when i a faithful jdummy, i recall telling the householders that.

members of the org implied that, but not the org - of course i was wrong, not only did they imply it, they taught - from the top on down.

Larry

I use to think that the '1975 end of the world' thing was implied. When I a faithful JDummy, I recall telling the householders that
members of the ORG implied that, but not the ORG - Of course I was wrong, Not only did they imply it, they taught - from the top on down.
Anyway, what are some of the things that the BORG implied that were viewed as 'Truth?'

Peace - Larry

40

I want to hear "Happy Birthday" for the first time ever!!!

by HadEnuf in

jw
friends

yes...it is true.

though my picture here is fairly close to what i really look like50 tomorrow.

since i shall be busy tomorrow celebrating my fifty years of existence and especially my almost 5 years of freedom from the (b)org...please be kind to this old lady and stop by and wish me a happy birthday!

Larry

Happy Belated Birthday Cathy - You deserve it and many more to come - At least 50 more.

Peace - LL

42

My swan song

by Winston Smith :>D in

jw
friends

my swan song

i joined the forum 6/11/03 as an active jw.

i recall being as scared as hell that day.

Larry

That was a great post - Thanks for sharing.

Peace

19

Misconceptions of the GB

by Larry in

jw
friends

what was your misconceptions about the gb?

here was one of mine, when folks would ask me why wasn't their any blacks on the gb.

i would say that the blacks weren't educated enough at the time (late 1800's - early 1900's) to govern a worldwide organization.

Larry

LW - I never heard of two things you said, but thanks for giving me food for thought:

"Did you know that Eastern European congregations still are allowed to celebrate christmas? yes!"

And

"I know when I left in 1980 or so that it was still preached that blacks were hams decendants and blackness was a curse."

Cold Red - No one ever told me that. I just used that explaination (poor one) when ever someone ask me about the BORG's policy on Blacks regarding the GB. At the time, I was as loyal as they come, and I tried to make all kinds of excuses for the BORG, and that one made sense to me - what else could I say? That they were racist? I was asked that question often. It just showed the height of my ignornance at the time when I would, at all cost, try to justify the BORG's stance on anything.

Nilfun - True, The NWT Translation Committee do not qualify to translate any Bible.

I now know that the BORG was applying the thoughts and procedures of the general public. Were they racist? Sure, but who wasn't - Most of the institutions in the U.S. during the late 1800's and early 1900's were. It was ingrained in their minds since infancy.

In our modern times, try and start a worldwide organization w/ millions of members with no diversity at the executive level, and claim that they are the only true religion - It ain't gonna happen.

Peace - LL

19

Misconceptions of the GB

by Larry in

jw
friends

what was your misconceptions about the gb?

here was one of mine, when folks would ask me why wasn't their any blacks on the gb.

i would say that the blacks weren't educated enough at the time (late 1800's - early 1900's) to govern a worldwide organization.

Larry

What was your misconceptions about the GB?

Here was one of mine, when folks would ask me why wasn't their any Blacks on the GB. I would say that the Blacks weren't educated enough at the time (late 1800's - early 1900's) to govern a worldwide organization. They picked highly educated men for such a weighty responsibility. It wasn't until I left the BORG to learn that the GB wasn't/isn't highly educated themselves!

Talk about brainwashing!!!

Peace - Larry

5

You know you're living in 2004 when...

by Larry in

jw
friends

you know you're living in 2004 when... .

1. you accidentally enter your password on the microwave.. 2. you haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.. 3. you have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.. 4. you e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.. 5. your reason for not staying in touch with friends is that they .

don't have e-mail addresses.. 6. when you go home after a long day at work you still answer the .

Larry

You know you're living in 2004 when...
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. When you go home after a long day at work you still answer the phone in a business-like manner.
7. When you make phone calls from home, you accidental! dial "9" to get an outside line.
8. You've sat at the same desk for four years and worked for three different companies.
10. You learn about your redundancy on the 11 o'clock news.
11. Your boss doesn't have the ability to do your job.
12. Contractors outnumber permanent staff and are more likely to get long-service awards. AND THE REAL CLINCHERS ARE...
13. You read this entire list, and kept nodding and smiling.
14. As you read this list, you think about forwarding it to your
"friends."
15. You got this email from a friend that never talks to you anymore,
except to send you jokes from the net.
16 You are too busy to notice there was no #9
17. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9
18. AND NOW U R LAUGHING at your self.
Finally, you forward this to your friends

23

Favorite Online Games?

by Scully in

.

do you have any favorite games?.

my current favorite is adventure elf and also a few others from www.kewlbox.com

Larry

Spades on Yahoo!

LL.

24

Were you ever a Conscientious Objector ?

by Nadsam in

dear jehovahs witnesses and ex-jw's .. many of you may not be aware of what life is like in a military state.

i would like to share a part of the shame that jehovah's witnesses elders in southa africa have to bear.. in south africa white males during the 70's and 80's were conscripted into the army from age 16.. during the 80's at the age of 16 i was conscripted.

at age 17 i was sentenced as a minor and was told i would have serve to six years prison.

Larry

Nadsam - This is a powerful subject, in fact, I think this subject should be discussed regularly. Thanks for posting it. I wasn't a Conscientious Objector, but it was a serious concern of mine when the BORG changed it's policy. Here's what I wrote in 2001:

That same principal applies to another one of my concerns - Something called, Non-Combatant Military Service (Alternative Civilian Service.) For over fifty years the Organization was against serving in the military in any capacity. Some countries offered a alternative service such as community work, working in hospitals, administrative duties, etc. in exchange for military combat service. However, the Organization turned it down, resulting in thousands of young people in other countries (mostly men) serving prison time - some people serving life sentences for their loyalty to the Organization. Then suddenly, in 1996 the Organization changed it policy - Now it is acceptable for JW's to perform alternative civilian service instead of going to prison. One would think that an acknowledgment of error, restitution or a simply apology was warranted, but none was given. Just imagine how those victims felt when the policy was reversed and they still had to serve their prison time - unfortunately, in some countries these men are still in prison. When I first heard of this I asked a few JW about it and it didn't bother them - They considered it ?New Light' (meaning new information distributed from God at the proper time) and I said "people's lives were involved" but it didn't seem to register.

Another point you bring up in your post is the fact that many Jdubs left the BORG even after serving prison time for the BORG. I recall conducting the Watchtower study years ago and the article highlighted that 'it was a shame that some were faithful to the BORG, enduring persecution camps, imprisonment, etc. only to have fallen pray to Satan when they were release.' Your post was the first explanation I heard as to why people would leave the BORG after putting their life on the line - thanks so much for that insight! That's the beauty of this form - You get to hear the other side of the story.

Thanks again for the insight, and looking forward to more of you experiences.

Peace - LL

52

Why is there a High Rate of Suicide among Jehovahs Witnesses?????

by Aikon in

jw
friends

hi guys.

last week i was involed in a very distressing situation, going with a family to identify their mother who had commited suicide.. we are waiting for the coroner to release the body for the funneral.. but, so far this year a number of jw have commited suicide in england,why???.

can any one throw a light why so many jw of good standing commit suicide,.

Larry

Sorry to hear that Aikon - my condolences to the family.

But yes, Jdubs do commit and attempt many suicides. And I think depression is a major factor.

I remember we visited two Jdubs who attempted suicide, and it was an eye opener. It was the first time I visited a mental hospital, and the first time I heard of any Afro American attempting suicide.

These folks just didn't see a way out, and of course the advice from the BORG didn't amount to anything. I felt totally unqualified to help these sisters. It was me, a paralegal, a Con Edison (Gas) worker, and a post office man trying to help these sisters with MAJOR issues. Now that I think about it, we warned one of the sisters about seeking a therapist, and the other one told us that see was seeing one, but she didn't tell the therapist that she was a Jdub. We all said "good." Damn, I wish I could apologize to those ladies now, for even attempting to be a spiritual shepherd.

Nina - Thanks for posting your letter. I never saw it before - It's such a powerful letter. Is there a link to the aftermath of your letter?

Peace - Larry