Posts by DarioKehl

my sister-in-law (non-jw), who manages a popular chain restaurant near a kingdom hall, just found out that my wife and i have recently faded, so she decided to get something off her chest the other day... you guessed it: she wanted us to know that jws are the worst customers ever!

she then told us some really embarrassing stories about how jws would request a table for 15 to 20 people (after a sunday meeting) and then (when the bill came) some of the jws would start deliberating amongst themselves on whether or not the waiter was diligent or not (to justify the low tip he was getting anyway).

DarioKehl

I used to feel sooo bad for the wait staff. It was a weekly tradition: After meeting, "See you at Applebee's!" It was usually the broke 20-something pioneers who spent what was left of their 2 days' payroll and stayed for hours and hours while only ordering water and sharing a few appetizers. The best was when we'd get there at 9:45, ask for a table that can seat 12-15 and then have the poor gal wait to take our order after 10 PM so we can take advantage of the Late Nite $2.99 Specials. And then people would bitch about the "minimum gratiuity" automatically added for parties larger than 10. I am honestly and sincerely embarrassed when I think back at those days. What did it in for me was when an elder approached me privately to convey that a sister was "concerned" that I was observed ordering a (single) dry gin martini "every week." I was floored! "Yes, Dario, there's certainly nothing wrong with that, but, do you need one? EVERY week?" My brother and our guy friends finally wised up and started going to sports bars after meetings on our own and ditching the rest. And we always tipped well. I'd I could have as many martinis as I wanted!

Have you ever had a prayer answered?

by nicolaou in

prayer topics seem to be the bandwagon of the moment so i'm jumping on!

seriously, has anyone here asked for something specific in prayer and actually gotten what they asked for?

what convinces you that you wouldn't have got it in any case?

DarioKehl

To answer succinctly, nope. However, that's not to say I couldn't truthfully relay an anecdote about positive coincidences occuring after a prayer was said... but that would require some creative historical editorializing. I'd need my memory filter so I only recall the hits and forget the misses.

On a related topic, I've read many recent posts on here from subscribers who shared fond memories of the "better times" within the bOrg that have since been removed: delicious food at conventions and assemblies, being permitted to write an introduction, brief commentary and a conclusion on the #2 Bible reading during the TMS, wearing what you want at the hotel or restraunts after convention, book studies in private homes (followed by a monthly "treat night" where people could fellowship and share desserts or perhaps even change clothes and play volleyball or dip in the pool during summer months) and who could forget the new song book. Yes, even ExJWs who firmly oppose the doctrine still fondly remenisce the happy, marchy and proud anthems that once provided JWs with a small sense of pride, esteem and vigor. "We're Jehovah's Witnesses," "Life Without End at Last," "Move Ahead!" and "We Must Have the Faith" were catchy earworms that remind many of us of our happy, safe childhoods. Some ExJWs even recently admitted to me that they still keep these old songs around and occasionally listen to them because they just make them "feel good." But noooo, not even those are around anymore. We have the creepy, GB-worshipping, Mormonesque, churchy, scary, NWO, Cult, mind-control durges that give the remaining ones a sour taste of fear in the back of their mouths, upset stomachs and panic attacks.

Why am I brining all this up??? Well why stop there??? One thing I find particularly abhorent (and further validation that "answered prayers" in the feel-good romantic sense are bogus) is how the WBT$ and Fistful Slave have hijacked yet another enjoyable benefit to being a "believer." Like all those other things, they've hijacked "answered prayers" as well! Have you all noticed the experiences in the Yearbooks and interviews on the stage at conventions have been severely crippled??? I understand the GB probably wants to steer clear of the sensational urban legend experiences that pervade our Junk folders FWD'ed to us by zealous 'Dubs (many of whom send those annoying things while the rest of us are at a meeting...check their timestamps, it's true ). But I remember a time when people would share meaningful, convincing expereinces about how their prayers were answered and they were very enjoyable to listen to while my butt was wedged in a plastic seat in a poorly climate-controlled stadium. That was like one of the only things that would get me through conventions as a bored and doubting youth (besides the drama, looking for cuties with binoculars or reading the not-meant-to-be-arousing articles on sexuality in the YPA book during the most boring talks). But now days, listen to the interviews. Browse the experiences in the Yearbooks for the last decade and what do you observe??? We used to see "evidence" of Holy Spirit rescuing the failthful from danger, certain death or some other physical calamity (scary dogs, muggers, going broke, getting lost, being arrested, chased by mobs...). Now EVERY experience ends the same way. With a lame plug for expanding the preaching work. Here's a typical example:

Bro. Testimony: "I was depressed. I'd suffered job loss, a death in the family, my wife became pregnant and I lost my managerial job of 20 years."

Bro Interviewer: "Wow, Brother Testimony! Those seem like very difficult obstacles indeed! What did you do?"

Bro. Testimony: "Well, Brother Interviewer, I did the only thing I could do. I prayed to Jehovah."

Bro. Interviewer: "Certainly! Well, did Jehovah answer your prayers?"

Bro. Testimony: "Well (*chuckle*), yes! Yes, he did! Why, just a few hours later, I was walking down the street and saw a man and a woman who appeared to be in distress! So I approached them and asked them if everything was ok and the woman said, 'No! We just found out our nephew was in a terrible accident and we aren't sure if he will make it.' So, I turned to the man and said, 'I'm heading to the convenience store, is there anything I can get you?' and they decided to walk with me. I 'bought out the opportune time' and began sharing the Truth about God with them and his promise to rid the world of all tragedies, sickness and death! They became very interested and even offered to buy my items at the store! It turns out, I was able to feed my family that night with their kind donation! Shortly after that... a BIBLE STUDY WAS STARTED AND THEY ARE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO BAPTISM."

...Yeah. Anyone catch that shameless plug? Prayers now only seem to be answered when Jah tosses an easy recruit in your lap. Overall message: WE suffer, WE pray and our "blessing" is the "privilage" of converting another vulnerable soul. PLEASE tell me the rest of you have noticed this!!! It's gotten much worse over the last 10-15 years.

17

Is it Really a Worldwide Work???

by jakeyen in

from 2010 service year.

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DarioKehl

Nope! Our C.O. from a few years ago said that Witnesses have no presence in Somalia, North Korea or Afghanistan. But thankfully, now that Jesus beamed his Noo Lite ray at Brooklyn recently, we know that more than enough time is available to reach these people during the "Overlap."

Additionally, on the inside cover of one of the Yearbooks (don't ask me what year, I've since thrown them all out but I believe it was one of the last hard-cover ones), there was a color-shaded map of the world, indicating the activity in each country. Gosh--it's really upsetting me that I don't remember what year this book came out. Anyway, I used to show it to people lonnnng before the "overlapsation situation" came down the wire because there was a shade indicating "No Reported Activity" and it formed a swath from North Africa all across the Middle East and stopped in western Asia. I'd show that to people in the early 2000s when we all believed 9/11 meant HARDY-HAR-maggedon was imminent. It was a great way to refute. I used to say 10, 15 years ago that "We have all the time in the world left...look at all the uncovered territory." Of course, back then, that nearly got me run out of town. But now, with the Ova-lap Doctrine, I ended up being correct.

The entire inhabited earth will be preached and now that "generations" vaguely means "contemporaries" which vaguely suggests an "overlap," rest easy, everyone! This game just went into overtime!

13

Multiply by a time, times, and half a time: What do you get?

by ThomasCovenant in

jw
friends

1 time 8 = 8. .

2 times 8 = 16. .

half times 16 = 8. .

DarioKehl

I always wondered how "times" could be interpreted as 2. Just because it's plural???

a time = 1

times = 2 to ∞

half a time = 1.5

But if you're starting from 607 B.C.E., what difference does it really make anyway? lol

53

Present some evidence for evolution...

by Spade in

there's no evidence that can't be overturned and exposed as deception in the scientific community.

jehovah's witnesses don't stonewall any new findings.

we have degree regarding adaptation.

DarioKehl

ANOTHER GEM!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lFOdN9yR8

53

Present some evidence for evolution...

by Spade in

there's no evidence that can't be overturned and exposed as deception in the scientific community.

jehovah's witnesses don't stonewall any new findings.

we have degree regarding adaptation.

DarioKehl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zut4JVfjXFg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J81Xjjq30AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DKdmgTXq6o

EXCELLENT refutation of the 'Dub's latest attack on evolution...the 2010 releases. Enjoy!

This YouTuber, Ryan Sutter, can also be heard on the Minnesota Atheists Podcast in the episodes entitled "Faith to Reason" Parts 1 & 2. Excellent podcast in general, but these two episodes focus on Ryan's awakening. "Unintelligent Design" is another title to listen too!

One crucial point is how the bOrg (and theists in general) use the false analogy of a monkey at a keyboard randomly hitting buttons and generating Shakespeare's "Hamlet." LOL! They love using the words "chance" and "random" but interestingly never bother to mention the other half of the equation: selection.

53

Present some evidence for evolution...

by Spade in

there's no evidence that can't be overturned and exposed as deception in the scientific community.

jehovah's witnesses don't stonewall any new findings.

we have degree regarding adaptation.

DarioKehl

you want evidence?

research the following topics:

genetic plagarism: ie vitamin C deficiency = SAME MUTATION in humans, primates and guinea pigs

nested heirarchy of species

see above video about embedded chimp chromosome in human Chx #2

Unintelligent Design of human body: namely, vestigal traits like the appendix, poor hip "design" for upright walking (better for quadropedal movement), sinuses drain "upside down" for upright walkers, correctly if we were quadropeds, and a biggie: the male urethra...any plumber will tell you that sending a soft tube through another container without proper support or insulation would FAIL. Why does the male urethra go through the prostate gland--which can swell with infection and aging--and not have a stiffer supporting wall? Better yet, why doesn't it just wrap around the exterior of the gland entirely? These "design" flaws would FAIL any engineering student if the human body were a project submitted for a grade. If evolution is false, and ID is true, God is a very, very inept designer.

31

Demonstrations From the Platform

by DarioKehl in

good evening, all.... still relatively new here so if i'm posting about a topic that's already been run into the ground, i apologize.

but i just wanted to acknowledge the typical "demo" we all see at meetings, assemblies and conventions.

even back when i was a good-goody teen dub, my brother, friends and i would jokingly refer to demos as "5-minute illustrations on how to say 'no.'".

DarioKehl

You gotta LOVE the demos where a kid comes home from school and wants to do something any normal kid would want to do (sports, dance, trip with worldly kids, buy a specific skirt, accept irresistable scholarship offer). And of course, that instigates the "How to Say 'NO!' In Five Minutes" Demo extravaganza!!!

They all follow the same format:

1.) Discuss the pros (and even throw in some SPIRITUAL-SOUNDING benefits!)

2.) Defend the cons...at FIRST.

3.) Then MmmmmEDITAaaaaaTe on it and express shock, horror, guilt, fear, remorse at yourself for EVER defending the cons.

4.) Sigh loudly, shaking your head and set your thinking straight by OOHH-LWAYS rejecting Satan's crafty distractions!