I can't believe five years have passed so quickly! Ian is often in my thoughts, even now.
LittleToe
JoinedPosts by LittleToe
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RIP Dansk (aka Ian), 18.12.1953- 20.12.2008
by faundy inhave posted this on the other thread but just making this one as well:
i need to let you know that dad passed away this morning at 8am.
he fought so hard but in the end they could not get his blood pressure to rise and he died of heart failure.
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For the many who remember "just2laws," he had a massive heart attack last night...
by AndersonsInfo inand died at home in panama city beach, florida.
steve imhof, a bethelite in the 1970s and former very active elder who became a very vocal wt critic starting in 2002, was 65 years old when he died.
he was father to three children and two grandchildren.
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LittleToe
I'm gutted. I stayed with the family on several occasions, chatting with Steve into the wee small hours on diverse subjects including string theory, of all things. It crossed my mind to get in touch, earlier this week, as our paths hadn't crossed in years. Thanks for letting me know, Jerry. Deep sympathy to the family. Needless to say, you are in my thoughts and prayers, guys. {{{hugs}}}
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Wow LittleToe!
by IP_SEC indang man, your site has seen a lot of traffic over the past few years .
nice.
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/littletoe/profile.html.
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LittleToe
Thanks for the replies, all.
Hey, Mouthy, you're often in my thoughts and prayers, too. How are you doing, aside from getting all bent out of shape by the vicissitudes of a long and productive life? I regret that I've never managed to get over to see you and the little whippersnappers make travel difficult, these days.
FHN, I've thought about it.
Paul, great opening gambit. As I said to one Arminian CofS minister, if you were truly a Universalist you'd have no problem with the doctrine of predestination, just the application some make if it. Now get your ass over to the UK FB page and maybe we can have that discussion. I recently got invited to it. My name is Ross ;-)
Violia, there are fundamentalists everywhere, but few realise what they are. The cult of Dawkins is infecting everywhere with its intolerance to human nature, but no more than the Inquisition. Shame some folk can't live and let live, especially in their treatment of the poor b*ggers who've just left. Intolerance of the repetition is little excuse. It wasn't in my days on the Board and it isn't now. C'est la vie.
{big hugs} to all!
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Wow LittleToe!
by IP_SEC indang man, your site has seen a lot of traffic over the past few years .
nice.
http://www.angelfire.com/trek/littletoe/profile.html.
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LittleToe
Thanks FHN, I only ever drop in sporadically to check my mailbox, so I never see if any of the old threads resurface. I've been too busy getting on with life. I hope everyone is well!!! Here's a wee update, for those that are interested:
I'm happily remarried with two beautiful little boys, now living in the centre of Scotland, not far from Glasgow, rather than an isolated wee island. I've taken the time to attain a BSc and an MBA and am now finally putting my money where my mouth is, finishing a third degree in theology this year. It's a real eye-opener, and totally puts the lie to almost everything the WTS have to say on just about everything.
I've never made a secret of the fact that I became a very broad minded moderate Calvinist Christian, which precipitated me leaving the JWs. When I lived on the island, by providence rather than choice, I attended my grandfather's original (pre-JW) church, the Free Church of Scotland, which is a fairly strict denomination but was a good transition from the JWs and most importantly it encouraged open and rigorous debate and discussion. When I moved to mainland Scotland about six years ago I started attending the Church of Scotland, which is a far broader church varying from extremes of conservative through liberal, with most sitting somewhere in the middle. They have openly homosexual ministers and those that oppose them, evolutionists and creationists, but manage to muddle through. Most of all there's a place for everyone, no matter where they sit on the spiritual scale, after all, religion should only be a bit of organisation for those of similar spiritual dispositions (unless you take it a little too seriously, that is).
Take care, until the next time :-)
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Going out with a bang
by LittleToe inafter much deliberation, i decided to go "out" at the end of a public talk.
it didn't go down too well, but at least i was able to give some of my reasons for leaving.. i've put some of the details on my homepage.
i'll update it more when i get the time and the strength.
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LittleToe
Thanks Moshe. Hope all is well with you
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Going out with a bang
by LittleToe inafter much deliberation, i decided to go "out" at the end of a public talk.
it didn't go down too well, but at least i was able to give some of my reasons for leaving.. i've put some of the details on my homepage.
i'll update it more when i get the time and the strength.
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Going out with a bang
by LittleToe inafter much deliberation, i decided to go "out" at the end of a public talk.
it didn't go down too well, but at least i was able to give some of my reasons for leaving.. i've put some of the details on my homepage.
i'll update it more when i get the time and the strength.
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LittleToe
I don't know if this will post as my phone keyboard doesn't seem to like the board editor (maybe its Android issues).
Hi guys, yes I remember you and our many exchanges. Miss ya.
MrMonroe: There's little unique about the epithany known as the "anointed experience".For some it is overwhelming, for some it is gradual. You see it all over the world, mostly in churches where they are more geared up to recognise it. I suspect it is rare in the JWs because the teaching actively seeks to avoid it, mostly through misdirection. For example, if the focus of the kingdom and Christianity is supposed to be the person Jesus (rather than being good, going to a specific place of worship, selling literature, or speaking incessantly about an ogre God called Voldemort who wants to kill everyone but the cowering few) then its easy to get side-tracked and never stumble across the experience.
I'm a Christian because I love the very real person of Christ. Not because of any experience, religious practises, magic rituals or name invoking. Neither am I particularly "good". But ya know, after the longest of times I'm finally getting to be happy with that. I'm uniquely "me" rather than something others would rather me be. I'm pretty certain that the big guy upstairs is okay with that, too ;-)
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Going out with a bang
by LittleToe inafter much deliberation, i decided to go "out" at the end of a public talk.
it didn't go down too well, but at least i was able to give some of my reasons for leaving.. i've put some of the details on my homepage.
i'll update it more when i get the time and the strength.
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LittleToe
Wow, this thread is still alive! I popped in due to a moment of nostalgia, after recently trying to get in contact with my estranged brother who is now a JW Elder and giving free labour to building projects in Africa and the Far East. Needless to say he doesn’t want to reopen communication, even though we have maintained radio silence for over a decade. Other than that I have tended to pop in every now and then to check the mailbox, to see if any of my old friends have been looking for me. It looks like I need to work out how to update that old website.
It’s been an interesting few years. In that time I’ve had a couple of health scares and been brought face-to-face with my own mortality. It was pretty bad, including quite a number of psychotherapy sessions addressing unresolved issues of being raised believing that I would never have to die. Do you ever get completely free from it all? I’ve had to accept that its part of my past, part of me, and attempt to get on with life.
Many will be aware that Xena and I’s relationship broke down quickly, starting perhaps before she even got to the UK. I don’t think we were ever able to put a finger on the reasons why. I was so ashamed and embarrassed by the failure that I stopped posting here, since we’d had a pretty high profile wedding. I can hardly believe that it’s been about five years. We stayed in touch for a while, and she appeared to be getting on with life and enjoying herself, but we lost all contact a couple of years ago when we had a serious IT failure at my work and lost our email server.
Regardless of what it throws at you, life does go on and I’m happy and settled. I subsequently met someone through my work and have recently had a child. Boy has that been a wonderful, eye-opening and life-changing event! On another positive note, I also now have occasion to see my parents due to “necessary family business” with their grandchild. Needless to say that things with them are still strained, though.
Much as I miss you all I probably wouldn’t have posted but was intrigued and bemused by Terry’s open comment about “disturbing rumours”. It’s not my style to just lurk in the background. Perhaps you can PM me so that I can help you “parse”.
As for leaving the JWs, I have no regrets. We're not oblivious to the repercussions we face. I don’t think it’s possible to leave without some pain and damage. All we can do is minimise that as best we can, perhaps maintaining some dignity in the process. Other than that, I hope everyone is well and getting stronger every day!
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RIP Dansk (aka Ian), 18.12.1953- 20.12.2008
by faundy inhave posted this on the other thread but just making this one as well:
i need to let you know that dad passed away this morning at 8am.
he fought so hard but in the end they could not get his blood pressure to rise and he died of heart failure.
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LittleToe
bttt
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251
RIP Dansk (aka Ian), 18.12.1953- 20.12.2008
by faundy inhave posted this on the other thread but just making this one as well:
i need to let you know that dad passed away this morning at 8am.
he fought so hard but in the end they could not get his blood pressure to rise and he died of heart failure.
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LittleToe
Its taken me a little time to find the words, since I found out.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know your dad and staying with your family on several occasions. He had a zest for life and his own beliefs, which were wide and inclusive, though mostly centred on Buddhism (as it had before he became a JW). He enjoyed calling me a Zen Christian, because we shared so much in common.
Your dad was overjoyed when you moved back home and then when you left the JWs. Something that he had struggled with for years was the concept of homosexuality, even before he became a JW. I warned him that he might want to take a little time over that one, as he could never but know that he might even have to face it in his own family. As you know,het did, but it didn't change his love for you even one jot and I think it broadened his large heart even further. He adored his family and wanted nothing more than that they could all live together in a world free from bigotry.
At the height of his previous round of illness he showed real generosity and compassion for others when he invited folks to include others in the vigils that were being held for his health. He was incredibly concerned about the strains and toll his illness had taken on his family and especially on your mum. He knew he was far from perfect, especially if he was being snappy, but I find it difficult to imagine that he ever acted in a manner where the intentions weren't good.
And now we come to this. The passing of someone who made a bigger impression than he knew. How do you judge a man, but by his friends, and so many of them have contributed to this thread. Grief has many stages. Embrace them and learn from them. Use them to help increase your empathy for others, rather than harden a protective shell around the hurt. Your dad will be missed but, regardless of individual belief or unbelief, there's a little of him that lives on in the various ways that he impacted us all for the good. We also have a continued opportunity to pass a little of that on to others.
I regret that this last year I've been a little too self absorbed to keep in regular contact. The loss is mine. You have a wonderful little family and I just know that you'll rally together, especially to support your mum. No doubt I'll impose myself on you all again sometime soon, if for no other reason than to check on Dominic's artwork and to get your mum back for sticking me with that needle, one time.
With much love,
Ross.