Posts by LucidSky

there is a lot of talk about elders, but i don't seem to have seen anything about deacons,they are mentioned in the nt.. do jws have deacons as instructed by paul

LucidSky

Only Scripture I can find is Romans 16:1:

I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;

servant --> 'diakonos' --> feminine of deacon

Is that the same Gk word used in Timothy?

12

What I Have Learned

by Sunflower1982 in

this is my first post here, so i guess i should introduce myself j i'm a 19-year-old college student in baltimore, maryland.

i was involved with jws on and off for about 4 years and, after being baptized for a little over a year, i stopped attending meetings.

although my time as a jw was very brief (compared to the decades many people have spent in the organization) it is amazing how much my experience as a jw has affected my life.

SunFlower - Really makes you appreciate how to make decisions on your own. And respect that other people also have that right and they may not always agree. It was a tough lesson for me since I was born in it.

27

Relating to Non-JW's

by LucidSky in

i read the "ex-witness singles" thread and it seems like a good idea.

the thought has crossed my mind many times before since non-jw's often don't seem to care or understand.

i would love being able to relate on something that has played such an important part of your lives (uh, understated - something your world is supposed to revolve around.

LucidSky

Pris - Golly. I had no idea I was making such grievous mistakes. I might have inadvertently debased those innocent ladies' minds with that filthy image. Thank you so much for stopping me before I committed another heinous error.

I've read both of Franz's books. Truly an eye-opener for me too, but at that point in my life, I already knew. It was incredible having it all laid out and reinforced so clearly though.

Crisis of Conscience appeals best to persons who see the ugly side of the WTS: wolfish leaders, lack of love (or worse), scandal/church politics, need for numbers vs. quality, etc. My original hometown congregation wasn't close to perfect, but it was sincere and supportive. At the next congregation I went to, bad elements started showing through - mostly lordful leaders. I think I would make a better elder than those unloving theocratic jerks. Last news I heard they were having an apostate witch hunt.

Because I didn't have exposure to too much negativity, Christian Freedom appealed to me more. My issues became primarily doctrinal -- Exclusive truth? Hmmm... these guys over here believe that. <Shortly after...> Wait just a sec, these other guys seem to have this particular point right, but you clearly don't. The rest folded quickly once I let go of the "exclusive truth" belief. I might never have realized it without exposure to the internet and discussion forums like this one though.

detective - Yep, it's true. Anything or anyone not classified JW is classified "worldly," and in a bad way. Your friend probably views you that way too, even if he/she may like you as a person. Nothing personal, just the way we were taught to think of everyone else because we were constantly reinforced with that thought. When the exception does come along, we will nitpick it in our minds for anything negative... "Sure, sure. Mother Teresa's a good person... but she sure don't have da troof!" I think one of the first things to break the JW worldview is getting them to drop the "exclusiveness" mentality. Otherwise they just blind themselves to any wrongs.

27

Relating to Non-JW's

by LucidSky in

i read the "ex-witness singles" thread and it seems like a good idea.

the thought has crossed my mind many times before since non-jw's often don't seem to care or understand.

i would love being able to relate on something that has played such an important part of your lives (uh, understated - something your world is supposed to revolve around.

LucidSky

But - Sorry, Xena wanted it first. I know I can trust her. She said so. But maybe if you're really, really nice to her, she'll let you have a peek?

5

fear of death

by DanTheMan in

when i was a teenager, i got into heavy metal music in a big, big way.

black sabbath, iron maiden, and metallica were my faves, especially metallica.

i lived on their music, listening to their albums literally hundreds of times, often while under the influence of mood-altering substances.

LucidSky

We were coming home from the meeting one evening. A melodic Metallica tune filled the car. I glanced over at my dad halfway into the song. He was tapping his Bible on his leg to the beat.

I kinda liked Creeping Death. It had a nice Biblical theme to it.

It's funny now. Growing up and not fearing death. Heck, I was practically immortal if I could stay alive just "a little bit longer". It's quite world-shattering when your visions of immortality pop. Death? Who cares. Painful death? Eh... The end of your existence forever? Now, that can be scary.

27

Relating to Non-JW's

by LucidSky in

i read the "ex-witness singles" thread and it seems like a good idea.

the thought has crossed my mind many times before since non-jw's often don't seem to care or understand.

i would love being able to relate on something that has played such an important part of your lives (uh, understated - something your world is supposed to revolve around.

LucidSky

Pris - I've read some of your posts. You sound like a sweet person. So what's your story - what made you leave?

But - You know you made the right choice. Take it from a guy who was on the other side of that. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing trying to drag my girlfriend into it. I wanted her to change for me because I thought it was the right thing to do.

Lucid--please excuse my forwardness--but nice pic! How about a full length view?

Don't think so. Apparently all the naughty apostate women on this site have a secret underground where they trade all these pictures of board members.

Alright, fine. Just one. Taken from the waist, down. Tell me if you like it.

21

Did You Ever Read ????????

by YYHWH in

jw
friends

did you ever read any of the following completley cover to cover ?.

watchtower.

awake.

LucidSky

As irony has it, I never read the Bible until after I left. I read a couple of other books. Of note, The Divine Plan of the Ages. I thought this one had better explainations for a few things (e.g. permission of evil) than some of the recent pubs.

13

Restrictive vs Permissive

by LucidSky in

jw
friends

hardcore dubs can be quite restrictive on their kids.

they are simply following organization rules but try to impose them on their children: no school sports or activities for you and absolutely no parties with those evil, worldly corruptibles in your class.

oh, and you must never, ever be alone with someone of the opposite sex because the instant you are, you'll just be ripping each other's clothes off... i'm not sure if it was because they were in the spotlight more, but it seemed to me that the kids with the hardcore parents were the ones getting baptized early and then getting disfellowshiped or reproved a couple years later.. jw parents have huge issues of mistrust and they close the channel of communication because their children fear reproof.

LucidSky

concerned mama - I agree with everyone else, also being in that situation before. The best outcome if they stay together would be for him to leave. That would cause no end of grief for him though. It may be inevitable, but you don't want to be a part of it. Just use care when bringing up the subject with your daughter. You don't want to push them together any more.

JT - You are right on when the they talk about image.

Xena - Oh, I hated that chaperone system. I suppose by now they've expanded their definition of dating to include e-mail now.