Posts by ThinkerBelle

30

Pledge for Global Assistance Arrangement - $15 per publisher!

by nmthinker in

last night our congregation read a letter for the global assistance arrangement combined with the traveling overseer assistance arrangement.

the "recommended" amount was $15 per publisher, which was well over $1000 for our hall.. it seemed steep.

our congregation does not have this type of money.

ThinkerBelle

Does the money actually go into separate funds for each "arrangement"? They haven't gotten money from me in years, not just because I don't support the business model, but also because our personal funds are tight. And seriously, every other church I know of has a food pantry and helps their members out when in need......why does our supposed loving religion never have that?

24

Why JWs record and report time?

by ThinkerBelle in

okay, so yes, i'm a born-in, but this point has always baffled me (and i guess i never bothered to research or ask).

what is the purpose of counting time in service?

when was it started and why?

ThinkerBelle

That all makes sense for control and I can see how when they were charging for literature, they wiuld want to keep track of "sales"....I know others that fudge their time too that are firmly in. I only report maybe 4 or 5 hours in a minth so I guess I'd be labeled weak, but I've never had a sheparding call ( maybe cause my father is an elder).

Does anyone know the scriptual reason, if any, that JFR gave to support it?

24

Why JWs record and report time?

by ThinkerBelle in

okay, so yes, i'm a born-in, but this point has always baffled me (and i guess i never bothered to research or ask).

what is the purpose of counting time in service?

when was it started and why?

ThinkerBelle

Okay, so yes, I'm a born-in, but this point has always baffled me (and I guess I never bothered to research or ask). What is the purpose of counting time in service? When was it started and why? Since I'm still effectively "practicing" by motions, I don't keep track of my time during the month and just write random numbers on the sheet at the end of the month to look like I'm active (I've hardly been out at all over the last couple months, I just can't bring myself to talk about something I don't believe in).....how many others do this (I know I can't be the only one)? That would make the yearly reports not very accurate in proving growth.

21

'Seek the Kingdom First' Economics

by Tornintwo in

jw
friends

has anyone else's family finances been victim to the 'seek the kingdom first' economic policy?.

for years, my husband and i have had our own business, my husband is not the most proactive guy, prefers to go in field service than to work, but he has always encouraged me to 'rely on jehovah and all these other things will be added to you', 'seek the kingdom first' etc etc.

there have been times, such as when i was heavily pregnant and we lost a big deal, that i have been begging jehovah on hands and knees to honour that promise, wondering why he wasn't helping us.

ThinkerBelle

Don't forget the lovely little quip "God won't give you more than you can handle". Ugh, I hate these phrases some days.

Sorry, I know that's not advice. I'm kind of in your same position and just taking it day by day. I've gone back to college to finish my degree so I can make double the income I make now, so take that GB!

112

Did an EX-JW wake you up to TTATT or did you put the effort to wake up yourself?

by John Aquila in

how many of us were woken up by some apostate yelling false prophets at a convention?.

how many of us were woken up by someone holding a sign and yelling, what happened to 1975.

how many of us were coerced to investigate the wt because some ex-jw pulled up a bunch of old watchtowers magazines and told us to read the false predictions?.

ThinkerBelle

I'm not sure what exactly was thw "aha" moment for me, but apostates weren't involved initially. I had been researching holidays online ( but never went to apostate sites) and found some stuff contradictory to what I had always been taught. I didn't pursue it. Then I took a religion class ( professor happened to be atheist, but never forced those views on us) that covered the ancient religions to modern day and I was shocked that Christianity had a lot of similarities to the old religions. Professor really got us to think about and thoroughly explain our stance which got me really thinking about what I believe. So I explored and found COC and jwfacts and lets just say that got the ball rolling.

Edit to add: looking back, I never had strong faith in the jws, just did it because that was what I had been raised as so didnt really question anything even though it didnt seem normal - never "made the truth my own"

12

I had a melt down with my Father over my Mom and Sister not coming to my daughter's Birthday Party.

by adjusted knowledge in

last year my daughter had her first birthday and all my wife's family and friends were there.

my family didn't attend.

my mother and sister still believe in the jw teachings even though they are both considered inactive.

ThinkerBelle

Hm, I can understand being upset, but since you also lived the life, there should be some understanding there too. I don't feel my chuldhood was wasted at all; I have very fond memories, maybe I'm one of the lucky ones since my parents weren't overly strict. My MIL who is I guess considered inactive or informally DA tells me of the struggle with guilt over holidays knowing what she knows from the JWs. Even though your mom and sister are considered inactive, they aren't out of that mind set, and hokidays/birthdays may be one of those lines they don't want to cross. There are other religions that don't celebrate these either, JW are not unique in that. You will just have to accept that. In my opinion, and maybe this is based off how I was raised, but holidays and birthdays aren't the be all, do all that make a childhood memorable - my in laws are a nightmare around the holidays!!

29

me and my new girlfriend

by justthenorm in

you see ive started dating this girl and her family is of strong jehova belief.

now i am not i do see certain things in there studie that is true in my opinion but ive never really been a religion type of person.

i think i want to marry her but i am not a jehovas witness and am not looking to be anytime at all she says that is ok and we can still get married but i dont know how its possible or where we would even do it please i need advice

ThinkerBelle

I'm going to go against the grain here and before you dump her or stay away as others have said, find out her intentions with the religion. Maybe ipen her eyes as ithers have said with jwfacts and see where it goes. I married a "worldly" person when I was young because I got pregnant and was scared knowing full well the consequences within the religion ( he had actually studied prior as a child as his mom used to be in so he knew his JW stuff). My parents were upset, but they came to accept him and now we are all good. I did go back, but never pushed him to do anything and we would visit his relatives on holidays......my family even did that as most are not in. So gauge where she is at with her family as well because that is actually the hardest part, but even when I was out, my parents didnt shun me the way the org tells you to. If you really do like this girl, figure out some of those things before you jump into marriage, being disfellowshipped is hard when you're indoctrinated and there is a major pull to get back in because of family. But, it may not be the end of the world either if she's willing to leave and has a support system to help her ( does your family like her? Does she have "worldly" friends?).

59

What does your baptism mean to you now?

by GiftsinMen in

i was baptised on 1st sept 1990, 25years ago today.

it is still a date with deep meaning for me.

i never dedicated my life to serving any man or any organisation, this was my choice - as a grown adult - to serve my god through jesus christ.

ThinkerBelle

My baptism was me going through a motion that was expected. I wasn't spiritually ready, that's for sure. I didn't feel or think any different afterwards. I just got tired of people asking me when.....because obviously if you are born-in and an elder's kid, you should be baptized by 13.

7

FMF 100th Post: Don't Go Through Life, Grow Through Life.

by freemindfade in

i have been waiting to post this 100th post to come up with something half decent.

while i was driving this morning this is what i was thinking about.

there are a lot of new folks on here, and who knows how many lurkers checking in.

ThinkerBelle

Inspiring words, Freemind and I love your title. I feel as if my mind wasn't as trapped into the religion as some on this board as I really was always a free thinker and explorer; I loved to read history and philosophy, even when I was younger.......for fun. I simply went about the motions and I could explain JW dogma to you just fine, doesn't mean I felt it in my heart. Once I let myself let that go and became willing to actually believe in something (rather than just read about it), I actually feel like I can form the open relationship with god that I think we're meant to have, not restricted by guidelines. I guess what has kept me a believer is the anticipation of seeing family again (resurrection? afterlife? Still figuring it out) and the thought that this life can't be all there is, can it? But maybe that's the JW talking. Regardless, I want my life to have more meaning than it has the last few decades and for my kids to not be restricted in their learning and growing. I've noticed a lot of newbies in my time lurking, and maybe more will come out of the shadows too, thanks to posts like these.

28

Intro and Thoughts

by ThinkerBelle in

jw
friends

i've been lurking on the board for almost a year now and i think i'm ready to come out of hiding (although, i'm so nervous as i type this).

i'm not ready to share everything about my story, but the basics are that i'm a born-in, elder's kid, baptized as a teenager because i was tired of hearing people ask me "all your friends are baptized, when are you going to get baptized?

", married an unbeliever (was df, but came back shortly after) and we have two kids.

ThinkerBelle

Zim, wow, presumptuous much? ( lol, I like that word now!). Going into detail may reveal too much so let's just say I was very young, husband was studying and a believer at the time, things happened very fast and there really wasn't any way to hide it, if you catch my drift. I got back as fast as I could as Im very close with my parents more so than other family members and didn't want the stigma of the label. I've always been a people pleaser and worried about disappointing my parents; I know that has to do with how I've been raised in the religion. I'm just not a confrontational person at all and therefore, wouldn't create theatrics or start blasting anyone/thing on purpose. I'd rather just fade, but do have kids to think about. My husband has never told me to not be a JW and wouldn't try to stop it, he really couldn't careless. He started having doubts about God after he became an unbaptized publisher and he quit going. I was the one that presented him with everything I was learning online about the org and he was pretty surprised and shocked, but he left the decision up to me and understands the difficulty of it all. Thanks for the encouraging words everyone, they really do mean a lot.