Walt Whitman

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Posts by Walt Whitman

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  1

  "Insulting religion" -- I found this interesting ...

  by Walt Whitman in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  ... maybe you will too.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1utypnap5x4.

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  Walt Whitman

  ... maybe you will too.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1uTypnaP5X4
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  12

  Please post a comment on this assembly article in Fl paper

  by outofservice in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is a sickening one sided article in a florida newspaper.. i call upon all of you to please post a comment and state the real facts .. http://www.ocala.com/article/20110630/articles/110639978?p=2&tc=pg.

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  thanks.

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  Walt Whitman

  Since the reporter has gone home for the day, I called the evening editor -- Jeff Trudeen at 352-374-5044. (I live in California.) I told him it was a one-sided puff piece; literally a valentine for the WTS. He told me there wasn't the time or resources to do an article with any research. Quick and dirty -- yet, pretty, and out the door.

  I told him all it would take to be more objective and even-handed in writing this story was one call to WT Brooklyn or Wallkill, NY and ask if there had been any lawsuits against them or JWs for pedophilia. He told me again that the paper didn't have the time. When asked if he didn't care about balanced and fair reporting, he reiterated they didn't have the time.

  I left a comment at the end of the article.
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  11

  Gay "Knocking" director Joel Engardio writes again on shunning by JW family members

  by MrMonroe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a previous thread http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/200592/2/joel-p-engardios-article-on-jws-washington-post has covered an earlier story joel engardio wrote on gays and witnesses.. in the washington post (nov 7, 2010) he writes again of how his jw mother grieved for him "as if i had died" when she learned he was gay.

  engardio notes:.

  "among jehovah's witnesses there is no easy exit for the adolescent who skillfully parrots theology at age 10 or 12 and decides in his late teens or early twenties that the religion isn't for him.

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  Walt Whitman

  I had watched many of PBS's P.O.V. series. Many were quite good. When I discovered that there was to be one about JWs titled Knocking, I began to check it out. There were several P.O.V. message boards related to it.

  What annoyed me was that here was a gay man, who had created, to my appraisal, a valentine to the WTS. He was raised as a JW, but because of his not getting baptized and he was making a documentary favorable to the JWs -- he was embraced by the WTS and still had a close relationship with his JW mother.

  On the other hand, I had had two very good JW friends from childhood who had been baptized, both from strong JW families. My very best friend was an incredible intellect. Had been valedictorian of a a very large high school in the Los Angeles area. He was offered scholarships and his school counselors begged him to go to college. Being the obedient son and witness, he chose to pioneer where the need was greater.

  Well, he sort of had a breakdown while on his assignment. When he came home he asked to stay with me until he could get a job and find his own place. I had a feeling he was struggling with homosexual feelings (just like my other friend). This was back in the early '70s. He tried to leave the Society quietly -- but they wouldn't let him. They literally hunted him down. Finally he confessed that he was gay. He was summarily disfellowshipped. As was my other friend. They were both shunned by the JWs and their parents.

  They both contracted AIDS in the middle 1980s. While they were both very alone in the beginning, thank goodness they had made many supportive "worldly" friends. By this time I was married, had children, and a servant in the congregation. My good friend called me out of the blue (because I hadn't been talking to him, either.) He told me he had AIDS and wanted to see me before he died. Without hesitation I went to see him. He was very sick and in the hospital.

  His super active pioneering mother and elder father refused to visit. It was only at the brink of his death that they paid a visit to say good-bye. I think he was down to about 90 pounds and covered with KS spots. I can recall his father telling me, "The wages of sin are death." I visited him again and we had some wonderful conversation about the old days. We even laughed like we had when we were younger. He died while in his 30s.

  I told the elders in my congregation that I had visited a DF'd homosexual with AIDS. And, "No," I told them I was not sorry nor did I feel I needed to repent. I was removed from my position and put on public reproof with restrictions.

  My warning to all -- NEVER GET BAPTIZED!
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  60

  Post a You-tube of your Favorite Funny scenes from Movies

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk0pkyrbml8&feature=related.

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  Walt Whitman

  From the movie: Adam and Steve. Drag performer, Jackie Beat is the singer. It's a funny movie.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QmqHYQnwAs&feature=mh_lolz&list=PLB84545AE57B1D5E5
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  21

  I'll always be a failure

  by MrFreeze in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i try to make people happy.

  sometimes its to my detriment.

  above all i'd like nothing more than to make my family happy.

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  Walt Whitman

  It's what YOU truly believe about yourself that has the most power in your life.

  Sometimes you have to come to grips that -- even though you want it so badly (maternal acceptance) -- there no water in that well. And probably never will be. Time to let go and move on. It might hurt like hell but turn the page; but don't give her the power if she makes you feel a failure.
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  58

  WHO SURVIVED...."75"..?

  by OUTLAW in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  who survived..."1975"...,i`m just curious,how many of us,are there?those of us that lived though this,will know what i mean.

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  Walt Whitman

  I remember the anticipation for 1975. It was intense. I remember in 1969 a District Overseer asking me at DA lunch how did it feel to know that I would never reach the age of 30 in this old system. I was turning 19 at the time.

  He was so certain. As were so many official JWs that Armageddon would come before 1975. Well, it came and went with lots of obfuscation. Now 41 years later ... I'm not waiting any longer. BTW, I'm 60 now and my three sons have reached adulthood.
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  33

  What do People Mean Exactly By "Spirit" and "Spiritual"

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  many people distance themselves from formal religion but say that they are a "spiritual" person.. .

  similarly theists talk about the "spirit" as if it is something that is self-evidently true.. .

  i wonder if anybody would like to have a go at defining what they mean by these words?

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  Walt Whitman

  Why limit the parameters of "so called" spirituality? After leaving the oppressive confines of the WTS, I believed I felt no "spirituality," even though I examined many churches and religions. Non-JW friends would reassure me that I was not "religious" but "spiritual." As an ex-JW, what did that mean? Because of my background -- I could feel no spirituality.

  Then I discovered secular spirituality -- firstly, via, scholar Daniel Dennet. He said, "I have times when I am just transported with awe and joy and a sense of peace and wonder at whether its music or the arts or just a child playing ... . I think that people make a mistake of thinking that spirituality has anything to do with either religious doctrines or with immateriality or the supernatural. The world is a stunningly interesting and glorious place...."

  According to one source, secular spirituality emphasized humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others.
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  151

  Why do I no longer get attacked and persecuted by the demons, since I left JW,s ?

  by pedal power in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most jw.s really believe that they ( as we once did ) are promoting gods will, but what if they really are ?

  is it possible that god is supporting them even though they (governing body ) lie, because most jw,s are ignorant of the lies told on their behalf, ?.

  when i was a jw i got attacked by the demons bigtime, but not now, and i can only assume that they (demons ) are happy that i am no longer a jw and are now leaving me alone, cant think of any other reason, has god ever supported a group who were similarly found wanting ?.

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  Walt Whitman

  I can remember the demon/Satan indoctrination from an early age (1960s onward). I heard so many experiences from the platform and from JWs about demon experiences. From this thread it's obvious that people might not want to rationally appraise their "supernatural experiences." For some reason they're too important to investigate and relinquish.

  I remember as an early teen spending the night at a worldly best school friend. (They lived a few houses away, the father was a college professor/anthropologist and my mother liked them.) To my horror the older sister brought out her new ouija board and wanted us to play. I reluctantly acquiesced. When it came my turn to ask a question, I asked "When will the world end?" With our hands together, it said "1975." Holy crap!

  That night I was sure demons would consume me and steal my brain. Well, I awoke in the middle of bad dream and discovered I couldn't move. I was frozen. I tried to call out to Jehovah, praying for forgiveness for messing with demonism. I felt pressed to the bed, totally immobile. Eventually I could move. I gathered my things together and walked home in the early morning leaving a note on my friend's kitchen table saying I was feeling ill.

  I was sure it was a demonic experience. Some years later I was educated that it was a common case of SLEEP PARALASYS. A period in the sleep state where the body is immobilized. I have had one subsequent sleep paralysis experience. I was worried about one of my grown sons. In a dream he was calling out to me, as a child, I awoke to go to his aid -- but was completely paralyzed, unable to move.

  The mind and brain are complex and its perceptions are beyond us. Demons are part of that ancient mythological part of the brain that tries to make sense of the unexplainable.
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  13

  Juneteenth Celebration

  by snowbird in

  1. social
  2. current

  juneteenth, a portmanteau of the words june and nineteenth, is an african-american celebration that commemorates the date of june 19, 1865, when union general gordon granger notified the slaves on galveston island, texas that they were free, in fact, had been free since january 1, 1863.. there will be a gathering in the little park near my house on saturday, june 21. for the first time, i plan on participating.

  it will be a celebration of my own liberation from the chains of the wts.

  i just wanted to share.

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  Walt Whitman

  Have a wonderful time today, Snowbird.

  The first time I'd ever heard of Juneteenth was with the posthumous release of Ralph Ellison's long-awaited second novel of the same name in 1999.
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  55

  Saturday Morning Musings ...

  by snowbird in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  one hot, hot thursday, in july of 1987, i worked a half day, drove from wilcox county to mobile county to pick up a sister, then hit i-10 for new orleans to attend the convention which began the next day.. the evening traffic was unbelievable; when i finally arrived and pulled into our hotel parking lot, i was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

  we checked in, and after showering, i fell into bed and slept like a drunk person.. the next morning, friday, was a complete blur as we made our way to the superdome.

  i don't remember anything that was discussed that day, just the searing heat as we returned to the hotel.. after a long shower, i again fell into a deep slumber.

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  Walt Whitman

  All in all, I rather enjoyed the assemblies as a kid. It was the family vacation. Also, for most of my grammar and middle school years I was the only witness in my classroom. Had to stand up and not say the words to the pledge of allegiance all alone. Yes, there were other witness kids at my school, same grade, but they were always placed in other classrooms. So, at an assembly you suddenly you had all these kids from other congregations. It was fun to socialize between sessions with the other nerds.

  I also tended to be studious. Took copious notes. Always tried to pick out the most salient point(s) in talks. Kept my assembly notes in distinct notebooks; included the assembly program; and if I could find it -- any articles about the assembly in the local newspaper. Yes, Walt was a boring kid. Walt had no social life except meetings and field service.

  But then I grew up, got married, and the 1980s came. Then the WTS became suspicious, distrusting and paranoid about anything or anyone who was different. Individual inquiry beyond WTS texts became verboten. The '80s were really the beginning of the end for me as a JW.

  Being the good Stepford christian I understood it was required I go to assemblies. Then there were too many questions and observations about how the WTS had morphed into this giant, cold-blooded machine -- and one that had no heart. My wife stopped going to assemblies before I did. So for a few years I went alone.