millie210

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Posts by millie210

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  19

  CL&M part Jan 4 - annual meeting service report - our outstanding experiences

  by loneranger in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this was the first part in the "living as christians" section of the meeting tonight.

  speaker had two pioneers on the stage to relate their outstanding experiences for 2017. we have 23 pioneers and over 160 publishers in the hall.

  our territory is densely populated with single family houses, apartments and condominiums.

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  millie210

  The witnesses have such a persecution complex that if someone who was rude becomes less so, they feel that is a huge accomplishment.

  It escapes them that no one is persecuting them in the first place.
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  66

  Since leaving the JW Organization, who is believing?

  by Issa in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i left the jw organization last year during summer.

  maybe some of you can relate.

  who of you are agnostic or an atheist?

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  millie210

  nicolaou
  I know it wasn't your intention but this is the type of comment that really winds up many atheists. Why make the assumption that the only reason we abandoned god is because we got "hurt"? Didn't it occur to you that our reasoning may be sound? That perhaps we may have some intellectual integrity?

  Hi nicolaou,

  Fair question. I think the answer lies in my simply not explaining myself clearly.

  I have zero problem with atheists. My closest relationship off the boards is with an atheist.

  If I in my journey, were to become an atheist I would really want it to be based on where my conclusions lead me.

  My statement about reactionary behavior would apply equally to the person who joins a church because they hate the Witnesses.

  There is no belief or lack of that I take exception to. I take exception to the method of choosing the way forward.

  I think it is better to act than react.

  Thank you for your response and allowing me to explain that my post had no particular group in mind but rather a methodology.
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  19

  E cart witnessing on our way to see Shen Yun in San Francisco

  by cha ching in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  today, i took the day off to go with my husband to san francisco on bart to see shen yun.

  coming out of the station, were two elders at a watchtower cart!

  my husband loves to witness to them.. started off with a smile and they smiled back and he told them he had been associated with jehovah's witnesses and now he is not but he wishes to tell them that even though they are going to hear things that are upsetting in the news, there is life after jehovah's witnesses.. they smiled and asked him if they could ask what religion he has gone to, or what he is doing now.

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  millie210

  Love it that they stood and listened.

  I guess that cannot run away and leave their little cart, can they?
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  66

  Since leaving the JW Organization, who is believing?

  by Issa in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i left the jw organization last year during summer.

  maybe some of you can relate.

  who of you are agnostic or an atheist?

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  millie210

  For me, I traded in my "publisher record card" for a "freedom to think for myself" card and it has been glorious.

  Not that it is easy, in fact it can be bewildering, so many opinions.

  I have learned to steer clear of any "reaction" type stances.

  By that I mean people who did believe in God but got so hurt by the witnesses that they now dont believe there is any merit to anything religious or any religious writings.

  My "freedom of thought" card entitles me to "act" not react. I refuse for my new belief system since leaving the high control JWs to be a mere reacting to my time there.

  So I am throwing the curtains open and letting the light pour in.

  I do not have any idea if there is a god of some definition or not. There does seem to be an order to nature that I deeply respect. I am eager to learn more and will see where that takes me.

  As for the Bible and religion...

  as people, we keep what works. I think the bigger question is, what need does religion meet in people? Why do they search it out? Create it if they have to?

  The Bible, I got a tremendous light bulb moment listening to Jordan Peterson lecture on the archetypes of the Bible and how the people presented as individuals in the book, are really composites of what societies were dealing with at the time. Its well acknowledged that the Proverbs 31 woman was a composite of qualities, not a single woman. That is most likely true of most of the Bible. I think that applies to the "Cain and Abel" story and others. A way for people to grapple with their feelings in certain situations and to form the all important communal societies and social groups for their time.

  Building on the wisdom of thousands of cumulative years is smart to me. I accept that there is wisdom in all the ancient writings, not just the Bible.

  What I dont accept is a small (or big) religions ability (or right) to interpret that wisdom or try to make rules out of it for me.

  I have read that in some places, yak milk with blood added is a delicacy. I can see that. People took what was available and used it and got a good result.

  I dont live in a time period or an area of the world where that is relevant to me but I can understand it and respect it.

  My "Yak" illustration is an overly simplistic way of trying to make the point that I want to understand my world and how we got to where we are by letting it unfold its revelations, not by letting anyone force labels and explanations on me.

  I will either figure it out or I wont. The most important thing to me is I will not be letting go of one apparently good (the jw view) viewpoint that was faulty to grasp quickly at another. One that may be faulty over time too.

  That is how I personally plan to use my freedom card for me.
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  41

  Avoiding Service Tips?

  by Kohanic in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  back again!.

  so as i'm still pimo and living under my parent's roof, how can i get out of service?

  cause i really don't want to go and i feel dirty just knowing i could be influencing someone into this garbage..

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  millie210

  cha ching I loved your post.

  You just described my entire last year of pioneering!
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  41

  Avoiding Service Tips?

  by Kohanic in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  back again!.

  so as i'm still pimo and living under my parent's roof, how can i get out of service?

  cause i really don't want to go and i feel dirty just knowing i could be influencing someone into this garbage..

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  millie210

  Find an older person who is a shut in. Go read to them and talk to them.

  Dont use the literature, read what the older person likes or just visit with them.

  Tell everyone that is your study and they are shy and dont want more than one person to come.

  Turn in 2 hours, a Return Visit and a Bible study once a week from this one encounter and go ahead and enjoy the rest of your week!

  Side benefit: You will probably make a great friend in this older person you show time and attention to.
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  13

  Would you sacrifice yourself?

  by Half banana in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  under roman rule, which covered a large part of the civilized world around the mediterranean, to be a trouble maker or a magician or an insurrectionist was a capital offence.. to live back then in a civilised society was a boon.

  naturally for the sake of law and order certain compliances had to be met to as part of the social bargain to be a roman citizen.

  among them were included the requirement to respect the “genius” or spirit of the emperor, not to be an atheist and to respect the roman gods.

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  millie210

  This is a complex question.

  Every one who has fought in a war (willingly that is) had a cause they were willing to die for.

  Sometimes they didnt even know what was really going on between leaders at high levels, only what the propaganda was that reached the common man and still that was enough to form armies of people ready to die for the ideology of the moment.
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  58

  Don't you think that some people are just better off within the org?

  by paradiseseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is my first post, i will introduce myself later.

  first of all, i must say that english is not my mother tongue (i'm spanish), so excuse me if i make any mistake.. do you think that some people simply can't cope with being outside the jws?

  some of them are too worldlyphobic to be around non-jws, too dependent on a fixed set of rules in order to carry on with their lives, too dependent on the hope of paradise and resurrection, too unable to leave their personal comfort zone within the organization.

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  millie210

  Welcome Paradiseseeker,

  Nice to see some new (to me) posters writing on this thread.

  Wayne Dyer says "We dont see the world as IT is - we see the world as WE are."

  This saying helps me to understand activists and what they choose for a "cause". Some people are passionately saving whales, others trees, you get the idea - many causes, much sincere passion from the people who pick up the banner of their particular cause.

  I am not an activist. I see the world as I am - just like everybody else and my view tells me to let people be where they are and be ready to support them if they grow in a different direction.

  So yes, I think some people are better off in the Org. Especially what comes to mind is elderly people. Many are widowed and draw tremendous daily comfort from the idea of seeing loved ones again soon. They like the daily structure of meetings and field service and it gives them a social group. I see that as no different than an person of any other religion that has a lot wrong with it.

  I guess it boils down to the age old argument of do you want to be "right" (or in this sense, correct about the JWs) or do you want to be happy?
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  64

  Wave your phone lights and dance at the Assemblies!

  by days of future passed in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my sister sent me this youtube.

  in it are witnesses waving their phone lights and dancing in the aisles.

  sorry if this vid has been posted before.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k7iw-zisgw.

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  millie210

  LOL at Flippers comment about the comparison to Moses coming down from the Mount. So true!

  Funny how the leadership on the platform/stage dont seem to be participating or entirely comfortable with the dancing/waving.

  Makes me wonder if this was a spontaneous audience directed action?

  But upthread it was mentioned that some feel Bethelite guest speakers at events encouraged it. So who really knows?

  Either way it speaks to the leadership losing control. A fragmenting is taking place. More emotion is being brought in to the mix to add to the total volume and help bulk up the content.

  So the real question is why do they need to do this?

  Whats internally wrong?
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  25

  St Petersburg Assembly Hall to be given to Russian scientists

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://realty.newsru.com/article/26dec2017/iegov_med.

  (the following article is translated using google translate).

  the building selected in "jehovah's witnesses" in st. petersburg will be given to scientistsdecember 26, 2017 publication time: 09:42. in a building selected from a banned organization in russia, "jehovah's witnesses", will soon be able to read scientific lectures.

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  millie210

  The building selected in "Jehovah's Witnesses" in St. Petersburg will be given to scientists
  December 26, 2017 publication time: 09:42
  In a building selected from a banned organization in Russia, "Jehovah's Witnesses", will soon be able to read scientific lectures. The city authorities will give the former site for worship to the medical research center

  So does it appear that the Russian government is sensitive to the appearance of what they are doing by insuring the building will now be used in a manner most people would deem a "worthy" one?