morrisamb

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Posts by morrisamb

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  35

  As a kid how did you survive the meetings?

  by Parousia in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recently my brother, sister, and i talked for the first time about how we survived the meetings when we were kids.

  i loved hearing their stories.. i had a whole imaginary world i went into.

  once the songs were over and the talk started, i would focus on the speaker to look like i was listening and then zone out.

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  morrisamb

  Good ? Some of us found relief at the kingdom hall in a weird way. In my book I write about this. (I've edited this)

  __________

  Today, our two-hour meeting begins with a Bible talk by Elder Bryan Smith on the responsibilities of being the male head in a Christian family.

  " The man as head of the household...." My mind drifts off as usual.

  What just happened couldn't have happened, I tell myself. I just imagined ... took place. But Papa said it would happen again, ..... Well, I won't think about that now. I'll just not think about it at all. How can I do that? I knowI'll pretend it never happened. If it did, it happened to someone else. That's right. ....I'll never think about it again.

  While Brother Smith is delivering his sermon, specifically focusing on two biblical characters from the Old Testament, I slip into a daydream, fantasizing about living amongst them - Lot's wife, who disobeyed her husband, looked back at Sodom, and was turned into a pillar of salt, and Jonah, who lived for three days inside a whale. Although I'm not even five years old, I question how this is possible. I wonder what it must have felt like. It sounds all so terribly frightening and very exciting at the same time.

  Chapter 2, Father's Touch by Donald D'Haene

  Edited by - morrisamb on 3 February 2003 9:28:4
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  84

  DEVASTED by Wife Leaving...

  by confuzcious in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  thanks for the advice guys...edited by - confuzcious on 31 january 2003 11:51:20.

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  morrisamb

  When I first started reading the responses, I was going "Say what?", but then I kept reading and found the voice of reason, age and wisdom (ie. Thank you LB!)

  I hope you don't take offense, but perhaps counselling would help you focus on your role in the disentigration of your marriage.

  The fact that a woman "lies down with her husband" after learning of his extramarital affairs should equate eternal forgiveness looks good on paper but doesn't mesh with reality.

  This ranks up there with my father telling my mother she couldn't divorce him because she knew of all his sins (he actually listed 3 or 4 sexual acts which did not involve my mother) and then had sex with him. Buloney! One copulation equals a clean slate? That's a very narcissitic view of the world and relationships. In fact my father had just became a born-again Christian (yeah, right) and was using Mother's Witness beliefs against her.

  The truth is my mother wasn't allowed to feel the pain of my father's betrayal. I don't think she did until way after the end of the marriage.

  My father is on his fifth marriage and he still blames all four ex-wives for their individual ends (although he does mix it up a bit...he blames the first wife for the end of 2-4!).

  You can't change the past but you can learn from it; acknowledge the role you played in it. You'd be surprised how many people will respect you for it.
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  68

  There is a rat on this forum

  by jesusstolemyhotrod in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think someone on this forum is a rat....or troll as i think they are called.. i am sitting at home last night watching fear factor, and there was a knock at the door.. i opened it to find two elders from my old hall.

  they did not seem very sincere when they apologized for disturbing me without notice.. they said the purpose of there visit was to just to check up on me, find out if my circumstances or opinions had changed.

  we ended up in a huge conversation about my "inactivity", they wanted to know if there was anything keeping or holding me back from the truth, and wanted to know if there was anything i needed to get of my chest, cause guilt has away of keeping people back.

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  morrisamb

  One of my friends quietly walked away as I did...He was never disf. One day, he confided in a Witness who used to work with him and had been away for years, some of the events of his current life (girlfriend, etc). Right away, the Witness says.."You had sex with that girl...I think I should report this to the Elders."

  My friend was sweating buckets until he called me.

  I said, "You don't know that He WILL go to the Elders. You've said he isn't that strong in "the truth". And even if he did, can these strange men called Elders make you talk to them? Can they make you go to a "meeting"? You've been away for years. And if you don't acknowledge them, talk to them, etc., you won't have to deny anything."

  My friend said he never thought of it that way. The guy didn't go to the Elders.

  It's amazing the power they have over us if we give it to them. Everyone must find their own way...there is no one rule fits all.

  My siblings and I and the people who love me think it is insane that we are disf. or disassoc. None of us recognize this state. It means nothing. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt when I'm in the frozen food section in a store and someone delights in giving me the snub just to remind me of my 'status'. But just because someone says something negative about us doesn't mean they are right.

  This thread reminds me I should be sending a thank you card to my former therapist. God, where would I be without his nondenominational help!
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  21

  Joe Millionaire

  by happyout in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  oh my god!!!!!!!!!!!!

  what, exactly, was going on last night?????

  quick update in case you didn't see it, evan and sarah had a date (nice date), but then later that night, they decided to ditch the camera crew in the woods.

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  morrisamb

  Maurice got me watching it last week and last night. Last week, I said to him, "So where are the rest of the girls?"..'cause I couldn't believe those 5 were the pick of the litter so to speak.

  Then last night, (forgive my making mistakes with names) he dumps Mojo 'cause of the $1 mil. check to herself...I thought she was great with the fencing.

  Melissa was great last week at the Eiffel Tower but I was hoping she'd get the boot last night...I don't think it matters that she can't cook..(I can't even boil water)..it's her spirit that drove me nuts...Evan did all the work...but the camera caught her whinny self and then later her comments to the other girls were not impressive...She deserved the boot.

  Zorra I like but I find it strange that someone of such "character" would join this show which she knows will be televised with cameras covering her every move, and then say she didn't feel like opening up to Evan (last week). She sure doesn't want to get voted off though.

  I think Sarah and Evan had great chemistry.

  Evan reminds me of a good looking version of Jerry Springer...He does the show for the fame and money, yet can't stop himself from moralizing on the characters of his guests!

  Give me a break
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  90

  Would You Kiss A Smoker?

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just wondering!.

  i remember when i was about 16 having a snog with a girl who smoked.

  it really was like sticking your tongue into an old ash tray.

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  morrisamb

  I do and have for 6 years. M smokes; I don't.

  I was at the dentist having my teeth cleaned and this subject came up;

  Dental Assistant: "How can you live with someone who smokes? I'd never."

  Me: "You know what? I've had 4 serious relationships in my life. The first three didn't smoke; I never thought I'd go with a smoker. I'm happier with the smoker than with the first 3 combined!"

  Guess, I answered the question.
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  15

  Clergy privilege and JWs

  by Lady Lee in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i just read a couple of threads related to this topic but would like some comments directly related to the issue of clergy privilege (c-p) and the jws.. if clergy penitent privilege refers to the right for a member of the clergy to remain silent concerning criminal acts disclosed to him by the person who committed the criminal act then does this privilege apply to jw elders?.

  if a victim of abuse or their family goes to an elder to disclose they are the victim of abuse in the congregation and asking for assistance does c-p apply?

  if the elder goes to the accused and asks him whether he did it and the accused says "no" was there a confession requiring c-p?.

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  morrisamb

  Great thread Lady Lee, and interesting article Disfellowshipped.

  It's interesting that in my case, the Elders never brought up CP. When asked why they didn't report to authorities, they said, "We didn't know it was against the law."

  I loved your point Lady L about what if someone accuses another, doesn't an Elder go to the accused to see if it's true.

  And Disf's article shows how society's rules can be broken to uncover a sinner.

  Too bad they don't break a supposed CP to uncover a criminal!
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  5

  Author Seeks JW Rape Victims re: "Screamin...

  by abbagail in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  this request is from mike pence, who is "one of us," and who was at the silentlambs march in brooklyn: .

  posted: wed jan 22, 2003 5:39 pm.

  post subject: seeking victims of rape who had to face the elders.

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  morrisamb

  Thank you for posting that info. Undisfel.! Although it made me sick to my stomach.

  I wouldn't know what to highlight because it's all incredible. It's amazing to me, all those years I was a victim I listened to this as a Witness..of course, if you read my book, you'd know I completely detached from my experiences. I lived in two separate worlds...

  I'm sure I'm not alone (my siblings didn't make a connection either) in that I never thought of myself as a victim of rape as a child/young teenager.

  A reporter just asked me, why did you leave the Witnesses? I said, "'Cause I didn't want to go where my siblings weren't going."

  Later he asked, how did you feel when the Elders didn't do anything? I said, "You know that's the real answer to your previous question. When the Elders sent us home to our molester, that was the beginning of the end - the real day we lost our faith."
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  31

  Who are the best vocalists?

  by heathen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recently the rock and roll world declared that robert plant is the all time greatest vocalist .

  i think i agree with this but i also think guys like elvis and paul mcartney diserve a place in that catagory .

  who else do you think would qualify for mention here?

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  morrisamb

  Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, young Frank Sinatra, early Barbara Streisand

  Jann Arden, Sarah Mckachlan, Celine Dion
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  75

  Name Something Positive About Being A Witness

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  can you do it?

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  morrisamb

  Hey, love this thread!

  Email, I still don't know how to tie a tie...I would play naive, get an Elder to tie one for me, pretending I was paying attention, then keep the tie like that for years..I swear I had some still tied until Maurice threw them out when we met!!!

  I enjoyed all your thoughts!

  I say my experience is what it is..there's nothing I can do to change it...so I look for positives...

  ...If I don't believe in something, you can torture me and I won't change my mind or say different

  ...I can spot a preacher a mile off

  ...I studied the Bible (many religions's followers don't actually read the book!)

  ...and on a serious note, I really believe I'd be dead from AIDS...'cause I came out in 86, left the Witnesses in '85 and I knew all about safe sex by that point...I know several gay Witnesses who left younger (I was 25) and experimented and died way too young.
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  2

  Attention Artists! Great Idea

  by Francois in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  maybe you could take this and switch it around to fit the jws?.

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  morrisamb

  They say that the injured party should own the joke...I was a victim and I think this is very funny...thanks Francois