Posts by Mum

37

I need some serious advice...

by confusedteenager in

jw
friends

i'm almost a year out of high school and of course, i'm not in college.

i'm a pioneer (sigh) with little to no work experience and having a really hard time finding any work.

i want to go back to college, but it's going to be difficult now that i'm a pioneer, and my parents cannot really afford the loans that will incur should i pursue going to college.

Mum

Is there a community college where you live? That would be a good place to get started.

I recommend that you go to your high school guidance counselor or an officer at the nearest community college or university and ask them to administer some vocational interest tests, such as the Strong's Interest Inventory. There may be some tests online that you can take for free as well. Google "vocational interest tests" and "free online MBTI." The MBTI is like a personality test, telling you what you're likely to be good at as well.

There is a lot of financial aid available, some of which does not have to be paid back. Do not go deeply into debt to get your degree. It would be better to work part-time and go to school part-time.

You can start slowly by taking just one or two core curriculum classes, such as English and History. Everyone has to take those, so it's good to get them out of the way while you're deciding on what your major will be.

Warning: Do not go to a proprietary school, but do go to a state-run college or university. Those schools that advertise a lot and promise you the world have low academic standards, and I've seen people graduate from them knowling no mare than they did when they started. They are also super expensive, whereas your state university is publicly funded and tuition is kept as low as possible.

A poster on this board who calls himself Balaamsass has stated that he would like to start a fund to help JW's go to college. I don't know him personally, but you might want to PM him to see if he can help you get started. Also contact AAWA (jwactivists.org). They are a new association set up to help JW's. They are brand new, and may not have much money in their coffers yet.

Above all, don't get discouraged and don't give up. I graduated from college at age 37, after leaving the JW's at 32 and starting over. I had some help - lots of it.

I hope what I've said will get you started

14

What if most of the R&F Jdubs upped and left ?

by Phizzy in

i know a mass exodus is about as likely as peace between the arabs and israelis, but just imagine if it did happen, most of the r&f jdubs, and in fact most of the r&f of any religion.. the nasty guys at the top would be left up the proverbial creek with no paddle.. therefore it is the rank and file members of any religion that keep it going, so they are, if ignorantly and without malice, supporting the nasty guys.. the gb of the wt, the mad mullahs, the pope and his coterie of kiddy-fiddlers would all come crashing down.. therefore i shall no longer make excuses for the r&f of any movement that is rotten, they may be ignorant, but that is no excuse, and by supporting the edifice they are as guilty as the perpetrators who suicide bomb, murder abortion performing doctors, and all the child abusers within these organizations.. if you give your support just a little bit you have to carry some of the blame.. .

Mum

It is mostly women who support churches, i.e., attend and do the dirty work. Without the support of women to give the men something / someone to be in charge of, almost all churches would implode.

166

i think i found a church

by unstopableravens in

i really enjoyed church today, i have been visting serevel in the last few weeks, all the ones i have been to have been okay, but no more, but today i felt comfortable with everything i seen.

it seemed very doctrinally sound, christ centered and the big bonus i did not hear a word about money!

they did not pass a plate(i dont know if they do but today there was none).

Mum

Please be wary. Learn from your JW experience. A neighbor (brought up Mormon) and I once discussed churches we would attend. We agreed that mainline churches were all we would consider - Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Mehtodist, Baptist (even there, you have to be careful - e.g., Westboro "Baptist"), etc. You get the picture.

In the town I recently moved away from, there was a strong trend toward non-denominational churches. I went to one that was right next door to where I lived. I learned that they had an attitude that women should stay "in their place," so I didn't go back.

I usually don't go to church, but when I do (usually Episcopal), I feel renewed and ready to take on the world again.

Remember the People's Temple - a great PR program but a tragic end.

9

You Might Be a Jehovahs Witness if

by StinkyPantz2.0 in

.

if a pioneer is not a stereo.. if new light never requires batteries.. if a tract has nothing to do with land.. if the new system isnt a car stereo.. if a great crowd isnt an easy to please audience.. if the friends are people you may or may not know.. if you can have a bible study without pulling out a bible.. if memorial day isnt in may.. if starting your time has nothing to do with getting paid or going to prison.. if you spent five days at a baseball stadium, and never saw a single pitch.. for more click here..

Mum

You could start a career as a comedienne with this list. Jeff Foxworthy would envy your wit!

14

This weeks WT study

by turtleturtle in

do you appreciate our spiritual heritage?.

para.

16. if a person clings to false doctrines, such as the trinity and the immortality of the soul, he cannot benefit from the ransom.

Mum

It's just the Thought Police. A person's life should be judged on what they do, not what they think.

Down with the thought police, up with the Behavior Police!

91

Your worst convention experience.

by zeb in

by a split second rescuing our handicapped son from being pushed down the stairs by a flood of sisters rushing out to see as the drama had started.. the main offender being a special pioneer..

Mum

When my daughter was about 4 years old (circa 1976), there was a circuit assembly in the next town. My then-husband went earlier than I did (maybe because there was a session for elders and MS's only).

It was a 20+ mile drive to the assembly site, so I dressed my 4-year-old in pants and a comfortable top. When I arrived at the assembly and found my husband, was he glad to see us? No, he was upset because I had dressed the little one in pants! Instead of being repentant, I was aghast at how ridiculous he was being. He told me he had enough "problems" already. Is what a toddler wears a "problem?:

It turned out that he got a speeding ticket on his way to the assembly site, and decided to take it out on me. Well, I didn't tell him to drive too fast!

6

Jehovahs Witness Documentary - Search for Paradise

by TJ Curioso in

http://youtu.be/aiwrd_6krcg.

Mum

Poor Benny! I wonder what he makes of the parable of the talents. He has convinced himself that he is still an artist.

Most of us would do anything to have that artistic talent, but he's just flushing it down the toilet for an illusion.

We're here for you, Benny, when you wake up and smell the coffee! Prince and Michael Jackson had successful, lucrative careers while being JW's.

1

A Medical/Psychological WEDGE against disfellowshipping

by Terry in

brothers and sisters in the congregation may have an "out".. if they get disfellowshipped for asking too many questions or demanding answers seemingly disloyal there may be a medical/psychological reason.. this is a wedge to being re-instated because it is discrimination to shun people for simply being "different" when it is not their own choosing.. .

welcom to asperger's syndrome.. i have it.

my son has it.. i never knew it existed until my son started having difficulty with his teachers at school.. he wouldn't take their word or their authority for granted and he was seen as insubordinate.. .

Mum

Once again, Terry, you nailed it.

I am an "Aspie" as well, although I have, through many years of lacking a support system and having to make it on my own in the world, learned to appear almost normal socially.

In my childhood pictures, I am rarely smiling, but just standing there looking blankly into the camera, whereas my outgoing sister has a big smile and a charming pose. I was very withdrawn as a child but tended to do very well in school and have high test scores. Teachers loved me because I was abnormally quiet and made few demands.

Just a few years ago, my mom told me that my sister was "funny, outgoing, and charismatic" but that I was "standoffish." Nevertheless, I wouldn't trade places with my sister for anything.

I learned that I was an "Aspie" on JWN when Mulan posted about her son who had Asperger's. I googled it and got a description that fit me to a "T."

Thanks for sticking up for us.

4

Empty Cartons well past the sell-by date

by Terry in

lurking elders abound on jw.net.

curiousity killed the cat...but, not them!.

they come to sniff out the forbidden zone and indulge themselves as covert peeping toms.. they survey the damage by peeking in on us--their victims!.

Mum

Wow, Terry! You are so full of truth. I'm glad you're sharing it with us and with "them." Bless you for this post.

24

Post your favourite preacher

by barry in

jw
friends

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbiaytidf-0.

Mum

My two grandfathers were both country preachers in east Tennessee. Well, it beats coal mining. I must say, though, both of them were sincere, good, honest men who walked the walk and were pretty open-minded given their level of education and isolation from the rest of society.

If the Dalai Lama is a preacher, he is probably my current favorite.