Posts by Mum

The "second-rate" nations have health care, long vacations, and don't think they have to save the world by participating in every conflict across the globe. I look forward to the day when we become "second-rate."

151

If you don't believe in God where do you get the strength to cope?

by Miss.Fit in

jw
friends

i know there are some here that are going through some tough times.

some of you do not believe in god.

some are not sure.. i was told recently by a friend to pray to god for help and he would comfort me.. my first impulse is to pray.

Mum

Google "Desiderata" and read it. It says that "you are a child of the universe, the same as the flowers and the trees; you have a right to be here. At the end, it says that "despite of all the sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it's still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy."

Are you doing things to make yourself happy? Is there something you would like to learn and enjoy doing? Playing music? Sewing or knitting? Writing? Taking classes at your local college? The world is full of possibilities. Join a club or just drop in at your community center and see what activities they have. Exercise is especially good for depression.

If you need to pray, just do it. Whether anyone is listening or not, you will unburden yourself of your anxiety.

Best wishes for a happier future.

18

I am a loser

by zed is dead in

jw
friends

i just thought of something.

i have spent most of my life feeling like i am a loser.

i have been compensating for those messages most of my adult life.

Mum

Most people go through life as "losers" of one kind or another. It's simply the human experience. I have lost friends, jobs, my home, members of my family, financial security, and, I am sure, other things I can't recall. I lost years of my life to a cult.

There are many things I have not lost as well. Before labor unioin activism, many people lost their lives earning a living. Every day young men lose their lives on battlefields in various parts of the world. If you're still breathing in and out, you're not one of the biggest losers.

Just another loser,

Mum

14

We are (not) representatives of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

by VM44 in

at one time jws were issued minister identification cards such as the s-65 in which it is officially stated that the bearer "is a representative of the watch tower bible and tract society of pennsylvania.. now, the watchtower specifically tells the publishers not to say they are representatives of the watchtower!.

when did this 180 degree change take place?.

here is the text that appears on the front of the s-65 "minister identification card.".

Mum

To paraphrase Mark Twain, with ignorance and confidence, success is sure.

32

Lurkers/faders in the US - a heads up on next week's service meeting (Warwick HQ project to be discussed)

by cedars in

hi folks.

atlantis has very kindly let me see a copy of the aug 21, 2013 letter to all bodies of elders in the united states.. they are being instructed to re-organize the service meeting for the week commencing september 2nd (next week) to include a special recruitment talk to attract skilled volunteer workers for the new warwick hq.. an interesting feature of the letter is its comparison of the project with nehemiah's rebuilding of the walls of jerusalem.

considering the relocation of hq is financially motivated more than anything, the analogy is more than a little bewildering.. here is a scan of the opening comments of the two-page outline, to be given in the next local needs item.... .

Mum

The prime real estate in Brooklyn Heights is not "in ruins." That's a false analogy, to say the least.

47

My Jimi Hendrix experience

by confusedandalone in

as a 13 year old a friend of mine had a jimi hendrix record and told me if we play it backwards that they said words.

he bought the record from a shop not far from where we lived and we were the only family that still had a record player.

so we played the record and i spun it backwards andnothing happened.

Mum

My previous post was 3 paragraphs, but it's showing up all run together. Sorry, not my fault.

47

My Jimi Hendrix experience

by confusedandalone in

as a 13 year old a friend of mine had a jimi hendrix record and told me if we play it backwards that they said words.

he bought the record from a shop not far from where we lived and we were the only family that still had a record player.

so we played the record and i spun it backwards andnothing happened.

Mum

confusedandalone: The Proctor & Gamble weirdness took place in the '80's. Supposedly, a company representative of P&G was on the Phil Donahue Show and said the symbol on the P&G products was somehow associated with the occult or "demons" in JW vernacular. I could not find anyone who had actually seen the show, but they all knew somebody who knew somebody else who had seen it. ;-) Anyway, my parents (who became JW's after I had already exited - weird family) quit buying Crisco, Duncan Hines cake mix and other P&G products. So did lots of otherwise intelligent people who believed themselves to be Christians. For all their faults, my parents did not shun me. They had known me my entire life, and knew what a goody two-shoes I had always been, so they blamed my JW husband for my exit from the Watchtower. So I had the opportunity to tell them that an inked picture of a crescent moon and stars had no power. They did not believe me, of course. Nevertheless, a few weeks later, my mom started using P&G products again. She explained it with, "Well, now they're ("they" was never identified) saying that's just a lot of bull." Oh, the reasoning skills of Christians!

18

Theocratic Ministry School Review night?

by FadeToBlack in

jw
friends

how can i tell without even looking at the schedule that it is time for the review?

my wife decides she is not going to the meeting.

she told me earlier this week we had an invitation for dinner/drinks with one of our neighbors down the street.

Mum

Written review was part of the pseudo-intellectual aspect of being a JW that I actually liked. I don't recall heavy absence on written review night at either of the two congregations I attended. Nor do I recall anybody making a big deal about scores or grading the papers. I do recall walking to the restroom once and seeing the written review page of an elder's teenage son. He was just sitting there, looking bored, and not writing answers to the questions. Scrawled across the page in capital letters was one word: FOOT. That was probably his version of an "F" word.