Mum

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Posts by Mum

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  35

  Don't You Think It's Odd That "Jehovah" Was Invented By A Catholic Monk?...

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  and that jehovah's witnesses are proud to use that name?.

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  Mum

  When I was a dub, I came to realize that everything about JW's was modeled on the Roman Catholic heirarchy and organizational structure. President of the society = Pope; GB = college of cardinals; Bethelites = nuns and priests; DO - cardinal; CO = bishop; CO = parish priest; Elders and MS's = deacons. In her book, Visions of Glory: a History and a Memory of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Barbara Grizutti Harrison pointed out that the JW's were just like the Catholic Church of the middle ages.

  No, I'm not at all surprised. Without Catholicism, the JW's wouldn't know how to operate at all.
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  52

  My Child Has Asked Me to Divorce Husband

  by HeyThere in

  1. social
  2. family

  i guess i am just venting.

  its a mess.

  i just dont even know where to start with this crap.

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  Mum

  If you decide against divorce, you and your child must go to counseling to maintain some level of sanity. Personally, I believe the well-being of a child trumps marriage for the sake of that institution itself. I don't know your child, but if she's typical, she is quite desparate to want her parents separated.

  Best wishes to you and your child.
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  60

  Midweek Meetings no longer Necessary

  by Tech49 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am sure we have all seen the recent letter to the boe concerning the change that will take place to the meeting arrangement during the week of the co visit.

  to recap the basics: the meeting that usually contains the cong bible study (book study) and a co talk will be discontinued, publishers are encouraged to use their family worship night that week to cover book study material.. so here is a point that i think has been missed, or not even considered:.

  if that particular meeting is hereby deleted from the schedule, the co and his wife will never ever have to participate in or go to another "book study", or "bible study" night again.

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  Mum

  It may be, in reality, that the WT is running out of steam in creating new fantasies for their followers to "study." A certain level of intelligence and creativity is involved, and it does not appear that the current GB has either.
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  6

  Spiritual people are more likely to be mentally ill, but at least they think life has more meaning.

  by HB in

  1. social
  2. current

  as an aside to the recent thread discussing what 'spirit' is, this article is about 18 months old, but may be of interest if you haven't seen it before.. the study (or at least this summary of it described on the mail online news website), doesn't define what exactly is meant by a 'spiritual' person, but i personally take it as a very broad term covering everything from new age hippies who feel they have a relationship with the energy of the universe or those who are striving to reach innner calm by meditating and living a simple life communing with nature, to beliefs in astrology, feng shui, and a host of other paranormal phenomena, plus many shades in between.

  some 'spiritual' beliefs are obvioulsy just superstitions, but others are currently neither provable nor disprovable by science.

  maybe it's open to debate, but i guess if a belief can be demonstrated as 100% true by science, it's not considered 'spiritual'.. one interesting point is that apparently unlike some surveys undertaken in the us, this one from the uk found "no clear relationship between religious belief and happiness".. hope this doesn't offend anyone who considers themselves spiritual, that's really not my intention; but at least it's not branding anyone as "mentally diseased"!.

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  Mum

  I know a person who claims to be "spiritual." She smokes like a chimney, drinks like a fish, loses her temper at the drop of a hat, and has been a stripper and a prostitute. She is uneducated and loud and boisterous. She has made me understand that "being spiritual" is not for me.
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  18

  How long have you been an online "apostate?"

  by Faithful Witness in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i really do not like that word (apostate), as used to represent someone who decided to remove themselves, or was removed from the influence of the watchtower... but i am curious.. how long have websites like these been in existence?

  when did this movement begin?.

  personally, how long did it take for you to dare exploring information outside the watchtower publications, about jehovah's witnesses (especially online)?.

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  Mum

  My daughter found H2O in 1997, after we finally got a computer. I really enjoyed posting there and reading the intelligent observations of other posters there. I actually left the borg in 1979. I'm happy this online support system exists for people leaving now. I'm sure it makes the transition to a more normal life much easier.
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  34

  I be a walkin......

  by out4good3 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  across that stage tommorrow dressed in graduate garb picking up a masters degree.. .

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  Mum

  You make apostates look good! Congratulations!
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  31

  Smoking

  by FL_Panthers in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i heard that the witnesses used to smoke back in the day.

  is this true?

  if so, what was the reasoning behind this?.

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  Mum

  I believe the ban on smoking came about, as hoser said, for purposes of the public image of JW's. As a non-smoker, I can tell you that smokers can smell bad and have disgusting breath! I once had a job helping people look up information, and sometimes had to stand pretty close to help them interpret civi engineering drawings. Sometimes I almost gagged when standing next to a heavy smoker. Being clean, beardless, presentable and not smelly makes a "good" JW.
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  10

  I met two Mormons today

  by Quarterback in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  while going on my walk this morning, i saw two female members of the mormon faith coming towards me.

  as they got closer they initiated the conversation.. i stopped getting into arguments a long time ago with people about beleifs, so we just had a friendly chat, in the end of our conversation, they gave me a card.

  do you know what that card was about?.

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  Mum

  Quarterback: You should see the old episode of South Park in which one of the kids is converted to Mormonism by his school chum. His biggest desire is to have "family home evening" like his friend. The guys who write South Park are ex-Mormons. I'm going to see their play, "The Book of Mormon" in July.
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  120

  A serving elder's take on the new "tithing" arrangement

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the gb can kiss my ass.. i'm writing "0" on the little slip of paper they pass out.. hey here's a thought:.

  you know that "widow's might" stuff they're always talking about?

  well i'm pretty dang sure that the lady was giving from the heart not because she filled out some dumba$$ piece of paper pledging two small coins several months previous!.

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  Mum

  I don't think it's good to have anything like a pledge to donate money in writing. I don't know if they would resort to a lawsuit, but they're FULL iof surprises. Even if they didn't file a lawsuit, they could call you into their kangaroo court and brand you a liar, say you breached your contract, or something similar. They're covering their butts somehow or other, or they wouldn't ask for a WRITTEN pledge. More oppresseive changes to come, I'm sure!
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  35

  What do you do when your job makes you wanna puke your face off?

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm talking like makes you physically sick and emotionally frazzled just thinking about it.

  i'm talking like you hate it to the point you'd rather go without than work at it just for the money.

  you'd live on cheap korean packet noodles for the next year instead of exchanging your labor for this job's money.. well, this is how i feel about teaching and tutoring.

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  Mum

  If you have clerical skills, you might be able to work for a temp agency. There are many such agencies in the U.S., and I have worked for them many times when I was between jobs. You could also make up business cards with a list of your skills and distribute them. Is there a state employment agency where you live? They sometimes have networking meetings, at least here in the U.S. We also have networking clubs. If you have enough money, doing temporary work might give you enough to tide you over until it's tourist season again.

  Do you live near a college? If so, you might take some classes to learn a new skill. They might also be able to administer vocational interest tests to determine what type of employment you are suited for.

  I hope these suggestions can get you started toward something you really like.

  Best wishes!