i don't mean to sound morbid, but we're all mortal.
just as we are wise if we plan for our financial future, we are also wise if we plan for our demise (timely or otherwise), so that our relatives know our wishes and are not burdened with difficult decisions in the case a fatal event befalls us.
so for those of us who are currently unchurched -- we all know that if you wish to "tie the knot" you can quite easily get a "justice of the peace" to perform a wedding.
I am going to give suggestions rather than instructions, and this only in case those I leave behind want them. The funeral (or memorial service as it is more commonly referred to now) is for the comfort of the living. If my daughter and her family do not like my suggestions, and they probably won't, that's fine because I plan to be enjoying whatever comes next.
Let's hope it's a long way off....
yep, i was hit by the powerball fever.
i'm talking about the powerball lottery for those not in the 25 states participating.
i bought my tickets today and the numbers will be called tomorrow night.
My son-in-law, who lives in the gambling capital of Las Vegas, drove to Arizona to buy some tickets. Sweet irony of life, eh?
Hope he wins!
i have heard of this event before, and it was referred to in an xmas song.
it is consistent with what i know of that era.. in 1914, on christmas eve, british and german soldiers laid down their arms (they were in a battle) and celebrated christmas.
they exchanged gifts and celebrated together.
Thanks for the post, Richard. In my college history class, I remember the professor telling us that the American Civil War was the last "gentlemen's war." It seems that in days of yore, men (before women took up arms) on both sides of a conflict would have coffee together, trade stories and be quite friendly, then go back to fighting. It seems strange to us, but we are products of our times in so many ways.
This brings to mind the poem entitled (if I recall correctly) "The Man He Killed." I think A.E. Housman was the poet. Look it up on the net and read it if you don't remember it.
Merry Christmas,
SandraC
not to be rude, but why is it you all knock on people's doors?
don't find that annoying?
would you like it if satanists or muslims knocked on your door trying to convert you?
Merry Christmas, Pierre. Welcome to the forum. We love having the input of someone who was never a JW. Thanks for showing up today.
When it comes to "organized" religion, JW's have the organized part down better than organized crime. There is a definite pecking order, lots of propaganda speeches and pep talks to keep the rank & file from getting off track. Some of the reasons JW's would give you for going from door to door probably would be something like love of neighbor, to sound the warning of the end/Armageddon, zeal for "the truth," or something similar. The truth is that JW's are watched and spied upon by one another and are under tremendous pressure to distribute literature and conduct so-called Bible studies to make new converts. Most of them are just like you, and, if they were honest with themselves, would rather do just about anything but knock on doors and intrude on people's family celebrations.
Many of us here were brought up as JW's while others were sucked in at a low point in our lives or because we did not feel connected with others in a positive way. The JW's give people a cause, something greater than themselves to devote themselves to. (See The True Believer by Eric Hoffer).
Try to be kind to the JW's. They're lost, with all of their hopes tied up in a corrupt organization. But while being kind, don't hesitate to plant some doubt in their minds about what they're doing.
Regards,
SandraC
what was under your tree this morning?.
it's snowing here in tn.
which is what i wanted!!!.
Thanks for asking. I got some of my favorite hand cream, (Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater), pearl earrings, some useless cutie pie stuff, a nice hat, and lots of merriment with my roommate's family.
Merry Christmas to all!
SandraC
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my jw sister is causing problems with my dad's death this past saturday..she is down in florida, where my parents live, went there on a pleasure trip to begin with, then our dad passed (as i wrote) unexpectedly..now, she is pressuring my mom to have a viewing and a 'talk' by some jw's and my mom does not want this..my sister is one of those 'double life' jw's..she says unkind things about me behind my back, re: my illness(as my mom has told me), but she has been 'engaged' for 4 yrs.to a 'worldly guy' and we all know they sleep together, etc.,then she turns around and acts like she's miss spirituality..for her to do what she's doing now, well i don't know what to do..i want my mom and dad's wishes to be #1, and for her to try and pressure my mom into a service, also without giving me a chance to be there, well i'm not feeling too good at this point..thank you all so much for your replies, e-mails and love..don't know what i would do without you guys.
Nancy, I'm so sorry you are going through what you are. It's enough to lose a loved one without this family dissension. Why would the witnesses even consent to forcing themselves on a grieving widow with a funeral service she does not want? Does your sister say they are willing to do this? I know JW elders can be pushy, but this is 'way over the line!
If your sister won't stop harassing your mother in her hour of sorrow, would a restraining order be appropriate? This is a tough situation. I'm thinking of your mom's welfare, even though I know the restraining order idea sounds a bit harsh.
With love and sympathy,
SandraC
the washingtonpost carried a very powerful article on religion in china and it's growth-- for many years there is-- no god-- has been the offical position of the state- .
many persons believe that man has an inward desire to worship, while others feel it is merely a result of the suffering of man, that he looks for something better and thruout history one of the roles of religion has always been to promise it's followers a better life for temporary suffering now.
and any quick review of the lives of folks in china clearly shows that they need a hope and religion does sell hope- as jesse jackson said: "keep hope alive".
Blaming anyone is pointless. The only thing to do, in the words of a familiar song, is "pick yourself up, dust yourself off, start all over again." I am sorry that I had to go through the experience of being a JW, and many other unpleasant experiences, to become who I am today. But life offers no shortcuts: we all have to make our own mistakes, and, if we're smart, learn from them.
Merry Christmas to all!
SandraC
i'm a newbie here.
but not a newbie to being a jw.
i was raised as one.
Attending the Memorial every year, passing the "emblems" on to the next partaker, established a good habit, so that I will also pass on the Kool-Aid when it comes around.
so far for me this is really turning into an exercise of frustration.
i feel like screaming
Sorry, Leander, for what you're dealing with. But LB is right: no exercise, particularly of the oral mechanism, is probably best.
comments you will not hear at the 12-22-02 wt study.
november 1, 2002 watchtower page 14. christians neutrals in the last days .
john 17:16: "they are no part of the world, just as i am no part of the world.".
Thanks for all of your "comments you won't hear" posts, Blondie, as well as your other great posts.
I was just thinking about the issue of "neutrality" today in conjunction with George W. Bush's statement that "You are either with us or against us." I remember those Bible studies the JW's had with my parents when I was a child, and this matter came up. I can remember being taken aback because of my mother's "answer" to one of the questions in the book (was it Let God Be True?) that "There is no middle ground."
It seems that JW's allow themselves the option of neutrality, but disallow it to others. Fence sitting (when, in reality, there is LOTS of it) is not allowed as to acceptance of JW dogma. Then JW's are told to sit on the fence as regards the stuff that really does affect their daily lives.
