Yes, larc, but another point to consider is if you were 'lovable' as a JW and you left - instead of knocking on doors preaching a message of death perhaps now you spend time helping charities? Instead of being a drain on society you now give at least a little back? Just one example.
NameWithheld
JoinedPosts by NameWithheld
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146
Friends we are too unbalanced.
by sleepy inwell sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .
we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.
we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .
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16
Pioneering
by ItsJustMe injust out of curiosity, was anyone here ever a pioneer?
what motivated you to pioneer?
what made you get off the list?
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NameWithheld
I did it 'cause I was young and it was the only way my parents would allow me some freedoms - my own car, no one to answer to during those times I was supposed to be out in the field. In other words, being out in FS was better then being stuck at home. Also, all the other kids were doing it And finally because it made me look better to the congo. Like you said, was a way to try and get into the think of things, though I still always seemed to be excluded from much anyway.
I got off because it was so freaking hellasious, boring, stressful, repetative. Also because I wanted to work and make some money. And because I felt hypocritical being out in FS when I hated it more than I could say. And the fact that the last 2 years of my pioneering I was out for long 10 hours days alone - fun fun fun! All the other pioneers were freaks. And I felt it was a useless waste of time, which it was.
Do I regret it? I don't know. I wish I had been in school instead. It did acomplish goal #1, getting out of the house. But once that novelty wore off the downside was worse than being stuck at home.
As for driving up and leaving when seeing which cars where there - you'd better beleive it!!!! I ran like a scalded dog. Or sometimes was purposfully 'late' so as to miss the arranged meeting ...
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146
Friends we are too unbalanced.
by sleepy inwell sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .
we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.
we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .
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NameWithheld
Tina described what the general consensus of humanity would consider 'good'. Just because lot's of non-JWs are 'bad' (as evidenced in the newspaper) doesn't excuse the 'bad' the JWs do. In a simple sense they suck the blood out of their community and give nothing back (literal blood and figuratively). That's not 'good'. That helps nobody.
As for the newspaper, of course there's lot's of 'bad' there - that's what sells papers. You don't read in the paper about the person who just donated $100 to Red Cross. Or helped a homeless person w/ a meal or a $1 or 2. Or the shelters. This concept of the world being SO evil is left in your mind from JW days - where they pounded that into your head. Yes, the average person makes themselves priority #1 - you have to to surive. But the vast majority of people in the world are not out trying to harm others. If they were we really would be in a mess.
When it somes to community responsibility the JWs take, take, take, take and return nothing. Not even among themselves - where the standard response of the elders to a Jw in need is 'what gov't resorces have you checked into'?
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A Bittersweet Day
by TR inlast week i sold my beloved 1996 husaberg fe 501 to a guy in virginia, over 3000 miles from where i live.
he saw the ad i placed on the internet.
today i took the bike to the shipper to be loaded and sent back east.
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NameWithheld
Ah, but that's the beauty of riding in the dirt - you can do so even when it's quite cold out - so while the street bikes are napping on the battery tender the dirt bike's out getting dirty!
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Friends we are too unbalanced.
by sleepy inwell sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .
we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.
we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .
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NameWithheld
Define 'good' and 'better'!
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10 REASONS WHY JWS STAY IN THE TOWER
by Victor_E inreason 1. jws use a cultic language that keeps them in a constant state of social hypnosis.
transformational grammar teaches that our language directly affects our subjective experience.
in working with some former jws i had to confiscate certain words and have them create substitutes for something that was more neutral.
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NameWithheld
Show me a JW who was told NOT to sell their house and car and business 'in the few short remaining months' before 1975 ...
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A Bittersweet Day
by TR inlast week i sold my beloved 1996 husaberg fe 501 to a guy in virginia, over 3000 miles from where i live.
he saw the ad i placed on the internet.
today i took the bike to the shipper to be loaded and sent back east.
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NameWithheld
When I'm not making sparks I like to ride the dirt too - mostly trail riding not moto-cross as I ride a 4 stroker <insert lame joke here> That Husaberg sounds like a REALLY sweet machine.
I don't ride on the street too much anymore as the mini-van moms are crazy! So mostly trail and track. But I think you'd enjoy a sport touring style bike, more fun and all the comfort. Crusiers tend to hurt my back after a while.
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A Bittersweet Day
by TR inlast week i sold my beloved 1996 husaberg fe 501 to a guy in virginia, over 3000 miles from where i live.
he saw the ad i placed on the internet.
today i took the bike to the shipper to be loaded and sent back east.
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NameWithheld
Or get one of these ...
<removed for bandwidth>
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New topic: What's Erich smokin?
by NameWithheld in'cause i want some - it's powerful stuff.
what's this about don adams opening new scrolls of technology??
huh?
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NameWithheld
Bwaaaahaahahahaahahaaahhaaa!!!!!!
This guy has taken top fruitcake honors right out from under YK. (Booby better get crackin' if he wants the title back ... before Erich get some more of this stuff he's smoking ...)
FACT: New order is coming huh? Tell me, what's your deluded definition of the word fact? = fantasy?
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Friends we are too unbalanced.
by sleepy inwell sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .
we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.
we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .
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NameWithheld
I agree Farkle, the debate has become 'are JWs evil' which becomes impossible to discuss since the entire concept of 'evil' is so fluid. And sleepy seems to be focusing on the motivation of the average JW - are they motivated out of love or hate to do what they do. Of course, most are not motivated out of hate or malice - but does that excuse the actions?
I think we can all see the the actions of the average JW is not beneficial to mankind in general. It is not beneficial to familiy and freinds when they shun you. It is not beneficial to the average JW who is struggling to make all the meetings and satisfy the elders and their own tweaked 'bilble trained conscience' in FS hours. It is not beneficial to the JWs who are excluded from the local congo's 'power click' and made to feel like second class citizens.
So 'are they evil'? They do evil things w/ good intentions. Does that heal the pain? Nope.
Oh and as far as WHY many JWs joined, did we do this out of love or what was our motivation for being a JW? Remember that a great # of JWs had the religion beat (physically and/or mentally) into them from age 0. They had no choice. Others are snookered in via the JW love-bombing and don't see reality until it's too late - if ever.