nicolaou

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Posts by nicolaou

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  60

  Me and my brother.

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  an earlier discussion has been highlighting the differences between da'ing and df'ing.

  xena said:i am sorry qadreena but i have never in the 20 some odd years i have been a jw ever heard of an unbaptised publisher being d/aed...marked as bad association yes..but d/a...no...but i guess stranger things can happen.... well that brought it all back.. actually xena the exact same thing happened to my brother in the early 80's.

  he was only 14. he'd carried on associating with a friend of his who'd been disfellowshipped.

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  nicolaou

  Mouthy,

  I just picked up your email, there is absolutely no need for you to apologise. I totally understood your comments and appreciate your kindness.

  Time spent in the org' can make us so apologetic.

  Nic'

  http://www.do-not-call.org
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  25

  EX-JW Activism, anything new?

  by Mindchild in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ive seen posts here and there in the past months on this board that talk about ex-dub activism but i hate to admit this but most of the activities mentioned are rather ineffective in really doing anything but making us ex-dubs feel collectively better.. we have discussed protesting at conventions, making a protest walk, peeing on c.t.

  russells grave, playing some games at local kingdom halls, and playing mind games with dubs online.

  i really dont have anything against these forms of activism but i dont think they accomplish much.. what i therefore dare suggest and beg for your comments are new ideas of how we can redirect our anger more effectively and support actions and causes that sting the borg like hell and also help others out the door.. i have nothing but praise for the actions of people who take a stand like silent lambs, or others who have setup informative ex-dub websites and i think one good thing we could do is support these efforts by doing some fund raising.. i also would love to stick something right up the ass of the gb but im trying to think of just how to do it.

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  nicolaou

  Edited because I posted in the wrong damn thread!!!
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  19

  JW ELDERS APPLY/RECEIVE CLERGY TAX EXEMPTION

  by MadApostate in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  opinions of counsel.

  volume 10 - opinions of counsel sbrps no.

  these opinions are subject to revision and editing changes prior to publication.

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  nicolaou

  Good post Mad'!

  Question:
  How do we reconcile these two statements,

  power to act as a minister of the gospel, priest or rabbi must come from the congregation.

  ,

  As such a minister, the Congregational Overseer is appointed by the governing body of the denomination to preside over and direct the spiritual functions and practices of the local congregation,

  I think the discrepancy there is important.

  Nic'

  http://www.do-not-call.org
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  30

  Update On Elder Suicide

  by Nat in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  some of you may not have heard about my sister-in-laws brother.

  he was a elder/37/married/no children and my sister-in-law's twin brother.. he took his life a couple of weeks ago.

  no one was sure what was going on or what had happened.

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  nicolaou

  Nat
  I'd just like to echo the sympathies of others and offer my heartfelt condolences.

  This is the link to the Canadian Library of Parliament research you were asking for: http://users.uniserve.com/~renford/parlimen.htm

  Nic'

  http://www.do-not-call.org
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  60

  Me and my brother.

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  an earlier discussion has been highlighting the differences between da'ing and df'ing.

  xena said:i am sorry qadreena but i have never in the 20 some odd years i have been a jw ever heard of an unbaptised publisher being d/aed...marked as bad association yes..but d/a...no...but i guess stranger things can happen.... well that brought it all back.. actually xena the exact same thing happened to my brother in the early 80's.

  he was only 14. he'd carried on associating with a friend of his who'd been disfellowshipped.

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  nicolaou

  Thanks guys!

  I usually check in here early in the morning (6am) to see if there's anything interesting to read before I go to work. After I started writing I knew I had to finish it - I was SO LATE!

  I have to admit that bringing all that stuff up was quite draining but I'd recommend it for anyone else going through something similar.

  Messenger:
  Thanks for the info, it's good to get it posted up here.
  When the changes were made (1987 I think) the Elders who'd been on my brothers judicial commitee visited my Mum and explained the new position to her.
  "Wasn't it wonderful that we'd received this counsel from the Faithful and Discreet Slave? Doesn't it show the value of being patient, sticking loyally to Jehovah's Organisation and being obedient to those taking the lead?"

  My Mum is a bit of an enigma. She can be a fiery little woman at times and she certainly let them know how bitter she was but even at her lowest ebb she would NOT criticise the Society. She felt that the elders had been wrong to enforce an unscriptural policy that even now the organisation had backed away from, very confusing.

  When the elders visited my brother he gave it to them straight!
  They protested that "they'd had no option but to follow the guidelines that the Society had lain down at the time."

  My brother consistently hit them with "So you were just following orders were you?!" He has nothing to do with them anymore.

  To their credit, a few older brothers and sisters who'd known us as young boys (the sort we used to call Uncle & Aunty) have tried to renew contact with my brother. He's gracious enough to accept it and be polite but he tells me that he can never really forgive them for turning their back on him as a troubled teenager, just at the time when a bit of kindly, mature support may have diverted him from such a ruinous course.

  Cornish:
  You're right about the blame thing of course, the head accepts that but the heart struggles with it.

  Frenchy:
  There are just too many examples like the sad ones you've posted. This sort of experience is what fuels my desire to make the DNC site work, so that other families are spared the heartache that so many have been through.

  Perry:
  Please email me.

  Mouthy:
  1 John 4:20 There is no fear in love, but perfect love throws fear outside, because fear exercises a restraint. Indeed, he that is under fear has not been made perfect in love.

  Everyone else: Thanks.

  Nic'

  http://www.do-not-call.org
• 
  60

  Me and my brother.

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  an earlier discussion has been highlighting the differences between da'ing and df'ing.

  xena said:i am sorry qadreena but i have never in the 20 some odd years i have been a jw ever heard of an unbaptised publisher being d/aed...marked as bad association yes..but d/a...no...but i guess stranger things can happen.... well that brought it all back.. actually xena the exact same thing happened to my brother in the early 80's.

  he was only 14. he'd carried on associating with a friend of his who'd been disfellowshipped.

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  nicolaou

  An earlier discussion has been highlighting the differences between DA'ing and DF'ing. Xena said:

  I am sorry qadreena but I have NEVER in the 20 some odd years I have been a JW ever heard of an unbaptised publisher being D/Aed...marked as bad association yes..but D/A...no...but I guess stranger things can happen...

  Well that brought it all back.
  Actually Xena the exact same thing happened to my brother in the early 80's. He was only 14. He'd carried on associating with a friend of his who'd been disfellowshipped. The Elders kept warning him but his loyalty to his friend was stronger than anything he felt for the 'suits'.

  He was publicly dissasociated.

  It devastated our Mum for years. She was, and still is, a loyal JW but she just couldn't see how a minor who had not been baptised could be formally expelled. They broke her heart.

  I came home from the meeting the night the announcement was made. I went up to the room I shared with my brother and he asked me what happened - I told him.
  I'll never forget that night. We were both just kids, he was fourteen and I was almost sixteen. He picked up his green hardback bible, clutched it to his chest and cried himself to sleep.

  I lay there in the dark not knowing how to comfort my kid brother, I was the 'good one' and I was sure my brother was going to die at Armageddon very soon. That night changed everything between me and my brother for the next 20 years.

  Our lives took very different paths. The rejection overwhelmed him and he turned to anyone who'd be his 'friend'. He got in with a bunch of lowlifes and wound up doing various spells in Young Offenders Institutions and eventually prison.

  Finally, after the 'turbulance' died down he met a girl who helped him more than I can ever thank her for. He's married, holding down a steady job and is totally committed to his wife and three young children. He turned his life around - but he'd done it all without me.

  Two years ago, after finally freeing myself (mentally at least) from the 'Society' I phoned my brother and asked if he'd like to meet me for a drink.
  We sat across the table from each other with our pints in our hands. I looked at him and all I could see was the kid in his bed crying with his bible. I felt wretched. The last time we'd had a meaningful drink together it had probably been lemonade.

  My mind was whirring. I wasn't sure what to say. Neither of us had been 'Best Man' at each others wedding - we should have been. Our children had never shared the closeness that most cousins do.

  I hadn't been the one to kick him out of the congregation but I felt so responsible, and I knew why. I was his older brother and I was supposed to look after him but I'd let him down. The moment that thought crystalised the words just tumbled out "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

  I've finally made my peace with my brother. I told him I loved him and that I'd never let him down again. Nothing will ever bring back those missing twenty years but I'm glad our paths have finally joined up again.

  I know I'm not the most gifted poster but this was the worst. It's taken me almost three hours to make this post, I'm not sure what the point of it all is but I'm glad I've done it.

  Nic'

  http://www.do-not-call.org
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  4

  J-W.com . . . . . . . . . . . . as it USED to be!

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  simon, let me pre-empt by offering a grovelling apology for what i'm about to post.

  a webmaster like 'our simon' patiently and lovingly hones his craft and toils away, maybe for months, to produce a site that many will laud and enjoy.

  so it's a bit unfair when some smart alec comes along and displays earlier versions of the site in it's 'unfinished/unpolished' state.. but what the heck!

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  nicolaou

  Simon, let me pre-empt by offering a grovelling apology for what I'm about to post. SORRY SORRY SORRY!

  A webmaster like 'our Simon' patiently and lovingly hones his craft and toils away, maybe for months, to produce a site that many will laud and enjoy. So it's a bit unfair when some smart alec comes along and displays earlier versions of the site in it's 'unfinished/unpolished' state.

  But what the heck! I'm gonna do it anyway

  This is from October 18th 2000 http://web.archive.org/web/20001018181045/www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/Default.asp

  This is from April 19th 2001 http://web.archive.org/web/20010410235753/www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/Default.asp

  and we won't even mention the Pokechat forum shall we Simon?

  Have fun, and do a bit of serious research, at http://www.archive.org digging out earlier versions of old faithfuls. (Look out Randy, Kent et al.)

  Simon, love you really!

  Nic'

  http://www.do-not-call.org
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  2

  Anagrams

  by PopeOfEruke in

  1. social
  2. humour

  god made us sisters; prozac made us friends.

  my mother is a travel agent for guilt trips.

  senior citizen: give me my damn discount.

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  nicolaou

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=4961&site=3#58803
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  4

  Shots fired at Kingdom Hall!

  by nicolaou in

  1. social
  2. current

  west st. paul: shots fired at jehovah's witnesses hall .

  west st. paul police are looking for suspects who shot three holes into windows at a jehovah's witnesses hall last week.

  people in the building heard shots about 8:30 p.m. wednesday and saw a midsize newer car with a rounded body speed away, west st. paul police chief terry cook said.

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  nicolaou

  WEST ST. PAUL: Shots fired at Jehovah's Witnesses hall

  West St. Paul police are looking for suspects who shot three holes into windows at a Jehovah's Witnesses hall last week.
  People in the building heard shots about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and saw a midsize newer car with a rounded body speed away, West St. Paul police chief Terry Cook said.

  Three holes, believed to be from BB pellets, were found in two hall's windows. None of the holes went through more than one pane of glass.

  -- Tammy J. Oseid

  original article: http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/mtc_docs/238492.htm

  http://www.do-not-call.org
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  23

  Your favorite pic from the Kingdom pubs.

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this one is for jt, who is interested in body modification (lol).

  i will be the first to admit a rabid fascination with a certain picture....... back when i was about 7, i stumbled across the most fascinating picture in all of dubdom....... are you holding your breath?!?!?.

  it was in the evolution or creation book....the picture of the black, african tribal woman with that huge freakin plate in her lip!.

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  nicolaou

  
  This afternoons Watchtower study has been cancelled!

  I can't claim credit for this one - thank Englishman!!

  Nic'

  http://www.do-not-call.org