Posts by Nowfree

7

Scriptures JW's Apply Exclusively To Themselves

by stevieb1 in

jw
friends

one example of this trend that i came across is found in acts 15:14 which according to the nwt reads:.

"symeon has related thoroughly how god for the first time turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name.".

we can also add v.17 which states: "in order that those who remain of the men may earnestly seek jehovah, together with people from all the nations, people who are called by my name, says jehovah, wh is doing these things,".

Nowfree

I had this same sort of conversation in the supermarket the other day with a particularly brave JW who i have known for about 20 years. I mean brave in the sense that they had the guts to actually stand and talk to me in public (and give me a hug as well!!)

The JW argument went that they are Gods people because of the scripture where it says that "You are my witnesses", and also that they use God's name, so they must be Gods people.

Fine I said - I could change my name by deed poll to Jesus Christ, and then refer to the fact that I am mentioned in the Bible, so I am therefore God's son (well daughter but then I wasn't going to start getting pedantic!).

Anyone can call their organisation/business/religion anything they like - it doesn't mean a thing, it doesn't prove anything.

I think the JW got the point - they are of the periphery JW class, not the kissing the Circuit Overseers butt class!

Anyway, I got another hug, everyone was happy - and we went off to continue our shopping.

Which is how it should be - agree to disagree - but don't let it spoil friendships!

Nowfree

3

Can You See The Similarities?

by HadEnuf in

jw
friends

i have done a little research and reading over the years on the holocaust and what the jewish people went through when they were judged as unworthy as humans and so many innocents were exterminated in hitler's "final solution".

i recently read this quote from a book about women in auschwitz and i couldn't help but see so many similarities between the way the jews were treated and how the witnesses treat those they feel are "rebellious" or causing division or whatever other accusations they can drum up against those they want to be rid of.

i believe any of us who have been shunned by friends and families can relate to how eerily (spelling?

Nowfree

Hadenuf,

All the while you are in the org and doing everything that you should be doing, "brothers and sisters" will be all over you like a rash.

Since I left, i can count on one hand all the JWs that have taken the initiative to speak to me. Like you I am not DA or DF, but I might as well be. Most of them ACTIVELY shun me, like my mother in law, JW neighbours a few doors down the road, JWs at work. You would think i had the plague.

I have had one shepherding visit (Oct 01), which didn't actually help one bit, although it confirmed to me why I had stopped attending meetings.

The majority of witnesses will also shun my parents.

Yet one person i grew up with (was DF 5 years ago), is still a very close friend to me and I can rely on them as a true friend. So we are all being shunned together!! We see it like a kind of game now. See how awkward we can make it for them!

The way i look at it is that we know from experience, the panic a JW feels when they come across an exJW, and the dilemma of "am I allowed to talk to them?". So we are at an advantage, they haven't got a clue what it is like to be on our side of the Kingdom Hall door!

As i said before - their loss

Nowfree

6

Glastonbury Festival 2002 this weekend just gone

by invisible in

jw
friends

for those interested in music festivals and 'green matters' i'm providing these two links for you to gain perhaps a little more insight into british music culture and the underground arts scenes.. please browse.

(glastonbury is the largest festival in europe).

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/2002/whatson.html.

Nowfree

Termite,

You are kidding about the cess pits?

Nowfree

37

This is why I don't like transfusions.......

by VioletAnai in

jw
friends

.

there's just too much risk...especially if your life is in the hands of these officials:.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/story_34571.asp.

Nowfree

Violet

What would you do if your child needed a blood transfusion - a child does not have the same volume of blood as an adult, and therefore to thin the blood sufficiently to prime a heart bypass machine (for example), would thin the blood too much.

One solution the Society give is injection of erythropoetin. However, if you gave a child erythropoetin to increase the productino of red blood cells , the blood clotting factor would obviously rise and you risk the clot causing a blockage in the heart or brain.

A child does not have sufficient volume to be able to transfuse and store blood for their own operation.

I appreciate that in the USA the method of collecting blood is different from the UK. In the UK there is a higher chance of dying from playing football than there is if catching a disease from a blood transfusion, but then maybe our methods of screening and storage are far tighter.

But then we are coming down to the reason behind WHY blood is being refused in the first place. For religious or personal beliefs. Believe me they are totally different. Especially when sitting in a paediatric cardiothoracic ward with a newborn baby with severe heart problems.

Just my thoughts.

Nowfree

15

Watchtower Society no longer contact? Why?

by GermanXJW in

jw
friends

i noticed that in september 2001 there was a change in the contact adress in the jw literature.. for example, awake!

september 8th, 2001 says on page 5: would you welcome more information?

write watch tower at the appropriate adress.

Nowfree

The secretary in each congregation will have a record card for each publisher containing the name, date of birth, date of baptism, and home address.

So all that would have to happen at the GT is for a member of MI5 (or FBI) to break into the Secretary's home and steal the records. No computer hacking because the elders are instructed not to keep computer records. Data Protection Act and all that!

One easy way to track down all JWs is to go to the KH on a Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday and you will find all the faithful lemmings sitting bored out of their brains AGAIN. Just follow each one home - you'll find where they live.

Yes.. going back to the thought of making sure you pick up your mags at the KH or you and your family miss out on studying all that wonderful articles! What a shame that would have been!!!

Nowfree

3

Can You See The Similarities?

by HadEnuf in

jw
friends

i have done a little research and reading over the years on the holocaust and what the jewish people went through when they were judged as unworthy as humans and so many innocents were exterminated in hitler's "final solution".

i recently read this quote from a book about women in auschwitz and i couldn't help but see so many similarities between the way the jews were treated and how the witnesses treat those they feel are "rebellious" or causing division or whatever other accusations they can drum up against those they want to be rid of.

i believe any of us who have been shunned by friends and families can relate to how eerily (spelling?

Nowfree

The way witnesses are told to treat ex-witnesses is very similar.

Trouble is the Witnesses would never see it - they see themselves as being righteous, God's people on the earth. That is the hardest thing to try and break. Only when they do see the organisation in a different light will they ever realise how despicably they have treated other people.

Still - their loss!

You never experience true friendship until you leave the Watchtower society.

Nowfree

37

This is why I don't like transfusions.......

by VioletAnai in

jw
friends

.

there's just too much risk...especially if your life is in the hands of these officials:.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/story_34571.asp.

Nowfree

It is up to each individual in each set of circumstances to decide what is right for them or their child.

Some people don't like taking antibiotics - fine. They are big enough, strong enough and ugly enough to fight whatever infection they have. Othertake them without a thought - fine. Yet others HAVE to take them otherwise what is a routine chest infection (for example) can very quickly lead to heart failure and potential death.

As far as medical preference goes - it is the same with blood transfusions.

But Witnesses will always point out that their refusal of blood is on RELIGIOUS grounds (see How can Blood Save your Life), nothing to do with medical grounds. So it wouldn't make one iota of difference if all blood were 100% safe ALL the time. Witnesses would not be allowed to accept it.

Nowfree

6

Who Will Be the Last To Die?

by metatron in

jw
friends

this is a most amazing situation.

i can't recall anything else like it in my.

entire life.

Nowfree

I would like to bet that they don't make a big statement about taking a VERY pertinent chapter about the blood issue out of the new edition.

They will sneakily try and gloss over any omissions! Otherwise they will be seen as bowing to influence!

Nowfree

6

Glastonbury Festival 2002 this weekend just gone

by invisible in

jw
friends

for those interested in music festivals and 'green matters' i'm providing these two links for you to gain perhaps a little more insight into british music culture and the underground arts scenes.. please browse.

(glastonbury is the largest festival in europe).

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/2002/whatson.html.

Nowfree

I heard on Radio One this morning that next year they will be selling 20,000 more tickets because security/crowd control arrangements worked so well this year.

I have never been to Glastonbury - not sure it is my sort of thing!

Nowfree

24

My mum is brainwashed by JW

by walter_collins in

jw
friends

my name is walt collins, i'm a 23 guy in melbourne, australia, migrated from the uk 4 years ago.. i've been going through some pain lately, my mother (still in the .

uk) and i have really had a rough period and she's decided to put .

her religion before me and after many heated conversations, we are now no longer in contact.. .

Nowfree

Everyone seems to be hung up on the "gay" thing.

I would like to bet that your mum would shun if you were straight, with a wife, two kids etc, but were NOT doing the following:

1)Going to meetings

2) Out in the ministry

3) Attending conventions

4) Kissing the butt of the local elders and Circuit Overseers

5) and hailing the Governing Body as a miniGod!

The only excuse JWs need to be able to self righteously shun a person is for that person to not believe in the Watchtower organisation. That is it. Nothing else!

Your mum is just using it as an excuse. If you were straight, she would come up with another "reason" to shun you without even blinking!

I may sound cynical, but then I was a JW for 20 years.

Nowfree