Number 6

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Posts by Number 6

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  16

  What Happened in 1995?

  by missylissy in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was just reading this post http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/61878/1.ashx.

  they were talking about what they felt about what happened in 1995. but, i dont know what happened in 1995.. .

  what did happen?.

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  Number 6

  I grew up in the Watchtower religion in the 70’s and 80’s and remember the emphasis on ‘this generation’ very well.

  Although I was too young to really remember the fallout from 1975 I have the clearest of memories about the importance of what the phrase ‘this generation’ meant and it’s importance to the whole Watchtower structure. Barely a week went by when we didn’t discuss how the end must be so close due to the dying off of the people who had been born on or before 1914.

  Even as a young boy I can remember being taught the mantra:

  Jerusalem fell in 607 BCE.
  The gentile times were 7 x 360 years (a day for a year) minus no year zero = 1914 CE.
  Armageddon would begin before the generation that saw the events of 1914 were all dead.

  It was that simple. It was one of ‘the basics’ that new bible studies were taught to ‘prove’ how close the end must be.

  The doctrinal investment they made in this in the decades up to the 1980’s cannot be overemphasised. EVERYTHING hinged on this doctrine.

  I was gone by 1990 (for non doctrinal reasons) but when I found out about the 1995 change when I got on line in 2000, I was utterly astonished. If there was one doctrine, one piece of theology that I thought was sacrosanct, it was this. That they tossed it out in the passing of one sentence in one paragraph spoke volumes. My opinion is that the gradual fallout they have been experiencing will haemorrhage if they do not try to shore this up soon. In fact, as the recent thread shows they may well be doing this by trying to tie up ‘Noah’s generation’ of 120 years to the 1914 date, but only time will tell.

  For me it was proof positive that they make doctrine up as circumstances dictate rather than having a hotline to God.

  Just how I saw it

  Craig
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  118

  VICKI BOER CAMPAIGN FUND

  by Dansk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you'd be interested in donating $us10.00 or anything at all to a campaign fund for vicki please say so here.

  this will help determine how strongly we can offer vicki support.. i'll start it off.

  i'm willing to donate $us10.00 to the fund.. thanks.. dansk

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  Number 6

  Delighted to send in a few quid to help. Let me know how and when.

  Isn't it amazing that a group of people who hardly know one another are prepared to help someone who has suffered enourmously at the hands of the Watchtower; yet according to them we are the evil ones with no love!

  Go f*** yourself Watchtower.

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  19

  I am thinking of doing it....

  by shamus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that is, daing myself.

  i have been reading coc, and am just disgusted right now.

  how can my name be attached to this man-made cult?

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  Number 6

  I pretty much agree with what's gone before.

  Why validate their belief system by DA'ing yourself. It's like acknowledging that you accept that they have the right to label you in any fashion you choose.

  Get on with your own life and don't give a second thought to them. You owe them nothing.

  Disfellowshipped? Dissassociated? I personally refuse to acknowledge them as terms of reference.

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  47

  Stereotypical Witnesses

  by tazmaniac in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok....we all had them...perhaps we were one of them....stereotypical witnesses.

  there were many stereotypes that proved to be in congregation after congregation.

  what stereotypical witnesses do you remember.

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  Number 6

  And let’s not forget Brother Knownothinghandyman.

  This is the brother who thinks that he has the solution to any practical problem with the Kingdom Hall maintenance and/or any brother or sister’s technical problems.

  For example, if the PA is broken during the meeting then he’s there with a screwdriver and the amplifier in 150 pieces saying “he knows enough to ‘muddle through’”. By the end of the meeting the PA still isn’t working and what started as a blown fuse will now cost the congregation several hundred dollars in replacement audio equipment.

  Also the type to turn up at Sister Singlemumsopoor’s house offering to mend the gas stove/heating/kids toys in the vain hope he might marry her. His visits to these unfortunate individual’s homes end up with more broken household items than when he arrived. He departs with the promise that ‘he’s got just the thing to fix that…’ then is never seen again.

  Avoided religiously by Elder Wealthyandeveryoneknowsit, and all others who treasure their household possessions. By a curious coincidence he seems never to be told when Kingdom Hall maintenance jobs are going on.

  Visits to his home reveal a complete mess which he grinningly tells us ‘he is in the middling of mending/decorating/adjusting.

  Despite his claim to have a brilliant scientific mind he will be employed as a janitor or windowwasher because ‘he chooses to have it that way’.

  I knew at least 3 people like this. A menace to be avoided.

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  47

  Stereotypical Witnesses

  by tazmaniac in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok....we all had them...perhaps we were one of them....stereotypical witnesses.

  there were many stereotypes that proved to be in congregation after congregation.

  what stereotypical witnesses do you remember.

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  Number 6

  Hi all, this thread is brilliant.

  How about Brother AtDeath’sDoor.

  Afflicted by a mystery illness since 1976 when the end didn’t come he suffers from a complaint as yet to be diagnosed by modern medicine. This renders him incapacitated whenever any effort is required on his part.

  He rarely attends meetings and never goes out in the service due to his illness. The elders tolerate him because they almost never see him. On the rare occasions he attends the Hall (i.e Memorial, CO visit) it is with great sacrifice on his part and with ‘Jehovah’s help’. He will talk to anyone who will listen how ill he is and ‘Jehovah willing’ he will be allowed to live until ‘the new system’ when all his ailments (which did he mention are confounding medical science) will be cured.

  Miraculously his disabilities seem to evaporate whenever some social function occurs that involves food and drink, where ‘he struggles along’ to enjoy the ‘fine fellowship’ of the brothers and sisters. Whereupon all and sundry avoid him like the plague lest they be bored to death about, yes how ill he is.

  There’s one in every congregation.

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  8

  Status quo or risk it all?

  by Azalo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my family and i have a pretty good relationship despite the fact that i faded away about 7 years ago.

  the question is due i have the obligation to try to save them from themselves and by doing so risk not only our relationship but perhaps pushing them further into the "truth"?

  i know that many people are of the school of thought that you just have to let them find out for themselves, but i can see that my parents are hardheaded or blind and i think they deserve at least few years of freedom before they pass on.

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  Number 6

  This is a difficult one to call.

  I am in an identical position wherein my mother and stepfather have a reasonably pleasant relationship with my family and I despite having faded nearly 13 years ago. We just agree to disagree. In the past few years however, I find it very difficult to keep silent now that I know the truth about 'the truth'.

  My parents have a certain 'smugness' about them whenever they visit. It is as if they know they are right and are just waiting for me or my wife to trip up somehow on the road of life and come running back crying to the Kingdom Hall begging for forgiveness. They'll be waiting a hell of a long time though.

  If push came to shove, then I am afraid I would push them away because I am not playing second fiddle to a religion which they have very clearly made the highest priority in their life; even over their own flesh and blood.

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  35

  Did You Put Off Saving For Retirement?

  by Shakita in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i didn't think that i would ever retire in this system of things.

  i felt that long before retirement age the new system would be here and i would have no money worries.

  as the years rolled by and i didn't have any thing saved for retirement, i became more and more anxious.

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  Number 6

  Hey Mr Shakita

  Sorry for my brevity, my PC crashed in the middle of posting:

  What I wanted to say was this:

  As I grew up particularly in my teenage years through the 1980’s I watched my parents living ‘hand to mouth’ week in week out having barely enough money to put food on the table sometimes. My stepfather did ( and still does) a very menial job with low pay because he ‘put the Kingdom first’. My mother like a good J-Dub wife stayed home and cooked, cleaned etc and then went out in the service.

  We had virtually nothing in the way of luxuries, and to be honest most of the time we lived on the poverty line. Now the reason I complain about this is that whilst I appreciate some people through no fault of their own have difficulty providing for their families; my parents DELIBERATELY stayed in low paid non professional jobs at an age where between them they could have bettered themselves with a view to providing for their family and giving my brothers and I the best possible start in life.

  By the time I got married at 20 in 1990 I had no clue whatsoever about household finance or how to manage money. As a result by 1995 I ran up serious amounts of debt and had no savings.

  It has taken me until December of last year to clear my debt and just get back to a ‘break even’ position. So at 33 years old with 4 kids I find myself some decade or so behind where I should be financially. Whilst I don’t blame my parents or the Watchtower for every last action of mine that ran up my debt; I feel they have a large degree of responsibility.

  Being told at every meeting that the end was ‘real soon now’ and having this mantra at home every other day didn’t give me much inspiration to plan for the future. By the time I came to leave school it was enough for me just to get a job that covered my needs, not anything else and god forbid go on to further education.

  I am very fortunate that I have got time on my side to make up my losses and also that I have been in a pension scheme for 14 years that unknownst to me at the time has be invested wisely.

  As for my parent, I have watched them very belatedly watched them scramble to provide for themselves (nowhere near enough funds though) to tide them over as the retirement they thought they would never see looms on the horizon.

  Yes Watchtower you have indeed abused your position and condemned poor people to a miserable lifestyle they could easily have avoided.

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  35

  Did You Put Off Saving For Retirement?

  by Shakita in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i didn't think that i would ever retire in this system of things.

  i felt that long before retirement age the new system would be here and i would have no money worries.

  as the years rolled by and i didn't have any thing saved for retirement, i became more and more anxious.

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  Number 6

  Hi all,

  I can really, really relate to this topic.
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  35

  Did You Put Off Saving For Retirement?

  by Shakita in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i didn't think that i would ever retire in this system of things.

  i felt that long before retirement age the new system would be here and i would have no money worries.

  as the years rolled by and i didn't have any thing saved for retirement, i became more and more anxious.

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  Number 6

  Hi all,
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  73

  I didn't think my JW family could find another way to hurt me but...

  by Ghost of Esmeralda in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  but i was so wrong!

  my daughter just got home.

  you all know i dressed her up, painted her nails, curled her hair, and sent her off to my favorite cousin's wedding.

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  Number 6

  Their evil knows no bounds does it?

  It is at times like this that I realise one can argue forever as to the 587/607 nonsense and any other doctrinal crap.

  It is their inhumane treatment of their own flesh and blood and incidents like this we read DAILY on this board that PROVE beyond a doubt they are not God's chosen organisation.

  As someone who suffered at their hands in a family wedding situation my heart goes out to you.

  'God's Channel on Earth? My Arse!!!'

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