Emeth, thanks for your ever so snarky correction on a thread that is purely speculative. Please go back to the KH from whence you came-- your holier than thou attitude will fit in so well there.
rubadubdub
JoinedPosts by rubadubdub
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54
The Big Announcement..this week
by designs inhave you heard what the "big announcement" is to be this week.
supposedly the bethel homes will get some announcement today and the congregations will announce the new something by the end of the week..
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54
The Big Announcement..this week
by designs inhave you heard what the "big announcement" is to be this week.
supposedly the bethel homes will get some announcement today and the congregations will announce the new something by the end of the week..
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rubadubdub
Thanks, Gayle! Apparently, they carried on at the AGM about how Jehovah blessed the printing of the new Bible with such fine weather! The first thing that popped into my head was, hmmm, it was hazy, hot and humid for three weeks in July. We had August weather in the Northeast in July. How did that help? Then low and behold in my email inbox I find .pdf from a dub that doesn't know I'm out-- dozens of photos documenting the "Silver Sword" was Made in Japan!
Always follow the money. If it's cheaper to have Bethel in Japan do such a big job than to have it done in Wallkill, there you have it.
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54
The Big Announcement..this week
by designs inhave you heard what the "big announcement" is to be this week.
supposedly the bethel homes will get some announcement today and the congregations will announce the new something by the end of the week..
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rubadubdub
Random guess-- Since the GB decided to use their Japanese Bindery to print the "Silver Sword" (I do have photos in a PDF.) instead of the printing presses in WallKill, I think they will be selling off WallKill next. Of course, they wouldn't let the rank and file in on anything that big in advance, so it's probably not what this letter is about. Anywho, they don't need all that farmland to feed the downsized US Bethel Family, and Wallkill will be the oldest of the three upstate NY properties once the new compound is finished. Just sayin'
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Trying to overcome my homophobia.
by Julia Orwell ini had a music album by a gay guy before i was a jw and had no problem listening to it.
it's good music.
some of the lyrics are what you might call 'gay', that is there's some talk about boyfriends, gay bars, and queens and the intolerance the artist encountered as a gay man.
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rubadubdub
Yes, Julia Orwell, in order to get over JW homophobic programming, we need to see gays as people just like us. When I first let the organization, I made a to-do list for myself. One item was to invite a gay couple to spend a weekend at my home. Now I wasn't going to pick some random couple off the street, but I knew the opportunity would present itself, and it did. At a continuing ed class, I recognized a woman I had met years earlier. She and her SO were going to be in town as vendors in an antique show. I inviteded her to stay and to bring her partner. They were delighted. We had such a great time catching up. We cooked a lovely meal together. It changed my whole perspective. Don't be hard on yourself. Enjoy your music!
Another thing I do quite regularly is thank military personnel in uniform on the street for their service. I shake their hand and thank them. One older gentleman (older than I) teared up. I asked if I could give him a hug, and his said yes! I will never forget that. He was so appreciative.
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Did Cedars manipulate Lee into having a thread closed?
by cedars ini will happily answer this question if there can be some guarantees this thread won't be deleted..
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rubadubdub
Seriously? Still? Enough already!
I say this with all sincerity, Cedars. You have your own webstie. You, Simon and an undefined JWN "peanut gallery" are just not getting along. Let me give an illustration, if I may. When a marriage is just not working, two adults can do the right thing for themselves and their kids. They can get a divorce and bring peace to their family. I'm still a newbie on JWN. I hesitated to post for the longest time because of all the vitriol between posters and for fear of having someone jump down my throat. The Watch Tower took away my voice for 42 years. No one gets to do that to me again. I've hesitated to post here of late. I've learned so much from JWN. There are so many intelligent and caring people here. All of this controvery is making me sick.
It's easy enough to say, 'Hey, just don't read the thread.', but the spirit of JWN is being poisoned. I volunteered for AAWA for a short while and left because of the overall tension and the indecision and imaturity of only a few members. Life is just too short for this. Many, including me, will continue to read your articles on JWSurvey. You have a valid point of view regardng JWs and are a good writer. Just walk away from JWN. It is the responsible thing to do for the family. Many have called for the end to this argument. I second that motion. I'm honestly not taking sides. I'm just asking for an end to this insanity. You and Simon have both made your positions exceedingly clear. Nothing further needs to be said. It is his site. You have your own mission. You need to be the one to walk away. Please just let it go.
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The GENERATION explanation is now a BOLD FACE LIE
by scotoma inwhen i first heard about the new "generation" explanation i was confused because i didn't see clearly how they were explaining it.. now it looks like they finally figured it out for themselves and it is no longer confusing.. it is now a simple, ignorant, bold face lie.. this is from the january 1st watchtower.
(and i hope to hell someone from writing gets wind of this).
paragraph 15 page 31 blue stands for the exact words in the watchtower.
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rubadubdub
The "over-lapping generation" (two groups) was my doctrinal tipping point. My first thought upon hearing it from the stage was, "That's Crap!" I walked away a year later. May there be many more to follow!
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How Many Here Are On Facebook & How Often Do You Frequent The Site?
by minimus ini'm on it every couple of days and it's usually to see pics of my grandkids or to get the 411 onwhat's going on..
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rubadubdub
I scan through my FB posts for about 3-5 minutes a day.
I started a FB account when my daughter moved overseas to teach. Her boyfriend actually posts more than she does, and he posts nice pics, so I have an idea of what is going on with them. I actually connected with an old high school friend through FB. I keep up on what's going on with my son through texting mostly. He lives about 6-10 hours away depending on traffic. He doesn't like to talk on the phone (His VM message says, "Go away!"), but he is really great about sending stuff he knows will make me laugh. He starts a new FB page, breaks up with his latest girlfriend and then deletes it. Wash, lather, rinse, repeat.
When I opened the account, I pre-emptively blocked every dub I knew. I was successful, because I haven't been DF'd yet.
I haven't blocked my non-dub wildly disfunctional family, because I don't want to start WW III, but I have removed them from my newsfeed-- too much drama.
I wouldn't be on FB if it weren't for my kids.
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Family is drawing the line in the sand
by dissonance_resolved inso my family has obviously been noticing over the past several months that i've been missing meetings and fs.
i've had excuses sometimes, but not others, so my parents are definitely getting that this is more than a long bout of illnesses or fatigue.
i just received an email invitation to join them in service this weekend.
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rubadubdub
Tell them, "Look, I cry at the drop of a hat. I feel exhausted. I cannot cope with the demands of meetings and field service at the moment. Your constant pressure to do something that I cannot cope with makes me worse. . . . It is MY faith and relationship with Jehovah. He understands even if you don't. I am doing what is necessary for my spiritual and mental wellbeing and shall return to meetings and service. . .when *I* am ready. . ."
dissonance_resolved, I agree with what AnnOMaly wrote, although I have softened it a bit. It may seem that you are in the same place as you were months ago, but you are not. Your family still is though. As you said, the elephant is still in the room, and they are using emotional blackmail. The thing is you are not in the same place if you are exhausted and crying all the time. Something has to give, and it can't be you.
Since you have said you accept that you may loose your parents and friends (and your "friends" are already disappearing), but just want to keep your family, can you try to get your husband to talk about what he is feeling, not what he is thinking-- what he is feeling. Has he said he feels betrayed? (I felt that way after my husband left.) If you can get him talking, even if it is interlaced with cultspeak, then you can be really understanding and supportive of what HE is going through. Emphasize that you have been a "faithful servant of Jehovah for x years." Tell him you are really struggling right now and don't fully understand what is going on yourself, but you just can"t handle going to meetings or in service right now. Tell him you are certain that Jehovah understands. Tell him you are leaving things in Jehovah's hands, because you trust him to be fair and just, looking at your lifetime of heartfelt service and love for Him.
Tell your husband all you want right now is to be a good wife and mother. Tell him you are the same woman he married on the inside, that first and foremost, you love him and your children. Can you enlist his help in running interference when others pressure you? I guess I'm trying to say to try to get him on your side emotionally, leaving doctrinal issues out of the mix.
This is basically the speech I have given to my former congregation elders (although I have played the mental health card a bit more strongly), my two best "friends" in the Org and again to two pioneer sisters that dropped by about a month ago. They have all left me alone so far. And yes, all the rest of my lifelong "friends" disappeared after five months' time. Maybe as you approach the six month "inactive" phase, they start to back away.
I'm sorry you are in so much pain. xo
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Hear Ye!!!Hear Ye!! WONDERFUL GOOD NEWS!!!!
by mouthy inmy jw daughter called me this afternoon!!!!!
!i am just over the moon.
her hubby not a jw has cancer & was operated on today!!!!.
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rubadubdub
Mouthy, unconditional love trumps the cult yet again! So happy for you! Just keep being you!
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Feeling melancholy and sad tonight and don't know why.
by HappyDad ini'm still runnin' against the wind.
i'm older now but still runnin' against the wind.
well i'm older now and still runnin'.
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rubadubdub
Wow, Happy Dad! Thanks for sharing. Those lyrics ressonate with me too. It seems we may have exited at about the same age. My husband had faded over 30 years prior to me, and I have been out only just over two years now. I'm so glad your wife understood you! You must miss her!
Life is so much easier sailing with the wind instead of into it-- going nowhere!
I hope you have found good reason for a little more cheerful outlook today. I'm hoping your forum name means you can check in with your kids-- that always perks me up.