Very good, very honest post. It is painful to think of the things I did, thinking I was being righteous. I'm glad I was never made an elder - I did enough damage as an MS.
Posts by og
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7Shepherd #3 - To Shun or not to Shun
by Amazing inyoung, brother b: as noted in story number two, many shepherding visits, maybe the majority, are one-on-one sessions where an elder talks privately with an individual, often someone in the elders book study group, and just as often with jws that an elder simply decides for personal reasons he wants to try and help.. the case of brother b was one of these latter situations.
i met he and his family when i first became a jw in the late 1960s.
brother b was about 8 years old at the time.
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happy witnesses?
by Realist ini attended sunday meetings at least half a dozen times.
what i noticed is that the witnesses seem to be very happy people.
is that true or just a fassade?
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og
So, should we put the unhappy kids from all beliefs in a special unhappy church?
Fred, that was actually sort of funny. Who wrote that for you?
re: topic - I think this Hungarian proverb applies: Those who believe are happy, those who doubt are wise.
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My best friend is a JW
by WinstonWigglesworth inmy best friend is a jw but she can't do anything outside of school with me.
it's really hard cuz she gets jealous when i do things with our other friends outside of school.
we invite her but she's never allowed to go.
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og
Prisila, you might try looking up your friend from High School. Use classmates.com
One of the best things about getting out for me was looking up old friends. They've been very supportive.
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preventing baptism of minors
by og inhere is the situation: my wife is a very faithful true believer (and a wonderful person, i will add, who really wants to do what's right) i have been da'd about a year, and we have 2 children.
our oldest is 13, and really buys into the witness line ( as, of course, i professed to until last summer) and i am fairly sure she is considering baptism.
here is my question: as one half of her parents, is there any legal doctrine that would allow me to prevent her baptism until she is 18?
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og
I should clarify something. She's 13 now, and I don't have any reason to believe she's planning baptism immediately. But her mother was baptized (and she also had an unbelieving - but not opposed - father) at 15, and I'm pretty sure it is something she is starting to think about. This thread is helping me to formulate a strategy, and your responses have been very useful. Also, she is a "publisher" now, which I have come to think of as sort of a practice baptism, because being removed as a publisher, should it happen, is done from the platform, effectively marks a person, and is traumatic. More WS petty BS.
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Violetanai's baptismal party - all invited
by Marilyn inbasically we're all open minded right?
so lets put aside our negative comments and throw a cyber-space send off for violet's up coming baptism into dubdom.
she said she's planning on getting baptised soon and clearly our advice and negative thoughts are hurting her feelings.
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og
When the baptismal talk is over, and you're answering the second question, dedicating yourself to an organization, you might spend some time meditating on where THAT concept is found in the Bible. Hint: it's not.
I hereby foreswear any response to Violet's threads, s/he doesn't even troll in an interesting fashion.
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A question before bedtime
by radar inis logic the way to god?.
if not, then is the way illogical?.
bible says that the truth about the torture stake is foolishness to those who are going to perish.. but is not childlike acceptance of religious ideas dangerous?.
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og
Thanks Frank. Stephen Mitchell's translation of the Tao te Ching was a revelation for me. I read it while a Witness (the only thing I had going for me as a Witness was that I read whatever I wanted) and was just knocked out by the comparison to WS literature. It didn't lead to immediate change, but it was one of the stepping stones along the way.
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60
Are Jw's the only ones with apostates....
by VioletAnai inwho viciously attack the teachings and beliefs of their resigned religion?.
i was thinking of this last night....i have never in my life seen a movement so big as the apostates against jw's..... no other religion has displayed this....usually people just quietly leave and get on with their lives and there is no anomosity...even if they have been wronged by their religion.... but with jw's it's different...it's an all out and out attack on anyone and everyone who has something positive to say.... makes me believe the bible and the jw's even more...being here is setting the doubt in my mind right....
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og
Hey, I'm a senior member now! Cool!
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60
Are Jw's the only ones with apostates....
by VioletAnai inwho viciously attack the teachings and beliefs of their resigned religion?.
i was thinking of this last night....i have never in my life seen a movement so big as the apostates against jw's..... no other religion has displayed this....usually people just quietly leave and get on with their lives and there is no anomosity...even if they have been wronged by their religion.... but with jw's it's different...it's an all out and out attack on anyone and everyone who has something positive to say.... makes me believe the bible and the jw's even more...being here is setting the doubt in my mind right....
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og
Violet, since you won't read Naeblis's posts let me reiterate, in sweet language that won't offend you - do your own research, honey. Mormons, Moonies, and all the others have active survivor groups, and you can find them with about two minutes effort at Google. Besides, you seem to be saying that since JWs have a large active body of former believers who try to help others escape this dangerous cult... then JWs must be the truth. Er, sorry, The Truth(tm). Sweetie, that argument just doesn't scan for me.
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Attacking Newbie JW's
by VioletAnai ini was attacked here when i first admitted that i was studying with the jw's.
i also noted that blessed_something or other (sorry, bad memory) was attacked also....just because we say something positive about the jw's!
i think that is mighty unfair and defeats the purpose of you trying to turn us against the jw's.
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og
Francois does make a good point, but, so does Farkel.
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A question before bedtime
by radar inis logic the way to god?.
if not, then is the way illogical?.
bible says that the truth about the torture stake is foolishness to those who are going to perish.. but is not childlike acceptance of religious ideas dangerous?.
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og
Here's my thought: God is not a puzzle to be figured out, life is not a test to be passed, and whatever you conceive God to be, he is probably not that either. You can't go wrong. Relax, live well, be kind, and make snide comments in hyghlynder's threads - you'll be just fine.