Posts by Far North

45

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 7-20-03 WT Study

by blondie in

17but you will not even need to fight.

revelation 14:1, 3 (snippet).

(revelation 7:9 snippet).

Far North

I got into a debate over the change in the paragraph about who will in the end attack Jehovah's people. The 'Sister' said it didn't matter who does it, not addressing the fact that it is a change in viewpoint. I mentioned that we don't hear about the United Nations like we used to and surprisingly she said that maybe the Society is backing off to get hasseld less in certain countrys. I asked "Isn't that compromising?".

It was a waste of time trying to discuss it. I could kick myself for all the hundreds of hours I spent at the Book Studies over the years studying the old and newer Revelation books three times each, even often as the Conductor, learning about the damndable United Nations who is as filthy and vile as Babylon the Geat, looking at pictures of lightning cracking the building in half and asking the audience to repeat step by step the stages of the Great Tribulation and the role of the United Nations.

I wanted to go today to hear how that paragraph was addressed or glossed over but I had an opportunity to stay home without creating a confrontation, so here I am. I enjoy this more than the meetings.

33

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 7-13-03 WT Study

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 7-13-03 wt study

reviewer comments will be in black or parentheses.

wt quotes will be in red or quotations

Far North

We just had to put a pet down and more than one person told us to read this Questions from Readers so we wouldn't feel bad about doing it.

Many witnesses want every decision in their lives made for them so they feel no guilt. They are just the pawns the Society is looking for, totally dependent on the Org.

I guess we could have sat down with our pet and prayerfully considered this issue with him before making our decision, but looking at his physical suffering was enough to help us decide what the loving thing was to do. We didn't even have to write the Society or call an Elder to make the choice for us.

Some witnesses are so weak and feeble minded they almost deserve to be jerked around. Almost.

47

JW story about the day after...

by Mike K. in

jw
friends

" "we're alive!

" i said, "we're alive!

everybody was doing the same thing, hugging and dancing in circles.

Far North

As a youngster the pictures in the old Paradise Lost book were enough to conjure up all types of images to scare the hell out of a little kid! Later on when I was at Bethel I thought," I hope the new system isn't going to be one big Bethel with forms to fill out and bells and long lists of rules". Tonight we have 37 letter from the big boys to read.

Can you imagine having to take orders from your book study conductor for about 100 years? What if he's an idiot? Stack those bricks up yourself!

What if the only buildings left standing are mobile home parks?

I'd get busted for hording beer and watching Green Bay Packer game tapes. Another 100 years and I know they could have made it to the Super Bowl again!

No cable T.V., no competitive sports. To bad, I bet the Philistines could kick the Macedonians butts in soccer!

Now that we don't have to work secularly we can have meetings every night!

"Let's turn to song 1027, 'I Can't Believe I Actually Made It". Don't forget the chorus, "We can't believe it either".

When I went to Bethel they had a practice of giving you a job exactly opposite of what your skills were to keep you humble and encourage you not to make suggestions. What job are you going to get! Bet the Elders get all the gravy jobs.

If you initiated a 100 year life-saving campaign and when it came down to it you only helped save less than 1/10th of 1%, how succesful would you feel? It don't matter cuz I made it! To bad about my kids.

Paradise, after about 10 minutes of looking at the bird on my finger i'd say, "Damn, i'm bored!

38

1975..Let's Keep It Alive!

by Englishman in

jw
friends

1975. the end of 6000 years of man's existence, and logically, therefore, the start of the 1000 year reign, which meant that armageddon had to be done and dusted before that.. i remember it well!

the hype at assemblies, my dad giving up his job and selling his home to move where the "need was great", now minimised by mother with her "oh so you're another seventy-fiver are you" comments.. now it's just something that occasionally embarrasses jw's, some of them deny it ever happened, others think that it was all too long ago to be relevent.. maybe we need to put 1975 into a slot where we can all relate to it.

maybe those of us who remember that year could chip in as well.. so, what did happen in 1975?

Far North

We also moved to where the need was great in the early seventies. Our family relocated three months before I was to graduate from High School. I finished up at a school that had kindergarten thru 12th grade all in one building. It didn't matter too much because we were not allowed to go to our graduation ceremony.

Pioneered for two years most of the time by myself. How I ever did 100 hours a month I don't know. Hated pioneering with a passion, probably the 2 worst years of my life riding around out in the boonies by myself everyday.

Later moved again by myself too were help was needed and then went to Bethel in 1974. In October 1975 one day Shroedder announces, "Today is the last day we can pinpoint thru Bible prophecy. Let's go back to work".

We all laughed, shrugged our shoulders and went back to work.

What is it about our loyalty to the organization that lets us be jerked around and we still 'go back to work' for them.

I now just stay on the fringes for the sake of the family.

35

Did You Put Off Saving For Retirement?

by Shakita in

jw
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.

Far North

College wasn't even an option when I graduated but if I had wanted to drop out of High School so I could have started pioneering earlier they would have let me. I came from a large family and half my brothers and sisters didn't even graduate high school. They all took a stab at Regular Pioneering till they got burnt out on it.

I wasted so many of my prime years pioneering and working meanial jobs. There seemed to be merit, the simpler your job, the more humble you were. Especially if you were working for one of the Elders who paid no benefits, paid you late, paid you with bad checks and had you run the business while they went to the Bahamas.

I started a retirement plan at age 48. Unless something majical happens I'll have to work till I drop over dead.

My dad had 35 years in the truth, quit his good job to go where the need is greater in the 1970's and died a couple years ago broke. He had to work into his seventies till his body gave out. After all those years of sacrifice there were very few at his funeral besides the family and a couple who were suppossidly close to my parents missed the funeral beacause of a special assembly day.

The Society is expert at manipulating our lives using threats and false predictions and then absolving themselves of any responsibility. Then they put it on our sholders and tell us it's a test of our faith. It reminds me of people who set a couple up to meet and push them to get married and then when the marriage goes down the tubes, they are nowhere to be seen.

Does anyone understand the "Special Pioneer" arrangement for older circuit or district overseers. It seems they are getting some retirement money from the Watchtower but not really putting in the hours. If this is a way the Society helps those in their old age I think that's great.

To bad for the rest of us. That's what we get for pursuing a materialistic career and going after those low-paying jobs.

22

Did People In The "Truth" Have Better Marriages Than Those In The "World"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

"marry only in the lord"...... if you marry outside the "truth", your marriage "will be doomed"...... what was your experience regarding a mutual witness marriage?

was it all that it was cracked up to be???

did you know of others that had a great marriage because theywere witnesses?

Far North

My daughters observed that many of the young guys in the org. are mamas boys and have a high opinion of themselves because of it being a male-dominated society.

Many young girls settle for what is avaliable and overlook personality quirks or potential problems. This can apply to both sexes.

I married in the truth and it's gone pretty well. My wife would second that if she hadn't left me for being a jerk. (Just kidding)

The only advantage I see is that the 'truth' gives you few outs so you tend to ride out the hard times. Maybe that's good sometimes but I have seen some marriages that are a disaster but they keep pretending because of the org. consequences.

22

Hello....

by Anne in

i've been lurking in this site for about a week now.

i didn't know something like this existed or else i may have come sooner.

i'm a bit selfish for making this my first post, but i'd like to introduce myself and get some feedback if possible.. my parent's became jehovah's witnesses when i was eight years old, so i was for the most part "raised in the truth".

Far North

Annie: I'm fairly new around here also. I think you are experiencing many feelings that you probably buried for a long while or felt guilty about having. I commend you for taking charge of your life. The biggest mistake I made was allowing others to dictate to me what I should do either thru threats or guilt.

My daughter is getting ready to graduate from college. When I was her age I was painting houses waiting for 1975.

I'm still on the fringe because of concern for the effect on my family. I salute your courage.

Far North

22

Hello....

by Anne in

i've been lurking in this site for about a week now.

i didn't know something like this existed or else i may have come sooner.

i'm a bit selfish for making this my first post, but i'd like to introduce myself and get some feedback if possible.. my parent's became jehovah's witnesses when i was eight years old, so i was for the most part "raised in the truth".

Far North

126

New Light on the United Nations (U.N.) (Scarlet Beast)

by UnDisfellowshipped in

jw
friends

there appears to be "new light" in the latest watchtower magazine (june 1st 2003 issue).

several watchtower publications for the last 50+ years have said that the united nations (u.n.) organization ("the scarlet-colored wild beast" of revelation) would definitely be the organization that will carry out jehovah's judgment on "babylon the great" (false religion), and then, under satan's [gog of magog's] direction, the united nations organization would become "greedy", and try to attack the remaining remnant of the "anointed" jehovah's witnesses and their companions, the "great crowd" of "other sheep", and then jehovah and jesus would destroy the united nations organization, along with everyone else who was not a jehovah's witness.

here is a quote that shows this: .

Far North

I think many Witnesses are not even going to notice this change unless it is pointed out to them by an objective source. I could kick myself for all the hundreds of hours I spent over a 40 year period attending the Book Study to learn prophetic explanations that for the most part have been abandoned or changed.

Many of us went thru the newer Revelation book 3 times and now some of it's key teachings are no longer considered valid! This is why I avoid the Book Study like the plague. Every verse of Isaiah is supposed to have a modern day meaning. The last time I went they started on the 1918 era and how major Bible prophecy was fulfilled at a Cedar Point assembly attended by a few hundred people.

Many will say this United Nations disclamer is a clearer understanding and 'new light'. All it really says is "We were guessing and never really knew and now we have run out of explanations".

If you can't explain prophecy untill after it is fullfilled you are just explaining history.

20

I was two people at once, were you?

by christopherceo in

jw
friends

oh yeah, i did it.

i lived the double life and nobody ever found out.

i did all the things a pioneer/servant was supposed to do.

Far North

I guess I am two people at once right now. My heart is not in the "truth" but I am keeping up with it for the sake of the family. I attend many of the meetings although I told my wife I refuse to take the bookstudy seriously till they start studying something of interest. (probably won't happen) I've set boundaries as to what I will and won't do. I have not been out in service for a long time and refuse to go. How can I persuade others to join something I don't fully believe.

The intersting thing is that my life hasn't fallen apart like would be expected. I have a good job in management, I'm faithful to my patient, wonderful wife and am even losing weight for health reasons. My kids still love me (last time I checked) and we are't the Osborns.

On the suggestion from some of you I am taking it slow but am starting to understand things better as if a cloud is slowly being lifted. I don't have any privledges in the congo because I am inactive and don't care although I really miss handling the roving mics. It gave me such a sense of control. (HA!)

I view myself as not so much a hypocrite then as being in transition.

By the way, I was always told people like you were supposed to be crazy and irrational and so full of hatred and possesed that they couldn't reason on anything. You're not supposed to make so much sense!