I seriously regret not taking a summer internship and going to Washington D.C. for a writer's workshop. I had the money to send myself there, but I never told my parents because I knew it'd be out of the question. I'm still really young (as most people say) so I still have many more amazing opportunities I guess. But I just wished I could've brought the plane ticket without them knowing and lodged in D.C. for three months, writing and debating, as well as develop more skills for the workforce. Any other parent would've been happy for their child and encouraged them to go, but I knew mine would view it as a waste of time. Still, I think I could've rebelled or something.
Posts by Sorry
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47What did you regrettably not do because you were a Jehovah's Witness ?
by minimus injehovah's witnesses cannot do a lot of things.
i remember pioneers having to quit their jobs because they could not work in a convenience store and sell cigarettes.
i know of a young man who was offered a scholarship to any college or university if he wanted to go to because of his football abilities.
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19
I think the CO just knocked on my door.
by schnell ini can't be too sure, because i didn't answer, but my mother had called me this morning and said this week is our co visit.. it's been a while since i last had elders at my door.
last time that happened, i posted about it, so it was only a few months.. i really don't want to talk with them.
is there a chance i'll be announced as "no longer one of..." after he's left if i don't?.
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Sorry
At least in my cong, every time the CO comes to visit, all of a sudden there's a need to do a "shepherding call" on the inactive or "spiritually weak". I know this for a fact because my best friend's father has been inactive since before I met them (which was nearly a decade ago), and every. single. time. the CO comes, they stop by their house to check on him. He's the KH social pariah and they wouldn't be caught dead glancing his way any other day, but they put on show whenever the CO visits. Since attendance has sharply declined in my hall and they can't blame it on the new KH being built anymore, it seems like it's their mission to speak with faders.
Depending on your reputation/how long you've been out, they'll probably just ask if you have considered returning to the hall and leave it at that. They don't even pry with my best friend's father anymore. If you are more well-liked or if you just left, keep your responses brief and deflective. Yes, he's actually discussed this with me before (he's advising me for my fade hilariously enough)
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106
So what caused you to have doubts in the first place?
by nicolaou ini had no doubts at all about the 'truth' untill a friend of mine in the cong' began falling away.
in trying to help him i had to ask questions and do research and that of course cracked the doors of my mind open for the first time in over thirty years.. years ago, when jwd allowed members to have signatures, i used the following quote from voltaire as mine.
i still love it.. doubt is uncomfortable, certainty is ridiculous..
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Sorry
I had doubts since I was in middle school (although I just chalked that up to being stupid or not having enough faith). It wasn't until I truly stopped and thinked for a second, "What is the origins of this religion? What did we do before then?" My parents always said "That doesn't matter." So I decided to research it myself. Then I discovered Russell and how he broke away from the Adventists. Then Rutherford took over and made it the opposite of Russell. This led me to discovering the numerous flip flops just by reading old literature. Then one of my internet pen pals directed me to jwfacts.com. The rest was history.
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45
New light in this weeks WT?
by Indian Larry inanybody have any ideas where they are going with the "new light" they have been pushing last week and this week?
for instance in this weeks study article one section reads:.
in years gone by, we believed that jehovah became displeased with his people because they did not have a zealous share in the preaching work during world war i. we concluded that for this reason, jehovah allowed babylon the great to take them captive for a short time.
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Sorry
I wouldn't put too much thought into it. They're only using this "Babylonian captivity" thing as a scare tactic to get more JW's in field circus.
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16
A Perfect Life Isn't Worth Living?
by Sorry inthink of your favorite tv shows.
what do they all have in common?
the answer is they revolve around some type of problem or conflict.
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Sorry
My friends brought up an interesting point today: a perfect existence isn't perfect at all.
Think of your favorite TV shows. What do they all have in common? The answer is they revolve around some type of problem or conflict. Whether serious or comedic, conflict and seeing how characters handle it interests viewers. It would get boring very quickly if there were no problems, if everyone was smart and nice, if everyone had that same perfect personality.
My best friend went on to say this applies in real life. If everything in the world was eternally perfect, what would there really be to live for? If you think life is purposeless now, just wait until the new system. Your only purpose is eating fruit, petting tigers and singing Kumbaya all day. No motivation to change or grow. Nothing would be interesting since we'd all be the same perfect people. Once the novelty wears off, it'd be boring to be perfect.
People devote their lives to something, whether it's fighting for equal rights, educating others or employing the scientific method to answer the unanswerable. Many have died for it. If everything is perfect, what's the point? You're just taking up space.
It struck a chord with me. Being a JW, perfection in eternity is the end goal. But when you really think about it (thinking isn't really the average JWs forte), it's just as unfulfilling as they try to make the 'world' out to be. Any lurker with doubts, please take this info consideration (unless I sound crazy, then just ignore me).
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45
What's preventing YOU from stopping meeting attendance?
by nicolaou inwe all 'exit' in our own way and at our own pace but i'm curious, why carry on stuffing yourself into that stiff suit and tie or meeting dress years after you realised the truth about 'the truth'?.
they kept you a prisoner, what's stopping you from leaving now that you have the key to your own cell?.
loved ones?
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Sorry
Many would say I have no reason to stay. My relationship with my family is quite rocky. I only have one worthwhile friend whose hallway out the door themselves. It doesn't make me happy. I have a support system outside my family (boyfriend and various friends). So why stay?
Despite the things I go through, I value my relationship with my family. I still live with them. If attending meetings will keep the peace for now, so be it. As soon as I move out and they realize they can't make my decisions forever, hopefully I can start my fade.
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31
Young People Ask: I’m Attracted to the Same Sex—Does That Mean I’m Gay?
by pale.emperor ineurgh!
more patronizing and uninformed reasoning from the "experts" at bethel.
this time tackling the sensitive subject of those attracted the the same sex.
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Sorry
"The Bible explicitly states that homosexuality is an abomination. These worldly scientists that are trying to push this gay agenda have no regards for the ultimate book that was influenced by the Creator of this world, Jehovah God. It's unnatural. Truly the last days." My mother.
Can't reason with most Christians on the topic of homosexuality.
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34
Young People Ask... When Can I Start Dating?
by pale.emperor inquite possibly the most annoying and patronizing thing i've read in years.
comments of mine are in yellow.. .
she doesn't trust herself to make her own decisions and she's going to wait years even after she thinks she's ready.
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Sorry
Even when I fully believed everything, their whole approach to dating seemed so ass backwards to me. At least to me, there's a difference between dating and being in a serious relationship. Why would you even be thinking about marriage when you're in the beginning stages of a relationship? You're trying to determine if you're even compatible at that point!
The whole "chaperone" thing was also flawed. It's just not a good way to get to know someone. Of course people are going to be on their best behavior in front of their parents (or "mature" Christians who will snitch to the elders). If you're going to spend the rest of your life with someone with no way out, you better do it right. Holding back on genuinely getting to know each other and just rushing to get married is just crazy.
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44
Thoughts on African Americans and Slavery
by Simon inlet's start by saying that slavery is of course a terrible thing, one of the worst crimes imaginable, and that "slavery" rarely implies good treatment, anything noble or defensible.
nowadays, even god doesn't escape judgement from our enlightened views with passages about slavery in the bible usually glossed over because they are shameful.. but not all slavery was equal.. because of the media, movie industry, racial tensions in the us regularly shown on the news and our taught history, i think most people's knowledge and idea of slavery is that of the north atlantic slave trade where white people took africans to work in cotton fields.
this idea is probably also re-enforced because the largest group of descendents of slaves we see today are african americans (usually in the us or places they subsequently migrated to).. but it's incomplete.. it's only when you look into it more that you discover that there was much more to the slave trade than that, otherwise it would have been just called "the slave trade" and not "the north atlantic slave trade".. some 12.5 million slaves were taken from africa to the us with just under 11 million surviving the trip so it obviously took a terrible toll immediately, even before any maltreatment once they landed in the americas where conditions and treatment were truly awful.
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Sorry
In history lessons I always had two types of teachers: ones who made it seem that slavery only dealt with Africans, and they were quite apologetic for it. Then I had the others who made a point to say that "blacks weren't the only slaves, plenty of white European people were slaves too". I found both methods of approaching the subject problematic for different reasons, but being AA myself, I found myself in a tough spot. I'm not one for promoting skewed data or focusing on one aspect of an issue, but if I were to bring up the fact that other races were enslaved to my peers, I'd be accused of "downplaying" the struggles our ancestors lived through during slavery.
I think the NAST is focused on so heavily because, like Simon said, the large amount of descendants of African-American slaves. Also because the huge affect it had on our country socially, politically and economically for hundreds of years afterwards, some of which can be seen today.
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13
First time back in a KH in 8 months
by Normalfulla inso... one of my employees is a miserable servant and was giving the pt and invited me to come knowing full well i was faded out, i go along cos i respect him and thought why not, i must admit i was a little nervous headed back there (a neighboring hall not my old one) i saw alot of familiar faces and some old friends who were aware of my fade, all so pleased to see me at a meeting again and i can sum up how i felt about the experience like this.. .
have you ever been to a party and been the only sober person there and are totally aware of the ridiculous things said and going on?
that's what it felt like except the party would have been more fun of course,... all these good people, drunk off their heads on wt propaganda and false hopes, the irony was the talk was titled "does your life have meaning?".
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Sorry
Only sober person at a party? Pretty much me in high school. Majority of my friends were older, and since I was oh so responsible, they usually called me out to be the designated driver. The things that were said and done had me bewildered, but it was also kinda funny.
At least those parties had me entertained. Being the only "woke" person at the meetings is just...sad, boring and frustrating.