panhandlegirl

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Posts by panhandlegirl

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  15

  (PIONEERING) and the way to get ahead: PIOUS SNEERING

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the year was 1969.. i had just spent my 2 years fulfilling my "neutrality" obligations to jehovah's organization during the viet nam war by going in to federal prison.. i thought i could use my parole to get my life together.. getting a job, saving some money, buying a car and getting a place to live didn't seem like radical or worldly ideas to me.. i guess i was pretty surprised when i walked in to the kingdom hall where i had not set foot since 1967.. .

  instead of a homecoming i was greeted by----the congregation overseer (the pre-elder days).. in his hot little hand was the pioneer application form.

  he handed it to me saying, "i know you'll want to continue your serving jehovah full time!".

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  panhandlegirl

  1969: We were at the DC in Kansas City, MO. It was the week that America landed on the moon. We, of course, did not watch it live. We were at the DC sessions. I was 25 years old. Some of the younger brothers in our circut

  were in prison, one had taken the Alternate Service, working at a tuberculosis hospital, my cousin joined the Air Force before he got drafted into the Army and went to Viet Nam. My older sisted decided not to have

  childern and becomea regular pioneer. I pioneered every few months. It was a stressful time. My husband was df'd for smoking during that time. I remember telling his mother that I thought he did not believe that

  Amageddon was coming or else he would have stopped smoking. I expected that he would be destroyed in 1975. I was trying to save myself and my two children. He never tried to get reinstated. As you stated,

  the pioneers were the ones you looked up to, they were the examples to follow. The whole country was stressed and the music played during the 60s-70 showed it. For JW's the anticipation and urgency of the preaching

  work dominated our life. When nothing happened, some were disillusioned, some continued on. I was among the disillusioned and started working outside the home. Although I remained a jw, I did not attend meetings regularly and

  I don't think I ever went out in field service after 1975 came and went. I don't think anyone who is not a jw can understand our experience. In fact, when I think about it myself, I can't believe I believed such a prediction.

  I cannot believe I/we invested/wasted our youth on such a prediction! The Bible clearly states that nobody knows the day or the hour, not even the Son knows. And then to find out that the WTS denies their prediction and

  blames it on the flock. Unbelievable!!
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  30

  A heart-wrenching comment from the JW survey...

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've just received this comment from a country in the south china sea.

  i'd rather not be more specific than that.. the english is poor, but the message is heart-wrenching.

  any who question whether ordinary publishers wrestle with doubts need only read this message.

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  panhandlegirl

  What is so sad about this comment is that no one should ever feel that they cannot share their innermost feeling with those closest to them. No one should feel the stress of losing family or friends just because they do not agree with what an outsider, which is what the wts is, teaches. How many more people like this man are there in this world. People like we once were. As sd-7 stated, there is hope in this man's comments. The mere fact that he answered the survey demonstrates his hope for some answers to his questions. He is doubting the wts.
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  164

  Medical Marijuana, Your opinion please?

  by Greybeard in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do any of you use medical marijuana?

  i go to aa and there are a few who believe medical marijuana is an "outside issue" and they are ok with it.

  i don't know... alcohol doesn't work for me but if it did, i would use it... i wish i could find a "new drug" that works lol.

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  panhandlegirl

  I remember that back in the 50s my younger cousin had asthma real bad. His mother was the local curanda, the one who the locals went to for cures. My young cousin was always smoking something that helped his asthma. I

  am sure it was mj. I also know others who smoke mj, and have done so for years, and they seem to get along OK; no problems working or with the law. So my conclusion is that if a person needs it, and it works, smoke it.
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  55

  Would you die for your current beliefs?

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  panhandlegirl

  00DAD, I do believe you are in good form today.
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  14

  8/15/12 WT- Article of NONSENSE!

  by stillstuckcruz in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the first article in the study edition is full of lots of little holes and contradictions.. pargraph 4:.

  4 however, in the 1870sabout four decades before the last days begana small group of sincere christians in pennsylvania, u.s.a., met together to study the bible diligently and to search for the true knowledge.

  (2 tim.

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  panhandlegirl

  I have a question about this: but the selection of the material to be part of the Holy Scriptures and the accurate recording of it were under the direction of holy spirit.

  As I understand, the Catholic Church is the one that selected "the material to be part of the Holy Scriptures" so are they saying that the holy spirit was guiding the Catholic Church?
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  30

  A heart-wrenching comment from the JW survey...

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've just received this comment from a country in the south china sea.

  i'd rather not be more specific than that.. the english is poor, but the message is heart-wrenching.

  any who question whether ordinary publishers wrestle with doubts need only read this message.

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  panhandlegirl

  What a sincere and honest man. It just breaks your heart to see how the WBS has used people's desire to serve God for their own glory and enrichment.

  Cedars, I am always encourged by your posts. I know some days life seems harder than other days. Maybe you need time for yourself, to rejuvenate your inner spirit.

  Panhandle Girl.
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  164

  Medical Marijuana, Your opinion please?

  by Greybeard in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do any of you use medical marijuana?

  i go to aa and there are a few who believe medical marijuana is an "outside issue" and they are ok with it.

  i don't know... alcohol doesn't work for me but if it did, i would use it... i wish i could find a "new drug" that works lol.

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  panhandlegirl

  I am for legalizing marijuana. I have never smoked it but I don't think it's any worse than alcohol. I could be wrong. I also think if it was grown and sold like alcohol maybe it would help with the problem we are having with the drug lords in Mexico.
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  55

  Would you die for your current beliefs?

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  panhandlegirl

  I'm with Bernard. At one time, I would have been stupid enough to die for my jw beliefs, but not now.No waterboarding for me. I will tell you everything you want to know, well almost everything.
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  7

  What Percentage Of Family/Friends Do You Miss?

  by Bubblegum Apotheosis in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have not experienced "shunning" yet, i have observed jehovah's witnesses shunning members who are not disfellowshiped, i think this has to do with selfishness inheritant in this religion.

  christianity is a religion of giving, jesus wanted his members to share their goods with people who could not return the favor.

  he promised his father in heaven would repay generous hearts who looked out for father-less boys and widows.. fine and dandy, but in the real world, quid-pro-qou matters, returning meal for meal, gift for gift and party for party does maintain your social status in the congregation.

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  panhandlegirl

  Bubblegum, I miss 94% of family. Only three brothes and two male cousins still speak to me. I slept between/or in the same bed with my two older sisters until I was 15. We were very close. Now if they see me, they turn their heads or insult me. I have a large family and all are jws on my mother's and husband's side. It is sad and difficult to be shunned but I have made a new life for myself. Thank goodness I took my children out of the wts when they were young so I do have them.

  Freeof1914, Yes, get ready for some pain if you get df/d. Don't despair, there is life after the organization.
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  37

  So you think you were a True Witness?

  by FaithfulBrother in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  fuck you.. i was raised in a jw family in the 1980's-1990's where we had to do the daily text 7 days a week during breakfast at the family table at 7am sharp between 7:00-7:15am.

  this was followed by a "spiritual discussion," which was held every morning between 7:15am and 8:00am.. since we were homeschooled, our weekly field service was required from childhood on friday mornings immediately following the spiritual discussion, followed by saturday afternoon field service after the bookstudy, as well as sunday afternoon field service after the watchtower study.. i was also required to read each watchtower and awake magazine and give oral reports about each magazine i read in order for my father to be sure that i had actually read them.

  i can't remember for sure, but i think each watchtower and awake was released every two weeks back then, making a new magazine to read every single week, followed by an oral report on every single article (including the watchtower study articles which i also had to read, then study in our weekly family watchtower study where we marked our answers, then studied again at the sunday watchtower study).. in addition to this, we also had a weekly family bible study at night each week, had a family bookstudy at night in which we marked our answers for the saturday morning bookstudy, had a family watchtower study at night where we marked our answers for the sunday morning watchtower study, had a family prayer together every night before bed, every morning before and after breakfast and every night before and after dinner (not including our half-family prayers for lunch by my mother since we were homeschooled.).

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  panhandlegirl

  FaithfulBrother, WOW, you were totally abused, and I thoutht I had been hard on my children. You did not even have school as a outlet. You need some counseling for your anger and reading the books recommened will also help.

  Leave the bottle alone and get some help. My husband became very depressed after the early (30 years) death of his brother and his own disfellowshipment and drank himself to death at the age of 62. It is not an easy way to

  go. You now have your whole life ahead of you. It can be a great life. You are in control now! Most of us born-in (I was 4 so I count myself as one) wasted our youth in that crazy organization. You are not alone. There are some

  great people on this site you can vent and talk to and get good advice from. We have been there and done that. Your life was extreme jw upbringing!!