Posts by panhandlegirl

94

Its sad how Americans think they are the center of the world regarding Sandy...

by mP in

jw
friends

the storm was much more intense and killed many more in the caribbean and yet i see practically nothing mentioned about them here or in the media.. .

pathetic..

panhandlegirl

I haven't read everything posted about this but I have to say that America is the center of my world regarding what devastation Sandy has brought on my fellow Americans. This is my home and these are my people. It saddens me to see how these people have lost everything;they no longer have a home, clothes, no water, electricity, and are hungry and cold. That does not mean that I do not sympathize with all those others who have also died or been devastated by Sandy. America and Americans have always been there for others who suffer from these storms. America provides foreign aid to many nations all the time, not only during times of disasters.From my recollecion, many Americians went to Haite to help out when they had the last hurricane and many may still be there helping. Anyway, why pit one nation against another during times like these. People can have sympathy for more than on nation at the same time. It's just that this time it happened in a big way to American and we all feel it deeply. I live 10 miles from the Atlantic and I know that could have been me if not for the direction the storm chose to take.

PHG

295

Survey: Who here is an atheist? Who here still believes in God?

by Christ Alone in

jw
friends

i just wanted to take a survey.

let's not let this get into the same old same old debate of atheism vs belief.

just respond with "atheist" or "believer" or "maybe god exists".

panhandlegirl

I am not sure. I have to think and study on it some more. I believed in GOD and the Bible before I got on this site and started reading certain books and listening to Dawkins. Now I don't know.

PHG

34

January 2013 Watchtower. Interesting comment re 6000 years

by alanv in

just had a quick read through the new 16 page edition of the watchtower, and noticed an article about able who was adam's son.

the article said in part.

abel speaks to you today.

panhandlegirl

Is that a direct quote from the WT or the Weekly Reader (children's periodical for you whipper-snappers)?

Are you saying that schools no longer have the Weekly Reader? What else has gone down the drain!

PHG

10

what would be their first thought???

by Strawberryfieldsforever in

jw
friends

i often wonder about the older "old school" jehovah's witnesses that are up in their 70's and they are losing all their friends they have known most of their lives.

they waited together all those years for the big "a" and it still isn't here.

they are still sitting at the meetings, raising their hands to answer on the same old material and waiting for any tidbit of new information about how close they are to that paradise earth.. i wonder what would be their first thought when the doubt begins to seep in and they have nobody to tell it too....... .

panhandlegirl

james, I was never sure if they had taught it all along and then just stated it outright or if it was "new light." It was a shocker to me. I wonder if the "new light" regarding the F&DS will shock anyone. I don't think it will, I think the "old school" will just accept it.

PHG

10

what would be their first thought???

by Strawberryfieldsforever in

jw
friends

i often wonder about the older "old school" jehovah's witnesses that are up in their 70's and they are losing all their friends they have known most of their lives.

they waited together all those years for the big "a" and it still isn't here.

they are still sitting at the meetings, raising their hands to answer on the same old material and waiting for any tidbit of new information about how close they are to that paradise earth.. i wonder what would be their first thought when the doubt begins to seep in and they have nobody to tell it too....... .

panhandlegirl

LostGeneration, I agree with your assessment of those still in the borg in their 70s-80's. They have invested too much time and faith in the borg to enable them to leave. If they should have doubts, I believe they would suppress those thoughts. They have too much to lose. I recall a line from "Scent of a Woman" where Chris O'Donnell, the student hired to watch over Al Pacino, suggests that he drink coffee instead of Jack Daniel's whiskey;Pacino replies that "It's too big a leap." I think it would be "too big a leap" for them to consider doubts.

42

Annual meeting. Greek scholars please help!

by DATA-DOG in

below is a statement from gb member gerrit losch.

notice what is said about the fds.

is this true?

panhandlegirl

I, too, agree with Phizzy, and others, that this is speaking about two outcomes and not groups of people.

Leolaia, thanks for your further exposition of the parable.

PHG

10

what would be their first thought???

by Strawberryfieldsforever in

jw
friends

i often wonder about the older "old school" jehovah's witnesses that are up in their 70's and they are losing all their friends they have known most of their lives.

they waited together all those years for the big "a" and it still isn't here.

they are still sitting at the meetings, raising their hands to answer on the same old material and waiting for any tidbit of new information about how close they are to that paradise earth.. i wonder what would be their first thought when the doubt begins to seep in and they have nobody to tell it too....... .

panhandlegirl

I guess I qualify as one of those older "old school" Jehovah's Witnesses. I left the borg in about 81-82. I lost all the friends I had know all my life plus all of my family, except two brothers and one cousin. I never doubted that I was in the "truth" or that we (jws) were God's special people. I did become discourged about the WTS having so much control over our lives but it was not until I read an article about Jesus being the Mediator for only the 144,000 that I began to have doubts about the borg. It is scary when you find out the ttatt. We have been taught that Jehovah hates all false religion so at first you don't know what to do. At first, if you are alone in your disbelief, you just drift. CoC was a real help to see that I was not alone in my disbelief. My older brother had left the borg and told me about his disbelief, so I did have him and one younger brother to share information with. As you might expect, it is very difficult to realize that everything you have believed all your life is a lie. It is a life-changing experience and you second guess yourself often. After a while,you accept the ttatt and get on with your life. You learn to live with your losses and realize that there is life after being a jw. Of course, this site helps me to see that there are thousands like me and it helps to see that I am not crazy or just being rebellious. I am grateful to those who were in the know for the information that they have provided to the rest of us who left on our own without knowing what was taking place at HQ. We just stepped out into the darkness not knowing what we would encounter or where we were going. We just knew we had to leave this place.

PHG.

16

What do you think of drawings like these?

by DeWandelaar in

a long time ago the jw's published a book called "humans in search of god" (translation of the dutch version so i am sorry if the title is not totally correct).

i always remembered one sick drawing in it and it always made me wonder how this drawing could be used in one of their books.. .

warning: can be shocking to people who never saw it before!.

panhandlegirl

Do people really turn that grey when their heart is cut out?

Yes, James, they do turn gray. My mother was a very white woman and when I was called to the hospital because she was bleeding and had a card saying she would not take blood, she was confused and her color was gray. It was a terrible sight to see.Her kidneys failed soon after she turned gray.

PHG

30

How would you feel about this and would you steps to change the situation

by troubled mind in

jw
friends

next week i am having surgery at the local hospital .

one of my old jw 'friends ', that no longer considers me worthy of even a hello ,is a surgical tech there .. would you take steps to ask she not be on the operating team ?

it was brought to my attention today that i do have the right to ask for that person not to be present because of personal issues .. what would you do ?

panhandlegirl

As a nurse, I agree with everyone else. Dont let this person anywhere near you or allow them to have any information about you. If he/she is a true professional, he/she will understand. You have rights. Use them.

PHG

38

How Are You Treated When JWs See You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do they talk to you, ignore you, love bomb you??

?.

panhandlegirl

One sister ignores me, will not even look in my direction, the other used to get in my face and scream at me, things such as "How dare you impose your presence on us. You have left Jehovah," when she saw me at our mother's home. Now, she too ignores me. My cousins ignore me and tell others that I am no longer family and am nothing. If I dare speak, they scream the most ugly things at me. I have met the enemy and it's my family. It used to hurt, but you get used to it. When I graduated from University, I sent my sisters an announcement. They ignored it, but at least they are aware that I have progressed in life. I have moved away from my hometown, so I do not know any jws where I live. That's a blessing.

PHG