bittersweet

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Posts by bittersweet

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  23

  Did You Support Children Getting Baptized?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after reading blondie's thread of the baptisms at the district convention, i couldn't help but identify with the 11 year old that said she was so happy to be baptized and has wanted to be baptized for years now.

  i was 9 when i got baptized but really wanted to take the plunge at around 7. after my mother talked to the congregation servant about my desire, he said that she should not hold me back.

  my daughter was 14 when she got baptized.

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  bittersweet

  minimus, you made a good point when you said that marriage is a huge decision, and one wouldn't expect one to enter into that at such a young age. If a 12 year old said he/she wanted to get married, that they were mature enough, a parent would obviously say no. Yet they have no problem allowing a young child to get baptized, when they themselves say that dedication and baptism is the MOST important decision one can ever make. Lets see, a child can dedicate the rest of their lives to an earthly organization, but can't make a decision about who he can hang out with. Makes no sense.

  I got baptised at 15, because I wanted to please my mom and make the elders believe I was a good kid. My dad ( who wasn't a witness ) called me on the phone and said it was the worst decision I could ever make ( I got so mad I hung up on him ). For once, my dad was right about something.
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  48

  What did you do to keep yourself amused at the KH?

  by be wise in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  when i was very young about 12 or 13 my brother [he's mad, not much older] sometimes used to do a cheeky magic trick during the watchtower[god, this was the most boring of them all, i think].

  he used to put his hands by his side and miraculously the books on his lap would rise all by themselves [yeah, you guessed it ...morning glory], well it made me laugh my head off.

  i bet people could see my shoulders bouncing up and down from the back row.

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  bittersweet

  I basically did the same things mentioned here. When I was younger and my mom would let me sit with one of my friends ( until there was a talk about only sitting with your own family ), my friend and I would turn to the book of Job, and we would read the scriptures and see who could come up with the most jobs mentioned.Kept us busy for a while, and it looked like we were paying attention. I used to study the maps in the back of the bible too. I wanted to draw or write notes, but the only time I was allowed pen and paper was at the assemblies, and then my mom would make sure we weren't drawing or writing anything that didn't pertain to the talks being given.

  As an adult, whenever one of the kids would fuss ( I always secretly hoped they would ) I would run them back to the baby room and find an excuse to stay back there the rest of the meeting. If the kids were behaving, I would daydream and wish I was somewhere else!
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  16

  My girl is HOME!

  by els in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my daughter meghan graduated from college this past saturday.

  it was actually a beautiful day in new hampshire for a change.

  i was so proud when she walked across that stage and accepted her diploma.

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  bittersweet

  That's great! Tell Meghan congratulations from us! You must be so proud. How sad that your family wouldn't be proud of her. They obviously don't know what they are missing out on. They are the losers in this picture.
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  25

  So, who sleeps in early, and who sleeps in late?(fluff)

  by obiwan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  i find that i can't sleep in late on the weekends.i'm up at 5:30 in the morning during the week and by the time the weekend comes around, if i can sleep till 7:30 i'm doing good.

  even if i stay up till midnight i still get up around 8:00.the only way i sleep in late is if i've been drinking all night or i'm sick.. so how does everyone else do with thier sleeping habits?

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  bittersweet

  I like to sleep in if at all possible, but usually it isn't possible. I work til midnight 5 days a week, the I can't fall asleep until around 2 AM, then I have to be up between 6 and 7:30 five days a week. On the weekends I sleep later, but my kids always manage to wake me up. My ideal would be to go to sleep between 12AM and 1AM, then sleep til 9 or 10, that would be my ideal. I am a wicked night owl, so I can never fall asleep before 12 anyways.
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  44

  The Bible is a very mean spirited book.

  by libra_spirit in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i remember at one point in my life believing that the new testament taught love as the greatest command.

  for the last week i have been rereading the new testament.

  mathew, and revelation so far.

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  bittersweet

  Toss it.
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  13

  My first "Wordly" Funeral...

  by confuzcious in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hey guys, .

  i just attended my first "worldly" funeral since i've been out of "the truth" tm.. anyways, i thought it was nicely done.

  it gave honor to the deceased, it drew me closer to jesus and it evoked emotions within me.. i'm just contrasting this to the jw funerals which always seems like way to peddle products rather than honor the dead.. no thoughts in particular for me, but anyone have any similar thoughts???.

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  bittersweet

  A couple years ago one of my good friends from work died of breast cancer. That was the first "worldly" funeral I had ever attended. Aside from all the sitting and standing and kneeling stuff ( this was a Catholic funeral ), it was ok. A little over the top IMHO, but the priest did say a lot of nice things about Jill, and others came up and recited scriptures and stuff. Tha absolute worst part though, was when they brought her casket thru the aisle and had it sitting up front. That totally creeped me out because all I could think about was her body lying inside.

  A year later I went to my first "worldly" wedding. Again, Catholic.. Let me just say that it was soooo boring, and way too long.Too much hocus pocus. And I felt out of place when all the people would repeat certain things at certain times, I had no clue! The reception was awesome though!
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  11

  Where am I?

  by joelbear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm 45 years old going to college for a degree in marketing so i can find a decent job.

  i made two a's last semester.

  i'm only taking 2 classes at a time because of my nerves.. every day is a battle with my nerves.

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  bittersweet

  (((((((((joelbear))))))))) I also suffer from an anxiety disorder, and I find it hard to cope sometimes. Going back to the KH is definately not the answer. The conditional love offered there isn't what you need to feel better. You have to find something that helps you cope with your nervousness. IMHO, going back to the KH would only make the problem worse.

  Please take care of yourself and know that we are here for you. If you ever want to talk, my e-mail is reneegrl69@yahoo. Feel free to drop me a line.
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  29

  I figured wrong>>>>>>

  by SheilaM in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  just got my report card, i got an 3.5% instead of a 3.429 like i thought yeaaaaaaaa i did make honor roll

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  bittersweet

  That is sooooooo awesome Sheila! And here you thought you wouldn't! You are great, and I admire you so much. I hope to go back to college someday myself ( maybe I'll go at the same time my boys go! ). You are a true inspiration!
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  12

  Finally told my mother I'm no longer a believer

  by YellowLab in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  for those who don't know, i did the fade about 8 years ago or so.

  i finally had a frank talk with my mother the other day about how i no longer consider myself a witness.

  she has been a witness for about 40 years now.

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  bittersweet

  I am so happy for you Yellowlab!

  I had a similar experience recently with my mom. I haven't gone to a meeting in over 4 years. When I see my mom, we never discuss any of this. But on the day of the Memorial, it all came out in the open, and I told her I didn't believe the JW's and I intended on never going back. I was so afraid of her reaction, but she was cool about it. I was so relieved! Now if only some of the other posters parents could be so cool and realize that a religion is NOT worth losing your family over. We are sooo fortunate that our mothers are the way they are.( huh, never thought I would say that about my mom, lol )
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  43

  Being "Smart" will not prevent one from following the WTS

  by onacruse in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this weekend, while katie and i were at the beach, we both spent a little time reading coc (no, it wasn't a study lol ...i can honestly say that i did not favor the disfellowshipping decision made by the [governing] body.

  for when the vote came i conformed to the majority decision.

  i felt dismayed when the body assigned me to prepare mateiral in support of the decision, yet i accepted the assignment and wrote it as was desired by the body...my belief in the organization as god's only agency on earth caused me to do what i did at that time without particularly great qualms of conscience.. .

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  bittersweet

  very interesting subject. I got in an argument with my jw husband not too long ago ( he was mad that I chat with x-jw's, can't understand why I just can't let go ), and apparantly something I said ( not quite sure what it was ) made him say to me "You think I'm stupid, don't you? ". I inquired where on earth did he get the idea that I think he's stupid, and he said " because you think I am brainwashed ". I said that I thought he was very intelligent ( which he is ), and he kept saying over again, " No, you think I am stupid, you think I am brainwashed ". Sheesh. Intelligent people CAN be brainwashed. I know lots of smart jw's.Obviously, it is emotion that draws people to these types of beliefs, then they twist things around to suit their belief system, thinking they are being logical.

  If a witness came to the door of a person who had never felt the need to go to church, one who wasn't a spiritual person at all, the likely hood of the witness winning this person over is pretty slim. Now at the next door, they meet up with a person who has just lost a loved one. This person is intelligent, believes in God, but is feeling worn down emotionally. What the witnesses are preaching about sounds good, a hope they can cling on to.Their emotions wanting them to believe something could be better. Judgement goes out the window, the person is suckered in.

  So, IMHO, I feel intelligence can get thrown out the window when emotion is involved. Just my two cents.