Ranchette

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Posts by Ranchette

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  20

  Cruel Pre-1975 Teaching Point - Persecution

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  persecution: sometime around late 1973 early 1974, when jws everywhere were in eager anticipation of armageddon breaking out, we also feared something else.

  prior to armageddon, there would be the great tribulation, and just about this time we expected heavy persecution, so much so, that is was hard to help bible studies (newbies) to get over this fear.. service meeting part: during a service meeting, the elder giving the part was speaking about such persecution and of course all this was prefaced with our obedience to jehovah and his organization, doing all the works, meetings, etc.

  .... ... as he spoke, there was suddenly loud banging on all of our entry-exit doors.

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  Ranchette

  Amazing,
  Although I don't remember any thing quite as extreem as that horrifying demonstration,what I do remember was bad enough.Talks constantly stressed how close we were to the end,I'm not talking about the way they o today.They had you beliving any day now!!They also told tons of scary stories about persecution.They were very detailed,telling us that there would be no ecaping this persecution if we were Jehovahs people.There was no way out and still live in paradise.As others have mentioned these talks were very tramatizing especially to the children.I was between 7 and 10 during that time.I remember imagining all kinds of situations that might befall me and my family.Things like facing a firing squad,being interogated,seperated from family,concentration camps,rape.I could go on and on.The grown ups were probably dealing with this in a different way but this was a very improper way of dealing with children.Add on top of that,some of had nuttier parents than most.My mother used to use this information we heard at the meetings to scare me into obedience and submission.Well come to think of it she was trained well!She would tell me that if I didn't learn to obey that I could be the cause of us being killed or captured in the Tribulation.

  I noticed a big change in the meetings in the late 70's and early 80's.I never connected that one reason they lightened up was because the end didn't come when they expected it to.

  During the early to mid 70's I sure didn't have much trouble staying awake at the meetings!I'm just glad I don't have to go any more.
  Ranchette
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  21

  No more hiding!!!

  by BugEye in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, here is my real picture.. i have decided to stop hiding and show my real face.. i hid behind an artificial facade (data) for a long time, fearful of facing the consequences of deciding that my former beliefs were incorrect.. i made the concrete decision in march of this year that jehovahs witnesses do not have the truth and in fact that they were totally wrong.. however, since i have been inactive for 5 years and i do have some people that i care about still in the organization, i decided that i would not reveal who i was so that i did not lose my friends and family.. however, i have now decided to be who i am and my change in my picture icon represents that change.

  the consequences are still the same, and i am likely to lose most if not all of my borg friends, but that is the consequence of my decision.. no more hiding for me .

  bugeye

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  Ranchette

  BugsEye,
  Congradulations!!
  I wish I could do that.
  I will when ready.By the way nice photo!:)
  Ranchette
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  33

  To all snipers and bombers

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the approach of ex-jehovah's witnesses towards those still witnesses has been debated since the problem first occurred.

  personally i joined the ranks of ex-witnesses in 1988 and found myself more or less thrown into the fray appearing in media like newspapers, radio and tv.

  one of the first things i noticed was the interest bestowed upon me from competing churches, particularly from the pentecostalism camp.

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  Ranchette

  There are some issues that must be handled bluntly.They rise to the level of emergency issues! There is no time for games or beating around the bush. Just spit it out and maybe just maybe someone can be saved the pain and suffering that others have experienced.Also there's room for both aproaches here.If someone comes on to strong then there's always someone here to present it in a softer manner.Between the two aproaches hopefully the message gets through.
  Ranchette
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  33

  !ONE MORE ELDER FACING WTS EXECUTION Part II.!

  by exodus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after i came home last night i sat down to have dinner when five minutes later i received a phone call.

  i did not picked up the phone.

  then it rang again and refuse to answer it so i let the answering machine handle it.

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  Ranchette

  Wiz,
  You may not believe me either but I'll say it anyway.
  Every thing Exudus has said is true.I know him.
  He and his family are going through a very stressful time.They need our love and support.
  Ranchette
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  5

  The Word of God

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the strange world of the bible.

  during my many years as a jehovah's witness my studies of the bible was extremely shallow.

  the watchtower society was deluging us with magazines and books and the references to the bible you found there were just filtered through the watchtower propaganda machine.

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  Ranchette

  I with ya Norm!I've had problems with many of the Bible stories from the time I was a kid.Many are so disturbing to me.They liken God to being our father,and the things people willfully accept from God we would execute a human father for!

  Julie,
  The story you pointed out about Jael bothered me too.
  Back in the 80's when Watchtower outlawed guns for protection I would use this story to refute their reasoning. She killed a man in a very sneaky horrible way and is a rightious Bible heroin down to this day.
  But if you were to kill someone in your home with a gun used for self defence or defending your family your evil? I don't think so!
  Ranchette
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  7

  Birthday celebrations

  by Jools j in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  reading thru the birthday wishes for both joel (happy birthday btw) and slayer, i was caught up in mrmoe's remark about it being good to feel no guilt anymore.. will tell us when you first ever celebrated a birthday after your jw experience and what it felt like and how did you do it?

  did you feel at all guilty or was it paradisical all the way

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  Ranchette

  This has been a banner year so far for my whole family!I was 35,my husband 44,my daughter 14,and my son 9.
  We are having fun! I had no guilt feelings because I had already worked that out before taking action,but I have to tell you singing the song is still a little weird for me for some reason.I just think after all those years of being told it's bad it takes time to get rid of old programing.
  At my first birthday my family had me stay in my room till they called me.I was so excited! After they called me out I came down the hall to the kitchen and they all hollered "Surprise" Then someone(my son) jumped in front of me and I heard a very loud pop ,saw sparks and something coming towards me. This happened in seconds .I thought I had been shot!!! I jumped streight up and landed right on my butt when I came back down!!Well my family sure thought it was funny.Once I got over the shock I thought it was funny too.It was a hand held firework that you hold in your hand and shoot and colored streamers come out.
  The second birthday in the family was my daughters'.It was crazier than mine! When she leaned over to blow out the candles my son screamed,"Your hair is on fire".We all thought he was joking till I saw the right side of her hair on fire!!
  I grabbed it and skook it.The part that was on fire fell to the floor .We put the fire out and accessed the damage and went on with the festivities.The worst part was the horrible stink in the house from burnt hair!
  We joked that God was mad at us for being such pagon heathons.He must have gotten over it though because the last two Birthdays went off without a hitch.
  Ranchette
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  33

  !ONE MORE ELDER FACING WTS EXECUTION Part II.!

  by exodus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after i came home last night i sat down to have dinner when five minutes later i received a phone call.

  i did not picked up the phone.

  then it rang again and refuse to answer it so i let the answering machine handle it.

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  Ranchette

  So sorry to hear about what you and your family are going through!
  They think they have the right to be rude,use intimidating behavior,and tramatize a family.They completly justify these things!To bad they don't use all this time and energy in outing the real bad guys(pediphiles)instead of you and your family.They view you as a threat to their authority.The restraining order sounds like an interesting idea.Legal representation might not be such a bad idea either.
  Hang in there.
  Love to you and your family,
  Ranchette
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  4

  you think you got troubles

  by julien in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  check out this poor guy http://news.excite.com/news/r/010821/08/odd-testicle-dc

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  Ranchette

  I think they left some information out because I'm wondering how any man could have a "normal sex life with his penis hacked off and then slicing of one testicle?
  Not much left now is there?Maybe they reatached those parts?
  Just wondering,
  Ranchette

  P.s. I reread, okay it was suceccfully reatched!
  Still don't think any thing about this man is normal!
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  71

  When and where baptized

  by drahcir yarrum in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought it might be interesting to see how many here remember where and when they were baptised into the borg.

  for some the memory may be too painful, but i'm curious.. me.

  it was 1966 in vancouver, bc.

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  Ranchette

  1980,Saint Louis Missiouri.Circuit assembly

  13 years old
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  27

  the week from hell...I need input please!

  by jonjonsimons in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just found out my best friend died this morning.

  i'm not looking for sympathy, i just need some input.

  we were very close and worked together volunteering for the aids foundation here in my hometown.

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  Ranchette

  Jon,
  Forget that promise!Go say goodbye to your friend.You will feel much better than if you miss the funeral.
  Believe me your friend will be much more forgiving with you than you would be to your self if you don't go!
  I am sorry for the losses of all those friends.
  Ranchette