Richie

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Posts by Richie

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  94

  Hey baby, what's your sign?

  by Bridgette in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, it's a hobbie of mine: astrology and people profiling.

  now, i have a hypothesis i want to gather correlational data on.

  disclaimer: it's only for fun, nathan natas, larc, alanf--all you logical thinkers out there!

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  Richie

  Hi Lesley!!!
  Welcome to this board; you will find true and loving friends here.
  By coming here you prove that you are openminded and have a love for the inner freedom of searching out real truths on life, spirituality and other concerns about our fellow human beings. I would highly recommend that you obtain Ray Franz' book "Crisis of Conscience", a balanced writing by a godloving individual on how the Society is really structured and how humans are being manipulated in the name of their man-made Organization.

  Richie :*)

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
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  94

  Hey baby, what's your sign?

  by Bridgette in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, it's a hobbie of mine: astrology and people profiling.

  now, i have a hypothesis i want to gather correlational data on.

  disclaimer: it's only for fun, nathan natas, larc, alanf--all you logical thinkers out there!

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  Richie

  Born on March 11th, I guess I am a Pisces too!

  Richie :*)

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
• 
  26

  HELP - Elders want to talk about Disassociation

  by Steven in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought that this was all out of the way when 2 weeks ago my wife & i handed in letters of disassociation.. we have been since then trying to adjust & just when i thought i was getting somewhere - starting to feel normal again - i got a phone call 1hr ago from our presiding overseer saying that they haven't announced it yet & wanted to talk.. he is a very nice guy & i was caught totally unprepared so i put him off - said i would ring back later - 2pm'ish uk time.. now i have that horrible feeling in my stomach again - help!.

  basically, when it comes down to it i don't think we want them to come over - it will open us up too much & i don't want that.. also, though, i want to sort it out; so i am thinking of just chatting to him for a bit on the phone.. i didn't really want to do this since it could knock their faith & also i am not fully ready to argue all of the facts with elders.

  however it looks like i will have to.. anyway when it boils down to it they can argue away all of the facts like the un thing etc.

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  Richie

  Wanting to disassociate yourself is fine and well and is your absolute right of personal decision but I still cannot understand why the organization would then disfellowship you... With other words, you stated that you want no part of the Org. and for them it's a death sentence on you and you are henceforth to be shunned at all cost...
  Why not just respect your wishes from now on and treat you like a HUMAN BEING and continue to treat you in a kind and loving way by NOT disfellowshipping you...
  Of course I know why....if the witnesses have this option, I believe that half of them throughout the world would take advantage to disassociate themselves and they would subsequently lose too many members!!

  Richie :*)

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
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  25

  to all who were DF'd

  by somebody in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi folks,.

  i'm doing some interesting research on the procedure of reinstatement back into the org.. if anyone here can relate how many months/years passed by from the time you got df'd, till the time you got reinstated, it would be very helpful.

  also include how often elders met with you, if you attended meetings regularly during the time you were df'd, and if you approached the elders for reinstatement(and how many times you approached them), or they approached you.

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  Richie

  I was d'fed 1 1/2 years ago. The elders came by once but I didn't let them in the house. I saw them coming but I did not feel at the time I could speak with them, as I knew that they felt obliged to follow a set of norms by asking me questions according to their standard procedures, i.e. not so much from their hearts but more as a JW-ritual if you know what I mean. A while ago I was so turned off at how my own flesh-and blood daughter rejected me from seeing her and her 16 month-old son. She did not think it right that I had the nerve to visit her (even occasionally). I reminded her that I was her father and the grandfather of her son (my first grandson) and that her reaction was actually quite repulsive to say the least! Anyways, I was so disgusted by it all, that I just hung up on her and have not spoken to her back since.
  I even contemplate going back to the meetings now (where she and her husband attend as well) and make it a point to ignore them completely during the meetings and leave the meetings during the last prayer making sure that I would never look at them. I feel so absurd and hurt to the bone that my own daughter could impose restrictions on her father in that way!!
  As an ex-elder I now realize that the Borg is so incredibly similar to the Pharisaical system where rules and stipulations reign over the loving applications of scripture in so many ways. You tell me what's the difference in the "hellfire" doctrine compared to the disfellowshipping doctrine? God "punishes" you for making one mistake forever in both instances... Think about it!! There is no biblical support for such drastic measures, except of course in the case of a truly violent, immoral and dangerous person who in that case should be cast off, but even then only for a while until that person comes to his senses. Even the prodigal son suddenly returned to his father's home and he was accepted immediately.
  The love shown by Witnesses cannot be a deeprooted love, but a love born out of fear that someone could be expelled from the congregation at some future time if one does not tow the line exactly the way that the Borg directs it.... Yes, if a flower has a red color and the watchtower says it is yellow, then you must believe it's yellow! I go even further: if the bible says "yes" and the watchtower says "no", then you must believe the watchtower first and not the bible....
  So insidious and ensnaring...

  Richie :*)

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
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  9

  Justice for the Governing Body

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the recent "uncovering" of the watchtower's complicity with the united nations calls for prompt phinehas-like action to "keep jehovah's organization clean".

  an investigative committee should be formed to determine "who knew and when did they know it?

  " a judicial hearing should follow for those governing body members who "signed on" to this impure alliance.. the current governing body of jehovah's witnesses should resign immediately as they are no longer "examples to the flock"(1 pet.

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  Richie

  I remember so well how often it was said by the witnesses themselves:
  those who will fall are the ones who we least expect to fall and those who make it through the end will be the lowly ones (those who we don't expect to make it)... Well, after the many debacles, the cover-ups and the many lies on the part of the Governing Body of JW's, I am now more than convinced that the Pharisaical class of the Governing Body will definitely be accountable to Jehovah for a severe
  punishment which they all deserve!! Shame on them!!

  :*) Richie

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
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  26

  Ashamed

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  but whoever has this worlds means for supporting life and beholds his brother having need and yet shuts the door of his tender compassions upon him, in what way does the love of god remain in him?

  little children, let us love, neither in word nor with the tongue, but in deed and truth.1 john 3:17-18 nwt .

  you must love your neighbor as yourselfmatt 22:39 nwt.

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  Richie

  I couldn't help but think what a great "witness" the Society would have been able to give, were they to aid and assist many stranded individuals streaming from New York City over the Brooklyn bridge and be helped passionately. Instead, they (the GB) showed a callousness and indifference which, in not only my opinion, but in everybody's opinion is no way related to a true Christian's behavior. If this would have happened by some individuals, you would then not blame the Society, but the worst part is that it came from the headoffice, the core of the Society: a decision by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Boy, am I glad NOT to be associated with this group of "fanatics", which incidentally reeks of similarity to the subversive religious factions found in the Islamic environment.
  I am now considering writing a formal letter of total disassociation from this group (even though I am already df'd) just to make a clear point of how disgusted I am by their coldhearted and selfrighteous attitude....

  :*) Richie

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
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  66

  What I heard the JW's say in light of this tragedy

  by Bridgette in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, i know (or want to believe) that not all jehovah's witnesses are this calloused.

  at least i hope not.

  there are some good, caring people, but here are some stark contrasts i've observed today that remind me of how glad i am that i'm not part of such an overall unloving group of people.

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  Richie

  Pork Chop,. there are always exceeptions to the rule and you are one of them, the others who have written to this board do not lie about it, but say so as they have heard it from the horse's mouth.
  Of course there are many witnesses who are more passionate as others, but it's the general consensus of thought when tragedy happens, only those who are in the same faith are basically counted worthy of mention....Others are not as important, because they are part of the world.., and believe me Porkchop, this is a fact...

  :*) Richie

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
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  13

  JW relatives laying it on heavy...

  by betweenworlds in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my father in law just called me to see how we were doing here this evening.

  i was glad to hear from him, but of course i got a good dose of jw reasoning along with the concern.. he mentioned he was on his way to a dentists appointment this morning and was listening to the awake!

  magazine on tape.

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  Richie

  You hit it on the nail Lindy - Every major disaster has been looked upon by the Society as a starting point of that possibility that Armageddon is just around the corner....Remember 1874, 1914 - they thought that the end would come then...then it was up to 1924.., then 1929 the stockmarket crash...., then 1939, the start of WW2, then the big year 1975; they even commended those brothers who left their employ to go pioneering because the end would come in 1975 (yes the Society IS guilty of all those false prophesies)..
  Did they ever humbly apologize???? No never, to make matters worse, they even blamed the individual witnesses throughout the world to become less "date-oriented" and have more faith in Jehovah etc. etc.
  Never did they admit their mistakes....for your information, the World Wide Church of God (Armstrong) made similar predictions but was found to be wrong as well. The World Wide Church of God did apologize profusily and they were truly sorry for the many mistakes and conjectures they were broadcasting before... Yes by their fruits (of cowardness) you will recognize those Witnesses...

  :) Richie

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
• 
  66

  What I heard the JW's say in light of this tragedy

  by Bridgette in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, i know (or want to believe) that not all jehovah's witnesses are this calloused.

  at least i hope not.

  there are some good, caring people, but here are some stark contrasts i've observed today that remind me of how glad i am that i'm not part of such an overall unloving group of people.

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  Richie

  Bridgette, the way you portrayed the reactions of the JW's are so typical of them versus us - It's almost as if the JW's have become subhuman, an alien race not capable of a normal reaction to the grief of many thousands of people... It just goes to show how they are trained to react: pretending to be loving and yet by their fruits you will recognize them!!! (Like you, I am eternally grateful not to be part of an Organization so callously controlled by aliens) That's why I call them the "bodysnatchers" (did you ever see that movie??)

  :*) Richie

  You are the music as long as the music last...............
• 
  15

  Ray Franz

  by Jeremy Bravo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was talking to jw's that i know about a book that i had read by ray franz.

  they told me that he was disfellowshipped because he was trying to the control the religion and bend it to his will.. i have read crisis of conscience and the first half of in search of christian freedom, and can tell from my heart that this is not the case.

  i see from his examples that he was truly trying to use scripture as his guide.. i am curious of other rumors that are/were circulating through the congregations about him, and on what "basis" they have been spread.

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  Richie

  Fred..., your comment about Franz' books only good for toiletpaper -
  I guess you must say this as a joke of sorts, although I am trying to get this joke and find no way of grasping it - in any way, whether it's a joke or not, one thing is absolutely sure without any shadow of a doubt that you did not even read one word, sentence or letter in any of Ray Franz' books.

  If the GB would even have a fraction of the attitude, humility, knowledge and honesty as Ray Franz had, I honestly believe that the Society would flourish and many one would remain as a member, because then you would at least have a bible-based organization and not a man's hierarchy very similar to a Pharisaical establishment, which it is at present...

  :*) Richie

  You are the music as long as the music last...............