earthfire

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Posts by earthfire

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  11

  Stickers (complete with QR Code) for Laundromats

  by nicsfreedom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  according to one of our friends who visits our local laundromats the literature is out of control.

  guess its time to do some real educating aka jw un-witnessing.

  throwing the mags away just keeps the dubs bring back more (and counting placements) so with my friend and husbands help we are going to "stick it to the watchtower" literally:).

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  earthfire

  That is brilliant!
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  19

  Odd KH Wedding

  by earthfire in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my youngest sister was married last sunday and i was actually invited.

  not to the reception of course but all of us ex-jw relatives had our own party so it was still a great family reunion!

  i'm one of 6 siblings (2 step siblings, 1 half, and 2 whole :-) anyway, this was not my first time going to a wedding of a sibling and being an ex-witness.

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  earthfire

  It's not that large of an area for all day Saturday and Sunday to be taken up. This is the first time of gone to a Sunday wedding. But it's not a huge thing, just thought it was all weird. About the number of people 4 each is fine, something just seemed really off. I couldn't totally put my finger on it.
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  17

  were friendships in other congregations discouraged?

  by hoser in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had a good friend with a lot of common interests but he was in a congregation about 40 miles away.

  we did a lot together with both of our families.

  until we had a local needs part about association with ones not in our own congregation.

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  earthfire

  Our hall was known as "the bad hall" so others weren't supposed to associate with any of us. lol
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  8

  "Change"

  by earthfire in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is vague but i was wondering if anyone has heard about the word "change" being used lately in jw circles?

  my brother (an elder and devout jw) used it in an e-mail a couple of months ago and it seemed odd.

  he said, "you like change".

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  earthfire

  Thanks, I'll be intrested to see if you and others notice anything.
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  19

  Odd KH Wedding

  by earthfire in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my youngest sister was married last sunday and i was actually invited.

  not to the reception of course but all of us ex-jw relatives had our own party so it was still a great family reunion!

  i'm one of 6 siblings (2 step siblings, 1 half, and 2 whole :-) anyway, this was not my first time going to a wedding of a sibling and being an ex-witness.

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  earthfire

  My youngest sister was married last Sunday and I was actually invited. Not to the reception of course but all of us ex-JW relatives had our own party so it was still a great family reunion! I'm one of 6 siblings (2 step siblings, 1 half, and 2 whole :-) Anyway, this was not my first time going to a wedding of a sibling and being an ex-witness. It was a lot easier this time and I had more time to pay attention to everyone. What really struck me was how unhappy everyone was. I mean it's a wedding and the only ones smiling are the bride and groom. Everyone else was kind of "bleh". The wedding itself was a little different too. I've been to a ton of JW weddings over the years and they used to be great/normal. But even though my sister looked gorgeous and like a normal bride, the whole thing was oddly simple. 4 bridesmaids, 4 groomsmen, my sister and the groom. The bridesmaids had little bouquets and one of the flower girls dropped a small handful of petals. That was it. Now they did say that a meeting was scheduled soon after so I get the simplicity to a point but why get married on a Sunday, after your meeting and before the next? Is this how they're doing it now or was this one just an anomaly? I don't know, the whole thing just seemed weird. Have any of you had a similar experience?
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  8

  "Change"

  by earthfire in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is vague but i was wondering if anyone has heard about the word "change" being used lately in jw circles?

  my brother (an elder and devout jw) used it in an e-mail a couple of months ago and it seemed odd.

  he said, "you like change".

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  earthfire

  This is vague but I was wondering if anyone has heard about the word "change" being used lately in JW circles? My brother (an elder and devout JW) used it in an e-mail a couple of months ago and it seemed odd. He said, "you like change". I still don't know what he meant. I blew it off and then there were two other instances of something similar when I went to my sisters wedding at the KH last week. Does it mean anything?
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  67

  Powerfully heart-wrenching experience by FORMER BETHLITE

  by Black Man in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just wanting to post an experience by a former bethelite.

  the first part was just published with the other two coming overt the next couple of weeks.

  click the link.

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  earthfire

  I look forward to reading the rest. So interesting to get the inside scoop on life at Bethel. So many similar stories.
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  106

  WT SHUNNING POLICY: What has it done, or could it do to you?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi y'all, this is mrs. flipper.

  please share your experiences with this, or possible consequences of being outed.. this recent controversy and resulting arguments all stem from people being outed - possibly losing friends and family because most jw's will blindly follow the watchtower's rules to shun them.. among people i know and experiences read here, the grief and loss caused by this is terrible, and maybe now is a good time to put up some experiences here, and put the focus on the worst villians of all - wt policymakers..

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  earthfire

  Well there's something about to happen at the end of this month for me. I've told my story in another area of this forum but a real quick summary is that I've been out for 17 years now. I have three siblings still in and three of us are out. My stepbrother and I have been out for a long time and my stepsister has been out for just a year now. It's great having her back in our lives but we're waiting for the other three. So on the 26th our little sister is getting married. She's the youngest. (I'm the oldest) My brother who is an elder will be officiating the wedding and my other brother will be a groomsman. So three will be on stage and three will be in the audience. It's going to be very strange I'm sure. Not to mention the dirty looks we'll all be getting from those we knew and loved. I'm sure my dad will say hi and then quickly excuse himself like he did at my younger brothers wedding. His wife will say hello and quickly walk away and so will our Grandmother, someone who was my closest confidant growing up and who now won't speak to me because I don't believe in the teachings of a "publishing company" that parades itself as a religion. Anyway, it's going to be tough and if I think about it for too long I get sick to my stomach. I'm just waiting for May to be over. It will be great to see family members who are out and some friends who were never witnesses to begin with but the thought of stepping into a Kingdom Hall must be what vampires feel towards a cross! LOL

  I just wish we had a "normal" family. You know, the kind you see in the movies where everyone is excited about a wedding, and everyone is invited to the reception too, not just the wedding. Where people actually show their love to each other and include the whole family. Where it truly is a joyous occasion for all involved. I'd considered not going but there are a few reasons that made me decide to go. One, she's my sister and I want to be there for her even with things so messed up. Two, this may be the last time that I see some of my family members, ever. I'll be able to meet my two nephews, finally. Three, I'm sure I won't have a panic attack like I did at the last wedding since I do feel stronger, so I'm guessing it builds character! Four, as stressful as all of this is, I do want them to see that I'm truly okay. That I'm happy and I'd prefer them to be in my life but I'll move on with or without them. It's not me who chooses to be without them, it's them who shuns me, that my love for them is unconditional and I'd be there for any of them without hesitation, with open arms and no judgement because that's what love is and that's what family does. Maybe, just maybe my being there will cause some thinking for someone on some level. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. But if I don't go then none of that is possible.
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  13

  did you ever have one of those days?

  by Hortensia in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a day when you just have to have a taco?

  and you have to go home and make it yourself because there is no taco like a home-made taco?

  i'm running low on salsa, too, so i went to the market and stocked up on tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, cilantro.

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  earthfire

  It's 12:39am how can I have a taco now?! Aw man....
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  15

  maybe we should start watching what's going on in Cyprus

  by Hortensia in

  1. social
  2. current

  government considered a tax on savings.

  banks have been shut, atms running out of cash, banks won't open again until tuesday, maybe.

  lots of governments around the world are in financial difficulties, including the u.s. and the u.s. government isn't facing facts and will continue spending and spending until absolutely forced to deal with the deficit.. .

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  earthfire

  Oh I know, war is one of the major motivators in wealth creation. But it'd be cool if greed didn't also mean death for so many.