Simon

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Posts by Simon

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  6

  To the hit-and-run "lurkman class"

  by TR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you are going to grace the board with your presence, why not try to at least debate?

  unless your iq is too low to sustain a conversation, that is.. tom.

  edited by - tr on 26 october 2000 23:49:19

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  Simon

  Yes, I can check IP's but though I would like to make the facility available to everyone, it could be abused if someone genuinely wanted to remain anonymous. This may be important to some people's decision to post.
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  11

  Bumperstickers of DB participants

  by Seven in

  1. social
  2. humour

  i noticed these bumperstickers on the cars of some of our posters here:.

  it's not just for breakfast anymore!.

  2.redhorsewoman-cats-the other white meat.. 3.carmel-constipated people don't give a crap.. 4.waiting-who lit the fuse on your tampon?.

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  Simon
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  8

  They're so confused

  by HAL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  gather round my children for your educational seminar.. why do you think there are 190 forum members, but only 6 or 7 post?.

  sites like this are most useful to us to determine the number and strength of the so-called reform movement.. once identified, most receive loving direction and no longer post.

  many who remain are typical born-again posers, witnesses who left years ago, or individuals assigned by us to stimulate conversation.. (note how the composite simon posts when things are slow.

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  Simon

  BTW: Can someone enlighten me as to what a Timothy Taylor at Duke’s is?
  Thanks
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  5

  Return to the K.H.?

  by TR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  lately, i've been toying with idea of visiting the local cong.

  to find out wassup in the local territory.

  the trouble is, some might recognize me.

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  Simon

  My dad has been over from Canada and I visited the hall with him. It was wierd !
  Most of the people were nice and friendly and welcoming. The talsk and watchtower was just as I remember it though. Lots of cliches and the same worn-out phrases. Not as many people there as used to go though - just 103 whereas there used to be well over 140.
  I don't miss any of it.
  The hardest part is biting your tongue and not pointing out errors/lies as they are telling them.
  The elders were particularly glad to see me...very welcoming and friendly...then turned up later to invite me to a 'dicussion' at the kingdom hall to go through my beliefs. I told them I was happy with them and would need more notice to arrange a solicitor - haven't heard from them since (I'll keep you posted)
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  8

  They're so confused

  by HAL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  gather round my children for your educational seminar.. why do you think there are 190 forum members, but only 6 or 7 post?.

  sites like this are most useful to us to determine the number and strength of the so-called reform movement.. once identified, most receive loving direction and no longer post.

  many who remain are typical born-again posers, witnesses who left years ago, or individuals assigned by us to stimulate conversation.. (note how the composite simon posts when things are slow.

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  Simon

  I hate to break it to you, but we are not a 'movement' or cells, we don't hold secret meetings or have code names or secret handshakes or anything like that (though it does sound kind-a-fun).
  We are all individuals with free will who have made our own mind up about our own lives.
  As for:
  

  The recent reorganization was a brilliant move that has them on the defensive. Change has kept us vibrant and confused our enemies. It is what would be expected of Jehovah’s people.

  
  Just who is on the defensive? The society is the one being forced to change to protect itself and this obviously bothers you a great deal. Is it because you sense that it is a panic measure perhaps? All is not well in Oz is it?
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  24

  Hello All!

  by Peter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i stumbled across this website today.

  i assumed it was all card carrying jws.

  i've been dfed for almost 4 years now and am happy to be out.

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  Simon

  Hi Peter
  Nice to have you join us. As you've already figured, many here have torn or burnt their JW card long ago. We're not anti-JW though and just want to offer our support to anyone having a hard time with the religion.
  The society is taking a very hard line against the internet at the moment - the last circuit assembly was completely anti-Net all the way through. I think the freedom of information and access to books such as the Ray Franz one I think you mentioned in another post really frightens them and is having a significant impact on figures.
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  20

  H20 Never Knew what Hit Them

  by HAL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  first off, we want to thank everyone who emailed us in response to our last post.

  yes, your concerns are being addressed, and what went on at the annual meeting was only the first step.. h2o and many similar sites were thrown in disarray as they were forced to admit that they were blindsided by the reorganization announcement.. so much for their claims of higher ups in the reform movement, funneling them inside information.

  the truth is that reform consists of isolated embittered individuals with an ax to grind.

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  Simon

  I believe HAL is also posting as:
  sevenoften
  sysadmin
  sysadmin_jw
  He/she(it?) tries to make out that they are the system administrator but I can assure you they are not.
  They have the same small-minded attitude that my brother in law has...not worth bothering with really.
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  43

  Feeling sorry...

  by TR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ...for the average jw as i see them out in door to door work.

  i shake my head and think; they just don't know.

  or maybe they do, but are in a dilemma similar to thousands if not millions right now.

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  Simon

  You did not want a 'battle of wits' as you put it - you started out insulting people from the start and have continued to do so. How very Christlike - your god must be SO proud of you.
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  20

  H20 Never Knew what Hit Them

  by HAL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  first off, we want to thank everyone who emailed us in response to our last post.

  yes, your concerns are being addressed, and what went on at the annual meeting was only the first step.. h2o and many similar sites were thrown in disarray as they were forced to admit that they were blindsided by the reorganization announcement.. so much for their claims of higher ups in the reform movement, funneling them inside information.

  the truth is that reform consists of isolated embittered individuals with an ax to grind.

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  Simon

  Just some idiot who re-appears every time they manage to sign up for a free email account and find an anonymous proxy server to post from.
  So who's afraid to be identified eh HAL ??
• 
  43

  Feeling sorry...

  by TR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ...for the average jw as i see them out in door to door work.

  i shake my head and think; they just don't know.

  or maybe they do, but are in a dilemma similar to thousands if not millions right now.

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  Simon

  Theirs is a belief system controlled by multi-national corporations and governments. How could they let this go on? How did I let it go on? Fear. Wanting to do the right thing, but there's the fear. All or nothing.

  
  Just like the WTBS
  

  They want me to be willing to send my son to a foreign land and die for a piece of cloth.

  
  How about dying for a 25c party card...or because someone has made up a rule about blood?
  

  They build obsolescence into everything I buy so I’ll have to stay in debt by buying more.

  
  Is that like JW doctrines? They change them so you need to keep buying more magazines...
  

  They want me to vote for liars, drug users, and adulterers to be my leaders.

  
  No...that's what you get when you don't vote
  

  I can't give enough thanks to my family for sticking with me, for other JW's sharing their experiences, several books I've read, and I'll give myself a little credit for having enough balls to act on my conscience.

  
  I agree - family are everything
  

  As someone who was taught to be a devout patriot from infancy, the teachings of the Borg (worship of the State) were in every fiber of my being. They shaped every thought I had and every perception of myself and others.

  
  Exactly like beeing brought up as a JW...
  

  This induced a denial about the very nature of my existence and the world that is more pervasive than any other that I can imagine. I was willing to sacrifice my life for my country. I believed the newspapers. I believed my government. I believed my church. Peer pressure forced me to participate in inane patriotic displays. My Catholic priest molested my best friends.

  
  This could be re-written by others as:
  This induced a denial about the very nature of my existence and the world that is more pervasive than any other that I can imagine. I was willing to sacrifice my life for my religion. I believed the watchtower. I believed my governing body. I believed my church. Peer pressure forced me to participate in inane ritualistic displays. My local elder molested my best friends.
  

  I feel bad too. Driving by a church and seeing all the cars parked. Or seeing some people all dressed up in their Sunday best on an Easter egg hunt, or dressing their kids in devil suits to extort candy on Halloween, or lying to them about Santa.

  
  I feel bad seeing kids dragged round knocking on doors. At least they have fun at easter / xmas / halloween.
  

  Its not that I don't think what they are doing is bad, or that they shouldn't be free to do what they are doing. It’s that they never considered all sides to the story.

  
  Just let me get this straight...you're arguing that JWs have considered all sides of the story?!
  

  I feel sorry for the people that are unknowingly wasting their lives posting on boards like this one, who have returned to the vomit, who revel in the lies of this system, who are not strong enough to sacrifice even one iota of their being for the benefit of another person, who have let the world suck them back in, but who are really genuine people.

  
  You'll wake up one day...a lot of people who *really* care for others are NOT in "the truth". What charitable works do the witnesses do?
  

  I hope that when they do realise things out there in the world aren't what they seem that they don't hurt too much.

  
  Things certainly aren't as bad as the FDS make out
  

  I feel sorry for the teenagers who have ruined their lives with drugs and sexual promiscuity. I know of people who did really well in their exams and could have a good career, but they have ended up getting a crappy dogsbody job because their parents never warned them of the dangers of this system, and before they knew it, they were Borg drones in a dead-end job, or else on the dole.

  
  I feel sorry for people who have ruined their lives too. How about those in crappy dogsbody jobs because they were denied the chance of following a good education and career becuase of listening to the WatchTower?
  

  I hate to brag, but I have one helluva great family. My JW wife stood by me for ten years when I was drinking, fooling around , and a Baptist deacon, when she could have left.

  
  I hope she doesn't have to 'stand by you' through ten years in the borg.

  - Simon

  Edited by - Simon on 24 October 2000 17:48:18