This has happened to me on 4 occasions. 3 times it was an elder and I simply pretended I didn't know him and avoided eye contact. The other time was someone of my age that didn't really talk to me of the opposite sex. I still remember she wouldn't make eye contact me whenever I had the privilege of shaking her limp hand. I ignored her also. I didn't want to break my focus honestly. Besides, being at the gym is you time. Since I've been going to the gym since 2002 though, I've noticed that's it's the activity hub I have bumped in to a witness the least. Anyone else have an experience at your local gym or Zumba class? No, I'll never do Zumba either.
Vetiver
JoinedPosts by Vetiver
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8
Ever bump in to a JW acquaintance at the gym?
by Vetiver inthis has happened to me on 4 occasions.
3 times it was an elder and i simply pretended i didn't know him and avoided eye contact.
the other time was someone of my age that didn't really talk to me of the opposite sex.
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68
Your Top Ten Favourite Movies?
by LoveUniHateExams injust thought i'd start a thread about favourite movies.
mine, in no particular order, are .... alien - a great visual film.
the chest-bursting scene is still great to watch, no matter how many times i've seen the movie.
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Vetiver
I just remembered, "A Perfect World."
Escaped convict, (Kevin Costner) that kidnaps and takes hostage a Jehovah Witness kid that he ends up connecting with and even gets him a Halloween costume he wears as they run away from Clint Eastwood. He directed it to I believe. Really through me off when I first saw it. It helped me question my beliefs even more so.
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Your Top Ten Favourite Movies?
by LoveUniHateExams injust thought i'd start a thread about favourite movies.
mine, in no particular order, are .... alien - a great visual film.
the chest-bursting scene is still great to watch, no matter how many times i've seen the movie.
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Vetiver
The Man From Nowhere, (basically a Korean version of, Taken but with a ignored and lonely girl instead of a daughter.)
The Devil's Backbone, (an old Guillermo del Toro horror/drama movie.)
Mad Max: Fury Road, (action in art.)
Dancer in the Dark, (Bjork in an imaginary musical. It traumatizes you but it was worth it.)
Logan, (best comic movie I've seen yet.)
Moon, (sci-fi with Sam Rockwell)
Fight Club, (can't talk about Fight Club)
The Birds, (first movie I watched that got me in to horror.)
L.A. Confidential, (noir James Elroy cop movie. Reminds me of a grown up version of Dick Tracy comics.)
Dark City, (noir/sci-fi movie that heavily inspired, The Matrix)
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New Jehovah Witness Convert
by Eddie Fernandez in.
hello house,i am sorry for bumping in like this, ii am a newly baptized jehovah witness, i have been a christain all my life any but i love this new insight and teaching,so i am looking to find a jehovah witness lady that can help me grow strong in faith,i would rather meet someone here because we would take time to get to know each other before we meet, this is a light about me,i am 37 , single, never married and have no kids,i have a good sense of humor, i am loving, caring and trustworthy.i'm an easy going person and i try to stay clear of any drama.i am presently in living in lexington,kentucky but willing to move soon.i am a reserved man,now i am ready to settle down and i'm looking for a woman i can vibe with on a spiritual and intellectual level, i want love and commitment,i am intelligent and successful but let me not toot my own horns,thanks for taking your time to read this.attached my picture and i did include my mobile number.+1 913-730-5780looking forward to hearing from you .thanks.
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Vetiver
Are Witnesses allowed to have beards and bow ties now?
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How much do you think the internet has hurt JW growth?
by HereIgo inthe internet is what helped bring me and so many others out of this evil organization or at least confirmed our doubts.
i have to say, i have seen quite a few youtube videos recently of ex jw's secretly recording their interactions inside of different congregations, halls, etc and see how empty the halls are!
so many people comment on how the attendance is so low, far more emptier than when i was in 6 years ago, even on a weekday meeting.
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Vetiver
You know what? Maybe that was that's one of the reasons they decided to create JW.ORG, as a way to try and control people's natural curiosity to explore others opinions and stories and of course history through the internet. I still remember the magazines in the 90's that warned wives and parents about the danger of the internet. "Your husband is watching porn, or talking to some sexy Cuban Jezabel in Florida, while Satan fills your children's mind with magic and online gaming addiction. Your daughter will also be kidnapped by pedophiles, leering them from online chat rooms. Just get to know the ones at the hall."
JW.ORG literally made the length of the leash longer, but you're still restrained to the yard and are forbidden to run and learn to fall and get up on your own. Shoot, even the Amish have Rumspringa. I'm thankful for the internet because that's where I met my first friends. We never met, but it gave me some social skills. Not to mention finding silentlambs.org .
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Fight of Gods - New video game
by ironsnake656 ini just found this hilarious video game released in taiwan like street fighter where you choose gods of ancient religions like anubis, atenea, sif, buda, odin, and guess what... jesus christ!!!
hadookens with nails!!!
bad that is not like mortal kombat with fatalities.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=gzcqkbbcw1q.
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Vetiver
Sheesh, this reminds me how I wasn't allowed to watch He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dungeons & Dragons, and even The Smurfs as a kid. I was a big dork as a kid and played Magic the Gathering card game in High School. Whoo boy, did I get in trouble when my mom saw what my decks. I preferred to play red and black decks. The school counselor actually called my mom because he thought I was doing Tarot readings at school. I was literally telling my mom, "Mom, it's just a vampire deck... OK, OK, I'll switch to a green or white deck, I'm sorry. What? No I'm not doing tarot card readings! What do you mean burn the cards? You have any idea how much lunch money I've spent buying these? Well, yeah, that's why I've been losing weight."
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Prayers ,are they answered ? or is it just self delusion ?
by smiddy3 inafter 33 years as a jw and leaving 25 years ago i think prayer can be summed up with the jews praying at the wailing wall.. all they are doing is talking to a brick wall ,and getting no feed back.
and they expect an answer to their prayers ?!.
christians /other beliefs might find that funny but they are no better off.. prayer is always a one way street you talk either vocally or mentally to god however you never get the same back .. if god " so loved the world that he doesnt want any to be destroyed but have everlasting life " then whats the problem with him audibly answering his servants prayers ?
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Vetiver
I really like this question. I started to question my prayers when I started to realize cartoons weren't real. When I gave up being a Jehovah Witness I found out I wanted to be spiritual but not religious. I was agnostic for awhile because I craved for something I don't think I ever felt until recently. I meditate now but I don't ask for Jehovah Jesus or a creator to help me or answer questions. I just feel myself as a part of the universe and try to find inner peace and try to do right to others. I think prayer can be a way to reflect on really anything. Like a loved ones heirloom or the smell of someones perfume that lingers on a blanket. You just close your eyes, remember, question and answer yourself. Those memories would be good I would think. If we were made in God's image we can focus on so many different aspects, and I think we can focus on anything we want. We can temper the best us, seek solitude in an opinion or favorite text and isolate it. Making it a personal mantra, or find resolve and examples from a powerful illustration or a pragmatic person, or even temper feelings of love, or that god will smite those that have done us wrong. Prayer for me is being thankful, reflection, acceptance and nurturing your best qualities while recognizing your limitations. We spend so much time going on auto pilot, we forget to take care of ourselves because we're so busy taking care of others. The main problem with prayer is the way we belittle ourselves. "I'm SUCH a sinful person, I'm not good enough, I'll never be a pioneer," and my favorite, "I'll never survive to paradise, (for whatever reason.)" The huge focus on fear and death ruins the benefits of prayer. We do need rules, and it's important to know what's wrong and right, but it shouldn't be pummeled in to our face to make us paranoid that we aren't doing enough, anxious enough to make us feel as if we are spiritually weak, or depressed to the point of possibly just giving up or wanting to end it all. Do I think praying is necessary? No, I think our actions intentions and sub conscious thoughts are prayers in themselves. That's what we want to happen. I think the way of praying needs to change. Kind of like when you pray to your heart a loved one comes home safe from a night of a terrible storm, but I think my ADD is taking over and I'm rambling. haha.
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Carts in Florence/pisa
by Phoebe ini have just had a holiday.
i don't get many so this was special.
i went to italy.
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Vetiver
I still have my favorite experiences after leaving the organization.
Going to Catalina Island with a friend I met in college and spending the night when I was 21 years old. Spent all my money, but it was a blast.
Driving to Las Vegas with another ex Jehovah Witness and winning 80 bucks on the slots. Instead of getting smashed drunk, like most people thought you would do, we attacked two buffets and hit up Alien Jerky before getting back to Los Angeles. I also drank as much O.J. I could from the all you can drink juice bar. Who does that?
Seeing Roger Waters in concert with a bunch of stoner class mates in the nose bleed sections. I was still tucking in my shirt in to my pants and had the Leave it to Beaver haircut to. I think it was 1999.
Going on a date with a girl and ending up under at the Santa Monica pier. It started to rain and we ended up under a closed lifeguard stand freezing. The kiss was the thing I remembered the most from that day.
I don't have any good memories from the hall aside from the relief of getting off the podium after a talk and glad my zipper wasn't down.
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Vetiver
I think it depends if the person is considered a threat to the idealogy, or tries to unmask the history of the organization of The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society... did I type that up correctly? I think Raymond Franz because of his publications is a main example of this. Sad that you can be a repeated pedophile though and still be given the chance to come back to the halls. Some of these people just go to new halls in other states or so I've read. Just gives me the creeps. Sometimes they aren't caught for decades.
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Update: My current situation
by Issa init's been about two months since i stopped attending meetings, came to the conclusion that the org is not the truth, and i'm currently dealing with some problems since leaving the org.
i want to discuss these problems and hopefully get helpful advice.. discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work, but it's worth the effort - fred rogers.
my current situation in this: i faded and hold off on writing a disassociation letter.
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Vetiver
Personally, I just left and never came back after transferring to another hall after just a few months, hoping I would feel differently and meet more open minded and friendly people and find some spiritual re-awakening. From my time being in the halls and hearing stories, the elders will basically gang up on you. Surprisingly, there are videos of ex JW's that have recorded their conversations at an elder comity or discussion with one or more people. The reasons vary, but you'l get the same overtone. "We're right & you're wrong. (...)Read this scripture." I'd say, don't waste your time. Personally, I respect any decision you make. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nFlfCHtScA