Posts by Sirona

46

Mispronunciations at the meetings

by TR in

jw
friends

moxy raised a point in the "exaggeration" thread that aggravated me at the meetings.

mispronunciations.

moxy mentioned the word 'hyperbole' as frequently being mispronounced.. another one that bugged me was 'epitome'.

Sirona

LOL! what a funny thread!

An elder in my hall used to always refer to "our friends and relatives" but said "are friends an relaye-tives"

Then a brother was reading in the book study, our particular book study group had more children in it than adults, so over the screaming children he read the passage that said "they were ordered to kill their enemies" as "they were ordered to kill their babies".
He carried on reading and didnt know he'd done it!

I used to always laugh when reading the psalms where it says "by the rivers of babylon where we sat down, we wept when we remembered zion" because noone could read it without pausing like in the song...some even said it with a lilt in their voice...

Sirona

28

Blood Type

by Christina77 in

is it normal for those that refuse blood to not know their blood type?

that is usually one of the first things that the hospital lets parents know about their kids and when you go for any blood work it is on the top of the sheet.

i have a very rare blood type and i questioned my boyfriend about his for future knowlege when we have kids.

Sirona

Hi Christina

I cant see the interfaith thread when I click on your name.

Before I was married, I started seeing someone in the congregation (we were both JW) but we saw each other in secret because we knew that as soon as people found out we would be under pressure. We knew that we couldnt date and let people know because they would push us to get married after a short time. Sure enough, when we did finally tell them, (months down the line) they all started with "so when is the wedding?".

I have never told anyone this outside my immediate family and JW elders... when we were seeing each other we had sex ...sort of. We didnt have full intercourse but anything else! Anyway, as soon as we revealed we were seeing each other we were asked about these things, and we were given lectures by people in which we felt pressured to confess anything that we had done of a sexual nature. So we confessed. It was the worst thing we could have done because we had judicial committees and were both reproved and our priveledges removed. We planned to get married in the Kingdom Hall, and even once our priveledges were back they still threatened that we couldnt use the hall to be married!!! It was so stressful and embarrassing. We had to tell them in grafic detail all the things we had done with each other, how many times, where, etc. and the most important question "would you do it again outside of marriage?" if we'd have answered "yes" then we would have been disfellowshipped.
Anyway, we were married in the KH eventually.

The reason I have told you this is 1. consider that he doesnt want to tell people yet not because they will say he shouldnt see you, but because he knows they will pressure him to marry you. A girl in my hall dated outside the "truth" and she had to marry him in a registry office, she wasnt DF'd but she was looked down upon and shunned. Will he marry you in a catholic church? if he does he will be disfellowshipped. You cant marry him in the Kingdom Hall because you are not JW. 2. As soon as they know he is seeing you, he will be asked if he is having sex with you...and then it all depends whether he will confess under the pressure.

Then as mommy says at a later date he may feel the need to confess out of guilt.

I hope things can be worked out.

Sirona

30

Must See Post!

by mommy in

jw
friends

every now and again there is a post that just pulls the rug out from underneath me, and touches a place in my heart.

lauralisa on another thread has accomplished this.

by others who have replied, i can see that they were touched as well.

Sirona

Hi Mommy

Thanks for re-posting that, and thanks Lauralisa!

I think I will print this out for someone I know who also attempted suicide while in the JWs.

Sirona

21

If Im NOT JW, what can I be?

by Sirona in

jw
friends

i have a jw friend who said to me "i'd be interested to know if there are any other religions that teach what jws teach".

after the post on "food for thought" which gave details of modern day bible students, i thought i'd ask the question:.

what religions are there that either have similar roots to the jw religion, or that have similar teachings?

Sirona

Hi

THANKS everyone! I have something to go on with the links you have provided. I like your suggestion, escargot. I dont think this person will read Ray Franz's book, but I suppose some of the points would be good to raise. I only have his first book though!!

Sirona

21

If Im NOT JW, what can I be?

by Sirona in

jw
friends

i have a jw friend who said to me "i'd be interested to know if there are any other religions that teach what jws teach".

after the post on "food for thought" which gave details of modern day bible students, i thought i'd ask the question:.

what religions are there that either have similar roots to the jw religion, or that have similar teachings?

Sirona

Interesting. As you said, they're cults and I wouldnt recommend them.

I agree that searching religion can lead to confusion, but I'd rather have confusion than being in a controlling cult like JWs.

Essentially, JWs have to realise that there is no one true answer. However, while reasoning with them I think its a good idea to have some ammo on other religions that are doing some of the things they do, etc.

Thanks
Sirona

24

Control religion

by garybuss in

jw
friends

control religion and you control the people.

the way to control religion is to control the sacred writings.

the easiest way to control the sacred writings is to write the sacred writings and declare them inspired or divinely directed.

Sirona

Hi JT

I said *some* religion has *aspects* of control by those who would abuse it. Religion to me is a set of religious beliefs rather than a religious group necessarily.

I am pagan and I practice my religion alone, therefore I choose how / when to practice. I research other nature based religion and take from it what I like. Other pagan groups operate similarly, yet they "agree" on a method of worship. In this sense, I dont feel controlled by my beliefs. If I dont practice, God wont kill me. I choose to be involved in it because it gives something to my life (therefore the use of the word enhance). What an unusual argument to suggest that I use the word enhance when I mean control! If you eat chocolate that is enjoyable and therefore enhances your existance, noone would suggest that you were controlled by it!!

If you choose to be part of a religion, that doesnt mean that the religion will control you. Christians can choose whether to be christian or not. SOME individuals will attempt to control you in any religion, but thats humans!

Why cant you just accept that people may wish to be religious, without critisising them like they're fools? I dont mind that you are not religious! I dont have to try and prove that the non-religious are wrong.

Sirona

21

If Im NOT JW, what can I be?

by Sirona in

jw
friends

i have a jw friend who said to me "i'd be interested to know if there are any other religions that teach what jws teach".

after the post on "food for thought" which gave details of modern day bible students, i thought i'd ask the question:.

what religions are there that either have similar roots to the jw religion, or that have similar teachings?

Sirona

LOL Blondie. I dont want to be part of a religious group, and being pagan I dont think many JWs would join me!

Sirona

17

No such thing as Ghosts...

by Abaddon in

jw
friends

i remember this article from when it came out; found it whilst looking for info on low frequency sound, it's very interesting, but was ignored by-and-large by the spook community as it's less rimantic than dead grandpa's.. .

http://users.iafrica.com/s/sa/salbu/apollo/huma.html.

monday 29 june 1998 .

Sirona

Abaddon,

Im not afraid of death at all.

Reincarnation proof? Well it has to be peoples personal experience again. I've read books which explain the theory and it makes sense to me. Some of them showed how there are little children who for no apparent reason can speak another language. A friend of mine is a teacher and he told me about a child in his school who was being investigated because he spoke fluent japanese, despite having no japanese relatives or neighbours (not exposed to the language in any way). Then there are those who remember their previous life. One little girl told her parents of how she died and her name in her previous life. They investigated, and the birthmarks on her body matched the injuries sustained by this mans accidental death. I suppose there is no actual scientifically, laboratory tested proof. (as usual! LOL).

Sirona

21

If Im NOT JW, what can I be?

by Sirona in

jw
friends

i have a jw friend who said to me "i'd be interested to know if there are any other religions that teach what jws teach".

after the post on "food for thought" which gave details of modern day bible students, i thought i'd ask the question:.

what religions are there that either have similar roots to the jw religion, or that have similar teachings?

Sirona

Thank you serena, I will check that out. On first glance it is VERY similar to JW.

Sirona

21

If Im NOT JW, what can I be?

by Sirona in

jw
friends

i have a jw friend who said to me "i'd be interested to know if there are any other religions that teach what jws teach".

after the post on "food for thought" which gave details of modern day bible students, i thought i'd ask the question:.

what religions are there that either have similar roots to the jw religion, or that have similar teachings?

Sirona

Hi Abaddon,

Its not like offering cocaine to a herion addict!

Every JW I have spoken to about the society have even agreed with some of my points, but then retaliated with "so who IS the true religion?" some of them just need a little push to see that not all religions are trinitarian, not all preach hellfire, not all celebrate pagan holidays!

Im basing it upon my own discoveries when leaving JW. I was actually shocked when I listened to a church leader tell me the exact same "christ as ransom" story (the whole fall of adam etc. thing), because JWs had told me NOONE else had that truth!

I agree its not my job to offer alternatives, but if they ASK me for an alternative I dont want to sit there and say "er....dunno". I'd like to say "well such and such religion teaches belief in Jesus and they dont celebrate pagan holidays. they also know Gods name is Jehovah according to the Hebrew scriptures even though their bible doesnt have it all the way through. But they do let you use any bible you want..." etc. Which would make the average dub sit back and think, especially if they're already talking to an apostate like me!!

Like I said, I wouldnt recommend that they go to another cult. If they ask me, I'd like to know of convincing alternatives. Im sick of listening to "noone else preaches Gods name", "everyone else is tainted by paganism".

Ideas anyone?

Sirona