Funchback

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Posts by Funchback

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  22

  Do they still do the Written Review?

  by Funchback in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i left in 2006. i seem to vaguely recall that the written review was no more but i can't say for sure.. so, do they still do it?

  was (is) it a waste of time?

  i used to hate it..

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  Funchback

  I left in 2006. I seem to vaguely recall that the written review was no more but I can't say for sure.

  So, do they still do it? Was (Is) it a waste of time?

  I used to hate it.
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  6

  A beautiful memory almost ruined.

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with my wife, and son we went to an elton john concert in november.

  the experience was almost ruined by a security guard saying my son was to young to attend the concert, but we simply joined a different entry point and luckily sneaked him in, by orlando hiding behind my wife as we presented the tickets.. my after thoughts observations are:-.

  a) i purchased the tickets months before and to my knowledge no age of entry was mentioned.. b) so sad my boy could at 11 years old be denied an opportunity to miss seeing a world superstar ( at 67 elton can't perform much longer).

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  Funchback

  Hi The Rebel-

  According to this website, anyone under 13 must be accompanied by an adult:
  https://tickets.amazon.co.uk/tour/11300084031/elton-john

  Here too:
  https://tickets.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LXIFFKA/elton-john?showtime=2017-06-08T17:30:00.000Z
  
  And here with no restrictions:
  https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Edinburgh/Meadowbank-Stadium/Elton-John/12632539/venue.html

  Sounds like the ticket guy needs to be trained again.
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  13

  Brazilian XJW activists are successfully demonstrating against JW intolerance - See their impressive website

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was so impressed by what the brazilian xjw's are doing to inform the world about jw's unfair and harmful sanctions put upon those who leave the religion that i just had to share their efforts with you.

  congratulations are in order for a work well done.

  i asked sebastiao ramos ramos, a former jw to explain in english what abravipre is all about.

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  Funchback

  I am from the U.S. and have lived in Brazil for over 5 years. I speak Portuguese. If anyone needs help with translations from this site, I am at your service.
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  28

  Greetings and would like some advice about a potentially fun idea

  by towerwatcher in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello fellow apostates!

  my first post and a long time lurker here.

  i would like to thank all of you for the existence of this board as this has been instrumental for me in leaving the place i once knew as "the truth".

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  Funchback

  OnTheWayOut-

  If I had been drinking something when I saw your meme, I would have drowned my laptop.

  Funny!!
• 
  28

  Greetings and would like some advice about a potentially fun idea

  by towerwatcher in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello fellow apostates!

  my first post and a long time lurker here.

  i would like to thank all of you for the existence of this board as this has been instrumental for me in leaving the place i once knew as "the truth".

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  Funchback

  Village Idiot-

  Who plagiarized who?
• 
  28

  Greetings and would like some advice about a potentially fun idea

  by towerwatcher in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello fellow apostates!

  my first post and a long time lurker here.

  i would like to thank all of you for the existence of this board as this has been instrumental for me in leaving the place i once knew as "the truth".

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• 

  Funchback

  Hey, scratchme1010...

  I saw a photo in a WT publication (a magazine, I believe) of a young lady riding a horse.

  Some time had passed, maybe a year or so, and I saw an ad in my local newspaper of the same photo being used for a condom ad. LOL!

  At the time, I was incredulous because I thought the advertiser stole the WT's photo.

  I sent a letter to Bethel telling them that someone was using the WT's photo. The Society wrote back explaining that they use companies who sell photos to various companies/organizations. It was my first mini-awakening experience as I thought they did all of their own photos and art. Silly, but true.

  Anyway, oh how funny that it was used for a condom ad.

  towerwatcher-

  My advice to you is don't do it. Some goody two-shoes will report it to the Society. Their lawyers will come and get ya!
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  54

  Survey: Are you Agnostic or Atheist or Christian?

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am agnostic.

  i will count how many agnostics, atheists and christians that are reading this forum regularly.

  please answer my question.

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  Funchback

  I am without labels.
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  17

  The Story of My Sister - Lurkers: Is this logical?

  by Funchback in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my sister got baptized at 17 or 18 years old in 1983. she was ripe for the jw picking as she was shy, quiet, naive and with low self-esteem even though she was tall and beautiful and she attended one of the best high schools in philadelphia.. she wasn't outgoing and she only went out on a couple of dates prior to her baptism.

  she worked at a day care center.

  she loved children and animals.

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  Funchback

  Thanks for the replies, everyone.

  My sister is still happily married to the same man. Their daughter has recently graduated from college.

  Almost 30 years later and she is as happy as can be despite the JW making claims that she returned to the vomit and the world has nothing to offer.

  The other thing I want to respond to is about the relationship being irreparable. I'll never get those 17 years back. I never got to spend time with my niece. The stain of the Watchtower never goes away. Sure, it fades away little by little but never truly totally.
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  17

  The Story of My Sister - Lurkers: Is this logical?

  by Funchback in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my sister got baptized at 17 or 18 years old in 1983. she was ripe for the jw picking as she was shy, quiet, naive and with low self-esteem even though she was tall and beautiful and she attended one of the best high schools in philadelphia.. she wasn't outgoing and she only went out on a couple of dates prior to her baptism.

  she worked at a day care center.

  she loved children and animals.

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  Funchback

  My sister got baptized at 17 or 18 years old in 1983. She was ripe for the JW picking as she was shy, quiet, naive and with low self-esteem even though she was tall and beautiful and she attended one of the best high schools in Philadelphia.

  She wasn't outgoing and she only went out on a couple of dates prior to her baptism. She worked at a day care center. She loved children and animals.

  About three years later, around 1986, a young man just a couple of years younger than her happened to walk past her job. He, the son of a pastor, tall, kind of dorky and every bit as shy as my sister. The two were literally made for each other. They fell in love pretty quick.

  She simply found her happiness: true love. She didn't fade or worry about what would happen if she left the JWs. She literally just walked away. She soon got engaged to this man she had met.

  All was normal in our relationship as a family. In 1987, I was 17 and began attending meetings again after 3 years of being inactive. My brother, 4 years older than me and one year younger than my sister, was becoming a hardcore JW, on the fast track of becoming a servant and then elder.

  By 1989, my zealous brother and I (I wasn't zealous at all...I was just trying to make it through Armageddon) were active JWs. My sister hadn't been to a meeting in about 3 years. She was just living a happy life. She was getting married that year and my brother and I asked the elders if it would be wrong to attend her wedding in a church.

  Let that sink in: We had to ask another person how we should think and what we should do.

  It was for a wedding. A wedding. A wedding for two people in love. One of the participants was my flesh and blood. Even though she no longer was an active JW and had never uttered a negative word about the organization, my brother and I had to ask someone to be our consciences, all because she was baptized.

  The elder told us we could attend the reception but not the actual service because it was in a church, even though the reception, too, was in the church.

  Now, here's the twist: Very soon after her wedding vowels, we were attending a Thursday night meeting (Theocratic Ministry School back then). Right before the closing prayer, they made an announcement: Leslie XXXXXXX has been disassociated....

  No warning. No heads up. Just a cold announcement of disassociation.

  I asked an elder, 'Why? Did she disassociate herself?'. He told me, "She was disassociated by her actions".

  Is that love? Eternal shunning because someone made a decision at 17 and simply changed her mind? Her crime: Not for marrying a worldy man. Her crime was getting married in a church. Had she married at the Justice of Peace, no announcement would have been made.

  It ruined my relationship with my sister beyond repair. I eventually woke up 17 years later and we have a good relationship now, but I lost 17 years of bonding with my sister because a school bus driver and a factory worker (the professions of two of the elders) decided that my sister should be punished in the worst possible means with a label second only to apostacy.

  Is this love?

  Meanwhile, accused child rapists are free to prey on our children. I guess getting married in a church as an inactive JW is way worse than abusing kids.

  Oh, wait. I guess at least two people witnessed my sister's wedding so they had to take action, all in the name of keeping the organization's name pure. Unfortunately, predators don't often allow for two witnesses.

  Please, lurkers and those with doubts, ask yourself if this religion is one of love, or is it one of keeping up appearances?

  Brian
• 
  17

  Did you ever think about being persecuted?

  by Funchback in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was introduced to the jw religion at the age of 7. i can't recall when i was taught about having to suffer persecution in the so-called last days, but i do remember thinking that i would crumble under pressure.. as i entered my young adult years, i imagined how governments would persecute us.

  i had thoughts of being tortured for information and then how i would say anything to the torturer just to stop the pain and then be labeled a modern-day judas, missing out on everlasting life.. the jw way of life and expectations are both scary and unrealistic.. i am glad i have canceled armageddon.

  also, if i should ever be tortured for some belief or principle, i shall remain strong until the end.

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• 

  Funchback

  I was introduced to the JW religion at the age of 7. I can't recall when I was taught about having to suffer persecution in the so-called last days, but I do remember thinking that I would crumble under pressure.

  As I entered my young adult years, I imagined how governments would persecute us. I had thoughts of being tortured for information and then how I would say anything to the torturer just to stop the pain and then be labeled a modern-day Judas, missing out on everlasting life.

  The JW way of life and expectations are both scary and unrealistic.

  I am glad I have canceled Armageddon. Also, if I should ever be tortured for some belief or principle, I shall remain strong until the end. My love for my family is real and, for them, nothing will make me crumble.

  I realize nowadays that I never fully believed in the tenets of the JWs. I never really felt true love from most of my ex-spiritual family. And those who I felt really loved me have, fortunately, quit the religion.

  Good day to all!