Swan

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Posts by Swan

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  24

  Birthdays & the Cult of the Diminished Indi...

  by joelbear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yesterday was my birthday.

  i got greetings from a number of friends from here in atlanta and also from people who had never met me from around the world since my birthday announcement was carried on a couple of the central bear pages on the internet.. there is clearly no prohibition against birthdays in the bible.

  the reason the watchtower prohibits birthday celebrations is the same reason they discourage college, extracurricular activities in school, etc.

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  Swan

  t

  Happy Belated Birthday! t
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  11

  Flag Salute Deception/9/15 Watchtower

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recently, the watchtower has published an article on the flag.

  salute issue that is misleading and deceptive ("salvation.

  belongs to jehovah").

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  Swan

  About this statement:

  Do 'worldly' people worship the state? The majority of
  Americans do not vote. Many cheat on their taxes, think
  Congress is full of crooks and call the President a
  moron. Do they seem to be worshipping the nation to you?

  Just like some JW's do. I have heard them discuss politics, downgrade the President, say that Congress is full of crooks, and I suspect, cheat on their taxes. Yet they don't vote (yet) or salute the flag. Lots of Americans don't vote. They will salute the flag. There doesn't seem to be that much difference between JWs and other Americans in this country.

  What about other countries? Canada? UK? I would be interseted to hear about their "neutrality" in other nations.
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  13

  How I became a JW - Part 1

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how & why i became a jw part 1 of 10

  introduction: when we leave the jw religion, there is no shortage of those who ask, "what caused you to leave the watchtower?

  " subsequent to leaving jehovah's witnesses, we may spend a number of years unraveling the effects of the jw religion in our family and personal life, business activities, social experiences, and spiritual views.

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  Swan

  I can hardly wait!
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  14

  The Meeting Clothes I Left Behind

  by dobby in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this past weekend my husband and son and i went to stay with my jw in-laws.. it was a pleasant weekend.

  they were a little subdued this weekend, i think the assembly got to them and they seemed less open to discussing our feelings about the wt.. a very interesting thing happened as we packed to go on sunday morning.

  i was in the guest room folding clothes into our suitcase when my father-in-law tapped on the door.

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  Swan

  Dear Dobby

  My husband recently dug out a box while cleaning the garage and low and behold they were old Watchtower books. I thought they were all discarded long ago!

  It sure is an eye opener, huh?

  Tammy
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  32

  My Therapist Must Think I'm Absolutely Nuts!

  by Swan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  every week i go in and tell my therapist these fantastic stories about the religion i was raised in!

  i think he believes me, but then when i think about it, it sounds too fantastic to be true.

  he must think i'm absolutely insane.

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  Swan

  Every week I go in and tell my therapist these fantastic stories about the religion I was raised in! I think he believes me, but then when I think about it, it sounds too fantastic to be true. He must think I'm absolutely insane. Any moment the people from the state hospital are going to pull up in an ambulance with a straight jacket for me.

  Tonight I told him about three factories in the NY/NJ area called Bethel where they do nothing but print religious propaganda. The people who volunteer to work in these factories are bright young men who have chosen to go there instead of college. For this, they get to work 8.5 hours a day, five days a week, and half a day on Saturday for their room, their grub, and a stipend of $16.00 a month. I told him it used to be $14.00 / month but was raised to meet inflation and may have been raised again, I don't know what the current amount is. Their spare time is spent engaged in Bible study, congregational meetings that they need to travel to, and the door to door ministry. They get 2 weeks a year as a vacation, but have to have their family or congregation pay their travel expenses back home. If they can't go home, they are stuck there. They used to work for a minimum hitch of four years, but that has since been relaxed I believe.

  He must think I'm crazy to tell him a story like this. When I look at it, it doesn't seem believable at all.

  OH MY! It just hit me. I WAS RAISED IN A RELIGIOUS CULT! This is absolutely incredible.

  Tammy <=== pinching herself
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  27

  elders in the parking lot

  by imanaliento in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my husband and i sent our letters in to the elders and a few others in the congregation, stating we have walked away.

  can't stand hypocrites.

  they want to meet him in the parking lot after work.

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  Swan

  Welcome to both of you.

  I would just ignore them from now on. You've made it clear, and they were no shows. But don't expect them to ever totally leave you alone. I found out that they have been sending women to my door while I'm at work to try to recruit my husband.

  Take care and we're here to support you.

  Tammy
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  37

  Double Dog Dare: My Bio

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  (xenawarrior and minimus, take note that i am a man of my word!

  chronology: i am 50. was born and raised a jw, reg pub @ 6, baptized @ 10, reg pio (b4 hs graduation) and giving public talks @ 17, went to bethel @ 18, left bethel @ 20, married (1st time) @ 21, df'd @ 29, divorced @ 30, reinstated @ 30, remarried @ 32, df'd again @ 48, divorced again @ 49. one heck of a roller-coaster, eh?.

  disfellowshipping: both my df'ings were for apostasy.

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  Swan

  WOW!

  Onacruise, you have hinted at some of this in chat, but I didn't realize what an E-ticket your life has been like! I've been on a similar rollercoaster and will tell all of you about it someday.

  I read through stories like yours and wonder how we ever survived. I think we are all smarter, more resiliant, and more tenacious than the WTBTS ever imagined we were.

  Good post!

  Tammy
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  34

  Newbie

  by blackrose in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hello, i am new to this board in a way.

  i have been reading messages for about a month now and just got the nerve up to register an account so i can give my "two cents" once in a while.

  i was raised a jw, but just recently expressed openly that i do not have plans on associating with them any longer.. anyways, not going to type my story out right now, as i do not know if any one wants to hear it.

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  Swan

  Welcome Cicatrix! It's nice to have new people come join us. We get new stories, new perspectives, and the board is enriched all the more for it. I'm sure you will like it here.

  Tammy
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  34

  Newbie

  by blackrose in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hello, i am new to this board in a way.

  i have been reading messages for about a month now and just got the nerve up to register an account so i can give my "two cents" once in a while.

  i was raised a jw, but just recently expressed openly that i do not have plans on associating with them any longer.. anyways, not going to type my story out right now, as i do not know if any one wants to hear it.

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  Swan

  Welcome Black Rose. I have only been here for a month myself, but have enjoyed it immensely. There is so much to learn here. I'm sure you will like it here too.
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  3

  Where's Bill's DFing Article

  by bluesapphire in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  can someone help me find the article that the reporter did who was at his dfing?

  i have spent the last hour looking for it to no success.

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  Swan

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=34721&site=3

  Hope this is what you were looking for.

  Tammy