Posts by Sunspot

25

Funerals

by Xena in

jw
friends

i haven't been to a "worldly" funeral...well ever that i can remember.

all the funerals i have been to have been jw ones where they use it as another opportunity to preach to everyone in sight.

they usually make a token mention of the dead loved one and then begin with the resurrection and earthly paradise and how you have to be a jw to get there.. today i went to my aunts funeral.

Sunspot

"Today I went to my aunts funeral. It was beautiful! "

Hi Xena, I'm trying to find the right words to reply to this. I guess mainly because it's a term we don't hear when referring to a funeral in the "circles" we've hung out with in the Kingdom Halls.

So many times over 30 years of JW funerals, I'd sit and inwardly squirm in embarrassment as the WTS commercial would go on and on. I would feel so sorry for the nonJWs there being forced to sit and endure being preached at. Not once did I ever feel pride during these sermons to a captive audience. I always felt it was pushy and totally insensitive to the needs of nonJW family members...I didn't consider it the time and place to give them a good "witness".

I had never attended any other funeral before I became a JW, they always frightened me (I don't even know WHY)so I had nothing to compare procedures to.

Last year I bit the bullet and went to MY aunt's funeral in a church in North Hadley, MA that was built in 1831. It was so charming and had such a feeling of "family" and warmth about it.

They sang really old hymns that were my aunt's favorites (she died one week before her 100th birthday) and had been a teacher first and an antique dealer after she retired. There were students, neighbors, church members who had little personal stories about her, and many family members who got up and spoke so lovingly of her. I learned more about my aunt from those folks, than I knew of her personally (I moved away in '74, and as a good and obedient JW I limited my association to JWs)sad to say. Another knife in my heart thanks to the WTS.......she was a lovely person and I missed out on so much....

I came away from that service with a warm feeling on one hand, but even more bitter at the Society's control than ever.

4horsemen:

"Sidenote of curiousity: Did you have a awkward feeling attending a funeral in non Kingdom Hall setting?"

Just a tiny bit when I first walked in. The only time I was embarrassed at myself was when the minister said the final prayer, a blessing to all those who attended, when he said "Amen"...I said it aloud right after!!!! They don't DO that at this church...(blush)

Tatiana:

"My uncle is also a Mason. My grandmother (JW) decided to give him a witness funeral and remove his ring. My uncle was not allowed in the funeral home. He sat in the car and cried. He didn't speak to my grandmother for 20 years. "

How heartbreaking for your uncle!!!! If he was obviously a member of the family, Mason or not, why wasn't he allowed to be at that funeral? I don't understand the reasoning here......

Frenchy:

" Funerals are a touchy subject with me. It was a funeral that finally did it for me. I won't post the experience here again but it was the final straw for me."

Could you post an URL where those of us who are newbies--(or semi-newbies) could read your experience?

Xena, My condolences to you and your family, and thank you for opening this discussion..

Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......

Hugs,

Sunspot

42

Jehovah is sifting the organization

by YoYoMama in

jw
friends

jehovah keeps sifting and cleanning out the organization.

this board is proof of that sifting work.

congratulations on being cleansed out of jehovah's organization because of your inmoral and prideful lives.

Sunspot

Yes, Yoyo, I'm sure he's sifting THAT organization, but leaving the "judging to the Son", as the scriptures teach......you might like to consider this;

Interlinear Bible

Romans 8:38
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Romans 8:39
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read this over slowly a few times, ponder over these things, let them sink into your heart.....and ask yourself if you fully accept what God's Word is REALLY saying here.

I don't know if you are familiar with the REAL history of the Society, but since you came THIS far (it's a no-no to be here) you may want to click on the links you see at the bottom of this page and get a glimpse at what you haven't been told.......but above all...let the Bible be your first guide, and common sense be your second guide.

When you were told to "Make SURE of ALL Things" that you are taught.....DO just that. If you find that scriptures don't "add up" with what Jesus said......don't dismiss it......

Let's take Jesus command (NO doubt about what he said and meant here)at Matt 28:19-20....and please don't blow this off..but he said to make disciples of people of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and of the holy spirit.....were these words used at YOUR baptism? Why not? If this command came straight from the One who we are ALL in subjection to, WHY would the Society CHANGE this command?

Neither Jehovah OR Jesus has CHANGED their thoughts, commands, or feelings that you read in the Bible, right?

HOW can the Watchtower Society dare to change what THEY (Jesus and Jehovah) commanded????? Can you explain that? In almost 30 years, this question was never answered (by the Elders)for me....

Welcome to this board, Yoyo, and do some "sifting" of your own, and draw your own conclusions, okay?

hugs,

Sunspot

9

12/8/01 Awake! help for Arthritics

by RationalWitness in

jw
friends

on page 10 of the december 8, 2001 awake!, the article "hope for arthritis sufferers" feigns to offer encouragement to those afflicted with chronic arthritis.

note how the article describes some of the sad consequences of this condition:such limitations can cause frustration and negative felings about oneself.

gaku, aged 27, is one of jehovah's witnesses and says: "not being able to share fully in the evangelizing work or fulfill congregation assignments makes me feel that as a person i have no value whatsoever.

Sunspot

"I myself am an arthritis (spondylitis) sufferer, with a walking impairment which came about at about the time I was exiting the organization. I would have had to drag my body door to door to gain their "spiritual encouragement", or spent time (most likely on my own) doing telephone-style witnessing (oh joy!!). I don't think I would have felt "adequate" had I continued to try to keep up with the fully able-bodied ones in the congregation."

Gopher

Hi Gopher, I have arthritis as well (not spondylitic) but extremely painful much of the time. I also suffer from Colitis which can be triggered at any given moment for any reason at all. So I know the frustrations that go along with being unable to "keep up" with the JW schedule and demands.

Mine really flared up in the spring of '99, to the point of (again) having to use crutches. After several weeks of being all but ignored, the "shepherding to encourage" visit was made, which left me MORE discouraged than ever. First-small talk-then go for the jugular---one reads the scripture in Hebrews about the gathering together (gag) as if this was a choice I had made. It made me angry and I cut them off right after this was read and offered to read MY (then) favorite scripture at Psalm 145:16, about his opening his hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing....MUCH more "upbuilding" to ME personally than pushing "meeting attendance" down my throat. The lack of TACT just made me furious!

The ONLY calls I got for the next three months were to see if I had any TIME to report.....never asking if I needed anything, how I was doing etc. It really stunk, after almost 30 years of loyal (kept my nose clean) membership. Not productive=weak

I was "gone" eight months later, after more of this type of "love" shown. I wonder sometimes if the Elders ever "got" the connection. Naaahhh........

Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......

Hugs,

Sunspot

19

MAJOR REQUEST ON THE WTS/UN SCANDAL

by hawkaw in

jw
friends

hello all.. i was hoping a few of you would do me a favour.

a local news editor has asked me a question.

he has asked why is this un/wts story important to the local community?.

Sunspot

I had strong views about this...but my feelings have been mentioned already.

I think that primarily, because you're dealing with the media, that most of my concerns would sound like insane ramblings, [grin]and need to be "edited" for those who don't have a clue about the "workings" of the Watchtower's control.

One point I would like to stress would be the fact that since the JWs are so "in-your-face" (roaming through neighborhoods, in laundromats, in parking lots, in parks, in bus-train-etc terminals, in hospital and Dr's waiting rooms, on the phone, and in the schools through the youth)---that the public has the RIGHT to know some basics about the religion.

Obviously, the JWs won't bring up "negatives" when trying to recruit new members, so the media has a responsibility to report anything that presents harm to the public.

Even if the JWs don't know about or deny their "leaders" UN involvement, the community WILL be aware of the latest deception upon members of their local Kingdom Halls.

Remember that scripture that said something about always being prepared to make a defense for your faith? If the householders know more about the Watchtower's ongoing underhanded and hypocritical ways than the JWs themselves, it will be increasingly difficult to continue to "defend" their faith!

All the more reason to expose whatever we can!

Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......

Hugs,

Sunspot

Oops! Sorry! I started to reply to this right after Ho Chi Min....then saw you (Hawk) were "off and running" by the time I hit the button!

18

Remember hiding out

by Parliament in

jw
friends

remember having hide in the basement or the back room of your house so as the trick or treaters thought you weren't home!!!

.

gotta run the door bells ringing.

Sunspot

"we used to sit in the dark, no TV. I hated Halloween"

Hi Joelbear!

Oh how crummy I felt doing this for so many years, specially when I had all five kids at home!

I hated staying home, endlessly waiting for the night to end, never knowing what some ornery trick-or-treaters might DO.

I hated when it fell on a meeting night, because I WASN'T home to keep an eye on things....cuz the neighborhood kids knew we weren't home.

I was always a wreck on Halloween nights...a lose-lose situation.

Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......

Hugs,

Sunspot

25

My beautiful sister......

by Tatiana in

today is the anniversary of my only sister's suicide four years ago.

she was 38. i've had a candle lit for her all day long.

i've been playing her favorite songs...livin' on a prayer by bon jovi.

Sunspot

"Combine the physical plus mental abuse, and you have my sister. I just think maybe there was something else I could have done to stop her. That will haunt me forever."

Dear Tatiana,

The pattern of your sister Kelly's actions and her feelings of being "unworthy" were deeply ingrained, unfortunately. This had nothing to do with you....please don't beat yourself up or carry any guilt because you couldn't keep her in a place that protected her from herself.

I am positive that she knew how you felt, accepted this love, tucked it away, and cherished it. Her problems just engulfed her to the point where she wasn't able to think clearly, which does NOT diminish the unselfsh love and heartfelt concern that you gave to her. I'm sure that Kelly knew exactly how much you loved her.

HER pain is now over, YOUR pain is still very real==but you are not at fault in any way for her death.

Please accept my sympathy for your loss.....

Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......

Hugs,

Sunspot

3

Sunspot

by Caole in

jw
friends

hey sunspot...you may not remember me(it's been a while)...i just wanted to tell you how sorry i am about the loss of your mother and for all you're going through with your family.

i hope you didn't think i'd forgotten you...i've tried to stay in touch, but my messages wouldn't go through.

hugs,.

Sunspot

"Hey Sunspot...You may not remember me(it's been a while)...I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about the loss of your mother and for all you're going through with your family. I hope you didn't think I'd forgotten you...I've tried to stay in touch, but my messages wouldn't go through"

Not REMEMBER you???? Are you kidding??? (sorry, guess not, huh?) HOW did I ever miss THIS???

I was on here trying to figure out the "new stuff" when I hadn't even mastered the "old stuff" on this board...I hit the "rated" thingy and came up with a thread that you had replied to! I hit the "search" with your name and TA-DA there was your post to ME!! I can't tell you how great THAT was to discover!!!

Hubby wanted to get two ISP's and AOL wouldn't let us keep our S/Ns, so I had to change it. After that, I lost all my favorites and address book twice so I lost track of a lot of nice people! I have thought of you so often and wondered how you've been doing!

How sweet of you to post this! Maybe because there have been so many posts with so many replies, we kinda got lost in the shuffle, huh?

Finding this surprise post has brought such a big grin in an otherwise super crappy week emotionally.

Thank you so much for caring.....I usually seem to fall between the cracks in that department.

If you still remember my old email addy--just add "59" and ya got it:)

BIG hugs to Caole,

Sunspot

67

Favourite Live Performer:

by Englishman in

jw
friends

i've seen loads of live acts, back when i was a "young person asking" i watched the crystals, heinz, johnny kid and the pirates, brenda lee, joe brown and others all on one show.

so very innocent!.

come my eventual departure from dubdom, i resolved to see all these bad people playing their music live.

Sunspot

I'd have to say the "Commodores" was the most impressive group I've seen. They did a terrific job, were very personable, totally enjoyable! They capped off an already terrific show, with a 15-20 minute version of "Night Shift" with all KINDS of improvisation.

Everyone in the audience was on their feet, just ABSORBING the music, swaying from side to side, completely mesmerized by the finale. I STILL get goosebumps whenever I hear "Nightshift" on the radio.

Openminded,
I gotta ask ya....Does the best harmonica player EVER, Mickey Raphael, still travel with Willie Nelson? That guy is SO super-talented, and "made" Willie's "80's" hits just shine in his short solos.

Peace,
I noticed Phish on your list..around "85-86" my best friend had several housecleaning jobs, and after the Sunday session of the District Convention at the War Memorial in Syracuse, she said she had to make a stop on the way home to feed a "Mrs. Fish's" cat and wash a few dishes that her son would have left. Mrs. Fish was on vacation, and her son was in and out either rehearsing with his band or performing in small clubs around the area.

The house looked like a small cottage from the front, kinda nestled behind some trees, but it was huge when we got inside. She took me on the grand tour: it was quite a unique home-different.

Little did I know that Mrs. Fish's son was the lead singer in Phish...I think his name was Jon or Jonathan...they weren't popular at that time, just getting started.

My girlfriend was invited to their home on Cape Cod the next summer, to house-sit and at the end of two weeks, the family came back and together they all attended a Phish concert somewhere in Vermont.

One year in Rochester, I think in "85, a bunch of us attending the District Assembly, were in town the same week as the "Dead" were booked nearby. Rumor had it that they were IN the same hotel---all I can say is, when the concert let out, and the noise settled down in the hallways, if ya stuck your head out the door and inhaled......it wasn't Pine Sol ya smelled!!! <grin>

Late "70's, another convention in Lynchburg, VA...Dolly Parton was appearing the very night we were leaving, I wanted to crawl under a seat and hide, to stay and see her!! She's another one, beneath all the trappings is one talented gal...

The stars I would love to see....Richard Marx.....ever since I first heard "Angelia" in "88, I've been hooked!! Next would definetly be James Taylor, who sounds as good as ever! Saw him on PBS or A&E recently...excellent! (sigh)

Hugs,

Sunspot

52

Favorite Dead Performer

by Yerusalyim in

jw
friends

equal time, and given the spirit of the season, who is your favorite dead performer?.

mine, buddy holly, though he just kinda laid there and oozed all over the stage.. yerusalyim.

"vanity!

Sunspot

Hi All,

When I saw this topic, I immediately thought Of Stevie Ray Vaughn! I was glad to see others who felt the same way!

Runners up would be (Mama) Cass Elliot....whatta voice! And John Denver.

Non-singers would be Jack Lemmon who could do it all (comedy or serious drama) and do it beautifully.

Victor Borge...I loved every performance I've ever seen, and whose "punctuation parody" never failed to make me laugh until tears rolled down my face.

Hugs,

Sunspot....who enjoys a pleasant diversion like this

589

MAJOR UN/WTS NEWS- UN LETTER & 1992 Press R...

by hawkaw in

as of 6:02 pm last night i received a facsimile from paul hoeffel at the un on the wts.. he gave me 3 of the 4 things i requested in two paragraphs.. i have sent a scanned version to steve bates and someone else.. i sent it to kent and randy.

and kent and randy have posted the official united nations letter on their web sites.. here is the letter - put your cursor on the image and then right click on your mouse and hit "save image" to your computer.. .

after you look at kent's web site and you people still think this it is a fake letter, phone paul hoeffel yourself at (212) 963-8070.. hawk

Sunspot

The Gilles letter is PRICELESS!!

It just keeps getting better and better, huh?

<grin, giggle, guffaw, gloat>

"This whole "library card" thing appears to have been invented recently as the simplest excuse to make the least waves amongst the rank and file."

Path--(hands on my hips, rolling my eyes) It's ONLY an innocent LIBRARY card fer crying out loud!

JWs-- Just EVERYONE 'cept the brothers is trying to make MORE of this than what IS!!! Satan is persecuting Jehovah's people once again!!!

Sunspot--putting this on top where it BELONGS!!!!!

Way ta GO, gang!!!!

Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......

Hugs,

Sunspot