Need to be unique: 84%
Need to NOT conform: 59%
Willingness to express dissent: 59%
Overall: 71%
Hmmmm, I'm more of a pussycat than I thought! (Willingness to express dissent 59%)
But I'm workin' on it! <G>
Hugs,
Annie
Some days it's not worth gnawing through the straps.
i like the society never apologize anymore!
if i say something wrong or do something incorrect i merely say excuse me the light just got brighter.
most people look confused when i say this, as do the people in the watchtower bible tract society, but i felt it works for them,------------ its good enough for me.. excuse me the light just got brighter yes i like the sound of that.. one member of the writing department said to another we really got this disfollewshipping thing wrong-------- first we say we cant talk to them.
>>and who makes these speculations? prophesies? predictions?<<
Oh fer cryin' out LOUD, Zev! (Hands on hips, rolling eyes, big exasperated sigh)......You know good and well that those of us who were in the Org back in the early seventies, just took tiny bits of information from "here and there", and RAN with it.
We imagined what was said at the conventions, we misread what was in the publications, we never heard ANYONE discussing this in car groups or get-togethers, and we never adjusted our lives accordingly with what we didn't hear.
We DID tell all our "worldly" relatives, and all our "worldly" acquaintances, neighbors, and householders out in service, to warn them of how short the time was "til the END of this system of things".
As I was busy severing ties with many wonderful old friends (bad association for me, cuz *I* was one of JEHOVAH'S people now), my best friend had very quietly said to me, "On January 1, 1976, I expect a phone call and an apology from you".............
I have thought of that moment so often over the years.
We moved out of state in 1974.
I SHOULD call her.
Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......
Hugs,
Sunspot
im looking for a few poeple in massachusetts i used to be associated with, jayme ferren, dina flarehty, slaid edmunds, laurie and scott carney, kristina yoseff, mia mcmillian, michelle skelton, jeff gilfoyle, if you know these people please let me know how i can contact them.
None of the names you mentioned were familiar to me either.
I lived in Springfield until 1974, was baptized in RI in 1972. The Assembly Hall in Natick was only a year or so old when I moved away, until then, we had assemblies in Worcester at a college.
Hope you find your old friends!
Hugs,
Annie
got a call late this afternoon: "your daughter was in a car accident along with four other girls.
you need to come to the emergency room.".
daughter not there yet.
I'm so sorry I didn't click onto this topic sooner.....I had NO idea what it was about.
Please accept my love and best wishes for little Julie to heal as quickly and as pain free as possible.
Hugs to all three of you,
Annie
i got a call today on my cell phone today from an elder (i am disfellowshipped)... said i hadn't been seen in a while at the kh.
i said yes, thats true, that the most recent incident regarding his daughter's treatment of my daughter has caused me to not come.
it was the last straw.. "are you going to take it out on jehovah?
>>I do know that I am having a "crisis of conscience" here. I am confused because I converted to JW's and now am good for no other religion. I believe in all the tenets but not this df'ing thing<<
Oh Sally! How PAINFUL it is when we see the huge cracks emerge from the perfect Watchtower reasoning! We study, and believe, and accept, and get baptized, and focus on being a whole-souled Witness for Jehovah. And then the flaws appear.
When something REALLY bothers us, we ask our questions, and get runaround answers-----known as weasel words, and these "answers" just don't cut it after a while. When you've heard it told that Jehovah is perfect but his organization on earth ISN'T---cuz MEN are imperfect,and by NOW you KNOW you're patience AND intelligence are screaming for some honesty!!!
You are confused because the Watchtower Society and it's teachings OOZE confusion, change their beliefs when it's convenient for them, and yet will DEMAND loyalty from the sheep---or ELSE!
Disfellowshipping is a tool used to CONTROL the sheep into submission, even when the sheep see and experience nasty treatment, hurt feelings,and outright rude behavior from OTHER JWs, that always seems to be overlooked or excused.
The Society has MADE UP rules upon rules that are found nowhere in any Bible---yet will TELL you that you must comply or you won't be "pleasing to Jehovah". (Just because THEY say so)
It hurts like hell when you realize that the teachings you dedicated your LIFE to upholding....are pure hogwash. The Society has lied before, lies now, and will continue to lie as long as they have sheep who will listen and obey without question. It stinks. They don't care.
I KNOW how difficult it is for you right now, but soon you'll be GLAD you're FREE from that controlling and manipulating publishing company, which is ALL it is.
LB suggested not talking to an elder again (if I understood him right) which normally is good advice (they DO have a way of making your knees buckle and your lip tremble-LOL), but if this creep Elder whose daughter was hateful towards YOUR daughter calls again, I'd give him an earful about his UNCHRISTIAN child's attitude and his condoning her crap towards your girl, and let him HAVE it--both barrels! Let him KNOW you were "STUMBLED" by the whole thing (they HATE to hear that word cuz it carries a carload of guilt) and make it clear that YOU have no intentions of "repenting" for observing "conduct unbecoming a Christian"!!!
He isn't God, he doesn't SPEAK for God, and you don't need to be intimidated by him or any other Elder ever again!!!
Hang in there girl--you have PLENTY of company (and LOTS of understanding) here.
Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......
Hugs,
Sunspot
i have read here that radher many think that bibel say that heaven is the place to come to, a lot of former jw are in this position.. but i can not agree, for mee this is very inmportant , and i think a reson that jw are atraktiv to so manyis this beleive.
why have you forget all this scriptures wha talk abaout living on earth,and why have you forget that crist talk abaout that some gone to ruel over others?.
son it is memmorial and it cold bee intresting to have this disscusition, i am waiting .
>>Why have you forget all this scriptures wha talk abaout living on earth,and why have you forget that crist talk abaout that some gone to ruel over others?<<
Hi Happy Man,
I HAVEN'T forgotten the scriptures like, the meek shall inherit the earth and will live forever upon it, etc. This has bothered me a LOT. I remember back when I was posting on H2O, and scraping the layers of WTS false teachings away, so confused and angry (still am) and learning how misled I was on just the BASICS of Christianity.
There was one poster there (I can't remember the name---I've tried!) who kept trying to get me to email him to "prove" that the dead go to heaven....using terms like Jesus loves you and praise Jesus, and he probably meant well but it irritated the hell out of me. I wasn't ready to switch gears in that belief, and somewhere deep down, I guess I'm still not ready. It stuck with me that strongly.
Now that I've permitted myself to research different ideas, I'm kind of in the middle right now.....both ways sound credible, but those scriptures in the NT/Greek scriptures, they ARE hard to shove aside.
My ONLY "saving grace", shall we say, is that believing everything the WTS taught me for 30 years, and I WAS sincere, that maybe God will "go easy" on me for being so confused. I had very skillful teachers, and it's still a struggle for me to sort things out.
I've gone from being extremely gullible to being extremely wary. I wonder if I'll ever have that "comfortable security" ever again.
Good post, Happy Man!
hugs,
Annie
Shredded families and ruined lives;
The WBTS has MUCH to answer for......
Hugs,
Sunspot
i decided to take the wrapper off instead of toa (trash on arrival).
the cover?
a hokey, "end of disabilities" scene with fake happy expressions (the father is especially hilarious.
>>. The mags are like MAD magazine now.<<
>>They are design to induce guilt and fear to keep people humble and programable.<<
Ashi, Dave,
We'll just keep on hopin' that soon all the JW readers will be saying....
"WHAT---ME WORRY?"
<grin>
hugs,
Annie
hi all i was thinking about this the other day and how the elders say that they have gods direction when they have judicial meetings, if that is the case and gods spirit is directing their decision then why do they have the allowance for an appeal, after all if god is supposed to be directing them there would be no mistake in the decision right?
any thoughts people?
>>the elders say that they have gods direction when they have judicial meetings, if that is the case and gods spirit is directing their decision then why do they have the allowance for an appeal, after all if god is supposed to be directing them there would be no mistake in the decision right?<<
Hi Chezza,
I could be totally wrong on this, (of course we ALL know NOW that them "having God's spirit" directing their decision is pure nonsense), but......I think the reason behind the "appeal" addition is that it "sounds" good when you're getting the axe, and that in "democratic" countries, it lends a feeling of fairness to the issue. Just window dressing and show, like the WTS Public Relations website........lies and innuendo.
hugs,
Annie
in the past weeks, i have been throwing away my 32 year library of books.
the feeling of freeing myself from the weight of the lies contained within the pages was my objective.
i have always been afraid of letting them go just in case it was the "truth.
- - -
>>What a wonderful thing it is to keep and preserve the Watchtower's
rich and diverse Heritage, and take the best images out of their
literature and exhibit for all the world to see.<<
OH YES!!!!
Remember how we were always urged to view all the WT publications with "appreciation"? Sooooo, we're appreciatin', we're appreciatin'!
>>But, you know, Not ONE of the jehovah's Witnesses has Thanked Me yet
for helping them 'give a witness' by creating my Webpage:<<
* http://www.intrex.net/tallyman/WT_Evil.html
DO TELL!!!! And SUCH a lovely heartwarming montage it is!
>>Some have even accused me of taking the images out of context
if you can possibly believe that!<<
GASP!!! The NERVE!!!!
(pausing to "ponder over" that thought)
(Done pondering)
Ummmm..........would it MATTER what "context" they were in? Ask'em to splain it next time!
hugs,
Annie
Some days it's not worth gnawing through the straps.
in the past weeks, i have been throwing away my 32 year library of books.
the feeling of freeing myself from the weight of the lies contained within the pages was my objective.
i have always been afraid of letting them go just in case it was the "truth.
>>I've been looking and asking for that brochure for months,
and no luck.<<
TOM!!!!
I can' IMAGINE how I missed THAT!
I had saved one of each (brochure) when I burned my 30 years of paper goods (bads?), but i had tossed a box of something that got in my way last fall. I just went and checked (I thought it was the "brochures" box---guess not!) and there it was!!!!
It's yours.
My gift (I used to mail brochures to relatives as a "gift"-LOL!)
I'm SO glad to help, after the WEALTH of "ready" material that you've provided for those of us that do a LOT of emailing.
I'll email my snail mail address to you.......
Hugs,
Annie
