official statistics from jan 1, 2002 watchtower.. memorial partakers 2000: 8,661. memorial partakers 2001: 8,730.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!
Third Son:
I have only be out of the organization since January so most stuff is pretty fresh in my mind. It has been several years since that 'new light'. I know it was a Watchtower study article. I no longer have my CD ROM installed on my computer to look it up. I am sure of the information, though. The article was all about the marriage of the lamb and how it couldn't take place if all of the 'bride' weren't there yet. In the time sequence, the marriage happens before Armageddon.
Target
jus asking, i wouldn't mind having a pen pal or someone to talk to in the area.
OK fellas, I emailed both of you. I hate to take up space here with conversation that doesn't interest anyone else.
Instant social club. Nice idea.
Target
official statistics from jan 1, 2002 watchtower.. memorial partakers 2000: 8,661. memorial partakers 2001: 8,730.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!
Actually, the teaching about some of the remnant surviving was changed with "new light" quite some time back. Now the teaching is that they all have to be in Heaven for the marriage of the lamb to take place BEFORE Armageddon. But you never know, it could be changed again. You need a score board to keep track of all the changes. I know a few "Annointed" ones who became annointed in recent years. They are women who have bad marriages and don't have scriptual grounds for divorce and can't picture living forever with their marriage mate. They are on antidepressants and tanquilizers and going to Heaven is the longed for escape.
Target
jus asking, i wouldn't mind having a pen pal or someone to talk to in the area.
Preston:
We live in Arizona, Avondale to be exact. Been here just one year. And where do you live?
Target
it's a funny ol' world.
a month ago i was mucking about with some thick fencing wire and i suddenly got the idea to bend a couple of pieces into a set of divining rods like i've seen old nutters doing on tv.
so i cut two sections of wire about 2' long and bent the ends 4" at 90 degrees to form old fashioned diving rods (twitching sticks are made of yew or hickory or something .. don't know what, if anything aboriginies used).
Ouija boards are not always "involuntary" movements. Many years ago, before the "Truth", I had a ouija board and it told things I had no way of knowing. Example: A new neighbor kid was over and saw the board and asked about it and when we told him what it was for he said he would believe it if it could tell what his middle name was. Now mind you, we had never seen this kid before. It spelled out "Lwood". You should have seen the look on his face. His middle name was Elwood. Ouija boards spell the way things sound. I had never heard of that name before and neither had my husband, who was working the board with me. Now how was that "involuntary"? The kicker was some time later when I was using it with some friends and we asked it a question but instead of answering it, it spelled "Murder" and gave the next day's date and a name. Well guess what we read in the paper the next day? When we asked who we were talking to it said "Devil" That is when we decided to get rid of the thing. There were many other experiences but those were the two most striking ones. I have no explanations but I know it wasn't me moving the thing.
I think I will try the divining rod thing. I have an open mind and like to see things for myself, not just read about someone else's double blind studies. Studies often contradict each other. I will probably get myself into some sort of trouble, as usual.
Target
no moaning for me today.. what i want to know is the positive side of your life that you got from being a witness.. yes there are some, honest.. well i'll start off ,.
1. i met my wife.
2. lots of friends.
It was the reason my husband and I quit smoking.
I met the best friend I ever had. She's dead now.
And, oh yea, the public speaking thing.
Not a heck of a lot to get out of 30 years time.
last night i tried to log on but password wouldnt work after i sent a long long msg.
i was so angry.
so angry about what i had missed out as a dub.
Wendy:
I have a lot of anger, too, but it is at myself for being such an idiot for 30 years. They couldn't have done this to me if I hadn't let them. I have a long list of things I am kicking myself for. Example: Hand making my sister-in-law's wedding dress. We have always been very close. And then not going to the wedding because it was in a church. KICK, KICK! That was over 20 years ago. In later years, I would have gone. When I was newly baptised I dutifully gave up Father's Day and Christmas only to have my father die shortly after.
The opportunities and friendships that were passed up because they were "worldly" and worst of all, raising my son in that "I'm better than you" enviornment. Yes, I am grateful to be out now, but 30 years is a long time to waste.
hey ... i'm just getting into the swing of this great 'apostasy' thing right ... ?
... i thought y'all out there might well have a story or two to tell, so ... plz tell me tell me tell me about the most embarrasing thing you ever saw at a meeting ...
After the talk one Sunday, the brother said"And now we will sing Jehovah's Happy Peepee" instead of "people'. This was a very self-righteous brother and that made it all the more funny.
today i saw a car with a personalized license plate that said "pagans" and a bumper sticker that said "god bless america.
" of course this was in sun city, az where all the old people are and they probably don't remember what they believe.
Today I saw a car with a personalized license plate that said "PAGANS" and a bumper sticker that said "God Bless America." Of course this was in Sun City, AZ where all the old people are and they probably don't remember what they believe.
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'.
There was a brother in the congregation back in Wisconsin who always said "also too". I always wanted to tell him that it was one or the other, but sisters aren't suppose to correct brothers. It seemed to be contagious. Soon all the brothers were saying 'also too".
The one that got the biggest laugh was during the Watchtower study a visiting sister seated way in the back raised her hand to comment. When she smiled she had big dimples in her cheeks. The conducting brother called on her by saying"The sister way in the back with the big nipples". LOL
