I was born in Warwickshire and lived most of life in Worcestershire (like the sauce).
No longer a resident but I still have a UK passport even if it was issued from Washington DC,
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
hello britains .
i am trying to get as many uk posters to sign in.
so post up please, whether you love the queen's corgis or think they should be nationalised!.
I was born in Warwickshire and lived most of life in Worcestershire (like the sauce).
No longer a resident but I still have a UK passport even if it was issued from Washington DC,
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
i smell something burning; oh, just me thinking again!!.
anyway, one thing i always missed were the holidays-christmas especially.
i know that this is an unproven celebration to say the least, but i have always loved the warmth and beauty of this holiday, although very commercialized in this day and age.
You bet!
Since my wife and in-laws are not and never were JWs I have come to know what holidays are all about. Christmas and Thanksgiving are my favorites. They are great occasions for the family to get together and a good excuse to celebrate.
When I was a JW I thought holidays were special in a way, not that we celebrated (much) but at least the enforced holiday got the family together. It's even better now and I enjoy my wife's family's traditions and glad to be an accepted member of her family.
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
what are the most stupid jw rule?.
what do you consider to be the most stupid rules or tradition of the jw lives?
im thinking about any kind of rule or regulative that only has one answer to the questions why:.
The stupidest rule I ever came across was invented by an elder named Burke, Burke by name and berk by nature. His rule was that everyone attending his book study (at his home) wear slippers. At most UK groups I attended people just took their shoes off. Burke objected to sisters slipping their shoes off at the KH and hence regarded his home on Tuesday nights as a KH too. Not everyone remembered to bring slippers but his rule was the brother reading the paragraphs had to wear slippers.
On one occasion the only brother present other than Burke forgot his slippers. Burke had a dilemma. It was either have a slipper clod sister read the paragraphs or this stocking feet only brother. He resolved it by providing the brother with a pair of old, smelly, paint covered slipers to wear while reading. Thus Jehovah was appeased and clod in holy footwear the meeting was completed.
Bizarre, but true. The smelly slipper wearing brother is a relative of mine.
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
the three articles in the watchtower of 8/15/01 on the life of abraham take a real stretch of a biblical story in order to impose watchtower rules.
on page 27, paragraph 8 the watchtower tries to make that point that many jws inflict themselves with many trials because they strive for material riches.
that may be true but equally many face trials just trying to make a living or are trying to cope with retirement on a very limited income.
Thanks for the "welcome backs".
My father had nothing saved for retirement until the last 12 years of his working life when he changed jobs and joined an electrical utility. The company pension plan combined with the share offering given to employees when the nationally owned company was privatized means my parents have a little more than the state pension. They are lucky!
To be honest, I was just the same as others brought up believing the "new system" was just around the corner. I declined an investment/retirement plan 15 years ago telling the guy that I didn't believe the world's banking system was going to last much longer. (I was so You Knowish!) I doubt the UK government will give me a pension for the 16 years I was paying taxes...they don't let me vote in UK elections. I nearly have enough points with the US dept of social security to qualify for Medicare when I am old but otherwise what I expect to retire on is my own investments.
The ever increasing delay in "the end" is going to cause serious problems for the aging members (as Zazu related) of the JW unless they wise-up to the reality that the WTS's promises are not worth a dime.
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
i noticed a common link in several pictures from recent mags...ok the only mags i have read recently:.
what's with yellow turtle-neck sweaters?
does the wts have a small wardrobe of "modest" clothes for sisters to wear in the photos?
I noticed a common link in several pictures from recent mags...OK the only mags I have read recently:
What's with yellow turtle-neck sweaters? Does the WTS have a small wardrobe of "modest" clothes for sisters to wear in the photos? Or is there something sinister going on here?
Note that the brightest color is reserved for the post-traumatic-Armageddon-survivor. The "bad" girl on page 26 has the dullest color signifying the badness whilst the boy with the ammunition belt wears a bright yellow shirt.
Awake 8/22/01 Page 24
Watchtower 8/15/01 Page 26
Awake 8/22/01 Page 24
Thirdson
(Hope I don't start a mad search for clothing trends or cause many to discard their yellow turtle-neck sweaters because it makes them look so, how can I say? -- JWish)
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
the three articles in the watchtower of 8/15/01 on the life of abraham take a real stretch of a biblical story in order to impose watchtower rules.
on page 27, paragraph 8 the watchtower tries to make that point that many jws inflict themselves with many trials because they strive for material riches.
that may be true but equally many face trials just trying to make a living or are trying to cope with retirement on a very limited income.
VM44,
There are three study article in this issue, all about Abraham.
Jayhawk,
The Watchtower admits he was rich, at least after leaving Haran. the comment is
"Clearly, this was due to God's blessing" and "he [God] is faithful to his promise to provide for the needs of those who 'leave homes, brothers, or sisters' for the sake of the kingdom (Mark 10:29, 30)"Note the any odd scripture added for support!
Even worse Abraham's test to leave his home is similar to JWs who have to put up with "disfellowshipped relatives, who might try to lure us in to unwholesome association" Page 16 para 7.
I didn't know Abraham had disfellowshipped relatives unless you count the ones he left behind!
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
i recieved this email and thought i'd share:.
xxxxxxxx.
i heard a piece of gossip the other day from a friend in california that i thought was outrageous and right on par for the borg.... it seems a 20-something sister in a southern calafornia congregation has dedided she is one of the annointed much to the chagrin of her elder body.they have tried everything to disuade her from this path.in a last ditch effort to come up with arguments against her, the elders'wives were sic'd on her and they came up with a piece of information that they felt would be useful...it seems this sister is also pregnant with her first child and is very much looking forward to breast-feeding.so the brothers told her that if she wants to partake at the next memorial she can't breastfeed---because the wine would transfer to the milk and the baby is not annointed!this sister is heart-broken,she feels she must choose between her motherly obligation and her spiritual one!.the advice i passed on to her via my grape-vine was to think long and hard what decision she might make if for some reason her baby needed a life-saving blood transfusion...if the borg won't let her take a sip of wine it will surely not let her save her childs life with a transfusion!.
It's too bizarre to be true. An easy way to refute it: If pregnant annointed can't partake of a sip of wine why isn't there a prohibition in the Greek scriptures? Surely of all the new Christians in the first century, all of whom were annointed, some would have been pregnant women. If it is such a big deal why is the Bible silent or for that matter early Watchtower mags written when all the Bible Students were annointed and young?
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
Noidea makes the same point...sorry I didn't read all the thread before replying
the three articles in the watchtower of 8/15/01 on the life of abraham take a real stretch of a biblical story in order to impose watchtower rules.
on page 27, paragraph 8 the watchtower tries to make that point that many jws inflict themselves with many trials because they strive for material riches.
that may be true but equally many face trials just trying to make a living or are trying to cope with retirement on a very limited income.
The three articles in the Watchtower of 8/15/01 on the life of Abraham take a real stretch of a Biblical story in order to impose Watchtower rules. On page 27, paragraph 8 the Watchtower tries to make that point that many JWs inflict themselves with many trials because they strive for material riches. That may be true but equally many face trials just trying to make a living or are trying to cope with retirement on a very limited income.
Abraham's faith in a future "city," or divine government, helped him not to rely on riches. Would we not be wise to do the same?
To say that people should not rely on riches is utter nonsense when all of us rely on “riches” (a subjective term) and when we retire who else is going to look after us? Not the Watchtower Society!
Abraham may given up a home (with indoor plumbing apparently) and lived in tents but I think that was akin to retiring to a $100,000 RV and cruising around the US. Not a real home but not a bad life either. Abraham was a wealthy nomad. Nomadic people still exist today and can be relatively wealthy. The Mongols under Genghis Khan were incredibly wealthy, and an unstoppable power. Abraham was powerful enough to raise an army from his own nomadic tribe and had enough animals in his vast herds and a big enough drain on the local ecology to cause fighting amongst the herders. I don’t think Abraham lacked for much materially and he didn’t have to flog magazines every week to be God’s “friend”.
Yes, I am sure he awaited the real “city” but he cared for his needs and those of his family without having to beg for welfare from the state.
I guess my comments wouldn’t go over very well at the Watchtower study but I can’t help seeing the Watchtower in a whole new light.
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
hello to anyone who cares,.
i am in the fowlest of moods.
last week i started cosmetology school ( i love it so much ), anyhow who did i see there but another sister from my kingdom hall.
Hey Jurs,
Despite the shunning and rudeness at least you are having some enjoyment and doing some real good telling the honest truth.
I have said it before, ex-JWs have a massive impact in dissuading ones from joining this religion. Even better, people willingly listen and are eager to know the ins and outs of the JW religion something not true when JWs peddle the religion door to door. The more ex's there are the more the real truth will be told.
Don't let the shunning get you down. Keep your chin up.
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
im back from vacation, we arrived home friday afternoon.
it was good to get away and see some new and neat (and creepy according to my son) things.
we met up with family for a few days before relaxing in the san juan islands.
Hi all,
I’m back from vacation, we arrived home Friday afternoon. It was good to get away and see some new and neat (and creepy – according to my son) things. We met up with family for a few days before relaxing in the San Juan Islands.
We hiked, chartered a sail boat, went whale watching (saw orcas in Puget Sound) and did the usual vacation stuff like shopping, eating good food and drinking a fair amount. I managed to finish one novel (Darwin’s Radio) and start another as well as read all of Philip Yancey’s book What’s so Amazing About Grace.
So even though away from the daily routines I still reflected a great deal on my former life as a JW and the continuing issues I have with family members still in. I’ll post some thoughts on Christianity and Grace later on. My wife spotted two Kingdom Halls while on vacation. One was on the edge of the town of Eastsound, Orcas Island and we drove past it every time we left our hotel. The other was amongst a row of shops on the southern end of Robson Street in Vancouver, not far from Stanley Park.
When we were waiting to collect our bags at the airport I slipped down to the JW literature desk and got a couple of mags. I didn’t engage in any conversation, the two JWs on the desk missed an opportunity to talk to an “interested” person and just handed me a couple of mags. They probably thought I was DF’d!
I may comment on the mags but the issues I obtained aren’t exactly the latest and others here have already made some comments.
Lots seems to have happened here recently. I read a couple of threads but I won’t be able to read everything that has been added in the last two weeks. Big win for SL this week and a small loss for the WT. But at least another brick has been chipped away.
Talk more later…I’m off to bed.
Regards,
Thirdson
'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'