Posts by Thirdson

34

JW men - wordly women

by larc in

jw
friends

folks,.

over the past several months, i have read some heart breaking stories from women who come here, who have been involved with jw men.

now, this leads me to ask.

This thread reminded me (long forgotten) about a time when I was a dumb dub and very "good". When I was fresh out of college (OK, not the perfect dub) I worked for a crappy little company doing a crappy job. However, part of the job was being provided with a nice 2.0 litre automobile - sedan (needed towing ability, and big in the UK), but I digress....

There were a number of female employees around my age who worked there and one fancied me. But I was not really interested and while I talked to her, even had lunch in a group together I never dreamed of dating her. She sent me a Valentine card, to my home (I lived with my parents) and my parents saw it. It was the only Valentine card I would get for the next 15 years.

This girl worked on the front desk. One day a friend, a JW, and sales rep stopped by to see me and to go out to lunch together. While waiting for me he chatted to the receptionist. He said nothing to me about her until after the Service Meeting the following night. Then he gave me this long lecture with scriptures from both testaments on the dangers of dating worldy girls and how I could get unevenly yoked tith an "unbeliever"...it was like a 5 minute number 4 talk. I said little, was rather confused by the lecture but knew all that stuff and lived it.

I never knew what this girl said to him but whatever it was I think there was a BIG opportunity that I missed out on. Being the faithful, virginal dub that I was I never pursued the lovely Jackie (I knew she wore French knickers too!). A few months later I started to date a JW girl who I would later marry and divorce. After 6 months of dating I announced my engagement at work. I got a congratulatory kiss from Jackie. It may have been friendly but on the other hand, it might have been the last chance to sample the wares freely offered but plainly rejected.

Thirdson

(BTW the company made vibrators but not the ones you lot know

41

British Food.

by Englishman in

jw
friends

ok all you non-brits, tell us how you love/hate our british cuisine.. 1. roast potato's.. 2. liver and onions.. 3. yorkshire pudding.. 4. devilled kidneys.. 5. steak and kidney pie.. 6. fish and chips.. 7. breast of pigeon.. 8. vindaloo.. 9. roast lamb.. 10. stilton blue cheese.. englishman.. bring on the dancing girls!

Thirdson

Mike,

This is my comment on your list plus some additions:

1. Roast potato's. Wonderful, often add these when cooking special Sunday lunch

2. Liver and onions. Disgusting, sorry.

3. Yorkshire pudding. Excellent, easy to attempt, and I did a roast beef and Yorkshire puuding for a dinner group

4. Devilled kidneys. Not something I'm familiar with.

5. Steak and kidney pie. Used to like as a kid.

6. Fish and chips. Wonderful, a rare treat, although I do like pan-fried walleye now.

7. Breast of pigeon. Our cats used to enjoy that, especially the neighbors racing pigeons

8. Vindaloo. Absolutely, the best food ever invented in this galaxy. Attempted at home but not as good as the real thing. Last ate this Feb 15, 2001 near Southhampton, England.

9. Roast lamb. A rare treat

10. Stilton blue cheese. A rare treat

Additions:

11. Crumpets. Never found locally. Have aquired recipe and treat myself occasionally. To Americans, a bit like pancakes, without eggs and with yeast. Needs time to ferment which makes them a bit fiddly for breakfast.

12. Bacon sarnies. Even better on fried bread and smothered in HP sauce. Very rare treat in this form, heart-attack on a plate problem.

13. Porkpies. Pork of high fat content in pastry topped off with fat. Never found locally. Last eaten June 1999 (Sainsbury's brand).

I can add more, maybe later. I am just too hungry now to type.

Thirdson

83

no blood cards this year!

by DIM in

jw
friends

last night at meeting they told us to just use our blood cards from last year.

in the past they've always told us how important it was to get it signed every year so that people could see our current views as jw's.....doesn't this new arangement negate everything they've ever said in regards to this?

absolutely nuts!.

Thirdson

Prisca,

I believe you are right. The cell-saver and blood scavenger techniques where blood is vacummed out of the surgery/wound site, filtered and retranfused is an autologous blood transfusion. This is a conscience matter and making a change to a card would allow the unconscious JW in ER to get this treatment regardless of their belief in this matter of conscience.

I believe that in the TLC progam last year "Life in the ER" a JW woman died after refusing this treatment.

Thirdson

10

MAD!!!! [:(!]

by BQE in

jw
friends

grrrrrrrrr.

my mother had major surgery on jan. 4th.

she needs at least 8-10 weeks bed rest.

Thirdson

BQE,

Do the important things first and get your mom the help she needs.

Later on you may wish to print the following out, roll-it up and insert it into the smug and gitty elder's orifice, preferably the orifice incapable of smiling.

Unit 1B - The Elder Fleece the Flock Book

The aged and the sickly often need special attention. ( w87 6/1 pp. 10-12)
These may need assistance in practical ways.
They may need someone to cook for them, wash and
iron their clothes, clean their homes, run errands.
They often need encouragement and reassurance that
the elders cane about them and are interested in them.
(1 Thess. 5:14)
They may need someone to help them get to the meetings,
read to them, or in other ways help them to stay spiritually
strong.
Consider ways that you can provide such practical
assistance.
Other brothers and sisters can help you carry the load.
Invite them to volunteer.
Make definite arrangements as to how they can
help.
It is important to check periodically to see that someone
is following through on arrangements made to give
assistance.
Your being alert to such needs and providing the appropri-
ate assistance will mark you as a loving overseer.
You may be sure that this is well pleasing to Jehovah.
(Heb. 13:1, 16)

Thirdson

6

Discovery leads to change.

by AIRVIEW1 in

jw
friends

i remember the all the gravel roads in mississippi where i grew up then someone dicovered asphalt and things changed.i remember my mississippi back woods country jw grandmother saying, "they will never.

make it to the moon, if jehovah would have wanted man on the moon he would have put him there....they will never make it!".

i also remember my grandmother speaking so negativley about the "high and mighty" government" but 1975 was coming!

Thirdson

Prisca is right about the pre-1935 non-annointed or Jonadabs. In the early 30s there were people associated with JWs who didn't believe they were annointed. (They weren't even regarded as real Jehovah's Witnesses...would they have been JonaDUBS otherwise?)

The sad thing is, as with Prisca's grandmother, these old ones expected to live to see the end of the "wicked system". I remember at a District Assembly in the late 80's/early 90's a speaker saying how near the end must be because those who had been given the Earthly hope in 1930's were getting advanced in age and surely Jehovah wouldn't hold out a hope and not fulfill it. (God wouldn't but the Watchtower would...am I right?)

There are lots of old non-anointed JWs who will be disappointed, plenty of younguns too. My mom and dad have been JWs for nearly 45 years and dad is in his early 70s. My mom already talks about not living long enough to do certain things. I haven't mentioned that they won't live long enough to see paradise restored either and neither will I.

Thirdson

25

the latest WT PR

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

the latest media hype on the wt site is amazing:.

http://www.jw-media.org/releases/default.htm?content=020101.htm.

for immediate release .

Thirdson

5,000 are baptized each week on average. What they don't say is that nearly 3,500 stop reporting hours forever on average each week. That is the missing number, if you subtract the increase from the number baptized.

Thirdson

8

All Others going to Hell?

by Thirdson in

jw
friends

i found this article very interesting.

it is a letter in response to another article.

however, the points about the theologically weak position of religious exclusivism are very good.

Thirdson

Rex,

Exactly the point:

a very weak theological position.

Thirdson

5

I Am Shunned

by Thirdson in

jw
friends

some of the events in this story are true, others, have been changed.. eighteen months ago i quit my job.

i had worked for this company for nearly a decade and had a signed contract.

they taught me much, they taught me to teach others and i had grown and matured in the organization to become a highly respected senior representative.

Thirdson

Hi Mark from England,

Welcome to the board. I would like to ask you a few questions and get to know you better by e-maol if that is OK.

Waiting,

Thanks for the "A". An "A" from you is better than some lowly "G" from an uneducated janitor. (Educated janitors are better)

Regarding my story, it isn't exactly about me. I am neither DF'd nor officially DA'd. However, I think some of my relatives shun me for the reasons I state above but this is their own choice in the matter.

Thirdson

5

I Am Shunned

by Thirdson in

jw
friends

some of the events in this story are true, others, have been changed.. eighteen months ago i quit my job.

i had worked for this company for nearly a decade and had a signed contract.

they taught me much, they taught me to teach others and i had grown and matured in the organization to become a highly respected senior representative.

Thirdson

Some of the events in this story are true, others, have been changed.

Eighteen months ago I quit my job. I had worked for this company for nearly a decade and had a signed contract. They taught me much, they taught me to teach others and I had grown and matured in the organization to become a highly respected senior representative. I had moved to “serve where the need was great”. I had learned the “pure language” and could “speak” the languages needed for the compiler. At least twice a year I attended assemblies of the organization and heard presentations about the bright future we had, as prepared by the senior leaders. After each assembly we went away feeling refreshed and recharged ready to work harder. Periodically, we had “new light”. Either changes in the structure of the organization would be announced or, a new version of our main product would be released. We worked hard at making sure that all we dealt with were acquainted with the new changes and were helped to see the benefits.

After eight years I felt the future offered was looking less bright. Many people had been forcefully removed from their positions and many others, discontent, had simply left the organization. I began to feel the same way. I examined the ethics of the organization, the way it treated its own members and looked at the future it was promising but the promises looked empty. I quit, I decided to go somewhere else and several other organizations were quite keen to have me as a member.

I had already expressed my doubts to my immediate superior. This person was well aware of the struggle I having. However, the higher up people were simply disgusted that I would choose to leave the organization, after all the assistance and instruction I had been given. Some said Thirdson was unappreciative of the work of the leaders. Some said I was proud and resentful of other people senior to me. Some said I felt some of the work to be demeaning. Still others said I had grown impatient and wanted to enjoy the temporary rewards of another organization.

As a result my former colleagues shunned me. They felt that by joining another organization I had turned my back on them and they felt I no longer qualified to be treated with dignity and respect. Even now when I am shopping in the supermarket I occasionally run in to an ex-colleague but they simply look through me as if I didn’t exist. Even my own nephew refuses to have anything to do with me now.

Is my story shocking? Why would reasonable, intelligent people treat me like this? How manipulated by the senior management were these employees to go far as treating me as if I was dead?

The shunning part of the story isn’t true, nearly everything else is. (I was never resentful of others so I guess no one said I was, but who knows?) Actually, I meet, eat and drink with my former colleagues.

However, the story isn’t much different to the JW who leaves the congregation and joins another church. It doesn’t matter that churches aren’t rivals but seeking a common goal. To JWs, for a member to join an another church is so serious as to have that one publicly announced as having disassociated from the congregation. All the congregation members should then shun the DA’d member. Any JW found associating with a DA’d person is liable to be forcefully removed from the congregation and disfellowshipped.

Why is the religious practice of JWs acceptable while the supposed practice of my colleagues is a disgrace?

Thirdson

8

All Others going to Hell?

by Thirdson in

jw
friends

i found this article very interesting.

it is a letter in response to another article.

however, the points about the theologically weak position of religious exclusivism are very good.

Thirdson

This part struck a chord with me:

as the overwhelming majority of people remain in the tradition into which they are born, one should be highly suspicious of the fact that many people believe that they, and not others, have had the good fortune to be born into the "one, true religion."

We were told by our parents how fortunate we were to have been born in the "truth", in the "right religion". We were told to examine what would we have chosen if we had been born into a different family. We were so fortunate to be JW kids. It is rather like my mom telling me to eat my greens because millions of kids in China would feel so fortunate to have my greens. Even as a kid I imagined Chinese mothers telling their kids to eat their rice because millions of capitalist English kids would feel so lucky to have their rice.

As for new revealing of Revelation, I guess the seven trumpet blasts weren't the rantings of a bunch of cranks in the 1920's after all. Must be the rantings of a bunch of renamed cranks from some later decade.

Thirdson