Thirdson

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Posts by Thirdson

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  52

  What was the "final straw" that made you leave the JW's ??????

  by run dont walk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what happened or was said, that made you decide, enough is enough, i am out of here ?????

  ?

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  Thirdson

  I was concerned about many things, and felt several doctrines were wrong or in need of change (including the creationism, blood doctrine and much of the 1914 doctrine well -- before I got on line and started researching JW history and while I was an elder). What did it for me was the "generation" change. At that point (late 1995) it was driven home that the whole religion was based on human guess work and had nothing to do with progressive understanding of scripture. Six months later I was deep in to discovering the amazing amount of information on the Internet and by April 1997 I decided to quit the religion completely.

  Thirdson
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  23

  What did you miss the most while being a kid in the Borg?

  by Jessica Rabbit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the other day i was watching "charlie's angel's" (the weekly series from the '70's) on tvland.

  it dawned on me how much i used to wish they had aired that show any night but thursdays.

  maybe twice a year, if i was too sick to go to the meeting i would get my hour to watch my favorite star...farrah!

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  Thirdson

  Definitely being normal.

  Why did we always have to be different? Dress different, wear a tie and jacket on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Sit outside of religious assembly at school and face the questions almost every day. Not celebrating holidays, having few friends because they were worldly, not taking part in after school activities. I lost my Saturday mornings, missed TV on Tuesday and Thursday nights (when the best shows were on) missed relaxing on a Friday night because we had to sit through an hour of the family Bible study (Watchtower study of the most boring kind). Mom and dad were proper JWs and we had to have a regular family study, (pretty much from as far back as I can remember until I left home). In addition we had periods of considering the Day's Text at supper and doing the weeks Bible reading after supper as well.

  Worst of all I put my son through some of this until he was 7. At least for the past 8 years he has had a pretty normal life and a somewhat better life than I could ever had had.

  Thirdson

  PS I have Birthday, Christmas and Thanksgiving photos to show that life is pretty normal in the Thirdson family.
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  45

  Last night I asked about getting reinstated...

  by Gadget in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after the meeting last night italked to some of the elders in the car park, and asked what more i neede to do to get reinstated.

  they commended me on the things i've been doing (?

  ), and said the main point for reinstating would be how much contact i've been having with my fiance, who's still a wittness.

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  Thirdson

  Gadget,

  A situation I knew, though slightly different, may help also. A sister I grew up with started dating a man she worked with. He started a study with a local elder and attended all the meetings. I befriended the guy and regularly met up on court at a local gym where he was well known. During this time he continued to see the sister. The elders intervened and decided that the guy (remember he was not yet a JW) was a divorcee and that his grounds for divorce where unscriptural and therefore he wasn't free to remarry. The elders gave a local needs talk on being unevenly yoked. About 2 weeks later the couple got married and moved away.

  The elders immediately disfellowshipped the sister and declared the guy disapproved (those where the days when you were supposed to shun formerly approved associates). The couple attended meetings in their new location and after about 2 years were reinstated. (Apparently, a lot of letters were exchanged and they later told me that the body of elders in the new congregation thought the elders in my congregation were well out of line with their actions and delaying tactics.)

  It was a big decision for this sister. She knew what was going to happen and that there would be some pain involved. But she made the decision she felt was right and the best for her happiness. There was a huge amount of sympathy for her action although most of us were too dumb and controlled to buck the rules. He never did become a JW and they returned to the local area for a while. She faded almost immediately but at least she got her family back. We all moved on, went different ways with regard to religion and location.

  This happened 20 years ago. Last year I found this sister on a high school reunion site and have gotten back in contact. Life goes on and it gets better.

  Thirdson
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  6

  'GIVE GOD GLORY' District convention dates

  by Hamas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  north london assembly hall 174 bowes rd.

  london (french only) north london assembly hall 174 bowes rd .

  north london assembly hall 174 bowes rd.

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  Thirdson

  Hamas,

  Thanks, I now know where my parents will be June 20-22. I won't be calling them that week end anyway as I will be France.

  I always gets me that the Watchtower has never made much of an attempt to hold conventions after school finishes for the summer. I suppose its one of those tests of faith.

  : The Ice Rink in Nottingham seems to be pretty full up each year, they expect quite good results in that circuit...

  Who'd one to go to Wolverhampton or Coventry and sit in some windy, wet and cold out-door standium when the Nottingham brothers are blessed with a nice indoor arean?

  Thirdson
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  19

  Friends of the other sex in the JW's

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how is it seen if a single adult brother sits right next to a single adult sister at the kingdom hall?

  rumours get going, right?

  one thing i never liked in the jw's was that you just couldn't be good friends with people of the other sex.

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  Thirdson

  Even when I was a JW I never made 'sisters' sit in the back of my car. I viewed it that to do so would either mean to the sister that I didn't trust myself or I didn't trust them. I went out on field service with married and single sisters. I worked with everyone from kids to the elderly.

  I never had opposite sex friends until I quit being a JW. When I remarried I had a female friend (Kathy) be a grooms-person at my wedding. I see Kathy nearly everyday, I work with her now and occasionally we have lunch together. I have other opposite sex friends who I see less frequently. I don't see it as an issue at all. However, I think the Watchtower is preoccupied with sex and their doctrine is no one is trust worthy.

  Thirdson
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  13

  2014, will the watchtower be celebrating, 100 years of a big mistake ?????

  by run dont walk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  october 2014, should be an interesting watchtower !!!.

  wonder what the articles will be ????????.

  celebrating 100 years of oops.. we never said 1914, only religions of the world did.. why 1914 is not important.. why the watchtower never makes predictions like other religions.. .

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  Thirdson

  1914 A Historic Year - Watchtower December 1, 2014

  ...while some of Jehovah's Witnesses, knowing the significance of the 2520 year prophetic period, speculated that this year did see the invisible return of Christ, a better understanding of the scriptures leads us to conclude that this year marked the announcement period of the John the Baptist class.

  We bring a heart of wisdom and humility to the revised understanding of the pre-presence announcement period where Jehovah's people have acted as a voice crying out in the wilderness and have prepared the way for the arrival of Christ. Unfaithful Christendom has been totally oblivious to the great preparatory work that has been going on for some 100 years...

  ..some have even claimed that Jehovah's Witnesses are false prophets. Far from it. Jehovah God has gradually revealed the understanding of this marked year and even though some individuals were wrong in their thinking the facts prove beyond doubt that 1914 was indeed the marked year from Bible prophecy.

  ...while a hundred years may seem like a long period of time from a human standpoint, surpassing the duration of what is regarded as a generation we must remember that "1 day to Jehovah is as a 1000 years to us" and hence the 100 years of preaching and preparing for the second presence has been just a relatively small amount of time...

  1) a - What have Jehovah's Witnesses long known about 1914?

  3) - Who have shown themselves to truly be the John the Baptist class and how?

  15) - Why are Jehovah's Witnesses not false prophets?

  19) - What will be our resolve in the these last days before the second presence?

  Thirdson
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  45

  If you decided to try a church, which one would you try?and why?

  by LyinEyes in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been thinking of doing something i have wanted to for along time, just to see, that is go to a church.

  i guess i am a little afraid , or nervous , more than anything, but i feel i ready to venture out there and see what it is about,,,,,,,,,,,lol, i might not stay , i just want to try it.. i just want to give it a chance and right now i have no reason why i shouldnt if i go in with my eyes open.

  i dont know what religion to start with,,,,,,,,, i figure this may be a journey on finding what feels right to me, or it could end up i stay home and do my own worship , who knows.. i know there are many christains on this board and i would be interested in hearing why you choose the faith you did, if it is methodist, catholic, baptist, or other mainstream ones.. i am also interested in other forms of religion some have choosen, and why?

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  Thirdson

  I did one of those on-line surveys and found out I was a prime candidate for Liberal Quakers. I often think about attending a Quaker service. A college professor acquaitance told me he went to the Quakers as soon as Gulf War II started to find solice. I may give it a try just to see what it is like.

  Thirdson
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  93

  When Was The Last Time You Set Foot In a Kingdom Hall?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  weeks?

  months?

  years??

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  Thirdson

  Hey Freedom,

  It was at the memorial in 1997 that sitting there I finally decided to quit completely and never return. Must have been a "good" one that year.

  Thirdson
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  93

  When Was The Last Time You Set Foot In a Kingdom Hall?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  weeks?

  months?

  years??

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  Thirdson

  June 1998, I took my parents to a KH when they visited me. It was highly tedious for me and the unfriendliness disappointed my parents. (I took them to visit a congregation that I had never been to before, so know one knew me. But still, my parents were visiting from out of country, even I thought more than two people might have spoken to them.)

  I actually quit attending meetings after March, 1997.

  Thirdson
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  31

  Why Do JW's Applaud At The End Of Each Day's District Convention Prayer?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  any ideas??

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  Thirdson

  I always felt that US conventions had way too much applause, may be the British are more reserved and only politely applaud at the end of each talk whereas in the US there seemed to be applause in response to every rhetorical question.

  In 1978 at Dodger Stadium in LA I remember one of the first speakers on the program exhorting the brothers not to applaud so much, which was immediately followed by applause, duh! I can't remember when clapping after the final prayer started. At least in the UK, I seem to think, this was reserved for the final prayer on the last day and was a sort of appreciation for the whole assembly and "phew, I am glad it's all over."

  I didn't clap much and felt a simple "amen" was sufficient.

  Thirdson