Posts by Thirdson

23

Any thoughts or suggestions........

by sarahj in

jw
friends

hi, just wanted to introduce myself, i am 28 and from london and i am looking for some opinions.

i have family that are jw's and in my late teens i began bible studies.

i came close to baptism but was too scared about what i thought i would be giving up if i took that path.

Thirdson

Hi Sarah,

I spent the first 37 years of my life with JWs. I grew up hearing how bad the world was and how I should not plan for my future outside of school. I was told not to go college, not to have a career and not to save for retirement. Every few years I was told that some event was proof positive that the world's end was very soon. After all the failed expectations I decided I should get on living my life now and not waste it waiting for the impossible dream. I like others here I used the Internet and read several books including Crisis of Conscience to find out the truth about "the Truth".

By all means research the JWs. As for the world, some of it is getting worse and much of it is getting better. Do you want to make your own world bad by dwelling on the negative, or improve it for yourself by seeing and striving for the good?

Please stick around and join in here.

Best wishes,

Thirdson

(ex-JW elder, ex-pat Brit)

26

Governing Buzzards - Part 1 - Who are they?

by Amazing in

jw
friends

who are the governing body members?

can the average jw name even one or more members of that body?

i don't really know, but over the last ten to twelve years since i left the jw religion, i have a better idea - i think.

Thirdson

Thanks Jim,

6. The world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses is in New York. Located there is the Governing Body, a central group of experienced elders who oversee the worldwide congregation. There are also over 100 branch offices around the world. At these locations, volunteers help to print and ship Bible literature. Direction is also given to the organizing of the preaching work. Why not plan a visit to the branch office nearest you?

Just a minor point; were any of the curent GB ever appointed as elders? The old timers were around and on the GB before the elder arrangement. Did the young ones who made their way via CO and DO positions ever serve as just congregation elders in the current arrangement?

The current annointed GB may be the last there ever will be. They will have to be replaced by ordinary "other sheep" type elders in the future.

3rd

35

Did You Know Any Particularly Weird Witnesses???

by minimus in

jw
friends

i know some will say all witnesses are weird but i'm thinking of the real weird ones.

you know, the type that you used to run away from when they would approach you to say hello in the kingdom hall.

i know of one strange guy that looked like a pervert/child molester.

Thirdson

I think every congregation has at least one really wierd person. They are either a social misfit or mentally challenged. One of the weirdiest I knew was not baptized so maybe he doesn't count. This was a guy in his late 30s who lived alone and who was studying with an elder. Since I lived nearby, was single and had my own car I got roped in to picking this guy up for the meetings. The thing is he never said anything. I could barely get a word out of him. After asking how he was ("fine, yes, thank you") I could not get anything but yes and no answers. He'd sit with his huge brief case on his lap the whole time and would not part with it. He always dressed in a somewhat worn suit and wore a bowler hat. We often joked about what he kept in his brief case.

Another guy in a neighboring congregation was in the same year as me at school. I barely knew him and later bumped into him at an assembly. He attended a cong' in my area. I heard that he complained that neither another JW nor I had bothered to 'witness' to him at school. (It was bad enough being known as a JW let alone go around school preaching.) He was a weird guy. The single sisters avoided him. He pioneered after getting baptized and spent his entire weekends out on field service traveling everywhere on his bicycle. He burnt out after 2 years and was never seen again.

Of course, weirdness is in the eye of the beholder. Apparently, a local congregation is now missing one weird person since I left.

3rd

edited for weirdness

33

"I'm not interested" / "Have a good day" ??

by Gopher in

what did you or other jw's say when told by a householder "i'm not interested"?.

a lot of jw's in our area have the habit of saying "well, have a good day", as if to fill the awkward silence.. but if you studied your "conversation stoppers" section from the reasoning book, you find other possibilities:.

"would you be interested if you could find out how you could see your dead loved ones again someday?".

Thirdson

Once or twice I treid to counter the "I'm not interested" statement. That tended only to infuriate the householder more. It was common in my area for JWs to say "sorry to have distrurbed you, Good day," when people would say they were busy. An elder in my circuit at one time was visiting other congs as the guest speaker and telling the bros & sis not to apologize for disturbing people. His attitude was that people should be apologizing to JWs for not listening. At the next COs visit he mentioned this elder and said it was OK to apologize for disturbing people as it was normal British politeness.

I did frequently counter the excuse "I have my own religion" as it tended to be an area of common ground in an very non-religious community. On one occasion, an elderly man answered the door and said, "we are Methodists." I carried on explaining how nice it was to meet someone with a religious conviction when his wife shouted from the background, "Tell them we are Catholics!" The man looked rather embarrassed so I just smiled and said, "We'll speak to you another time; sorry to have disturbed you. Have a nice day." I turned around and walked away.

3rd

21

As a kid, what did you used to say on the doors.

by dh in

jw
friends

i guess this questions is for people who grew up as jw's... .

when you were out door knocking as kids, did the people who's doors you knocked on ever tell your parents that they shouldn't bring you out door knocking in the freezing cold, or did they ever ask you why you were out door knocking when you're so young?.

i remember both questions coming up fairly often since in england it is always winter, never forget the way this one old guy bent down and asked me why i was there and i gave the answer 'i'm here because i want to be' which was a total bold faced lie, but it was what we taught to say.. anyone else experience this?

Thirdson

DH,

Yesterday, at dinner, my son and I were discussing children's TV and I sang "paint - the - whole - world - with - a - RAINBOW!" Mrs Thirdson thought I was loopy, but you would understand.

3rd

3

Dick Gephard cried today. In public....

by onintwo in

jw
friends

very few men cry in public.

i mean really cry.

dick did.

Thirdson

A guy cried on TV this evening after being rejected for American Idol (he was crap). Tears were streaming down my face but I was laughing at an earlier performance. I guess that don't count 'cause only my son was with me.

21

As a kid, what did you used to say on the doors.

by dh in

jw
friends

i guess this questions is for people who grew up as jw's... .

when you were out door knocking as kids, did the people who's doors you knocked on ever tell your parents that they shouldn't bring you out door knocking in the freezing cold, or did they ever ask you why you were out door knocking when you're so young?.

i remember both questions coming up fairly often since in england it is always winter, never forget the way this one old guy bent down and asked me why i was there and i gave the answer 'i'm here because i want to be' which was a total bold faced lie, but it was what we taught to say.. anyone else experience this?

Thirdson

I used to offer the "Awake and its compainon magazine for a contribution of 6d (old money to Brits) for the two." I'd shut up if anyone challenged me as a kid and I let my dad explain why I was with him. My 13 year older brother (Secondson) (I was 9) used to be able to do the 2 scripture sermon when we did sermon work together on a Sunday morning. How bad was that?

3rd

59

Witness band names

by seattleniceguy in

jw
friends

let's have it out - what are the all-time best band names for witnesses?

i'll start it out with a couple, the first of which really is a jw band in seattle....local needsbad associationsep2ajint.

sng.

Thirdson

The Jahbirds
The Talking Stones
Uriah Hittite
The Drifters (sorry an apostate band)
The Supreme Ones
The Grateful Dead but Soon to be Resurrected
The Everloving Brothers
The Spiritual Police
The Beathels
Men on the Work

18

Who is the best apologist all-time on this board?

by joenobody in

jw
friends

i enjoy reading alot of the apologist's colourful posts on this board as well as witnessing their defeats at the hands of the likes of farkel and alanf.

who is your all-time favourite?

i have a few nominees:.

Thirdson

I haven't seen an Apologist on this board worthy of being termed "best". Some on the old H2O posters were reasonably good for the WTS like Greg Stafford. However, of the ones mentioned already, they were (are) not particularly defensive of the WTS but rather propose their own personal variations of doctrine. Personal views as explanations do not defend the WTS's indefensible doctrines. As for You Know he had his set of doctrines that if publicly preached at the KH would get him disfellowshipped. BibleTwit et-al (Farkel's trademarked designation) are not followers of the Watchtower but are self appointed (or self-annointed even) messiahs of unique doctrine.

Thirdson

12

Elders visits 2004 ???

by Siddhashunyata in

jw
friends

last year ,at about this time, the board was discussing how elders would be coming around to ask "inactive ones" if they "considered themselves to be one of jehovah's witnesses ( entrapment question).

in light of the current wt studies on apostasy and the faithful and discreet slave, does anyone know if that program is set to operate again in 2004?

last year i had my visit in march.

Thirdson

I haven't been near a KH in 7 years, I have yet to get a call or visit. I'm not holding my breath. I guess I was already "weak" when I moved to the area and had no social contact with local JWs. I'm more likely to get a call from Prince than from an elder. At least Prince engages in field service occasionally.

Thirdson