Thirdson

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Posts by Thirdson

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  17

  How much do the elders lie when the Overseer visits the Cong?

  by Agent Smith in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the other day when the overseer was over, he started talking about how good the cong was and how it was the best as far as publishers.

  he mentioned that we only had 0 irregular, and 0 inactive publishers.

  this is bs.

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  Thirdson

  I had temporary care of record cards and I made it a priority to get as many of the nearly inactive to report some time. Some felt they were unworthy to count what little they did but I told them that even the smallest contibution is appreciated (widow's mite etc) and every little bit counts as a bucket of water is still filled with droplets. I also knew that a large number in the congregation reported only a couple of hours each month and thus those that only managed to report a time every couple of months were not that much diferent. I didn't lie but I think some made up time just to appease me.

  But, I did remove the record cards of those who were inactive after a year. I didn't want the CO asking about some in the cong including my sister and BiL who were fading. I also destroyed some letters that came with records cards sent by other cong' elders. I know most of the elder body had read the letters but it was better to give them as clean a sheet as I could.

  3rd
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  19

  Serena Williams

  by Kenneson in

  1. social
  2. physical

  see "serena's next game.

  sidelined by knee surgery, the tennis champ talks about life off the court--including her acting career.".

  and check out sister venus as she models serena's designs!

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  Thirdson

  Hi Kenneson,

  I read the same article in this week's Newsweek. It got me thinking. Who do they call and who assigns the territory? Is this just their excuse for not actually going out on FS at all. Getting rejected via the telephone is one thing but what happens if they find interest? Do they just pass on the call because if they turned up for a return visit they still be asked to autograph a Bible.

  Very strange, but when you have money and fame you don't have to follow normal JW rules.

  Thirdson
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  51

  Cat Dictionary: Contributions Necessary

  by Stephanus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  cats may well live with us, but they don't live like us.

  i've noticed over the years that how we perceive stuff and how cats process the same info is often so different as to be almost alien.

  here are a few i've been thinking about recently (all contributions of more examples gratefully received!

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  Thirdson

  F.R.A.P. Frenetic (or feline) random activity periods. When the cat runs around wild for no apparent reason. Our cat often goes on a FRAP, or is FRAPpy.

  Thirdson

  The canine version, CRAP, is what dogs do.
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  197

  Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?

  by SM62 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  something i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.

  for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.

  however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?

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  Thirdson

  I hear Michael Jackson has a friend who can bend spoons through special powers.
  

  3rd

  BTW I can bend spoons by over use of my limited physical power. Now if I could do it on the sly maybe I could get rich by claining special finger rubbing and mind talents. See some skeptics sites too
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  23

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

  by sarahj in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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)
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  26

  Governing Buzzards - Part 1 - Who are they?

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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
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  35

  Did You Know Any Particularly Weird Witnesses???

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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
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  33

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

  by Gopher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  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?".

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  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
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  21

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

  by dh in

  1. jw
  2. 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?

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  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
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  3

  Dick Gephard cried today. In public....

  by onintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  very few men cry in public.

  i mean really cry.

  dick did.

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  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.