TMS

Joined

• started 104 topics
• posted 947 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by TMS

• 
  62

  Just As A Matter Of Curiosity..........

  by hillary_step in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just as a matter of curiosity i was wondering if any of you know of anybody who has read raymond franz' 'crisis of conscience' and who actually remained a jw?

  i have sent and lent this book to a number of people within the wts, even a co, all of whom left eventually.

  one person remained due to domestic issues, but resigned from all his duties and remains as such.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  HS,

  Even as a JW, I was never afraid to read critical material. It generally took only a moment or two to note some factual error and I would smile self-assuredly and scan the rest of the tract, letter, pamphlet etc.

  After reading a couple of pages of CofC posted on the internet, that self-assurance disappeared. The excerpt concerned a governing body meeting considering a proposal to adjust the start of the last days to 1957 to coincide with the Sputnik satellite and subsequent "signs in sun, moon and stars." The idea was voted down. But just the thought that Schroeder, Kline and Suiter would seriously propose it and the fact that the doctrine change died because it lacked the necessary votes was disillusioning to say the least.

  So then I ordered the book from Amazon . . . . . .

  TMS
• 
  44

  The Watchtower's Most Heinious, Vile Crime

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i described myself recently as no longer angry.. that was a lie.. i am angry at the way jehovah's witnesses treat their most precious.

  endowment; their young, developing, stumbling, exasperating, questioning, experimenting, growing,.

  offspring.. at the very most urgent time in their young lives; when they need the.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  So many cogent comments . . .

  perhaps a little tunnel vision on my part in describing the crime as "most heinious"

  as farkel, ohiocowboy, nobodytoldme pointed out: there are many crimes of the WTBS

  Balsam alluded to the parental responsibility law we have here in the U.S. We used to refer to the age of majority as 21. In many ways it is now 18. So some JW parents of "troubled" teens wait until there offspring's eighteenth birthday before packing their bags. Why is a Christian religion more concerned with a "legal" responsibility than a moral one?

  HoChiMin: " If I would not guide and assist my own child in a time of need WHO ELSE WOULD?"

  That's a wonderful quote!

  TMS
  

  ps: Witness parents and their children live in fear of disfellowshipping. When young ones encounter problems, the focus is on keeping them from being disfellowshipped more than it is helping them to be good, productive, moral people. This, of course, reinforces the "double life" syndrome.
• 
  44

  The Watchtower's Most Heinious, Vile Crime

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i described myself recently as no longer angry.. that was a lie.. i am angry at the way jehovah's witnesses treat their most precious.

  endowment; their young, developing, stumbling, exasperating, questioning, experimenting, growing,.

  offspring.. at the very most urgent time in their young lives; when they need the.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  I described myself recently as no longer angry.

  That was a lie.

  I am angry at the way Jehovah's Witnesses treat their most precious
  endowment; their young, developing, stumbling, exasperating, questioning, experimenting, growing,
  offspring.

  At the very most urgent time in their young lives; when they need the
  most reassurance, nurturing, patience, understanding and forgiveness, Witness parents under the direction of their congre-
  gation elders and governing body, toss thousands of these young
  ones out into the cold, cruel world, allowing them to virtually self-destruct.

  Many of these castaways are still in their teens.

  There is NO excuse, Biblical, human, parental or otherwise to shut off all the guidance resources these young ones have ever known.

  The human wreckage of this disgusting practice is astronomical.

  The act of disfellowshipping teenagers and other young persons is probably the most unshepherdly and cowardly activity of the Watchtower.

  It is a heinious crime.

  TMS
• 
  6

  Hindsight

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  these dylan lines from "don't fall apart on me tonight".

  have been burning in my head for several days:.

  "i wish i'd have been a doctor,.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  Lady Lee,

  "I try to think of the wealth of information I have now at my disposal to help others become free."

  I'm very reluctant to attempt to influence anyone's beliefs.

  I've moved to an area where I am surrounded by many JW relatives on both sides of the family who have generally been very cordial.

  Although they all realize my wife and I are no longer JW's, not one of them has ever asked why.

  When and if they do, I will answer honestly.

  HS,

  You are, as always, the epitome of graciousness.

  It's funny, but the other night my wife and I were recounting all of those who did respond to our invitation to become Witnesses.

  We now view these as our "successes."

  TMS
• 
  6

  Hindsight

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  these dylan lines from "don't fall apart on me tonight".

  have been burning in my head for several days:.

  "i wish i'd have been a doctor,.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  These Dylan lines from "Don't Fall Apart on Me Tonight"
  have been burning in my head for several days:
  

  "I wish I'd have been a doctor,
  Maybe I'd have saved some life that had been lost,
  Maybe I'd have done some good in the world
  'Stead of burning every bridge I crossed."

  Since I know longer view my fifty years of JW activities
  as a "life-saving work," I have little of substance to
  show for my life.

  This is not a plea for sympathy or a list of worthwhile
  activities for my retirement years.

  Just a very personal observation.

  TMS
• 
  24

  That They Be Called Shepherds

  by Farkel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i recently put up a thread which discussed the fact that the wts does not hesitate to promote and sell books containing "old light" to its membership and the public.

  well, that thread was about material things and to a lesser extent spiritual things.. how does the wts feel about spiritual things?

  let's take a peek.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  Farkel,
  

  There is much truth expressed here.

  There are elders, of course, who try to be shepherds.

  I'm not certain that Jehovah's Witnesses' total thrust
  is book selling, but certainly there is a tremendous overemphasis
  on preaching statistics.

  Individual publishers, congregations, circuits, countries are
  measured by hourly averages, placements, etc. This is such
  an arbitrary, illogical, irrelevant way of measuring
  human worth.

  You mention the circuit overseer's visit. It always seemed
  that his overall impression of a congregation was largely influenced
  by his perusal of the congregation "records" on Monday
  or Tuesday. When it came time to recommend an individual
  for congregation responsibility, meeting the "national
  average" or falling below it could override any genuine
  merit or lack of it.

  It becomes so very difficult to deal with real human
  issues in such a CPA-style environment.

  TMS
• 
  1

  A Song for You

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a poignant moment for me .

  .. willie nelson and friends 70th birthday party .

  .. leon russell begins his moving "a song for you" .

  1. 
• 

  TMS

  A poignant moment for me . . . .

  Willie Nelson and Friends 70th Birthday Party . . . .

  Leon Russell begins his moving "A Song for You" . . . .

  Ray Charles joins in with a haunting descendo on the piano, finishing the song

  Willie has tears streaming down

  Ray and Willie had a bond

  TMS
• 
  35

  JWD half-way house...

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you see jwd as a half-way house?.

  my opinion: if it's not, then we've done nothing other than join another religion (the "anti-wts-ism" church just around the corner, praise god).. if it is a half-way house, then there comes a time when we must move on.... or are there other good and sufficient reasons to 'stick with it'?.

  your thoughts?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  "Me myself I dont think that time will ever come because I feel I lost so much because of this organization."

  gotmyforty

  I hope against hope that will not be the case and suspect it will not.

  TMS
• 
  35

  JWD half-way house...

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you see jwd as a half-way house?.

  my opinion: if it's not, then we've done nothing other than join another religion (the "anti-wts-ism" church just around the corner, praise god).. if it is a half-way house, then there comes a time when we must move on.... or are there other good and sufficient reasons to 'stick with it'?.

  your thoughts?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  Carmel expressed it well

  "So my friend, if it seems like another "religion" to you or a halfway house to "normalcy" so be it. I suspect it is more projection on your part though, than reality.."

  I've been careful not to make anti-JW my religion.

  JW was my life for 55 years.

  I cannot or do not erase that.

  This forum has been a release. . . .a reality check. . . a verification

  I owe Simon and those of his ilk, as they say, "bigtime"

  TMS
• 
  73

  What are you doing with your Sundays?

  by Steve Egner in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  helllloooo everyone,.

  after reading this board for quite a while, i've finally been moved to post.

  i was inspired by our trip to the dallas apostachilifest, where princess and i met lots of terrific people in various stages of exit from the j-ho's.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TMS

  Latte,

  The closing of Witnet saddened me.

  Providentially, luckily, fortunately . . . I found this forum.

  I'm sort of an inactive publisher, though, not having posted in a bit.

  Now being retired, I may have the time, but I lack the passion.

  My anger has left.

  Although I check the site frequently I don't always have a definitive answer for Minimus's questions.

  Hope everything is going well with you.

  TMS