TMS

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Topics Started by TMS

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  5

  Older Ex-JW Attending Mass in Historic U.S. Basilicas

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i still remember the first time i commented on this board with nervous fingers barely able to press the keys.

  what triggered my entry into the forbidden was the orchestrated disfellowshipping of my then 21 year old son.. well, he's now 51, with a supportive wife, two genius sons who will never see the inside of a kingdom hall.. my first wife of 49.5 years, loyal and supportive to a fault, passed away 5 years ago.. in 2019 i married a young filipina, 33 years my junior, a nominal catholic.

  my life with her has simply been amazing and i treasure every moment.

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  37

  Avoiding Temptation As a Young Elder

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it was the summer of '72.

  i was 24 but had been the presiding overseer or congregation servant of a small congregation in the county seat of an arkansas county for about 3 years.. my regular pioneer wife of nearly four years was big and pregnant, with our attempts at birth control unsuccessful.. one of my wife's several bible studies was with a young woman named brenda whom my wife had encountered in door to door work.. brenda had two young children she could barely handle and was married to a very countryfied arkie named henry who worked as a chicken catcher, one of the most difficult jobs at the local chicken plant.. brenda eventually revealed that she'd been raised as a jw, but was never baptized, having left home to marry henry at age 14. she spoke of her family in texas, mentioning her mother and two older sisters, all jws she said.. one morning, just before the meeting for field service, we noticed a small car in kingdom hall parking lot.

  my wife and i were parked to one side of the hall in our aluminum nashua house trailer.. two young women got out of the car and soon joined us for the meeting for service, identifying themselves as brenda's sisters from texas.. the two girls, ages 17 and 20, were distractingly beautiful, with the eldest decked out like a magnificent southern belle including hat and heels, her high-end clothing accentuating her very obvious curves.. with no one else showing up for field service, it ended up just the four of us in the car group with the two texas girls in the back seat.. starting our time at a not-at-home, the 20 year old asked if she could accompany me to "hear my presentation.

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  9

  My Thanksgiving Tradition As One of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by TMS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the jw prohibition of celebrating holidays includes the american celebration of thanksgiving, a sort of innocuous harvest festival, where thanks is given for the year's blessings.

  a typical family eats a large meal together, including turkey and all the trimmings.

  in recent decades, nfl football, always involving the dallas cowboys and detroit lions, has become part of the routine, as well as drinking beer.. every year or so, the "awake!

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  3

  The Elder's Choice~"Care for his Own" or Save Face and Retain Congregation Privileges?

  by TMS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "but if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

  " 1 timothy 5:8, kjv.

  the scriptural principle above is not followed by jehovah's witnesses if a child's presence in the home is a threat to retaining congregation privileges.

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  16

  That Most Uneven of Judicial Procedures~The Gradual Lifting of Restriction After Reinstatement

  by TMS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  those with substantial experience as jws will likely agree that judicial matters are handled with considerable inconsistency.

  elders certainly vary in skill level, understanding, compassion or even knowledge of the talmudlike watchtower rules.

  the punishment and, it is actually punishment, for similar offenses can result in anything from private or public reproof to disfellowshipping or sometimes an elder will choose to simply offer private counsel without even bringing the matter before the body of elders.

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  14

  Could Joel Osteen Bring the JWs Out of Their Doldrums?

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  russell had some charisma, as did the alcoholic womanizer, j.f.

  rutherford.

  n.h. knorr, not so much.

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  8

  How the Need for An Elder to "Preside Over His Household in a Fine Manner" Forces Kids Out

  by TMS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  twelve years ago, i submitted this comment to the jwd board, relating to the practice of disfellowshipping young people from the congregation:.

  "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 congregation 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.

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  36

  Brother & Sister-in-Law Return to Kingdom Hall After Two Decades, Quickly Get Stumbled

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it was a mild surprise, learning that a brother and sister-in-law had began re-associating with jehovah's witnesses after at least 25 years of being away.

  the couple, of hispanic ethnicity, are in their early 60's, with their five children all grown and independent.

  the family had been considered nominal jws, infrequently attending meetings, rarely in field service, but using the annual convention as their family vacation.

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  7

  OMG, My 18 Nephews & Nieces Are Such Creative Double Life JWs

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  to briefly state this: we were hardcore jws, my siblings, my wife and her two sisters.

  we have 18 nieces and nephews among us from late 20's to 55. only one is a card-carrying, practicing jw and he's had his problems.. what's hilarious, is that most of the 18 in the next generation would still identify themselves as jws to the rest of the family, but all are leading double lives extraordinaire, doing exactly what they want to do.

  most would be honest with me and have been.

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  13

  An Odd Request from Our Ex-JW Son

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my wife and i, both out of the religion for nearly twenty years, live in the same border town as our 44 year old only son.

  we have scant contact with our numerous jw relatives, although a handful of clever "double life" nieces and nephews socialize with our son.. we care for our six year old grandson weekdays while our single parent son makes a living.

  we've been infinitely better grandparents than we were parents, primarily because of our exit from a high control cult, but also because of life experience.

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