gingerbread

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Posts by gingerbread

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  15

  New Light?

  by Blind_Of_Lies in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  have the faithful followers been informed of the new light yet?

  i know its going to be in the july wt (i think) but i dont remember how far in advance those get released.

  would someone who doesnt read this forum know about it yet?.

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  gingerbread

  I've heard it is the topic being discussed in car groups in service - for a week now.
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  46

  Why do JWs get married at a young age?

  by XPeterX in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ages like 20-25 or younger.i mean damn,a 21 year old guy in my congo got baptised a couple weeks back and now his in a relationship with a jw gal and their getting married soon.any thoughts?.

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  gingerbread

  1) Control : Get the young folks to marry "in the lord" as soon as possible. This begins a new family unit in the congregation that immediately has the WT belief structure imposed upon it - submission/headship. Married couples are ten times more likely to remain in the "truth" compared to a single person.

  2) Financial : Young people raised in the "truth" often have minimal life skills or education to become financially independent - especially home schooled folks. Getting married allows two single persons to pool their resources.

  3) Perceived Freedom : Get married to get out of the house you were raised in - and from parental control.

  4) Sex : A couple can now "get busy" without the guilt. Often the young couple has been intimate on some level - and kept it to themselves. So they marry out of guilt or obligation. Premarital intimacy can also be used by one of the persons involved to force the marriage i.e. "if we don't get married now, I'm going to confess to the elders."

  It's my guess that these reasons for marriage have produced two results now so common amongst Jehovah's Witnesses : miserable/unhappy/unfullfilled marriages and families .... or divorces - which now happen in my part of the US at rates equal to the general population.
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  21

  Those who went to University whilst being a JW

  by MMXIV in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've read a number of posts in the brief couple of years i've been on jwn of those that were brave enough to go to university whilst being a jw.. clearly this is a small fraction of those that wanted to go but couldn't or had the grades to go but accepted pioneering instead.. for those that did go to uni despite all the advice and pressure, why did you go?

  what was the response when you broke the news?

  how did it affect your relationships?

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  gingerbread

  My Bachelors degree has opened all the doors for all of my employment. Even though I hold a liberal arts degree, having that piece of paper increases ones hire-ability, will give you a higher income, decreases the chance of becoming unemployed and allows one to work in a field that you naturally enjoy. Statistical evidence shows this to be true.

  I was raised in the "truth" and was encouraged to get a degree. Even though my degree didn't (at the time) seem practical - from a financial point of view, my parents allowed me to pursue what I wanted. I lived at home and commuted - which made great economic sense. My parents took a lot of pressure from a couple of elders and circuit overseers. I lost my high school JW girlfriend - her parents didn't want her supporting me while I was going to college. They thought I should "get a job" and we should get married. Within a year she "bolted", got DF'ed and married a dude from town.

  While I was in school, I was taken off the all the "list" to read during the book study, watchtower, handle the mic or run the sound box. But I was always asked to help with hall repairs or yard/landscape work and maintenance. I took myself off that list during my sophomore year.

  As you get close to graduation day, you will find that almost all of the single sisters (and their mothers) will soon view you as fine marriage material - especially if you've lived at home and have been regular at meetings. Look out!
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  58

  WAAWAW - Watching AAWA's Website

  by UsuaIusern@me in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  as on now the awaa website is down for maintenance.

  is was meant to be out for 48hrs.

  it was down over 72 hrs ago and promises to be up in a further 12. .

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  gingerbread

  1) They have Harold Camping on the phone.

  2) They were using the Mayan calendar.

  or

  3) Their IT guy is still in the bathroom....
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  15

  Facebook 101, Help for Faders

  by Gojira_101 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know i'm going to get bagged on for this, but i'm really just trying to help those who are fading if they have facebook or are on any social media outlets.. first off let's review.. .com stands for commercial.

  .net stands for network.

  ....etc.. so facebook.com is a commercial site, meaning they are trying to sell you something....or specialized advertising trying to get you to buy something because of your browsing history.

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  gingerbread

  Great advice, Gojira_101.

  Everything on the internet is there "forever". If we want to remain under the judicial radar, don't comment on, "like" or share anything on social websites or forums. Privacy settings change on Facebook. Your profile can become public or semi-public without notice.

  Never share your doubts with anyone by phone, text or email.
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  28

  I want us all to take a step back and BREATHE!

  by NoRegrets in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  ok gang, i love each and every one of you.

  but, it's time to move it along.

  obviously, the aawa blew up before they left the launching pad, but it's over and done.

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  gingerbread

  Villagegirl's comparison of exiting the WT to a divorce is excellent. While I think it's important to find support during a life transition, at some point a person has to just let it go. In a healthy transition, some things are accepted as unchangable and then one changes everything (negative) within his power. You must leave the support group at some point.

  Have you ever gone on a date with someone and all they talk about is their ex? That gets really old - really quick!

  An organized effort to expose the WT to the "world" is commendable; albiet naively heroic.

  After 40 + years in this highly controlled religious & social structure, I'm moving on - on my own!

  Develop real friendships. Educate yourself. Be positive. Find happiness.
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  6

  North Korea War and J-Dubs

  by nolongerconfused in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ...expect all the rank and file/wt to use this tension to hype up their doomed message.... haven't been to the meetings for 6 months now...any talk of this at your local dingdom hall for active ones?.

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  gingerbread

  At our recent Circuit Assembly the DA and CA both encouraged praying about "our brothers" in lands undergoing persecution. One mentioned young brothers that are imprisoned in Korea for military duty refusal. During the weekend, in two different prayers, mention was made of the ongoing persecution in Korea.

  My thought was that the great majority of those in attendance were drawing a mental connection between the constant attention that Korea is getting in the news and the direct persecution of JW's there.

  I also think that the majority of the attendees couldn't even find Korea on a map!

  And, they'll be convinced that Satan is using his agent (evil governments) to persecute those faithful to the rules of the WT organization.
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  19

  Do you know of CO's, DO's or their wives who are anointed?

  by Pistoff in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hello all, help me to recognize a possible trend:.

  is your current or recently past co or do or their wives of the anointed?.

  i think i have discovered a disturbing trend..

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  gingerbread

  Our current one is. I think he is in his late 40's. Left Bethel some time a go and was put in circuit work...
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  23

  RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!!!!!!

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that's how i feel when i see these crazy new wt study articles and the inane reasoning contained therein, and the indoctrination machines of meetings run by all those little hardened human cogs and the unending stream of propaganda we're pitched up against.

  .. you could spend all your time working through those wt articles (see cedar's post on the latest 'new light') and refuting the stupidity, and yet most witnesses aren't even concerned with changes to the fds or 144 000 because like all of humanity they're too busy trying to scratch a living as it is.

  such airy doctrine changes don't have any effect on their day to day lives and is thus irrelevant.

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  gingerbread

  Allow yourself to take a break!

  Quit answering questions, answering the door, answering the phone. Quit posting on Facebook. Stay away from the hall for a month. Read something positive. And take care of yourself - eat right, get plenty of rest, exercise a bit every day. This is an emotionally difficult process. In order to be successful you must proceed with care - one step at a time.

  If you continue to freak out, you are giving your power over to the belief system - particularly the local elders. You don't have the power to change the world. You only have the power to change YOU...
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  38

  100 Years of Disappointment on the Horizon

  by mrquik in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  even as an elder, i had doubts as to this being "the one true religion".

  i personally had chosen 2014 as one of those "make or break" dates.

  fortunately, i left years ago.

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  gingerbread

  I've been dropping this question from time to time: If Jesus began ruling as king in heaven in 1914, are we now 100 years into his 1000 year reign?

  After puzzled looks followed by um's and coughing...nobody has a consistant answer. If they pull an answer out of their "back pocket", I ask them to show me that in the bible....