"That would be like accepting an invitation to a dance where 99% of the guests are forced to be wallflowers."
TerryWalstrom
JoinedPosts by TerryWalstrom
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59
what is the best line to say to a JW handing you an invite to the memorial
by nonjwspouse ini have some ideas, but want more to choose from..
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God's supposedly chosen earthly organization (WTS/JWS) doesn't pronounce or spell god's name correctly !!!
by Finkelstein inthis came up on terry walstrom thread topic recently and i thought it would be good to explore this further.
the jws are quite boisterous and arrogant that they use the proper name of jehovah as the divine name of god.
but a little investigation discovers something quite different.
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TerryWalstrom
I have a saying, "You can't scratch an itch that isn't there."
For a J-Dub to listen, engage, and turn over in their mind ANY fact which debunks their beliefs---there has to already be an itch for the real thing. Without it--you are just going to leave welts.
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Am I wasting my time?
by mrhhome ini am the husband of an ex-jw.
she left when she was 18, because she was dating a non-jw.
they got married, and he began openly cheating on her.
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TerryWalstrom
Human beings are remarkably resilient!
We are at the top of the Food Chain for a reason.
Sooner or later the time will come when even the most deeply entrenched person of religious or superstitious character comes face to face with REALITY. It will smack them in the head and get their attention!
When that time comes, all the little seeds of rational doubt you have planted will present the ALTERNATIVE to false and mystical wishful thinking.
Depending on how intellectually honest the person is--the right choice will be much easier to make.
Think of an Alcoholic. You can rant, rave, lecture, threaten and such til you are blue in the face--nothing will matter---UNTIL, the drunk hits rock bottom. That is the moment of reckoning.
If you have offered tough love (but LOVE none-the-less) who do you think will be seen as a faithful ally and a source of nurturing truth unfettered by cultish mind control?
Don't lose hope and optimism, they are the rain which brings forth life and growth and beauty.
Be realistic, steady, encouraging and factual and as surely as day follows night, the clouds will break and the daylight will pour in.
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Maintaining Faith In God As An Ex-JW
by pronomono inas i fade further from the jws, i'm finding it increasingly hard to maintain faith in god.
i've been exploring many alternatives from atheism, agnostic, apathetic, pagan, and satanism (not devil worship, but the promotion of self-indulgence) to name a few.
i'm thoroughly intrigued to learn how those of you who remained christian managed to maintain your faith in god and christ, especially after enduring all the lies that we've been told about them.
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TerryWalstrom
I compare it to having once been very superstitious and then finding out black cats aren't bad luck, broken mirrors won't give you seven years of awful prospects, 13 is just a number, etc.
At first, a superstitious person can't let go--it just doesn't feel safe or right. But, once the mystical mumbo jumbo clears away like bad weather, the sun shines through.
Suddenly, it is so easy to see astrology, palm reading, Ouija boards, and all the other nonsense as having NO POWER to harm or affect anybody.
When you are superstitious the fear is real, but the object isn't.
The one great thing rational thinking does for you when you get use to it is that it blows the whistle on the burden of rituals, incantations, charms, fetishs, and imaginary woo-woo of all kinds.
Giving up and letting go of Pre Enlightenment, Pre Scientific thinking is nothing short of a RELIEF.
But, it certainly takes time to be able to do that.
So, put away your lucky bowling shirt, and your copper bracelet, and learn to laugh at the Evil Eye--and don't hesitate to pet that black cat.
(Knock on wood:)
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LOCAL mini-APOSTAFEST (Sunday 3 /15) Fort Worth (Camp Bowie Starbucks)
by TerryWalstrom init looks like 5 of us will get together tomorrow at a starbucks on camp bowie in fort worth, texas.. this is one of those impromptu occasions which either suddenly come together or else just get jaw-jacked into a non-event:).
ricky g is a recently minted ex-jw who is moving to my vicinity from denton.
he has posted his story and other videos on youtube.
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TerryWalstrom
Mr. Cellophane, I don't even have a car--but my bicycle gets me where I need to go:)
We'd love to have you come out next Sunday. We decided to make it a regular thing.
PM me with your cell number or e-mail, of you like.
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God's supposedly chosen earthly organization (WTS/JWS) doesn't pronounce or spell god's name correctly !!!
by Finkelstein inthis came up on terry walstrom thread topic recently and i thought it would be good to explore this further.
the jws are quite boisterous and arrogant that they use the proper name of jehovah as the divine name of god.
but a little investigation discovers something quite different.
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TerryWalstrom
Let's make an analogy.
In my town, street signs have names like MAPLE BLVD.
Now, what happens when somebody asks where you live?
Don't you supply the vowel sounds when you say, "Maple Boulevard"?
You automatically do that, just as you'd say "Street" if it was MAPLE ST.
I live in Ft.Worth, TX.
I say, "Fort Worth, Texas."
So far, so good.
A thousand years from now, if you dug up that street sign, whoever is alive at that time may not be aware what BLVD or ST or FT. or TX means or HOW TO SAY IT.
So, as in the case of YhWh, they might well guess.
MAPLE BiLoVud
FaT Worth, Texas
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None of the above is a crisis of any major proportions, of course.
But, it becomes more serious when it comes to a HOLY NAME which represents the Almighty Living God.
YaHOO WaHoo
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Would you introduce your fiancee's parents to your friends without being absolutely certain of the correct pronunciation? If not--why not?
What would you think if your wife misspelled your name?
How about getting letters in the mail with your name wrong?
Would it annoy you? Why?
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The Watchtower Corporation has made T-shirts for all its members to wear day and night since 1931, so to speak, in which it has rolled the dice on the TRUE name. If they are wrong, then their attitude is "Big Fucking Deal".
Now that is what's going on :)
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Does Anyone Have Any Information on Jane Ulrich (Painter Margaret 'Keane' Palfrey's Daughter)?
by r.a.m. infamous painter margaret keane's 1975 awake!
life-story speaks about her baptism with her daughter jane ulrich.
she mentions how her daughter progressed quickly and wanted to be a missionary.
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Does Anyone Have Any Information on Jane Ulrich (Painter Margaret 'Keane' Palfrey's Daughter)?
by r.a.m. infamous painter margaret keane's 1975 awake!
life-story speaks about her baptism with her daughter jane ulrich.
she mentions how her daughter progressed quickly and wanted to be a missionary.
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TerryWalstrom
Some random thoughts in the comments here:
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Your Expert Research is needed!
by Atlantis infriends:.
doug mason needs no introductions here.
we all know him to be an excellent writer, such as: blondie, terry, jwfacts, barbara anderson and countless others on this board.. doug is asking for assistance on a new project he is working on to explain in terms easy to understand, the changes the watchtower now expects jehovah's witnesses and others to believe.. your expert knowledge on these subjects such as: 144,000, great crowd, order of special full time servants, and governing body would be greatly appreciated.
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TerryWalstrom
One important distinction is the New Covenant being only between Jesus and the 144K. The Master's 'belongings' are the Great Crowd--which incidentally, we've recently discovered--were NOT given to the FDS as previously taught, in 1919.
How many current J-Dubs are aware Jesus is NOT their Mediator directly, but that the FDS is in that role? The Bible is not for Other sheep directly, either.
Great Crowd huddle like starved mongrels at the table of the FDS begging for scraps!
It hasn't yet been clarified (at least, not to me) WHY other sheep go door to door since the Great Commission was directed at the FDS.
Perhaps we'll see this as part of the flood of 'New Light' in Watchtower as yet unpublished?
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LOCAL mini-APOSTAFEST (Sunday 3 /15) Fort Worth (Camp Bowie Starbucks)
by TerryWalstrom init looks like 5 of us will get together tomorrow at a starbucks on camp bowie in fort worth, texas.. this is one of those impromptu occasions which either suddenly come together or else just get jaw-jacked into a non-event:).
ricky g is a recently minted ex-jw who is moving to my vicinity from denton.
he has posted his story and other videos on youtube.
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TerryWalstrom
Well, we had a blast!
Ricky G showed up as a newly minted Apostate who has recently moved to Tarrant County. His wife had turned him in to the Judicial committee for apostasy! He was disfellowship about a year ago and he's trying to put his life back together due to the split with his spouse.
James Wood drove all the way over from the other side of Dallas in his Aston Martin sports car! James, as you'll recall from his record-breaking WIBBLE topic here on JW-net, has been a long time Ex-JW who was DF'd about the same time as I was in the late 70's.
Jordan was there, and I have to laugh a bit--he was so nervous and paranoid!
Jordan is the young man who, some 4 or 5 months ago, I interrupted as he was debating the Trinity with a friend at Starbucks. He was clearly a JW, and he'd said something disparaging about 'Apostates.')
Now that Jordan is 'awake' he's been reading everything he can find and making accelerated progress. He and Ricky G have been chatting on the phone lately and they were glad to finally meet.
Yes, Jordan kept looking over his shoulder, worrying he'd see somebody from his Kingdom Hall. We moved to a less high-profile table and he was able to relax a bit more :)
I was hoping One-Eyed Joe could make it, but he's forced to be wary and vigilant because of his wife's suspicions as to his Organization-loyalty. Perhaps next time, eh?
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What's important in get-togethers is this. Do not underestimate how isolated an EX-JW is psychologically. Nobody else. . . NOBODY. . . can really understand the experience of having been a Jehovah's Witness. You can't really explain it to a regular Christian. They've no idea. So, to fellowship with one of your own kind is healing, comforting, and best of all--freeing!
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Too bad it was a stag event; it's always better when you can mix with former 'sisters' as well. I'd love to discover more ex-J dubs in this vicinity. So, if any of you are out there, let me know!
I'd highly encourage any of you, regardless of where you live, to have an impromptu meetup. It only takes two to make acquaintance and form a bond of healing and encouragement. You'll be amazed at how much you share in common which is impossible to share with anybody else.
So, think about and, above all, TRY IT--you'll like it!