I don't remember signing anything but I did have the 'Your word is a lamp to my foot' (Yellow) book signed by the congregation servant as it was then. That was the current book you went through before being 'allowed' to get baptised. it has a special 'sign here' section at the back.
Posts by uriah
-
19Baptism pre-new questions - signed anything?
by Phantom Stranger ini was baptised around 1978 - don't remember the date anymore.
this was before the "organization-centered" baptism questions.
did i sign anything in order to get baptized?
-
-
-
11
The Invisible 'Ones'
by uriah ini had an insight the other day, you know the type of thing - you walk past something everyday and suddenly you become aware of it.. well, many on this board probably have come to the same conclusion so if i am repeating it - sorry.
what is it i hear you shout.
ok.. in my experience, i hardly saw any jw's except at meetings or meetings for fm.
-
-
uriah
I had an insight the other day, you know the type of thing - you walk past something everyday and suddenly you become aware of it.
Well, many on this board probably have come to the same conclusion so if I am repeating it - sorry. What is it I hear you shout. Ok.
In my experience, I hardly saw any JW's except at meetings or meetings for FM. Between that time they did not exist. It was like emerging from a fog when going into the KH, the babble, brightlights - familiar things etc., and on going home it was like going back into the fog until the next time.
Many (all in fact - sorry WT habit) who have been irregular I spoke to, spoke of no-one contacting them, as though they had never existed and on going back to the hall it was as if they had never been away. No-one noticed whether they were there or not.
The other thing is I saw a JW we know today and, as she could not escape me nor me her, I said 'hello' She asked how we were and I said 'Very well thankyou, everything is bubbling along splendidly' and I was pretty up-beat. I caught a flicker of some expression that I cannot define, but what she heard and saw was not what she expected or maybe hoped for. In her mind I should have been all down in the dumps, dishevelled and hollow-eyed and suffering some great 'thing'. Why? Because when you leave 'Jehovahs People (tm)' that is what you are supposed to look like, after all you go into satan's world of debauchery, vice and gross uncleaness where my wailing and gnashing of teeth is supposed to be. But I wasn't, I couldn't have felt happier nor looked it if I tried. Puzzlement - that is now what I recognise the expression to be. She was puzzled and her brain was saying 'zzzggrrrrzzz does not compute ggzggzgzgzgzzzz should not gzgzgz be happy gzgzg does not have Kingdon Hope(tm) gzgzgzgzzzzz'
Well, that is my insight for the day, make of it what you will.
-
48
Annual conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses disrupted and canceled in Russia
by Elsewhere inhttp://www.jw-media.org/region/europe/russia/english/releases/intolerance/rus_e030908.htm
for immediate release.
september 8, 2003
-
-
uriah
This sounds a bit like Germany pre-and during war when (and I stand to be corrected) a mistake was made and the JW were persecuted in error. So, Rutherford seeing a chance to ride the presecution wave (in these remaining months before armageddon) changes from being nice to Mr Hitler to ranting and raving against him with the desired effect, that of the 'wave of persecution' that followed. It's all spin and corporate skullduggery - look what happened in Malawi with the bro & sis getting the heat with brutal persecution for not buying a 2-bit party card for a one party state, whilst in good old Mexico the bro & sis could bribe officials and get themselves a cartillo that said they had done a years military service and were now enrolled in the 'reservists' - all with Bethel nods and winks and say no-mores squire, nudge, nudge.. I remember flogging the Awake (or was it the WT or both) with the article in it - I sold a lot too, just played on the householders sympathy. It's all spin and backhanders.
-
19
Losing Salvation
by ClassAvenger ini witnessed to a jw and he accepted that salvation comes through faith only, and the works come later showing that you are a saved person.
but he continiously argues that salvation can be lost according to our behavior.
what do you all say about this?
-
-
uriah
I was excerting my brain cell to think about faith and justice and the like and got to thinking that what we have to do is unfair and that this supposed court case about sovereignty is unjust to humans. Consider:
Satan is grillions of years old (say) old and experienced in deceiving newbie humans
Adam and eve a few, 10 (say max) when they 'sinned'
Right so here we are today suffering for what he did and all this pain and suffering is supposed to be proving that man cannot rule himself.
Average age of man = 70 years.
Birth to age of consent 18 (in UK)
Work your butt off until 65 to provide for family
then you go all old and dribbly and die a horrible slow death called old age
You get a pitiful 47 years to try and make your mark on society and show you can rule yourself - mainly at weekends unless you work saturday as well. Hardly a longtime.
Add to that the illnesses, old age and the demon influence all the troubles in the world 24/7 and the JW's say 'see, we can't rule ourselves.'
We don't live long enough to see anything through to its conclusion and if you do get close to it you die and some pimple brain comes in your place and thinks he has a better idea, trashes your years of work and experience and so it starts again.
We will never ever prove we can do anything like what the JW's like to sneer at because we never have a level playing field and we don't live long enough.
With everything stacked against us as it is, how could any observers say it was a fair test - rather like saying you can't run across that feild without me because I am going to blow your legs off.
Seems fair to me?
I rest my case m'lud
-
13
WTS says "There will be no more tradesmen after Armageddon"!
by ozziepost inwe've probably all had bad experiences with defective building or repair jobs, but our reactions would never have reached the limit to which the borg has gone.
in one of the wts' study books, the r&f are told:.
"with just as much zeal as ever for the house of god's worship, the heavenly high priest jesus christ will see to it that the closing words of zechariah's prophecy are fulfilled: "and there will no more prove to be a canaanite [or, tradesman] in the house of jehovah of armies in that day"- zechariah 14:21. the designation canaanite was synonymous with "tradesman".
-
-
uriah
There are those JW's whom love to say that we are going back to the horse and cart and all that tosh and that there would be no more machines, industry etc etc. I would show them the AA (after armageddon) piccies and say 'well how did the clothes get made, who made the metal spade, who will make the sinks and the toilets, the bricks for the houses, saws to cut the wood, your cups and saucers (for tea of course) and the paper for the books and everything you take for granted now you dunderheads' They really P'd me off with their narrow stupidity. They would say soething stupid like 'well jehovah will show us new ways' Yeah right. plonkers.
-
25
WT Says Demons Kill Children for Revenge!
by Funchback in9/1/1987 watchtower, 'spritism-why the growing interest?
spiritism-how viewed by god?.
i called: "jehovah!
-
-
uriah
I could write stories like those here. I have really lucid dreams and generally have a good time, I especially like flying as I know I can't get hurt, despite the fact that I am afraid of heights.
Now, some dreams are not lucid and they are scary as I cannot speak, have 'whisperings in my ears' and feel that the 'D's' are coming for me, I see shapes and feel their breath as they often hiss in my ear. I know what to do, I have to call on Jehovah, so I try and all I can say is JJgrrrrrrrroooooogggrrrmmmmm as I am paralysed (as we are when dreaming - generally) Now being brought up in a climate of fear, death and destruction as witnesses are, I attributed this to demon attack - as one does. Couple this with guilt of being intrigued by my somewhat 'knew\saw that was going to happen' type of spooky happenings throughout my life (and I don't mean your deja vu type stuff) and I was a prime candidate for thinking demons are attacking me.
To illustrate my lucid dreams, here is one:
I was on a train going toward a tunnel. I had a fear of the tunnel and knew I did not want to enter it. I thought, well, I'll just wake up and stop it. I couldn't wake myself up and the tunnel was coming closer. What to do? Wifey was asleep next to me and I thought 'I know I'll wake her and tell her to wake me' So I did. With repeated, strangulated cries of 'Wake me up' and thinking 'for pete's sake, wake up woman' she finally did and shook me awake saying 'wake up darling you are having a dream and shouting'. I said 'I know, what took you so long'. Which left her puzzled.
Anybody have similar dreams or are you all shaking your heads thinking 'What a weirdo, I'm outta here'
-
95
Witness sayings
by Teela inas i was growing up in the troof.
there were sayings used over and over again to control my behaviour.
the biblical on bad associations spoil useful habits and another on just because everyone else does it doesnt mean you have to do it to, would you jump off a cliff just because other people do what were the sayings that bugged you?
-
-
uriah
Euphimism, I think that that is tautology - voluntary donation thinggy awhile back in this post.
My pet hates:
Field service
Fine meeting, cracking meeting
Kingdom Smile (as in 'where is your')
Wholesome recreation
Fine example
Mature brother
he's very spiritual
JW's going 'Wow' and looking like they have found the holy grail when coming off a door when the householder
actually has a brain (in their estimation) and then saying 'He/she asked really good questions, we're going back!'
Book bag
Dear great and loving almight and powerful Jehovah,
humbleness and praise
in the name of your dear son and our redeemer who shed his blood for us that we may have life everlasting whom you sent to this earth as part of your great plan to redeem manking, our king and ransomer jesus christ, amen. (I jest not)
This bountieous banquet set before us
These ones
Shepherding/call/visit
I could go on but will spare you all zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
-
40
Class Distinction Within The JW Community?
by Latin assassin from Manhattan inhas anyone noticed that jws who appear to be higher up on the 'socio-economic' ladder get special treatment at the kh?
no matter how many khs i've visited, i've noticed that jws who are not well off socially/financially/physically are treated with less respect/dignity than those with a business of their own, or just a higher quality of life.
i've been to many 'gatherings' where jws filter themselves out according to race or socio-economic standing.
-
-
uriah
I agree with Mary, the bible is a handbook that we should use to give guidance to our lives. People in religions want to put their own slant on it and want others to accept it - which is why there is discord, because lets be honest, no one like to be told what to do by someone else in this context.
It is like having the manual for your car/washing machine or whatever and being told by someonelse that the instructions mean this or that and then they get all arsey when you point out that the book says press the 'on button' not pull.
Rutherford did not want an organisation and warned against it, but as we know Rutherford steamrollered that idea and set one up anyway to flog his books and now look what has evolved.
-
40
Class Distinction Within The JW Community?
by Latin assassin from Manhattan inhas anyone noticed that jws who appear to be higher up on the 'socio-economic' ladder get special treatment at the kh?
no matter how many khs i've visited, i've noticed that jws who are not well off socially/financially/physically are treated with less respect/dignity than those with a business of their own, or just a higher quality of life.
i've been to many 'gatherings' where jws filter themselves out according to race or socio-economic standing.
-
-
uriah
I remember in our cong where there was a 'secret' association of elders who would take their young sons to play football with other congregations on a field in our home town. My son had the unfortunate experience of working with this elder who let it slip to my son - after which the elder had no choice but to offer a feeble 'do you want to come too (thinks....say no pleases please). Of course my two sons jumped at the chance as they loved playing football but they were made to feel unwelcome by this elder. My children were all bright and showed a lot of elders children up so they hardly if ever got asked to answer paragraphs in the WT. Because I was not an elder worshipper nor brown noser I never got appointed an MS, but i could do the mags.
When I went to bethel for the tour in NYC I noticed a distinct class spearation. Those with pagers and phones hanging on their belts and with collar and tie looked down on the housekeepers. Our tour guide was a housekeeper and was so proud of this that she took us off tour just to show us her 'trolley' full of mops and cleaning stuff and point out where she cleaned, whilst these 'pager' guys swanned around looking important.
I did notice that the paintings that appear in the literature were hung on the wall and you could touch them, but the one of Jesus (supposedly) was behind the glass lobby of the personnel dept, you could almost see the passersby bobbing like they were in a church.
-
3
How Many
by uriah inhow many posts must i do before i become a super-hero.
can anyone list the rankings.
i am doing at least 10hrs in the ministry have 5 bible studies place (on a donation) 100 mags and attend all the meetings.
-
-
uriah
How many posts must I do before I become a super-hero. Can anyone list the rankings.
I am doing at least 10hrs in the ministry have 5 bible studies place (on a donation) 100 mags and attend all the meetings
(does that help or do i read this board wrong)