i was surprised no one commented on survivor after sunday's finale.
were you surprised that jenna won?
it should have been matt or rob.
What a rip! She bitched and moaned and cried and whined and then she wins. With all but one vote! What the hell did Matt do to piss everybody off? Just cause he's psycho? Rob was a snake in the grass. I'm surprised he got as far as he did. And then Christy, who swore her "evil step sisters would not win", ends up voting for Jenna. Geez.
I have not watched Survivor since I got pissed off at the first one. Then I get caught up in this one. I swear I ain't watchin the next one.
the local needs part dealt with this need.
too many are saying we don't want to confide in the elders and let them shepherd us.
perhaps, if the elders realized that they are nothing but a pain in the butt, they would just leave everybody alone!
Somebody said something about elders wives knowing everything goin on in the hall. While I admit that some elders adhered to this counsel well, most did not.
I remember one Saturday morning field service meeting where the elders wives got together with the pioneer sisters and discussed loudly the goings ons at the JC meeting the night before. I knew because one person involved left the meeting completely in shambles and turned to my wife for comfort and that person told us the whole story. Now how did the elders wives know as much as the person involved that told us? True the person that told us wasn't supposed to, but that doesn't change the fact that the elders were gossips to their wives. Everybody in the hall knew the whole story by the time of the Sunday meeting. (It was an extraordinary situation. Worldly people were involved and violence erupted during the JC meeting at the hall).
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some of us left simply because we didn't believe it any more.. some us couldn't stand the hypocrisy.. some of us left so's to have more sex.
some of us saw another light shining brighter.. some of us wanted more material possessions.. some of us needed more control over others than the borg would allow.. what do you think?.
Some us couldn't stand the hypocrisy. to which I would add one more reason that sums it up for me.Some of us could no longer willfully live a lie, despite the consequences of standing up for a principle.
I admire those that stand up for the principle of the matter and in your case Reborn, it had definite consequences(I just read the posts about your family). I'd luv to just walk away and never deal with the WTS again, but to keep my family I remain un DA'd or DF'd. I don't mind being regarded inactive and spiritually weak, especially considering what I know now. I just don't want to play the game of letting them dictate to me or my family that I am to be shunned. So I stay in just enough to keep my family contacts even though I am constantly pressured by them to come back to the meetings. It may come down one day where I can't stand to do even that and may make a stand on that principle.
feeling particularly synical this eve.............here are mine, no particular order or context, what are yours?.
"at least we are good people".
"tut goat" .
Reborn,
Wow. Your family sure are some hardliners aren't they. So you're at least a third generation JW(oops, was). And your nephew is fourth generation. You'd think more people in these 4 and 5 generation witness families would sit back and say, "hmmm, 4 generations. And grandpa was told not to have kids before Armageddon. Something's wrong here."
well, we had the co visit last night and some friends "encouraged" me to go.
i really didn't feel like it, but i wanted to see if there was any "new light" on the pedophile problem, so i went.
not a word mentioned about any internal problems; however, the borg now apparently wants us to dupe people into having a bible study without even knowing it.
Ask a witness: Are you here to convert me? They will say "no", we are doing a Bible educational work. This is a lie. They are there to convert you.
I have a relative that just loves to talk about his field service experiences. This guy spends hours and hours in the service and never, ever even gets a nibble of interest. But he will tell these experiences as if he just ran along side a chariot and baptized someone himself this morning. Almosts always it goes something like this, "I met a nice man(woman) this moring while in the field ministry. They were so interested and asked good questions. I explained to them why I was there and explained to them of course that we weren't there to convert them from their religion......"
I never remember the rest of his experiences because all I can remember thinking everytime he says that is, "If you aren't at their door to convert them, then what the hell are you there for?!"
They can call it a Bible education work all they want, but it all boils down to them trying to convert people into their religion, pure and simple.
well, we had the co visit last night and some friends "encouraged" me to go.
i really didn't feel like it, but i wanted to see if there was any "new light" on the pedophile problem, so i went.
not a word mentioned about any internal problems; however, the borg now apparently wants us to dupe people into having a bible study without even knowing it.
....we should call on people with the Knowledge book, tell them that you want to "share a couple of thoughts with them" from the book, stand there for 5 - 10 minutes and guess what? "You've just had yourself a bible study brothers, and the person you're calling on doesn't even know it!"
That's not really so new. I remember three or four years ago the CO came thru and gave the same information. I remember because I had the same reaction that you had and I was still in at that point. I remember thinking, this is kinda underhanded. Why can't we be up front with our message and our intent? It's not like they don't know we are there to try to convert them.
"we are not a cult!".
yeah, we've heard this one before.
how did/do the jws back up this statement?
Non-JW: You've been brainwashed!Actually, this statement was used from the platform in one of the meetings................and the audience enthusiastically clapped & laughed.Brainwashed Dub: Yes, I have - my mind has been washed clean by Jehovah's organization!
I heard it said from the platform this way: In an experience an older brother said he was accused of being brainwashed. The brother replied, "Having to live in Satans old world, our brains need a good washing...." and the audience applauded most appreciateavly while I sank down into my seat embarrassed.
can jehovah's witnesses now celebrate birthdays without being disfellowshipped or disassociated?
will jehovah's witnesses who celebrate birthdays now only be considered as not being "mature" christians?
the watchtower, october 15, 1998 issue, pages 30-31:
The 1998 article tried to make an argument for not celebrating birthdays but didn't do a good job. Every point they made in wedding anniversaries being a private matter could be made for birthdays too. It's clear that they don't have a leg to stand on in banning birthday celebrations. The 2000 article on customs doesn't even mention birthdays. How can you have an article on customs and not mention birthdays(for the western world anyway). The hole just gets deeper. And the harder they shovel the $#!+ the deeper it gets.
i cannot say how i got this info.
but this anointed sister was talking with my friend and me over the phone.
my friend informed me that she was an anointed sister and she was thrilled that she was calling us.
'All social gatherings should be supervised by the elders.' The elders were even expected to examine carefully each and every song that was to be played at such gatherings.
I got in trouble at more than one "gathering" where I was the "DJ". If an elder didn't jump me then it was some self-righteous, over-bearing, holier-than-thou pioneer sister that would get her bloomers in a knot. Then there would be the stuffed shirt, no sense of humor people that would sit right next to the amp and complain to the elders about the music being too loud. And then there was the dancing! O my! The scandals! I used to enjoy doing the music at parties and weddings but looking back on it, I realize how hard a job it was. Always the feeling of impending doom because I didn't check the lyrics close enough and might "offend" someone. The elders always faking being friendly so they could go through all the CDs/albums that I brought to see what "debasing" music I might have. The older ones complaining because there wasn't enough mixture of different kinds of music. And these complaints never happened to my face. It was always behind my back and I would hear about it days after the party.
i nearly fell off my seat.
this 30ish jw elder came strolling in the movie theater with his wife and a huge tub of pop corn in his arm to watch x-men 2: xmen united.
i couldn't believe the hypocrasy.........they teach not to even watch much tv, much less go to a movie.
So my point is this: If you were to make a MOVIE of the Bible as the events are exactly portrayed in the passages of the bible what MPAA rating do you think that movie would get?
I remember when we studied the Greatest Man book at the book study the first go round. As we got to the later chapters covering Jesus' arrest, trial and execution, I remember thinking that Jesus life and death story would make a great movie if done properly. But then it hit me. Witnesses would not be able to see it because it would have to rated R. To portray the demonic people possessed, Lazarus waking from the dead and walking out of the tomb. Jesus' arrest and trial, including the torture and violence. And finally the excruciating details of his death. The mere emotional aspect of it would grant it an R rating in the States. Yet we read this week in and week out at the meetings. Should we not shield our children from this?
If it's rated R then children maybe shouldn't watch it. Depends on the child. But because it's R doesn't mean it's bad as pointed out in an earlier post. It means its adult oriented. The language is worse. There may be nude scenes. The violence may be more disturbing. Or maybe it is just a mature subject matter. Take Schindler's List. Rated R. Mature subject matter. But an important lesson to be learned. This was not gratutious violence for violence sake. There was not nudity for nudity sake. Are we to ignore this movie because of it's rating? Not me. This was in important movie for me to watch. There is where a conscience comes in. But the WTS has taken the conscience out of the decison for the witnesses. They pretend to make their decisions for them.
