This thread shows that there is something wrong with this religion. So you choose to leave a religion, why does that mean that you can't be friends with some of your old friends from that religion anymore? With most religions you could, no problem, but with JWs you become an outcast, an undesirable and any that associate with you risk being black listed themselves. It's a controlling method to keep everybody in line and to scare people from wanting to leave. Whether it's planned or a byproduct of their belief system, I don't know, but it does work well at causing the feelings discussed in this thread.
undercover
JoinedPosts by undercover
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29
JW Friends
by Sassy inif you are no longer associating with jws either from fading or daing or being df'd, do you miss your jw friends?
have you found over time that the void was filled and you no longer needed them?
did you in fact find out your life was happier without them?
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41
This Generation Has Passed Away
by Big Tex ini was raised by the society with the constant drumbeat in my head: "this generation will by no means pass away ...".
when i was a kid, "this generation" was defined as one who not only was alive in 1914 but was aware of the changes in the world.
they were old enough to know the world before 1914, the war on earth, the war in heaven, jesus' installation as king and so on.. .
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undercover
But the generation teaching has changed. They've already bought it. This religion survived 1914, no armageddon, 1918, no armageddon, 1925 no armageddon and 1975, no armageddon. Some will leave, others will join. Just as we probably didn't know about the early screw-ups, those that join today won't know about 1975 and the old "generation" teaching.
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This Generation Has Passed Away
by Big Tex ini was raised by the society with the constant drumbeat in my head: "this generation will by no means pass away ...".
when i was a kid, "this generation" was defined as one who not only was alive in 1914 but was aware of the changes in the world.
they were old enough to know the world before 1914, the war on earth, the war in heaven, jesus' installation as king and so on.. .
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undercover
There's fewer than 1,000 American veterans left alive out of how many soldiers that fought that war?
The Society has 8,000 plus or minus still partaking of the emblems out of 144,000 people that existed between 33CE and today.
Just doesn't make sense.
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47
What Regrets Did You Have Because You Were A Witness?
by minimus inone of the biggest regrets a person might have is that they let their children become involved in the whole jw "thing".
you know---everything from the elders always cornering them to "investigate" something or even having the parents "turn in" their own kids......is there anything that you especially regret?
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undercover
Just wasting the first 50 years of my life, and at this rate I will spend the rest of it on this board ranting about it
Hear, hear! Cept for me it was close to 40 years. That's the biggest thing that bugs me. The best years of my life gone. I could have gone to the school parties and dances, had normal friends and dated classmates, gone to the movies and concerts. I could have gone to college, gotten a better career. I could have had the cars I wanted, the stuff that I liked. I haven't had a bad life, it's just that I missed doing a lot of things that I wanted to do. As I got older, I became more independent and started doing things that some loyal dubs would never have done, but there are a lot of things that I didn't do that I wish I could have.
Watch movies like American Graffitti or others of that style and while they're movies and not real, it's still nostalgic to lots of people. But it doesn't apply to my life in high school. I would have been home studying the WT while they were out cruising the streets. Look back at the styles of the seventies and laugh at the hair and clothes, execpt I didn't get to dress like that or have hair like that. I stood out as the religious freak in school. Now I have trouble relating to people in social situations. I still feel like I don't fit in, even though I want no part of the religion that so f**ked me up. But, instead of dwelling on it, I hope to improve my social skills and try to fit in with normal society and enjoy what's left of my life.
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any movies with prominent JW characters?
by Azalo inive seen the one with kevin costner.
"perfect world" i think, any others?
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undercover
The scene in Airplane! where the guy is walking through the terminal and every religious nut known to man(at the time) kept accosting him. He punched, kicked and flipped everyone that approached him. I can't remember the exact dialogue but the guy that offered him a Watchtower got flipped, landed upright and offered him another magazine(maybe the Awake!) and then got punched. It was hilarious.
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any movies with prominent JW characters?
by Azalo inive seen the one with kevin costner.
"perfect world" i think, any others?
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undercover
I remember a lot of JWs being upset at that Kevin Costner movie. I thought it was a great movie though. It seemed pretty authentic in showing how a child thinks about being left out of the holidays and how a mother might be torn between saving her child by agreeing to let him trick or treat or not saving him by standing fast to the "no holidays" doctrine. I could find no fault with how the witnesses were portrayed in that movie. To me, the ones that complained obviously had their head in the sand and refused to see how they are viewed by everyone outside the religion.
It's similar to the movie, Witness with Harrision Ford. I thought the movie portrayed the Amish fairly well, but I read that they were all upset about it. I never could figure out why.
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Making 607 crumble
by ellderwho induring my eight month long study with "elder bob" (moms husband) we have batted around many subjects to say the least.
but the one that really stands out is the dreaded date of 607 bc.
im sorry i just will not let up with this date, and him having to prove it can stand.
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undercover
If one is to accept your proposition that the dates proposed are uncertain then the genuine Christian would assign priority to the biblical chronology and prophecy and in FAITH accept a chronology that is in harmony with the Lord's will.
Hey if you wanna accept the Society's chronology and prophecy based on faith, more power to you. Now try proving 1914 as Jesus return from the Bible and the Bible alone. Forget secular chronology, forget the Society's literature. I am not a genuine Christian, so forget faith also. Prove it to me.
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Overseer Visits
by sandy inwhat the hell is the big deal about the circuit overseer's visit?
why does everyone have to drag their bible students and in active friends and family members to the meeting during that week?.
it is so lame and hypocritical.
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undercover
Did you ever notice during those elders meetings with the C.O whenever the C.O made a funny ( even though it wasn't ) every elder would suddenly come up with this huge belly laugh. Gimme a friggin break.
Reminds me of one CO that came through an old congegation that I was in. This CO was a real A-hole. The Congregation Overseer(the little co) and the CO did not get along at all. The little co knew what a pompous ass the CO was. When the CO was on the stage telling his little jokes or looking for help from the elders for answers to harder questions, the little co just stared a hole through him. The other elders were just as described by others though, on time(for a change), prepared(for a change) and guffawed at all his stupid jokes and basically followed him around and kissed his ass.
At one point of my JW life, I was guilty of putting forth the "extra effort" during the COs visits. Evening witnessing, Saturday and Sunday field service. But somewhere along the way, I realized that these guys are no better than anyone else and they aren't Jesus coming to inspect the troops so why bother with this facade. After that I did nothing more or less than any other week. It caused some concern with the elders since I was an MS, but I didn't care. None of them really ever confronted me for some reason.
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How did all the animals fit on Noah's Ark?
by hooberus in.
many skeptics assert that the bible must be wrong, because they claim that the ark could not possibly have carried all the different types of animals.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/magazines/docs/cen_v19n2_animals_ark.asp
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undercover
I haven't read this whole thread so forgive me if someone has already said this, but I had a thought;
If God, by means of the flood, was going to kill all the animals except for two of each kind, but God has the power to resurrect why bother saving any? Kill em all, resurrect however many ya want after the flood. Why have Noah go through all this trouble to save the animals? Just make some new ones. If I was all powerful, that's what I'd do.
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What is the appeal of Watchtower Farm and Patterson?
by Never Was ina little background on me.
i have never been a jw or had any desire to be one.
i definitely have no desire to join.
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undercover
I visited Bethel many, many years ago. Didn't make it to the farm nor did I get to eat a meal with the Bethel family. I remember being scolded because I wore jeans to tour the factory. I mean, c'mon, it's a factory. I ain't wearing no suit to look at machines.
As a youth, I was always encouraged to try for Bethel, but I had absolutely no desire to go. I didn't want to live in NY, I didn't want to have my life scheduled as tightly as what I had heard. The horror stories that I have heard about the meals was enough to keep me from ever applying for Bethel. Several people that I knew growing up went to Bethel. Only one or two really liked it and stayed for more than four years. All the others, six, that I can think of offhand, were back home within a year. Out of these six, only two remaned active JWs. One is an elder, one is a fringe publisher and the rest are either inactive or disfellowshipped.