Bonsai

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Posts by Bonsai

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  18

  GB Bodyguards

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i have heard that at the international conventions and even at us headquarters, the governing body travel with entourages or bodyguards.

  does anyone know this to be a fact?

  if so, why?

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  Bonsai

  My wife told me the highlight of the International convention that she went to in Hawaii was seeing Stephen Lett walking around during intermission. He was escorted by 4 big, burly bodyguards wherever he went. She remembered the excitement as the Samoan room suddenly went hush at lunchtime as Lett walked in (with his four musclemen) went to the platform and announced the silver sword release in Samoan.
  
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  45

  What bad habits have you picked up since leaving the Borg.

  by James Mixon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i went back to smoking and gambling but the good habits out weigh.

  the bad ones, like lying to people.

  is't fraud against the law, the practice.

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  Bonsai

  I frekkin curse like a sailor.
  
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  56

  Question for atheists and nonbelievers

  by pressman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i profess to teach the truth to you all and get you to all to think and believe.

  believing in christ through his words and not through evil religious cults, like hoj and jw, can and will save you.

  do you all realize that every time you are victorious and receive something of value through your hard work and sweat, it was our holy god who blessed you.

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  Bonsai

  Yeah, I should have dumbed down my question for him. Where was God when Haiti happened? Where was God when Christians raped, pillaged, crucified others in his name around the globe for the last 1,900 years? Dinosaurs died out. Neanderthals died out. What proof is there that God gives a shat about whether modernus homo sapiens die out or not? Where was God when Samantha got bit and died from as viper bite as she was taking an innocent stroll through the forest? Where was God when poor, innocent, god-fearing Jackie got eaten by an alligator? Why do mosquito bites and tick bites cause disease and death? Why is everything in the universe trying to kill us? Why Perryman? Where is the love buddy?
  
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  56

  Question for atheists and nonbelievers

  by pressman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i profess to teach the truth to you all and get you to all to think and believe.

  believing in christ through his words and not through evil religious cults, like hoj and jw, can and will save you.

  do you all realize that every time you are victorious and receive something of value through your hard work and sweat, it was our holy god who blessed you.

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  Bonsai

  Pressman, where was god when the great tsunami of 04' struck and killed a quarter million people. Where was he during the great China earthquake a few years back that flattened elementary schools and squished innocent children like bugs. Where was your Great God during the Touhoku earthquake that sent a tsunami to wipe out coastal towns as if they had never existedz? JWs died. Babies and children died horrifically. Where was your God Pressman? Your God, the only one in this universe WHO KNEW what was going to happen... Where was he you arrogant, condescending know-it-all? Where was the divine warning? I'm waiting for the answer and will no doubt be kept waiting to my grave when I die an old old man.
  
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  32

  Conventions, Kingdom Halls, Relief Funds, and Other Financial Scams and Schemes of Jehovah’s Witnesses

  by Watchtower-Free in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  a few seconds ago this hit the net todayhttp://jwvictims.org/conventions-kingdom-halls-relief-funds-and-other-financial-scams-and-schemes-of-jehovahs-witnesses/.

  conventions, kingdom halls, relief funds, and other financial scams and schemes of jehovahs witnesses.

  jehovahs witnesses often note that at their meetings (like church services), they dont pass a collection plate.

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  Bonsai

  Very informative article. My former congregation sold their Kingdom Hall because the building was getting too expensive to keep up repairs. They were planning to build a smaller building on a smaller property. Then the new donation arrangement went into effect. They had to turn over the several hundred thousand in their funds to head quarters. Now they will have to make a new loan, starting from scratch, (which will be paid indefinitely) by members who are already paying donations to the neighboring congregation that they are sharing with. The irony is the neighboring congregation was well along into paying off the loan that they had made to pay for their new hall built over a decade ago. Now their loan also starts from scratch and has to be paid indefinitely from here on out. So, where oh where, did the money built up by two congregations( over 500,000$) go? I still can't wrap my head around it.
  
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  14

  Where did the Buzz go?

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i recently came across the very first kingdom song i ever heard.

  twickenham, 1955. i was just a kid then of course, but i do recall the "buzz" that seemed to permeate everything, not dis-similar to that of an international rugby match.

  people were smiling while singing their hearts out, the lunch-time queues for the cafeteria full of old friends getting re-aquainted, young lads and lasses eyeing one another and blushing furiously, sessions 2 untl 4 then 7 until 9.30 giving folk plenty of time to socialise.. where did it all go wrong?.

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  Bonsai

  I remember when the quick builds were fun as well. It was exciting for the locals to be a part of it even if they didn't have any particularly useful skills. Now it's all regulated and business-like.
  
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  33

  Is door to door activity over?

  by badcompany in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just curious about others experience.

  i've been living just a few miles from a kingdom hall for 9 years.

  i've been called on 0 times.

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  Bonsai

  Pulled into my driveway today and what do I see? 3 well-dressed witnesses looking at me! They were canvasing the neighborhood (yet again) and looked for an excuse to stop on by and see if I've grown a third eye or something. So hard to play nice. Sigh.
  
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  45

  Being in a cult - what good did it do?

  by Garrett in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, here's a bit of a different point of view.

  while most of us will agree that our time within the jw cult was rather terrible, however, i'd like to look at another aspect.

  did anything good come out of being in a cult and then waking up from it?.

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  Bonsai

  Village Idiot,

  Thanks for the reply. I agree for the most part.

  You could have acquired those skills and contacts without the negative effect of the Witnesses. I will admit, though, that the Ministry School does hone your public speaking skills and draws some introverts out.

  True, there are many roads to learning, but as i was a born-in and indoctrinated from birth, I didn't have a choice. I simply used the avenue I had to gain those skills and am thankful to have gotten them.

  Just trying to be positive.

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  19

  My first "disagreement" with standard JW thinking

  by TTATT_Paladin in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  about two years after i was baptized, i had this incident.

  i looked at it as an isolated incident at the time, but now realize it would have had basically the same result with 99.99% of any jws not members here.. i will keep it short.

  i was talking with a person who was raised in the religion.

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  Bonsai

  Half Banana,

  You bring up an interesting topic for research. Where can I read more on Ashera and the pantheon as well as the connection between the Hebrew religion and the Canaanite religion? Thanks.
  
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  45

  Being in a cult - what good did it do?

  by Garrett in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, here's a bit of a different point of view.

  while most of us will agree that our time within the jw cult was rather terrible, however, i'd like to look at another aspect.

  did anything good come out of being in a cult and then waking up from it?.

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  Bonsai

  I'm still not convinced that this religion is a cult. If it is, then most all other religions on this planet are cults one way or another. People run around screaming in gibberish (tongues),. People go around threatening that one might roast in an eternal hellfire. People claim that they have been Born Again! that all sounds just as cultish and looney to me. I feel no more victimized than if I were born into a Protestant or Catholic religion.
  

  I feel that i was raised in a high control group that exposed me to many negative things and some positive things. I realize there are those with worse experiences than I, but speaking for myself, this religion helped me to learn a good set of morals( which I realize are just common sense), they exposed me to some of the good things written in the bible. Being a witness helped me to overcome the beginnings of substance abuse. I met many good people who taught me a lot of good principles in life. This religion helped me to make many contacts so I could travel to many countries with ease. It taught me how to be a good, persuasive public speaker. etc. etc. I lived. I learned.
  

  I like the positivity of the O.P. because it is not a weakness but a strength to be able to take something good from the bad, or build something from that which is broken.Thanks for that Garrett.