Posts by Rufus T. Firefly

ok so... when i was talking to my mil about why i no longer wanted to be a witness she kept trying to convience me that i needed to speak to the elders.

i said from the word go i didn't feel the need to as my mind was already made up and no one could change it.

i also said if the elders new all my reasons for leaving they would view me as an apostate and i would get disfellowshipped.

People in your situation seem to always forget the most important thing: You can not be forced to testify against yourself; however, if you insist on telling the elders how you really feel, you will be testifying against yourself, and there will be repercusssions. Remember, you do not have to answer any questions from anyone about how you feel about anything. Period.

14

My Letter Exchange as a Former Mormon With Ray Franz

by zacktac in

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Rufus T. Firefly

Thank you, Zack! A friend who studied with the Mormons once told me, "I love the Mormon people, but I despise their organization." Come to think of it, I have never met a Mormon whom I didn't like. As a lifelong JW, I wish I could say the same thing about Jehovah's Witnesses. Being raised as a JW is like being raised in a snake pit. Sad, but true.

7

Breast milk contains white blood cells

by Rufus T. Firefly in

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i just learned (from a post on a facebook jw recovery forum) that breast milk contains white blood cells [see link below for confirmation].

so, when nursing, an infant ingests its mother's white blood cells for nourishment.

furthermore, i have known jw mothers who would nurse the infant of another mother when that mother was temporarily indisposed.

Rufus T. Firefly

I just learned (from a post on a Facebook JW recovery forum) that breast milk contains white blood cells [see link below for confirmation]. So, when nursing, an infant ingests its mother's white blood cells for nourishment. Furthermore, I have known JW mothers who would nurse the infant of another mother when that mother was temporarily indisposed. This really shakes up current Watchtower policy, doesn't it?

http://www.borntolove.com/whiteblood.html

7

Watchtower "litter-ature"

by Rufus T. Firefly in

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in the town where i live, it became customary some years ago for the pioneers to do the actual door-to-door work during the week, and their not-at-home records would provide the territory for the rank-and-file publishers on the weekends.

also, car groups of publishers would get an early start by driving around to the apartment complexes in their territory and leaving older issues of the magazines in the laundry rooms, a practice some called stealth witnessing.

many so-call publishers do nothing but stealth witnessing and wouldnt know how to actually talk to someone if they had to.

Rufus T. Firefly

In the town where I live, it became customary some years ago for the pioneers to do the actual door-to-door work during the week, and their not-at-home records would provide the “territory” for the rank-and-file publishers on the weekends. Also, car groups of publishers would get an early start by driving around to the apartment complexes in their territory and leaving older issues of the magazines in the laundry rooms, a practice some called “stealth witnessing.” Many so-call “publishers” do nothing but “stealth witnessing” and wouldn’t know how to actually talk to someone if they had to.

While I was still active, the managers of several apartment complexes began complaining because the “free reading material” left in their laundry rooms frequently became litter which had to be picked up and disposed of by their employees. Of course, not knowing that they should call the local Kingdom Hall to register their complaints, they would simply complain to the various JWs they would encounter from time to time, not realizing that would have no practical effect. The wife of a non-JW friend of mine works in the office of a local apartment complex where the complex manager is irate over her inability to get JWs to stop leaving the unwanted Watchtower “litter-ature.” I suggested they post a sign in the laundry rooms stating, “DO NOT LEAVE WATCHTOWER LITERATURE ON THESE PREMISES!” Has this been an issue in other areas?

38

First post

by BenRichards in

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i've been lurking here off and on for a few years, figured i would introduce myself and share the clif notes version of my story.. i'm in my late 30's and was born in.

mom was a jw, dad wasn't.

got baptized in my teens and started dating my eventual wife.

Rufus T. Firefly

Excellent first post, Ben! You're going to have to make your own decisions about if and when and how much to tell your mother. Personally, I've learned that people only pay attention to what they discover for themselves. Sometimes, the less said, the greater the effect. Not going to the Memorial says a lot by itself. "Because I don't want to" seems to me to be the perfect response at this point. At least you know that you are not alone. I feel confident in saying there are more of us (ex-JWs) than there are of them. (This forum represents only the tip of the iceberg!) Remember that you never have to testify against yourself regardless of what questions anyone may ask you. I assume you are using an alias, so use this forum as the place to vent. Welcome!

14

Hey you guys...is someone at Bethel having a laugh?

by wizzstick in

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friends

has anyone else noticed the below?.

the mountain on the front cover of 'god kingdom rules' segues beautifully into the mountain on the front cover of 'crisis of conscience' (with a bit of cropping):.

coincidence?.

Rufus T. Firefly

Thanks, wizzstick!

32

Have you ever been called for Jury Duty? before or after registering to vote?

by EndofMysteries in

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friends

i've never been called for jury duty and i'm not yet registered to vote, although i'm hoping to get that done this month.

i know someone who within a few months of registering to vote was called for jury duty.

i've read some articles that said voter records 'used' to be used to call on people but that was a thing of the past.

Rufus T. Firefly

I served as a jury foreman while I was still active. It was a very eye-opening experience. In a subsequent case, I made it to the last round of potential jurors. The DA asked if anyone would have a problem convicting someone based on the tesitmony of one witness, and I raised my hand. When he asked me why I would have such a problem, I replied that the Law which declares one 'innocent until proven guilty' coupled with the defendant's "not guilty" plea outweighs the testimony of just one witness for the prosecution. I added that the State should be ashamed for prosecuting anyone on the testimony of just one witness. Needless to say, I was excused.

229

Ferguson Shooting (Is my thinking on this all wrong.......)

by out4good3 in

i think everyone here can agree that walking down the street, even in the middle of the street, is not cause for having a clip emptied in your ass......... i can understand how the black community would be outraged by the injustice of seeing another black man dead in the street at the hands of the police under mysterious circumstances....... i hope that i'm not succumbing to the attempts to assinate the already well impuned character of the dead man...... however.

i can't help but think that this could all have been avoided by exercising the proper discretion with fore-knowledge of the disadvantages people of color have when they are dealing with law enforcement in the united states.

it is not as if this disadvantage has only since recently came to light.

Rufus T. Firefly

<<Put aside your Bias for a while until we learn more.>>

George Zimmerman was found not guilty (beyond a reasonable doubt) of murdering Trayvon Martin in a nationally televised court trial, and still hardly a week goes by without some idiot on TV saying Zimmerman got away with murder. People are going to believe what they want to believe. If you think "checking eyewitness accounts" is going to settle this matter, I'm afraid you are dreaming. Especially now that the so-called Dept. of Justice has taken over the investigation. I stand by my comments above. I realize your comment regarding the term "thugs" was not directed at me, and I do not know why anyone would use the deplorable 'n' word. However, in my book a thug is a thug regardless of ethnicity, and a thug is anyone who acts like a thug, regardless of whether one gets shot down or not.