Posts by Ravyn

11

2004 Yearbook of Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses

by Nosferatu in

i thought this would be a good idea.

the jws have a yearbook containing all the "uplifting experiences" that have happened all over the world.. i think it would be a great idea to see a yearbook of experiences people have written here.

the experience 2escaped lifers gave of telling their children that they're leaving the troof gave me a great feeling.

Ravyn

we could just make the numbers up like the Borg does.

Ravyn, who is just thinking that some on JWD put in more hours here than they ever did in 'service'....

22

Hello to all my old friends, enemies, and concubines

by Mindchild in

jw
friends

by-the-bye, what became of your posting in jwd?

said the cat.

id nearly forgotten to ask.

What would you do? Need advice

by jwbot in

jw
friends

ok, so, i am 21 years old, a full time student, and i work part time to support my habit (education).

my s/o with whom i live, is also a student and works part time.

we all work/play/go to school in the area that we currently live in.

Ravyn

it sounds like a good deal---but other good deals will come along. I think at 21 you are better off looking for a bigger apartment close to school.

I live in a county area just outside of a small town, about 25 miles between two large cities. I can't tell you how many times in the past 6 months I have gone without milk or bread for DAYS because he comes home at 9pm tired and we don't get out to the store(I don't drive--I know it would help if I did--however in your case think about having to 'run' to the store after an hour's drive home every night!) And please do not even think of asking him to cut the grass(on two acres) on his weekends off!

The house might be new and nice, but is it all that rare to find in a small town? If you looked for it later on, in a couple of years, would you be able to find the same deal?

Ravyn

47

What is your favorite food?

by Joker10 in

jw
friends

i personally don't have any favorites.

i dont know why some people's favorite is pizza.

just serve me rice and beans and i'm happy.

Ravyn

mmmmm I love a granny smith apple with a slab of extra sharp new york cheese(in the black label) and a black and tan(guinness and bass ale)!

Ravyn

37

Cancer tests came back 'normal'

by Ravyn in

jw
friends

so that is a major relief.

still means they don't know what the problem is, but cancer was one of my worst fears.. tomorrow (wednesday, august 27th) is the arbitration in that stupid lawsuit and it will determine the next 20 years of our lives.

mars, the new moon, my energies are pretty scattered right now and i am just trying to get thru it an hour at a time.. thank you for all the support you have given me thus far and what you will continue to give.

Ravyn

thanks everyone!

Spanner, of course they don't control my life! but it does not have to be one extreme or another! somethings are a knee-jerk reaction to something you have done in the past, somethings have nothing whatsoever to do with you and you still gotta live with it.

this lawsuit falls into that latter category. I was not even there! The woman who is suing did not even hit another vehicle--she drove off the road when she over compensated for what she thought was the car behind her coming too close when it changed lanes(which it didn't -and my husband was in front of the whole thing and saw it in his mirror and stopped to see if she was ok...)this woman is suing everybody she can think of--she is suing the lien holder on our vehicle and the previous owner! how stoopid is that? For three years she never even saw a doctor for these supposed 'permanent' injuries she sustained, which she already had from a previous car wreck she was in in which she successfully sued for the same alleged injuries! for three years my life has had to follow her schedule at my expense. and if this goes to court I have no confidence in the system at all and expect the worst. she wants $87,000 from us. we can barely pay our own bills and feed ourselves. right now a medical test the doctor wants me to have is not covered by my insurance and costs $257 which we will not have to spare and so I just will not have the test done. And the number one reason we won't have the money to pay for the test is because if we have to go to trial in October for this it will be all out of pocket--800 miles away, no one there to stay with, taking off work, putting pets in a kennel--and for who knows how long.

as far as Mars and the New Moon--- I am blaming Mars for the whacked out weather we had this year, and I always feel worse around a New Moon--the least reason being it coincides with my menstrual cycle. You don't have to be superstitious to know they have some kind of influence on the natural world. The Bible has more critics than The Farmer's Almanac.

Ravyn

37

Cancer tests came back 'normal'

by Ravyn in

jw
friends

so that is a major relief.

still means they don't know what the problem is, but cancer was one of my worst fears.. tomorrow (wednesday, august 27th) is the arbitration in that stupid lawsuit and it will determine the next 20 years of our lives.

mars, the new moon, my energies are pretty scattered right now and i am just trying to get thru it an hour at a time.. thank you for all the support you have given me thus far and what you will continue to give.

Ravyn

so that is a major relief. still means they don't know what the problem is, but cancer was one of my worst fears.

tomorrow (wednesday, august 27th) is the arbitration in that stupid lawsuit and it will determine the next 20 years of our lives.

Mars, the New Moon, my energies are pretty scattered right now and I am just trying to get thru it an hour at a time.

thank you for all the support you have given me thus far and what you will continue to give. after tomorrow I will be able to develop a game plan(or not). thanks for all the private messages and emails. I love you guys.

Ravyn

35

Bjork, Tori Amos or Cher

by Brummie in

jw
friends

which one has more class?.

if you had to choose one, who would you see in concert?

me, bjork.

Ravyn

Bjork all the way. and she has been around since the 80's. Tori is too goody goody for me and Cher is just too bizarre and trashy now...she didn't used to be. Not sure when it started, maybe after her Allman days?

Ravyn

34

Do You Try To Make People Feel Comfortable Around You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

since this board is filled with so many different personalities, do you ever go out of your way to try to make people feel good?

do we ever consider that we might make some persons feel unwanted because of constant criticisms?

i've communicated with one poster recently that's become discouraged over how some people constantly berate or disparage.....if you knew you were hurting somebody's feelings, would you do so intentionally?

Ravyn

Some people may not believe me when I say this, but I really don't like to be unkind. It makes me feel sick when I think I am going to have to rip someone's heart out to get their friggin attention. In offline reality--arguments are not something I back down from, but they usually end for me in shaking puddles because I hate having to argue my point and I get downright ill and shake and cry. Like anxiety attacks.

I find cruelty to be very unpleasant and uncomfortable. I don't like to see it or to be involved in dishing it out. But I do think sometimes it is necessary 'to be cruel to be kind'-- but I hate it.

I try to avoid uncomfortableness, who doesn't? But I hate causing it more than putting up with it. So usually I go out of my way to avoid it. But it has been my experience that the fastest way around unpleasantness is sometimes right thru the middle of it. What can I say? My husband calls it my Louisville Slugger Solution and says I am a Marine.

Now when it does not mean a confrontation, yes I try to make people comfortable. I look to their needs. I just enjoy being hospitable. I like to please others. I used to have a problem saying NO, but I don't think I do anymore. There can be a nobility in service that is refreshing.

Ravyn

50

Simon

by KGB in

jw
friends

please remove me from this site, i am tired of the sarcasm and the insults simply because i choose to believe in god after leaving the borg.

i am beginning to believe that the borg was a better place than this site because i never once endured what i have had to endure here with certain individuals.

it seems that it is ok for some to criticize others here but when you stand up for what you believe in the shit just gets deeper.

Ravyn

Dear KGB,

I am glad I got to know you a little better before you decided to leave. I hope you all the best in your health struggles. Please feel free to keep in touch if you want to. we don't have to talk about religion--we can still talk about God. I got the results back from the cancer test yesterday and they were normal, but that means they still don't know what the problem is.
And it means I am still taking 14 prescriptions a day and still not feeling well enough to do my own housework or shopping. so online is my life now.
Blessings to you and yours,
Ravyn Giuliani
Bedford, VA
[email protected]

98

JW Father Kills Self and 12-year-old Son

by fjtoth in

the following story appears this morning in the south florida sun-sentinel at:.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cmurdsui26aug26,1,2987431.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines.

fort lauderdale police suspect father killed son, then self in home shooting.

Ravyn

Neighbors said Laura Mackey had complained of domestic problems, but indicated that nothing violent had occurred.
''Mrs. Mackey said the marriage had been troubled,'' Fort Lauderdale Detective Jack DiCristofalo said. ``But there was no indication that this would happen. I don't think anyone will really know why he did it.''
Police also say the couple had been arguing for months.
She said they'd been having domestic problems," DiCristofalo said.
Lady Lee said:I have to wonder how many times the wife went to the elders to ask for help and was told to be a better wife. Or maybe she was too scared to go. Shelters and counseling are not recommended options for JWs.
Victorian Sky said:It had to be premeditated, how many JW's own guns? None I know of. There had to be signs before that lead to this. I wonder if his poor wife spoke up about his issues to him or the elders or if she was in typical JW denial mode.

"Sisters" are told not to bring reproach on God's name by calling the police, or leaving the abuser. Also "brothers" need not to be doing counseling when they have absolutely no training on domestic violence or sexual assault. This unfortunately is some of the aftermath of either not turning to a professional for help, or turning to untrained "elders" for counsel. Leslie
amac said:However, I've noticed a couple comments that JWs tell abused wives to go back to their husbands. I've no doubt this has happened many times, but I would attribute this to the upbringing and current culture of those elders that said it, not as a directive from the WT. As long as I can remember, physical abuse was the only thing outside of adultery that the WT ok'ed as a reason to leave your mate. Knowing the elders where I grew up, they would support a sister leaving her husband due to physical abuse. It seems to me this problem should be attributed to the world society in general and it's only recent acknowledgement of the serious dangers of domestic violence. There's still a lot of backwoods folks who have some catching up to do.

Six of nine said:I was in the organization for 37 years, and I can tell you that this is not the attitude or directive I saw and heard as a witness. Women have long been encouraged to stay with men who get physical with them. What the WT has done is make it ok to leave under horrible conditions, but of course, no one really knows when "horrible" starts. ... So yeah, it's the culture in individual congregations, but it is ubiquitous, and it is from the top down. Amac's comments are not reflective of the reality.
Joker 10 said:What does these murders have to do with Jehovah's WItnesses? The man was an ass. And if I were to do a search on people who are a member of a chruch and who has killed others, i can guarantee I will find hundreds and even thousands before of newspaper and magazine articles before I find a murder-sucicide committed by a JW or at least an inactive W.

amac--I was a JW for 34 years and in 28 states of the US. In every congregation I was in women were told to endure the abuse and stay with their husbands and try to be better wives. I am not saying your experience did not happen, but it was not ordinary in the Borg.

My best friend died as a result of heart trauma from years of abuse first from her elder father and ministerial servant siblings and then from an abusive husband that she married to get out of the other situation. I was there when he picked her up by the neck and knocked her haed against the wall and then took a folding chair(from Book Study) and smashed it right next to her face on that same wall. I was there when she told the elders and I was there when the elders response was "yeah but he didn't ACTUALLY HIT you did he?" And I was there helping her pack her car and move her three kids across the country tog et away from him, and I was there when another set of elders told him where she was and told her to go 'home'. And three months later, I was NOT there for her funeral because I was afraid I would be tempted to show up with a gun myself...

The above drama took place between Post Falls Idaho and Brattleboro Vermont. If the ignorance you speak of as being localized is true, then it is localized thru out the entire Borg. Which I think it is.

I think all the elders of her congregation should be investigated as accessories to murder in this case, just as surely as Cardinal Law has been and the church elder in Wisconsin who suffocated the autistic boy in the faith healing session over the week end. Joker you are right about one thing--JWs are no different than any other criminals. The thing you are wrong about is that JWs feel they are above the laws and network to hide the crimes and that makes them more reprehensible.

Ravyn, sick of all religions