A lot of them hang out evenings on PalTalk.
gitasatsangha
JoinedPosts by gitasatsangha
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15
JW Discussion Boards
by teejay incan someone point me in the direction of a couple (or five) jw discussion boards?
you know where real jws post their mind-numbing thoughts about how terrible the world (and "worldly" people) are and how great it will be when armageddon comes to destroy the wicked?
i'd like for some of my workmates to see what their loving jw neighbors really think about them.
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Funny people in your Congregation
by mattnoel inok so who has got stories about funny people in your cong,.
we had one guy who used to recite really long prayers, you would see people shifting from foot to foot as he recited extracts from the lords prayer in with his, he used to knock on doors and when they didnt answer shout through the letter box saying "i know your home" if they did actually come he would keep them talking for ages even after they said they werent interested.
he even wrote to tony blair and told him how he would die at armageddon, the society recieved a letter of complaint and he got banned from pioneering.
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gitasatsangha
We had this sister who had Middleclass Late-Middleaged Suburban Whitewoman Syndrom: She was alergic to stuff. At first it was just avon cosmetics, but gradually grew into any man-made (or invented) vapor or airborne particle. She had a new house built "allergin free". She wore a surgical mask at all times. Once in awhile she wore a more complicated mask, that looked like a professional spray-painter might use.
Finally the 2nd school was prepped for her comfort with this almighty big HEPA filter. She would come in a few seconds before the meeting, then leave immediately afterword. No one else was to go in the Most Holy during these times. I dont remember where parents so inclined had to go to torture their children after that. Maybe outside. (Shrug)
The PO felt the need to make a special needs talk about how deablilitytating allergies were. End result: no one was to wear perfurme, cologne or scented deodorant to the meetings. It just wasn't loving, you see.
This obvious cry for attention did not end here, however. Gradually other crazy old crones, I mean other women with health problems, began to develop this strange allergy problem. So, as I recall, about three women were enjoying the purified air of Jehovah's HEPA filter System in the 2nd school. Only the first Sister wore the mask though.
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just how many X-jw's are there
by sleepy ini havent been on this site for a while (and its changed a bit) there are so many new people here.x-jw's seem to crawl out of every corner.just wondering is there any accurate or nealy there ,way that we could calculate just how many x-jw's there are in the world.any guess's
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gitasatsangha
JWs have no regular method of counting membership, unless by counting publishers. Technically they could count memorial partakers, or perhaps even "delegates" at conventions, if they felt like it. I read a book on surveying world religions (I forget the title, I dont live in the city where that library was) which suggested the Witnesses had to replenish the ranks due to attrition and walkouts so often that there might almost be as many ex-witnesses as there were members of the current faith.
It's telling, with that in mind, that no real breakaway group of substance ever formed to appeal to this "Great crowd." What prevents a schism? Central control of the congregations perhaps, but even that could be worked out. The reason is that JWism has strayed so far from Christianity that it is a faith unto its own, and a fundamentally flawed one at that. It cannot be reformed to any workable state, with the exception possibly of the older Bible Student splinter groups, or the oddballs in Rumania. One would sooner reform the Scientologists.
The book which dealt with these numbers was written in the eighties. Since then a great deal has happened. I would imagine if its hypothesis were correct, the number race would be about current or more now. That might mean 6,000,000 or more ex witnesses. This seems about right to me. Any of you who went to the hall think of this. In any case, you can't trust Watchtower statistics.
1: How many people you know who went to the hall and died that you remember. C'mon. A lot of grayhairs out there.
2: How many people were disfellowshipped at your hall that you remember. (It's ok to count yourself)
3: How many people got the big DA at your hall, that you remember.
4: How Many people just basically stopped coming (this includes Memorial Submarines)
5: How many young ones you know who stayed with the JW's, even after you left.
6: How much fresh meat got baptized/or started publishing, and stayed on after you left.
The numbers, I am guessing, might be dead even or more. They lean to the "X" in my case. Most halls I have seen also lean heavilly to the elderly side. This is not really good arithmetic, but it might be worth a broader study.
"There are three kinds of lies. Lies, damned lies, and statistics" PM Benjamin Disraeli.
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SMURFS ?!
by mattnoel incan anyone tell me what was wrong with the smurfs ?.
i heard some horrible rumours about them as a kid, something about some kid taking a smurf to the kingdom hall, it making a whole lotta noise and then trotting off up the aisle until some burley elder threw it out the back !.
while we are on this point anyone ever have things taken away from them for being demonic etc
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gitasatsangha
Really can you blame Pappa Smurf for yelling and making his way to freedom outside the hall?
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SMURFS ?!
by mattnoel incan anyone tell me what was wrong with the smurfs ?.
i heard some horrible rumours about them as a kid, something about some kid taking a smurf to the kingdom hall, it making a whole lotta noise and then trotting off up the aisle until some burley elder threw it out the back !.
while we are on this point anyone ever have things taken away from them for being demonic etc
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gitasatsangha
RE: Things like Sprite
A C.O. once told me about an old Bethelite at brooklyn who had a private personal embargo against the little comissary stand there because they sold Red Devil Potted Meat.
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SMURFS ?!
by mattnoel incan anyone tell me what was wrong with the smurfs ?.
i heard some horrible rumours about them as a kid, something about some kid taking a smurf to the kingdom hall, it making a whole lotta noise and then trotting off up the aisle until some burley elder threw it out the back !.
while we are on this point anyone ever have things taken away from them for being demonic etc
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gitasatsangha
I enjoy hearing variations of this story. The way we heard the rumour here as a kid, was that it was actually Pappa Smurf who got up in the middle of the meeting and walked out, saying "I cant stand this." or something like that. The other part of it I heard was that this one kid had smurf curtains and one night when the parents came to check on him, the smurfs had climbed down the curtains and were doing some sort of evil dance around the child. I cant believe people really believe(d?) in bs like this. I remember my parents talking about it as a joke but not everyone did. As for me, I would watch Gargamel and company every time I layed out of door-to-door. "I'm not feelign well again Mom. I probably wont be better till after Superfriends, I mean later."
In the JW Pantheon, Demons are ancient, supernaturally powerful multidimensional creatures with limited intellect. They can decieve entire world governments, but prefer to hang out in old Led Zepplin alblumbs and 2nd hand clothing. Oh, and they can be dispelled by turning on the lights. Azazel must be stuck in a Teddy Ruxpin somewhere in a city dump, somewhere.
I knew these kids who literally had a really wacked out JW step-mom. One night one of them gets a nightmare. So the mother takes all their stuffed toys (and they didn't have much to begin with) and publically burns it on the front lawn. when her oldest stepson decided to be baptized after some rousing talk at the hall, the woman told the kid (gotta love JW child baptism) that he needed to not talk about it at all while they drove home. She said this was because once a JW youth had announced his dedication to Jehovah at the hall, and a demon had caused the car he was in to wreck, killing him on the way home. This nutcase would openly tell people at the door that Jehovah intervened and stopped the Cuban missle crisis, would discuss ghost sitings and other superstitious BS. She was a pioneer. Actually, she still is, I think. As bad as that is, the sad thing is, people agreed with her.
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THIS USED TO BE THE SOCIETY- HOW SAD TODAY
by JT in"we would not refuse to treat one as a brother because he did not believe the society is the lord's channel... there should be full liberty of conscience.
-- wt april 1, 1920, p. 100, 101
it is interesting to think that at one time the wt viewed itself merely as students of the word sharing and printing thier understanding or interpetation or their take on a biblical point and as a result they felt that if they printed something that someone didn;t agree with well all is well, we just got a different personal view on a matter.
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gitasatsangha
I agree with you, JT.
I used to entertain a hope that the Jehovah's Witnesses could reconcile themselves back with the remaining Bible Student groups. It seemed at least that they still had the comfortable model of independant congregations, and freedom to examine scripture. Now for all I know, the Bible Students are based more around the Cult of Personality of Russell then around their own beliefs, but somehow I doubt it. Perhaps the Students can welcome in the diaspora of ex-witnesses over time.
Regardeless, hopefully ex-jubs will not forget to take care of their spiritual side. I've seen a lot of ex-JWs become lost hedonists, who are so scarred by the hierarchy of the Watchtower that they cannot allow their singed spiritual nerve system to heal.
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A Hare Krishna Survives Bethel Tour
by gitasatsangha injust in case my screename gives someone pause, i am not a hare krishna (i.e.
a member of iskcon) nor do i share many of their views.
i stumbled upon this and found it somewhat funny and ironic.
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gitasatsangha
Agreed, they miss the point entirely. ISCKON is in many ways the JW's of Hinduism. Whereas Hindus don't push proselytizing, and in many cases even bar people from converting, ISKCON became more a product of its founder, Srila Prabhupada. Consider him possibly the Russell or Rutherford of that group.
There are other similarities between ISKCON and JWs. Both claim they are basically the only way to really know god. Both are devotionally oriented (although it is hard to get down and really see that with the JW's with all the rule-crap). Both have been seriously hurt by sex-abuse scandals. Both have a hierarchy. Both have had major difficulties since the death of their founder/s. Both use literature distribution as a major form of worship. Both are worldwide. Both have big farms in various places. Both believe sex is only for producing children. Both tended to rely on conversion among the marginal parts of society, but now focus more on the middle classes in developed countries. Of course there are Major theological differences, but still, it is interesting to see what is the same.
I have thought that perhaps Prabupadha studied the Witnesses tactics before going to New York to begin his Western ministry.
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A Hare Krishna Survives Bethel Tour
by gitasatsangha injust in case my screename gives someone pause, i am not a hare krishna (i.e.
a member of iskcon) nor do i share many of their views.
i stumbled upon this and found it somewhat funny and ironic.
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gitasatsangha
Just in case my screename gives someone pause, I am not a Hare Krishna (i.e. a member of ISKCON) nor do I share many of their views. I stumbled upon this and found it somewhat funny and ironic. The views of a Hare Krishna in the alien world of Austrailia Bethel. It is somewhat humorous. Well the conclusion might be a bit chilling. Anyway here is link:
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gitasatsangha
unalone newspeak?
unapostate think doubleplusungood. approved fullwise stop suggestion contained item six doubleplus ridiculous verging crimethink cancel stop unproceed constructionwise antegetting plusfull estimates theocracy overheads stop. Pro minitrue think plusgood suggestion contained goodthinkful sister unactive.
stop end message.