Hapgood

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Posts by Hapgood

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  62

  Trekkies will not inherit the kingdom of God....

  by drwtsn32 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is hilarious!

  i am so surprised that the society has counsel on learning the klingon language.

  *** g95 12/8 p. 8 a look at todays science fiction ***.

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  Hapgood

  Euphemism, I remember hearing or reading that too. I think I read it in the Awake magazine.

  "that Star Trek is bad because it's based on evolution, and shows a man-made paradise."

  In my congregation Star Trek was frowned upon. Some pioneer sister saw a portion of Star Trek that featured the Borg and after that she was convinced that Star Trek was demonized. So just because she was a pioneer, she thought everyone else was suppose to share her beliefs, and she was quite vocal about it. There was also an elder that was down on Star Trek too, and he mentioned his views from the platform a few times. I felt like going to the meeting with a Borg figure hanging from my rear-view mirror.

  So all of us trekkies in my congregation kept our thoughts to ourselves. There was a sister that I was good friends with that was a trekkie, we went to a convention together, we had a blast. But of course, we kept this to our selfs. And no, we didn't dress up. But really I don't see why people that dress up are criticized, after all I feel it's no different than dressing up for a costume party or for Halloween. I realize some go overboard, but I think most dress up just for the fun of it.

  Hapgood
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  49

  Good Experiences as a Jehovah's Witness

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  instead of bringing out the negatives about being a witness, let's relate some good experiences!

  i'll start.

  i remember a sister that brought up all her kids up in the "truth" and her husband was very opposed but later he started studying and he even got baptized.

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  Hapgood

  I've had alot good experiences, but I'll relate this one.

  The couple my husband and I studied with adopted us into their family like one of their kids (we were the same age as their kids, we were 19 and 21 at the time). They were like parents to us (mine were 300 miles away, I really missed them). The congregation that we were baptized in had alot of young people and young couples in it, we were always included right away (before being baptized), we all went everywhere together as one big group, no one was excluded. It was one big social event. Don't remember clicks in that congregation, it was great, they were a warm and friendly congregation, I remember everyone was always willing to help out if anyone needed it. We moved cross-country from that congregation 27 years ago, I still miss them and have a special place in my heart for them. Probably if we hadn't moved out of that congregation I might still be in the borg today, but like people, congregations change, they are probably like all the rest now.

  Hapgood
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  15

  What was your worst/best experience in field service?

  by obiwan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i will have to say mine is a worst/best experience.

  i was out in serviceon a saturday with my mother of all things, we went to a door knocked, and this awesome looking 16 or 17 year old girl opens the door wearing nothing but a dress shirt.

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  Hapgood

  All I seemed to have was bad experiences out in service.

  I'm shy by nature, so going out in service was a real ordeal for me. I would mostly go out Sat. mornings and be in the same car group with my hubby, we would work together and he would take most of the doors. Or if I went out through the week I would go out with sisters that were really understanding to how I felt (we would work rural territory).

  My hubby and I went out on a Saturday when the CO came to visit. I was separated from my hubby and I got put in a car group with a bunch of sisters and the CO's wife. Yikes!!!

  Well, we were all taking turns working with the CO's wife. Yikes!!! I knew that it was inevitable that I would have to have my turn at the door with her (hey, now is a good time to go get some donuts). When it came my turn to work with her, I started panicking big time even before reaching the door (please God let no one answer the door). A nice young man answered the door, but by this time I was so nervous I started hyperventilating, I completely lost my train of thought, I just stood their babbling (he must of felt sorry for me he took the magazines). The CO's wife didn't say one word to help me out at the door, didn't say one word to me while we walked back to the car, didn't say one word to me after that in the car. Just silence. I didn't go to another door with her after that. Boy, did I feel like a dork.

  Hapgood
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  193

  Stupidest thing a JW ever told you

  by Nosferatu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is the stupidest thing a jw ever told you?

  we all know that they say a lot of stupid things, but what really topped the cake?.

  for me, it was an elder telling me i was progressing really well when my meeting attendance was down and my field service hours were slipping.

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  Hapgood

  This great advice came from a CO. My hubby and I were struggling making a living attending the "school of hard knocks" (starting from the bottom), as a result things were hard for us money wise. Well anyway the CO found out that we had a 30 year mortgage on our house. The wise advice that he gave us to help us with our tight money situation was to pay the mortgage off then we wouldn't have a mortgage payment on our house. Yeah right, this dude didn't have a clue, here we were barely surviving and we were suppose to come up thousands of dollars to pay off our house so we wouldn't have a mortgage payment (when I was lucky to have a few dollars in my purse). By the way, the mortgage payment on our house at the time was cheaper than anything we could rent, which I informed him. What is it with jws and 30 year mortgages? It was also brought out during a Sunday public talk were it was stated that it wasn't wise to have a 30 year mortgage. After the meeting this older sister who was sitting pretty with a nice house, thought that was great advice. Talk about sticking you nose into something that isn't your business.

  Hapgood
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  17

  what is the # 1 reason people join the JW's ??? what attracts people ???

  by run dont walk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  being brought up in the borg, i always envied my friends that did not have to go in service, go to meetings, and waste their weekends away, i have never really been able to understand why someone would join the jw's unless they were born (forced) into it.

  aside from maybe coming from an abusive lifestyle or relationship, or had serious drug/alcohol problems, this i could understand how the religion helped them get back on track.

  so why do people join ???

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  Hapgood

  At the time I studied with the JWS I had a crises going on in my life. I was newly married at 18 (I know too young), moved 300 miles away from family and friends, and my Mom and Dad were going through a divorce. I was very lonely, had a hard time making new friends, and I missed my family that was falling apart desperately.

  The JW couple that studied with us were about the same age as my parents and they sort of adopted my husband and myself as one of their kids, instant family that replaced my family that was falling apart and 300 miles away. Their kids were our age, so instant brothers and sisters. We were loved bombed royally, instant friends. So we felt liked we belonged to a group that truly (so it seemed) cared for us.

  Plus, I had a real fear of death. The JWS taught that I would possibly never die and live forever on a paradise earth, after all I was baptized in 1975 and the end was ever so close.

  I just consider myself lucky that I didn't get involved with a cult that was worse than the JWS considering how easy I was duped and how vulnerable I was at the time.

  Hapgood
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  16

  Ozzie's Weekend Poll #59 (again! thanks to Angharad )

  by ozziepost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  gday all,

  yep, were almost 60!

  doesnt feel "old" though, eh?

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  Hapgood

  For me it would be all of them, but I'll pick the ones that I had the most difficulty with.

  1. Getting to the meetings on time was a big problem for us (me). Evening meetings getting home from work, getting 1 kid ready (don't know how you all did it with multiple kids), dinner, clean up, getting dressed, makes me tired just thinking about it. I had trouble being on time for the Sunday meeting also, I have stomach trouble that is worse in the morning, so my family would leave before me. When I finally got myself together I would drive myself to the meeting, usually arriving 15 to 20 minutes late.

  2. Just getting to the meetings. I really had trouble with evening meetings, I missed alot of these from sheer exhaustion. I don't do well in the evening, I have a health condition with one of the symptom's being fatigue which I have big time. It's so nice being able to crash at the end of the day now and not worry about going to an evening meeting.

  5. Christmas Day, we never did this one, thankfully. But if we did this would have been a BIG concern for me.

  7. Five meetings. What do you mean there are five meetings? (see #2)

  Hapgood
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  43

  WELCOME, Newbies! Yall check in now, ya hear?

  by Frannie Banannie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  lotsa newbies here.....i keep trippin' over yall when i'm readin' posts....why don't yall check in here and introduce yourselves?

  we'd all love to hear from yall, dontcha know..... frannie b

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  Hapgood

  Hi Frannie! Enjoy your posts.

  I'm a walk-away, just quit going to meetings a year and a half ago. My hubby is still a JW, makes things interesting. That's why I don't post a whole lot, my hubby would be very upset that I'm posting on a XJW site, so I have to post when he isn't home (right now he's at the Sunday meeting, I'm sitting in my pj's with a cup of coffee visiting with all you great people).

  I wasn't born into the lie truth, I was baptized in 1975 at the age of 19 almost 20. My family are all "wordly", I have one daughter that's also a walk-away, and a 2 year old grandson that I watch while my daughter works, that's another reason why I don't get to post much, he's a handful. I usually come here through the week while he is napping.

  Nice meeting you!

  Hapgood
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  25

  Comments You Will Not Hear at the 8-17-03 WT Study

  by blondie in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  comments you will not hear at the 8-17-03 wt study

  reviewer comments are in black and parentheses ().

  wt quotes are in red and quotes ""

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  Hapgood

  Blondie, I really enjoy your Watchtower reviews, thank you for taking the time and effort in doing this.

  This study seems to be a "feel good article" (on the surface) for the rank and file. Instead of beating the sheep this week with doing more, they get a little salve for their wounds.

  A quote from paragraph 9 states:

  "The fact is that Satan the Devil is eager for us to believe that Jehovah neither loves us nor values us. On the other hand, no matter how unlovable or worthless we may think we are, Jehovah assures us that each of his faithful servants is of value to him."

  That's how I felt when I was a JW, that I was unlovable and worthless to Jehovah. I was considered "spiritually weak" so I was basically ignored by the loving shepherds and most of the "spiritually mature" ones. Therefore, because of this treatment I felt unloved and worthless to God. It's interesting how the Watchtower equates this feeling of worthless and feeling unloved by God to Satan the Devil, when that's how so very many of us have felt at the hands of these "loving shepherds."

  I liked your quote, Blondie. "The Watchtower should listen up their words and make application."

  Isn't that the truth! The Watchtower seems so loving and concerned for the welfare of the sheep, making it seem that they are loved by God, when in reality they are just wolfs in sheeps clothing.

  Hapgood
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  21

  Witnessing: Turning the Tables on Them

  by cruzanheart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a couple of weeks ago i started an irritable thread about the girl at work who gave out my home phone number -- from the firm's confidential internal phone list -- to an old friend i hadn't talked to in about 20 years.

  i smelled a set-up and made a stink at work about it.

  as far as i know, she was "talked to" and the subject was briefly mentioned at a staff meeting that i missed due to being out of town.. well, i thought about it for a few days and decided to give the old friend a call anyway.

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  Hapgood

  Great post, Nina! "Let's get out there and be a threat to people. Tell it like it is." Amen to that sister.

  When people would ask me why I wasn't attending meetings anymore, I would usually be vague and say something like "I wouldn't want to stumble you with my reasons" and I would quickly change the subject.

  Like you I'm getting fed up with hiding and not telling the witnesses the real reason why I left. I've nothing to be ashamed of, and I'm tired of feeling that way. Maybe if we did speak out others would say "yes I feel the same" and it might get them to think. This organization wants us to be silent, that's how they hide the injustices. They thrive on our silence and fear.

  The next time that I meet a jw and they ask me why I don't attend meetings anymore, I'll tell them I left because my conscience wouldn't let me support an organization that mistreats people so bad. If they want me to go into detail, I will. I'm tired of hiding, the jws are sure in our faces it's about time that we get into theirs.

  Hapgood
  
  
  
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  42

  Are you posting while you are supposed to be working?

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  yeah... i do it all the time... sitting at work... but instead of working i'm reading and posting here.. anyone else guilty of this?

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  Hapgood

  I don't have a job, I'm a stay at home grandmother chasing after my very active 2 year old grandson all day. The only time I can come here to read and post is when he is napping.

  Hapgood