Posts by Faithful Witness

16

The kindness of (worldly) strangers

by moley in

yesterday i went surfing, when i had finished and got changed i tried to start my car, no joy.

there were about 12 cars in the car park and the occupants of 8 of the cars all tried to help out at some point as they could see i was having difficulties, one guy even drove to a garage 5 miles away to get me a coffee i didn't even ask for as it was a freezing cold day and a couple of them let me sit in their cars to warm up while i waited for the rac.

contrast this to a time when i was in and my car wouldn't start (different car lol) in a kh car park and all i got was snarky comments, or advice in passing but no one stopped to help out.. i know who i prefer, has anyone else been helped by the evil worldly's while ignored by the loving jw's.

Faithful Witness

When we were bible students, the JW's were extremely helpful to us. We moved on a Saturday, went to the meeting at the local KH Sunday. Immediately after the meeting, we had 7 strangers come to our house and unload our entire moving truck in an hour.

I had surgery, and 3 JW women came over and cleaned my house while I was in the hospital.

We were in a seriuos auto accident, and my husband's neck was fractured. He was visited by the JW's, but it quickly became evident that the elders were more concerned that he might accept blood, than how he was doing physically.

The JW's always treated us like a shiny prize. We had a darling 2 year old daughter, and infant son. What a joy it was to see us at the meetings! Haha.

Of course, that all changed when we started asking questions about the Watchtower and its history.

Since I've known only several JW's and had many more REAL friends in my life, I'm not a good judge.

39

What are the feelings/thoughts within 24-48 hours of exposure to an undeniably true (for you) TATT?

by NeverKnew in

many of us know where we were during 9/11 or when john kennedy and martin luther king were killed.. it seems that when faced with ttatt, real truth is dismissed as "ol' light" or "an imperfect group of men" but from what i gather, many of you, at some point, were hit with a component of ttatt that shattered all of those cliches that allowed you to brush off the obvious reality that something was very wrong.

some of you may remember the hours following your earliest exposures to an undeniably true tatt.

did you zone completely out?

Faithful Witness

Neverknew: What question did you ask your friend?

10

How does anxiety affect your heart rate?

by Splash in

-- w54 4/15 p. 233 scriptural aspect of psychosomatic medicine --.

"doctors have found also that anxiety slows down the heart beat as much as 27 beats a minute.

the bible shows that men become faint out of fear and the heart may stop.luke 21:26 (men become faint out of fear)".

Faithful Witness

In other words, if you're reading a Watchtower magazine and you feel your heart start pounding, you are feeling the calming effects of the message.

22

Found this, immediately threw in garbage with extreme prejudice.

by baltar447 in

jw
friends

.

Faithful Witness

Does that count on the field service report card?

91

...What do you Do,when People Ask You for Spare Change?...

by OUTLAW in

.. .........................some people are truly in need..some are not... a man passing by on his 10 speed bike,asked me for $2.00 for a cup of coffee... .................................................."uhhh,no"... ............another asked me for spare change outside a super market... ......................................i said i didn`t have any... ...................so he say`s "how about a credit card?!"......lol!!...

.. ....................what do you do,when people ask you for spare change?...

..... .. ..........................................whats the most outrageous thing... ......................................you`ve been asked forby a stranger?...

Faithful Witness

homeless people need iPhones. I can't afford one myself, but I see people using iPhones, while using their food stamp debit card.

Obama actually does give out free phones. I've met people who have them. Of course, they also have their iPhones, for when the Obama phone runs out of airtime.

Until recently, you could get cash out of ATMs at strip clubs and liquor stores, at least in Michigan.

91

...What do you Do,when People Ask You for Spare Change?...

by OUTLAW in

.. .........................some people are truly in need..some are not... a man passing by on his 10 speed bike,asked me for $2.00 for a cup of coffee... .................................................."uhhh,no"... ............another asked me for spare change outside a super market... ......................................i said i didn`t have any... ...................so he say`s "how about a credit card?!"......lol!!...

.. ....................what do you do,when people ask you for spare change?...

..... .. ..........................................whats the most outrageous thing... ......................................you`ve been asked forby a stranger?...

Faithful Witness

I was sitting in the car, waiting for my husband to come out of work. It was late in the evening, and he often worked late.

A woman came up to me, after walking across this very large, empty parking lot (not the best part of town). I saw her coming, long before she approached me directly. I cracked the window to see why she was talking to me.

"My car ran out of gas about 1/2 mile down the street. Can you give me some money for gas?"

I didn't give her any money, but a funny thing happened... Someone else had the same sad story about a week later! If she'd been carrying a gas can, it would have been much more convincing.

Another car story: Working overnight shift in at a 24 hour copy center in a downtown area. A man came in and told me his son was stranded with a flat tire on the highway. He needed some cash to pay the tow truck driver, who was waiting at the scene. "Please lend me $40! I will be right back to pay you back. Take my vehicle registration as collateral." I was 22. I fell for it, and gave him money out of the register. He never came back, and I had to pay the store back $40.

We have a few busy intersections in our town, where people stand with those cardboard signs. They did a story on the news, and apparently it actually pays off. The guy they interviewed made about $400 a day, standing on the corner. Why go get a job? When it is really cold out, I feel so bad for them. I have handed them food or candy bars before. One lady had a sign that said she needed soap and shampoo.

20

Why a Faithful and discreet slave???

by Crazyguy in

the bible speaks of it making a man fully equipt 2tim, and that the anointing teaches one 1john, holy spirit is also available luke, john and even god will grant wisdom if one asks james.

so why the need for a faithful and discreet slave, in the bible???

?.

Faithful Witness

The whole idea of serving a slave, or having a slave direct your life, makes no sense. Slaves serve their masters. You don't pay slaves. You don't let slaves make the rules.

I always thought Jesus was the Master. If you serve Jesus, you are his slave. You don't serve a slave.

The JW's put all their money on this one parable, and then twist it around to mean something Jesus never said. Do not follow the teachings of men.

They ignore anything that relates to love or charity. They do not follow Jesus' example, but hold up this one little passage as proof of their own power. Millions follow... why?

42

I want to send a follow-up question to my sister who has recently cut me off

by Faithful Witness in

recently, i received this email from my jw sister: .

while i appreciate the thought, please do not send us gifts.. our kids are not missing out on anything other than things we try to protect them from.. at this time, based on prior encounters and their affect on me emotionally, i think it would be best if we didn't communicate.. i hope you can understand my decision and the fact that it is not meant to offend anyone.. .

i sent her a loving and forgiving message, and know she has no intention of answering me.

Faithful Witness

I am grateful that this discussion board is here. I have learned a lot from all the people who contribute.

I know I have a lot to learn, in dealing with people in general, especially JW family. Thanks for allowing me to vent and helping me work through the thoughts in my head.

It is definitely better to write them here, than in emails to my family. That didn't go well!

I haven't heard from my mom at all since this new development from my sister, so I think I am going to focus on re-establishing contact with her this weekend. I might send my sister a quick note next week. I'm still thinking about what to say.

Thanks for all the input. It really helps.

47

Why Is Alcoholism Deeply Embeded In JW Culture?

by RottenRiley in

we get plenty of company men passing through our circuit, often filled with misinformation and lugging around a suitcase of guilt, they bring more guilt to the weak while praising the braggart pioneers and slapping the "righteous over much" elders.

why are the wrong people getting praise in this distorted community?

i know for a fact many of the elders i served with have issues with alcoholism, when "brother guilt" brought his emotional hurricane through our circuit, i had the chance to eat and help pay for his "seven shots of tequila", both him and his wife were not immune to over-indulgences.

Faithful Witness

I have known far more non-JW's, than I have JW's.

I think alcohol can be a problem for anyone.

Or food. Or drugs. Or television. Or facebook.

They are hypocrites.

JW life is not happy family life, no matter how many times they make their claims. They are not immune to worldly problems. They try to insulate themselves from society, and sit inside buildings with no windows, so they can pretend they are better than the world.

I still remember the day the JW's gave us that book about how to have a happy family. What a joke.

42

I want to send a follow-up question to my sister who has recently cut me off

by Faithful Witness in

recently, i received this email from my jw sister: .

while i appreciate the thought, please do not send us gifts.. our kids are not missing out on anything other than things we try to protect them from.. at this time, based on prior encounters and their affect on me emotionally, i think it would be best if we didn't communicate.. i hope you can understand my decision and the fact that it is not meant to offend anyone.. .

i sent her a loving and forgiving message, and know she has no intention of answering me.

Faithful Witness

Neverknew: She joined the JW's and got baptized about 4 years ago. I don't know if they studied for more than 8 months or a year at most. She and her husband jumped in with both feet, and hopped onto the fast track to "qualify" for baptism. He had control issues with her from the beginning, so it was a natural fit for him.

I was the opposite: a slow learner, scrutinizing everything they told me. We are critical thinkers, and didn't just accept their publications and written commentary as facts. My husband and I had lots of questions, which they would put on the shelf, or sometimes answer if they felt we were worthy of a response. Until the day we asked questions about the Watchtower Society, and then we got dumped by our teacher. He came back and told us the parable of the seed sower, accused us of chasing riches instead of seeking Jehovah. (Bad seeds! You are BAD BAD BAD! I tried, but you are BAD! Was the message. I think he had to ease his blood guilt, before he totally left us for dead).

I'm sure my sister and her family are golden examples at their KH. (We live in different towns). They are actually a family recruited through the door-to-door ministry. They also blackmailed my mom into meetings, and then my dad into meetings, and now both my parents are baptized JW's!! What a success story for the guy who rang their doorbell on that fateful day! 6 new people at the KH. My niece is 12, nephew is 10... forced into it, but they still have memories of pre-JW life. :(