The Americans are on to them, so they are emphasizing their "worldwide" efforts. The people in foreign lands have no idea, but we've been subjected to these people knocking on our doors for how many years??
Faithful Witness
JoinedPosts by Faithful Witness
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How Important Is Progress?
by metatron ini realize that people from many cultures come to this site,though mostly english speaking.
i watched a bbc report about a 3rd country and wondered:.
how important is a sense of progress in your culture - and in the "truth"?.
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You Americans are the friendliest people I've met
by not bitter in........ well at least the ones i encountered on my recent holiday to orlando.
now i know that its a tourist destintion so everyone working in the hotels and parks are on their best behaviour.
but i have been to tourist towns here in the uk and europe but not one is on a par with you guys.. my husband and i haven't stopped talking about to anyone that wants to listen.
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Faithful Witness
not bitter: I'm glad you had a nice time! It's good to hear that you had a good experience, and that the people of Florida was friendly and welcoming.
Y'all come back now, ya hear? :) Thanks for visiting us!
(I'm in Michigan... haven't made it to Florida yet. Your story is encouraging!)
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LONGEVITY IS A HALLMARK OF STUPID RELIGIONS
by steve2 inwe credit religious believers with far too much interest in and/or ability to engage in reasoning.
we overlook two hugely compelling factors that drive and revive "faith": emotional need for religious meaning, including to be consoled over awful events, and being born into the religion.
raised from day one to recite stupidity, it is then hard to assess stupidity for what it is.. that is why there is no shortage of stupid religions who turn date-speculation into a near-art form.
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Faithful Witness
Steve: When you become convinced that it is the TRUTH, you will be glad to submit and follow!
I've never heard any other religion tell me that I could have a close relationship with God himself. The gospel message I've heard was always different than the JW promises of paradise earth and a friendship with God.
It's all about "pleasing Jehovah" and "vindicating His name" (the name of their religion, not an accurate name) and "enduring to the end" and doing the "preaching work!" I have never seen such vigor in people, to try to please God, and prove their worthiness. (isn't that what Jesus told us to do?... oh, wait... he's just a tool to get to God...)
I can't believe I almost fell for that... and that it took me 3 years to realize how many outright lies they were telling me!
Thank GOD we never joined this strange organization.
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We are escaping reality! It is time for our LONG-AWAITED vacation!! :)
by Faithful Witness ineach may, my husband takes me to the most wonderful place.
we escape to the jewel of our state, a small island where there are no cars, and the life is slow-paced and so relaxing.
we explore the history of the island, and the part it played in the american revolution.
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Faithful Witness
Each May, my husband takes me to the most wonderful place. We escape to the jewel of our state, a small island where there are no cars, and the life is slow-paced and so relaxing. We explore the history of the island, and the part it played in the American Revolution. We stay at a luxury hotel, where I thoroughly enjoy the experience of being SERVED and treated like royalty.
Five course dinners, fancy evening receptions, mints on our pillows at night... AHHHHH, take me away! The sound of the waves, and the clip-clop of horses going past day and night. It is absolute bliss! If you ever have a chance to visit Mackinac Island in Michigan, DO IT! My favorite place in the world, and it's only a few hours away!
This year, we are taking our 6 and 7 year old with us, so it will be a little different... less of an escape, and more of an adventure. I've already mourned the loss of my freedom from "Mom, mom, mom!" (haha) We plan to have a splendid time. We are bringing our bikes, and will bike around and explore trails and beaches... picnic at the top of the fort.
For the next 2 days, I am packing and making sure the house is properly set for our absence and (UGH) return. I'm already dreading the fact that we have to come home!
I wish you all well!
I'm sad to know that my parents will leave for their International Convention, on the morning after our return... I was hoping to see them before they go, and ask them about some of those speeches they are preparing to sit through. I guess I will have to hear about it after the fact... assuming they come out alive, of course, and still want to speak to me. ;)
Not bragging or anything, but this is my one and only escape each year, and I am so glad to finally be going (although I sort of wish it was not already here, and therefore almost over... haha). I will be eating lots of fudge, and forgetting about my worries for a whole week. What a Grand experience we will all be having!
It is also a theme weekend, where we participate in a re-enactment of the Titanic's final dinner and the crash. We all get boarding passes of actual passengers, and then find out after dinner, whether we survived or not. We are renting costumes, and dressing for the big gala on Saturday night. It will be so fun to see how the kids react! I love my family, and I love this chance to get away with them. Life really is good!
Bon Voyage!
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My memorial visit this year.
by TweetieBird inso i have a jw relative now living with me so i went to the memorial this year with him since he is new to the hall and doesn't really know anyone.
the warmth was amazing (insert sarcasm here).
one witness couple that has been stopping by and relatively new to the area saved us seats so they talked to me, one other sister and her brother talked to me.
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Faithful Witness
My mom did not attend hers, due to a work conflict. I found that interesting, but she said their attendance was great. "There were so many people there from the public, they didn't have enough seats for them! People were standing in the hallway!... of course, I think the MEMORIAL is the strangest thing to invite people to. If that is your first time at a KH, you would think it was very strange..."
Our recent (last fall) visits to 2 different KH Sunday meetings, were of the same level of friendliness you describe. About 5 years ago, when we entered a KH for the first time here, we were love-bombed and swarmed with people, wanting to meet us and know who we were. But not this time! (relievingly so...)
We went to a meeting, and no one greeted us at all. The meeting commenced, and I realized I'd forgotten our song book. The lady behind us lent us hers. When I returned it to her after the meeting, she said, "Where are you from?" When I told her we were just visiting after not attending for a long time, she made no comment. I said, "This seemed like a good time to come and catch up on things." (it was the new light about 1914 and the wheat/weeds parable, and the timeline... extremely bizarre and jarring meeting to observe). She smiled widely and merely said, "Oh yes! It was a good one!"
We scurried out of there, while they all gathered for field service. Not one other person said a word to us, or even glanced in our direction. We were properly dressed, and we even had the "right" Bibles. We'd expected to see people we knew, but none of the 3 families were there for that new prophetic revelation.
It was a relief that we didn't have to explain ourselves or talk to anyone, but also a disappointment... My parents really fell in love with that concept of a worldwide brotherhood. I wonder what kind of greeting they get, when they visit KH's out of town now. Of course, my dad is a salesman, so he will just go up and introduce himself to people, to the embarrassment of my mother.
Thanks for sharing your experience! The atmosphere in the KH has definitely changed over the last few years. It ALWAYS has felt more like a funeral home, but now the people seem even more robotic and scared... but that's just my outsider's observation.
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STARTING OVER with my Elderette - What Does the Bible REALLY Teach?
by Faithful Witness inshe said, "so, what made you decide to study this book?
at this point, she opened with a prayer.
"...and some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and teachers.
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Faithful Witness
Yes, the more I think about it, the more I realize how she has me dancing on a string. Any time I even hint at a suspicion or observation, she will jump in with something like, "Like what?" or "What are you referring to?"
Regarding the students who don't end up convinced... she seems to have several of those also. She has mentioned a few times, "Some people study for quite some time, and then just stop. I don't know why." She told me that if at any point I just come to the conclusion that this isn't for me, I can just tell be honest with her and quit. She doesn't want me to "Keep studying, just so I won't hurt HER feelings."
I told her before she came over the first time, and she was saying "I don't want to waste your time EITHER..." I did inform her that I had no plans of becoming a Jehovah's Witness. I think that comment lit a spark in her, and motivated her to help me find the truth.
To this, I told her that I still have a lot of questions, and that I'm still willing to see what a JW has to say about them. "I am a fair-minded person, and will listen to both sides of the story. Although, that is what got me in trouble before!"
She said something like, "You do seem to be an honest person, and I know you have concerns for your family. You don't strike me as one of the 'Take Down the Watchtower!' types."
I was slightly taken aback, that she even knew such people existed! I just said, "No... I don't have the power to do that!"
Anyway... I am learning a lot about how a fully programmed JW mind works against opposition. I'm hoping that as I recognize the patterns and reactions I get from Miss K, I will be able to find some ways to peck away at my dad's wall. The cement is still freshly poured around his once critical mind. I know he will be full of vigor, after the upcoming convention... but I do look forward to making arrangements to see him in a few weeks.
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The List, by "Prominent Bethelite"
by morloc ini occasionally pop through here to catch up on the latest, but this time i'm going to pop my own post on here.. some of you internet oldsters may even remember this.
my first experience on the internet regarding discussions about jehovah's witnesses and the watchtower took place on a now-obscure usenet group, before i eventually stumbled across hourglass2.. during those days, there was a poster who went by the name "prominent bethelite," an otherwise anonymous individual whom i remember most for an extensive, exhaustive compilation of date-oriented remarks, predictions, and expectations by the watchtower organization down through the decades of its history.. it became known as "the list" and it's definitely lengthy... but a fascination look at the abundance of errant statements made through the watchtower's history.. if you're curious, it's been available for a long time on hourglass2's site, and can be seen using the link provided below.. the list, compiled by prominent bethelite (1999).
that's about it for this stop through here.
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Faithful Witness
marked thanks!
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Faithful Witness
In front of the White House?
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My Elderette is attempting to change the subject again
by Faithful Witness inwe were in the middle of discussing their use of god's personal name, and miss k was not able to find one place in the bible, where jesus actually said the name out loud (that wasn't a quote from the ot).
we had started out by talking about jesus being "the way, the truth and the life.
" then she stated that one of the purposes of jesus' coming to earth, was "to make god's name known.
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Faithful Witness
Blondie: I can relate to that story. I observed it happening to a woman at the KH we were attending, and it was hard not to notice that we were showered with so much attention, when other families were basically invisible. I'm really not that charming! My husband is downright anti-charming. haha
My mom doesn't seem to have any friends in the KH either. (I tried telling her that Bible Student was the best position to hold, but I guess the pressure finally got to her.)
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STARTING OVER with my Elderette - What Does the Bible REALLY Teach?
by Faithful Witness inshe said, "so, what made you decide to study this book?
at this point, she opened with a prayer.
"...and some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and teachers.
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Faithful Witness
Mum: Great question! I should ask her that, as I have friends who were raised Amish. They have similar issues with their family.
NeverKnew: I think she will be prepared for this kind of thing happening. She made that little disclaimer, saying that she wanted to only discuss what the Bible says... "Not that this book isn't TRUE..."
Punk: I am learning a lot from her methods. Things look so much different, now that I realize that it isn't the TRUTH she is teaching. You are right. It is hard to follow her line of reasoning, and also to be aware of the many contradictions she makes of her own words. She sometimes seems to be arguing with herself.
It's like she wants to admit the problems in her reasoning, before I bring them up... like she is heading me off from an objection, by admitting it is true before I have to say it. (like how she mentions "apostate websites" and "adjustments.") I think it is time for me to ask her to specify what she is referring to...
Blondie: Is there any current light, regarding the name of Jehovah, and how they decided to stick with this pronunciation? I have the article in the May Watchtower (public): "Do Jehovah's Witnesses Believe in Jesus? - If they do, why don't they call themselves 'Jesus' Witnesses?' " http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20140501/jehovahs-witnesses-believe-in-jesus/
So far, I have not resorted to using old publications with her. Since she is so convinced that the truth can change, I don't know how much weight an old article would have at this point.