Posts by freein89

25

Finish this sentence. I would become a jw only if.........

by micheal in

jw
friends

this should certainly bring some very interesting and humorous responses - so go for it.

tonight the wife is out, and i had some time to think.. i was watching tv but got bored, because there is a fantastic thunderstorm going on right now.. i turned off everything, and started to think about things, ans why i've had a kind of empty feeling lately, as to my past.

i think about the little things, the history of my life.. somewhere, i lost my life to the jws, that early time that is supposed to be the most important in forming who we become.. i remember being a child, but can't remember when i felt like a child, i just seem to be missing something.

is it the birthdays, holidays, friends i was barred from having?

freein89

excellent post. It's like having amnesia - no past. I too grieve for the child that never was. I remember enjoying Christmas songs and patriotic songs as a kid and then the overwhelming guilt for having enjoyed them. When I was 5 I begged my Mom to let me go to a birthday party, she let me go and I couldn't enjoy it, I was a guilt ridden 5 year old. Isn't that tragic. A guilt ridden 5 year old? Makes me sick.

Deb

7

About "encouragement for new members"

by freein89 in

i agree with beryl and the poster who said he likes ambivilence.

i honestly do not know anymore and i think that belief in christianity is too narrow.

i do not think christianity is bad or wrong, just that it closes the door to many other possibilites.

freein89

logansrun,

I may be thick ok I am thick, but I couldn't really tell how you feel about the subject of Christianity. I'm serious here, could you tell me what you think?

I love what Ghandi's grandson said about truth, on a less "deep" note, I have a refrigerator magnet that says, "Keep and open mind, but not so open your brains fall out" a real pearl of refrigerator magnet wisdom.

Deb

7

About "encouragement for new members"

by freein89 in

i agree with beryl and the poster who said he likes ambivilence.

i honestly do not know anymore and i think that belief in christianity is too narrow.

i do not think christianity is bad or wrong, just that it closes the door to many other possibilites.

freein89

I agree with Beryl and the poster who said he likes ambivilence. Here is why. I honestly do not know anymore AND I think that belief in Christianity is too narrow. I do not think Christianity is bad or wrong, just that it closes the door to many other possibilites. I can't help but think there is more than we see in the universe and I don't ever want to be penned in by a narrow belief system again. I want to truly "search all things." That means ALL things. Tell me what you think.

Deb

2

Thankyou Greven

by freein89 in

jw
friends

your simple statement clarifying the "generation of 1914" disaster was helpful.

i had read the scan of the actual explanation per the wbts and i just could not wrap my brain around it.

the wording was so vague that i just could not figure out what the point was.

freein89

Greven,

I just found your reply, that sort of clears things up! When I left, the generation had to be around 14 or 15 in 1914, old enough for the age of reason is how they put it, if I remember correctly. Sounds like you are saying they were claiming to be redefining rather than tossing out the generation thing.

A few years after I left, I found a magazine in the laundromat, can't remember if it was a Watchtower or Awake. But it contained a retraction of sorts in small print in the very back of the magazine, saying that the Watchtower never claimed to be inspired. A short time later I saw an elder who had been a close friend and he actually spoke to me. I questioned him about the retraction, which by now had been a couple of months old, he had no idea what I was talking about, his embarrassment and confusion were palpable. He had not read the magazine and here I was quoting it to him. I wish he had read the damn magazine, because I wanted to know what he thought! He said he would check into it, but of course I never heard from him again.

Why did the society feel the need to print that? Tell me what you think.

Deb

18

Question: Beware the voice of strangers talk

by Water in

for some unknown reason i decided to torture myself and attended the july assembly.

i found the talk "beware the voice of strangers" particularly interesting.

although it seems, according to my jw mother, that i got the wrong message from the talk.

freein89

To me it sounds like paternalism at its best (worst). Imagine telling adults to beware of strangers. Good little sheep don't talk to strangers.

Deb

18

Buying out the opportune time

by RunningMan in

jw
friends

all of my life, i was told by the society that i should buy out the opportune time.

to them, this phrase meant that i should cut down on watching tv or some other worthless activity, and of course, spend that newfound time worshipping the great publishing company.

well, since i stopped going to meetings on april 10, 2002, i have discovered an entirely new and far more enjoyable application for the admonition to buy out the opportune time.

freein89

Tinkerbell,

you are soooo baaad. Honestly you spend time with opposite sex-unchaperoned! I suppose there is unbridled frolicking and cavorting. Next thing you know you'll be text messaging. You sinner!

Deb

3

Remember the Yellowstone caldera?

by Nathan Natas in

jw
friends

http://www.codyenterprise.com/display/inn_news/news3.txt

bulge in lake worries ynp scientists

by carole cloudwalker

freein89

Wow, I've been to Yellowstone, quite an amazing place. Besides the wonder of the place itself, when you go there you experience a cultural gathering, people come from all over the world to experience Yellowstone. All around you hear the languages from many countries being spoken. Pretty cool. I worry about all those tourists if this thing blows and wouldn't the JW's have a field day with that.

Deb

52

Sometimes, it just ain't any fun...

by safe4kids in

jw
friends

i took my kids on a vacation to disney world...their dream vacation, actually, although it didn't turn out that way.

midway through we get a call that their grandmother (the real one, who was never a dub and who hasn't ever turned her back on the kids or on me even thru my divorce from her son, unlike my own jw mother) is in serious condition at the hospital.

we spent one of our 'vacation' days sitting in a hospital icu waiting room, timing our 15 minute visits so that we could see her, and throughout it all the kids were troopers.

freein89

Dana,

All I can say is that I am sorry. I have never been through the things you are experiencing so all I can do is add my voice to the others here and express my condolences and best wishes. You are an excellent Mommy and it shines through and will help your children. You are not only helping them through a painful journey you are teaching them to be loving, supportive and "there." This will carry through to the next generation. A legacy of love a support is being built through tradgedy. You are wonderful. Keep wrestling the boy for those hugs.

Deb

42

absolute newcomer, absolute

by mash in

jw
friends

hello you lot....god it's been a while!

well, like my topic says, i really am a newcomer so i don't really know what this scene's about.

i hope i don't get ostracised again, like the last time i spoke my mind!

freein89

Hey Mash, Welcome. I guess you got some replys here!

Deb