Posts by talesin

13

...the relief of Congregation Members

by Lostandfound in

jw
friends

just clearing out all old stuff and came across tyhis line in my copy of the uk memorandum of constitution, passed by each uk cong in (i think) 1997).

this line bemused me as i know of no witness who ever receiver financial help from their congregation.

clause 4.2.4 read for other charitable purposes including the relief of congregation members who are in conditions of need hardship or distress.

talesin

How ironic. That is a bald-faced lie.

EG: We had a very poor family, who rented from a rich and powerful elder. They had no furnace oil and 5 kids, and asked him for help with the oil. He said 'we are here to take care of your spiritual needs, not your physical ones'.

This was something I learned decades later, from a relative and reliable source. And that particular elder was a mean and scary man, to which I can personally attest. :' (

[Edit and note: individuals do help others - I am talking about church aid, which in the above case, could have been provided - other churches would]

I'm kinda old, and 4th generation JW, and have never heard of the JWS organization ever helping any of their members by giving them help, be it clothing, cash, food, housing, you name it.

40

Terrorist attack in Belgium

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

check the news.

there was a terrorist attack in brussells, couple of bombs detonated in the brussell airport and the metro.. 36 dead so far.. i send my sincerest condolences to the people of belgium.. the motive seems to be revenge for the capture of the last surviving member of the paris terrorist attacks..

talesin

fulano, and any others in Belgium, you will be in my thoughts.

Terrorists will strike to create fear and anger. This makes less-militarized nations, a better target. No one is safe when terror tactics are being used, because death of the loving and the innocent is a good way to stir up hate.

Be safe, all.

51

Lost on how to respond...

by babygirl30 in

jw
friends

so an old friend of mine from the congregation hit me up today.

the story goes like this when we were jw's:.

- this guy used to be madly in love with me but i didn't see him as anything more than a friend.

talesin

This guy has probably thought about you a lot over the past 8 years. It's clear that you were his first love. I would say be kind, be gracious, and still get your point across. You must think he's an essentially good person, or you would not have given him so many chances

'The best revenge is to live well.' Oscar Wilde said this, and he would know! It's been one of my favorite quotes for over 30 years, and words to live by.

He's the one stuck in a cult, and you are free. It sounds like he's always been kind. Take the high road. (It is also the intellectual and smart thing to do, and will show your contentment in life, and lack of need for 'Jehovah'). xx tal

6

How to find someone you lost contact with

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

is there an app for that?

seriously, in this day and age, there has to be a way to find someone you lost contact with.

i know, facebook...but i'm having no luck there.

talesin

Marriages are a public record, too.

46

Blood Transfusion and Eating

by dugout in

i get highly irritated when this subject comes up.

this idiot gave a talk in my hall recently and said that transfusion of blood and eating blood was the same thing.

my wife accepts this reasoning.

talesin

I'm not forgetting this:

The issue of the JWS being a death cult that advertises its child martyrs on the front page of its propaganda rag, the Awake! (TM) magazine, is heinous, and no laughing matter.

46

Blood Transfusion and Eating

by dugout in

i get highly irritated when this subject comes up.

this idiot gave a talk in my hall recently and said that transfusion of blood and eating blood was the same thing.

my wife accepts this reasoning.

talesin

Where the WT really lost the plot, though, was when they banned the use of certain pet foods and garden fertilizers that were made with blood products. That was insanity at its finest.

I did not know that. : P

Image result for hobbs rofl

26

Am l the only one.?The older l become the more hostile l become towards god.

by atomant in

they say you mellow out with age.maybe so but not in my case.l feel its an insult and degrading to us humans to have to live the way we do if there is a god.deep down l guess l do believe theres a god but lm having great difficulty trying to understand why things are the way they are.l dont need a bible bashing from anyone l just feel frustrated and helpless.l just battle on like everyone else but l get the feeling theres a whole lot more to our existence.

talesin

Or is it this one? (Not the one I was thinking of, but check out the plot on Wiki).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whom_Gods_Destroy_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series)

This one (another personal fav)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Mourns_for_Adonais%3F

26

Am l the only one.?The older l become the more hostile l become towards god.

by atomant in

they say you mellow out with age.maybe so but not in my case.l feel its an insult and degrading to us humans to have to live the way we do if there is a god.deep down l guess l do believe theres a god but lm having great difficulty trying to understand why things are the way they are.l dont need a bible bashing from anyone l just feel frustrated and helpless.l just battle on like everyone else but l get the feeling theres a whole lot more to our existence.

talesin

When someone uses me (like g-d does), and wants my support (like g-d does), but is never *there* when I need them (like g-d), then I say "Buh-BYE" (which is what I said to g-d when I was 20, many years ago).

That's what I did when I was young, honest to God! : P

But seriously, I've not regretted that choice. Why keep begging for his approval and/or asking for his help?

I wish I could have let go of my parents as easily - but they are real.

bg - the fx - that big smiley head. They did several treatments (eg; greek-type g-d-like aliens - the first biracial kiss), but that was the one that really 'got' me when I was a kid. I've always thought that alien life forms were more plausible than g-d. Perhaps that's why, as a child, I loved ST so much. That, and its message of social justice and equality. Yay for the 60s! ; )

6

How to find someone you lost contact with

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

is there an app for that?

seriously, in this day and age, there has to be a way to find someone you lost contact with.

i know, facebook...but i'm having no luck there.

talesin

There used to be a website where exJWS could register their name. You could look through lists alphabetically. It's how I found out my cousins had left the cult, and I got in touch with them. I've been looking for it, but that was about 10 years ago. It's harder to find people online now, than it used to be. If they have a landline, you may find them in a 411 directory - but as you said, different name ...

35

Memorial mixed emotions...

by Tornintwo in

jw
friends

does anyone else feel 'pulled back in' at this time of year?.

i still consider myself to a believer, believe in god and jesus christ, on the whole i think he taught tolerance, love, acceptance and i think we can benefit from following his example.

i love ray franzs book in search of christian freedom.

talesin

When I decided I was no longer going to meetings, that included the Memorial.

There are no mixed emotions for me. After years of being invited, I finally told my parents that "hell will freeze over before I set foot in a KH".

Why would anyone want to go to a place where they will be shunned? A place that is phony, abusive, and everything an ethical person would feel repulsed by?

xx