Hooray for Men In Funny Hats

Uncanny

Do any of you other lurkers or posters ever give a thought to the poeple - not publishers - who may have helped you learn 'the truth about the the Truth?' I'm talking about ex Jehovah's Witnesses like myself who have been there, done that, seen the light, and are trying to shine it on others.

Just over 2 years ago now when I got banished to the bottom of our Earth - to a dying mining town in Western Tasmania on my first and last MTS assignment - yours truly started wondering what the heck had become of his life. I got lonely - real lonely - then on the Net, only to find, not solace, but salvation; by discovering all the stuff I'd swallowed from the WTB&T Society for the previous 20 years had really been just a pack of dated, if even manipulative theories. I read a lot of essays from a lot of clever minds. And learnt a lot of truths about the Truth in a very short time. But more than all that, I remember experiencing more help and love from these cyber strangers - the kindness of strangers - in a matter of weeks than what I ever did in years of being 'in the Truth'.

So to cut a long story short, get a life is what I did, and get a life is what I now continue to do. So I just want to say thank you again to a lot of sort of cyber pals who are still trying to assist searching ones WITHIN the organisation to revaluate the Society's doctrines, and indeed, their own faith if need be.

Because you should understand how impressed I find myself feeling tonight when, after 6 months absence from this still excellent JW Forum - thank you, too, Simon - one of the first posts I see back is from a young man named Spender who, even if he did express himself very well, wanted to ask AF some more questions concerning the truth about the Truth.

You probably already know the post I'm talking about. The one less than 12 hours ago, and there was AF, already having faithfully replied, with an offer for phone contact if required. Thou taketh off thoust hat off to you, Squire. (That is if I had one, like you.) Ha.

So suffice to say, thank you again, AF, and all the other men and women who wear funny hats. The reclusive Uncanny salutes you valiant ex brothers and sisters who work so hard at helping people to rescue themselves from religious bondage and perhaps, themselves. Yes, thank you AF, for your ongoing committment to helping anybody and everybody learn the truth about the Truth. (Love ya hat,too.)

Uncanny

spender

I agree...the hat is very cool

AlanF

You're very welcome, Uncanny! What are you up to these days? Still out in the boonies, or what?

AlanF

Uncanny

Thank you for dropping by, Spender. Yes, AF does wear a cool hat. What is it? Sort of Wild West Omish maybe? And speaking of mysteries, like Af, I'd also like to know the topics of some of the questions you have for him. I'm sorry I can't help. I could help you with your Form Guide, or the late mail for the Seventh at Rosehill Gardens tomorrow, but I have to leabe the big stuff up to the big boys. But really, I'm sure a lof of us here would like to hear your questions and your reasons for belief about things as well.

Keep searching, Spender. I personally LOVE the fact that life is just a bowl of cherries; don't take it serious, it's too mysterious...you work, you save, you worry so, but you can't take yer dough when ya go go go... Sorry, I'm just a dead set Rudy Vallee fan tonight. And if you've never heard of him, he was a crooner and a swooner - the first true hero of prehistoric pop music, and my Galah likes him as well.

Uncanny

Uncanny.

Uncanny

Out in the boondocks and loving it, AF. Loving the peace and quiet of these beautifully classical Australian hills of the Onkaparinga Valley. Since Sept 11 - or six weeks later when I started getting over it - I have been very busy writing a book about my bird. As pictured, Whacker of Woodside: The True Story of a Real Galah. It was supposed to be a 25,000 kiddy winks book with all these digital photos I now have of my beloved bird. But I got carried away with the narrative, and stretched it out to the teenage and young adult market over 70,000 words. I'm tired, AF. Mentally tired, and tired of being admired, as you must feel from time to time. But I'm happy and will soon be working with my hands helping to build an environmentally friendly, 3 storey straw bale house for myself and my pet galah and true life companion, it seems for now. (We like a lot of space, especially where there are so many, many stars.)

I'll always admire you, Alan, and if I can get this book up - my 2nd try in 12 years - I'll make sure this Forum hears about tt all right and you get a complimentary copy, with the bird's beak - not signature inscribed as well. Ha. Ain't life grand, AF?! And I still miss Farkel and Uncle Bruce, and love to yer better half.. and you know the rest.

Uncanny

garybuss

Several people have commented about my hat(s)

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spender

garybuss: I'd be interested in hearing the comments they made about it

spender

i just picked up COC from the mailroom today. Going to start reading it tonight...

to answer your question uncanny, right now I'm just trying to have an open mind about things. I'm a down-to-earth person, and I prefer listening to down-to-earth people talk about the Bible (because we all know how many kooky and fanatical people are out there). I think logically, and I've been reading AlanF's posts, and some of his essays, and he makes very many valid statements. Basically what I want out of all this is to just read more of the Bible, be able to slowly steer my sister away from the borg, and have a closer relationship with God and Jesus. I also want to do the reading because I want to know for myself what I really believe and not just because it was taught to me when I was a dub. There's some things specifically I want to look into...like the trinity (I don't believe in it). Hope that answers your question about my questions

garybuss

Spender

One chap wished he had two of em :}

gb

Marilyn

Hey Uncanny - it gets curiouser and curiouser coz I saw Spenders post come up and I emailed Alan to tell him his fan club was asking for him. Alan didn't reply to me so he may have seen the post unaided but I wanted to do what I could to help. I was richly rewarded by reading Alan's reply and his story on the H20 site. It's a great read don't you think? I thought it was very interesting how long it took Alan to give up on the Society.

David and I have stayed with Alan and Julie (last century) and Alan's research is mind boggling. It's truly incredible. David has done a Ph.d. bla bla bla but thinks Alan has several Ph.d's in the form of WTS research - just sitting around unpublished. He's a truly amazing guy.

Btw we have something in common - Tasmania was our place of enlightenment. David and I didn't have any help though. We kinda woke up over a number of years. In the late 70's there were no apostates (except for scary fundi christian exjw's) to give us guidence. However we talked and talked to each other over at least four years and with the help of badly behaved Witnesses we walked away in 1980. We must have hooked up with the Internet in 1996 and visited Alan and Julie in 1997. Even after all that time "out" it was an absolute blast to meet such great exjws on the net and in person.

Lovely post

Don't forget we are in Melbourne and we're vaguely decent company (says she modestly!). Actually David is working in HK at the moment but he comes home a lot.

take care
Marilyn

Hooray for Men In Funny Hats

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