I remember witnesses stopping at all the garage sales while out in service. As long as they tried to present the person with a pice of literature they would count all the time they had spent there.
Garage sales
by poppers 25 Replies latest jw friends
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Aude_Sapere
Only bizarre JWs in my area ...
How can you differentiate?-Aude.
There are some JWs that fly under the radar and have enough sense not to take everything sooo seriously. Then there are others who are just plain wacko. Like the sister whose son was having a nose bleed out in service and he said "oh the blood is running down the back of my throat" the mother said "well don't swallow it. You know how Jehovah feels about blood".
You mean that's not a 'normal' JW response?? It's what my mom always told me. Couldn't tip our heads back. Had to tip forward so we would bleed properly - out.
Which is why I sometimes have a tough time differentiating the usual JW from the Bizarro one...!!!
btw - I *do* know what y'all meant. I've seen some that were way more bizarre than dear old mom. But not many....
-Aude.
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mamochan13
we were always cautioned against buying second hand items in case they were demonized. My mother had an experience. She had purchased some chairs from a catholic used store. soon she noticed a funny odour in the basement where the chairs were stored. She started to get freaked out. Then odd things would happen each time she went down the stairs, so she convinced herself that the chairs were to blame and must be demonized. Finally one night she had a terrifying "dream" in which she believed she was actually sexually assaulted by demons. The next day she threw the chairs away & everything was fine.
The demons being attached to possessions is a common belief. But what I found interesting, the other day I came across a book that explains the nocturnal demon sexual assault phenomena as something experienced across cultures and all over the world. Details vary, depending on belief systems and cultures.
I do not discount the power of the mind, I know my mother truly felt and believed the whole thing, but I also know it was because she convinced herself it was so.
I don't believe in demons, devil, etc., anymore, but I do think there are some things that happen that seem to support the belief. I also think there is a scientific explanation.
However - I LOVE garage sales!!!!!! so glad spring is here - since garage sales are soon to follow! :-)
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LongHairGal
Mamochan:
Don't laugh, but your mother's experience about nocturnal demon sexual assault happened to me several times many years ago when I was new as a JW and I don't consider myself to be crazy. Very scary. In my case it didn't have anything to do with thigs from garage sales, etc. I don't recall having anything "questionable" around my house. I don't know what to attribute it to but I am not ashamed to reveal this now.
LHG -
rebel8
Hey, I met an Elder(tm) in a Salvation Army Thrift Store a few weeks back, buying books. He is supporting another Christian organization!
My JW mother shops ONLY at Salvation Army (a.k.a. Sally's, which she calls it to soften the Christendom connection) for her clothes. She even gets bras and shoes there. Apparently she likes someone else's footprint being worn into her shoes. Ewwww. She can well afford to shop in regular stores, too...a quirk of hers.
I have asked her many times how she can do this and remain in good standing with the dubs. She claims Sally's does not make a "profit" on the clothing, so it's ok. She is against donating to them (even donating clothes, which she claims would be sold at "no profit"--contradiction). I have proved to her in the past that they do make a "profit" on the clothes; she says nothing but still does it.
I often wonder if I should turn her in and get her DFd so she'll wake up, but I just can't bring myself to put an old(er) woman under that much stress, even though she's done terrible things to me and deserves it.....and the outcome (waking up) is a worthy one.
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mamochan13
LHG - I wouldn't laugh. My mother's experience was very real to her. I don't believe in demons or garage sale connections, but I do believe in unexplained paranormal events.
If you can find it - the book I'm reading is called "Sex and the Paranormal" by Dr. Paul Chambers, 1999 Blandford: Orion Publishing. It discusses the phenomena you experienced, so you are certainly not alone.
I've also had some intense "demon" dream experiences, and they are very scary.