catchthis

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Posts by catchthis

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  26

  Electricity is more important than God

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, so, don't blame me for this topic!

  kate and i just happen to have an electrical engineer staying with us tonight, and he got me going on this; it's all his fault!!!

  lol .

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  catchthis

  If that happens, I'm converting.............to the Amish!
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  24

  there have been changes.....

  by lisavegas420 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how would you respond to the following quote.....i got this from a pro jw site.

  i don't post on the site, just read.......i just wanted to know how you all would respond to this post.never let anyone cause you to doubt the organization...true there have been changes in the past in which the society readily admits to but the bottom line is that this is the channel jehovah has chosen...remember the vision of his chariot...those wheels could change any direction on a dime...it is our responsibility to move with that chariot and keep up otherwise we will be left behind with nothing better to do than finding fault with this precious organization!.

  i would like to know more about the chariot wheels too....

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  catchthis

  Here is my idea of Jah's Chariot: (I know I know, it isn't quite what you imagined a chariot as looking like)

  The reason for the square wheels is because when a "change" occurs in the "wheels" of the organization, it is immediately followed by a hard jolt disrupting all of the passengers.

  The analogy just used is obvious. It would also make perfect sense to an ex-jw.
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  1

  Violent streak emerged just days after we were married

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  source: http://www.leedstoday.net/viewarticle2.aspx?sectionid=39&articleid=938994

  leeds today

  violent streak emerged just days after we were married

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  catchthis

  several banks turned down his request for a loan to start a domestic cleaning business

  Sorry, couldn't help but notice the blurb above...
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  3

  Sex molestation cases against Jehovah's Witnesses narrowed

  by ezekiel3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  .

  sorry cant get page to embed try this link:.

  http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=07dc390c-0bcc-47e2-bae0-3ef7cd306533.

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  catchthis

  A stack of child molestation cases filed against the Jehovah's Witnesses is due to shrink.

  Lawyers representing individuals suing Jehovah's Witness organizations said Friday they would move next week to dismiss eight Sonoma County plaintiffs they believe are more trouble than they're worth.

  In the case of two of the plaintiffs, lawyers had been unsuccessful in their attempts to communicate with their clients.

  When finalized, the action will drop the number of lawsuits against the Jehovah's Witnesses in Napa Superior Court from 11 to seven. Three of the cases affected were originally filed in Sonoma County, but were later consolidated in Napa with cases from Napa, Tehama, Placer, Yolo and Monterey counties.

  The Sonoma County plaintiffs accused the church of taking no action to stop a former Sonoma County Jehovah's Witness official named Donald Glew from molesting children, even though they claim the church knew of Glew's conduct.

  In a criminal proceeding, Glew was convicted of child molestation in 1989 and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

  In a hearing Friday, lawyers representing plaintiffs and the church agreed to divide the remaining cases into tracks. The parties agreed to try two Tehama County cases with similar claims to the Sonoma County cases before focusing on the remaining cases. No trial date has been set.

  Two of the remaining cases involve three Napans who are suing Napa Jehovah's Witness Congregations and other Jehovah's Witness groups, claiming high-ranking elders and church policymakers were negligent in supervising one church leader.

  Charissa Welch, 35, and two women identified in court papers as Nicole D., 32, and Tabitha H., 30, claim Edward Bedoya Villegas, who was an elder in the congregation, forced them to perform sex acts with him starting more than 20 years ago. Tabitha H. also charges she was raped by Villegas.

  In 1994, Villegas was convicted of molesting several local children at a Napa Jehovah's Witness congregation during the 1970s and '80s. During much of that time Villegas and his wife operated a Jehovah's Witness day care center.

  Villegas died in prison 10 years ago.

  Jehovah's Witness officials have said the facts will show that neither the national organization of the Jehovah's Witness church -- the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society -- nor local elders are responsible for Villegas' actions.
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  37

  What was your favorite thing about service?

  by Dustin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i used to love break time.

  especially if it was afternoon service, and we stopped at taco bell.

  i used to be damn good at eating tacos in the car without spilling anything.

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  catchthis

  Growing up we had some fun rural territory. A few of us bros had monster 4x4 trucks or broncos and we would volunteer to take on the "rough" roads. We had a divine excuse to go four-wheeling. Those were the days.
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  2

  DF'd, and responses from your friends

  by catchthis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have noticed several people on this board who are relating their experiences about being df'd very recently.

  i am no exception.

  is the society purging everyone at once right now?

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  catchthis

  I have noticed several people on this board who are relating their experiences about being df'd very recently. I am no exception. Is the Society purging everyone at once right now? Some sort of Winter cleaning? Prior to my df'ing announcement being made tomorrow night, I wrote a letter to all of my family and good friends explaining what was going to happen and the reasons for it. Reading through the many stories and experiences of other people on this board over the past several years, I had a very good idea of what to expect. What I did differently though was to try and find a pattern between those who received my letter compared to those I spoke to in person. I held back from sending my letter to a very select group of friends.

  In my letter, I gave very specific details on why I cannot believe certain doctrines any longer. I used quotes from the WT literature to back up all of my assertions and points. I left no room to refute my explanations, even from the Society's viewpoint. Interestingly enough, of all who received my letter, only two witnesses replied to me. Needless to say, they were shellshocked to hear about my current stance towards the organization. At no point in their reply did they try to discuss my concerns relating to the WTBTS. Instead, they informed me that they were sorry to hear about what was going to happen and that they also hoped that I would see the error of my ways and return. I was also told not to initiate contact with them or their families under any circumstances during my df'd period.

  The few I called and spoke to in person took on a very different tone. A couple of them confided in me that they too have some reservations about the organization but where else is there to go? I stayed away from telling them the points I brought up in my letter. I kept it simple and to the point. I had simply questioned the organization and made my views known to other witnesses, is what I told them. Amazingly, they all understood and were very supportive. They did not shutdown immediately and refuse to speak to me. The force field did not pop up. Each one of them had a sad voice when they spoke to me. They would be as supportive as they could without revealing to other witnesses of their contact with me. Not all of them said this, only two of them did. It was these witnesses that I spoke to in person who I felt that in the past had issues with the WTS. I am glad I spoke to them instead of sending my letter. I was hoping for the same understanding from other very good friends that I sent my letter to, but so far all I have received in response is silence or rejection.

  So what did I learn from this experience? If you are in my position and you know you will be df'd sooner or later, it may be a good idea to not write a letter to your friends. You may find that by simply making a phone call, your good friends will be more apt to respond to you in a positive way. Though the words in a letter carry long-lasting effects and can be saved forever, they also cannot be taken back once written and sent out. I now look at the letter I sent and wish I could go back and rewrite it. I feel that I focused too much on the negative aspects of the organization and where they erred. For many witnesses, this could be seen as an attack on them, not on the organization. I know that many here have written letters prior to their df'ing explaining where the organization is doctrinally wrong. I did the same but now realize that even your closest friends will ignore you and may even in the future never speak to you not matter what the circumstances.

  So has anyone else here noticed the same pattern when you were df'd or did you experience it differently?
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  32

  riddle

  by mamas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am not alive .

  he that sent me became king.

  he who received me died.

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  catchthis

  The first time I heard this riddle, I was stumped for days. Back then, we didn't have the internet or CDROM's. But I finally focused on the number aspect and searched everything I could on the number 5. From there, it narrowed it down considerably. It didn't help that the witness who told it to me made it sound like 'it' was a person. That is the other clue....
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  47

  FOND FAREWELL TO THE BI-MONTHLY AWAKE!

  by steve2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with the jw congregations about to be informed that the ubiquitous awake!

  magazine is to be issued just once a month from january 2006, now is an apt time for interested parties to share brief memories and/or impressions about the bi-monthly awake!

  magazines, whether poignant, hard-hitting or humorous.

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  catchthis

  It always was and will always be about the money. They are going to be saving 25% in production costs on magazine distributions alone. (2) Watchtower's and (2) Awake's minus (1) Awake. If any publishing company could trim costs by 25% while still retaining roughly the same income flow, it would be a hugely popular business decision. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Watchtower also be cut to once a month but with a few more added pages to cover all of the WT studies during the month. Or simply trim the fat out of the current mags and substitute the study articles instead and leave the 32 page count the same. The Society wouldn't have to lie about anything. They could tell the r&f that they are just trying to save on printing costs and help the environment. Most witnesses would buy into that line of reasoning. Hell, I would.
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  49

  Even stranger than drunken Noah - why did angels want sex with women?

  by eyeslice in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  this is a sort of parallel thread to the drunken noah thread.

  the genesis account of angels 'materialising' and having sex with women always worried me as a witness.

  in all animals, man included, the sex drive is hormonal.

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  catchthis

  Why worry about angels having sex with humans when God should be worrying about this crap taking place:

  What I would like to know is, how would a witness explain this activity? Is this God's idea of some kind of joke or what?
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  93

  What Are Some of Your Favorite Urban Legends About JWs???

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  periodically, we post about what we realize were good fables that were spoken as "gospel".

  smurfs running up and down the aisles of the hall is a well known one......any you remember???

  ?

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  catchthis

  Oh come on people. You mean to tell me that no one heard about that "special talk" that was held in, I think, North Carolina? It occurred sometime around 2000-2001. This special talk was held in a public park with everyone invited. BTW, this UL came by way of email. It seemed very legitimate too. Names were included, even the brother's name who gave the talk. The talk was something about the end being very close, the usual vomit. Anyways, my F-I-L got all worked up about this email and was very excited about it happening in a park. He said he wished the Society would do that more often. He even knew this "brother" from years past while working at bethel. So of course it had to be true. I on the other hand knew it sounded like an UL and told him he better check with his sources at bethel to see if it really happened. He was a little upset that I would question something like this occurring since it appeared to be so legitimate in the email. I just told him he had better check it out before sending it out to everyone on his email list or else he would look like a fool too.

  Well, a few weeks later I hadn't heard anything from him about the "talk" so when he called I answered and asked him if he ever found out what really happened. He said he made a few calls and heard that it was made up and that he didn't understand why a witness would make up such a thing. I just said in a polite way, "I told you so."