TheListener

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Posts by TheListener

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  53

  Please---Your Prayers And Good Wishes Are Needed

  by Sunspot in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i got a call from the er last night---hubby had been in an accident and they were running tests and x-rays.

  he was in terrible pain.

  they called back during the night during the night saying he has a shattered sternum and other injuries.

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  TheListener

  I'm so sorry Annie. My prayers are with you.
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  12

  i am back!!!

  by joanne_ in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi all, nobody here probably knows me here, but i have been reading the posts everyday for almost a year.

  i was registered, and then one day i could not log back in....but i have finally figured it out..... cheers to all.

  talk with you soon.

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  TheListener

  Hi. I'm glad you were able to log back in. I look forward to your comments.
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  33

  Witness School

  by loosie in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  has anyone here ever gone to a witness school.

  you know the school jw's set up to keep their kids separate from the world.

  you would have the daily text every morning and of course a kingdom song had to be sung.. i'd love to hear your experiences.

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  TheListener

  I looked over the new system school website and don't quite get it. It looks like if you join you're just homeschooling your children. There isn't a building or anything that you send them to. It looks like you send $125 bucks in but I can't see what you get back. Perhaps a list of required textbooks? It seems really lame to me. Parents could go to the home schooling legal defense fund website themselves and get as much information without paying nss a dime.

  Maybe I'm in a bad mood today (I am) but this seems like a typical JW preying on the empty pocketbook of their fellow windowwasher.
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  12

  New UBM (UnBelieving Mate) tip of the day: Build Trust With Cult Idenity

  by Check_Your_Premises in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hey all.. any who have read my posts know that i am using steven hassan's, releasing the bonds to help me free my wife from the borg.

  one of the most important steps for a loved one of a cult member is to build trust with their loved ones cult identity.

  i have found it difficult at times to keep bringing up the org to my wife all the time.. i came up with a new angle.

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  TheListener

  Nice point cyp. Keep up the good work. Hopefully your wife will listen and be glad you were so patient and kind.
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  44

  Is there a slowdown in congregation get togethers?

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was just reading thelisteners post from an earlier thread, and it got me thinking just how little time dubs have to associate togther.. it seems to be more and more the fact, that the only time dubs see each other to "associate" - if you can even call it that - is at meetings and conventions.. even at conventions though, the dubs are told not to go outside for lunch, regardless of whether it is a nice day of not.

  (note, this may not be true at all conventions).

  where is a jehovah's witness supposed to get this period of refreshment so he can do more?

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  TheListener

  Stillajwexelder,

  Is the social side something for everyone to participate in or is it limited in its size? What kinds of things are people doing? I love being able to hear this kind of stuff from around the world. None of the congs. around me have a very social spirit. There are get togethers, just not very often and definitely limited in size. It's nothing like the old days when social activities were an important part of our worship.
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  26

  Do you sense "a sense of urgency" in the congregations?

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  now that we're in the 21st century, and all those pre-millenium worries that a few had about armaggedon seem to have gone, everyone seems to be getting on with their lives, buying homes, going on cruises and planning for their retirement.. not everyone does these things, but there is so little talk about the great tribulation, armaggedon and the new system, you can't help but wonder if they are just going through the motions.. i see young people at the hall - they couldn't care less about spiritual things, although they may comment and go out in service.. i see people in the 30s quietly getting on with life - a few are building their own homes from scratch, others are planning on moving and some have bought new cars.. nothing wrong with this, but each of these things show an investment in the future.

  a car has to be paid for (if its a lease), a home needs a 15/25/30 year mortgage and this all takes time.. time with a capital "t".. let's face it - the urgency is gone.

  no one thinks about the "time of the end" and everyone does their own thing.. families are still having children.. one of my college professors once asked me: "how do you know that people have confidence in the future?".

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  TheListener

  I believe that the society is hedging its bet. They are hoping to maintain their numbers in the industrialized nations while increasing their membership in second and third world countries. Even if they can't maintain their numbers in the industrialized nations the ones they do hold onto will be the self righteous super dub types that will provide enough money to cover the society's expenses in the second and third world countries. I still think the society has many areas in which to cut costs to be really efficient and we'll see some of these changes over the next couple of years. I think we've seen some already.

  I expect a change in the special assembly day, circuit assembly and district convention routine in the next couple years.
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  15

  JWs and adoption

  by bebu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what are your thoughts about jws adopting children?

  has anyone here adopted children while a jw?

  what are your views about this?.

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  TheListener

  I have known witness couples that adopted kids. Everything seemed ok. The congregation was helpful and loving. I always thought the kids were so "fortunate" to have been adopted by witnesses. It was like winning the adoption lottery. Now they would have a chance to live forever in paradise.

  My current view is that witness parents can be really good people but their religious beliefs definitely go against the norm of society. Any child adopted would be excluded from holiday celebrations, birthdays and the parents would never allow a blood transfusion. If witness parents want to adopt that's fine by me, but they must provide a house where the child is allowed blood transfusion if one is necessary and include some extracurricular activity - and not just pioneering all summer.
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  15

  AJWRB

  by Lee Elder in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  .

  we have just published a newsletter for those who follow the blood issue.. it can be viewed here:.

  http://www.ajwrb.org/newsletter/april-05.html

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  TheListener

  Thank you for your work Lee. It has really come in handy when discussing the blood issue with other dubs.
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  19

  The Pope is NOT the voice of God on Earth

  by Survive1999 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have always been a little bit puzzled by jws loudly proclaiming that the pope is not the "voice of god on earth", and turning around and vernerating the watchtower as "the voice of god on earth.".

  i have repeatedly told jws to apply the same standard you do against the pope to the watchtower and you will be more than a bit dissapointed.

  the best answer i could ever get was, "well that's different".. can any exjws explain this?

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  TheListener

  I've had this discussion with dubs (while still a good dub myself) in the past. There are some individuals who can recognize that a Presiding Overseer, Circuit Overseer, District Overseer, Zone Overseers and Governing Body really do make up a similar hierarchy to the RCC. There are others who just cannot see it at all. The witnesses are masters at changing words to appear less pagan and less like other churches . We all know the examples, kingdom hall not church, service not evangelizing, meetings not services, talks not sermons, etc etc.

  I agree that if the witnesses want to continue and increase in size they'll need to lighten up the pharasaic doctrines they've been hanging onto. They will need to become less cult-like (or cultic) and mainstream themselves.

  By the way, I like it when I can write a post that sounds like I am on the outside looking in. It's so different from when I talk with other witnesses. I find it refreshing. I am jealous of all you who are out and free now.
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  27

  Gave 586/587 evidence to elder today

  by SeymourButts in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i decided to take the big gamble today and stopped to visit an elder relative of mine.

  the gamble wasn't the visit, but what i did while there.

  i am many years da'd, but still have a fairly good relationship with most of my family.

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  TheListener

  What you did takes real courage. You took a big risk and I hope everything works out well. I hope to have the same courage one day.

  Congrats!!!