So sorry for your loss, Greg. When my sister tried to ban me from a family gathering, I told her I would not live my life based on someone else's superstitions. That seemed to take her aback, and I went anyway. Don't know if that would work in your circumstances, but hang in there. We're all pulling for you.
under the radar
JoinedPosts by under the radar
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Our family wishes to extend our sympathies to Gregg [Greybeard from JWStruggle]...
by Newly Enlightened ingregg, we are deeply sorry for your loss.
you will be with us in our thoughts & prayers.
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Congregation had to relocate Memorial...thanks to me
by Shepherd Book inso, the two local congregations were planning to hold their memorial together at 7:30 at the local community center, but they had to make a last-minute change to their own hall, and i'm pretty sure it was because of me.. let me explain.... at work on monday afternoon, a co-worker returned from her lunchbreak and showed me the memorial invitation that was waiitng in her door when she went home for lunch.
i noticed the sticker on the back indicated the memorial was being held, not at the local hall, but at the community center.
from a past (non-jw) event i attended there, i knew they didn't allow alcohol (unless you pay for security guards), so i wrote to the center's coordinator:.
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under the radar
At the risk of bring flamed, I thnk this kind of crap gives us apostates a bad name. It also undermines our legitimate actions to thwart the mind-control cult from its really harmful activities. I also think it was a childish and pointless exercise in tit-for-tat gamesmanship.
You know very well there was to be no actual use of alcohol, certainly not any abuse thereof. You just inconvenienced a group people you don't like just for the pure sport of it. The JWs do many harmful things, but observing the Memorial is not one of them.
Reasoned discussions, even arguments, against their false doctrines, cult-like qualities, flawed child abuse policies, and mind-control techniques are fine and deserve to shouted from the rooftops. But interfering with their right the peacefully assemble in public facilities goes too far. It's spiteful and gives them ammunition to whine about how hateful those "nasty apostates" are.
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40 years on - and still in Damage Control mode!
by Bungi Bill inearlier this morning, i posted off to the the institute of engineers an application for membership as an "engineering associate":.
- today being just over 40 years since the congregation's retards elders made me abandon my apprenticeship.. (in this part of the world, the pre-1975 hype was taken to that level.
not being content to prevent young persons attending university, they went one step further and treated with hostility any youngster who would "tie up five years of their lives" by entering into an apprenticeship.
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under the radar
Best of luck to you, Bunji. It really is never too late. I finally got my degree 11 years after high school, and it was another 6 years before I got started at the ground floor of the career I'd always wanted. But it all paid off. And it can all pay off for you too. Congratulations on never giving up and continuing to pursue your ambitions. Soon we'll all be able to lift a glass to the newest Engineering Associate. Cheers!
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Forum Owner and Member Integrity
by Simon insome people recently raised concerns about security of the site relating to whether forum members could be watchtower plants trying to obtain information about people.
apparently, this was because a previous forum that was setup was either owned by or later handed over to someone who used it to collect personal information about people which was then used to harrass them.
i don't know all the details, i'm just paraphrasing what i've heard and recognize that it's a concern to some people.. i want to first of all put people's minds at rest: i've been running this site for what will be 13 years next month.
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under the radar
Simon and Angharad, I too appreciate all your hard work in making this site available. It is absolutely my favorite website and I usually check in at least once a day. Many here have been badly hurt by the WT, far more than I was, and having this site as a place to find comfort and solace lets them know they are not alone. Who knows how many lives have been brightened, maybe even saved, just by the friends they've made and the things they've read here. Thanks again, and keep up the good work!
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We are in for a blizzard!
by coffee_black inthe winter storm watch has just been upgraded to a blizzard watch.
from where i sit, just outside of boston, it looks like up to 2 feet of snow from friday to saturday with high winds that will make travel very difficult if not impossible.. .
coffee .
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under the radar
We're all snuggled in and cozy in Manchester, NH. Only about 50 miles from you, Coffee. My sweetheart has next week off for vacation anyway, so she's working from home today and then the festivities begin! Plenty of time to cuddle up and watch old movies and play on our computers.
Hope everyone stays safe and warm. A little "down time," even if forced by the weather, can be a good thing.
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My grandson is interviewing with Harvard tomorrow
by coffee_black ini'm doing the happy dance!
just got word a few minutes ago.
his odds are pretty good!
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under the radar
Congratulations, Coffee! You must be bursting with pride. And best wishes to your grandson. What a great opportunity he has. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that all goes well.
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Just had an elder drop in for a visit
by biometrics injust had an elder drop in for a visit.
asking why i hadn't been to the meetings for over two years.
i told him there's a lot of things i don't agree with.. .
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under the radar
Commencing rant.
"He started talking about how the Organization doesn't have everything correct and they're starting to acknowledge it. How the meeting format has changed, focusing less on 'details' and more on how to live a good life."
"He also said it he doesn't like the term 'the truth', and thinks it's a presumptuous term, because they don't have 100% truth ."
"We have had some wrong expectations about the end. But we are more concerned with obeying Jesus and saving lives than with avoiding criticism. - w2013 1/15, p. 8"
"We agree with the sentiment of longtime Witness A. H. Macmillan, who said: "I learned that we should admit our mistakes and continue searching God's Word for more enlightenment.""
All the above would be well and good IF the Society didn't require total and unquestioning acceptance of whatever "new light" appeared in the latest WT or was announced at some special meeting. No matter what you were REQUIRED to believe yesterday or might be REQUIRED to believe tomorrow, even though some of those beliefs directly affect peoples' very lives. "Don't bother to ponder, reason, or do outside research on spiritual matters. We have brothers at Bethel who are assigned to do just that! We'll let you know what to think. Don't worry your pretty little heads."
The Society values "unity" above freedom of conscience and a personal relationship with Jesus. They are presumptious to an astonishing degree, and seem determined to be the masters of your faith. They are spiritual bullies in a very real sense, and I hope they pay a heavy price in the end.
Rant completed. Resuming normal operations.
For what it's worth, I agree with the other posters who advised you to be very careful with this "friend." He may be setting you up, even unintentionally. If he repeats anything you've said, even innocently, it could easily lead to an investigation into your "apostate leanings." He may feel compelled to jump on the bandwagon to deflect questions about his own thinking. There is no way this would end well for you. I highly recommend you be as noncommittal as possible. Say little and avoid conversations like this like the plague, unless you are ready to be out of the Borg completely and officially.
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Visited Beth Sarim today
by exwhyzee inmy sister in law has been shunned by the family since she da'd herself at the age of 18 and moved out of the house.
i always insisted that my wife keep in contact with her and made sure she knew she had a soft place to land,with us, should she need it.
even at the risk of it getting us in hot water with the pioneer,elder,bethelite family members there was no way we were going to let her disappear into the wild blue yonder on her own.
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under the radar
My hat's off to you, Sir. That's what Christian love is all about. Really, that kind of real love and concern for fellow human beings, especially family members, shouldn't be limited to the term "Christian." It transcends anything defined by any particular set of beliefs.
I hope to visit Beth Sarim one day myself. Purely for historical reasons, of course. The same reasons I'd love to discover the VIN numbers of those Cadillacs Rutherford had. It would be very interesting indeed to find out what happened to them. Hmmm...
Anyway, congratulations on caring for and about your sister-in-law all those years. I'm sure your little excursion to Beth Sarim was time well-spent and drew all of you a little closer.
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My Mother Passed
by Roberta804 inthank you for all of your support durning the two difficult weeks my mother was on her death bed.
last night at 10:30pm she breath her last with my sister and i by her side.
this is a real end of an era for me as i have known little these past 8 years other than taking care of my parents.
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under the radar
So sorry for your loss, Roberta. Your good deeds will not go unremembered.
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Hello from North Dakota
by ndmom73 ini am fairly new here.
i came across this site a few years ago and tried to join but i wasn't approved as a member for whatever reason.
well, recently i came across this site again and decided to reapply to be a member and it was approved.
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under the radar
Welcome aboard! We may have some mutual acquaintances. Check your PMs, please.
By the way, when you click on the little envelope the first time you are likely to get an error message. Just go back to the previous page and try again. It usually works the second time.