every year since i da'ed myself i have two good friends that are ex-jws that beg me to come and "picket'' the jw assemblies with them.
i have turn them down every year but i kind of think i want to do it because my reasoning is that if i picket i will finally be telling jw's and the wts that i am not afraid of them.
i didn't realize how much "fear" the wts puts into its members until the other day when i ran into my jw sister at the supermarket and she literally left her 1/2 full shopping cart and ran out of the store without speaking to me.
The only time I encountered "apostates" was at an international assembly in Montreal as a teenager. They were overly demonstrative and almost screaming which greatly detracted from their message. We thought they were "nuts" to be acting so "wierdly" (which is funny now thsat my perspective has changed).
I would second Eduardo's suggestions if you do decide to go. Be as dignified and friendly (and honest) as you possibly can.
W.
there's lot's of reasons why we need a monarchy.
here's 1 reason, outlined by peter hitchens:.
uniquely in all the world, monarchy stands for liberty...the british form of monarchy is preferable to most forms of republics.
Walter.,
Do you really want a picture of Brian Mulroney or Jean Chretien on our twenty-dollar bills? Ugh! A monarchy reminds us of personal relationships in society as opposed to corporate ones (with the greater degree of impermanence these structures are prone to).
As far as power and relevance, I always thought that a Brit Royal would be perfectly positioned to act as an "Arch-Hero" (as described by Dr. Saul, our Governor-General's Consort) in societal upheaval and at the very least, as a radical (saul Alinsky style). The Queen should have some fun making the government of the day squirm (most "futurists" predict a lot of social turmoil the middle of this century as our economic system runs out of gas). Maybe their day will come again?
W.
there's lot's of reasons why we need a monarchy.
here's 1 reason, outlined by peter hitchens:.
uniquely in all the world, monarchy stands for liberty...the british form of monarchy is preferable to most forms of republics.
I'm not sure about the "people" but the governement certainly does (otherwise, all those tabloid reporters will switch their focus towards their antics and families). The traditional kings of England were elected which kept most of them from getting too "uppity". Even those Scandinavian-Frogs who pervaded the nobility afterwards put themselves "on the line" at wartime (unlike the anonymous American plutocrats!). It represents a more honest relationship between the "quality" and the plebes at least compared to the illusion of equality in the American republic.
It's a delightful holdover for a bunch a slightly wacky islanders (though I'd prefer a more "English" House over House Windsor) and will probably remain for some generations to come.
W.
i have found myself saying this more frequently lately.
do you want an end to this system, or do you want proof of god?
for myself, i am just broken hearted by the state of the world.
If He actually comes along, I'll be standing up and cheering! The fact that this current state of widespread misery would be over would be amazing. Unfortunately, I'd expect Mohamed to come along first (last in , first out?).
W.
i'm new to the forum.
glad i found this place, it seems i've finally found somewhere i feel comfortable.
i'm writing this to get some stuff out of my system.
Hi Cheeseman!
Welcome to the board. All my sibs feel as if we lost a "decade" as well. I always have to keep reminding myself that I could have grown up in the Depression (1930's), been conscripted off to war and come home years later minus some important body parts or part of my soull/mind and then lose more years trying to recover (many never did!). Most days it helps, somedays, it doesn't!
I agree with the other posters to make your health your first priority and then concentrate on evaluating/building your own life philosophy and deciding what role religion will play in it.
There are a lot of great posters here who will try to help you with questions so happy reading! Will keep an eye out for your future posts.
W.
i don't know what i am talking about... read this post at your peril.
back in the 1960s there was, seemingly, a brief period of relaxation in authoritarianism among jehovah's witnesses.
those who have read raymond franz's 'crisis of conscience' will have heard the story about dan sydlik's remark about the need to 'open some windows to let some air in here'.
Hey Slim,
I think it will take another decade (of the older generation of JW's dying off in waves) before the "1914 generation" shit hits the proverbial fan. From what I've read in the forum, the doctrine change has been a fairly stealthy one and hasn't fully registered in the consciousness of the rank and file (especially with the WTS still shouting the "end is near!"-just not so near as before?)
I do agree the GB is probably "scrambling" to find a "solution" but they face the dilema of authority loss if human error is admitted and reform is entertained. I think a western shrinkage will start in the 2020's and a organizational shift toward the third world will happen.
One wild card in this time table is whether or not the abuse lawsuits succeed in stripping the new mirror corp.'s of their assets in the coming years. A financial crisis (hundreds of millions in just U.S., Can, and U.K. alone) could precipitate this shrinkage in an organization already pressed for funds.
How many religions have voluntarily "ceased operations/closed for business"?
W.
i've stumbled upon this site, while reading many articles after giving up trying to find out what time the memorial is.
though after reading allot over the last little while.
i am not too concerned about the memorial either anymore.
Welcome to the forum Frostie!
I just recently discovered the forum as well. Great learning environment with a few comedians thrown as a bonus!
W. (In the center of the Universe!!!!!!!!!)
i was born into the jw religion for 16 years.
7 years after i left, i accepted christ as my personal savior.
best move yet!
Welcome Checkie,
Like you, I'm more curious in regards to what's been going on since the year I left and this is a great place to do so! Finding out more stuff I was never aware of, its amazing how ignorant I was.
W.
this is the second installment in my new series on short, understandable, powerful evidences for evolution.
the first installment is here:.
installment 1: endogenous retroviral sequences.
SNG,
Again, thanks for all the hard work in presenting this material. Looking forward to next week's installment. I just came across some AlanF's posts on the "creation book" yesterday in regards to the misquote issue-unbelievable (well, sadly it is too believable of the org.)! I'm embarassed that I "placed" a couple of those back when it came out in the eighties.
Presently, I think the "super Aliens" (a la Stanley Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey) theory holds as much water as any of the others (no, I'm not a Trekkie!).
T
W.
but the article quoted below makes an excellent point about american protectionism.
i will quote the first three paragraphs of steven e. landsburg of the university of rochester.
the article is "xenophobia and politics ?
Wow....I'm speechless/typless
Have a great weekend anyways!
W. (a red tory)
