Posts by The wanderer

14

Aftermath: The Shame And Regret Of It All

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

aftermath: the shame and regret of it allhaving been a convert of jehovahs witnesses for 14 years there is one issue .

that seems difficult to have closure with, and that is facing former relatives and .

worldly friends that i had since childhood.. the watchtower encouraged separation from the unbelievers of this world .

The wanderer

Dear Scully:

Thank you a thousand times over for
the practical advice.

Very respectfully,

Richard

14

Aftermath: The Shame And Regret Of It All

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

aftermath: the shame and regret of it allhaving been a convert of jehovahs witnesses for 14 years there is one issue .

that seems difficult to have closure with, and that is facing former relatives and .

worldly friends that i had since childhood.. the watchtower encouraged separation from the unbelievers of this world .

The wanderer

Aftermath: The Shame And Regret Of It All

Having been a convert of Jehovah’s Witnesses for 14 years there is one issue
that seems difficult to have closure with, and that is facing former relatives and
“worldly” friends that I had since childhood.

The Watchtower “encouraged” separation from the “unbelievers of this world”
and I found that I turned my back on several good people because of this per-
spective.

What Could You Suggest?

Today, I am too ashamed to go back and face them because of my former con-
victions. It is something that I will live to regret for the rest of my life.

Question: Does anyone have any practical advice regarding this issue?

Respectfully,

Richard

21

Social Influence: Are You An Individual Or One Of The Crowd?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

social influence: are you an individual or one of the crowd?the watchtower society exerted enormous pressure on us to behave according to their norms.

having an individual viewpoint and perspective on matters isolated an individual within the .

organizationi know this firsthand.. the in crowdif you belong to one of the various syndicates (believer, atheist ), can you take a stand for .

The wanderer

Dear Mary:

I think you have a point. However, I have noticed that
certain individuals that subscribe to one of these
syndicates, believer, unbeliever, atheist, evolutionist,
tend to follow the crowd in their beliefs.

What I am asking is whether or not an individual can
separate themselves of the popular viewpoints or
opinions of one of these crowds at the price of
going "against" the popular belief and the "in crowd".

Respectfully,

Richard

113

Open Discussions About The Paranormal

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

open discussions about the paranormalseveral times threads would feature a particular discussion about the paranormal.. in the past, discussions featured ghosts, unidentified flying objects, ouija boards, .

and other similar topics which correlate to the paranormal.

some individuals are put off with the subjecton several occasions, it could not be helped but to notice that individuals who .

The wanderer

Dear Buttlight:

Agreed! I do not see why individuals cannot discuss
this or any other issue in a civil manner without
resorting to insult or ridicule.

As I mentioned to another individual on this thread,
I would rather build bridges of communication then
construct walls that divide.

Sad to say, some individuals see discussions in
terms of being "debates" and not being able to
stick to the theme of the discussion.

Thank for your understanding
and for your posting.

Respectfully,

Richard

21

Social Influence: Are You An Individual Or One Of The Crowd?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

social influence: are you an individual or one of the crowd?the watchtower society exerted enormous pressure on us to behave according to their norms.

having an individual viewpoint and perspective on matters isolated an individual within the .

organizationi know this firsthand.. the in crowdif you belong to one of the various syndicates (believer, atheist ), can you take a stand for .

The wanderer

Social Influence: Are You An Individual Or One Of The Crowd?

The Watchtower Society exerted enormous pressure on us to behave according to their norms.
Having an individual viewpoint and perspective on matters isolated an individual within the
organization—I know this firsthand.

The “In Crowd”

If you belong to one of the various syndicate’s (believer, atheist ), can you take a stand for
what you believe in even though it may not be popular with the “in crowd.”

In other words, are you an individual or one of the crowd? Explain.

Respectfully,

Richard

*Article Inspired by NVR

121

Are some of us still judgmental and think ourselves morally superior?

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

is a certain "uptightness" creeping into our community?.

should we be scolding one another?.

especially kids?

The wanderer

Dear Nvr:

I think it boils down to motivation and how an
individual perceives other individuals. I think
if a person looks at the positive aspects
of people you become less of a faultfinder.

If an individual has an axe to grind they will
never see anything good.

Regarding those who belong to the "master race",
simply just ignore them or left click with your
mouse button and they readily disappear.

Respectfully,

Richard

113

Open Discussions About The Paranormal

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

open discussions about the paranormalseveral times threads would feature a particular discussion about the paranormal.. in the past, discussions featured ghosts, unidentified flying objects, ouija boards, .

and other similar topics which correlate to the paranormal.

some individuals are put off with the subjecton several occasions, it could not be helped but to notice that individuals who .

The wanderer

Dear Hill:

"...counsel others into posting according to YOUR values - that is the issue."-hillary_step

I see your perspective and understand what
you are saying. The values that you mention
that I "counsel" others are partly described
in the board's rules and from college.

No one on this board is totally ignorant
concerning the rules of this community it
is spelled out quite nicely during the sign
up process.

In addition, I also adhere to some of the
suggestions according to the source below
and try to treat others accordingly.

Anyway, I agree with you in the sense that
we should leave this (discussion/debate) for a
future time and date.

Respectfully, Richard

113

Open Discussions About The Paranormal

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

open discussions about the paranormalseveral times threads would feature a particular discussion about the paranormal.. in the past, discussions featured ghosts, unidentified flying objects, ouija boards, .

and other similar topics which correlate to the paranormal.

some individuals are put off with the subjecton several occasions, it could not be helped but to notice that individuals who .

The wanderer

Dear Hill:

I understand your perspective on matters, however,
my perspective regarding topics of discussion
are just that.

They are topics of discussion not debates. Notice,
the blurb or headline of the web thread "Open
Discussions About The Paranormal."

Design of The Intended Article

Since mentioning to me on past occasions how you
felt about the color scheme and the "Watchtower"
approach format regarding the articles I will
explain the why?

Target Audience

I think it is safe to conclude that most individuals
on this board were either Jehovah's Witnesses, former
Jehovah's Witnesses or associated and familiar with
the Watchtower Society in some manner.

Hence, therefore, the idea of formatting the articles
similar to what they were seeing in the magazines was
partly done for purposes of spoofing (parody) and partly
for added shock value.

The difference in The Wanderer's articles is that it
allows audience participation whereas the Watchtower's
questions always ended with what they wanted the
reader to conclude in their magazines.

Anyway, my approach to individuals on this board is
to build bridges of communication and not to construct
walls of division. I have friendly relationships on this
board.

Respectfully,

Richard

Just because a person chooses to "Wander" does not mean he is lost. -The Wanderer

113

Open Discussions About The Paranormal

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

open discussions about the paranormalseveral times threads would feature a particular discussion about the paranormal.. in the past, discussions featured ghosts, unidentified flying objects, ouija boards, .

and other similar topics which correlate to the paranormal.

some individuals are put off with the subjecton several occasions, it could not be helped but to notice that individuals who .

The wanderer

Dear Hilliary_Step:

Normally, when I finish with a discussion I never
return for any reason. However, Blueblades sent me
a personal message to see your commentary and I
complied because of my trust in his judgment.

Personally, I thought it was an exceptional
commentary (the second one) which answered
the question and overtook the discussion
in a positive manner.

My thoughts are, if reply's such as your last
commentary were on a more frequent basis
you would bring up the level of dis-
cussion regarding almost any matter.

Just my opinion ...

Respectfully,

Richard

(The Wanderer)

22

Ready to Rumble! Minimus v. Blueblades- To the Death

by nvrgnbk in

jw
friends

place your bets!

The wanderer

Both men have their good qualities. However, Blueblades
wrote an article a few years back that he reposted again
that had me in near tears.

It really should be placed in a classics section on this
board for future generations.

I like you BlueBlades and if you could repost that article
I would like to store it on my hard drive for safe keeping.

Respectfully,

Richard

(The Wanderer)