iamfreenow

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Posts by iamfreenow

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  18

  I Believe In You

  by Abandoned in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i believe in you.

  theres no such thing as writers block.. muses dont exist.. water boils when you watch the clock.. nothing lost is missed.. its better not to love or lose.. times not medicine.. saxophones dont cure the blues.. beautys not just skin.. i dont believe in any myth.. legends are not true.. but if you want to know my pith,.

  i believe in you.. .

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  iamfreenow

  Nice poem Abandoned
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  56

  How did I conclude it was not the 'truth'?

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a new board member asked me this.

  i asked if it would be all right to publish my reply.

  the question, in full, is, .

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  iamfreenow

  Hello jgnat,

  A most interesting post. I completely agree with you on this point

  It is true, once a broader perspective is gained, how constrained the Watchtower doctrines become.

  Having been taught from birth to believe everything that the Watchtower Society ever said, and to question nothing, it took me a very long time, almost my whole life, to realise just how constrained my beliefs where.

  Following from that, the outrageous idea that only the 144,000 partake of the bread and wine. Who are the rest of believers? Chopped liver? In effect, the society has CUT OFF most of their believers from Christ. Inexcusable.

  Quite so. The Watchtower has claimed to hold the keys to Heaven, and locked most of their followers out. I have thought for most of my life that I must work for my salvation, yet the real message of the Bible, or the New Testament part of it, is that we are saved by grace, not works, and we cannot earn it, all we need to do is accept it.

  It took me a long time to realise that, but now I do I know how much joy a real relationship with God and Jesus can bring. I only wish more of those I left behind in the Watchtower could come to the same realisation, but I fear that most won't.

  Their interpretation of the 'faithful and discreet slave' as being exclusive to the governing structure of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. My reading of that scripture leads me to believe that we ALL have the choice of being either discreet or abusive. That PARABLE was intended for instruction and warning to ANYONE in a position of leadership

  They have long claimed this title for themselves, and again, I never questioned their authority, but reading the passage in context, which as I am sure you are well aware the Watchtower more often than not fail to do, it is quite obvious that it is a parable through which Jesus was instructing those who would spread his word to be consistent in their teaching.

  I don't come from the context that life is a struggle. That is a Witness concept

  Right again. Of course, as Witnesses we were taught that we had something better to look forward to, but we must work hard to obtain it. The Watchtower has made life a struggle for most of its members, with their policies on education and advice on choice of career, ie working part time to pioneer. The concept that God wants us to be happy in our worship of him, not ever fearful that we will be found wanting when he brings about the end of the world and thus miss out on his promises, is alien to them. They have published all this information, made all these rules, but have never grasped what God really wants from his creation.

  Particularly in my last few years as a Witness, it was impossible not to see how many were becoming more and more depressed in the congregation. I experienced those feelings myself, but for years dismissed them as an attack by Satan, another Watchtower teaching of course. I imagine that that trend will continue, and increase as the Watchtower promises fail to happen. I am so happy that i have escaped from all that.

  Marion
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  25

  My first post!

  by Crafty Lady in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been reading a while and decided to join in.

  my jw experience: my mom got hooked during a vulnerable period (marriage split up).

  we went to a couple of congregations in queens, ny, and then moved to the finger lakes area of upstate ny.

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  iamfreenow

  Hello Crafty Lady, and welcome.
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  26

  Any positive experiences with the JWs?

  by greendawn in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  we all talk about our negative experiences with the jws and no doubt most were negative but weren't there any positive experiences with some of the few decent jws around?

  i recall an old jw who was of the anointed and who was very benign, knowledgable, supportive and opposed to much that the dubs were doing especially the lack of love among the congregations.

  also another very good natured dub who would always reward me whenever i gave him a little help with his business.

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  iamfreenow

  I made many, many friends in my years as a Witness, and I miss some of them terribly now at times. Of course, that is the conditional nature of any friendships cultivated in a cult, if you stop believing as they believe, they drop you immediately, however close you once were. They are taught to fear offending Jehovah so much that they feel they have no choice but to shun those who leave.

  I had a happy marriage as a Witness, and two fine sons, one of whom never became a JW, for which I am now thankful. Meeting Linda and Trevor was a positive experience as well, I don't know where I'd be without those two now.

  As for all the years spent hearing and believing the false doctrines of the Watchtower, I don't look back on them with any affection.
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  5

  I heard from the newlyweds..

  by iamfreenow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ..and they have arrived safely in sardinia.. trev and linda phoned me just now, and they are safe and sound in their hotel.. they told me they are having an early night, as they are both tired, although i doubt that's the only reason!.

  they send their love to you all, and will see you when they come back on march 5th.. .

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  iamfreenow

  ..And they have arrived safely in Sardinia.

  Trev and Linda phoned me just now, and they are safe and sound in their hotel.

  They told me they are having an early night, as they are both tired, although I doubt that's the only reason!

  They send their love to you all, and will see you when they come back on March 5th.
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  51

  Flirted for awhile..making it official today!

  by uuus2b1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi all, been "lurking" (phrase i picked up here) for some time now, felt it was time to come out of the closet!

  quick bio: live in the us virgin islands.

  baptised at 18. elder at 28. married but separated 6yrs now.

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  iamfreenow

  Welcome to the forum uuus2b1

  This is a good place to be. I'm not here that often, but I always enjoy it when I do visit
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  33

  Well !Well!what have we here ?

  by mouthy in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=araretreat

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  iamfreenow

  I found that to be rather comical and desperate. Comical, because he ADMITTED to being an apostate and doesn't realize it. Desperate in that, he is trying so hard to discredit Jehovahs org by showing those older publications like they are hidden. They are not hidden, they are just as HE implied....OLD!

  Agapa,

  I was a Witness for a very long time, all my life until August, and I can assure you the Watchtower tries very hard to discourage ANYONE from reading their older publications. We had some in the library at the Kingdom Hall I attended, but if anyone wanted to look borrow them to read, they were subjected to an interrogation by the elders as to their reason. Merely being interested wasn't reason enough it seemed, and even research was discouraged.

  The Watchtower are very afraid of their older publications, why else would they try and have the Quotes site, which is made up of solely things the Watchtower has printed, closed down? They are afraid because anyone examining those older books and magazines would soon become aware of the many doctrinal changes that the Society have made over the years, and would possibly come to the conclusion that myself and many others did, that the Society are nothing more than a man made cult.

  This man doesn't need to try very hard to discredit the Watchtower Society. Thet do a more than adequate job of that themselves with their many flip flops over the years.
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  13

  I'm a grandma again :-)

  by NanaR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey friends,.

  my daughter had a baby girl last monday.

  the baby was premature (32 weeks) and the delivery was an emergency, but both are doing okay now.

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  iamfreenow

  Congratulations!!

  What a beautiful baby
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  27

  Too Sick to come to JWD

  by mrsjones5 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey folks, been sick for the last 2 days.

  yesterday spent the whole day in bed.

  everything ached, had a headache, stuffy and runny nose, and alternating hot flashes and cold chills.

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  iamfreenow

  ((((((((((Mrs Jones))))))))))

  I hoe you feel better soon.
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  139

  Favorite Quotes

  by Abandoned in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i love inspirational quotes.

  i read through them from time to time and i always feel better after sharing the thoughts of yesterday and today's greatest minds.

  "if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.

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  iamfreenow

  A few quotes on happiness:

  "The pursuit of happiness is the most ridiculous phrase: if you pursue happiness, you will never find it" C.P.Snow

  "Happiness is that state of consciousness that proceeds from the achievement of one's values" Ayn Rand

  "The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet" James Oppenheim

  And one on belief, from Voltaire

  "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"