Posts by neverendingjourney

10

Testing to see if I can start a post at all

by Open mind in

jw
friends

i tried starting a thread with a picture of an irreverent nativity scene and i guess the hoooly spirit must have stopped it.. .

now just seeing if i can start a thread at all.. .

om.

neverendingjourney

Your holy spirit comment made me remember something.

I found this site about a year after I stopped going to meetings. I was mostly out, but I still believed it was the truth on some level. Or at least I felt there was enough of a chance that it could be the truth to where I didn't want to completely "go apostate."

After a few long nights of reading the board, I began to put any lingering doubts to bed...sort of. I remember composing a terribly long introductory post spanning several pages on Microsoft Word. Then I tried to cut and paste it onto the forum using my newly-created account....and....nothing. I kept getting error message after error message. Maybe it was the programming/indoctrination or maybe there was still some lingering doubts way inside my subconscious, but I didn't attempt to post my story until many weeks later. When I was a witness and something like that would happen I would attribute it to the holy spirit trying to lead me in the right direction.

After a while I learned it was simply a well-known quirk of the forum software. If you wanted to cut and paste you had to use Microsoft notepad or some other cheap software that didn't come with a bunch of coding. The software threw up whenever you tried to paste something with a bunch of source coding (or whatever it's called). In hindsight, I'm glad I was never able to post that original story. It included way too many personal details. The introductory post I eventually submitted was extremely long anyway, and I probably cut it down to a quarter of the original length.

180

Please post new forum feedback or questions here

by Simon in

well, the switchover happened - there were a couple of things i had to fix which meant the posting was disabled for longer than i planned but it's now enabled and some people have already posted.. if you have any questions about the new format or suggestions on how to improve it, please post them here.. if you are having trouble signing in or posting then you'll need to email me instead.. many thanks to everyone for their patience during the changeover !.

neverendingjourney

Thanks, that should be fixed in the next update. For now, just click your name and go to the public profile page everyone else see's and those links work, e.g.

Thanks!

180

Please post new forum feedback or questions here

by Simon in

well, the switchover happened - there were a couple of things i had to fix which meant the posting was disabled for longer than i planned but it's now enabled and some people have already posted.. if you have any questions about the new format or suggestions on how to improve it, please post them here.. if you are having trouble signing in or posting then you'll need to email me instead.. many thanks to everyone for their patience during the changeover !.

neverendingjourney

When I click to view my profile it says something like "X posts" and "Y topics." When I click on the X or Y (presumably in order to pull up a list of the threads I've posted in) I get a "page not found error."

44

Men are not looking forward to becoming Elders or Ministerial Servants

by Hidden-Window in

jw
friends

i have noticed an apparently increasing number of men who are not interested in becoming ministerial servants or elders.

i also know of some that have voluntarily stepped down (which is my case) for no obvious solid reason.. i remember, during my teenage years or even during my twenties, the brothers were always looking forward to being appointed... although many still do, i have noticed there are many others with whom you do not know what the deal is.. since there is no freedom of speech within the organization, we remain in the dark about the motives and desires of everybody else.

i attend a congregation with only two ministerial servants, while it is full of men who do not seem to be willing to do more.. it is hard to tell exactly what is going on, since honesty is not possible while you are inside, but i am starting to think that more and more are becoming disillusioned.... .

neverendingjourney

When I was in, a lot of women wouldn't consider dating a man unless he was serving in some official capacity. On the flip side, having some sort of appointment could give a young man access to women he'd otherwise have no shot with. The incentive was such that a lot of young male JWs would seek the appointment even if they weren't fully invested in JWism.

In my experience the kids usually get married before they're old enough to be serioiusly considered as an MS (unless they're the super-zealous type that makes elder by 22). I suppose, though, that women marrying men that aren't at least an MS may be an issue, since it managed to make it's way into AMIII's zone visit talk. Though, by that logic, men wearing tight pants is also an issue in the org - trying to make sense of that talk is a bit of a crapshoot.

This was the general rule in my area. If you were a young man who (1) avoided getting into serious trouble with the elders (2) was regular at all meetings and (3) put in at least 10 hours a month in field service, you'd make ministerial servant by 20/21.

If you became a pionner straight out of high school, you'd make ministerial servant by 19. Even super dubs would not make elder until 25 (although I heard rumors of a few men here and there who were appointed at 24, but I never personally knew of any). But by that point, most JWs were either married or engaged. The crucial timeframe was 18-23. That's when the action happened.

I saw a fair amount of hypocrisy from my peers, guys who chased after "privileges" to get an in with certain girls, and almost as importantly, the girls families. If you weren't a pioneer, an MS, or at least on track for an appointment, you were at a serious disadvantage. I know because I lived through this.

I became a regular pionner at the age of 17. I graduated one year early from high school in order to focus on JW stuff with the ultimate goal of going to Bethel. Believe it or not, I was motivated by a sincere belief in the religion. Elders and elders' wives would go out of their way to introduce me to their daughters at assemblies. It was a feeling like none other. I felt like I was king of the world. A few years later my zeal had waned and I found it harder and harder to recapture that joy I once had for the religion.

I was publically reproved for drinking when I was 20 or 21. I can't remember the exact year anymore. In any event, I went from feeling like some giant stud to feeling like an outcast. My reputation had been destroyed. I began dating a girl a few years after my reproval and it was going great until her family found out I'd been reproved. You'd have thought her dauther was dating a drug-dealing, gang-banger with a felony conviction. It was awful.

44

Men are not looking forward to becoming Elders or Ministerial Servants

by Hidden-Window in

jw
friends

i have noticed an apparently increasing number of men who are not interested in becoming ministerial servants or elders.

i also know of some that have voluntarily stepped down (which is my case) for no obvious solid reason.. i remember, during my teenage years or even during my twenties, the brothers were always looking forward to being appointed... although many still do, i have noticed there are many others with whom you do not know what the deal is.. since there is no freedom of speech within the organization, we remain in the dark about the motives and desires of everybody else.

i attend a congregation with only two ministerial servants, while it is full of men who do not seem to be willing to do more.. it is hard to tell exactly what is going on, since honesty is not possible while you are inside, but i am starting to think that more and more are becoming disillusioned.... .

neverendingjourney

Have JW women "lowered" their standards?

When I was in, a lot of women wouldn't consider dating a man unless he was serving in some official capacity. On the flip side, having some sort of appointment could give a young man access to women he'd otherwise have no shot with. The incentive was such that a lot of young male JWs would seek the appointment even if they weren't fully invested in JWism.

The farce was clearly visible back then, but people still insisted on the formality. I can think of many examples of young women passing up young men they had interest in to marry a "spiritual brother" (i.e., one with an appointment) only to have the "spiritual brother" fall out of "the truth" altogether and begin treating her like garbage.

58

Window-washer is the cover of Feb 2015 WT, "How to enjoy your work!" Hahaha!!

by EndofMysteries in

.

after all the jokes and satire on this website about jw's only being able to amount to window washers and house cleaners, the cover page of "how to enjoy your work" showing a window washer and cleaner in the back ground.

i almost wonder if some awakened, still-in, from this site is part of the writing department or illustrations and put that in there as an inside joke for us?.

neverendingjourney

"Hard work" JW-style has the virtue of not being troubled by retirement plans. The end is so very near, preparing for one's retirement is unnecessary

There was an elderly JW lady in an adjacent hall who died a few years back. She and her husband converted and were baptized in one of the big NY assemblies during the 50s. They had a falling out with both of their families over religion. Their only son was mentally handicapped and had died prior to when I first met her. So had her husband.

She lived a model JW lifestyle. Worked a few odd jobs here and there in order to focus on service. Needless to say, she had next to nothing saved up for retirement. The congregation quickly tired of her. She was left on the curbside of her assisted living facilty more than once, her ride failing to show up. The "brothers" made little effort to hide their discontent of being given the "privilege" of picking her up. Eventually, they tired of it and made her call in to the meetings. Her health quickly deteriorated and the elders jumped on the chance to put her in a full-on nursing home where she was largely forgotten. She died several years later and few people showed up to her funeral.

This was her reward for a lifetime of obedience. Even though she died nearly a decade ago, I still tear up when I think about it. She was a very sweet lady and didn't deserve it. She made a dumb decision to join a cult, like many of us did, but there was nothing but warmth and kindness in her heart. Choices have consequences, though, even when those choices originate from good intentions.

55

No longer to use "house to house record" slips and "please follow up slips"!

by stuckinarut2 in

a letter has just been read out indicating that effective immediately, witnesses are no longer to use the s-8 slip known as the "house to house" record slip, as well as the s-43 "please follow up" slip (usually used for foreign language people).. the letter stated that this is because of the changes in privacy laws etc that are becoming common in the world today.. i will try and get a copy of the full letter and post it asap.. .

neverendingjourney

Further proof the end is getting nearer.

29

Family Gathering ( or the day also known as Thanksgiving)

by Theredeemer in

jw
friends

every year on a certain thursday in november my family and close witness friends would get together, eat menudo ( hispanic stew) and other foods, watch football and then get dressed to go to the meeting.. sister so and so would bring her famous pie, bro and sister so and so would bring their gross punch and bro and sis so and so would bring mexican sweet bread.

sometimes we would go to "worldy" aunt's and pick up plates of turkey and fixins.. this was every year on a certain date, on a certain thursday in november.. this continued until my mom got alzheimers.

by that time i was married and had my own house.

neverendingjourney

My family is of Mexican descent. We would often go to Mexico when we were kids and we'd spend New Year's with the extended family (non-JWs). We popped fireworks, ate delicious food, the adults drank beer. The only thing we weren't allowed to do was to go around hugging everyone at midnight and saying "Happy New Year." Somehow this was okay.

On the flip side, I once found myself as an adult on vacation during Thanksgiving with a witness friend. Most restaurants were closed. We ended up going to a local place that offered a buffet and he about blew a gasket when he saw I had put some turkey on my plate. In his mind eating turkey on Thanksgiving was the same as celebrating it. Glad I don't have to deal with that nonsense anymore.

65

Doctors and surgeons say no to blood transfusions

by Mr Negative in

my mum recently told me that even surgeons won't have blood transfusions, but the common people don't get told this.

i have also seen or heard others say that a bunch of doctors/health officials/surgeons were asked, at some point, if they would accept a blood transfusion and they all said no.

is this true?

neverendingjourney

If I go to the doctor sick with the flu, I'll refuse a blood transfusion.

If, on the other hand, I've lost a lot of blood after a car accident, I would absolutely accept a blood transfusion.

I'm no doctor, but the context in which these statements were made matters.

107

Will firing the DOs be the first step to a new Watchtower?

by Juan Viejo2 in

against my better judgement, i've decided to share the following as a response to guy pierce passing and the announcement of the elimination of district overseers later this year.. late in january (2014) i got an email from one of my contacts (a fader) who served at bethel for several years, but is no longer at wt hq.

he still has a lot of close contacts within the service department and in other departments at patterson and knows people in all of the ny offices.

i kept this email set aside on a flash drive and haven't shared it with anyone - figuring i'd publish an article about it later this year when i had more time to do it right.

neverendingjourney

If you stick around long enough, you'll see a pattern here on the board. Every now and then a stir is created by people who post news they received from inside sources regarding upcoming changes. Most of the time it turns out to be wishful thinking and hyperbole. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather they pass along the info than not, but readers should to be shrewd enough to take such posts with a large grain of salt.

I don't think it's necessarily malicious. When I was a young ambitious JW a CO shared a confidential inside scoop he'd gotten from his son who was a bethelite in Brooklyn. The society had decided to stop printing deluxe bibles, so I should take advantage and order one or two while I still had the chance. Before long, everybody in the congregation had heard the rumor and it spread quickly. Turns out the society had decided no such thing. Some 10 years passed and they were still printing deluxe bibles. For all I know they're still printing them.

JWs lead a boring monotonous life and any "inside scoop" can quickly morph and take on a life of it's own. Eventually, some of those rumors end up on this board for us to read.