Cantleave - my experience exactly.
I actually think I did make a difference in the two congregations I served in but in the end the 'old school' had the knives out for me. The rest is history as they say.
in the last few years that i served as an elder, and as i was discovering what the wts really was, the term "old school" would be used and it began to bother me more and more.
it was usually used to praise a person with a mean, unwaivering, dogmatism to an obselete policy.
a couple of times i would ask the person what he meant by the term.
Cantleave - my experience exactly.
I actually think I did make a difference in the two congregations I served in but in the end the 'old school' had the knives out for me. The rest is history as they say.
the witnesses try to demonize the internet.
in your opinion is the internet the biggest problem for the watchtower organization?.
I am sure that it is hurting.
In the past if a person were disfellowshipped or simply found themselves at odds with the organisation, it must have been a very lonely existance. With the internet it is now easy to see you are not the only one who has been treated in the same manner or feels the same as you do.
i've been conditioned since childhood that i'm going to live forever.
i'm having a hard time contemplating the fact that i'm going to die.
i'm so afraid of death that i can't enjoy the life i have now.
Personally, I find the thought of my own death disturbing. But on the positive side I have had a great life and family, even the 50 years I spent as a JW were good, I can have no regrets.
What I find hard is the fact that it looks as if my son's girl friend is very ill with renal cell carcinoma. She is just 26 years old and the prospects don't look at all good.
Perhaps we need to take each day at a time and enjoy what we have left.
neither.. i have no affinity at all to the commercial christmas.
i do, however, think that the religious celebration is not as wicked as the society has made out.
ok, it maybe at the wrong time of the year but it is clear that the birth of christ was something to celebrate at the time and is still worth remembering today.. .
Me? Neither.
I have no affinity at all to the commercial Christmas. I do, however, think that the religious celebration is not as wicked as the society has made out. OK, it maybe at the wrong time of the year but it is clear that the birth of Christ was something to celebrate at the time and is still worth remembering today.
.
love to his wife claire and their family and to all who loved and mourn ian.. blessings,.
marjorie.
I re-call some him his private emails to me when I was down. Rest in peace Ian.
the koolaid wt issue for february has an interesting article about when your baptism can be considered invalid.but the main thrust of the article is aimed at making it super clear that if you were present at your bapt.
talk and answered the two questions then forget about it, elders are put on notice to not let anyone off the hook.but... if you were committing a serious sin and hid it at the time of your baptism, then it was invalid, and point is, they'd still announce you not being "one of j.w.s" so if you plead your case to walk away from the wt saying you didn't know what you were getting into, it will do no good, but it will be grounds for an announcement.just ol' mother wt tightening up loose ends.
Hi Scully - I am with you on this. My baptism used the 1966 wording (makes me realise how old I am but I was just 14 when I was baptised). If I set aside the JW connection, I am still happy with the acknowledgements I made and would be happy to do God's will still as revealed by his holy spirit.
the koolaid wt issue for february has an interesting article about when your baptism can be considered invalid.but the main thrust of the article is aimed at making it super clear that if you were present at your bapt.
talk and answered the two questions then forget about it, elders are put on notice to not let anyone off the hook.but... if you were committing a serious sin and hid it at the time of your baptism, then it was invalid, and point is, they'd still announce you not being "one of j.w.s" so if you plead your case to walk away from the wt saying you didn't know what you were getting into, it will do no good, but it will be grounds for an announcement.just ol' mother wt tightening up loose ends.
If they are going to get all legal here .... then I have a get out.
Although in the second of the current questions, the candiatates are asked to say yes to "do you recognise that your baptism identifies you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses" (or words to that effect), I got baptised long before they changed the questions and the second question was much more to the effect that you would do Jehovah's will hence forth as directed by the holy spirit.
catching up on some of the posts a thought came to mind..... .
if an elder or ms wants to step down, what is the process?
can it be as simple as saying "i need to step down" without having to supply an explanation?.
Old Goat - you and I share so much in common. I have had more than my fair share of run-ins with ignorant, unreasonable and power-crazed elders.
One of the biggest problems I saw as an elder was the almost uncontrollable urge by everyone in authority to make rules. Everything from what was and wasn't acceptable to wear through to where you could or could not park in the street. Surely non of this is in the Bible!
i was raised in it.
for the most part i was an exemplary jw.
i'm a very social fun loving person.
As a person, I don't think I have changed and would like to thing I am nice.
What I no longer have is the JW hang-up about worldly associates, so perhaps I am even nicer in that I no longer refuse to go out for the occassional after work beer with my colleagues.
one poster on the other thread said the elders are now destroying all records of all disfellowshipped people.
is that true?.
The names of sex offenders are treated differently and are permanently kept on the file even after reproof or reinstatement.
May be things are handled slightly differently in different countries. I agree that the names will be held permanently on file. However, the society instructed a few years ago that the details, i.e. any notes, correspondence, etc. relating to sex offenses, child molestation should be held by themselves and not the local congregation. I am sure it is a case of them not trusting, rightly so, the security of the local congregation. It is however, pretty 'big brotherish'.