man in black

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Posts by man in black

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  84

  Why should I have to sign a letter saying I want to disassociate ?

  by troubled mind in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i don't understand why the elders want this letter so badly ....for one i don't remember signing a contract to become a jehovah's witness ,why do i need to resign ?.

  also i was baptised in 1978 before the baptism questions changed , i dedicated myself to god not an organization .

  my vow was to follow the direction by holy spirit as revealed to me through the bible, not the watchtower ...... if i belonged to the luthern church and quit going after three yrs they drop your name off the member list ........but if i chose to come to easter or christmas service everyonre would still talk to me i just wouldn't be a member any more .. .

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  man in black

  TM, I really feel sorry for you.

  Two years ago I DA'ed myself and looking back there are several things I realize.

  1), Pick your battles wisely, and don't let your witness-dictated and contitioned feelings dictate what you should do. At this stage they may win the battle, but you will win the war. Have you ever played store, or some other situation with kids? They might tell you what to buy, and how much to spend. Remember the witnesses are no different, They want to tell you what you need,,,,, they are just children in an adult body.

  2), If I had to do it over, I would have written a small, friendly letter to 6-7 people at the hall explaining what I was going to do, and that I appreciate their friendship over the years. A week or two later I would have mailed my DA letter to NY and our PO. I felt that i needed to do this.

  It allowed me to close that chapter of my life officially.

  3), My letter was short, sweet, and to the point.:

  EX: This letter is to explain that I no longer wish to be known as, or associated with the organization known as jehovahs witnesses. I have outgrown it, and I personally need to move on. I appreciate the help shown to my family in the past, but recent events have opened my eyes to the very "conditional" friendship and tightly controlled lifestyle that is allowed witnesses. I do not want any shepherding calls, Signed XXXXXX

  Take control of the situation, don't let them call the shots. I found that it really confuses them.

  4), IGNORE THEM WHEN THEY CALL, We had several elders stop by trying to get us to change our minds. My wife (also DA'ed herself) would talk to them when they stopped by. They just couldn't understand why we would do this. Remember stay in control, dont let them get to you.
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  5

  The Happiest People on Earth -- A quick video

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  all jw's are taught that they are the happiest people on earth.. turns out that the people of north korea are also taught that they are the happiest people on earth.. .

  click link to watch: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8701959.stm.

  the similarities are uncanny.

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  man in black

  WOW, you were not kidding.

  The witnesses and N. Korea people can be interchanged very easily

  great video, thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed it.
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  9

  Saw a Therapist yesterday,,,,, interesting

  by man in black in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i da'ed myself two years ago, one of the main reasons was because my mother died and the congregation was more interested in"meeting attendance, and service" than anything else.

  for the first time in 30 years the very conditional friendship offered by the jehovahs witnesses came to the fore, and i was literally blindsided by it.. several months later i attended a grief support group at our local hospital, and boy it was a real godsend for me, i realised that the so called "worldly people' could actually be nice, supportive, and lend a real listening ear.

  the hospital had one of their grief support counselors lead the meeting, and she was really good at what she does.

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  man in black

  I DA'ed myself two years ago, one of the main reasons was because my Mother died and the congregation was more interested in"meeting attendance, and service" than anything else. For the first time in 30 years the very conditional friendship offered by the jehovahs witnesses came to the fore, and I was literally blindsided by it.

  Several months later I attended a grief support group at our local hospital, and boy it was a real godsend for me, I realised that the so called "worldly people' could actually be nice, supportive, and lend a real listening ear. The hospital had one of their Grief Support Counselors lead the meeting, and she was really good at what she does. She made me realize that what I was feeling and going through was normal.

  Fast forward to the current time,

  Last week I took my dog May (she's a therapy dog) to the hospital and I ran into this counselor, she invited me to the office and she asked me how I was doing .

  She thought that maybe a follow up visit would be good, so yesterday afternoon after work I went back and got "evaluated" for depression.

  My Mom had a history of being depressed, but in the 60's methods of treatment were not as available as they are now.

  During the meeting she asked me about my spiritual beliefs/life. Well I told her the whole JW thing, and all throughout this she just nodded her head up and down. I finally got to the point where I explained the whole shunning thing, and she seemed quite aware of this aspect. She had heard about shunning before, and now she was now nodding her head side to side like she couldn't believe it either.

  In a psychological manner, she stated that this shunning behavior could be a very heavy stressor for somebody who is also dealing with a major loss. In other words it's like punching someone when they are already down.

  That really made me feel good in a strange way, the witnesses method of shunning was beginning to make me feel somewhat like a leper, the disgusted look that witnesses shoot and family members shunning me was starting to bother me.

  When I go back next week, she wants to discuss ways for me to get back a certain amount of spirituality outside of the witness mindset.

  I'll post what suggestions I receive
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  32

  Talking to two J dubs on a busy downtown street

  by ldrnomo in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so im out of town for a couple of days for a software seminar.

  it didnt start until noon yesterday so i took a walk down a busy street famous for its shopping and as i got to the end of the stores and the beginning of apartments i noticed two women standing on the sidewalk in front of what i later noticed was a kingdom hall.

  as i started walking by giving them a smile and a polite greeting the one that was older, they were both young based on my terms the older in her 30s middle to late the younger in her 20s probably late.

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  man in black

  That was a fun- neat read, thanks for making the effort,,,,, and then sharing it with us here.
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  36

  District Assembly Dramas - where the heck do they come from?

  by babygirl30 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  despite growing up a jw i was always curious where this corny plays came from?

  my best memories of them were when they used to turn the lights out in the convention center - cause that meant i could sleep!!!

  but seriously, who writes them?

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  man in black

  How about the way they would say certain words,,

  and JE - HOV - AH (very forcefully) saved his people.

  Ulyssisus Glass, thats a name I haven't heard for years. When our hall was completed back in 1980 he flew in and gave the dedication talk.

  It was a two day affair, several talks from big shot local witnesses, and one from Glass in a local auditorium on Friday night.

  Service from the new hall on Saturday morning, public talk from him Sunday morning.

  He was a good speaker., and reminded me of Abraham Lincoln without the beard.
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  45

  Why are they so anal about assembly badges?

  by highdose in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  they insist you must wear you and whats more it must be placed in clear view for everyone else to see.. i have been challenged before now " sister!

  are you wearing your badge!?

  " it made me wonder why?

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  man in black

  what is a nerd pouch,,, is it a fanny pak ??
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  49

  Apostate Signs At Conventions...Has Anybody Left Because Of That?

  by mentallyfree31 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just wondering how much good that does when ex-jws hold up signs at conventions.

  do you know of anybody that saw something on a sign and did research and subsequently left the organization?.

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  man in black

  I saw several of these people at the Chicago assembly at hawthorne racetrack years ago, & thought they were nuts.
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  11

  Have Any JW Leaders Told You Not To Have a Gun?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've heard of some jw leaders telling members of the congragation they shouldn't have guns for self defense.

  i mean, how is someone going to feel comfortable smiting your other cheek if you have...like...a .357 magnum pointed at their face?

  i'd probably smile and say, "hey, that's an unusual color for a bible!

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  man in black

  I knew a JW who was a cop, carried a gun, and could not have any priveleges.

  Security at assemblies ? NO

  Parking attendant at assemblies ? NO

  Handle the microphones at meetings? NO

  Pray at meetings? NO

  Clean toilets? YES

  Poor guy, he really tried to do things to "please God", yet because he carried a gun in his occupation he was invisible to this religion.
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  25

  What Is Your Empathy Score?

  by Scott77 in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  please, click on this link below and do an empathy score for you.

  then report the result here to compare with other posters.

  good luck.

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  man in black

  78.6 %
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  10

  What are your jw's saying about the 'generation'?

  by carla in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am curious as to what current jw's are saying about the new 'generation' definition especially now that the assemblies are in full swing.

  or do they just brush it off as usual?.

  how would they have a normal (not a jw) discussion in public if the topic got onto say... our father's generation did things different.... that generation blah, blah..... you know common terms us worldlies & media use.

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  man in black

  Imagine the sound of an adult talking to charlie brown.

  wa - wa - wa - wa