jschwehm

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Posts by jschwehm

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  8

  DUMBO property and the secret of the Margaret Hotel

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just received this letter from a former bethel worker who saw my post on the dumbo property plans of the watchtower.

  don't tell me they aren't doing this dumbo project just the same as the margaret hotel and who knows how many others?

  letter dated 12/18/03 from anonymous .

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  jschwehm

  Interesting....

  I was at Bethel from 1987 to 1988 and I worked on the remodeling of the Bossert and Standish Hotels. I also worked on the exterior of factory bldg no. 5.

  In any case, I remember when it was announced that the Society had acquired the Margaret Hotel Site. I also remember Mr. Coffee yelling at the people working over there. He would say to us "Well, here come the Union men!!!!!!!" He was a trip. LOL

  I also remember the COHI guys walking around the different properties and inspecting our work, etc. I often wondered about them and how much money they made off the Kingdom preaching work.

  Jeff S.
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  3

  Retail Space, Patterson and Brooklyn

  by jschwehm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi gang:.

  i was just wondering what deal the wts made with patterson to build their complex out there.

  i thought that the wts built the community some baseball fields and that they are operating a hotel out there as well.

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  jschwehm

  Hi Gang:

  I was just wondering what deal the WTS made with Patterson to build their complex out there. I thought that the WTS built the community some baseball fields and that they are operating a hotel out there as well. I wonder why they cannot make a similar deal with the Brooklyn community. Anyone know anything about this?

  Jeff S.
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  18

  WOW!!! Really enjoyed it!!!

  by Doubtfully Yours in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have to report that i enjoyed the christmas pageant very much last evening.. told hubby i was attending an event from work and off i went; returned home around 9:30 p.m.. i'm telling you all, one thing is read about jesus christ's life, death, and resurrection in the bible, and a much more different experience is to see in enacted.

  it was so vivid i almost cried a couple of times, because it touched me so.

  the customs, the music, the sound, the stage, all those animals parading around, even a couple of camels!

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  jschwehm

  Hi:

  When I lived in Fayetteville, AR we used to go to the Living Christmas Tree production at the Springdale First Baptist Church. It was awesome. They could fit over 5000 people in their church and it was always packed. The music was great. I am glad that you enjoyed yourself.

  Jeff S.
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  7

  Some Of My Story

  by Doubtfully Yours in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jws is all religious life i?ve ever known, since early childhood.

  my grandmother was one of those discouraged when the 1975 expectations weren?t fulfilled; since then she became more and colder in the trail ?til one day she disassociated herself in writing and she?s never looked back.

  she lives happily by what little i know about her.

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  jschwehm

  If your grandmother is still alive, go ahead and reconnect. When I first left the JWs, my JW family members shunned me. So, I reconnected with my non-JW family members. They were extremely supportive and helpful.

  My Aunt who was always the one who still tried with us even though we were JWs was very sick when I finally told her about my leaving the JWs. She wrote me a letter of encouragement from her deathbed literally. (She died a month later to the very day.) My Uncle talked to me after my Aunt died and told me that my news about leaving the JWs allowed his wife to die happy. My Aunt even left me a family heirloom. It is a Bible given to her by my grandmother who passed away when I was five years old.

  In any case, reconnect if you can.

  Jeff S.
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  93

  Thinking of becoming a JW - Need urgent honest advice!!!

  by natalienu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have met a wonderful man but unfortunately he is a jw.

  i have never been interested or really ever been around any religion in my life so all of this right now is very fascinating to me.

  i have been thinking of studying to become one but am also having a hard time finding anything on the net that is positive about it.

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  jschwehm

  Hi:

  Do not become a JW for this guy. You will be miserable and your relationship will be based around a lie. The JWs are a high control religious group that will take over your life and ruin relationships with your current family and friends in many ways.

  I would highly recommend that you read books on mind control. A really good one is "Combatting Cult Mind Control" by Steven Hassan. You might also want to read the book entitled, "The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse".

  Jeff S.
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  19

  Star of Bethlehem

  by undercover in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the bible, only in matthew(i think) speaks of the star that the astrologers followed to find the baby jesus.

  the wts has claimed that this star obviously was a product of satan, since the astrolgers first wound up in jersusalem, met herod, who conspired with them to locate the baby.

  after that, the astrologers continued on to bethlehem.. a couple of questions:.

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  jschwehm

  Hi:

  This link is an interesting read on your question:

  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09527a.htm

  Jeff S.
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  17

  worldy girl living with inactive JW, confronts his father about religion

  by Mulan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my jw friend has a son who is living with a very nice young woman, who has two little girls 3 and 5. my friend has no problem with this, because she is like all of us, but is playing the jw game to keep her family.

  (large extended one) she has become very close to the young woman and her children.

  the girlfriend wants to celebrate christmas.

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  jschwehm

  Hi Mulan:

  I think I might have a reason for why the sexual sins are tolerated and the others are not.

  For a JW to celebrate Christmas is to reject the authority of the JWs and their elders. One could say about sexual sin that they just are having a hard time fighting against those desires of the flesh which are so powerful. But, to say that the JWs are wrong on some point of doctrine is to reject them as God's official spokesperson.

  A few years ago, when I was leaving the JWs my JW father made some interesting comments to me. He told me that he knew that I did not do the things that my younger brothers did. (Such has have sex outside of marriage, experiment with drugs, etc.) But then he said that I was worse off than my brothers because I reject the JWs as having "the truth". He said my brothers, even though they commit these immoral acts, at least still believe that the JWs have "the truth". (At least that is what he thinks, in reality they do not believe this but they will not ever tell him that to his face like I did.)

  In any case, the worst sin a JW can commit in the eyes of another JW is not fornication, or stealing, or even murder. The worst sin a JW can commit in the eyes of another JW is to reject the teachings of the Watchtower Society. So, by celebrating Christmas, which is considered a religious act by the JWs, his son would be guilty of a sin worse than fornication. It is the sin of apostasy in his eyes.

  Jeff S.
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  46

  How long have you been in the truth?

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  and how did you learn the truth?

  remember those questions?

  remember how jws would always ask you that when they met you?.

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  jschwehm

  My Mom became a dub when I was five years old. My dad and his parents followed soon thereafter. I became inactive not long after leaving Bethel in the late 1980's early 1990's. Finally left the JWs for good in 1996.

  Jeff S.
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  21

  JW Elder Spy Stories

  by jschwehm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after my brother-in-law left bethel, he got a "worldly" girlfriend.

  the local jws wanted to know if he was living with her or not.

  so they got the city overseer to spy on him.

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  jschwehm

  After my brother-in-law left Bethel, he got a "worldly" girlfriend. The local JWs wanted to know if he was living with her or not. So they got the city overseer to spy on him. My brother-in-law said that one morning he went outside his front door and saw the city overseer sitting in his car spying on him. When the city overseer realized he had been seen, he started his car and left very quickly. In his haste, he hit the car of my brother-in-law's neighbor and continued going.

  My brother-in-law took down the license plate of the city overseer's car and went to his neighbor's house and gave it to him so he would know who the guy was that left that big dent in his car. After that, my brother-in-law said that he never saw the city overseer watching his home again.

  Jeff S.
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  13

  Is Charity Utterly Incomprehensible to Them? (Dec. 1, Wt)

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  once upon a time, monty python had a sketch in which john clease portrayed.

  a businessman approached for a contribution to feed starving orphans.

  he appeared.

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  jschwehm

  This is not surprising of course.

  When one looks at the way the JWs interpret the scripture on the sheep and the goats, you find out that "the least of these my brothers" who are in need represent, to the JW, not the actual poor but the "anointed followers of Jehovah". Since the JWs equate the "anointed followers of Jehovah" with the leaders of the Watchtower Organization, for them, giving to the actual poor is a waste of time since they are judged as sheep or goats based on what they give to the organization. As with most cults, the JWs misinterpret scripture so as to get people to use their time, money and treasure to benefit the cult and not society in general.

  Jeff S.