One Saturday morning out in field service, I rang a doorbell at a home in a rather affluent neighborhood. An elderly grey-haired woman answered the door, to which I began my spiel of introducing myself as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, offering her the latest magazines. I wasn't halfway through my presentation when the woman burst into uncontrollable, hilarious laughter. Insulted, I excused myself to leave, which only made her laugh that much harder. As I took my first step off her porch, she called out to me "No...wait!"
I turned around and suddenly realized I recognized the voice: It was one of the "sisters" in my own congregation - one of the "anointed", in fact. I had no idea where she lived - and I had no idea that her bright red "I Love Lucy" hair was in fact a wig!
SanFranciscoJim
JoinedPosts by SanFranciscoJim
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14
Moments That Make Your Skin Crawl.
by Englishman ini thought that it might be fun to have a "my most embarrassing moment" competition.
if the thread takes off, first, second and third places will receive a prize guaranteed to be of no monetary value whatsoever!
so, i've had to give a lot of thought to exactly what was my most embarrassing moment as a jw.. was it as a 12 year old child travelling on the london underground, whilst being forced to wear a label that shouted in lurid purple: "gods kingdom rules!
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SanFranciscoJim
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Leave truth - catch AIDS???
by JEMIMAH inwe had a laugh last weekend at our s.a.dthe visiting speaker was from the london bethel (bcm)during the last talk he was trying to encourage the bros not to read non society lit.
the example he uses was of a m/s bro who used to really study his wtwell for a sunday, however he occasionally used secular sources to back up his research.. our bethel speaker in order to prove how wrong this was explained very quickly that because of this secular research, "this brother fell away and caught aids".
the brothers and sisters in the audience where very shocked at the folly of our ex-brother.
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SanFranciscoJim
I'm not surprised in the slightest. You know, the A Common Bond movement (the international support network for gay & lesbian JW's and ex-JW's) has become such a formidable organization that announcements are actually being made at some district conventions to "beware of groups of homosexual apostates in our midst", making us sound like a bunch of spies infiltrating the congregations trying to recruit new members. They are spreading all sorts of rumours about us (which, of course, we are hearing about) in an effort to - pardon the pun - scare them straight.
The ignorance of the Watchtower never ceases to amaze me (nor does their obsession with homosexuality). I know of an instance in New York City where a man had been proselytized as an adult, only to discover after he had been baptized that he was HIV positive. He made the mistake of confiding in an elder, who immediately spread it throughout the congregation. This brother in good standing was from that day forward not even allowed to use the Kingdom Hall bathroom without an escort! Needless to say, the ostracism became so great that he stopped going to meetings and became inactive. -
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Psychics
by LovesDubs inhave any of you gone to have psychic readings?
or tarot cards or whtever since being sprung or even while in the borg?
there is one on the tv all the time, maybe shes just in the florida area, sounds bahamian.. "sooo wat areya waitin fooor?
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SanFranciscoJim
Having lived in the Caribbean for 13 years, I can tell you that I would never go to a psychic reading by someone with a fake accent!!
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JWs and Alcohol Abuse/Addition/Escapism
by LovesDubs inwhen i first started studying in 84 at the ripe ol age of 29, i was told oft and repeatedly that jws did everything in moderation, and nothing sinful or unbiblical.
apparently, like everything else, they have added footnotes to the scriptures that say not to get drunk, as that seems to be their only "legitimate" (read, unregulated) escape from the reality that is the witchtrowel babble and trash sectciety.. there was one elder in my first congregation that reeked of alcohol even first thing in the morning at field service.
i was told by someone "born in the truth" that he had a "body chemistry problem, whereby when he would sweat it would smell like alcohol, and he did sweat profusely...hence the reddenned face.
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SanFranciscoJim
However, as regards AA? I know of one sister that had a drinking problem and our elder body actually encouraged her to attend AA meetings. So I don't know if there's been a change in policy towards that or whether it was just the opinion of our particular group of elders that AA would be helpful based on their own experience. As so many of you have noticed, a LOT depends on the OPINION of the elders, and less depends on anything GOD might have to say (or not).
I believe that the decision of whether alcoholic JW's should be allowed to attend AA meetings or not is being left up to the individual congregation's body of elders. I have never seen any official Watchtower statement in print about AA. (Has anyone else?) I corresponded with an active JW a couple of years ago who asked his PO if he could atend AA meetings. The PO told him that it was all right, just as long as he avoided meetings which met in church basements (Babylon the Great, you know), and to be especially careful at Christmas time by not attending meetings which - get this - had a Christmas tree in the meeting room! It sounded to me like the PO was in greater fear of demons than demon rum! -
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JWs and Alcohol Abuse/Addition/Escapism
by LovesDubs inwhen i first started studying in 84 at the ripe ol age of 29, i was told oft and repeatedly that jws did everything in moderation, and nothing sinful or unbiblical.
apparently, like everything else, they have added footnotes to the scriptures that say not to get drunk, as that seems to be their only "legitimate" (read, unregulated) escape from the reality that is the witchtrowel babble and trash sectciety.. there was one elder in my first congregation that reeked of alcohol even first thing in the morning at field service.
i was told by someone "born in the truth" that he had a "body chemistry problem, whereby when he would sweat it would smell like alcohol, and he did sweat profusely...hence the reddenned face.
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SanFranciscoJim
Thank you for the kind words, Crossroads.
There is a Yahoogroup mailing list for ex-JW's in 12-step recovery which can be subscribed to at:
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/xjw12step
and following the subscription instructions. -
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Urban Legends!
by ISP inits amazing the extent these circulate in the wt world.
i am not so sure, but it develops a powerful folklore amongst jws....often with a moral at the end!
typically these circulate as experiences given in talks and are then adopted by the masses as truth.. for example, anyone hear the ul about the married couple where the wife had to have a routine blood check.
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SanFranciscoJim
Then there was the one about the sister in Tennessee who worked the night shift and walked through a cemetery every night as a short cut to her job. She happened upon a "worldly" woman one night who was standing at the edge of the cemetery who asked the "sister" if she wouldn't mind walking with her because cemeteries frightened her.
The sister replied "No, I don't mind. I used to feel the same way you did when I was a part of the world."
The "worldly" woman fainted unconscious to the ground. -
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JWs and Alcohol Abuse/Addition/Escapism
by LovesDubs inwhen i first started studying in 84 at the ripe ol age of 29, i was told oft and repeatedly that jws did everything in moderation, and nothing sinful or unbiblical.
apparently, like everything else, they have added footnotes to the scriptures that say not to get drunk, as that seems to be their only "legitimate" (read, unregulated) escape from the reality that is the witchtrowel babble and trash sectciety.. there was one elder in my first congregation that reeked of alcohol even first thing in the morning at field service.
i was told by someone "born in the truth" that he had a "body chemistry problem, whereby when he would sweat it would smell like alcohol, and he did sweat profusely...hence the reddenned face.
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SanFranciscoJim
This topic has always been a pet peeve of mine. Alcoholism runs on my father's side of the family, and unfortunately I was not exempted from this disease. During my tenure as a JW, although I never attended any meeting drunk, I went out in field service countless times severely hung over from the night before, and have no doubt that I reeked of liquor. Outside the Kingdom Hall, I was a daily blackout drinker. I repeatedly approached elders in my congregation about my drinking problem, informing them that I had "sinned". Well, here are a couple of answers I received:
(1)"Well, then, just don't drink so much next time."
(2)"If you are truly repentant after you sober up, Jehovah will forgive you."
Talk about giving an alcoholic free license to overindulge!
Finally, my drinking got so bad that I started engaging in activity (usually in a blackout for which I have no direct memory), which led to my first receiving private reproof, and then later public reproof. Ironically, one of the elders who was on my judicial committee had a nose as red as Rudolph the Reindeer, and outside the Kingdom Hall, I never saw him without a martini in his hand.
I find it the height of ignorance that even today the Watchtower discourages its members from attending Alcoholics Anonymous because their 12 steps contain the phrase "God as we understood him" instead of "Jehovah", thus making it a Satanic organization! I often wonder how many JW's die from untreated alcoholism. Further, I wonder how many EX-JW's die from untreated alcoholism, because their experience with the Watchtower has given them a fear that groups like A.A. are just another cult (which it is not).
For what it's worth, I recognized 14 years clean & sober two weeks ago. -
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SanFranciscoJim
There is a monthly support group for ex-JW's in Marin County. They have a web site at:
* http://home.jps.net/xjwsfbay/ -
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Urban Legends!
by ISP inits amazing the extent these circulate in the wt world.
i am not so sure, but it develops a powerful folklore amongst jws....often with a moral at the end!
typically these circulate as experiences given in talks and are then adopted by the masses as truth.. for example, anyone hear the ul about the married couple where the wife had to have a routine blood check.
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SanFranciscoJim
One word: SMURFS !
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support group in MN area...
by AuSet inhi everyone!.
i am in the beginning stages of starting a support group in the mn area and would like help from others who have expertise in this area, or from those interested in attending/joining.... thanks, annette
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SanFranciscoJim
Just FYI....
The third international conference of A Common Bond, the support network for gay & lesbian JW's & ex-JW's will be held in Minneapolis this August. (Heterosexual ex-JW's will be more than welcome, too.)
The conference's web page is at:
* http://www.geocities.com/acommonbond/conference.html
JIM