Spiral

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Posts by Spiral

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  38

  Talk to my Dad about beards.

  by LovingLifeNow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i spoke to my elder dad the other day, and he asked if i still am sporting a beard.

  i said yes, then i said, "i thought the society said its ok to have a neat trimmed beard now?

  " he said "no, no, no..if you read the article , it says in countries where it is accepted" so my response was "ummm, its pretty accepted here in america"..which he says "it reflects your spirituality" "if another wittness saw you, they would know you are weak"...i was like, "ok, i don't get it, and i follow christ/god, not men..." then he said in his hall" if a brother came in with a beard , he would not have privelages" then i just gave up, and tried to change the subject..ugggggggggg if these people would just listen to themselves , they would see the sillyness of there teachings...

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  Spiral

  Of course, because following is the list of countries where beards are not accepted:

  Wait, there aren't any. Just in JW's heads.
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  35

  Are Jehovah's Witnesses Mind Numbingly Boring To You?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i honestly think they are the most boring people on earth!

  even when they produce their so called "new light", there's no excitement.

  jws just do their thing and refuse to think about their useless lives.

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  Spiral

  Having been out for ten years, and now having to be around JWs again, yes, they are so BORING!!! For the most part, I do know a couple of exceptions.

  Their world is so small and narrow...... but of course it is, because anything interesting, educational or controversial is considered wrong. It's no surprise then that being around them is boring. And the meetings are so repetitive now I just can't stand to go unless I can surreptitiously read a book on my tablet during meeting. Most look bored to tears, with just 20% of the audience participating.

  I think a lot of JWs would admit this but they don't know what to do. If they'd only give themselves a taste of mental freedom in the wider world they would not be able to tolerate the meetings at all.
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  16

  Laws in the 1000 year kingdom?

  by CitizenofEarth in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hello there.. tried to bring this up with my family.

  didnt go well - they cling on to the utopia that the org paints, so i am gonna put this topic to your attention.

  i would love to hear what you guys/girls think about this - god or no god i find this interesting.

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  Spiral

  I doubt Jehova would say or do anything other than giving the ability to live forever - after all, he hasnt said or done anything the past 2000 years.

  
  

  Not that I think anyone will get the ability to live forever..... but this is a good point. Why hasn't the Greatest Being of the universe provided more info on what is to happen? It's been almost two millennia already and no further direct messages, isn't that cause for concern? Is he asleep? If he can create the universe, thousands of galaxies, over millions of years, and yet he's such a poor communicator, what the h**l?
  
  
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  13

  Is it just me or is this weeks CLAM more "cultish" than usual?

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  maybe it was my mood, but last night the meeting seemed really over the top cultish.. mainly the latter portion that just focused on presentation videos which always seem creepy to me anyway.. then the local needs was pre-empted by a video all about ldc which seemed completely pointless.

  (on a side note my wife knew a couple of different people in it).

  the congregation "bible" study which dealt with the ever changing cover of the watchtower magazine.

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  Spiral

  @pale.emperor, yes, having Prince write music would have been such an improvement!

  Personally, I think all the new format CLAM meetings are extra cultish. Plus how the WT is handled. My biggest irritant is the "READ" scripture. Only a few scriptures are sited and they tell you which one the congregation can read. Treating the rank and file like children..... and they fall for it every time. The CLAM meeting is just pre-chewed food for babies.

  Thanks for the warning will not attend this week.
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  17

  Have you ever read the statement Jehovah discplines his organizatiion

  by poopie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm looking for something in publications that specifically says jehovah is diciplineing his organization.

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  Spiral

  I remember that from the bookstudies of my childhood (ugh), so I assume that could be "old light" now. Don't know if they've said that recently. That would be anything in the 60s, what comes to mind is the old Babylon book.
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  7

  Another family goes down in flames.

  by dogon in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my wife's mother has alzheimer.

  it is progressing to the point that she is writing things like she wishes she was dead and does not want to live.

  if you know my mil you would know this is not her at all.

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  Spiral

  Sadly, I think this is going to be increasingly "normal" with the older JWs. Funny how they end up relying on "the world" when they can't make it on their own.
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  20

  Has anyone else experienced this?

  by ToesUp in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my spouse and i have faded 4+ years ago.

  we know the jw rumor mill has gotten back to our family that we no longer attend.

  most of our family is out of state.

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  Spiral

  We are also faded. It seems much the same with our family, a "don't ask don't tell" kind of thing mostly. Having said that, on occasion some snarky comments come out. Then it just fades away.

  To be truthful, we don't hear much from the relatives (they all live out of state) but the funny thing is we didn't hear much from most of them (cousins, etc., but we're all in our 50s with kids and grandkids) when we were in the truth and even lived closer to them. We just weren't special enough, even then! At this point, we aren't sure who knows what about our "status".

  Rather peaceful.

  One more thing, though. When we talk they don't bring up "spiritual" stuff (I never thought about that having been protocol, actually) but it makes you think they don't want to hear our reasons. A few years ago a question was asked and our answer had news reports and documentation attached to it. That person had a major meltdown.
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  27

  Striking Out On My Own

  by Saethydd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  those of you who know my story are aware that i'm currently disfellowshipped and living with my parents.

  up until now, my plan has been to be reinstated and then fade, but recently my plans have changed.

  in a conversation with my mother a few days ago and she made it clear that she would not be okay with me getting reinstated with the purpose of going inactive.

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  Spiral

  Awesome! "Living well (or just better) is the best revenge!"

  Really, you'll be okay! I know of several who have done the reinstatement/fade/play the game, and it's taken a huge toll on them emotionally. I am sure you will have some tough times, but I do feel you'll think it was worth it in the end. And remember, unlike what you may have been told while in the JWs, everyone experiences tough times. It's how you keep working and living that matters.

  Congratulations on being an adult, in control of your life.
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  61

  Mental Illness

  by Tallon in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  over many years i have been pondering how mental illness has impacted upon jw's due to the effects of indoctrination.

  in my case; when i was 21 i had a breakdown and was hospitalised for 6 weeks.

  i was diagnosed with anxiety tension state disorder.

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  Spiral

  I've experienced the same things with my JW friends and family. Probably 60-70% are depressed, and on some sort of medication.

  Today I read the following article:

  http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/former-fda-commissioner-believes-all-mental-illness-derives-from-a-common-source?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1493054317

  "The idea is that we are "captured," or captivated by something in such a way that we can't let it go. According to the former pediatrician and Yale dean, capture is really a brain-based phenomenon. Not only that, but it can also become an overarching perspective through which we may view any obsession, disorder, mental illness addiction, and even suicide."
  

  I believe this applies. JWs are "captured" mentally by the cycle of "religiousity".
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  61

  Would human settlement of Mars invalidate Bible prophecy?

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't think this topic has been discussed before but yesterday i read something to the effect that trump wants a human mission to mars to be completed within his presidency.. with that being said, the watchtower teaches that what started on earth ends on earth, in other words, the fall of adam and eve would end with the passing of the 1,000 year millennial reign when christ destroys all his enemies, rebellious "perfect" humans, and the devil and his demons who are let out the abyss for a short while.

  he then hands the kingdom back to his father.

  an elder in my old congregation once told us during a public talk that he was an ardent astronomer but then referenced the scripture where it says, "the earth he has given to the sons of men" (psalms 115:16).

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  Spiral

  That's a good question! The Bible does seem to be written on the assumption that man would always be on the earth; or more specifically, the earth is all there is for humans. So how would people who believe strictly in the Bible's world view take it if mankind expanded into space? Hmmmmm