Posts by scratchme1010

16

Consequences for having a non religious wedding ceraminy?

by Addison0998 in

hey i was wondering if maybe someone who is an ex elder or who knows a lot about these things could help me.

my dad is an elder but i need to be cautious with questions i ask.

now that i’ve been woken up from my brainwashed love of this corrupt corporation and from my belief in the bible, and my fiancé is starting to wake up as well, i really don’t want to have the sexist, overused, impersonal talk outline used for my wedding ceremony by some elder who is trying to show off his talk giving skills.

scratchme1010

So I’m wondering, what would happen if we didn’t tell anybody, keep it hush hush, then hired a non religious ordained person to give our wedding talk. Do you think people would flip out, get up and leave?

I've been out for decades and haven't followed up on what they have changed, but I remember a couple who got disfellowshipped simply for completing their certificate of marriage before the wedding.

A lot of things depends on the criteria of the local elders. It might be a risk, but if you truly want to leave after you get married, then in some instances you might need to go along with their rules to avoid being under their spotlight.

Is both of you leaving before getting married absolutely out of the question?

27

CO asked for everyone 20 years old & younger for a group photo

by LevelThePlayingField in

there was a co visit in ohio a couple weeks ago.

when he was finishing up his sunday talk he said that he would like if "all the children that are from this congregation, not if you're just visiting, but from this congregation to come on up on the stage right after the meeting because i want to get a picture of you.".

i thought to myself, why?

scratchme1010

Has anyone else had this happen in their hall? What could he possibly want with it?

Not a CO, but I remember, way back when, some elder guest speakers from other congregations were very fond of the younger crowd. As for the reasons, I'm not sure that they necessarily need to be nefarious. However, parents should always be cautious about outsiders who are too friendly.

You just never know.

69

murders at school

by zeb in

jw
friends

at a school in santa fe in the us.

many people killed and wounded.

.

scratchme1010

Something is so wrong with society. Better health, better quality of life, more knowledge, more technology than any other time in earth yet these young people are so broken ...
Put armed guards in these schools. I have no idea why they are acting like it is out of the question. In the 90s shem I lived in the inner city every single school had at least 2 armed guards then, why is this such a problem now?

I agree. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that increasing security will solve the problem. In NYC there was an armed guard who managed to kill a person who opened fire in a school. However, the shooter killed two people. They celebrate it as if killing "only two students" is nothing. Is it really better that two people got killed instead of 12?

Armed guards can help, and they can contain a larger tragedy, but having them is far from a solution to a larger problem.

17

Meghan Markle Will Omit 'Obey' from Her Wedding Vows to Prince Harry

by AFRIKANMAN in

jw
friends

when meghan markle says her royal wedding vows to prince harry on saturday, she’ll be following in the footsteps of princess diana and kate middleton by choosing to omit the traditional promise to “obey” her husband, the palace confirms.. during the ceremony, officiated by archbishop of canterbury justin welby, meghan will tell her royal groom: “i meghan, take you, harry, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part; according to god’s holy law.

in the presence of god i make this vow.”.

the decision doesn’t come as a surprise: meghan has long been a vocal feminist, working with organizations like one world vision to learn about the challenges facing women and girls living in dubai and mumbai.

scratchme1010

I'm all for omitting that "obey" nonsense, along with all those ridiculous traditions that are equally useless.

Personally I can't care less about their wedding (I'm not related to them nor was I invited), but congratulations anyway.

10

Getting personal data erased

by Damascus in

request for personal data erasure under gdpr refused on clause which says religious organisations can keep records.

the following is in their privacy policy:.

upon receipt of your written request, after you provide sufficient evidence of your identity and enough information to permit us to identify your personal data, the applicable data controller will fairly consider granting the request by balancing the interests of the individual in gaining access to data or correcting or deleting data against the legitimate interests of the organization, including whether granting the request would endanger the organization’s right to religious freedom and practice.

scratchme1010

For example, the religious organization has an interest in permanently maintaining data regarding an individual’s status as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Deleting such information would unduly infringe on the organization’s religious beliefs and practices.

This is what you could contend, which is, that what they need is only the information necessary to establish your status with them. They don't need all your data for them to know that you are no longer a JW (or that you are, for that matter).

This is why that religious exception nonsense should not be allowed. Of course, many people like those exceptions when it comes to discriminating against those they don't like, but then complain when it impacts them.

15

Unbelievable!

by The Fall Guy in

witness: yes.

attorney: and what were you doing at that time?

witness: yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and

scratchme1010

Thanks for sharing. I know some of them from way back when, never get old, though.

18

What makes you---YOU?

by eyeuse2badub in

of course this is an open ended question but have you ever really thought about what makes you who you are?.

is it our looks, our personality, our physique, our intelligence, our experiences and subsequent memories, our beliefs?

is it a combination of all these things and even more?

scratchme1010

Of course this is an open ended question but have you ever really thought about what makes you who YOU are?

I have.

69

murders at school

by zeb in

jw
friends

at a school in santa fe in the us.

many people killed and wounded.

.

scratchme1010

I'm sorry for those who lost loved ones. My condolences.

14

Trump mentality = Watchtower mentality

by doubtfull1799 in

the fake news is working overtime.

just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the network news about me is negative (fake).

why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt?

scratchme1010

jp1692, I believe that you are quite on point. I do note that the cult mentality is quite prevalent here. Some people don't seem ready to let go of that mindset quite yet. Donald Trump has never fooled me. I see right through his nonsense.

In any event, this thread is about the WT and DT mentality. I can also make a good case of it being about their followers' mentality. All you have to do is looking into the mindset of a cult follower. According to the experts, here are some typical characteristics of the cult follower, which are present in both WT followers and DT ass lickers:

Cult members are “focused on a living leader/leadership to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.”
People evolve an us-versus-them outlook. Little by little, the leader criticizes other groups with which his members might tend to associate, undermining confidence in them, attempting to discredit anyone who could have influence over his flock.

They develop this herd mentality where the leader cannot do, say or be anything wrong.

Both the WT and DT are there because of their following. People really have to look into their own actions, attitudes and behaviors. This current USA administration is a disaster, it's a caravan of incompetence. The WT is a pathetic, mediocre minuscule religious organization. Hard to accept, but not impossible.

8

Tattoos

by new boy in

jw
friends

i don't really have an opinion on the them one way or another.. when i was growing up the only place you saw them were on old ex military guys.

they had eagles with american flags or a heart with a knife through it.

some were so old and faded out you didn't know what they were supposed represent anymore.

scratchme1010

I don't have any, but like you, I'm don't have any strong feelings towards having or not having any tattoos. I do see that many religious organizations have very strong stances against them. Some are quite nasty in the way they attack people with tattoos.

Thanks for sharing.