Posts by TMS

Larc mentioned our heritage as JW’s recently. I used that same word in a response to a thread started by JT. Mrs. Gene Brandt, wife of the famous district overseer, spoke our her Witness heritage in her life story, published in the Watchtower. The 1967 WTBS black and white documentary “Heritage” portrayed Witness young people as enjoying a legacy of a good conscience, peace and fulfillment, while their non-Witness counterparts suffered STD’s, illegitimate pregnancies, guilt, etc.

This all got me to thinking about what MY JW heritage might be. John Lennon’s words came to me: “You must have learned SOMETHING in all those years.”

I did. Frugality.

Most of us with extensive, active JW backgrounds come closer to the lifestyle of the half-penny pinching Henry David Thoreau than to Mark Cuban. “Putting the Kingdom first” necessitates creative economic adjustment. In my two person household, I am know as “Mr. Cheap”. My gentle protest is that my paycheck is put back into circulation quicker than a New York bellhop can show you his palm. Although, I admit to visiting the Frugal Living discussion board, “Insulating with Dryer Lint” is not my concept of frugality.

Turning the clock back thirty-five years, my wife and I enjoyed a lifestyle, almost sublime, on very little coin. Martin Jensen, the subject of an earlier post, had just died. His masonite 40’s vintage trailer sported a large hole on each side where Hurricane Beulah had blown a tree limb through it. The Congregation Servant’s wife had confiscated the only thing of value in the trailer, a pressure cooker, and consensus was, that if we wanted the trailer, it was ours.

We went to work. We covered the fuselage with heavy cheese cloth and applied Sears-Roebuck asphalt-aluminum coating, several coats. From a distance, the old trailer resembled an Airstream. We tiled the floor with alternating green/almond tiles and applied green epoxy to the fridge and stove. OK, we had a home. The CO suggested a $5.00 per month contribution for electricity. OK.

My $33.00 a week income enabled us to eat out EVERY meal. Panchita’s on 14th Street offered a platter-size flour tortilla with refried beans for 15 cents. Coffee was a dime extra, including refills. We usually had change in our pockets after morning field service and the basement cafeteria at Mercy Hospital took mercy on us with their 30 cent vegetable plate. We stopped on the way at a panaderia (bakery) and my wife had stuffed a bollio (french bread) in her purse. 10 more cents. Usually, this was enough food, but on some nights, we crossed the border , eating dinner at Papagayo’s. Bistec con papas fritas was 8 pesos (64 cents), including a stack of corn tortillas, frijoles, a bowl full of key limes and salsa.

In the Rio Grande Valley, there are still Ropa Segundas, large second hand clothing stores. The clothing comes in box car loads from up north and is bought by the ton. It is unloaded in large bales, which are dumped on the floor. Mexican women sort through these bales by throwing each garment over their shoulder. As the pile in front diminishes, a larger, looser one grows behind them. These women can tell by looking if any garment will fit any member of their family. My wife has these skills and years ago picked up many stylish garments at the then going rate of 10 cents each.

I will halt this boring soliloquy here. As Barbra sings: “It was all so simple then.”

TMS

22

Avoiding arguments/hurt feelings on JW.com

by teejay in

jw
friends

for exjws (and jws, too), simon's forum is one of the most interesting and potentially beneficial sites on the entire internet since it's a small-scale version of life as it really is.

people from a variety of social, racial and national groups who make up an extended familytied together by a common history of life in the borgcome to share their day to day experiences and openly debate issues old and new.. as different as we are, breakdowns in communication happen and instead of learning something or getting a fresh way of looking at an issue, what should be a reasonable debate turns into an insult-fest.

people, some still hurting from bad experiences as a dub, get hurt even more and bitter feuds result that are felt for a long time.

TMS

a veritable, verbal gymnast, tj

TMS

6

Over 10 million JW Abused

by JT in

jw
friends

this post sums up the "scorched earth policy of wt".

***there are millions of documented abuses by the wt*** .

if you documented every life that has been twisted by this cult, then he is right.

TMS

JT,

You just described our heritage as JW's.

TMS

24

How Big a Liar Are You?

by Mindchild in

jw
friends

it seems nothing gets the good people in here so upset as lies.

we all seem to be extra sensitive to lies and damned lies because of being victimized by one of the biggest lairs around, the wts.. but have you ever really tested yourself to find out if you are really snow white yourself?

you got the guts to find out?

TMS

About twenty-five years ago, a store where I worked required all employees to take the proverbial "lie detector" test, administered by a "trained practitioner". Several of us were in a waiting room, while a fellow employee took the test.

After about twenty minutes, the examination room door opened and the employee emerged. He announced to the waiting group that he had passed the test with flying colors. "All my lines were straight as a string!" he exclaimed.

TMS

9

Human Nature

by TMS in

jw
friends

i always thought i could sell.. when i learned that a brother owned the state distributorship for wynns automotive additives and needed a salesman, i called.. g.t.

met me on my lunch hour, driving the new 1970 buick he had just won in a national sales contest and explained the program: 25% straight commission as a self-employed sales operative.. the following monday, i met g.t.

at the warehouse.

TMS

Amnesian is working on a blockbuster post, but in the interim, Celtic has something to say!

TMS

44

PUBLISHERS

by Frenchy in

jw
friends

jehovahs witnesses are under a grand and multi-faceted illusion that has been fabricated and is being maintained by the society.

one such facet of that great illusion is that jws are actually proclaiming gods kingdom and teaching people the truth about god and jesus.

it was only a few years ago (hey, im not the brightest candle on the cake!

TMS

Frenchy,

Your response to PlmKrzy was as reasoned, non-vitriolic a description of the life cycle of a JW convert I have read.

I printed it for my non-internet wife, who has been saying these same things. She tucked it away for future use.

My wife recently had a heart-to-heart with her 82 yr old non-Witness mother, during which she apologized for all the years of being an aloof daughter. My mother-in-law tried to share the blame, but my wife would have none of that. So, they are "trying" to have a relationship, but the years and hurts have taken their toll.

TMS

14

The Benefit of Humour ..........for Teejay

by Aussiemanhunter in

jw
friends

gerday teejay,.

quote.

>got a question for ya, aussiemanhunter (welcome, btw),.

TMS

Magnificent,

Cutting through the psychobabble, r u tryin' to say "Laughter Is the Best Medicine?"

TMS

44

PUBLISHERS

by Frenchy in

jw
friends

jehovahs witnesses are under a grand and multi-faceted illusion that has been fabricated and is being maintained by the society.

one such facet of that great illusion is that jws are actually proclaiming gods kingdom and teaching people the truth about god and jesus.

it was only a few years ago (hey, im not the brightest candle on the cake!

TMS

Thinking about these words of yours, Frenchy: “After that I realized that we were not studying the Bible with our Bible Studies but were merely using the Bible (which in my area is still revered by the majority of people) to validate what was being ‘preached’ by the book. It was a book study, not a Bible study. Once the householder ‘progressed’ to the point of no longer questioning what we told them, the Bible was seldom used after that. The book did the proclaiming and the teaching, we just read the questions off and listened to the answers.”
**************************************************************************

Was this not sometimes referred to as a “systematic” study of the Bible? Once the householder accepted one point, another point was layered on top with “proofs” and illustrations to support. Some points were relatively easy to prove and the proofs were actually overkill. The student would have to almost say: “I get it! I get it!” But, this overkill was merely setting up the more speculative points for acceptance, as by that time, some credibility had been established, a comfort level. The “teacher” might simply say: “You will find these cited texts most interesting in establishing when the last days began.”

TMS

ps: Tanalyst, Yes, 253,922 of us crammed into Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds for the 1958 assembly. Hope you hadn’t forgotten that!

9

Human Nature

by TMS in

jw
friends

i always thought i could sell.. when i learned that a brother owned the state distributorship for wynns automotive additives and needed a salesman, i called.. g.t.

met me on my lunch hour, driving the new 1970 buick he had just won in a national sales contest and explained the program: 25% straight commission as a self-employed sales operative.. the following monday, i met g.t.

at the warehouse.

TMS

Thank you, Waiting

Noting your gentle correction on that other thread. I don't know where I got saddle blocks. Ok. Mounting blocks.

TMS