TMS

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Posts by TMS

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  22

  NEW Interview with Bill Bowen of Silentlambs on recent events

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the last interview i did with bill bowen was in april of 2003, and new things have happened regarding the pedophile issues in the watchtower's corrupt system led by ted jaracz and his corporate cronies.

  some things are the same (mainly wt policies), and others have changed.

  it took 10 years to develop some legal precendents to be laid down in order for lawsuits against the catholic priest pedophiles to move ahead, and some important legal precedents have now been established in court so as to pave the road for effective lawsuits against the watchtower leaders for their complicity in allowing pedophiles to remain in the congregations in good standing, some even as elders.

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  TMS

  Thanks Randy, Bill

  tms
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  85

  Remember when KH's had a piano and real singing?

  by WingCommander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the thread about got me thinking about my very early childhood, back when witnesses were allowed to be social and have get togethers.

  they also had a piano in every congregation i ever attended, and an older sister would always play the kingdom melody.

  there was actual singing - not mindless droning and humming.

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  TMS

  As PaNiCAtTaCk related the granting or retracting of the piano-playing privilege was a source of contention in congregations over and above M.S. or elder appointments.

  Old Sister McKinney in the black congregation in Little Rock never forgave the young upstart elder from New York who took away her piano privileges for an "unsubmissive attitude". She used a slang, derogatory name to refer to Bro. Perkins. Sister McKinney had been the "Company Servant" in the Little Rock East Congregation in the 40's before qualified brothers became available.

  Sister Hilliard in North Little Rock never got over having her piano privileges revoked when her and her elder husband separated "unscripturally" never to divorce or remarry.

  The record/cassette/CD playing was certainly less spontaneous, but the regulating of piano-playing privileges in many congregations was a real pain in the proverbial ass. Balancing piano skill, nepotism, "spirituality", congregation politics, etc. was an impossible task.

  tms
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  49

  Should Jehovah's Witnesses Be Allowed to Adopt Children?

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  religion, race, sexual orientation etc.

  are not legal barriers to adoption in most areas.

  but knowing what you know now, if you were part of the decision-making process, would you be inclined to facillitate jw's to adopt?

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  TMS

  Mulan,

  What I would give now to have been one of those liberal, realistic, non-fanatical JW's I now read about on this forum. I grew up actually proud of my lack of academic achievement, financial success and material possessions.

  The only thing we passed on to our now mid-thirties son is that nothing mattered while in this system except "serving Jehovah."

  The JW's you describe who successfully raised adopted children I respect greatly. That does not change my view that JW's in general, because of the belief system in place and the Pharisaical rules they live by are generally not good candidates for adoption.

  tms
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  30

  Coffee time with the dubs - Where did you go?

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  to name a few that are popular with my old congregation.... .

  dunkin' donuts.

  quik chek.

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  TMS

  A Little Rock Mexican restaurant ran a lunch coupon in the Arkansas Gazette for a $1.99 lunch special. We pioneers would hit the place about 11.00 am with our clipped coupons. We would order the lunch special and water. About 45 minutes later we would find a quick return visit to "round out our time" for the morning.

  tms

  ps. I think we all ate $1.99 worth of chips and salsa before the lunch specials were served.
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  50

  Do you look your age?

  by Virgochik in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  how many of you guys are like me?

  raised in the truth, (or joined later), but here we are, finding ourselves in our thirties, forties, or fifties....and the end hasn't come.

  we were never supposed to get this old!.

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  TMS

  I drink 10 year old whiskey.

  tms
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  45

  What strange things do your pets like to eat?

  by Lady Lee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i was a kid we had a small dog that loved spaghetti with tomato sauce.

  he was our witness dog that would sit near the table and wait until after the prayer to start begging for food.. the two cats i had for 12 years loved some really odd things.

  i was peeling corn on the cob tonight and missed having them pester me for raw corn niblets.

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  TMS

  My min pin likes the small crabs that poke up in our yard. I strongly discourage him, but he races around the yard looking for "opportunities."

  tms
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  38

  JW and Home Schooling WHY, WHY, WHY????????

  by Wordly Andre in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just heard that my nephew will not be attending high school, instead will be doing home schooling, why do jws pressure their kids into home schooling?

  i really do love my nephew he is a bright kid, i think he would do really great in high school, and hopefully attend college, but i was informed yesterday that he will not be going to high school because its not safe, and besides he made the decision not to go.

  i am sorry but he should go, i know what they got planned for him, home school and full time service, this is the time of his life where he needs to concentrate on his education, he will end up just like his mother, who also never attended high school, seems that when your totally lost into the society, covering all aspects of your life, that leaves you socially inept, depressed, and have a distorted view of the world.

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  TMS

  I've known a number of witness families who went this route. Frequently, the "teaching" responsibility fell on the mother of the household. Can you imagine adding to all the things a witness wife must do the additional heavy burden of "schooling" her children? It's a recipe for a nervous breakdown.

  I recall one home-schooled 12 year old boy in Arkansas. He was already a Regular Pioneer, took the lead or prayed at midweek meetings for service. By all appearances he was an extra-short middle-aged man with a high voice. He had all the JW lingo down pat and impressed all in his congregation with his "maturity." One elder in his congregation told me that if he were a little older, they would recommend him for ministerial servant in a heartbeat.

  I do not know what happened to this young man, but I do know that he was brought up totally insulated from the outside world. He would be about 26 now, so he maybe on the verge of eldership or self-destruction.

  tms
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  15

  Roger Insellman, Barry Sobieski, Wade Payne – These guys still COs?

  by Seeker4 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  roger insellman, barry sobieski and wade payne were three of the poorest cos i can remember in the decades i was a jw.

  sobieski was a bully, using his authority to intimidate as much as possible.

  insellman was just not personable, and was such a company man is so many ways.

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  TMS

  I knew Purvis pretty well, first when he was training under Eugene Brandt and later as a circuit overseer. He was actually a pretty down-to-earth guy who would not intentionally hurt a flea.

  I met a pompous circuit overseer in Texas named Payne in the late 60's. I worked in his boring Volunteer Department at the district convention, but I also made enchiladas in food service before the lunch hour. He "caught" me working in food service and even though my duties at the Volunteer Desk were being cared for as well, he chewed me out royally for "department-jumping." What an asshole!

  tms
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  49

  Should Jehovah's Witnesses Be Allowed to Adopt Children?

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  religion, race, sexual orientation etc.

  are not legal barriers to adoption in most areas.

  but knowing what you know now, if you were part of the decision-making process, would you be inclined to facillitate jw's to adopt?

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  TMS

  "TMS said: "I came to the conclusion that Jehovah's Witnesses, in general, do not make good parents."
  

  I fail to agree.

  M"

  Masterji,

  Care to elaborate? How would you define the role of parents? Evidently, you feel that Jehovah's Witnesses, in general, make good parents.

  tms
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  49

  Should Jehovah's Witnesses Be Allowed to Adopt Children?

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  religion, race, sexual orientation etc.

  are not legal barriers to adoption in most areas.

  but knowing what you know now, if you were part of the decision-making process, would you be inclined to facillitate jw's to adopt?

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  TMS

  So many thoughtful, well-reasoned comments above.

  Actually, I've been assessing my/our own performance as a parent/parents lately. In 1995 our neighbor of over twenty years, Mrs. Brown, paid us the finest complement we've ever received: "You two are the best parents I've ever seen. It was a pleasure to watch the way you dealt with your son these past twenty years."

  What Mrs. Brown saw over two decades was a family throwing the football, going to "church" frequently, getting ready for weekend trips and family vacations. She knew our little son received some recognition in grade school and probably felt the academic side was well cared for. Good grooming, dress and manners may have contributed to her overall impression.

  What our neighbor from across the street didn't see was the reality of what has been stated in this thread. If good parenting is preparing children to function well and productively on their own, Jehovah's Witnesses don't do very well. The stunted social skills, the educational and cultural deprivations and the tunnel-visioned religionism are well-documented. Many, like us, do the very best they can within the framework of their belief system. But the concept that JW's are "better mothers and fathers, better children, better employees and employers, etc." is a myth.

  I came to the conclusion that Jehovah's Witnesses, in general, do not make good parents.

  Thus, the question posed in this thread.

  tms