I have my own family, and they made their choice. Over past 20 years, my sibling emailed me couple times, and I had only ONE phone call. It got bit better lately as they do see the flip flop, but the time gone cannot be changed. I grew up without knowing much my nieces and nephews. At least I have close relationship with mom, but she was not talking to me for couple years. Sometimes people have to accept the fact that they will never get their family back. My aunt shunned my DF cousin until she died 25 years later. One woman in KH that I knew since I was a toddler never dealt with any of her grandchildren once her son was DF for sexual conduct with another woman and made her pregnant. She until her death would not even say a word to her several grandchildren who were living in vey small town and often would call grandma on the street. She would just turn her head away and pretended she would not know them. She is dead. WT will destroy relationship among family and they do not get repeared. I know it is painfull, but I have my family and friends who were there for me when I needed them. I realize that blood relationship are sometimes disfunctional, but while I could not choose my birth family, I did choose my in-law one.
Posts by kaik
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25BEING SHUNNED
by JOHNROSS93 inafter almost 40 years of being shunned by close family members, it never gets easier.
my own mother is under the spell of the "organization" and won't even write to me.
for a long time i sent her things - cards, news articles of interest, jokes, etc - i finally gave up.
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Online Higher Education
by SonoftheTrinity insince the faithful and discreet slave class now opposes higher education because it allegedly brings with it 'bad association', i wonder what their take is on online education.
let's remember that distance education was pioneered by fundamentalist saudi arabia and apartheid south africa for the very reasons that the jehovah's witnesses criticize higher education.
my wife is one of the faithful and i fear for our kids future, that they will see no point in keeping their grades up.
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kaik
Villagegirl, I have not read all the posts here, but my understanding from the a few at the start, that they were talking about college education, which is adult oriented, nothing mentioned about children. Generally people are adults when they take classes at the university.
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Delete Personal Messages
by Maranatha ini've never been on a website that doesn't allow you to delete your own personal messages.
why can we not do that on this site?
what are your motives in keeping our personal messages?
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kaik
Maranatha, you make several false assumptions in which you think:
- Everyone who does not agree with your views is atheist
- Everyone who does not believe in Christianity is atheist
- Not everyone who went from WT cult became atheist, but on opposite to your opinion some became even more radical Christian
- Nonbelievers should not post on exJW cult site.
One problem with internet is annonimity which allows to people to hide behind it and insult. I have seen and experienced antisemtic remarks, seen misogynistic and homophobics posts. Some people will say these words online but are shit scared to say to anyone in the face. The faceless JWN and other websites provides for them a way to ventilate.
Many of us who were associated with WT and Christianity in general made a step to disasociate with false and often irrational beliefs that have not even foundation in the Bible. Do you believe in origianl sin? Do you even know that Jews and early Christians until 4th century did not share such view? Do you think why anyone like myself who past 20 years lives with extensive Jewish family and have many Jewish friends would desire to proselyte them for Jesus? What makes Christians so damn special over them and any other religion in this world? Absolutely nothing. In contrary to your post, I am a not atheist, I believe in God, but I cannot associate myself with Christian nonsense and false teaching of the Bible. Global Flood? Taking snake? Delusional John of Pathmos? If your faith needs these irrational beliefs, it is up to you to have them. However, not everyone needs them and share the same beliefs.
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Online Higher Education
by SonoftheTrinity insince the faithful and discreet slave class now opposes higher education because it allegedly brings with it 'bad association', i wonder what their take is on online education.
let's remember that distance education was pioneered by fundamentalist saudi arabia and apartheid south africa for the very reasons that the jehovah's witnesses criticize higher education.
my wife is one of the faithful and i fear for our kids future, that they will see no point in keeping their grades up.
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kaik
I have taken classes on campus and online for both undergrad and postgrad educations. I have not found much difference between them in quality, and both types of the educations were challenging. I did distance education at the state university and was satisfied with the quality of the courses. I have never experienced discrimination on job application regarding online and in class education. Having degree was all what mattered.
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Goodbye JW net
by snare&racket inforgive me for indulging in a goodbye but it would feel wrong not to,.
i hope the discussions and atmosphere here do not change for it is a bubbling brew of doubt, bravery and sincere hunger for answers.
these are healthy ingrediants for humans and especially for a jehovah's witness.. this forum offers not just the ability to ask without consequence, but it also offers the means to be real.
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kaik
I have enjoyed reading your comments, Snare & Racket. Good luck to you and congratulation on your Dr...!
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My three days of hell summary - Part I
by cookiemaster inwell guys, i finally got back from the dc or whatever it's called nowadays.
it wasn't really as bad as i expected but still, it was pretty bad.
the first interesting thing happened on the road.
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kaik
The schism is well known and documented and been around for about 45-50 years. The hardliners were minority and abandoned by Brooklyn, because they put higher emphasis on Bible than on WT publication. Knorr sided with the moderate section that saw themselves as a good citizen in communist block, but not interfering in the political system. The moderates had broader base and respected authorities without causing much troubles. I do not remember than anyone had significant problem with the communist goverment when I lived there. My aunt was JW from late 1950's or so, and my mom joined them before 1975. We never had any problem. The hardliners were refusing whatsoever respect to the authorities and played on martyrdom issue. These people oftem emphasised how much they suffered for their faith. I heard the comparision that they were like medieval beggers in front of church displaying their leprosy.
Second issue was also literature. Under communism, there was just not enough publication. While there supposed to be only one channel, many JWs had obtained publications from abroad, translated them, copied them and distributed. Generally there were several ways mostly from Vienna, but also via Poland, Belgrade, and Budapest. When the light started to change, the hardliners thought that it was plot of the communist government damaging the publication and faith, causing them to turn into very old literature. After years the split was too big as there were too many differences. Each group usurped their own position and mutually excommunicated each other. Brooklyn was often not sure what was happening due political isolation, but Knorr sided with the moderates.
I run into the hardliners several times in 1980's, and they called themselves sometimes unofficially Children of Jehovah or Witnesses for Jehovah. They conserved WT teaching of the interwar period. Elders did not like them and considered them as very dangerous apostate. After 1989, there was attempt to unify these two groups and reconcile the differences, but many did not. I heard that the leadership of the hardliners decided on their own regardless what their members wanted as they were persuaded by Brooklyn. Many followed them into the mother organization, but also smaller part refused to acknowledge the shift and stayed behind.
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Major reversal for the Watchtower imminent - Countdown: only 5 left.
by Focus in.
focus.
("armageddon" class).
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kaik
Another issue that will work against generation teaching is a big dip on birthrate that happened in the world between 1914-1920 as a result of WWI and Spanish flu. There was huge population boom between 1890's and 1914 that coincide with the rising world economy before WWI. WWI caused huge dip in birthrates this deficit was visible in chart. As of 2010 there was still small uphill of population born between 1905-1914 as they been departing this world. However, once we head into 2016-2020 there would be a big dip of centarians.
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What the Bible Students (now Jehovah's Witnesses) Believed About the French Revolution When Christ Inspected Them in 1919, Cleansed Them and Approved Them
by Kenneson infound this interesting article in the march 15, 1919 jacksonville florida times union.. "bible suppressed will.
be lecturer's subject.
bohnet, of pittsburgh, a direc-.
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kaik
Harp of God still in 1920's insisted the beginning of the end started in 1799. I am not sure when exactly was this dropped, but this year is referred by both Russell and Rutherford. Both of them derive the end from the Napoleon's occupation of Rome as mentioned by blondie.
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My three days of hell summary - Part I
by cookiemaster inwell guys, i finally got back from the dc or whatever it's called nowadays.
it wasn't really as bad as i expected but still, it was pretty bad.
the first interesting thing happened on the road.
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kaik
The schism happened in several Eastern European countries. I lived behind Iron Curtain under communism where there was a schims between two groups of JW that started in 1960's when communist regime relaxed. The JW split happened between groups in which one wanted moderate course with the communist government as asked by Knorr and other that wanted hard-line visioning martyrdom. In that era communists tolerated JWs and even considered to legalized them if JWs would allow government review their publications by censorship bureau and JW would no interfere with the state system. The moderate wing won and WT publications were available, but very limited amount. We had only couple prints per KH and we had to share. I am sure that State Police knew where they were printed and I do not ever remember that my mon nor aunt had visit from them. The hardliners did not want anything to do with the government and refused to submit to new light from Brooklyn. It ended with mutual excommunications and both groups were obtaining literature by own means from Austria. Brooklyn and Knorr sided with the moderate which left the hardliners to rely on old prints. The schism supposed to heal in 1990, when both groups merged, but it was never fully done-deal. The hardliners had to depend on very very very old light like Harp of God, and other interwar publications. My KH and my elders were under moderate groups approved by Brooklyn, but I had run in the 1980's into these people who created their community made up mostly from their own extensive families.
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Pets aren't people, says speaker at Regional Convention. Fido and Mimi better watch out! And instead of drinking wine or beer go do some gardening or play golf.
by oppostate ina big discussion driving back from the regional convention about what exactly was meant about pets.. the warning was obvious to me.
don't get pets, they cost time and money and you would do better to spend your time and money supporting the organization and going in field service.. as to the wine and beer, because the bro during his soliloquy admitted that the first thing he would like to do is relax after a hectic day at work with a glass of wine or beer, his conscience was traumatized.
however he came up with a perfect idea, he'd go tend the garden (obviously a solution for a married bro) or hit some golfballs at the driving range (maybe he's not married).. maybe jesus should have told the wine guzzlers at cana to sober up and go till the fields.. .
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kaik
I like having my kitty around. He is a hybrid between asian bengal and serval, so he is a bit wild and I do not recommend it to people who have kids and do not have a time for him. He is very intelligent, opens every closet doors so we have to child proof all cabinets. We play hide and seek, and he likes to chase me. I take him on walk around the house, I have a decent size backyard, so we can play there. He never goes out unsupervised. Generally in my KH nobody had pets except us and one woman who was an childless elder wife and cat hoarder. She was living on cottage by forest surrounded by pack of semi-ferral cats. WT feels that animals takes time and dedication that should be used for a field service. I consider my cat as my family member. I like when my mom calls him my little boy, it is so funny.