Posts by kaik

15

Catholic madly in love with a JW (cont'd)

by Luge62 in

jw
friends

those of you who read my last post, about two weeks ago, know i'm in a dilemma.

i did not run like some posts suggested.

i truly believe i found my soulmate.

kaik

There is no advise for her without 1) leaving the cult 2) filling divorce on her own term 3) with a knowledge that she will be shunned forever.

You have to understand that with WT there is no compromise or middle ground. If she remains with WT even after possible divorce, her life and your with it will revolve around KH, WT, and everything. You will not have easy and happy marriage. The advice I said and other too, said it all. Run. It is like a person from free western democracy decides to move into communist regime like USSR, and hoping he can enjoy the sight, while maintaining his or her western freedom. Impossible combination.

19

Disfellowshipping Spree In My Congregation

by jw07 in

i just was looking back at a group photo on social media from exactly one year ago.. there are 12 persons in it, and since last year 3 of those persons in that photo have been disfellowshipped, plus one more not in the photo.

so that's a total of 4 persons from my congregation of a little over 100 publishers.. unfortunately 3 are back at the meetings and taking the shunning, but one seems to be fully awake and has disappeared completely.. that's the most persons i recall being disfellowshipped in my congregation in such a short while.

usually it's like 1 every 2 or 3 years.. i wouldn't mind seeing more people leaving.. there are currently 3 persons who i wonder about.

kaik

In Czech Republic, there was a huge DFs around 1996, when the branch got new light regarding alternative military service. Back then, in drafted armed forces of the country, the alternative was prison, coal mines, or alternative service (mostly in hospice or old folk homes). Initially, WT supported alternative service between 1989 and 1996, but when the flip-flop doctrine was implemented, massive DFs was implemented across many KH in the Czech Republic. I left WT several years prior that, but in 1996-1997 up to 8% of males were DFs on spot for refusing to leave already performing alternative service. Violation would mean prison and criminal record. It still baffled me, why some of the men returned into WT after all these BS they went through, having their personal life destroyed by flip-flop doctrine, and having permanent criminal record.

22

Does it ever just hit you...It all may be a dream

by LevelThePlayingField in

that the paradise may or may not be real?

that the things you have been taught for many years from the jehovah's witnesses may not really be as they say?

has it really ever really hit you with that "pow" of reality ever?

kaik

I always thought that JW paradise was unrealistic the best, and joke the most. While panda petting zoo was enticing to me as a kid, I did not find the life with fellow JWs as a paradise.

24

Was my dad awake?!

by EyesOpenHeartBroken in

i am wondering if my deceased elder father was awake?

once we found out he was dying, i spent every moment i could with him, we were very close.

anyway, i offered to read to him a lot when he was resting.

kaik

Welcome on the board. Your father probably realized that his earthly time was gone and had felt that he does not need WT burden with him, but direct relationship with God through book of James and John. When people dying, they try to leave some message, which you do not pick immediately. Last time I ever spoke to my dad prior his death, we talked about Ecclesiastes 3 1-8. It was weird because my parents studied to be JW with my uncle and aunt, but prior baptism he retracted and never was JW. But he believed in Bible and my father remained deeply Catholic. Only my mom got baptized. So it was weird when he brought up that there is time for everything... He ended the talk with "don't worry, I will be back home soon, they are releasing me next week" He died two days later. I think he knew he was dying, and gave me a false hope so I won't be sad.

71

Which bible character do you hate the most?

by Bonsai in

the more i think about it, the more i feel an extreme dislike for the apostle paul.

he was on par with hitler in his treatment of the jews before he "saw the light".

he replaced jesus teachings of love and mercy with a more legalistic, pharisaical concept of devotion to god.. any evil person can come to believe in god and worship him if the scales were literally and miraculously removed from his eyes.

kaik

Paul
Judah as ultra hypocrite. Sleep with "prostitute" Tamar and he is not even punished and than he is condemning his daugher-in-law.
David, not very sympathetic person as a ruler.

38

Had any weird dreams recently?

by LoveUniHateExams in

jw
friends

so, i'll go first.. i dreamt last night that i was still at uni, i said goodbye to one of my lecturers.

then ulrika jonsson (former weather girl, shooting stars captain, and swedish nymphomaniac) gave me a lift home in her car - wtf?!

she kept trying to change the cd whilst trying to drive (reaching on the floor, looking for a cd).

kaik

I get from time to time weird dreams, but generally, I do not remember them after several days. I used to have terrible dreams after my biological father died many years back. Before he died, I spoke to him over the phone, he just checked in at the hospital. I knew he was terminally ill with cancer, but he was recently diagnosed, so I expected him to fight a for a while. The night he died, two days after I talked to him I had dream I was driving with him in the jeep through deep dark forest. We were chased by flying skeleton with a sickle, it was like skeleton of sabre tooth tiger with wings. My father in the dream was encouraging me to drive faster, faster, and faster, but the skeleton got closer. Moment the skeleton jumped on the car, my father next to me told me that he got him. I woke up shaking with sweats, and find out that he died that night. I still remember this dream 20+ years later.

Other things I find strange, that I have dreams only on one grandmother and not the other, even I spent more time with her. I dreamt about being with her in the vineyards, picking walnuts or peaches, or all the fun stuff I spent on summer holidays in the countryside in old house that my GGGF build in the 19th century. It is rather strange, because as a city kid, the countryside life was a bit scaring me. Yet, I dream about it a lot as something that was nice.

74

A call from family - Armageddon this month!

by kaik in

i very seldom receive a call from my jw siblings, i mean seldom.

i can count them on my hand in past 10 years.

while we talk about mom a lot and i am in touch with her, i was very surprised when i received this call.

kaik

just exactly what section in the bible shows this as a biblical prophecy?

Because I did not expect the call, so I did not write any references to the biblical prophecies. She was jumping from Daniel to Ezekiel, Gog & Magog, etc. I absolutely do not care about prophecies, as nobody can predict future 2500 years ahead.

23

Has anyone tried using gold and metal detectors?

by EdenOne in

i'm thinking about trying out a new hobby.

in my country there are plenty of places that are geologically suitable for the presence of gold nuggets.

in fact, several gold mines have been historically explored from the days of the romans until present day.. at the same time, i love archaeology and history and there are many possible unexplored archaeological sites near me that might merit a superficial survey.

kaik

A lot of people dig battlegrounds, because there is a chance to find metal like horseshoe or fragment from medieval weapons, and buckles. However, many amateurs will dig some WWII ordinances and manipulate with it. Battlegrounds are generally good choice, because the site of the battles are well known and opened to public. Many of the war dead were buried in burial pits and only discovered by coincidence.

23

Has anyone tried using gold and metal detectors?

by EdenOne in

i'm thinking about trying out a new hobby.

in my country there are plenty of places that are geologically suitable for the presence of gold nuggets.

in fact, several gold mines have been historically explored from the days of the romans until present day.. at the same time, i love archaeology and history and there are many possible unexplored archaeological sites near me that might merit a superficial survey.

kaik

As teen we were helping excavating local monastery in our HS. What was the most interesting to me back then, that bodies decomposed and there was only belt buckles and other metal artifacts. Outside of my hometown there was a hill where legend had it that monks from near-by Cistercian monastery hid their treasury during Reformation. While all monks were tortured and executed, they never revealed where they buried the treasure. So over the centuries, bunch of people dig through the hill and find nothing. We as HS kids, we camped one weekend on that hill to be a part of tradition to look for the treasure, but we find nothing valuable. Only broken pottery, arrows, glass beads.

23

Has anyone tried using gold and metal detectors?

by EdenOne in

i'm thinking about trying out a new hobby.

in my country there are plenty of places that are geologically suitable for the presence of gold nuggets.

in fact, several gold mines have been historically explored from the days of the romans until present day.. at the same time, i love archaeology and history and there are many possible unexplored archaeological sites near me that might merit a superficial survey.

kaik

Medieval coinage went through development as medieval economy changed between 1000 and 1500. Bohemia and Saxony had one of the largest silver deposits in medieval Europe; so, silver coins were rather abundant. Silver coins are often found in medieval peasant cottages. From 1200 onward it was much easier to collect taxes through silver content over other goods. Medieval cities and markets were established in Holy Roman Empire such way, that no peasant needed to walk more than one hour to nearest market place. Bohemia had 1 million people in 1200 and there was 2 to 3 millions of silver denari in circulation. Prior Black Death the population increased to 3 millions, while coinage barely doubled, which was reason, why so many people in the feudal era had hard time to own coin if ever.

Wealthy landlords did not care much for silver coins and sought out gold coins (ducats or florints). Kingdom of Hungary was the biggest medieval supplier of golden coins in Central Europe from wealthy ore mines in current Central Slovakia (there is a 150km long range called Slovakian Ore Mountains). As population boomed in golden age of feudalism- which in Central Europe coincided around 1350- the circulation of small silver coins plummeted due hoarding. The banking crisis of 1390-1396 in Bohemia was tied to disappearing small coins where poor masses lacked a means to pay taxes, while silver mines produced tons of it. The monarchy wanted to prevent hoarding silver by decreasing silver content, which had exactly opposite effect. Older coins were even sought, prices went up due inflation, and bankrupted merchant homes in Germany demanded silver coins. The creditors even collected army and sieged Prague in 1396 to demand payment in good silver coins. In the 15th century due plagues and constant warfare, population shrunk by 40%, prices decreased, and silver coin circulation returned back to balance.

Coins are excellent source of economic conditions in country and trades routes. If country was under economic stress, the coinage suffered. This evident in the Roman Empire where silver content decreased in the 3rd century. Scandinavians coinage is often excavated in Central Europe due Hansa trade system. 30Years War was so devastating in Holy Roman Empire that coinage in Hapsburg realm was devaluated by almost 90%.