Posts by kaik

48

Retirement Planning for ex-JW's

by Simon in

this is something i think about a lot, possibly because i'm just getting older.

it seems that not only should i finally one day decide what i want to do with my life, but i should also be planning for retirement.. hands up everyone who feels their future has been royally screwed by the wts experience?.

if you were a good jw and followed the wts advice you could well be finding yourself facing middle or even old age without much or anything put aside in retirement savings.

kaik

My advice to financial well being is:

Do not spent money you do not have
Build a rainy day fund
Drive car until repairs became liability
Take advantage of 401K and max it
Put extra money to Roth IRA
Buy a house you can afford on one income
Don't buy shit you do not need
Keep in mind, even if you cut your expenses to zero, your income will not go up by a cent
Do not neglect your health, it will become costly
Stop smoking or drinking out. Have martini at home instead spending $12 on happy hour with your coworkers
Learn how to fix stuff around the house yourself, but let pluming and electric cables to professionals
Enjoy life and learn how to spent your hard earned money wisely

45

Possible reason for cancellation of book study in homes.

by Amelia Ashton in

this was posted on fb.. so guys, i'm gonna share something with you all that i think you should know.

i've only told two people about this (one being john cedars) for fear of getting this guy into trouble, but it's very telling and will reaffirm your "ttatt faith!

a couple of weeks ago, i had to have an "ability to protect" assessment by a gentleman from a company that also investigates child protection policies etc.

kaik

I could think that the reason is people getting critical to the food provided by FDS during home studies. I remember in the late 1980's or around 1990 was given directive, where individuals were barred from bible studies at home. Back as a teen we had several people getting together and studied some biblical texts and verses and than headed out to FS or home study. Some of the bible studies were questioning WT doctrines. Later we were told that we cannot study bibles on our own in study group because it would lead to apostasy.

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.