bemused

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Posts by bemused

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  58

  What are you reading right now??

  by DATA-DOG in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am reading "stranger in a strange land" by robert a. heinlein.

  i read it over 20 years ago.

  now i am reading it from a completely different perspective.

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  bemused

  'What the Dog Saw' by Malcolm Gladwell. He has great insights and this collection of his writing covers a whole range of topics.
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  50

  I was a window washet...

  by new hope and happiness in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  thete are a lot of derocatory comments sbout witnesses and cleaning windows.

  as a former window cleaner i can say:-.

  a. i started my self employment at 17.. b. i built the round with my own initiative.. c. i was soon making 4 times the average hourly wage.. d. i was afraid of heights, but as the round grew i employed 2 people.. e. it exspanded to gardening painting and decorating ect, ect,.

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  bemused

  Hi NHAH

  As several people have said, the term 'window-washer' is often used to represent individuals such as elders who have an anti-education stance, while having influence over people's lives in roles that they have no qualifications or training to carry out. I agree with you that it is unfair to imply that there is anything fundamentally wrong with window cleaning as a career choice.

  Through my relatives I met a JW elder (he is in fact a window cleaner - sorry!) who told me that he didn't believe in evolution. When I asked him which books he'd read on evolution he said he hadn't read any. I offered to lend him some but he declined on the grounds that he knew it was wrong so he'd be wasting his time!

  He may be a great window cleaner, but his critical thinking capacities are clearly very limited and it's painful to think that he has a lot of influence at the KH.
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  41

  Girls can't do maths

  by Laika in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a story from my days as the accounts servant (not verbatim).

  me: hello, [brother] here's your copy of the money slip for this meeting, i just finished the count.. cong.

  secretary: thanks... who counter signed that there?.

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  bemused

  As a never-in, my only experience of a Kingdom Hall has been at wedding services. I found the old-fashioned sexism in the talks startling. One lady told me afterwards that she had seriously considered walking out at one point, and only remained to spare the feelings of the bride and groom.

  It must be pretty weird being told that you're not capable of certain things and then going home and watching female politicians and business leaders on the news.
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  14

  No mention of Satan in 5 church attendances!!!

  by quellycatface in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  following on from jgnat's post, if that's okay.why do i not hear of satan in normal churches?

  ?it's really refreshing not to be scared anymore..

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  bemused

  Even back in the 1980s when I was a regular catholic church goer, I can't recall a single reference to Satan, other than in baptism services (when god-parents are asked to renounce Satan and all his ways). Most Catholics seemed to view Satan as no more than a metaphor for evil. Perhaps a tiny minority might have believed there was an actual supernatural being (who an omnipotent God, in his infinite wisdom, permitted to exist) trying to tempt us.

  I imagine nowadays that the Devil is even more firmly relegated to the sidelines.
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  23

  A Unique Web Site: JWlove.org

  by Londo111 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  well, all parodying of the january 2014 awake aside: no, not so unique.

  unlike the claims of jw.org, it is not the one true website that will solve all your problems.

  in fact, jwlove.org will not be for everyone and i admit that there are likely other places where the same information is presented in a better, more comprehensive manner.

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  bemused

  Looks good and the choice of web-site name means it is likely to get many hits from love-lorn witnesses.

  I spotted one minor error. In the first sentence under the first clip, 'undersestimated' should be 'overestimated'.
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  17

  Schizophrenia

  by thedog1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that is what it feels like at the moment.

  i am leading a field service group tomorrow morning.

  taking the wt study on saturday.

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  bemused

  I can only assume that your prison walls are ties to family and friends, otherwise I can't see what could be holding you back. It sounds like you are in turmoil and, for the sake of your mental health, that can't continue for long. Unless you can somehow reconcile yourself to your life as a JW then I think you have to leave.

  Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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  6

  by pbrow in

  1. jw
  2. experiences
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  bemused

  blondie - no it doesn't. The first post was presumably in error and we're just being a bit silly in the holiday period. Perhaps we'd better close the topic now!
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  2

  You could be forgiven for thinking that this JW apologist is sharing TTATT. LOL.

  by Island Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rholui7n-km.

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  bemused

  Wow, the hypocrisy is stunning. 'Toxic friends tear you down because of the way you talk, the way you look or even for your beliefs.'
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  6

  by pbrow in

  1. jw
  2. experiences
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  bemused

  It's certainly hard to disagree with your conclusions.
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  6

  Why the Grand Gestures?

  by bemused in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i visit this forum, i'm always a bit surprised by those members who, on deciding they no longer wish to be a witness, write long letters to the elders, set out their reasoning in e-mails to family and friends, attend judicial meetings to have their say etc.

  i've never heard of an ex-catholic, for example, writing a resignation letter to their parish priest.. i'm a never-in so i can't appreciate the emotions these people are going through.

  however they also often say a big worry is loss of contact with family and friends.

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  bemused

  When I visit this forum, I'm always a bit surprised by those members who, on deciding they no longer wish to be a Witness, write long letters to the elders, set out their reasoning in e-mails to family and friends, attend judicial meetings to have their say etc. I've never heard of an ex-Catholic, for example, writing a resignation letter to their parish priest.

  I'm a never-in so I can't appreciate the emotions these people are going through. However they also often say a big worry is loss of contact with family and friends. I would have thought that 'grand gestures' of this type are bound to precipitate a crisis, probably leading to dis-fellowshipping and the disgraceful shunning practices that this site's topic boards are full of.

  Although it must be really tempting to speak your mind, wouldn't it be better in the long run just to fade away? Gradually reduce attendance at the KH or even better move house if possible and don't bother attending the new congregation, get a new job if your boss is a JW, develop friendships with a few non-JWs, be evasive with family and let them gradually come to terms with your departure without the fireworks and negative reaction that a big announcement will get.

  Perhaps this fading approach won't always work (and I'm sure someone will tell me if it doesn't!) but as an outsider it looks the best option to me.