Posts by bemused

Welcome fakefading. Not everyone on here is an apostate - there are a few people like me who have never been a JW but are concerned about JW friends and relatives. (A close relative of mine converted some years back and I use this site as ammunition for any discussions we get into.) As a never-in I'm not sure I can give you much advice, but what I would say from my reading of the postings on this site is that a slow fade may be the least painful exit route and give you the best chance of maintaining contact with family and friends.

58

What are you reading right now??

by DATA-DOG in

jw
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.

bemused

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

50

I was a window washet...

by new hope and happiness in

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,.

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.

41

Girls can't do maths

by Laika in

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?.

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.

14

No mention of Satan in 5 church attendances!!!

by quellycatface in

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..

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.

23

A Unique Web Site: JWlove.org

by Londo111 in

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.

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'.

17

Schizophrenia

by thedog1 in

jw
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.

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.

6

by pbrow in