Paradise Cafe Discussions - A Place For Bible Research And Christian Encouragement

I'm Wendy from Sydney; 10 years successfully un-JW despite being brought up as one, being a regular pioneer for many years and being married to a Ministerial Servant.

I've been totally absorbed in the Watchtower Topic threads over the weekend, much to the dismay of my non ex-JW husband who had other plans for us, but having had absolutely no contact with any witnesses for 10 years I am quite curious about any changes they may have implemented. As a result I've been glued to my laptop screen for hours and hours.

I became a member of an ex-jw site recently but really prefer the format of this forum - I also find the posts a lot more intelligent and there don't appear to be too many from disgruntled family members of JWs or disfellowshipped people.

Thank you for having me.

Welcome Wendy from Sydney! My father was born there.:thumbsup:

So glad that you found us and hope you have many happy hours here.:heartbeat:

Love,
Rez:siskiss:

Greetings and welcome Auschic (Wendy).

There are many like minded individuals here, I find...endeavouring to worship our Father in spirit and truth by means of Jesus Christ our Lord and Shepherd.

Christian greetings, :cheer::cheer::cheer:

gogh

cool, you'll fit in nicely!

Hey Auschic!! :clap:



Hows it going mate? :thumbsup:


I saw the title "G-day", and I thought, hmmmm, must be an Aussie, and sure enough it is! Nice name too...Auschic - sounds like Oz-chick. There are a couple of Aussies on this forum.

Im a Kiwi living in Australia, (yeah, you know, one of them!) been here for about 11 years almost. I used to live in Sydney - lived in Allawah, Rockdale and Tempe. Pretty much the same parts of Sydney.

I live in Melbourne now, I like the place but there are some things about Sydney, that Melbourne will never beat -- like the beaches for one. Or my favourite Thai resturant in Glebe - Thai on Wok! They have the BEST peanut sauce!

Hope you enjoy your time here, mate. And perhaps you'll find with regards to the Watchtower, that while some things have changed...the basic fundamentals of THAT religion have NOT changed.

OBEY THE SLAVE....JOIN US OR DIE....ONLY WE HAVE THE TRUTH....etc. :crybaby:


Have a good one Auschic! :hibye::D

Cheers! :cheer:

your bro -- beau! :friends::friends::friends:

Thank for your warm welcome everyone.

And, digital_punk, I live in Tempe now, but know many witnesses from all around the suburbs you mentioned as I have lived around here for the last 20 years myself. What a small world. I dare say we possibly know some of the same people.

After doing some reading on here yesterday I was almost tempted to take myself off to the Kingdom Hall in Rockdale this morning just out of curiosity, patricularly about the new song book - it was always painful learning the new songs ( but they were one of my favourite things about the meeting and assemblies). I was even tempted to print myself out today's WT study article of the Jw.org site in PDF format - how I'd have loved that technology years ago. Needless to say if I hadn't been up drinking one of the dozens of fine champagne bottles I got off workmates for Xmas I might have been up early enough to go - then again it was an idea I had AS I was drinking the champagne - oh well.

Hi Auschic and Welcome to PC,

No doubt you have found the changes that have taken place having been glued for hours.:help: Plenty more info here too...just ask.

I'm down South, Melbourne, and have spent time with my brother in Coogee when he lived there.

Great to have another Aussie here.


Tessa

Thanks Tessa.

Coogee is beautiful. I stayed overnight in a hotel on the beach there a couple of weeks ago.

You are right, I have read of so many things that are 'news' to me, both here and at freeminds.org (amazing testimony on there from ex Bethelites including Barbara Anderson) ; the pedophile debacles, the NGO/UN association and the recent 'no holding hands during prayers. I had to laugh at that one as I was a huge advocate for oral sex between married couples during my last few years as a JW and had many interesting discussions with other JW married couples over a glass of wine and Scrabble board. It seems the same sex-starved twisted men who felt they could dictate what is and isn't proper for married couples in their bedrooms are still doing the same thing - but now inferring that married couples holding hands during 'group' prayer to Jehovah might be offending naughty people with their eyes open. I am curious how my married ex-friends will react to that article, although I suspect a lot of them, in sham marriages years ago, would not see this as any great loss sadly.

Not sure I should be posting this reaction here..if mods feel it needs to be moved to the appropriate thread I understand.

Please don't misread this; I'm sure there are plenty of disfellowshipped people about here as well and they are entitled to their opinions; but to know the rules of an organisation then whine when you breach them and suffer the consequences, it's a little like crying for being in jail when you drink drive..get my drift.

I'm loving the actual doctrinal discussions and hearing the heartfelt experiences of people who have genuinely been hard-done by.

Just wanted to clarify that.

Welcome Wendy.

Warm Christian Love
Bangalore

greetings wendy :love:

it is wonderful to greet you this morning and feel your energy. I LOVE your signature quote by the way. I read your thoughts on the disfellowshipped and it kind of got me thinking. I have great sympathy for those in that situation as it is so much more tramatic than anyone might think it could be. I also don't think anyone envisions it happening to them when they 'join' up. I have seen it destroy lives as well as whole families so I believe it is actually an evil thing..sadder than sad really...just a thought wendy--you know how one leads to another :love: --

:thumbup:Right on! A writer with a built-in editor! We could all use lessons in rereading our posts!

Welcome Auschic,

sw

Hi wolfie, thank you very much for your welcome as well.

Perhaps I come across as a little judgemental or callous with disgruntled disfellowshipped people. I'm sorry. I guess that was because by the time I actually walked away the only people who seemed to get disfellowshipped were those that begged to be or insisted they were not going to cease the behaviour or attitude that was deemed sinful. I myself had been in front of a committe at least three times for pretty much the same thing each time and disfellowshipping didn't even seem to be an option for them, it was simply private reproof each time.

In saying that I know that perhaps I was fortunate enough to have had some very merciful elders dealing with me. That is not the case for everyone, nor was the organisation always so forgiving. For some I'm sure there would have been witchhunts with elders determined to oust someone and 'one strike and you're out' for others.

I also have never known the pain of having a family member disfellowshipped and been torn between pleasing Jehovah or treating them in a humane manner. That would be devastating I am sure.

I have been reading the disfellowshipping thread and found some of the scriptural evidence that maybe it shouldn't even be happening at all quite interesting.

Some of you out there seem to have spent a lot of time with yoour bibles open since un-JWing and your research and information is very eye-opening.

Hi auschic, :hibye:

thank you for your last post.

:heartbeat:

AR