Is the May 2012 KM pumping up some hysteria?

by discreetslave 32 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  blondie

  I loved going by myself after I reached 18. I did not like some jws (mutual) and some were very inept and/or abusive to the "householder" insulting even. Some would jump in and interrupt me doing the Genesis to Revelation presentation in 3 minutes. But some neighborhoods were dangerous even for 2 women together. When I was 14, I would be sent off with another 14 year old girl. Now how could we train each other and how safe was that. I have had guns pointed at me and my negotiating training eased that. I have seen drug deals go do and the police invade a house and drag out several men in handcuffs. My generation of jw in my area would not send people one by one. As one elder said, Jesus sent his disciples 2 by 2 and they were men.

  I think the WTS is trying to counter the past and current stupidity of jws who avoided previous counsel to be cautious as if an angel was with them.
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  WTWizard

  It might be safe to work alone in some areas, but is it wise? Do you wish to be alone and have every door yourself? Or, what happens if you fall down the stairs (bad treads, bad railings, slipping on ice, tripping) and can't get up? Your partner would at least be able to call for help. But, alone, you are up the creek without a paddle.

  Conditions are really that wretched in parts of the world. Portions of Mexico are dangerous like that. Also, Nigeria (indeed, most of central and northern Africa), the Middle East, and portions of Colombia and Peru are too dangerous with crime. But, this is not the case in parts of Europe away from Greece (riots), the United Tyranny of Stupidity (the police are busy looking for illegal lemonade stands, and will probably spot a robbery while trolling for those lemonade stands), Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. However, you still have dogs and cats, falls down stairs in bad condition, accidents (including traffic accidents), householders that cannot stand the witlesses and you are the one too many for them, and the fact that you don't want to get stuck in a house for hours at a time to deal with.

  Even in the safest area in the world, would you rather only do half the work in the same time? Remember, you are not getting paid in any way per person you recruit into the cancer. So you might as well waste at least half the time going with a partner. Besides, that is double the chance that someone is going to want a break--wasting even more field circus time. Just don't open your big mouth when your partner drives right past the house they are supposed to be calling on.
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  Bella15

  I see nowhere JWs being encouraged to exercise their own judgment and stay home if things are not safe.

  One thing is to be in danger/hated because of declared persecution against Christianity or the preaching of the Gospel ... another thing is to be foolish enough to put oneself in dangerous places when you already know that you may be kidnapped, raped, robed and NOT because of the Gospel but just because criminals would do it to ANYBODY .... of course JWs will claim (and will be told by the CORPORATION) that it was done because they are GOD's chosen ones ... LOL!!!
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  sir82

  Talk about your left hand not knowing what your right hand is doing!

  At the whoop-de-doo Zone Meeting in the US last fall, GB member Losch strongly encouraged JWS to work by themselves, at least occasionally, while out in field service.

  Is there some sort of "thing" between Losch and the Service Department?
• 

  LongHairGal

  discreetslave:

  I don't know if this is necessarily hysteria, but simple common sense in the world we live in. You don't need to be a JW to know that if you are on a street or in a neighborhood somewhere and something is happening or something doesn't feel "right" you should get the hell out and not stand around gawking. Personally, I never thought it was even wise to watch when there is a fight or dispute going on somewhere. What if somebody pulls a gun and starts shooting and bystanders get hit?

  palmtree67:

  I remember hearing the case you mention. Unfortunately, in the JW religion you are encouraged to risk your life and safety to preach to all kinds of people. Not only are you in danger from the people, but you can injure yourself on their property or be bitten by their dog. Some JWs may imagine they have the "angels protecting them". Really? What about this and many other JWs who became victims of foul play while out preaching? Some JWs aren't necessarily preaching but in their neighborhood they are known as JWs and who knows if that doesn't make them a target for people who think they (or any bible thumpers) are pushovers.

  What about that young JW mother-to-be some years back who was befriended by somebody in her neighborhood who ended up killing her to get her unborn baby. Why the hell weren't the angels protecting her???

  Sometimes the brother driving the group can cause worries and problems for the women in the car. I had an older brother once tell me that he would stop for a stranger on the highway who was having car issues. I said to him: "please do not do this if I am in your car. If you are alone you can do what you want". I suppose a man has fewer fears and this is the reason for their bravado.

  Just the idea of how many times I put myself in danger while carrying out this sham of a ministry makes me cringe!
• 

  JeffT

  seems to me a significant departure from the WT push for productivity.

  Productivity in field circus is a joke. The only number that counts is hours. They could go to the doors in groups of ten an no one would care because they'd all count the time at the end of the month.
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  discreetslave

  I think they could have given some warnings and reminders without it sounding sensational. I've always been in congregations where the group was looked adter and witnesses went to the doors in pairs. Some things are just common sense.
  
  
  @sir82 Losch is not taken very seriously by others. I remember a special talk at Bethel and Losch advised against the practive of making abbreviations for things( Text talk must drive him nuts). The next part Dan Sydlik mentions Bethilites in foreign services and he says or how I like to call them BIFS and starts laughing.
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  steve2

  steve 2 --- i'd find a lawyer to hold the brooklyn crooks accountable since you were a child --- sorry, I realize you've put it behind you but this is too much. There's always a lawyer out there who will try anything and thank God because their desperately needed w/crooks like the watchtower.

  Thanks LV101. There's now a statute of limitations in New Zealand on proceedings involving historical sexual abuse. Besides, even in my local congregation back in the late 1950s, some brothers were warning parents to think carefully before sending their children out alone. My parents -both now deceased - were loyal JWs and I loved both of them dearly but they were "caught"up in the whole door to door activity big time (as JWs were back then). I never told my parents primarily because they would have blamed themselves. I'm fortunate in that, even after I left the organization, my parents continued to be there for me and others in the local congregation knew they could not do anything about my parents continuing to support me.

  On another note, the Salvation Army member who abused me was brought before the courts some years later - in the 1970s - when other victims came forward and went to the police - many of his victims were from the Salvation Army, including children who had been in foster care. There were also some strong indications that the Salvation Army knew about his abuse but tried to keep it under wraps (i.e., away from the Police). Sounds very familiar!
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  LV101

  steve2 --- it's hard for me to respect the laws of the lands when it comes to children and i let legalmen know every chance i get.

  You truly were fortunate to have loving parents --- you're way ahead of the game on that one.

  Best to you.

  LV101
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  Flossycat

  Is there any subliminal expectations among JWs for Dec 2012? (the Mayan calendar and other esoteric literature) It sounds like the WT Society is not only having a bet-each-way on covering themselves on safety issues, but doing some of their usual cultivating seeds of paranoia on the end being near/be vigilant. Some of this KM reminds me of when I was a teenage witless in the summer of 1972/3: In Australia, because our new Prime Minister (Gough Whitlam) wanted to develop good trade relations with China (I spoke about this on another subject on this forum - think it was under the heading "Does anyone remember this?" Sydney headquarters had us practice meeting undercover in case Australia leaned too far to a communistic way of rule. We held our Sunday WT study masquerading as picnics, WT mags hidden inside worldly mags, wore reversible coats, bags, hats (to change around at the end of the meeting in a nearby public toilet block, complete with donning sunglasses to disguise who we really were. We had scouts during the picnic to keep a look-out for police who might be coming to arrest us; we had secret code words in case of being raided. Was like something straight out of Get Smart. During this time the JW Yearbook devoted a whole section to the JWs in Malawi being horribly presecuted (houses burned, women raped, bros&sis's bashed and tortured) because the refused to carry the country's national party ID card. (Incidentally during those years apparently in Mexico JW men were allowed to pay a fee to the govt to get out of army service? I think it's spoken of in Crisis of Conscience.)

  Another thing: Does anyone from the 1970s remember this report given during one assembly?: A sister (going solo) was making a return visit to a femal householder in a dangerous part of NY (Harlem or Bronx; can't remember which specific part). The door was opened by a big man. She noticed he had blood on his hands and clothes. She asked if she could speak to the woman who lived there. The man said no, she wasn't there. So the sister left. Concerned/worried, she went to the police. They went and found he'd just murdered the householder. When the police asked the man why he didn't 'take' the JW woman seeing as his bloodiness was obvious/suspicious - he said he wasn't game to touch her because she had 2 big men standing one each side of her. The JW speaker said this was evidence of Jehovah providing angels to protect us when needed. The auditorium burst into enthusiastic applause, bros&sis's looking around at each other either wide-eyed with wonder and gratitude, or knowing looks of satisfaction. Years later, when I raised this story with another exJW who'd done years of deprogramming, not just JWs but other fundamentalist Christians, she said "Oh, that story's been told by such-and-such religion too, only their's was of missionaries in Africa." She pointed out that there was no proof - no specifics, which police precinct, dates, names.

  Incidentally, news has just come through while I'm writing this, that Gough Whitlam's wife, Maragret has just passed away. Gough's still alive - in his 90s. They were 2 towers of intellect in Australia from the 1960s-90s.