The BRAND is what sells JW's and the alternate lifestyle

by Terry 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Terry

  Jehovah's Witnesses don't have a message. They have an alternate lifestyle.

  For persons put off by teachings of eternal torment they offer eternal sleep or a Paradise Earth.

  For christians disaffected by tepid sermons and rituals they offer a vital lifesaving field service ministry.

  In a world saturated in sex and exhibitionism, loud rude music and apathy they offer modesty of dress, cleanliness and worldwide family.

  They are seen by the world much the same way as the Amish only more modern.

  People find their teaching quaint or laughable but think they are sincere and eager for postive change.

  THIS IS A BRAND more than a religion.

  When the average person looks at JW's they see loyalty. The religiosity has credibility even if the doctrines don't.

  BRANDS establish personal public contact. The individual JW walks up and knocks on your door. That person IS the BRAND.

  We here on JWn are obsessed with the details of doctrine and teaching. But, come on--smell the coffee!

  90% of "spiritual" people don't give a flying fudge bar about all that! Chapter and verse scripture quoting bores the hell out of folks!

  JW's seem to handle a bible like Wyatt Earp handled his pistol anyway!

  If you put the way JW's come across in everyday life on one side and the rest of the world on the other side THEY LOOK BETTER!

  Think about that.

  Religious people are accustomed to background noise about Armageddon and the end of the world. It is blah blah blah.

  THE BRAND is scrubbed and friendly families knocking your door with a bible who are willing to die for God.

  The Devil is always in the details. But, in this world, nobody bothers with the details.

  Many many people are very put off by consumerism, fashion, popular music, obsession with sex, fall-apart family.

  JW's are the BRAND that seems to offer solutions.

  In a world of mealy mouthed Joel Osteens and Joyce Meyers Jehovah's Witnesses lay it all on the line and STAND FOR SOMETHING.

  I know you are gnashing your teeth at all this because you know the substance of it is a load of horse shit.

  But, what I'm saying is true. The details of belief take a distant second to the BRAND of Lifestyle.
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  designs

  JWs had a certain appeal in The Great Depression of the 1930s. People identified with Steinbeck's Grape's Of Wrath. My wife's maternal grandfather became a member of the Communist Party in California, he was a farmer and suffered the rip-offs of the capitalist society controlling market forces.
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  Terry

  There is pseudo-intellectual gloss to JWs.

  They are polite, detail saturated experts.

  Smart ordinary people can appear very skilled while flipping those bible pages.

  Connecting the dots is what they are all about.

  Nobody could ever accuse the JW at the door of being clueless about determination.

  How many Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Buddists etc. seem to care so much about knocking doors in neighborhoods with a smile and pamphlet of "hope"?

  Sure, that "hope" is vomit. But, hope is Hope.

  Appearance is reality.
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  truth_b_known

  The brand is "The Truth tm ". How many times have we read published experiences of non-born ins state,"Thats when I knew this was the truth"?

  However, the lifestyle is often presented as evidence of JWs being the only true religion.
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  PrincessCynic

  I agree with this. Even as a loyal JW I recognised it was a lifestyle choice for me. Then I realised that it wasn't fair to force my lifestyle choice on my son and definitely not in his bests interests. That's when I woke up.

  The thing is, once a JW has made that decision, that this is what they want to believe, that they're going to follow the GB no matter what and whatever they're being taught is always the truth, they stop asking questions. 'Studying' becomes pointless beyond preparing comments for meetings, colouring in a magazine to show people you're 'spiritual' and indoctrinating yourself further to suppress the doubts.

  Study was always boring for me and a chore before I opened my mind and starte asking questions.
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  Terry

  I would compare the JW lifestyle/christian lifestyle to Victorian "manners".

  There is a rule for every little move you make. It is detail oriented obsessive compulsive window dressing.

  JW's are better at it than most.

  It is all about how you present yourself in public.
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  MMXIV

  The brand is delivered with fake plastic smiles and insincere interest. Love-bombing for the newbies that makes people feel welcome and special. Lasts for as long as it takes to sign your life away on the dotted line.
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  wasblind

  Yes Terry

  I agree that JW's handle their Bible like wyatt earp

  and that they are a brand peddlin' the Bible teach book

  By readin' the Bible for myself, I now know what the Bible "don't " teach

  for me that's not a waste of time or borin'
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  Band on the Run

  I agree with most of your assertions. My hunch is that we are so Bible oriented by temperament. We were probably doomed to leave and be furious from the start. I attended a church service on Ash Wednesday where the bishop gave what I thought was a great intellectual sermon. He had natural speaking talent and a forceful but nice presence. Altho he announced that Ash Wednesday was a mandatory fast day, the priests were first on line with full lunch and dessert. As I waited for the priests to move on, a straggler commented that his speech was so poor. When I asked why b/c everyone else was commenting about how great, she said he did not mention the Bible. He mentioned the Bible numerous times. She was from that old time Southern religion with Bible thumping and screaming, with promises of hell fire.

  Too often I think everyone has the same thought process and temperament that I have. Yes, Witness ambiance trumps doctrine. I've met few Witnesses who know the doctrine and even less know the changes in doctrine and power plays at Bethel. When ever I met a brother in power who had a high school degree and was not functionally literate, I thought I was at Oxford or Cambridge.

  Most people I know treat the Witnesses as a butt for jokes about bothering people. A few do remark about sincerity and clean life style. So few people today are Bible literate in any sense. Let us face it. If you know your Bible better than Witness lit, you are likely to become apostate. If you research to question at all, you are most likely doomed to apostacy.

  The moments are fleeting but as an Episcopalian, when I am under stress I miss the absolute certainty. It may have been the certainty of a child but sometimes it is very comforting.
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  clarity

  Terry ........ the Brand is the alternate lifestyle,- clean honest instant friends & and some work to do that seems

  really important!

  >

  It is what sells people on jw's but worse still ..................

  this freshfaced, law abiding and friendly 'brand' is also the attraction that becomes the very mind, heart & soul of

  those "buyers"!

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  Buyers who cannot give it up, even when it is wrong.

  >

  Because ............where would they go away to?

  clarity