by LDH 18 Replies latest jw friends
Hi Lisa,
It's sad indeed to see someone so brainwashed as to think an orginization made up of sinfull,imperfect men can be on the same level as God.
A lot of us were just like her though.
How does she know what's on "apostate" websites?
Did she visit different sites before she went back to the WTS?
Well,maybe she'll come around eventually and see the WTS for what it really is.
neyank
There is a God.
My Robert Plant/Zeppelin double play that I requested yesterday just came on....
Listen worldwide at http://www.957thefox.com/
I'm in the mood for a melody, I'm in the mood, I'm in the mood....
RR
It never ceases to amaze me the way Witnesses view the Society. And yet it is not their fault, this is what has been drummed into their heads year after year, meeting after meeting. It is so sad that people will put an orhganization on the same level as the Great Jehovah God or in some extremes, above Him.
Q. Are JW's a cult religion?
JW. Definitely not! Cults elevate a human leader. We don't. We worship God and he says through his visible organization and his spokesman the Watchtower magazine that we are not a cult. The almighty Watchtower Society of Pennsylvania, a legal agency of the FDS and its Governing body (no legal connection) says we must believe what they say. They say we are not a cult, we are not a cult, we are not a cult.......
Thirdson
Lisa Led Zep is my absolute favorite. I have big decal on the back of my jeep wrangler.
LDH,
I too feel for what you are experiencing with your cousin. It reminds me of something I went through a couple of years ago with a very dear friend of mine who moved away from the area and knew I was inactive. In conversation on the phone, she would always make it a point to see if I was "trying" to go back and whatnot. Finally I just began expressing (carefully) that I just couldn't right now and some of the lighter reasons why. I chose my words carefully, but they still sound the same to active JW's who's loyalties are strong to doing what they are "supposed to".
Suddenly it seemed like a switch turned off in her mind about me and she told me that she would have to severely limit her contact/friendship with me because she didn't want my feelings to affect her spirituality. I instantly felt a brick wall of sorts go up and knew in her mind that she began classifying me not as "weak" but a "danger" to her.
I was really hurt over that incident, because I felt like I was the same loving and caring friend, but because of my new perspective on things, I became something more dangerous to her. Her loyalty was stronger to the WTBTS than a childhood friend.
Anyway, I can imagine how much more this would be with family members who suddenly put up that "wall" and begin viewing you as something bad. (((HUGS))) to you. Hopefully it will get easier for all of us.
Alia
Even if all the info on the Net were to be made available to everybody, some will still choose to be JW complete with all the works. But people should be allowed to go in knowing everything. Like what'll actually happen were they to say they want to be part of it no more; a good study of the meaning of the baptism questions; the past of the Org; the revisions...er...adjustments to the teachings; Beth Sarim and Shan; the cost of disagreeing with the teachings; Malawi and Mexico; Bulgaria and blood etc etc.
GOZZ SAYS:. But people should be allowed to go in knowing everything.
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WELL stated indeed- now with the net , it will continue to pose more of a challenge to jw esp in the western countries- case in point
just before i stepped aside the co told us point blank that in our area the NET was impacting the congo- i live in an area of the country were they news often times state that we have 1.2PCs per household-heck i got 5 in my house running-
well anyway the deal is this- he told us that we need to help the bro, see what happens due to years of wt training the avg jw almost Sh!ts in his pants when asked by a nonjw to read something thinking it is apostate material at the door-
we he mentioned that a number of pioneers were reporting at the semimar that they are losing studies - what happens is the person starts to study and they are told to share their new found knowledge with folks on the job, family, etc
well the moment they do that the family or co-work downloads TONS OF JW INFO OFF THE NET and then begans to ask questions and as he told us- they have asked the friends to READ THINGS well despite the fact that it is a direct quote from the wt the jw due to the indoctrination processs just Freaks out-he told us that some folks in the territory will invite the jw into the house and then WIPE OUT SOME PRINTOUTS the the jw will almost jump up to run-YOU KNOW THE INFO IS DEMONIZE- SMILE_ THEY feel.
anyway as i have often stated-- jw enjoy when a bible student ask lots of questions- problem is --it's not till a person is baptized do you then know what questions to ask, but then it's too late
so the net will continue to make it harder for the jw- one old bro in my bookstudy stated about the NET--
"you know we ain't even suppose to be up on that old internet"
well the young jw are being brought up on the NET and they will know it is more than just a toy but a serious source of INFO
my wife and i were out at Outback Steak House almost a yr ago- ran into on old elder from another hall- they didn't know that we were no longer attending meetings- he told me that the kids in the hall are up on the net ad they are coming to the hall and questioning the elders and he put it:
"Can you believe they are questioning the Slave"
so info has always been a High Control Groups worst fear and we see that with the WT
since they can't say not to go on the net- they can only DEMONIZE IT LIKE THEY DID COLLEGE
for the old timers they will listen,but the youth - WE SORRY-- smile
just my 2
JT
I recall having a conversation with a Witness about all the changes it went something like this:
RR: What about all the chnages?
JW: The light was getting brighter
RR: What if one day you opened you Watchtower and there was an article supporting the trinity doctrine what would you do?
JW: Then Jehovah has corrected our view of the nature of God, he always corrects his people with new light.
RR: YOu mean you would accept it after all these years of being told the trinity was false and pagan?
JW: Yes, Jehovah works through his faithful and discreet slave class.
RR: And what if the Society began teaching orthodoxy?
JW: Then that too is of Jehovah, correcting his people!
RR: So ... what would be so special about the Society, if they taught the same things as Christendom, what would happen to "Jehovah's Organization" if they teach like everyone else?
JW: <pausing for a moment> Two things, our worldwide brotherhood and the preaching work!
I just shook my head in disbelief and ended it there! Now I realized that this is extreme, but I have met many who believe this way.
_______________
Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill on the same night.
Among the hardest people to understand are those who are out, but want back in. The mental programming and guilt are very powerful tools. I know people who have been out for 30 years, and who have no intention of ever going back, but who will tell me that they still think JWs have "the truth." Ugh.
Just wanted to let you know that in the past week or so I've reconnected with four women who I knew as a JW. They are in their 20s and 30s, and three out of the four have left the WTS. One still goes, but has a VERY independent attitude. I'm seeing this more and more, and all the things people have said here about the Internet and so on are major factors. There will be no slowing this huge exodus.
S4
