By their fruits you will recognize them...

Billzfan23

I always thought those were powerful words when I was a JW... Now, I realize that is precisely the "fruits" of the Witlesses that are driving so many newbies to this and other boards... Stranger than fiction....

WTWizard

These are the fruits they bear:

(1) Ruined lives. Children not able to go to college or participate in after-school activities. This makes existence very blah.

(2) Poverty and stagnation. Not going to college usually assures that they will be washing windows or scrubbing toilets. And the ministry work is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

(3) Children being molested and then not being able to say anything about it without retribution.

(4) Being molded to fit a specific, usually inappropriate and often damaging, assignment. This includes being rejected by the opposite sex so they can fit that Ministerial Training School where, upon completion, they can get 500 assignments in 2 days all around the country to fix the damage the leaders did to the congregation. The catch is that they have to do it the way the leaders did it, hence the problem is going to still be there.

(5) Busted families. When some go in, they are hounded to drag everyone in. Then, if one of them messes up or no longer believes in the religion, they bust up the family.

(6) Plus garbage. Holiday decorations, often in very good condition, have to be thrown away. Music, videos, and games also have to go in the garbage. Most other items that could stumble others end up in the garbage, too.

(7) Endless hounding that might not end when the victim disassociates or gets disfellowshipped. It is always about recapturing people, or ruining their lives, or both (and if they do succeed in recapturing someone, it always ruins their lives). Even when the victim is still in and trying, it is never enough.

(8) Wastes of gas and energy. Endless driving for boasting sessions and field circus wastes lots of gas. And the Kingdumb Hells are the most inefficient systems on the planet for climate control. They waste energy printing the littera-trash.

(9) Sickness at early ages. How often do you see someone getting cancer in their early 40s that is a longtime pioneer? That happens a lot. The Pioneer Diet is largely at fault. Eating a steady diet of Whoppers and Big Macs is not good for anyone's health. TV dinners, commonly eaten when the family is in a rush between field circus and those boasting sessions, are not healthy when eaten every night. Inadequate sleep, improper or inadequate exercise, injuries and sickness while out in field circus, and the stress of never being good enough all take their toll on health.

And there is the general lack of appreciation. People in that organization are supposed to be God machines that care about nothing else. They are stupid, mostly because they are programmed to not think for themselves. The result is likely to be even worse conditions such as enforced 5:30 in the morning street work, accountings for every hour spent in field circus with details that would disclose those coffee breaks, and even worse houndings.

Not good fruitage.

nomoreguilt

You know it! The only fruits I see around here from them are ......SOUR GRAPES!!

Deputy Dog

I believe the "fruits" talked about here are false prophesies, you know, ...fruit of a prophet.

Abandoned

Great topic Billzfan23. There was an elder in Witchita Falls who used to say, "Jehovah's Witnesses are so clean that we stand out like a WELL thumb." Comparing that to the "sore thumb" cliché. That's what I believed. I think a lot if not most of the witnessed believe the same. It warms you up to feel you are stepping up to the plate. Even more so when you believe that most people on the planet simply don't care. So, finding out that the good fruit is merely wax is definitely sobering.

That was an excellent list WTWizard.

oldflame

It's funny how they are so opposite of the fruits of the spirit mentioned in the scriptures. I have never seen any fruits of the spirit used by any member ever and I always thought that was odd.

R.Crusoe

I agree - they must've brainwashed me into that idea too coz it kept on my mind long after leaving. I rekon it's because their discipline is silent and not displaying anger which then makes it hard for you to understand exactly how damaged you are becoming when shunned and blaming it all on yourself and keeping them in a high place somewhere in your head.

Religious organisations are not like individuals - its tricky to hold them to account due to new light from invisible holy places. If an individual kept saying that everytime things went wrong noone would take any notice!