Darn, post won't edit properly.
In the past 20 years, have you seen a balanced, educated adult not raised by JW parents get baptized as a JW?
by BonaFide 40 Replies latest jw friends
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besty
Besty, are we talking Hackney here?
could well be - most of East London, most of South and South East London is a great opportunity to see the multicultural experiment taking place live before your eyes.
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OUTLAW
I think then I would rather be of this group than elitest ones looking down at People because of age, colour and lack of education......Reniaa
To be in that group you would have to attend a Kingdom Hall..
..............LOL!!...OUTLAW
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White Dove
My elder grandfather and elderette grandmother are soon to pass away, so I'm glad that my faith in reincarnation is so much stronger than my former faith in the resurrection to a paradise earth. I would be a prime candidate for returning to the "fold" if this was happening closer to the time after I left. I am safe from their "loving help." I won't be recruited due to family tragedy. I was a born-in, by the way and have been out since 2005.
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besty
lack of strong family ties
thank you OMGhost :-)
Randy frequently describes a cult as being similar in nature to a toxic family.
" Call me Brother the 1st day we meet and I will love you truly madly deeply forever. See Terms and Conditions on reverse ."
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yknot
LOL....
1: Bro. S was just feeling a little lonely (no tragedies, just a little blue about all work and no play) when some nice grandmotherly women struck up a conversation with him at a local cafe. They intoduced him to a sister who was 'just perfect' for him and by the grace of God had recently been baptized (total non-jw background too) and could sit in on his study with them...... and boy was she ever 'perfect' for him!
2. Bro. L was smitten when he literally bumped right into Sis. W (raised) in the laundromat...... he would have done anything to have her too.... including conversion and marriage.
Both men come from well liked and respectable church going families, have either associates or bachelor degrees and are serving as Elders.
2 Bro. X ,late 90s..... was ardent Catholic and hated JWs! Pope John Paul's embrace of evolution caused him to open the door on the local JWs the following day, accepted a study, converted his entire brood of 12 in one year! He was an engineer for the CA-DoT.
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besty
YKnot has kindly posted the exceptions that prove the rule.
From my last 20 years in the JW cult I don't recall anybody normal* converting.
*Not being rude to anybody here, but half the people on the planet have below average intelligence. Let the reader decide - which half are the trickle of non-child JW recruits coming from?
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C. T. Russell
I remember another one that kinda fits the topic. She was 25, no JW family, smart, attending community college part time while working at McDonalds as a manger. The company really liked her and the fact that she was getting a basic education. They offered her an opportunity to go out of state for a few weeks for management training. She would then be groomed to be a regional manager.
She asked the elders for their advice. They discouraged pursuing a career since the end was so close. How much better would it be to pioneer they said. She heeded their counsel and stopped going to college, reduced her work hours by stepping down as manger, turned down the training and started pioneering. The elders were very pleased with themselves. They would often point to her as a fine example for the other young sisters.
A year later, without much money in the bank, her car broke down. A few days after that her sister was killed leaving her as guardian of a 10yr old girl. She continued to pioneer for a few months, but with no money, no future, and the responsibility of a child she couldn’t take it anymore. She eventually moved, dropped out of the truth and was never heard from again. -
kitten whiskers
There was one couple (both college graduates with great jobs, living in a nice house and nice neighborhood...you know, the ones that born in jws can't afford or those counting on the end in their lifetime never made preparations for) that joined about 10-12 years ago.
It always baffled hubby and I what drew them. They seemed to have great family ties in the area. I remember the husband saying once that they were looking for a new church, and didn't care for the Lutheran one they tried.
I was sure when they were first coming, the wife was just going along with her husband. She was quiet and reserved and very sweet and respectful of him. They waited to get baptised together. Their oldest just graduated. I still wonder why, with all the chance of searching out the religion, that they fell for it. It never made sense to me.
They brought a lot to the congregation. The husband was a total, sweet goofball. Boy scout material all the way. He brought some fun for the brothers and their sons. He planned camping trips for dads and sons and they still take them every year. It's a tradition for them all now. Definitely something Watchtower wouldn't endorse! But thankfully, he brought some joy and comraderie to these little boys who were being left behind in so many ways! I wonder how long they will stay, or if it will just become comfortable. It must have been very hard on them, the boys were about 6 and 8 when they joined. Bye bye holidays!
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observador
No, I have not.
This reminded me of a Calendar (don't remember the year of it) in which there were several cases of people with screwed up lives who became a Witness and were now happy. The idea there was tha the Organization does a lot of good to people. My opinion, though, is that that was a shot in the foot.
At that time I was still a JW and kept thinking "what the heck's going on here? Is this the only type of people we can attract?". I felt unconfortable.
At least in previous years, the calendars had pictures of paradise in them... :)
Observador.