by flipper 269 Replies latest jw friends
flipper said: If she knows it's nothing but BS- does she just stay in the witnesses for family?
Partly. Also for her friends. Since my b-i-l died last year, she just feels so totally alone (they were unable to have children) and she gets some comfort going to the KH. She's been so totally devastated over what happened that now is not the time for her to find out the religion itself is a crock.
"Some people collect stamps, and we have another hobby: being JW's" a family member told me.
LOL! Wow Gorbatchov, that's some statement. There has to be so many that feel like this religion is a crock but hey, it's a social network so they think, eh, at least I got "friends." Until they find out just how fickle those friends are.
That person would be stunned if they knew how the WTS views "hobbies" and that being a jw is considered a vocation not an avocation.
I wonder if there are any families where they're all staying in for each other and if they only could all talk openly and agree, they would leave together...
Mad,
Like in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"?
GORBATCHOV- Interesting. So some of your relatives DOUBT the generation teaching- but stay IN the witnesses for family because they regard it as a HOBBY ? Wow. Incredible. Pretty damaging hobby I'd say.
MARY- I'm so sorry about your sister losing her husband in death. I can understand that she needs lots of support for quite awhile in being near familiar people in the witnesses. It may not be the right time for her to find out the " truth " about JW doctrines, very true - but the more emotional ssupport she receives from non-witness relatives or fading witnesses like you in a real, human ( non-cult ) authentic way - she may begin to see that people even OUTSIDE the JW cult show her love too. As Steve Hassan says - In ANY huge life change a person is looking at life very deeply and seriously - so a person is more vulnerable to " cult mind control " while going through changes. Keeping that in mind - you can be there for her for sure- as I know you already have been ! Keep appealing to her deepest human emotions - in time within herself changes may occur that you notice as years go by. Good luck with her - tell her lots of friends of yours wish her the best. Hang in there.
SOLDIER 77- I too found out over the years how fickle my " conditional " JW friends could be. Friends I had for years started jumping off the ship like rats when finding out I had stopped attending meetings. Who needs THOSE kinds of friends ?
BLONDIE- My thoughts exactly. If JW's start looking at being a JW as a hobby - WT society is in REAL trouble. It will produce lots more controlling type articles in the " Witness only " WT . WT society can't lose control of their subjects.
MAD SWEENEY- I don't think JW families TRUST each other ENOUGH to talk openly about their doubts. Everybody is so mind controlled to rat each other out at the 1st signs of doubts - creating paranoia - i.e. APOSTASY !!! - that I feel it would be more of an individual thing with family members exiting the cult. I know at least for myself - I doubted the " generation " doctrine as far back as 1989 - but stayed on as a JW until 2003 - due to FEAR of negativity from JW relatives if I spoke out loud about my doubts. It's a horrible way to live actually. Without open communication and trusting the cult allegiance over family allegiance. Pretty twisted.
YAN BIBIAN- I didn't see Mr. & MRS. Smith movie- what happened in it ? Peace out, Mr. Flipper
They have many doubts! This week I talked about it with family members and one said "I don't believe in the Society anymore, only in Jehovah. The Society can say what they want, but I don't believe them. When I hear the statements of them, I don't believe it. I keep going for my believe in Jehovah".
The quote about the stamps, it is a very close family member of my.
Another one told me he want to celebrate birthdays, because the society had wrong intentions about forbidding birthdays...
So they are changing (in west europe).
GORBATCHOV- Wow. That is very interesting. So a family member TOLD you they don't believe in the WT society anymore ? Awesome. And some in your JW family want to celebrate Birthdays ? It DOES sound like a positive change is in the wind. Just be there for them as I'm sure yu will continue to be. God news
Wanted to bump this thread up to see if any had experiences with JW relatives talking about the generation overlap. Any comments welcome
Never had an experience with a JW on that particular issue, Mr. Flipper, but I have a one liner if you happen to be in a sarcastic mood.
"If these are overlapping generations, and Jesus said they would not pass away, is that not the same as saying that people won't stop breathing until the end comes?"
The point of that comeback, while being very subtle, is to explain the obvious. Jesus is, according to WT logic, simply saying that Humanity itself won't pass away until all of these prophecies happen! Yet many of those prophesies require the participation of, aaahhh, Humanity itself.
So what's the point of Jesus even mentioning the word "generation"?
VILLABOLO
