Association: Am i being lied to? (page 2)

WontLeave

The ultimate goal of JW higher-ups is to completely control every aspect of your life, as their puppet.

If they print an article that says the human heart muscle controls emotions, you must believe it. If they print an article that says Jesus was clean-shaved, you must believe it. If they print an article that says you can't get your tubes tied, you must believe it. If they print an article that says you must avoid any education beyond what's mandatory, you must believe it. If they print an article that says you can't go down on your spouse, you must believe it. If they print an article that says you can't accept an organ transplant, you must believe it.

Many of these articles will be printed as "suggestions", but you'd better believe they'll be seen as commands. Since the Watchtower is "God's mouthpiece", ignoring a suggestion in the Watchtower will be seen as disobeying God. No matter how nutty, arbitrary, or demonstrably false a Watchtower suggestion might be, you must obey it or be seen as "spiritually weak" and may get you "marked". If you're in the wrong Kingdom Hall and the elders are on a real power trip, something completely acceptible in another Hall could get you disfellowshipped.

There are many, many articles about "bad associations" and basically that boils down to anyone who isn't a JW, any literature the JWs don't produce, any music the JWs don't produce, any movies the JWs don't produce, etc. Depending on how much they want to micromanage you, it can be nearly anything and whether any of the elders do anything to stop the witch hunt will greatly depend on your popularity or political clout in the congregation.

Any Witness who tells you anything different than this is a flaming liar, trying to score points for the "organization", believing it to be God. There is a very good reason people on forums like this call JWs "the Borg". On Star Trek, the Borg have no independence, no friends, no thoughts or emotions that are not completely controlled by the 'collective'. "Good" JWs are not people, but part of a hive. "The individual" isn't a concept JWs comprehend. Every breath you take and everything you do must be for the good of the hive, and ultimately for the promotion of the collective, which only rewards and enriches the leaders. Outsiders do not contribute to the cause, so they are to be avoided. Anything that will distract you from living your life for the seven old men in Brooklyn is to be shunned.

yknot

*** w745/1pp.271-272par.28PreventingaGenerationGapinYourHome***

What the apostle Paul is warning against here is not mere contact with worldly persons. How so? Well, what is association? The Greek term means "being in company with" or "a having intercourse with." The English word is derived from a Latin word meaning "joined to, united with," "joined with, allied." In other words, you become a companion or an ally of someone whose companionship you are seeking. It is fraternizing, entering into the pursuits and pleasures of those with whom you are associating. This is a bad thing if the association is with worldly persons, since good morals and habits will suffer.

av8orntexas

Hang out with your non-witness friends, and do what you or your friends may normally do. Then tell your study and others at the hall about .

Their true feelings about it will show in time. Especially if you get baptized.

As Paralipomenon says,they'll beat you to death with 1Corithians 15:33 and bad associations.

That or they'll try to convert your friends as well.

Alwayshere

Your suspicion is right. And now you know the person

you study with, lied. And you called it right. A cult is what it is.

dgp

I'm a worldly and one of the good things the witness I met did about me was that she told me, up front, that I couldn't even qualify to be her friend. She said this after a long time and after I tried to marry her; but she said that. So, yes, you're being lied to. Most witnesses won't befriend you, but, what's more, they will ask you to forget about your worldly friends once you get baptized.

Sometimes the occasional witness will befriend you, or will very much look like that, but, knowing what I know now, I wonder how often it is that they really consider you a friend. It's something they learn NOT to do.

This should be reason enough for you not to get baptized. If you're being lied to before you even get started, what else will happen once you're in?

Resistance is Futile

It's a sad fact, but JW's will lie to you about many things when they are trying to recruit you into the Cult.

fade_away

Take it from a 25 year member. It's a big fat lie. "You can do what you want"? If that was true, I'd still be in this religion. A lot of JWs will claim to their students that they are free to be friends with anyone, but once you're baptized the truth is revealed and it's too late to turn back. It sickens me that they will lie to their students to recruit members. Once you're baptized, you become a trophy to them. One they can show off and brag about saying "I converted him".

GOrwell

Pretty much wat Mad Sweeney said 100%.

InterestedOne

Ooh. Here's a good one. My JW friend gets to have her cake & eat it too with the issue of "friends." She goes ahead and uses the word "friends" all day long when referring to worldly acquaintances. This way people mistakenly think she is their friend, and she certainly accepts favors from them, etc. However, if you listen carefully, whenever she refers to something she is doing with her fellow JW's, she says she's getting together with some of her "best friends." Ack! She's got the average person fooled who doesn't know what she really thinks of them. So there you go roxanesophia, you can have all the worldly "friends" you want. But the JW's are your "best friends."

Black Sheep

Just a word of caution. What she said isn't a lie, but that doesn't mean she is being honest.

It isn't the whole truth either. http://www.watchtower.org/e/20050722a/article_01.htm

In this case, they don't come right out and make it a punishable offence, so in theory, you can be friends with anyone, (except DF/DA).

If you ever make an accusation to a cult member, you have to be absolutely bang on target and squeaky clean. Don't make any statement that you don't have proof of that they will respect. Their own literature or website will do nicely.

Cheers

Chris

Association: Am i being lied to?

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