What JW's are thinking about

by proplog2 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  proplog2

  JW’s are generally afraid to discuss prophecy with each other. They are reluctant to express their
  feelings because they don’t want to look like they are doing “independent thinking”. Occasionally
  late hours at a social gathering or perhaps a couple of drinks will open the door to an open
  exchange of opinions on prophecy. A little encouragement by a renegade is all that is needed to
  get things going. I must confess this has gotten to be one of my favorite pastimes at JW’s social
  gatherings.

  It is simply a matter of asking some of the same questions JW’s use to get a conversation going
  with a householder in field service. “So, what do you make of current events?” “Do you think
  you are going to see the end in your lifetime?” “Do you think we will ever give a thorough
  witness to Moslems and Chinese?” “

  Half the people I talk to, ( in their late mid to late 40's) figure they will probably die before the
  end gets here. Most of the people figure the work is fairly advanced in China although
  underground. As for the Moslems, they figure they have had their chance and have rejected the
  truth as a community. The really strange conversations center around trying to fit world events
  into the Watchtower prophetic paradigm. What’s going to get the governments to turn on false
  religion? Some feel its going to be a worldwide economic collapse that will make the
  governments raid the Church treasuries. Others feel that religious sponsored terrorism such as
  September 11 will eventually bring all the governments together to ban religion. Another
  question that generates endless speculation is the identity of the King of the North. No one
  believes its Russia. A lot of witnesses think its China. Quite a few think its Iraq. Still others
  speculate that it will be a United Europe.

  What is strange is that the conversation always ends up the same. We just have to wait ‘til the
  faithful slave reveals what’s going to happen. Does it occur to them that the Watchtower writers
  are just as confused as they are? If the “slave” really has special insight and the end is “really
  close” why is the vision so fuzzy?
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  larc

  Proplog,

  Very interesting indeed. I have been out so long that I can not have those kinds of conversations, but it provokes an image in me, the way you write about it. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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  butalbee

  What JW's are thinking about?? Sex.
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  Beck_Melbourne

  What JW's are thinking about?? Sex.

  Nooo...kinky sex!
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  proplog2

  One of the things a person should consider before leaving is the impact they might be able to have on people as an insider vs. being an outsider.

  Most JW's are messing up on the "rules", but they won't reveal their feelings unless they can trust you. For instance R rated movies. The only people who don't see R rated movies are those over 60 or those who have young children. Once a JW realizes that you aren't a fanatic they will let down the barrier. You have to watch it though. Some people tell too much and then their conscience bothers them. These people will tell on themselves and YOU too.

  Through my teen age kids I learned a lot of garbage on the Elders. The Elder's kids are usually the worst. They have been steeped in hypocrisy and know how to play the game. Since teens like to "out" their parents to get even with them - their teen friends get to hear all the dirt that goes on behind closed doors.

  It's interesting to watch a presiding overseer get up in front of the congregation telling everyone to use language that pleases Jehovah and you know from their kids that their vocabulary is filled with f--k, s--t, b-t-h etc. along with sp-c, n-gg-r, etc.

  Wonder why the young people leave???
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  Imbue

  Very interesting...Yesterday I was in the nursing area of the BR talking with a mother of two: a 2 yr old boy and an infant girl. We were teasing her about having more children and she protested "no way!" I said Well you have your replacements already and I didn't get my head chopped off for saying such a blasphemous thing. She's multigenerational JW so I was surprised.

  I never thought the END would be in a few short years. There was too much territory to cover China, Mid East etc. It didn't make sense. Then I concluded that some just had such unbearable circumstances that they needed to believe the end would be any day now, poor souls.

  Some of them have been moving on, getting divorced, remarring having more babies and getting DF'd. But they're not changing their circumstnces sometimes they choose worse partners and have more children . Plus they have their new spouses children makes six. This is disturbing don't they at least watch Ophra Winfey even if they don't read books. This is Ophra 101.[8>]

  Crazy is doing the same thing over and over again when it doesn't work.
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  ashitaka

  Actually, I've had those conversations with witnesses, and normally they were as full of doubt as me. Now, I guess that is over, but still it was nice to influence people while it lasted.

  I find the same things....that the end is far off, that we just have to 'perservere', etc.

  Really, it's a lot of hopelessness covered by a facade of hope. It works for most witnesses.

  ashi
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  proplog2

  Actually the disjointed talk Ciro Aucilino gave after Sept 11 is typical of the JW conversations. It's like they are wandering through a maze and have to keep retracing their steps to see how they got to this point in time.
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  proplog2

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