Have The Witnesses Changed All That Much In The Last Few Years?

by minimus 47 Replies latest jw friends

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  Vidiot

  LongHairGal - "The religion has dumbed down the literature and even gotten rid of certain books (the Aid Book and the Commentary on Letter of James mysteriously got yanked). They shortened and changed meetings, did away with Tuesday night home book study. They have done away with certain gatherings that were pleasant (yearly picnics or barbecues, no skating parties, etc.)

  The caliber of people is not the same as years ago. Now there are fewer responsible working people there and many people were recruited in recent years from the"fringes" of society. These people have lots of issues. Of the remaining people there, many are arrogant and some are delusional (I could never humor these people and would not stand even being in the same room with them.).

  The congregations are rife with damaging gossip and the problem is so bad that certain people decide to attend other halls to get away from it.

  With the economy being so bad and released bethelites and too many people with their hands out looking for money, the congregations must be hotbeds of trouble.

  Even though I am a twelve-year "fader", what I have heard and read about tells me the religion has become more controlling and cult-like. I even get the impression from certain "friends" that the treatment of single women is even nervier than anything I remember."

  I'm having a hard time imagining how the WTS can continue this way and still survive, yet we still get posters who insist that the WTS will be around for a long while.

  Makes me scratch my head...
• 

  sir82

  I'm having a hard time imagining how the WTS can continue this way and still survive

  The WTS is doing this to survive.

  The simple message is this: Obey us or be cut off from all you hold dear.

  That is much easier to remember, and enforce, than anti-typical this, Greater Cyrus that, Oholiab and Othniel and Atithophel, etc.
• 

  Vidiot

  Oh, I'm positive they're convinced that this will ensure their survival.

  However, an escalation of extremist behavior has almost always preceded the end of virtually every other high-control group (with delusions of grandeur).

  That's what I was getting at.
• 

  minimus

  So, it seems that the sheeple will always be there to take direction.
• 

  losingit

  The sense of community is gone. I remember the potluck meals after the book study. They eere great! We really got to know wach other and appreciate each other. Despite the hassle of that third meeting, it was short and worthwhile because of the association. it made it soooo essy fot me to remain a witness. Theu did away with the book study, and i wasn't able to say hi or get to know the brothers like i wanted to. Now, you HAVE to go out in field service if you want to get to know people better. And honestly, who has the time to waste on such garbage activity? I was not ever motivated enough to go out in field service afterwards. At least at the book study you could approach or be approached to make arrangements. It was a BAD change.

  Now, the articles are a bunch of crap too. No deep bible study WHATSOEVER. it was one of the main reasons why i became a HW. i really felt like i was getting a bible education. It's just the same texts over and over again.

  Sidenote. right before i got df'd, I studied the God's love book for a short time. Whenever we reached any of the paragraphs concerning Jesus i was completely clueless about his role and purpose. I realize now that was because JWs have not studied anything about Jesus for some time.

  It's changed for the worse.
• 

  minimus

  Losing it, that response was right on.
• 

  TotallyADD

  Hitler always said he was right and don't listen to anyone else. If you was against him, that was curtains for you. At the same time he tighten and tighten the control over everyone. Right up to the end he thought he could win the war and finally when he saw his end he blamed his troops and the German people for losing the war. Does this sound famliar? The WT is just repeating what history has shown over and over. Yes the WT has changed but like all control cults it is only repeating history. Totally ADD
• 

  minimus

  The wt. has always, historically, believed that having a small core o true believers was always better than having a bloated membership of less loyal ones.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  Since I left, they shortened the public talk and canceled the home book study, they changed some of the ways they count field recruiting, they changed "generation" twice more, they shortened the mags and made one "members only." They changed some core doctrine since I left.

  So, I have learned that JW's have always been reinventing their history and changing doctrines. Even though I seem to feel like there wasn't much change when I was "in," that isn't true- they flipped and then flopped on college education, they changed "generation" once, they changed pioneer hours, they changed other stuff that I just cannot remember.

  That all said, it's business as usual- they are all about changing. Remember that when they charged money for the books, something new meant the members would have to buy the book and make it a guaranteed sales success.

  Edited to add: And not charging money for literature was a big change, along with the end of food service. SEE, LOTS OF CHANGE.
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  Oculos Aperire

  It's very difficult to even be in that atmosphere now.. there is nothing for the intellect, nothing for the heart.. and nothing for the spirit. Even the association feels like an empty charade acted out to numbing levels. The people in there are really in trouble, and many of them I think know it. It's really quite sad..