The one thing I learned is that my mother is now convinced I'm David Barker.
100 things I learned from watching "The Prodigal Son" DVD
by Perversion of a truth 84 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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innerpeace
So I just got finished watching the video (it helps to have a glass of wine while viewing). I have to admit that the production is actually good, never had that kind of thing when I was growing up. Can tell they are really trying to appeal to the younger people with the corporate environment, coffee house, and bar scenes. However, the message is still the same. Guilt and more guilt. Poor guy never had a chance with everyone jumping down his throat after just starting that job. Set up for failure from the very beginning. Hang out with wordly people it will only lead to a bad outcome. Why can't they make the version where he's able to find another job, stay in the city, and have a normal healthy relationship with that nice girl? They would never want you to see that now would they.
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Laika
I keep telling you guys, when I got an office job in the big city and moved into my own place a year ago I went apostate. The video was true!
38. If you don't keep your computer in the family room you will get addicted to porn.
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NewYork44M
17) JW's who have their own businesses live in 200,000 dollar homes!! I think you have it wrong here. It is clear that they live in a NYC suburb, the son went to the "city" which clearly was NYC. A house like that with the upscale decorations is closer to $2,000,000. Which, does not make sense. The family is in the construction business. That business was devastated by the financial crisis of 2007 and has not recovered.
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DATA-DOG
Well, you are right I am sure. In my area of the the US, you could be a home that size for around $ 200,000.00 and then fix it up. Real estate prices are much, much lower here. Still, the amount of self-employed JW's with that kind of cash is soooo small compared to the JW's at or near the poverty line. It just seemed unrealistic. Then again, maybe I am just really poor and don't know it?
The only Brothers that I know who a financially well off work full time, and are not serving as Elders or MS. I only know one Elder who is very well off, and he owns his own business and employs other Dubs. Most are un-educated and scrape by. That video was just another advertisement. That's what your life could be like...singing Kingdom Songs in the kitchen, breakfast every day, with the Daily Text... It was Leave it to Beaver with religion added into the mix.
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NewYork44M
What is the deal with him running out in the rain and crying after having sex with that beautiful young lady. It must have been quite tramatic - I feel sorry for the girl.
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Crazyguy
So when the movie was about over and the Prodigal son returns back home to his loving parents i assume, did he have to live in an out side shed for a year and do yard work or something all the while being shunned by his parents ??
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Bells
So when the movie was about over and the Prodigal son returns back home to his loving parents i assume, did he have to live in an out side shed for a year and do yard work or something all the while being shunned by his parents ??
No of course not!!! He went to a loving supporting JC, showed his repentance and was accepted back with love and joy, just like the Prodigal Son. You might be confused - this movie is based on a scripture - not the Watchtower teachings - 2 very different things!!!
I watched this movie on the weekend, I couldn't help myself. I think my mouth was open in shock for the whole length of the movie, I couldn't believe it! Will everyone get a copy of this? I'm just thinking, great, this is either going to give my in-laws false hope that maybe their son (i.e my husband) will return or reinforce the fact that I - the worldly girl he married - along with all of our worldly friends, are the main reason that he is no longer in the 'Truth'.
And what's with the mum - sorry - was it just me or is it normal for JW mums to be that totally pathetic!? All she did was cook, clean, beg, cry and hold onto her big strong husband for support at the thought of her sons 'death' i.e getting a job and moving out - at 21!!!!
And the big brother!? OMG what a total douche. Re Ace Ventura (classis by the way) "let me re-phrase that, I mean spiritually weak.
Seriously!? That guy reminds me of my brother in law. He would have to stay in the 'Truth' because he is such a boring douche bag that no one with a normal upbrining and social skills would be able to stand him, so he would never be able to make any friends outside. And how old was he anyway - and still living with mummy and daddy..??
And I love the bith at the start where they are still kids and shows 'Al' falling asleep (as I'd imagine many kids would have done before' - just to make sure you know - he has always been spiritually weak.
Sorry, I could go on and on, as someone who has never actually lived in the religion, I was absolutely gobsmacked by this movie.
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sd-7
Just watched the first 14 minutes of this video. Wow. Just the utterly implausible instant hiring of someone who has no experience at all blew the entire thing out of the water. But yes, that guy--he has Ace Ventura's hair and his voice kinda reminds me of Christian Bale for some reason. The ladies were indeed quite lovely, but there's not a lot of reason to think that young woman would start immediately liking this person she just met. We also immediately establish that Ace Ventura is downloading inappropriate stuff [I guess we're supposed to assume porn?] at work and is known as the office flirt. These are both things that generally do not result in success in a real office, but rather in people not liking you very much and sometimes getting a report filed on you, computer audit, and then firing...I assume all that happens at the end? Conveniently, he also says, "I'm always right--it's a gift I have!", which of course has to be the greatest evil of all; thinking you might be right about stuff that isn't in the paragraph could be veeeery dangerous...
The guy's older brother seems like a real jerk. Also, it seems like this is some kind of bizarre family cult. A guy who is very clearly an adult has to check in with his older brother and his dad about a job he plans to interview for? Sure, they work together in the family business, but [head explodes] it's an INTERVIEW! NOBODY WITH NO EXPERIENCE is going to get hired THE SAME DAY for any real job in an office so that he wouldn't be able to talk about it with his dad anyway!! And don't they get days off sometimes? Gosh! It's like these guys have never experienced Planet Earth before! Unless he's just going to answer the phone, there's no way, NONE, that this guy gets hired in the face of everybody else who applied. Couldn't they have come up with a more plausible opening to this story? That employer might have noticed this guy spoke well, but if he's got no experience, there's no reason to hire him. Maybe they're suggesting the JW lifestyle has a lot in common with marketing and therefore this guy was well equipped to market himself? Well, it was there all along and I missed it for years: "ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE, ADVERTISE"!
The older brother describing someone as a 'spiritual loser' is actually quite typical of how the WT itself says things--really, if we looked at the parable of the prodigal son, the Watchtower is the other brother who doesn't want to forgive anybody and is tooting its own horn about how righteous it is. Hey, they make sure nobody is allowed to rejoice over repentant ones, that's for sure. You get the stink eye from everybody for awhile...
Anyway, I have a feeling one can learn more than 100 things from this movie. The level of detail and quality there...who's paying for all this? I couldn't help wondering...nobody out on the street seemed to be dressed like non-JWs, so...how'd they film that scene when they're out there? Did they block off the street somehow? Hmm. They also had to design the office space...I would assume they must've used their own offices and redesigned the doors or something. Or rented an office space for the sake of filming? I wonder.
Of course, as is the trend in the outside world these days, while the picture quality has improved, the screenplay still sucks badly...
--sd-7
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adamah
sd-7 said
"That employer might have noticed this guy spoke well, but if he's got no experience, there's no reason to hire him."
That's part of the hidden message that's completely missed by JW outsiders, but plays to rank-and-file and serves as confirmation of the whole message they're told that they're learning valuable communication skills that Worldly employers value. Of course, it's easy to confirm that message when you're also writing the screenplay.
Adamah