Many Jehovah's Witness Leaders and Followers Customize Their Religion to Suit Their Needs

by new boy 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  new boy

  After observing my Jehovah's Witness friends and family members for over 50 years it became apparent that the vast majority of "the brothers and sisters" pick and choose the rules and laws that their church/organization what them to follow.

  Tough the society may state these admonitions as definite "do's and don'ts" many of the church followers put these admonitions in the the "grey zone."

  Why is this?

  The reason being Jehovah will give them special dispensation. Yes, for some odd reason Jehovah will cut these people some slack for the same things he must punish others for.

  They vast majority of the organization including their leaders what "mercy for themselves and justice for everyone else."

  Here are some of the many examples of the"grey zone" people are willing to live with, because Jehovah loves them more then other Jehovah's Witnesses.

  Whether to turn friends and family members in for the crime of pedophilia

  Masturbation

  Oral sex among married couples

  Watching "R" rated movies.

  Whether to see/talk to dis-follow shipped family members

  Alcoholism

  Going to "Worldly functions" class dances, office parties and reunions

  Gossiping

  Lying on their income taxes

  From the very top of their organization on down the rules are clear for everyone but themselves.
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  DesirousOfChange

  I bet there were a lot of JDubs who bought a PowerBall (lottery) tickets when it was over 1BILLION$

  I know many who dabble in going to the boats/casinos -- slot machines are NOT mentioned in the Bible, right?

  We heard of naked hot tub parties (but were never invited) and of some JDubs going to nude beaches on vacation.

  
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  sparky1

  You have described my god intoxicated, spiritually deluded, and religiously fanatical dyed in the wool Jehovah's Witness mother. She would run to the Elders about the slightest matter concerning others in the hall and gossiped about everyone constantly. However, she didn't have the slightest qualms about getting drunk, lying, going to R-rated movies, attending her own 'worldly' class reunions, hiding cigarettes under her mattress, not filing income taxes, lying on her monthly time report, not paying her bills on time, constantly late on our property tax payments, and a number of other assorted sins and misdemeanors. Yet, she was considered a pillar of our circuit! Many, many Jehovah's Witnesses have two faces. One public one for the congregation and one private one for their family. Ezekiel 8:12 comes to mind: 'They say to themselves, The Lord cannot see us.' (As you can tell, I still have some 'mommy issues')
  
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  steve2

  A very interesting and thoughtful topic.
  

  I think there is research from social psychology that shows people are much more lenient (and able to justify) their own transgressions but much less so towards others, especially others that they don't get on with. In other words, we are usually lenient about our own transgressions and obviously those people we are closest to. Humans have lots of blind spots when it comes to their own transgressions. When I was an active JW, one of my more "respectable" transgressions was voting in the general elections and having no conscience pangs whatsoever about it. Of course, I kept it to myself (I'm not silly). There were other transgressions, but common decency prevents me from detailing them here.
  
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  Giordano

  That doesn't surprise me that people customize their rules. So did Jesus and Paul. The whole religious Watchtower deal is about made up rules.

  I remember way back in the 1960's they started in with oral sex. That was probably the last straw for me. Especially being married. Then they encouraged married couples to pray to Jehovah before they had sex. Sorry Charley nothing like praying to Jehovah to put a hitch in your 'get' along. Better just tie a knot in it.

  The WT started to get ahead of itself...... being on our backs was one thing......... but crawling between our legs......... another.
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  steve2

  Interesting points Giordano - I should imagine the practice of praying before sex would definitely create an atmosphere of "being watched" and could be quite deflating of any passion.
  
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  Amelia Ashton

  In Spain the ruling was ordinary publishers could sunbathe naked on a nudist beach but not pioneers.
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  stan livedeath

  back in my late teens--the late 1960's---the general unspoken idea for courting couples was it was ok to play--but no penetrative intercourse.

  in the first few years of my marriage--i had to pray out loud at bedtime.

  ( i dont think " for what we are about to receive may the lord make us truly thankful" would have gone down too well. )
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  blondie

  Many jws subscribe to the thinking in this scripture:

  Ezekiel 8:12
  

  12 He said to me: “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each one in the inner rooms where his idols are displayed?* For they are saying, ‘Jehovah is not seeing us. Jehovah has left the land.’”+
  

  
  
  
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  dynamiterose77

  Know what's gross... when your mom is giving you the "talk" at age 11 or 12 ... and she tells you she had to be strong in refusing to do "what gay men do" in bed with your dad... as an example to you for when you're married someday.
  

  Still get shivers...