Nothing in life is stable as a Jehovah's Witness... (page 2)

blownaway

You said Nipple on the internet. That reminds me, one Thursday night after meeting we came home, I was about 10 yo. I turned on the TV and the channel was on PBS. My younger brother would watch the electric co. and other shows. When the CRT heated up it was a woman naked breast. My eyes flew open and I was glued to the set. It was a sketch from Monty Pythons Flying Circus. I have been a fan ever since.

Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho

I remember @Sour Grapes' post from a couple of months ago about "world conditions" never being as bad as they are today. @Giordano brought up an interesting quote from Eric Hoffer's book, The True Believer:

"Not only does a mass movement depict the present as mean and miserable - it deliberately makes it so. It fashions a pattern of individual existence that is dour, hard, repressive and dull. It decries pleasures and comforts and extols the rigorous life. It views ordinary enjoyment as trivial or even discreditable, and represents the pursuit of personal happiness as immoral."

I think Watchtower deliberately imposes such uncertainty and instability on its members' lives. You wonder how people continue to put up with it, @silentbuddha, and it's because any other route is conceivably impossible for the Witness. Watchtower keeps its members by baiting them with the offer of certainty of "God's promise". The offer of complete security if you do everything right within the organization... The offer of an impermeable faith that can't give way, should you ignore anything that does get in its way. And in the midst of Watchtower's induced uncertainty on the member's life, this seems like an offer worth holding onto.

I sometimes think of Watchtower's "imminent destruction" theology as a marketing scheme in the same vein as, "hurry now! Offer ends soon." False urgency is created in people and those studying with Jehovah's Witnesses. "Gosh, if I disagree with what I'm being taught, I might miss out on the deal of a lifetime. Better block out the negative aspects and commit to purchase before I miss out!"

nowwhat?

I could never think "long term" or "big picture" it was always "this system can't last another 2 or 3 years" so now I'm 58 with absolutely zero saved toward retirement

eyeuse2badub

At least we knew what day of the week it was---depending on which meeting we would be going to that day! Isn't that stable?

just saying!

stuckinarut2

Ah yes! How on earth can jws be 'stable' when they are constantly being told "you are not doing enough!" "Can you do more?" Etc etc...

The constant FOG (fear obligation guilt) is emotionally and sometimes even physically debilitating!

Lost in the fog

It has always been like the Orwellian 1984 world where "big brother is watching you." In the org all the brothers and sisters are watching each other and especially are the elders watching you. Not in case you are in need of assistance but in case you slip up and 3 of them can whack you about the head under the threat of disclosure of this private court.

I remember being told by a circuit servant in September 1975 that all us kids in the congregation could give all of our belongings and toys etc away to our school friends because in October of that year we would be in the new world. Good job none of us wanted to part with our goods! cause we'd have been destitute in the following month (sadly as some adults in our locality were!!)

Nothing in life is stable as a Jehovah's Witness...