by Rabbi Midge 60 Replies latest jw experiences
Reminds me of David Jay.. Too bad it seems like both are gone,I thought their views were rather interesting and would have liked to asked some questions...
By the way, for the comments as to how long it takes to become a JW, it can be done with fresh meat in as little as 6 months, just have to time the study start and the baptisms correctly... I think we should strive for as few baptisms as possible however.
I was enjoying this and having lived close to Jewish communities, I appreciate much of what you explained about Jewish people. I think you are getting a taste of how ingrained it is for some to make every discussion at least a bit contentious. Some are really "off" religious discussion, period. Others have come to their (current) understanding and can't hear any other explanation of a religious community without feeling challenged.
Of course some things touched me in certain visceral ways, too. That one can accept a larger commonality (,simply being born into a community) and being accepted for that accident of birth offends every fundamental/evangelical vestige from of christian(ish) upbringing that we have. As you know, JWs reject every festival and celebratory event they can other than weddings (which are not that fun, honestly) Getting to celebrate without buying into some belief system messes with our damaged JW brains sometimes. It's an entirely different view of the universe and the atheists will have at you on different levels altogether.
There are obviously Jews that probably give your understanding the side eye, too, but I quite enjoyed learning about your world view and hope you continue posting.
There are some lingering bits of being in a high control religion that might come back and bite this young lady in the butt someday. Encourage her and your nephew to educate themselves about it.
Good luck!
By the way, for the comments as to how long it takes to become a JW, it can be done with fresh meat in as little as 6 months, just have to time the study start and the baptisms correctly... I think we should strive for as few baptisms as possible however.
6 months is very unusual in my neck of the woods. From first contact to bible study then to be qualified to go in service then to have been going in service long enough to establish some consistency them for a ca or da to roll around and go over questions and then be dunked.... 6 months is a hell a sprint for all that. Im not calling you a liar.... but thats not normal. For people to be indocrinated, prove their commitment to the cult and be dunked is minimim a year around here and usually two... but in the end the exact time wasnt my point. Ole midge was saying it took a couple of years to convert as if that was relevant to her sales pitch. I was pointing out jw conversions also take time. So what?
As for striving for as few baptismsas possible... isnt the goal zero?
And midge.... you did leave in a huff dear. Nobody was mean to you. If your goal was just to talk about this girl there was no need for the sales pitch. You got mad when you were called out on it. Nobody demanded you stop. Plenty of people were happy to talk about your non religion culture that is alao a religion that you have to be born into unless your converted and accepted after being born into it.. or whatever you said last. also making repeated posts attempting to insult people who disagree by refering to their cult past is laughable. We do that to each other all the time. Your attempt at it wasnt even a good one. Also also making repeated good bye posts sort of negates them all. If you wanted to leave you could just stop posting.
To convert you still need part of you dick cut off right?
I guess when you think of a Jewish person, you automatically associate it with the Jewish religion. There are of course varying degrees of that religion.
Jewish is the ethnicity
Judaism is the religion
Lol at the preemptive ego strike by Rabbi Midge. Come on, you're the one that got defensive and ran away because we read your words and had concerns based on them. THAT is ego. So then you go on a preemptive strike trying to dissuade further questioning by trying to label questions as egoic? Unless people are kissing your rear and asking questions about Jewish culture and faith you don't seem to like questions. I don't care about Jews as much in this instance as I care about this girl, as do others, and we can only go off the words that you post. If they give the wrong impression, that's not our fault nor our ego. You seem to have come here expecting a certain reaction and when you didn't get it you got upset and ran away. Ego tries to control reactions of others.
If you are really against shunning as you state, shouldn't you applaud someone who is bravely standing up against it? She is fighting to keep it from happening at all. It may not happen that way, but would you rather her just take it?
Yes, everyone should threaten people that are about to shun them with what sound like threats of violence or pain (if you know what's good for you). By doing so you labeled her as the voice of power and strength. Again, that's all stuff that you wrote. I'm not reading in or making up. I applaud someone taking a stand against the idea of shunning, I even do a podcast on that very subject matter and help people to tell their stories, but I don't applaud what sound like physical threats as strength. If you want to talk ego, that sounds egoic. Do what I want you to do if you know what's good for you is about control, and ego is about control.
I just went back and read your posts on previous threads. You get mad when we go by your own words about this situation, about how impulsive it all seems for this girl to just up and leave her faith to explore another, but it's not like you went on to say much about her in those other threads. So what we have to comment on is what you've given us. You painted this picture, not us. You've given us a ton about Jewish culture and beliefs, but you haven't given us much about her (back to the feeling of proselytizing), and in the other threads you were called out as condescending, which you seem to be fine with. You absolutely reek of ego because we don't dance when you want us to and not only in this thread, which seems to frustrate you considerably to the point of leaving.
So hold your future lectures on ego until you check your own. We all have one and it can get the best of any of us, myself included.
If you're happy where you are, that's great. If this young lady is truly happy, that's great too. I know you won't read this or reply, but wherever you are, have a good life. That's all any of us can wish for anyone.
Wow - given that so much of JW Doctrine is WRONG and that so much of the WRONG doctrines have been devised from the OT / Hebrew Scrip. /Mosaic law it seems like a step in a rather crazy direction to convert to Judaism !?
I have daily dealings with Jews and Israelis in particular and so many - the majority - are either out of it, even Atheist or simply keep going with the Traditions and Formalities - but not on a spiritual plain at all -
Given that so much of JW Doctrine is WRONG and that so much of the WRONG doctrines have been devised from the OT / Hebrew Scrip. /Mosaic law it seems like a step in a rather crazy direction to convert to Judaism !?
Remember those evil, rotten Pharisees, who believed the Law should be reinterpreted for each generation in light of prevailing practices? You know, the guys who decided that monetary compensation would satisfy the spirit of an "eye for an eye?" The guys who decided the Sabbath could either be suspended or abrogated when life was at stake? The guys who clearly considered Jesus of the Bible to be one of their own and even warn him of Herod's intent to kill him?
I'm not plugging for Judaism here. (Although Jewish, I'm on the atheist end of the agnostic spectrum and think circumcision is thoroughly barbaric) I'm just pointing out Judaism had already evolved considerably by the time Jesus of the Bible allegedly walked the earth. And since the Pharisees are in a very real sense, the fathers of Judaism as we know it today, it has continued to evolve.
The JW's have told a great many lies about a great many things, but for some reason the lies they tell about Judaism seem to be some of the most stubborn.
For what it's worth and if you're still reading replies.
I 'm glad to hear your nephew's JW is waking up to her religion that is always a good thing. If she converts to Judaism now that's her business. Her words to her family about the expected shunning are brave even if wishful thinking because as a witness she would know exactly what the consequences of her actions will be from her friends and family, if, her family are active JWs that is. She will need support when that shit hits the fan.
Oh and btw if it works out your nephew dodged a JW bullet for sure.
I think that Afrikaans bemoaning the lack of spiritual interest in Jews that still celebrate their jewishness rather missed the point of rabbi midges posts. That or more likely be simply disagreed with their right to the culture unless they are bearded with tassels and praying daily at the western wall. That is part of our fundamentalist Christian indoctrination.
JWs would hate to be categorized as fundamentalist.
