Watchtower June 2020 Article, '' Return to Me''

by RULES & REGULATIONS 32 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Phizzy

  I doubt they will bother with long term inactive ones, Elders are pretty lazy and lax about actual Pastoral work.

  But watch out ! particularly if your fade is in the first two or three years. I did have two Elders call on me after I had been out about 8 years ! it must have been after an Article like this one, which would be about the right timing, the org regurgitates Articles every 4years or so.

  One of these idiots said " The Governing Body have asked us to call on you", WHAAAT ! The G.B do not know me, or those Elders, what crap. The same guy, after I had explained to him that the Bible has no weight with me, insisted on reading a Scripture from some obscure book in the O.T, "Nahum" I think, that used the phrase " Return to Jehovah" to ME ! from the Old Testament ! from a book written to the Jews 2500 year ago, not to me or you !

  It proved to me that the closed minds of Jehovah's Witnesses are incapable of processing what is said to them.
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  slimboyfat

  I’m not so sceptical about the idea of JW super-spreaders. I know a pioneer couple in the congregation who, all by themselves, brought in at least 30 people in the 1970s and 80s. In fact they are responsible for even more, when you add in children and grandchildren. Most JWs were never any good at converting people, and only a small number were very good at it. So it seems credible to me that a similar pattern may apply to an elder who is now focussed on inactive JWs.

  The fact is that most JWs are no good at preaching or at “encouraging” people back into the congregation. What’s more, I got the distinct impression that most JWs didn’t care much either. In fact, on the odd occasion when a member of the public accepted a Bible study, it was often met with surprise, suspicion, and treated as somewhat inconvenient. On more than a couple of occasions I saw publishers discourage a Bible study from progressing because they seemed a bit odd, or didn’t fit in. In particular I remember one man who was eager to attend meetings, but was a bit loud and told inappropriate jokes. The brother who was studying with him was embarrassed, and found a reason to cool down the Bible study (stopped offering him lifts to the meeting) until he stopped coming.

  If you have an elder who is actually motivated to reactivate publishers, has a friendly manner, and a reasonably effective method, I can well imagine that he could have considerable success. There are a lot of inactive JWs out there, and if they are approached in a kind way, if they have vaguely fond memories of the KH, and are in need of social connection, then I suspect such an elder could be highly effective.
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  JWTom

  As mentioned already, this is a cyclical item that was promoted very heavily beginning in the mid-1990's timeframe with new direction back then that the SO had more decision-making authority. I know since I was a service overseer back then and there was direction for the SO to assign brothers to visit inactive ones or irregular ones. A few elders would handle their assignments but most would simply ignore the direction and go about things like they had never heard of this.

  As an elder and SO for many years the primary success or failure of bringing people back is directly related to the strength of the local congregation, its inclusiveness and the strength of its social structures. What most people lack today is strong social relationships, true friends that will help them in a tough spot and enough money to have a decent life. Most congregations offer lots of judgement, a constant ask for money/free-labor and lots of useless lectures on things that have little meaning to most JWs.
  
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  Longlivetherenegades

  Timely INSTRUCTIONS considering we are at the LAST DAY of the LAST DAYS😋😋😋.

  It's only the degree of indoctrination that will make one think, LEAVING the ORGANIZATION is equal to LEAVING GOD.

  When Jesus said My God My God WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? The response from the FATHER WAS.............you have left my ONE and ONLY ORGANIZATION on earth doing MY WILL.😂😂😂😂
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  IWant2Leave

  I went back and pulled some of my elder's notes from June 2014 Circuit Overseer's visit. This is what we were told:

  "The governing body is directing that we make contact with all inactive ones, this week. Follow through immediately! Love the brothers from the heart. View as a lost sheep"

  The theme of one of the talks to the elders: "Assist Inactive Ones to Return To Jehovah" The entire week of the visit per the "organization" was to focus on inactive ones. The body of elders and the congregation thought that something big was imminent. Nothing happened. These are the scriptures that were emphasized in our meetings for the week: Luke 15:4-7;John21:15-17; 1Peter5:2; and Ezek 34:15, 16. A report was made at the end of the visit, and things went back to normal. No Great Trib. and no Armageddon. It is cyclical. I agree with one of the posters on here. 'Let's review. It's a cult.'
  
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  eyeuse2badub

  @slimboyfat

  The fact is that most JWs are no good at preaching or at “encouraging” people back into the congregation. What’s more, I got the distinct impression that most JWs didn’t care much either. In fact, on the odd occasion when a member of the public accepted a Bible study, it was often met with surprise, suspicion, and treated as somewhat inconvenient.

  jw's today are really lousy preachers but not as bad as old Noah! Noah, with whom jehober had direct contact, had hundreds of years to convert people but only his immediate family was saved by jehober!

  But then again, building that fabulous, wonderfully constructed ark probably was more important that trying to save people from drowning!

  just saying!
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  EverApostate

  When I got baptized, Jehovah never sounded from heaven (This is my son ...blah... blah..) as he did for Jesus

  When I was a JW for 11 years, Jah never once commended me for all my sincere Kingdom activities

  When I got doubts about the Org, Jehovah never cautioned me not to look at apostate sites.

  When I quit WT, Jah never felt sad or said “Don’t leave my Org son"

  After quitting - almost for 11 years - Jah never called me back.

  Then why the Heck do they say "Return to Jehovah"

  I would ask the above, if any JW tries to pull me into the cult again
• 

  Overrated

  Why would I want to return to a god (Org) that discourages higher learning, life saving medical treatments and shuns anyone who disagrees. Life is better without Jeehober and his Org. Anyone who comes around me to get me to return can piss off!
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  Steel

  The real purpose of the article is seek out inactive ones, find something in their life that could get them disfellowshipped and go find some elders to blackmail them into returning.

  Seek and destroy.
• 

  Diogenesister

  Why do witnesses “need help“ to come back to Jehovah?

  Why does someone who is willing to actually get down on his knees and pray to come back, need help to do so? Can’t he walk?

  Why did Silvio need those elders “to begin providing him with the help he needed to return”? Why not just go on to church and begin worshipping? Go to the Kingdom Hall?

  Because witnesses can’t just go to Jesus and worship.....they have to work hard for it. There’s no grace...it’s just work work work and beg beg beg forgiveness. Maybe he’s disfellowshipped in which case it may take years for him to be accepted by the congregation. Even if he has not committed a DF sin he would still need to “study” things he’s probably known for 30 years or more!!! Even then he still needs to prove himself to the congregation by attending months of meetings, and going out for hours and hours of field service, before he can be accepted.

  Because he’s not really returning to his god....he’s retraining for his old position in the firm. Just like a job they need to make sure he is still qualified!!!