bnybyt, are you saying that the regular study edition that everyone receives will now be similar in format to the Simplified Version? If so, I see a lot more people leaving. Because at that point the Watchtower Study becomes an obvious read-and-repeat-what-was-just-read show.
shopaholic
JoinedPosts by shopaholic
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42
January 2012 WT Study edition on PDF pulled from JW.org website
by bnybyt inthe wt study edition is getting a facelift for the new year.. the january issue had been posted on jw.org but.... the boes hadn't received notice by letter of such a change.. the wts likes to play up every opportunity to have a new release.. this time the jw.org techies jumped the gun and went on to post.
the issues for download according to their established schedule.. unfortunately, they went ahead of the fds/gb who too late .
realized the cat was out of the bag, sort of saying.. well, it got pulled off the website, for now at least.. what's so secretive about it?.
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Hilarious "wardrobe worksheet" in new YPA book!
by cedars induring a quiet moment i picked the latest ypa book down from my bookshelf.
it's pretty much stayed there since my relatives came back from the latest convention.
i couldn't bring myself to see the extent to which the society is now trying to claw its way into the lives of teenagers.
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shopaholic
This is my first hearing about the worksheet and I don't see anything wrong with the worksheet especially if you have teenagers and difficulty communicating with them. Teenagers still need the guidance and direction of their parents. Without guidance and parenting, teenage girls (irrespective of religion) may wear inappropriate clothing for a number of reasons. The worksheet is just a communication tool for those that may need it.
I've taken female teenage relatives shopping, while I didn't use the worksheet, I can see the value in it. I don't think it has anything to do with being a high-control group.
Edited to add:
Just read the whole thread. Should have just posted "Ditto on what Scully said"
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What's Your Favorite Shopping Destination?
by minimus ini'm a sucker for dollar stores, discount stores and bargain outlets.
give me a tjx/ marshall's store over bloomingdales anyday!.
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shopaholic
Band On The Run & WTWizard, I think we are shopping cousins.
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Encouraging sigleness
by Dudu indo you think is one of the unhealthy teachings among the wt?
i mean humans has been created with emotional and physical needs that relationships provide, right?.
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shopaholic
Their pushing of singleness is disgusting. It's especially bad for the women in the cult. After a certain age, virginity goes from being nice and noble, to being just plain tragic.
I could not agree more. I lost my best young and fertile years to pioneering (more than a decade). Right now, I'm going for mine on all levels. My saving grace was going to university right after high school and starting a career which I held on to while pioneering although I was the object of much ridicule. However, I do not regret the time spent overseas but wish that I done it for the Peace Corps or some other worthy organization.
So true that if you decide to get married it is made to look like you gave in to some type of weakness. While I agree that you need time in early adulthood to figure out who you are, the JW view of singleness is not natural. I know male and female virgins in their 30s, 40s and 50s and they are put on a pedestal because of holding on to their gift of singleness. Whatever! Most of these folks are miserable and carry the guilt from their "secret sin" of "loving themselves". It really is just plain tragic.
A therapist said it best, "You need to exhale and embrace the natural cycles of life."
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Wording of "mentally diseased" press release - feedback?
by cedars inas some of you may know, i am working with trailerfitter and cantleave in helping amelia with her efforts to complain about the latest "apostates are mentally diseased" article.
she has an appointment with local police tomorrow afternoon, as she has lodged a complaint under the 'hate crimes' act.
it has been suggested that this issue may merit some media coverage, and with this in mind i have prepared a draft press release.
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shopaholic
folks have given good recommendations, especially rebel8
In paragraph 4, consider dropping use of the word apostate completely given that you explained it earlier in the letter. This word is lost on most non-JWs. Also consider simplifying and humanizing that paragraph a bit more. Think about your audience...they don't care about "apostates" but they may care about people that simply decided to no longer attend the church and because of it are lose friends and family and labeled mentally diseased.
You're in the UK...add that tabloid touch while keeping it truthful
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What Turns The Average "Worldly" Person Away From The Witnesses?
by minimus inis it their door-to-door incessant preaching?
is it their view on blood?
is it that the religion itself is simply often misunderstood?.
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shopaholic
Blondie, I've lived in several parts of the US and got questioned about Labor Day from non-JWs on a semi-regular basis.
For many areas in the US, as you know, its a huge cook-out weekend. Many JWs will not cook-out or go the park\beach or so as not to appear to celebrate the holiday. Even if a JW has plans, whatever they may be, many will state that its not for Labor Day but simply because they have an extra day off from work. For a non-JW, its more about a religion that does not permit its followers to participate in an obviously harmless holiday and not so much about the actual bbq. Its the same as a non-JW asking why JWs don't eat turkey on Thanksgiving...the question is deeper than just eating turkey.
Regarding birthdays,
A few years ago at one of my previous companies, we talked about ways to be more connected with employees. A manager mentioned that we could send b-day cards to them. Another manager mentioned that he couldn't because he had a Jehovah's Witness on his team and didn't want the person to feel left out. I had no issues with it as I would just give cards for their "special day" (loop hole!). Then a guy from the upper echelons who seemed puzzled and perturbed by it blurted out, "What do you mean they don't celebrate birthdays? What's wrong with your birthday? WHO doesn't CELEBRATE their BIRTHDAY?!" Followed by a different manager stating he had a couple of them in his family and that JWs don't celebrate anything.
To keep all things equal, they scrapped the whole idea and decided to not acknowledge anyone's birthday. I am almost certain, the people in the room that day will NEVER become JWs.
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JW's Thoughts on Medical Cannabis
by bushido8000 ini've wondered this for sometime.
to all of the jws on the forum, what is your opinion on medical cannabis?
i support it for a couple of reasons.. 1. i've battled clinical depression since age 9. after my anti-depressants stopped working when i was 21, i heard about cannabis' positive effects on depression through the internet and a couple of documentaries so i tried it.
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shopaholic
It depends on where you are and how it is taken. So many things vary in the organization by region and country.
Take coca leaves, for example, in some countries it is consumed as a tea. While visiting american JWs would throw a fit, it is regularly consumed by local JWs and even served at some branches and missionary homes.
Regarding state law vs federal law, I would dismiss any JWs thoughts on it. They tend to use any angle to support their stance.
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What Turns The Average "Worldly" Person Away From The Witnesses?
by minimus inis it their door-to-door incessant preaching?
is it their view on blood?
is it that the religion itself is simply often misunderstood?.
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shopaholic
I've heard a variety of reasons through the years:
No voting
education is discouraged
Will die before accepting blood (known and huge issue for non-jws)
no birthdays (non-jws don't get this one)
no New Years (non-jws don't get this one)
no Thanksgiving
no BBQ on Labor Day
door-to-door preaching
no patriotism
only associate with their own
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What's behind the JW "stare"
by InterestedOne inin my interactions with jw males guarding the kh entrance or with the various males my study conductor would bring to our study (one i later found out was considered a "heavy," meaning he was supposedly really good at answering tough questions), i notice they stare intensely at me and i start fumbling my words.
in one case, i went to a different kh where no one knew me and got the same stare at the door.
is this stare deliberate, and if so, what is behind it?
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shopaholic
I know the stare. Its the one you get if you go to the convention without a badge. Its the one you get when visiting a KH you don't know and you don't give a comment. The stare is stronger if you are somewhat attractive.
It is a stare of judgement. It is a stare of caution. It is a stare of wondering of how "worldly" you are...enough to add excitement and a little flavor to the congregation or enough to mislead others.
It's seems that while they are active, they have an internal detector and can identify if you are not one of them and are waiting for an action of confirmation. Kind of like the movie The Body Snatchers...give it a watch, its the same stare.
Shop.
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WT: "Don't watch news items featuring witnesses!"
by cedars inhi everyone, yet another analysis of a recent watchtower i'm afraid.
this one's a little closer to home, as it concerns apostates.
yes - i'm referring to the forthcoming article "will you heed jehovah's clear warnings?
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shopaholic
When 20/20 did the special on sexual child abuse within the Jehovah Witness organization, word spread about it and folks (at least in my area) were warned not to watch it. We were told that apostates and Satan were behind it and that the girls that came forward were lying and their families had been influenced by the demons.
Witnesses that did watch it were criticized for letting apostates into their home. I watched.
The congregations (in my area) were told that we should not take things like that public because the public doesn't understand that we are under attack by Satan. Issues should be taken to the elders and they will deal with them.
There were also local news stories of witnesses leading business scams and they would interview the witnesses that pressed charges. First thing others would say is that the person pressing charges is turning apostate. And again, you be criticized for watching it because the world doesn't understand that they scammer was not a real witness and that it was Satan using that person to give witnesses a bad name.
**As I typed this post, it screams "cult" or "crazy"...take your pick.**