Ding

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Posts by Ding

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  40

  Double Standards of the Watchtower

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  are you aware of any double standards promoted by the organization of jehovah's witnesses?

  here a a few i am aware of:.

  1. the wts equated joining the ymca with apostasy but felt free to join the un for 10 years (1991-2001).

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  Ding

  JWs aren't following men... just the faithful and discreet slave.

  JWs don't have leaders... just men who take the lead.

  JWs don't go beyond what is written in the Bible... except when they do, such as with 1914 and other dates.
  
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  41

  147th Gilead prt. 3 - this could stumble people

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  during gerrit loesch's talk just released, he goes on a long list of the false end times predictions throughout the millennia.

  i didn't expect it, but then he goes into the precursors to the bible students who, when their dates failed, changed christ's presence to have happened 'invisibly'.

  then it goes right into the jws, and he reads the quote from millions now living will never die about how we can 'confidently expect' the resurrection in 1925, and then the life everlasting book that predicted 1975. of course, he doesn't say how it's still going on, namely with the overlapping generation and its' accompanying convoluted chart, but still, this is more than they've ever said on the subject, especially recently.. it almost sounds like a forced statement, to address any backlash from people reading 'apostate lies' online, because he also says how the gb 'humbly' admitted mistakes, referencing the non-apology after 1975 that disturbed raymond franz.

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  Ding

  Where is this video? Do you have the url?
  
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  60

  Rec'd a letter from my Dad - need some advice...

  by Fadeaway3pointer in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  fader here - last meeting was in autumn 2005. lurker on this site and others.

  not one to get all controversial.. typical situation, pretty much a born in and left the church at age 38 and never looked back.. i'm 53 now, parents getting older - late 70s but very active, dad is still an elder.. parents, in laws, brother and brother-in-law still uber active jws.. my family (wife and 2 adult children) out since 2005.. we have stayed close to our parents - we have treaded religion lightly and have had a pretty good relationship and have kept our personal lives and beliefs/opinions separated from them.

  this was intentional - as we love them and do not want anything to cause shunning since they are getting older and want to be there for them and we respect their beliefs.. got this letter today.

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  Ding

  I agree with Vanderhoven7's advice.
  
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  14

  What Makes JWs Unique?

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

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  Ding

  Unquestioning loyalty and obedience to the GB, aka "the faithful and discreet slave."
  
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  9

  Are JW's unknowingly part of a CULT?

  by The Fall Guy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some points for awakening jw's to consider in 2020: .

  "joining a cult: religious choice or psychological aberration" by dena s. davis.

  some of the following characteristics are listed:.

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  Ding

  "All cults, no matter their stripe, are a variation on a theme, for their common denominator is the use of coercive persuasion and behavior control without the knowledge of the person who is being manipulated."

  JWs are probably aware of the following at some level, but it all seems quite normal:
  

  1. When you study with JWs and when you attend Watchtower studies, you stop asking your own questions; instead, you give the WT's answers to the WT's questions.

  2. The WT quotes only a VERY selective number of Bible verses to "prove" its doctrines.

  3. Constant repetition programs JWs to think nothing but WT thoughts.

  4. The WT keeps JWs feeling guilty that they aren't doing more for the WT organization.

  5. While assuring JWs that they are on the only "road to life," the WT keeps them in constant fear that they won't prove worthy to survive Armageddon ("he who endures to the end will be saved").

  6. While insisting that JWs aren't following men, through the concepts of "Jehovah's sole channel of communication on earth" and "the faithful and discreet slave" the GB makes sure that's exactly what they are doing.
  

  7. JWs think they are studying the Bible when they are instead studying WT literature.

  8. Despite having the worst prophetic track record of any person or group in history, the WT keeps JWs convinced that Armageddon is just around the corner and that they therefore need to set aside everything else (college, careers, etc.) to "put kingdom interests first."

  9. By poisoning JWs' minds to all alternatives to the WT ("where else could we go?"), the WT keeps even dissatisfied ones in line.
  

  10. The WT isolates JWs from anyone ("apostates," "worldly people," "Christendom," etc.) who might help them see how they are being manipulated.
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  22

  The Faithful and Discreet Slave Just "have" The Truth

  by Number 6 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  in the late 80's when i was in my late teens i used to with my then wife to be attend a monday night pre-watchtower study at a local elders house.. this guy was revered as very knowledgable and he was scholarly and interesting to listen to; so at the time it was a genuinely enjoyable monday evening spent with oftentimes discussion would veer far of the subject at hand and lasting to well after 11pm some evenings.. this particular night, the subject up for discussion was "the faithful and discreet slave" and how we should be obeying them without question.

  right in the middle of the study this elder said as a question not in the wt article; "how do we really know the current fds as lead by the governing body are the real deal.

  i mean what actual proof do we have?".

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  Ding

  "Who else could it be? is the big reason.

  The entire premise of a FDS having been appointed to micromanage JWs' lives is never questioned.

  On a smaller scale, JWs "know" the GB has "the truth" by constant repetition and by the "big" doctrines that never change:

  -- Name "Jehovah"

  -- Never-ending witnessing

  -- End just around the corner (despite constant new light on when)

  -- No Trinity

  -- No hellfire

  -- Neutrality
  
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  19

  The Craziness of an Average Bible Study

  by Number 6 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  last week i posted a thread asking about who knew any "real anointed" and got some cracking replies.. that got me to thinking, as someone brought up in the 70's and 80's in the watchtower religion, my experience of bible studeis in their homes and those who made it to the hall were mostly batshit crazy or at least people with some serious quirks.. i'll relate a few, none of whose names i remember with any clarity.. in our cong we had an older couple who were from london, but who had been in the 1950's in the circuit work in the mid west usa.

  they brought along some woman one night they had started a study with who told everyone cheerfully she was a recovering alcoholic and this was her cure (coming to the meetings).

  this went on for a few weeks until one night they brought her to the memorial and she was royally pissed, and i mean barely able to stand; and went up to the platform table and necked some wine.

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  Ding

  I was impressed by JWs' dedication when they came to my door, as well as by their willingness to answer my questions.

  I didn't know they thought they had to do it in order to avoid annihilation.

  Nor did I know that the study would quickly transition from them answering my questions to me answering the WT's questions... They handled that so well it was only years later that I realized what had happened to me.

  Looking back, I don't think I was stupid.

  I was too naive and trusting.

  The study conductors were sincere, I think. Who was it -- Ray Franz? -- who said "we were victims of victims"?
  
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  19

  The Craziness of an Average Bible Study

  by Number 6 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  last week i posted a thread asking about who knew any "real anointed" and got some cracking replies.. that got me to thinking, as someone brought up in the 70's and 80's in the watchtower religion, my experience of bible studeis in their homes and those who made it to the hall were mostly batshit crazy or at least people with some serious quirks.. i'll relate a few, none of whose names i remember with any clarity.. in our cong we had an older couple who were from london, but who had been in the 1950's in the circuit work in the mid west usa.

  they brought along some woman one night they had started a study with who told everyone cheerfully she was a recovering alcoholic and this was her cure (coming to the meetings).

  this went on for a few weeks until one night they brought her to the memorial and she was royally pissed, and i mean barely able to stand; and went up to the platform table and necked some wine.

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  Ding

  What would really be shocking at a WT "home Bible study" would be actually studying the Bible...
  
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  17

  Just a moan - regarding the latest trend in ignorance of the English language!

  by The Fall Guy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in recent months i have noticed more and more people on the net (including here) are using this latest perversion of the english language -.

  "i would of done this..........or he would of tried to change things".

  it's would've - short for would have!.

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  Ding

  Several years ago, I had an opportunity to read a number of college papers on a particular subject.

  I was shocked by the number of college juniors and seniors who couldn't write a coherent paragraph.

  Some couldn't even write a coherent sentence.
  
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  25

  Divorce/Terms of Agreement

  by SFSDGUY in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i'm a first time poster and i apologize if this topic has been discussed before.

  when i met my wife she was disfellowshiped and were happy, got married, and had a kid.

  after we had our daughter she got reinstated so her family and her jw "friends" could spend time with our daughter.

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  Ding

  The WT won't honor any non-estrangement clauses you put into a divorce decree.

  If you try to enforce it against your wife, she'll say, "I'm not doing anything but practicing freedom of religion and raising my daughter in the faith. I don't control what's said by the elders or from the platform."