Congrats! So many Kudos to throw to you right now. I feel kind of inspired to find anyone who I see studying and try to open their minds before they make any rash decisions. I agree with the second post though. Finding out what initially drew them to the witnesses and countering those views with personal experience can really tip the scale. I think that can prevent a constant shifting of viewpoint, depending on who is talking to him....you or the witnesses. Good for you! Another baptism possibly avoided! :)
stillstuckcruz
JoinedPosts by stillstuckcruz
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28
I just "witnessed" officially for the first time!!!
by NoRegrets ini mean door to door (sort of), not informally to non-witness friends and family!.
so for a few weeks, i have suspected that my neighbor across the hall was being studied with by witnesses.
i wasn't sure but saw a couple of older women leaving with what looked like bibles, but never saw watchtower literature.
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stillstuckcruz
This was the article:
http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/peta-slams-mario-over-fur-suit-211025773.html
One user commented: "The organization would be taken more far seriously if it weren't for this kind of ridiculous crap."
Another said: "I agree. PETA loses all credibility, in my mind, when they come up with asenine issues such as this one."
-It really made me think of JW's. Certain issues really make them look like nuts. The non-celebrations of B-days and other nonsense.
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The Reach Out WT Article, I don't know whether to scream or to laugh
by Quarterback ini held off long enough in reading the wt article for the study in january.
there is was, two articles about reaching out for the office of elder.. after finishing the article my reaction to it was anger.
they made it seem that there is something wrong with you if you don't reach out in this way.. our congregation has more deleted elders than active elders.
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stillstuckcruz
I think it's terrible that when an elder steps down or is deleted, most of the time, it is left to rumour and mere speculation as to why they left. Most of the time it is negative. Why should they leave that God-ordained position? There is no POSSIBLE reason!
In gereral, as has been stated in the past, there are a lot less young people interested in this religion. The young people are the ones they need to fill the roles as the older ones become TOO old or just plain die. I think their running out of ideas to get them to reach out so they have to, as usual, run the "guilt-trip" to keep them in line.
@PUNKOFNICE: What I've seen is it's not what you know but who you know. I've seen double dealing elders' sons become MS then elders even though they've been absolute pigs. at the same time I've seen genuine lads get overlooked, ignored or ridiculed while the elders's ons take all the glory.
HA! My brother is a prime example. Like many of the MS's, he play Modern Warfare 3 in his spare time, making about 3 hours a month. Granted, he gives good talks. But if my father wasn't an elder, I'm pretty sure he would have had to work a lot harder for the poistion.
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Will the WT stats take a dive in 2014?
by Aussie Oz inwhile looking through stas charts on jwfacts i notice two charts of publishers through the years.. on them, it is very clear that growth fell off the chart after 1975 and dropped dramaticaly again at 2000.. we know why for 75 and remember that many understood the big a to come by 2000.. will 2014 mark a subconscious and hopefully conscious psychological reaction from jws and 'interested' ones i wonder?.
oz.
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stillstuckcruz
I believe that the only ones who will leave MIGHT be those who were already having doubt. In 75' and other dates, such as before the 2000's, they outright stated armageddon coming on of before them. But 2014 has never been given and sort of mention. Type in 2014 in the WTlibrary and only 2 results come up...none of which have to do with anything.
I think "damage-control" was already done with the overlapping generation thing. Now it could be anytime!
But most people won't give it a second thought. So many have been through so much in the borg and taken so much through "God's organization" that at this point in time, there's nothing else for them. They will accept it and move on to other things.
Of course we can always hope......
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Did you know of Witnesses who were afraid of the term "convert"
by sabastious ini always thought it was odd when my witness peers would avoid using the term "convert" or "conversion" especially in regards to the field ministry.. convert/k?n'v?rt/verb:cause to change in form, character, or function.noun:a person who has been persuaded to change their religious faith or other beliefs.synonyms:verb.
change - transform - turn - transmute - alternoun.
proselyte^ this is an accurate description of what the end goal of the field ministry is.
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stillstuckcruz
I know that the argument for the die-hards would be that they were not the one's converting. But it was JEHOVAH who was "drawing them towards the 'truth'". That line of reasoning is, as leavingWT stated....totally deceptive. Sure you might be there initially showing the scriptues and getting them to look at the bible(9% of the time. 91% simply placing the magazine and leaving), but the end result of you visit's should be to get them to leave and abandon their former religion.
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Who knows GB email adresses?
by mauiboy injust an idea: could we contact members of the gb thru email...or even snail mail, to let them know how many of us are aware of what is on the horizon in australia with the wwc/unthank/victoria court case with hopes of urging them to come clean.
if i were amongst the gb members, i would be losing sleep after watching whats happening to penn states joe paterno, jerry sandusky and mcqeary for taking part in the pedophilia scandal cover-up and the responsibility they did not fulfill in contacting the the police to handle the situation instead of handing it of to their next-up superior.
i doubt the gb would be so honest as to take any action, but it would be interesting to test the idea.......make them squirm, perhaps.
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stillstuckcruz
Nope. I doubt anyone would. They would recieve too many emails. Though it would make the correspondance's desk job a heck of a lot easier!
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What initial did make you have doubts about the "truth"? Was it apostasy?
by Joey Jo-Jo inthis question is different from what made you leave.. as for me, i wanted to take one step further, to be more involved in the organization, but i had some very old small doubts, about other religions, so i started my liberal study on religion, i read books from other churchs to reffute them, but in fact created more doubts about the org..
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stillstuckcruz
What also made me do research was the thinking that "We expect 'honest-hearted' ones to accept what we have to say and if not, we consider them close minded. But if a JW came to my door and started preaching many of the things they do(including the death of all non-JW's and other things), I would NEVER listen! It's only my raised-....inness that makes me believe unquestioningly!"
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What initial did make you have doubts about the "truth"? Was it apostasy?
by Joey Jo-Jo inthis question is different from what made you leave.. as for me, i wanted to take one step further, to be more involved in the organization, but i had some very old small doubts, about other religions, so i started my liberal study on religion, i read books from other churchs to reffute them, but in fact created more doubts about the org..
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stillstuckcruz
I like to think of myself as a very reasonable person. When I hear things from other people, I don't instantly condemn the person who I was told about. That's taking sides without having all of the facts. Being raised in the borg, I felt that for sooooo long, I was only hearing one side of the story. We constatly bashed other religions and other people, and everything said about us was ALWAYS positive. I knew there HAD to be something I wasn't hearing. That's when I began my research into JW's. And here I stand....
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Inspired?
by iamwhoiam indoes anyone know if the wts ever said in print that they were inspired?.
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stillstuckcruz
Their reasoning is so faulty, it's absoultely mind-boggling. If I hadn't learned so much about the way JW's think, I would wonder just how they can sit there and accept these things so blindly.
"were prophets, but we are not inspired" - This reasoning creates a sort of dual effect. The "prophet" portion causes them to make their followers listen to everything they say, as if it directly from God himself. To doubt them is in direct correlation to doubting Jehovah. The "uninspired" portion gives them a way out of nearly any and all situations. If they are wrong...."remember we were never inspired. We are not infallibe!"
It drives me insane!