Posts by howdidtihappen

29

Why are JW's so boring?

by howdidtihappen in

i hung out with a group of jw's the other night for the first time outside going to kingdom hall, and the conversation was seriously limited.

do jw's just not want to talk about anything that regular people with a clue about something in the world get together to talk about, or are they really that boring due to the brainwashing?

it was astonishing.

Thankyou, that well and truly answers my question! And also explains why someone said I talked too much. It offended me because I used to be a quiet type and only recently came out of my shell and I enjoy conversing with people. Talking too much is someone who never shuts up about themselves or gives the other person a chance to speak. I ask questions because i am interested in people and learning. That's who I am. Since that comment, I don't know what to talk about. I've adopted the term "spiritually upbuilding" already, though.

Here's how one conversation went:

Sister A: Did you hear Kelly and her husband split up?
Sister B: He was worldly, we knew that would happen.
Sister A: I feel so bad for her. She was weak.
Sister B: Well if she had just waited, Jehovah might have had a special pioneer brother for her.

Please don't tell me they judge marriage mates on their standing in the congregation...

29

Why are JW's so boring?

by howdidtihappen in

i hung out with a group of jw's the other night for the first time outside going to kingdom hall, and the conversation was seriously limited.

do jw's just not want to talk about anything that regular people with a clue about something in the world get together to talk about, or are they really that boring due to the brainwashing?

it was astonishing.

howdidtihappen

I hung out with a group of JW's the other night for the first time outside going to kingdom hall, and the conversation was seriously limited. Do JW's just not want to talk about anything that regular people with a clue about something in the world get together to talk about, or are they really that boring due to the brainwashing? It was astonishing. People got loud once the alcohol kicked in, but interesting or thought provoking never happened.

15

What do Jehovah's Witnesses get baptized into?

by howdidtihappen in

ok, so every other religion in the world's baptism is invalid according to jw's, and theirs is the only true baptism.

that's the story i get.

i have a few questions about that:.

howdidtihappen

Ok, so every other religion in the world's baptism is invalid according to JW's, and theirs is the only true baptism. That's the story I get. I have a few questions about that:

Are they baptized in the name of the father, son and holy spirit since they don't believe in the trinity?
What are they baptized into?
Is JW baptism actually the invalid kind?

59

What exactly are men at the back of the hall taking care of?

by howdidtihappen in

once people have come in, and the doorman and the mic men are in place, why are there a few other suits scattered about at the back?

i saw a guy get up, sit down, get up, sit down, get up and when i looked what he was up to he was reading the noticeboard and looking around, waiting for a bus.

i figured he wasn't doing much at that point, but anything to not stay seated.

howdidtihappen

Haha, Mary, I love that one! I wonder if for a lot of them it's the only time in their life they'll wear a suit. One also has to wonder if suits will be the standard of dress in the new system, too.

Thanks for explaining that, Jim_TX. When you mentioned someone should talk to him about it, during a talk i heard "don't be seduced by pretty things Satan puts in front of you who don't love Jehovah." as the guy on the platform put it. With all the eyes and bored people in there, maybe his actions don't go unnoticed. Or maybe they're scared I'm there to lure away their men. Yeah, right. I also didn't know I worked for Satan, but I know I'm definitely not on the pay roll.

Pencil skirts aren't allowed??? That's what I already wear!

59

What exactly are men at the back of the hall taking care of?

by howdidtihappen in

once people have come in, and the doorman and the mic men are in place, why are there a few other suits scattered about at the back?

i saw a guy get up, sit down, get up, sit down, get up and when i looked what he was up to he was reading the noticeboard and looking around, waiting for a bus.

i figured he wasn't doing much at that point, but anything to not stay seated.

howdidtihappen

I know there's men who stay at the back the entire time, like at the literature table, but i'm amused by the ones who travel back and forth between their seat and the back of the room, and once they're up there appear to be doing nothing.

Hi LongHairGal,

I've been around it long enough to know it's a weird world with JW's, but what the hell would he be keeping an eye on me for? Is there something I should be doing? I'll give him one thing: he wins points for having the slowest walk i've ever seen. It's hilarious because he'll be up out of his seat and zoom up the aisle, but will take forever to walk back. I'm sure he's seen me laughing at him.

You're right, you sense being checked out. He was the doorman one night and i had to go to the bathroom, and he was staring at me with the raised eyebrow surprised face and didn't get up to open the door until I reached for it, and then he remembered it was his job. The good thing is apart from the staring, i wont have to deal with any forwardness, since a guy in high standing wouldn't risk flirting with an unbaptized person right? If he did, could he get in much trouble?

59

What exactly are men at the back of the hall taking care of?

by howdidtihappen in

once people have come in, and the doorman and the mic men are in place, why are there a few other suits scattered about at the back?

i saw a guy get up, sit down, get up, sit down, get up and when i looked what he was up to he was reading the noticeboard and looking around, waiting for a bus.

i figured he wasn't doing much at that point, but anything to not stay seated.

howdidtihappen

Little Imp: In our KH there would always be someone going up to another brother sitting and whisper in his ear. This would happen frequently.

I've seen this too. Very distracting... and i figured if I wanted to get up and run over to whisper something to someone, one of those useless suits would snap into consciousness.

OntheWayOut:Since it is a good-ole-boys club, the boys will feel free to pretend they are important and do things at the back of the hall during meetings.

Ah, thats what I initially suspected. Boys club! And when hovering at the back, if intimidation is what they're going for, it kinda works, especially when you're a new one. I came from a Catholic church and anyone was allowed to stand at the back. And they weren't a bunch of suits... men just wore nice dress shirts and pants. Jeans, even!

darthfader: I walked outside to my car to pretend to get something out of the trunk and walk back in. This would usually take me 5 minutes - just enough to revive me.I think it's hilarious that standing up at the back isn't allowed, but you can walk outside to your car and that's OK. That doesn't even make sense. You'd think they'd rather have someone in the hall listening to the meetings than stalling outside.

Longhairgal: I don't know if this is true or just hogwash but I was told a rumor by a brother many years ago that they like to have tall or large sized brothers in the back of the hall to "greet" or face any threat that may come in the door

That's interesting, because the guys who stand in the back are not physically intimidating AT ALL. There are much bigger guys sitting down, but they mustn't have titles I assume. Funny stuff.

charlie brown jr: Looking at the Young Sisters.....of course!

That's why i asked this question, actually. Every time i'm at a meeting, there's a guy who walks past my seat 20 times and looks at me and then just stands at the back near my seat , then sits down, and then he's back again. He does this all the time. I'm not baptized so I thought his 'duty' was to keep an eye on me. Makes me feel paranoid. But I can't say I'd be any less uneasy if his self appointed 'duty' was to perve, either.

59

What exactly are men at the back of the hall taking care of?

by howdidtihappen in

once people have come in, and the doorman and the mic men are in place, why are there a few other suits scattered about at the back?

i saw a guy get up, sit down, get up, sit down, get up and when i looked what he was up to he was reading the noticeboard and looking around, waiting for a bus.

i figured he wasn't doing much at that point, but anything to not stay seated.

howdidtihappen

Once people have come in, and the doorman and the mic men are in place, why are there a few other suits scattered about at the back? I saw a guy get up, sit down, get up, sit down, get up and when I looked what he was up to he was reading the noticeboard and looking around, waiting for a bus. I figured he wasn't doing much at that point, but anything to not stay seated. Or do they have some specific duty? Other than ogling an attractive woman in the back row, that is. And is everyone else allowed to wander up the back when they feel like it?

9

Kingdom Hall Observations

by howdidtihappen in

i've done a thread on this before, but i've made new observations at the hall (trust me, i just go now for entertainment value and baptism has been put off until forever) thus have new questions i want to ask the "great crowd" here.

i might be imagining it because i've become so skeptical of jehovah's witness behavior, but when i ask them certain things, they shut down as if i'm heavily criticizing or they imply that only "spiritually up building things" should be spoken about.

it's bizarre.

howdidtihappen

Thanks so much all, for the clarity. Wow... it's just strange. To put it kindly.

Bungi Bill, i know exactly what you mean. I had high expectations, not just of the service, but of the people. I KNOW no one's perfect but they put themselves above the world as far as morals and conduct go, so they've got no one to blame but themselves for the "worldly" judging them harshly. Don't tell me you're different, show me. They failed to do that. Besides, anyone who has to claim they are different, isn't. That should just be obvious.

I thought it must be me too when people were applauding the speaker's doomsday message. Even in the bible there's a scripture about God's day being darkness, not light. It implied there was nothing to look forward to. JW's make it even more scary by saying one has to "qualify' to live and there's no way of knowing if you ARE doing enough until then! There's also a scripture about no one knowing the time and no need to speculate about it, so it made me ill to hear the speaker saying "The great tribulation could start next week, brothers." I doubt God put us here so we could spend all that time not living because there's another world on the way, even though God hasn't told us WHEN. Doesn't make any sense.

As far as looking at women goes to see if they're dressed appropriately, what a scream. Doesn't that mean the pig is still looking? They're worse than a catholic priest who couldn't care less.

And i think the fact they are terrified of the word "church" because it makes them a part of "Christendom" (which only they have deemed evil) really soldifies the fact they're a cult. Their own language is a big red flag.

Totally agree that there's nothing good about the news. It was all doomsday messages and what not to do with your life. (don't listen to this music, don't see that movie, don't wear this, etc) and in the meantime sitting around all those suits and briefcases made it feel more like a sales seminar than a time to praise God. Scary! Oh and the woman in the TIGHT (though to the knee!) skirt, 5 inch leopard skin heels, lacey blouse, fake eyelashes, and rings on every finger is "humble" and unlike "the world." RIGHT!

9

Kingdom Hall Observations

by howdidtihappen in

i've done a thread on this before, but i've made new observations at the hall (trust me, i just go now for entertainment value and baptism has been put off until forever) thus have new questions i want to ask the "great crowd" here.

i might be imagining it because i've become so skeptical of jehovah's witness behavior, but when i ask them certain things, they shut down as if i'm heavily criticizing or they imply that only "spiritually up building things" should be spoken about.

it's bizarre.

howdidtihappen

I've done a thread on this before, but I've made new observations at the hall (trust me, i just go now for entertainment value and baptism has been put off until forever) thus have new questions I want to ask the "great crowd" here. I might be imagining it because I've become so skeptical of Jehovah's witness behavior, but when I ask them certain things, they shut down as if I'm heavily criticizing or they imply that only "spiritually up building things" should be spoken about. It's bizarre. Anyway...

- A servant or whoever organizes seating was hell bent on me not sitting at the back. I told him "why would i want the front, it's not a concert." (he didn't see the humor) He said they were reserved but didn't say for who. I'm more comfortable at the back, (close to bathroom and exit.) but he wasn't straight forward with me about WHY I couldn't sit there. I didn't win.

- I was wearing a skirt to just above the knee, but I was also wearing boots up to the knee, so my knees weren't showing. 2 elders on their way to the stage made a point to look. Are they just perverts or am I breaking some rule I don't know about?

- Before the meeting i was talking to a girl who said her husband was in the car park taking off his bow tie. "WHY?" I said. She said it could upset someone and "sometimes the elders pull us back a bit about that stuff." WTF?

- What's the deal with the high heels?! I was wearing flats and felt pretty out of place. It's like every woman in there except the elderly had a 4 inch or above heel on that they couldn't walk properly in. Don't get me started on the makeup...

-Is the main enemy of this religion the Catholic church? Because they were brought up in a negative light all throughout the talk. Jehovah's witnesses don't get a mention in a catholic church, they're not even acknowledged as a religion. A destructive sect, yes. Oh, i sorta got schooled on not saying "church." "I thought you were a witness until you said church *fake smile*." Whats wrong with that word?

- Not a question, but open to discussion. I got absolutely NO feeling from it. The songs were so dreary, and the talk on the platform was depressing (closing line: "Armageddon is imminent friends,be certain you've done enough to qualify for Jehovah God's new cleansed earth." APPLAUSE.) I didn't stay for the Wacktower session.

38

Double Lives of JW Youth

by camicia in

i posted a lengthy concern a while back about my 23 year old daughter on the verge of baptism.

the good news is she still hasn't progressed past studying - no door knocking thank god.

the bad news is she's still studying, attending meetings, etc and i am still very much a "satanic influence.

howdidtihappen

I wish you luck, Camicia. But speaking of JW youth, from what I've seen, half of them have no idea what to be. I have associated with JW's who aren't too moral, have one personality in the hall and another outside it, and one that cracked me up: a young guy with an empty bedroom. Only a TV and bed. No pictures of anything on the walls (like girls, bands, etc) and when i said something about it (it's WEIRD when you're outside looking in) he said the blank walls were how he focused on Jehovah and quoted some scripture like cutting off your arm if it stumbled you, and how sinful it is to even look at a woman with desire. The Watchtower should print out some posters for those bare walls. Like some of those armageddon images. LOL.

So yeah. The youth just don't know who they are or how to be themselves because they don't have that freedom.