Posts by Londo111

21

Is going into a church really THAT bad?

by Zana in

family background: my wife ("liberal" jw), me (ubm), two children aged 5 and 2.

(want more details?

-> http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/279456/raising-kids-jw-mother-agnostic-father).

Londo111

Watchtower interpretation of Babylon the Great:

All other religions are part of Babylon the Great, "the world empire of false religion", the dwelling place of demons. JWs are to "get out of her" and "touch nothing unclean".

73

Crisis of Conscience- World Wide Cease & Desist

by Newly Enlightened in

http://www.commentarypress.com/copyright/.

.

https://youtu.be/fdzzl453drq.

Londo111

They are ironically people who violated the very same copyright as the other guy they’ve been feuding against.

56

Privacy

by Esmeralda001 in

i need some advice guys.

how do you get people to mind their own buiseness without coming off as rude?.

i was invited to a jw gathering last night.

Pioneers and high-hour publishers who tend to work in midweek field service form a gossip network. If you want to know what is going on in the congregation, go out in midweek field service with a gossipy pioneer and the whole car group will soon know, and then everyone else.

This is an unintended consequence of this culture. When a person does tedious task with little to show for all the work, going from empty house to empty house, riding from territory to territory to random return visits, and finding creative ways to make one’s time, eventually people run out of things to talk about. Gossip is an inevitable result. Anything that could be juicy or mildly interesting. It is just human nature, no matter how counseled against.

If the public knew how many records JWs took on them, they would be alarmed. Even if a person doesn’t answer the door, their address can be taken down on a not-at-home slip. If a person takes a magazine, a JW will write any detail about that person so they have details in their return visit book for later conversation. It's almost a "little black book" of interested ones.

Any perceived interest from a non-JW can be the subject of an “experience” that can be related to other JWs in the car group or at the Kingdom Hall when experiences are called for. Any detail a person brought up might be mentioned. Sometimes a JW will brainstorm with other JWs on how better to reason or reach such a person. No topic is off the table, no matter how private.

Of course, a “Bible study” will be talked about as well. As the expression “it takes a village to raise a kid”, the congregation mobilizes to help sort of raise a “spiritually immature one”. You are viewed as a spiritual child and they will try to “guide” you to “maturity”, that is to think and act just like they. As parents discuss a child, so too they can discuss too. Anything you’ve told your study conductor is easily fair game for discussion with other JWs.

In a cult, there is no such thing as privacy.

8

Bethel should be considered bad

by dbq407 in

from what i was told, we don't celebrate birthdays because the only two times it is mentioned in the bible, bad things happened.

so if the wt wants to set standards by the "two bad things" rule, then why do they use the name bethel?

i've read two instances in the bible where bad things happened there.

Londo111

Exactly!

55

"High" education

by Esmeralda001 in

did any of you guys disregard the wt recommendations and pursue a career.

if you answer "yes": was your journey easy?

are you happy with the end result?

Londo111

It can make one a pariah. But you are already experiencing some of this already as a “Bible study”, because you are still viewed as ‘spiritually weak’, perhaps ‘worldly’, a potential source of contamination. Thus JWs are on guard.

Since you are female, it would have less impact, because sadly, this religion has backwards views on women based on an ultra-fundamentalist interpretation of scripture.

If you were a baptized male, this would have more impact on making “advancement” or “reaching out”. You would not likely be used as much. You would not likely be able to become a ministerial servant or elder while undergoing higher education. This can bring a certain amount of shame for some.

Of course, women are generally not allowed to be ministerial servants or elders, or handle accounts, or handle the sound equipment, or even so much as carry a microphone (that would be scandalous!).

56

Privacy

by Esmeralda001 in

i need some advice guys.

how do you get people to mind their own buiseness without coming off as rude?.

i was invited to a jw gathering last night.

Londo111

Yes, step away from meetings and if possible the weekly study for a while. This will help loosen the indoctrination and help you think for yourself. Then you will be able to make a better decision.

I have truly found that peace of mind is having little to nothing to do with JWs.

56

Privacy

by Esmeralda001 in

i need some advice guys.

how do you get people to mind their own buiseness without coming off as rude?.

i was invited to a jw gathering last night.

Londo111

Esmeralda001,

I just remembered a discussion I posted about privacy 4 years ago. Remember: you are not a committed member. Please read the following and imagine you were. It can only get worse from here. Would you want your dark secrets on file? Discussed from the platform? Investigated by elders? Leaked to elder's wives and to the entire congregation?

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/218612/how-judicial-committees-violate-individual-privacy

55

"High" education

by Esmeralda001 in

did any of you guys disregard the wt recommendations and pursue a career.

if you answer "yes": was your journey easy?

are you happy with the end result?

Londo111

My parents did not allow me to attend college. It was a big no-no. Since I wasn't going to, they encouraged me to go from "college prep" classes in high school, to lower level classes. Also, I skipped out on the SAT...no point!

Then in the early 90's, the Watchtower allowed attending a little college. So I went to a two-year technical college and got an associate's degree in computer programming. Had I not done that, I would have been stuck in minimum wage.

I had a best friend (who now shuns me) whose family let him go all the way as regard higher education. I envied him. Of course, since he went not only four years, but beyond, that was highly frowned upon by the elders. He was barred from having any position until he was done.

56

Privacy

by Esmeralda001 in

i need some advice guys.

how do you get people to mind their own buiseness without coming off as rude?.

i was invited to a jw gathering last night.

Londo111

Adventists are a cousin group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, so it is no surprise if you find some of the same drama there. Baptists vary. Some are reasonable people. Some Baptist churches are hardcore fundamentalists.

Are there no mainline, non-fundamentalist, non-cult churches in your area you could seek fellowship from?

As long as you seek absolute truth and salvation from a religious organization, you are going to be easy prey for such a group. You will be doomed to this type of drama unless you mentally free yourself.

56

Privacy

by Esmeralda001 in

i need some advice guys.

how do you get people to mind their own buiseness without coming off as rude?.

i was invited to a jw gathering last night.

Londo111

Esmeralda,

Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:15-20)

Judging from the 'fruits' you've observed of JWs so far, does it not tell you something about this organization?

You are still a 'Bible study', where they are still at the lovebombing stage attempting to draw you in, and yet they do this. Imagine when that lovebombing stops! It only gets worse from here.