Posts by Londo111

42

"Just don't overthink the truth"

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

so after almost a year of complete inactivity and non attendance, i ran into a nice brother from the local congregation.. after some nice chit-chat, he says "we really miss you and your family...etc...you were always the kind and supportive one, the approachable and encouraging one in the congregation.

your absence has confused so many".

i thanked him and said "oh no, no individual has stumbled us.

Londo111

The term unconditional/conditional is usually meant in the relative, rather than absolute sense. Obviously, if a friend or family member turns out to be a serial killer, a rapist, or child molester that goes beyond the bounds of the relative sense of the term. Unfortunately, in a cult like this one, the love is so conditional that it takes one sentence to end the friendship or even a family relationship.

There is much positive in life and that is found outside a toxic Watchtower organization, as well as other high control groups. Since the topic on this forum is about the Watchtower organization, the negative topics will naturally outweigh the positive.

This is the positive about life I've found outside JW.org:

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5697223337705472/even-if-this-wasnt-truth-need-structure

42

"Just don't overthink the truth"

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

so after almost a year of complete inactivity and non attendance, i ran into a nice brother from the local congregation.. after some nice chit-chat, he says "we really miss you and your family...etc...you were always the kind and supportive one, the approachable and encouraging one in the congregation.

your absence has confused so many".

i thanked him and said "oh no, no individual has stumbled us.

Londo111

Anyone who has found out about the Watchtower’s flaws, but thinks the good outweighs the bad has stopped researching.

If it were only a group composed of imperfect humans…

The friendships found within are conditional at best, but most often purely illusory. It’s like finding fool’s gold or Monopoly money and declaring oneself rich.

9

Environmentalists? Not Necessarily, Helping Nonetheless....

by Doubtfully Yours in

whether the average jw appreciates it or not (i certainly do not), the wtbts sure is helping in the environmentalists' movement of creating as much a paperless society as possible in order to preserve trees and create other favorable situations for humanity, such as avoiding so much trash and chemical waste involved in the printing/shipping process.. in order to help me adjust to this new phase within the org, i've reasoned it all this way.

anybody else recognizes that this going all out electronic/computerized is, of course, first a most profitable effort, but also has a secondary benefit of helping out to preserve the environment.......?!.

dy.

Londo111

Until they drop harmful practices such as shunning, the blood ban, ect... those affected will not cut them a break. Be it in print or electronic, the message is toxic.

42

"Just don't overthink the truth"

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

so after almost a year of complete inactivity and non attendance, i ran into a nice brother from the local congregation.. after some nice chit-chat, he says "we really miss you and your family...etc...you were always the kind and supportive one, the approachable and encouraging one in the congregation.

your absence has confused so many".

i thanked him and said "oh no, no individual has stumbled us.

Londo111

That sums it up: "Finding out things will only cause you to lose faith."

I remember having a Pentecostal tell me about the Trinity, "You JWs think too much. Don't think, just believe." In reality, JWs give lip service to thinking and research, but basically by their actions do the exact opposite.

2

European Parliament requires copies of 4/2016 Awake speaking about Homosexuality

by sp74bb in

jw
friends

a few sources in brussels (where i born) confirmed me that one legal representative of the european parliament has required a few copies at the street booths in town.

.

copies were requested in french, dutch and english....

Londo111

Since the Awake is geared toward outsiders, maybe what they need is study editions of the Watchtower on the same subject...

27

Embracing, Not Running From, My Repressive JW Heritage, Finding A Few Things Worth Salvaging

by TMS in

yes, we could have been born in an alley in calcutta or with the physical deformities associated with thalidomide.

instead, we were born into or introduced to a repressive, american, religious cult, that shielded us from the warmongering game of chess, the militaristic boy scouts, fornication-inducing sock hops, the twist, as well as the hokey pokey.

we heeded the warnings, avoiding the greedy self-worship associated with masturbation, decadent rock 'n roll and anything preceded by the word "extra-curricular.".

Londo111

Even if there was a benefit from TMS, I believe a cost/benefits analysis would render it negligible.

And many of the talks around the TMS was about why the householder was wrong about a belief they had.

18

JWs Letters Target Recently Bereaved

by steve2 in

current media attention in new zealand is focusing on the case of a woman whose male friend died three months.

she received a handwritten letter personally addressed to her and her deceased friend with a series of questions about what happens after death.

the woman was furious and, accompanied by news media, door-knocked the address provided by the letter writer.

Londo111

I believe what the public and any governing institutions that are looking into this need to know are the sociological pressures that drive a rank and file JW toward this activity. The fault lies at the source (Watchtower), rather than the misguided individual taught to do this.

38

Please sum up the last decade in JW history

by oldskool in

jw
friends

i used to be a member of this site, but jumped off a good number of years ago (08?).

i don't have access to my old email, so i'm using a new account.. anyway, i was baptized jw in late 90's.

da'd mid 2000s.. when i left there were three meets a week plus field service.

Londo111

Off the top of my head...

Two meetings a week.

The midweek meeting is now rebranded and called Our Christian Life and Service...I believe that includes the bookstudy.

There is a study edition of the Watchtowers for the Sunday meeting. For the public, new Watchtower and Awakes are released every other month and no longer dated. They are also half the size they used to be.

There is a constant attention to the website JW.ORG and a JW online TV channel. Lots of attention in showing people videos in the "ministry".

Some JWs love to wear trinkets with JW.ORG on them...some wear it almost like Christians who wear a cross.

Some JWs are setting up literature carts and parking them in public places. It is called "cart witnessing".

Watchtower HQ is moving the Warwick. Thousands of Bethelites being laid off.

DOs have been eliminated.

Regional Building Committee replaced by the centrally controlled Local Design Committee...there is a new style of Kingdom Hall being built that looks like a commercial office. However, the building work has slowed evidently due to a lack of funds...

Changes of doctrine:

The Faithful Slave is the Governing Body

The generation of Matthew 24:34 is two overlapping groups of anointed. One group who sees 1914, the other group who sees the Great Tribulation. But these two groups are somehow one generation.

Gog is not Satan, but unknown as of this point...

and Awakes are

. Four magazines a month I believe? Service time silps. AUX pio was 50 hours, maybe 40? Pioneer school, yeah I did that. Brooklyn was still a thing for WTC. Only computer thing going on was the Watchtowers CD-ROM, plus a dinky website nobody looked at.

38

Newspaper article on Conventions—why so glowing?

by Londo111 in

every year in dozens of cities where conventions are being held, newspapers typically write an article about the event.

there are exceptions, but usually it is like the articles above.

i would love to see more newspaper articles that did some actual objective reporting, rather than puff pieces.

Londo111

DY:

The main topic is not the attendees...it is about the content of the convention and the lack of reporting regarding it.

The content encourages shunning family and friends, dying rather than taking a blood transfusion, forgoing higher education, selling ones home so as to do more for the organization. Therefore, it is not just a gathering of another religion or form of Christianity. A mainstream religious group does not going to these extremes.

38

Newspaper article on Conventions—why so glowing?

by Londo111 in

every year in dozens of cities where conventions are being held, newspapers typically write an article about the event.

there are exceptions, but usually it is like the articles above.

i would love to see more newspaper articles that did some actual objective reporting, rather than puff pieces.

Londo111

Doubtfully Yours:

Conventions of "bikers or tattoo enthusiasts or politicians" do not encourage shunning family members and friends, to not take blood transfusions in emergencies, selling homes and take lesser paying jobs to proselytize "where the need is greater", forgo higher education, ramp up apocalyptic doomsday fears, ect, ect...

And I'm not saying that journalists should not report anything positive they might observe...but do more robust reporting on what is really taught at the convention and how it affects people.