Posts by Londo111

On the plus side, this reminds me of meeting demos as they used to be on occasion, that is something not scripted from HQ. It is livelier than most meetings are, with lots of humor. Watchtower could learn from emulating this demo.

20

The Governing Body - your thoughts?

by pale.emperor in

im no medical professional, but i have my own opinions of the gb members.

i'd be interested to get yours.. no jokes please, im gonna be 100% serious and would like you to be too.. anthony morris iii - narcissist, controlling, possibly psychopath.

knows full well it's all bullshit but loves the power.. stephen lett - mentally ill, fantasist, liar who genuinely believes the lies he tells.. samuel hird - deluded, likely actually believes he actually is anointed by god.

Londo111

Oh, as an addendum:

Yep, I was never Bethel material. That was clear to me in my 20's. They would've chewed me up and spit me out in a matter of days.

I was not regular pioneer material either. I only lasted 6 months.

So I would've never risen through the ranks above elder even had I really wanted to. As it was, I only made ministerial servant a couple of stints.

But as power corrupts, I can imagine that had I been able to, declared myself anointed, ended up on the GB, I might behave no different than they. Sometimes I wonder if they are more captive than anyone else and with a change of circumstances some of them would be where we are.

20

The Governing Body - your thoughts?

by pale.emperor in

im no medical professional, but i have my own opinions of the gb members.

i'd be interested to get yours.. no jokes please, im gonna be 100% serious and would like you to be too.. anthony morris iii - narcissist, controlling, possibly psychopath.

knows full well it's all bullshit but loves the power.. stephen lett - mentally ill, fantasist, liar who genuinely believes the lies he tells.. samuel hird - deluded, likely actually believes he actually is anointed by god.

Londo111

DD:

I can see where you are coming from.

What I meant is that some of us were elders and participated in judicial committees, some of us were just rank and file members and participated in ratting out fellow members or shunning former members, some of us were somewhat arrogant and judgmental because that was the learned group behavior. In one way or another, we participated in negative behavior and attitudes that we no longer participate in.

I don’t believe I could’ve ever proclaimed myself “anointed”, because to be honest with myself, I know that I’m not different than anyone else. I think of how Ed Dunlap never professed to be because he realized he was not distinct or above others.

20

The Governing Body - your thoughts?

by pale.emperor in

im no medical professional, but i have my own opinions of the gb members.

i'd be interested to get yours.. no jokes please, im gonna be 100% serious and would like you to be too.. anthony morris iii - narcissist, controlling, possibly psychopath.

knows full well it's all bullshit but loves the power.. stephen lett - mentally ill, fantasist, liar who genuinely believes the lies he tells.. samuel hird - deluded, likely actually believes he actually is anointed by god.

Londo111

I could be wrong, but these are my impressions:

I believe as Ray Franz said, the GB are still “captives of a concept.” They believe that the organization is God’s sole channel and thus can do no wrong. The decisions made as a small collective body also allows them to not accept individual responsibility.

As DD said, likely all nurtured sociapaths and narcissists. Such an effect is only natural given the cause: their rise through the organization as company men to the top spot where they are surrounded by sycophants where as a body they have no checks and balances, no transparency. They are religious rock stars who live in an insulted bubble.

I don’t know enough about Sanderson as he’s kinda the new guy.

Lösch seems old and tired and barely hanging in there.

Judging from Herd’s disposition giving the talk about the layoff of fulltime servants, he felt worn out. I wonder if he’s struggling to maintain his belief while wrestling with reality catching up.

Jackson seemed like a true believer at the ARC, arrogant and condescending, and at times a deer in the headlights when confronted by people smarter than he.

I believe Morris, Lett, and Splane are all truest believers, which is what makes them dangerous. I suspect Splane in particular has an elevated view of himself as a scholar and a composer…he is likely the brainchild behind the overlapping generation and the new musical direction the organization is taking.

Of course, I suspect they all individually have an authentic self, a side of themselves that sometimes manifest that is quite apart from learned sociopathy and narcissism. I also think that had we rose through the organization and ended up on the Governing Body that we ourselves might manifest the same negative tendencies they do. As JWs, that was "that is what some of us were."

By that measure, it might be that it is not so much as a “rise to the top”, as a descent to the bottom. The organization is a pit and the Governing Body are in the deepest part. It’s a long climb out of the hole they have dug for themselves.

34

How delusional is Tony Morris actually?

by Festus in

anthony morris iii was representing gb in international convention in helsinki, finland.

in his final talk he mentioned that at the fight of armageddon jesus will fight together with the 144 000. he then reminds the audience that one angel destroyed 185000 assyrians.

so what are "144 000 immortal creatures together with jesus going to do".

Londo111

And this kind of belief followed to its logical ends would explain why they show no mercy, compassion, or empathy now, if this is what they believe they will do in the future.

How many religious leaders claim they will share in global genocide in the very near future? Only those who are in a doomsday cult.

10

To all those underage and awake…

by Londo111 in

jw
friends

i salute you.. when i was in, i was a brainwashed idiot.

it instilled an arrogance and made me part of a community that contributed to your suffering.. i remember when i would see a jw parent drag their teens to the meeting.

some of these parents had converted recently, some had been some years.

Londo111

I noticed somebody else had a similar thought on Reddit yesterday within an hour of me:

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/4ydana/impressed_at_the_awake_youth/

8

The book of Jeremiah

by truthwillsetyoufree in

it occurred to me the other day that i don't actually know all that much about the bible.

dont get me wrong, i was a very dedicated and studious jehovah's witness and i studied the bible every day - or so i thought.

i have now realised that during the time i spent in that religion i didn't study the bible - i studied jehovah's witness theology.

Londo111

A study of the book of Jeremiah can overturn the entire Watchtower theology, which rests on 607 BC and an interpretation of the "70 years" that is at odds with the actual text.

10

To all those underage and awake…

by Londo111 in

jw
friends

i salute you.. when i was in, i was a brainwashed idiot.

it instilled an arrogance and made me part of a community that contributed to your suffering.. i remember when i would see a jw parent drag their teens to the meeting.

some of these parents had converted recently, some had been some years.

Londo111

That last sentence would make a good t-shirt.

21

Dealing with family

by G Skero in

i'm in my mid 40's and recently started bible study and going to meetings.

my family is really having a hard time with this.

my kids that are over 18 are no longer speaking to me and won't have anything to do with me.

Londo111

G Skero:

Right now, JWs are in the "dating" phase with you and will be putting their best foot forward with metaphorical flowers and candy. They will give you lots of attention and seem like the most loving people on earth. Some of them will be sincere in doing so, but this practice has been nicknamed "loveboming". It's very hard to think through that. Once you are committed, things would change.

The study process is a low and slow process of indoctrination. There are insider doctrines that you will not be told until you are "ready". You are taught outsider doctrines first, spun and made palatable for outsiders. Slowly you will be introduced to less palatable, less believable teachings.

Example of an insider doctrine:

* In 1919, Jesus appointing the JW/Watchtower Governing Body as the Faithful and Discreet Slave as God's sole channel with mankind. A relationship with God is impossible without recognizing them as the Faithful and Discreet Slave.

* All non-JWs will be eternally destroyed at Armageddon.

* You should die rather than have a blood transfusion, but blood fractions are okay.

* All non-JWs are "bad assocation", so you should only have JW friends.

* Even if you are a JW, if you become inactive (don't go door to door each month), you are bloodguilty and be destroyed at Armageddon.

* Higher education is bad.

* You should really consider pioneering...perhaps doing with less, taking a part time job, and do evangelizing activity for 70 hours each month.

* Anyone who decides not to be a JW anymore, or whom the elders expel, are to be completely shunned, not so much as a hello given to them.

* If you see or hear of anyone validating Watchtower rules (maybe celebrating holiday, attending another church, reading books like Crisis of Conscience, reading websites such as this), the matter must be reported to the elders immediately.

* Elders can form secretive investigative committees in regard members and investigate a person's behavior without their knowledge, questioning family and friends close to that person.

* Elders can form judicial committees, where they pull the member in a backroom because of violating Watchtower rules, or if it comes to light that they believe differently on a matter (such as whether Jesus invisible Presence began in 1914). Judicial committees are secret trails where no observers or recordings are allowed, no legal defense allowed and results (including being disfellowshipped and shunned) cannot be questioned.

I'm sorry your kids aren't speaking to you... that is what many of us former JWs have to contend with ourselves. Even being just inactive, my family has very little to do with me. If I were DFed or if I resigned, they would have NOTHING to do with me.

I encourage you to read Combating Cult Mind Control and make it a priority to reestablish a relationship with your family above all else.