Posts by konceptual99

51

Did you ever have a discussion with an apostate that helped your journey out.

by jwfacts in

there seems to be a number of different ways that apostates try to get jehovah's witnesses realise they do not have the truth, ranging from subtle comments to aggressive attacks.

do you have any that looking back helped you finally leave.

some of the methods include:.

konceptual99

I didn't have any specific face to face discussions with anyone but I would say that there several people did "speak" to me through three routes.

One was Ray Franz through CoC and ISOCF. These were critical books in helping me develop the freedom of thought to question the GB and organisation.

The second was jwfacts.com. This was and remains the most important and comprehensive source of unbiased and well researched material on JW teachings and history. It provides a wealth of content that presents the truth about the truth. I cannot thank Paul enough for putting in the hard work it must take to collate and maintain this resource.

The third is this site. This is where I have been able to discuss my changing thoughts, have open debate and receive support in coming to terms with my loss of faith and realisation that the truth is anything but that.

Since then I have found other routes for conversation such as FB and reddit but the above three are by far and away the most important virtual ways of having conversations with those already awake.

28

Jehovah's Witnesses target Manchester after terrorist attack

by jwleaks in

the location is outside the arndale centre, manchester, after it was evacuated.

.

konceptual99

Because the title of the post and the image implies that JWs were pro-actively targeting the attack venue to take advantage of people's shock and grief.

The reality is that, whilst the location is close to the attack site, it's a shopping centre where Witnesses regularly set up their cart and for them to be there during the day is not unusual. Of course they would be hoping to use the tragic events to feed a conversation but there is no evidence to support any kind of assertions that the Witnesses were descending mob handed into the area to exploit the situation or similar, something that this picture has been used to try and imply in various threads I have seen here and elsewhere.

To be fair, some on the JW side of the fence have also been quick to create pro JW propaganda from the image as well.

The truth is that this is one cart in an area you would find it most days of the week and the Witnesses manning it would only have had the opportunity to evacuate from the nearest bench with their coffees and smartphones.

28

Jehovah's Witnesses target Manchester after terrorist attack

by jwleaks in

the location is outside the arndale centre, manchester, after it was evacuated.

.

konceptual99

It's real. It's from Sky News

http://news.sky.com/story/manchester-arndale-centre-evacuated-after-security-alert-10889787

28

Jehovah's Witnesses target Manchester after terrorist attack

by jwleaks in

the location is outside the arndale centre, manchester, after it was evacuated.

.

konceptual99

Sorry but this has been on three threads now. It's nothing to do with Monday night's attack. It's outside a city shopping mall which was evacuated on Tuesday as a precaution after an alert. Typical "aftershocks" of these types of events. The mall is close to the arena but nothing to do with the original attack.

JWs have a cart there as regularly. They were doing what they always do and had to leave it after being told to evacuate.

Nothing to see here.

17

Un freaking believable. Taking advantage of a tragedy level = JW's only.

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

.

konceptual99

It's the Arndale Centre. Today. Nothing to do with last night's location.

17

Un freaking believable. Taking advantage of a tragedy level = JW's only.

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

.

konceptual99

This was today at the Arndale Centre - a shopping mall in the city. This is just them having to leave their carts behind when told to evacuate. Here is the context and another version of the image.

http://news.sky.com/story/manchester-arndale-centre-evacuated-after-security-alert-10889787

65

Major changes to convention security beginning in 2017

by Edison Trent in

short info on interesting changes to the major conventions this year: there will be a new security concept that will be implemented at all regional conventions in 2017.. similar to other major events (e.g.

festivals, concerts), there will be admittance controls in stadiums.. - at each entrance, there will be a massive presence of attendants that look at each visitor.. - there will be pocket checks at the entrance.. - suspicious persons are no longer left on the convention grounds.. - suppliers to the stadium will be intensively inspected by attendants.. - there will be a special sign for attendants that must enter the stadium before 7.30 am.

all others (even all attendants) can only enter after 7.30 am..

konceptual99

It's a terrible event and brings home the vulnerability of places like this to this type of attack.

My point however was not really about any escalation in threat - going back I remember being warned about bomb threats from the IRA at assemblies when I was a child in the late 70s and early 80s.

All I was saying is that mandatory training for attendants has been a feature of assemblies in the UK for years. Bag searches have also been around for at least two years. Brothers have had increasing secular certification requirements here over the past 5 plus years. It's started years ago with low key with mandatory events covering duties, safety etc, having to wear high viz tabards, early morning briefings for the entire cohort before the doors open, special attention being paid to those that don't have a badge etc. but has increased over the years, driven by secular obligations either with the law or from what the venue has imposed.

For example, when we first met at the Brighton Centre (early -mid 90s) the venue said we could not use attendants, we had to use their staff. This represented a significant cost but the assembly team managed to convince the venue that the Witnesses were experienced and could cope with the H&S requirements. They only agreed once the team agreed to a day long training event that would be mandatory for every attendant. This pattern has been followed every year since, continues now the venue is the Amex stadium and has been introduced for every assembly location in the UK for years.

Requirements may once again have increased this year but for the UK it's not a sea change as many of the mechanisms they are talking about for other places have been gradually introduced here already.

It's not a big deal overall but I just don't think that UK attendees will see anything significantly different to that they have already experienced.

31

Have Jehovah's Witnesses Become Boring?

by David_Jay in

okay, that new video about 1975 has got people talking, and yes, the child abuse cases will always require us to remain vigilant...but after my having left in the late 1980s/early 1990s, it seems all the real "exciting" stuff is gone.

when i left the witnesses were still preaching that the "generation that was old enough to understand the events of 1914" will not pass away before armageddon comes.

no blood cards were our badges (not that stupid jw logo) and that card meant what it said, "no blood"!

konceptual99

I had a conversation just last night with a old friend who has recently gone back to the faith. I explained to him much of how I feel and we had a good conversation but I made the point that there is no depth or substance to anything anymore. The old tomes of the 60s and 70s might have been self indulgent and based on sand but they reflected a form of intellectual and scholarly depth that no longer exists.

Everything now is an appeal to emotion not to logic. For years I was proud that as Witnesses we didn't get all happy-clappy, we didn't use emotion but we really studied the Bible. It might seem naive now but there was some substance.

Now the religion is everything it sneered at 20 years ago.

I made the point to my friend that what is happening is the GB having a clear plan to move the faith into something that can survive long term. The change to grab property instead of be a publishing organisation along with the rebranding of the organisation and it's approach is part of the plan to try and make the org sustainable as their predictions once again fail.

It was an interesting chat but completely in line with the OP's thoughts.

17