Show her today's article:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/jehovahs-witnesses-sexual-abuse-children-beliefs-rules.html
Spiral
JoinedPosts by Spiral
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14
JWs studying with a neighbor: what should I do?
by john.prestor inso let me introduce myself first: i've lurked here for years because i'm working on a long-term research project concerning jehovah's witnesses and i've collected data from this site (seriously, you guys are awesome, i've learned so much from this forum i never would have learned otherwise).
i've also collected data at multiple kingdom halls and read scholarly works on jehovah's witnesses and non-scholarly works as well (e.g., crisis of conscience).
so i have a pretty good sense of jehovah's witnesses even though i was not raised in this faith nor did i ever join up.
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Major Article in Today's Philadelphia Inquirer on JW Child Abuse
by Room 215 inhttp://www.philly.com/philly/news/jehovahs-witnesses-sexual-abuse-children-beliefs-rules.html.
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Spiral
Excellent article! I hope other news sources pick it up.
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Withdrawing community support in the congs
by purrpurr ini've noticed in the past 10 years that the social support that used to be available in the congs, a shoulder to cry on, elders to help with family/marriage issues these seem to have been purposely withdrawn.
counsel is even heard from the platform that the elders are not there to help people with their problems.. so first in the 80s-90s they take away the congregation get to getters and social events and now they seem to be going one step further in taking away the emotional support for people too.. this will take away an aspect that i'm sure was keeping alot of people in the borg, the community support.
if that's not there and its just about meetings and ministry how many will start to get their emotional support elsewhere?.
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Spiral
AlexB, I do hear what you are saying. But I think the membership has shifted..... this congregation used to have 120 publishers, mostly hard working families with a bit of property, interests, extended family in the "truth", etc. Now it might be 60 people, older ones and ones on disability, etc. Stubborn ones that will die a JW because they've always been one. The town is growing (and SEVERAL new churches are being built) but the congregation is shrinking. I agree there will always be people who fall for scams and high control groups, but they can't even get a decent sized group together to fix up the hall and mow the grass these days. People just don't feel connected enough to care.
So if the GB doesn't add something attractive to what's on offer (you can't even have a companionable chat, a drink and a piece of cake after any of the meetings anymore) then people can find that and more at the church down the street.
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65
Withdrawing community support in the congs
by purrpurr ini've noticed in the past 10 years that the social support that used to be available in the congs, a shoulder to cry on, elders to help with family/marriage issues these seem to have been purposely withdrawn.
counsel is even heard from the platform that the elders are not there to help people with their problems.. so first in the 80s-90s they take away the congregation get to getters and social events and now they seem to be going one step further in taking away the emotional support for people too.. this will take away an aspect that i'm sure was keeping alot of people in the borg, the community support.
if that's not there and its just about meetings and ministry how many will start to get their emotional support elsewhere?.
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Spiral
It's like they are starving their members, and then they wonder why they are all dying ("spiritually") and financially. I don't see any real community feeling or support in my Mom's congregation, it's as if no one cares (haha, they really don't care!). How long can this go on before they have no membership? I was worried that when I stepped in to help my Mom, I would be overrun with zealous brothers trying to run my life. It certainly hasn't happened, they don't seem to care at all now that she's not counting time. (I refuse to help her send in 15 minutes of made up time a month just to please them.)
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Spiral
Electronic publisher card?
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Why NO bibles??
by stuckinarut2 ini know we have all said it before, but it simply blows my mind that the jws doing cart work do not have bibles on the cart to give out to interested ones!.
how can they say they are "bible students" trying to share the "bibles message" and not give out bibles!?.
other christian groups take the commission to share the bible seriously!
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Spiral
Back in the day (I mean the 60s, lol) seems like the green bible was proudly carried out in "service", and for a small donation. BUT as we know, that's not really practical today. Does anyone (in any church) actually read the whole bible today?
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Famous last words spoken by every jdub at one time or another
by nowwhat? in"oh i'm not going to worry about it, armageddon will be here by then!".
-including me.
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Spiral
We'll never get old, and w don't need to plan for retirement.
Plenty of regret to go around for this one.
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27
Do any of the JWs go out door to door with a territory any more?
by Spiral ini actually had a neighbor ask me that the other day (she knows i'm an "ex" jw) and i didn't really know the answer.
i know there's a bit of cart witnessing going on (small town) and a lot of driving around to return visits.. but are they actually doing territory, not-at-homes, all of that?
the neighbor said that eight years ago, when she bought her house, the jws were by "all the time".
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Spiral
And to think, growing up, we had to suffer with going out three hours straight (no break) with a real 3-5 minute presentation AND literature (this is in the 60s and 70s). All sorts of open note taking on the street (and I agree, how crazy did that look to the householder watching from behind the living room curtain) and keeping your territory straight so when you turned it in you could tell the territory brother it had been thoroughly worked. By the time I was in my 30s it had been diluted to driving around looking busy.... and now, most areas not really getting worked at all, and that is normal.
So, the trend is actually going downward, steadily. I can't see any real preaching happening in another 20 years or so.
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Do any of the JWs go out door to door with a territory any more?
by Spiral ini actually had a neighbor ask me that the other day (she knows i'm an "ex" jw) and i didn't really know the answer.
i know there's a bit of cart witnessing going on (small town) and a lot of driving around to return visits.. but are they actually doing territory, not-at-homes, all of that?
the neighbor said that eight years ago, when she bought her house, the jws were by "all the time".
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Spiral
This is why I was wondering if the old way of checking out territories, working the doors (to death) and keeping all the records had gone away. I'm aware from reading other threads that keeping "not at home" records may not be compliant with new privacy laws in the UK, and of course the US could follow that path.
I don't hear any conversation these days about checking out territories and keeping up on return visits. The "zeal" just doesn't seem to be there. But then, the ones I still know are so busy trying to make a living there's not a lot of extra time. Door to door might just die out due to lack of enthusiasm. I don't even see the local Mormons going around town.
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Do any of the JWs go out door to door with a territory any more?
by Spiral ini actually had a neighbor ask me that the other day (she knows i'm an "ex" jw) and i didn't really know the answer.
i know there's a bit of cart witnessing going on (small town) and a lot of driving around to return visits.. but are they actually doing territory, not-at-homes, all of that?
the neighbor said that eight years ago, when she bought her house, the jws were by "all the time".
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Spiral
The last time I actually saw JWs on the street was a couple of years ago during the CO visit. Never see them any more. Perhaps they are just faking their time, or making up return visits? We used to do a lot of nonsensical driving around years ago, when I was still in.
I got to wondering if the territory keeping had changed and I didn't even know. lol