the best conjecture seems to be that the gb are going to drop the literal 144,000 teaching, especially in view of the december watchtower that pointedly does not mention the 144,000 number.
if they are dropping the literal 144,000 number, but still claim that only a small number are anointed, and can partake, and that only a few are left on earth, then it is fair to ask what has really changed?
they are simply clearing up the embarrassing situation that there were obviously more than 144,000 "anointed" believers from 36 ad until now, and that the number of partakers has been increasing in recent years.
What AnnOMaly said...that the partaking and being anointed creates a separation (paraphrasing), i think that is right on.
Also, the decisions way back to eliminate Christmas, birthdays, etc. - seems to me frees up more money for contributing to the WT, was the main reason! The secondary reason was to create hatred of JW deliberately, isolating them more from normal society. (Which is one of the warning signs of an abuser, isolation.)
if the wbts is just another business?
then what do the gb get out of all this?.
tim cook (ceo apple) makes around 378 million a year.. donald trump makes around 60 million a year.. i understand the wbts may have vast property holdings, stocks, bonds, and revenue from donations.. but i can't grasp the incentive for the gb to make this stuff up.
This is a wonderful thread, i appreciate it so much!
You know Ray Franz had a crisis of his conscience, he saw so many things that were not right, that were so hypocritical and so much covering up that was obviously deliberate.
My opinion and feelings are that those GB guys just don't have a conscience to have a crisis IN. As has been stated, the power is so pleasant and addictive and makes them feel like they ARE gods.
did you generally have good experiences with the elders ?
we're any situations especially memorable???
pro or con.....
Some sister told the elders that I was drunk at a party - I wasn't even AT the party! The elders believed her over me. They said I should be ashamed of stumbling a guy who was there. He made the remark that Jehovah's Witnesses were not any different from the Baptists who got drunk every Saturday night. He ended his Bible study and oh yes! it was MY FAULT for being drunk at that party - THAT I NEVER WAS EVEN AT.
Why I didn't leave the whole mess at that moment is something I don't understand.
just trawled a round a few next-gen jw's back in my old neck of the woods up in scotland - kids of my gen really.
couple of things stood out:.
1 - some serious fb'ers in there - 800+ friends on one of them.
We came along in the mid 80s, and met lots of families with young kids. Those kids are now adults and when you see their pages on FB you would not know they were ever in the JW. Sexy selfie poses, tiny bikinis on boats and beaches, make-up and tattoos and weird hair to the nines. Plus many df in their friend lists. Lots of swearing, boozing it up. Body builders, a lot of both boys and girls. Very few with much education or decent jobs.
friends,.
sunday my father, a strong believing witness, former elder and still a ms, collapses at home after the new light watchtower study.. the cause was extreme stress.
i asked him about his worries.
It is so shocking to realize things are nothing like you thought. I'm so sorry for your dad and hope he will remember how he lived his life as a good person and trying to be kind.
i am a newbie to ttatt.
i have been reading your posts for a few months and joined in a few times.
thank you so much for taking the time to write you experiences it really helps us newly awakened ones.. so here is my story........ my name is 70wksfyrs and me and my kids are victims of domestic violence at the hands of a so called jw.
Hello and welcome to you! I'm fairly new here too and I love this website. You have been through horrible hard times, I'm so sorry for you and also for your little kid.
I am ashamed of ever believing in that guidance of the holy spirit horse manure. That's all it is.
one of the families in the hall called me last night and let another piece of the puzzle out.
apparently there was another family that we don't even know who had gotton a phone call from these jerk off elders down here questioning them about us and what they knew.
(anything negative).
Love and best wishes to you, I really know exactly how you're feeling!
What Scully and Hortensia said, ♥
compare a typical conversation with a jw to one with a random non-jw:.
run into jw in the shops.. .
jw:[surprised] julia!
The kh Sunday morning. "Well B & S, what if you had a terrible problem and it never went away and it just got worse and worse, what would you think? Well the whole earth and everybody in it is going through that, all we can do is wait for arm&hammo, it's coming soon, be happy, try not to crap yer pants, it's so difficult but jellover wants us to be joyful, everything everywhere is so cruddy, that means you're gonna be okay if you just hang in here, don't do anything fun like a hobby, don't read a book, don't get a good night's sleep, don't work hard to pay your bills, don't do anything to better your own circumstances, just keep trying to save other people from a fiery death when the end of the world comes, but we don't believe in a fiery hell, don't get me wrong, but things are bad, but that's really good..."
http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20130912/sun-valley-jehovahs-witness-church-usher-pleads-no-contest-to-sex-acts-with-underage-boys.
.
i made my first post yesterday on an earlier topic about celebrating holidays.
just lois invited me to introduce myself.....hi jl.
where to start?
Hello, KWJoe, from north Georgia, nice to meet you.
This is a great website for talking about everything relating to the jw cult. I'm so glad you figured things out for your life, but it is easy to understand you never really forget all that stuff that you were put through.
I've never met anyone who was at Woodstock! But just love all the Woodstock lore. AND that music from Santana, Soul Sacrifice - that drummer kid was too much.
