Watchtower control

coffee_black

I’ve been thinking about the level of control the organization demands of its’ followers. Some of the things listed below are things that normal people take for granted. Some are the most basic of human desires.

* Cannot vote

* Cannot serve in the military

* Cannot salute the flag

* Cannot celebrate Birthdays

* Cannot celebrate any holidays

* Cannot have a blood transfusion

* Cannot go to college

Earlier in its’ history the society’s teachings involved the following, but changed over time:

* Cannot marry (I know because my parents put off marriage for 10 years because of the society’s teaching about marriage)

* Cannot have children (I was pregnant in 1975…imagine the reaction that prompted!)

* Cannot have a vaccination (my parents put off vaccinating me until 4 th grade because of this.)

* Cannot have an organ transplant (dad died because of this one)

And the behavioral control

* Cannot associate with or even talk to family members or friends who leave the organization

* A woman must be in subjection according to the society’s definition of the term.

* Cannot question the organization or its’ teachings for any reason.

* Must attend all meetings and assemblies

* Must prepare for all those meetings

* Must go from door to door and report that time

* Must dress according to jw standards

And the information control…

* Internet use strongly discouraged

* Research outside of organization publications strongly discouraged

* Absolute forbidding to read any anti-jw literature

* Strongly discouraging reading of old literature…their own publications!

Then there were silly things like…

* No aluminum cookware

* Daily sun baths…while bouncing…

* No beards

There are lots more…but even this short list is enough to alarm any thinking person.

Just how much freedom and how many rights are jws willing to forfeit in order to remain in good standing? Some of these policies have resulted in death, others in broken families, unfulfilled dreams and wasted talents. If a government imposed these laws on their subjects, every human rights group on the planet would be all over them. But, it’s a “religion,” so it gets a pass.

And what does a jw get for all this sacrifice? A life of mental and spiritual slavery…with the “hope” of life in a “new system” that seems to get further away with each year. How does conforming to this list have anything to do with a relationship with God?

Coffee

Saoirse

Daily sun baths…while bouncing

Is that for real?

DannyBloem

I just like to keep some things in perspective here

* Cannot vote indeed

* Cannot serve in the military indeed

* Cannot salute the flag indeed

* Cannot celebrate Birthdays indeed

* Cannot celebrate any holidays well some, not many

* Cannot have a blood transfusion indeed

* Cannot go to college can many JW;s go. Not really encourages it different the cannot

* Cannot marry Sorry, do not really believe this

* Cannot have children Not really true, just better if not, but if you want it is okay, no problem

* Cannot have a vaccination true (before)

* Cannot have an organ transplant true (before)

* Cannot associate with or even talk to family members or friends who leave the organization not really. Some choose not too, but talking of family to df-ed person is far from uncommon.

* A woman must be in subjection according to the society’s definition of the term. more or less yes, although in practise society does not invloved in this, and it's a married couple own bussiness

* Cannot question the organization or its’ teachings for any reason. true

* Must attend all meetings and assemblies it is strongly encouraged yes

* Must prepare for all those meetings well, very few do this. not really a problem if not....

* Must go from door to door and report that time yes

* Must dress according to jw standards at meetings yes, otherwise they do not really care

* Internet use strongly discouraged not really. only be carefull.

* Research outside of organization publications strongly discouraged yes

* Absolute forbidding to read any anti-jw literature yes

* Strongly discouraging reading of old literature…their own publications! not really. They are even in the kingdom hall libraries. never heart is was discouraged

* No aluminum cookware never heard of this one. Maybe long time ago?

* Daily sun baths…while bouncing… ???? what the h...

* No beards not really. never was a problem

There are lots more…but even this short list is enough to alarm any thinking person.

Just how much freedom and how many rights are jws willing to forfeit in order to remain in good standing? Some of these policies have resulted in death, others in broken families, unfulfilled dreams and wasted talents. If a government imposed these laws on their subjects, every human rights group on the planet would be all over them. But, it’s a “religion,” so it gets a pass.

And what does a jw get for all this sacrifice? A life of mental and spiritual slavery…with the “hope” of life in a “new system” that seems to get further away with each year. How does conforming to this list have anything to do with a relationship with God?

AuldSoul

I would have replaced quite a few of the "cannots" with "should nots", although the list would still be about half-and-half. Any of the "should nots" can prevent a person from being viewed as a mature Christian and cause a limiting of association from the person.

Many have left just because of this pre-disfellowship disfellowshipping. They are virtually cut off before doing anything on the "cannot" list.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

Elsewhere

The earlier in the forenoon you take the sun bath, the greater will be the beneficial effect, because you get more of the ultra-violet rays, which are healing. [The Golden Age, Sept. 13, 1933, p. 777]

Air baths are good for preventing colds… What you do is strip naked mornings and evenings and then bob up and down for a while. [The Golden Age, Feb. 10, 1926, p.310]

undercover

* No beards not really. never was a problem

Maybe not in parts of Europe but try growing a beard in the USA and you'll be on the receiving end of a counseling toot-sweet.

Hell, I showed up at a bookstudy unshaven one time after a long weekend of camping and I was the only baptized brother besides the conductor. The conducter refused to let me read. He picked an unbaptized, marginally literate person to read. I was embarrased but pissed at the same time. The next week, I was clean shaven and picked to read.

God must really hate whiskers

Bonnie_Clyde

Coffee Black - I'm sorry about your father.

coffee_black

Sorry DannyBloem, but you're wrong. Read the book: "Children". Marriage may not have been forbidden... but nearly so. As I said in my post , they have changed it... but my parents dated for 10 years because of that one. Ask anyone who was around in the 30s & 40s if it was ok to marry. Knorr got married and it opened up the floodgates. My parents would have married much earlier had it not been for that.

In the 60s & 70s having children was a huge no no. You were considered very, very spiritually weak if you did. I know tons of couples who gave up having children for the borg. I lived through that period.

College? I went for 1 year, but the pressure was almost unbearable from the congregation. There were tons of articles and talks on the subject. I was treated like I had leprosy. (except for my dad and mom who were thrilled that I was going)

Beards? I didn't make it up. They even portrayed Jesus as clean shaven. We had one black circuit overseer with a beard. He said it was ok for black brothers, but not for white brothers. Even gave a talk about it.

Re: subjection..I was talking about within the congregation...not in the home ..and women definitely are not considered equal.

Some of these things were in the past ( I think I said that) They still effected a lot of people through the years though.

Maybe I should have used the word "shouldn't" instead of could not....but I think for most jws...especially the hard core it doesn't make much difference. If the society says it...it's law to them...

By the way...what does ; mean?

Coffee

Saoirse

What you do is strip naked mornings and evenings and then bob up and down for a while.

DannyBloem

Sorry DannyBloem, but you're wrong. Read the book: "Children". Marriage may not have been forbidden... but nearly so. As I said in my post , they have changed it... but my parents dated for 10 years because of that one. Ask anyone who was around in the 30s & 40s if it was ok to marry. Knorr got married and it opened up the floodgates. My parents would have married much earlier had it not been for that

You probably right, although i never heard anyone from that time that did not marry because of it (not here anyway). Can you give me some quotes (not that I doubt, but nice to use).

In the 60s & 70s having children was a huge no no. You were considered very, very spiritually weak if you did. I know tons of couples who gave up having children for the borg. I lived through that period.

There was some advice on that time. Altough I am created in that time, noone seem to mind. Almost all had children at that time, anly very few listened to the advice.

College? I went for 1 year, but the pressure was almost unbearable from the congregation. There were tons of articles and talks on the subject. I was treated like I had leprosy. (except for my dad and mom who were thrilled that I was going)

Went to college. Not a problem, although one time we got the encourangent if it was not better to pioneer. But then one elder said: ïf everone pioneered where would be very little money for the WTBTS, now wouldn''t there be? and that was it..."

Beards? I didn't make it up. They even portrayed Jesus as clean shaven. We had one black circuit overseer with a beard. He said it was ok for black brothers, but not for white brothers. Even gave a talk about it.

There are elders here with beards, and have been in the past. It does depend a bit on the style. A beard like ZZ-top would be a big no indeed.

Re: subjection..I was talking about within the congregation...not in the home ..and women definitely are not considered equal.

sad to say but true. Although not really many sisters seem to be a lot of different then the worldly women on this subject. But yes in the cong. sisters aren't very important (sorry to say)

Some of these things were in the past ( I think I said that) They still effected a lot of people through the years though.
Maybe I should have used the word "shouldn't" instead of could not....but I think for most jws...especially the hard core it doesn't make much difference. If the society says it...it's law to them...

yes there are some assholes fundamentalists yes

By the way...what does ; mean?

this is a copied space I think. some kind of html thingy

Watchtower control

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