Is this a site for active JWs or for ex JWs? (page 3)

Mr. Kim

I can't resist posting this little bit of truth!

To answer the question, "Is this a site for active JWs or for ex JWs?" ....... This site has a lot of pros and cons and is a site for both the active and ex JWs. But mainly, people just like to bitch, moan and groan and never really help solve the WTB&TS problems. Some people have taken action in a court of law. The rest just give good lip service and vent on a tirade of useless shit! But at least they SEEM to feel better!

OH Geeze! I didn't really say that did I?

lighthouse1956

Jws look at everyone they meet as a possible new member.

It's hard for jws to have many friends, the organization discourges outside friends, and they don't realy want to be so close to members that might report every little thing.

You can get them to quit talking religion by telling them you like churhes with 'Holy Spirit Services" -tongues, healing, filled with spirit feelings etc.

Frog

Hi Fish,

I think it does you great to justice to take out the time to understand the world of your JW friends better.

You're absolutley right on many fronts, you seem to know a great deal already of the inner workings of the org. What you will find though, is that there are many unwritten rules on codes of behaviour that are implied, but cannot always be so easily backed up in their literature and formal teachinges.

The fact that your friends only allow to befriend you to a pointis absolutley very common in the org. The JW's are taught to exist in the "world" only as much as they have to, but to be no part of the "world" for the most part. It is very unusualy that active JW's have close friends who are outside of the org, and showing no signs of interest to join. JW's are pre-programmed to informally preach at any given opportunity, to not do so leaves a JW with immense guilt. For JW's believe that only other JW's have a chance at being saved at Armageddon, which is supposed to be "just around the corner"...but never actually seems to come!

I can not possibly express just how much pain & trauma that many people on this forum have been though as a result of being brave enough to challenge the Watchtower polices and being outcast as a result. JW's are not trained to think for themselves, rather to put all their trust in the so called "faithful and discreet slave" (a board of men who consider themselves to have a heavenly calling, and live off the dontations of the lay people at the headquaters in New York) to meter out "spiritual food at the proper time". It is not possible to change your mind out being a JW without repeating very harsh consequences. I for instance (and my story is not unique, many have suffered worse) haven't seen my mother or 2 older sisters for 4 years now due to my choosing to leave the WT org. My mother has been threatened with "judicial action" if she does associate with me, which could see her end up with the very same fate as me. Many of the current JW's around the world are like me, raised in the WT org. For those of us who were, we knew nothing else but the very close minded one dimensional view of the WT organisation, and nothing else. They allowed us to be baptised young, for me it was 16y/o, and after that there's no going back. When you are disfellowshipped you are also shunned, loosing all your previous friends, and in most cases your family too. People may try to tell you that the WT does not instruct its followers to shun family members, but I can tell you now that that is a crock of crap. There are a few things that are left up to "conscience matters", but it is always implied that you will take the extreme view, or otherwise be socially ostracised, or lose your congregational privileges.

I think the comments made above about your showing extra kindness to your JW friends is a brilliant one. The JWs are taught the the love of the greater number will "cool off" in the time of the end, and that there is generally no real love outside "jehovah's loving organisation". This is in most cases the complete opposite of the real situation in my congregations. If you express great love and kindess to your JW friends, it will really get them thinking.

Extreme efforts to pluck JW's from cult mind control generally don't work. Because they're so heavily indoctrinated/brainwashed they just go into auto defense mode, and it make them grip on even more tightly to their beliefs, which many at heart no are wrong. The best way is always subtleties, and they will gradually allow little bits in, until the scales become unbalanced, and they're forced to deal with their cognitive dissonance.

All the best to you babe. But don't take it on board yourself to make these people see sense, if it's too draining on you. Your first priority is to you and your family. It is always good though to search around for alternative points of view to get a good grip on the situation :).

frog x

Frog

But mainly, people just like to bitch, moan and groan and never really help solve the WTB&TS problems. Some people have taken action in a court of law. The rest just give good lip service and vent on a tirade of useless shit! But at least they SEEM to feel better!

Mr Kim, what's shite to you might be like treasure to other people...but I can understand that if you personally don't feel the need to vent your pain to people who know your situation better than anyone else, then it might seem like a useless habbit to get into.

We all know, there is very little that can be done in the way of law suits and the like to make so-called "real" progress with the WT org...most of us just do what we can here, to help eachother out, and make our loads a little lighter.

It's a support group, not a problem solving forum, imo. x

Clam

Hi there “fish” (?)
Welcome to the board.

nelly136

How Close is too Close?........couple of paragraphs from this months awake.

from the Young People Ask section

Christians are not Antisocial

True Christians obviously do not shun non-believers. why, to fufil their

commission to "make disciples of peoples of all nations,"

Christians speak with men and women of all religions races and cultures.

(Matthew 28:19) They are not aloof when dealing with neighbours, workmates,

or schoolmates, nor are they antisocial. Rather, Christians show keen interest

in others.

The apostle Paul set an excellent example in this regard. He knew how to

converse with "people of all sorts," even though they did not share his beliefs.

Of course Paul's purpose was not to socialise with them.

Rather, he said: "I do all things for the sake of the good news, that I may become

a sharer of it with others."-----1 Corinthians 9:22,23

"Unevenly Yoked" Friendships

Of course there is a difference between being pleasant to a classmate

and being that ones intimae companion. Paul wrote: "Do not become

unevenly yoked with unbelievers." (2Corinthians 6:14) To be a close friend

to someone, you must share that one's values and goals.That simply is not

possible with a person who does not adhere to your Scriptual beliefs and

standards. Becoming unevenly yoked with an unbelieving classmate will be

likely either to induce you to get involved in wrong practises or spoil your useful

habits.

To Think about.

What dangers are there in spending leisure time with an unbelieving class mate after school hours?

Is such a course wise?

After reading this article, do you feel that your relationship with a classmate is becoming too close?

If so, what can you do about it?

nelly136

2Corinthians 6:14+

http://www.watchtower.org/bible/2co/chapter_006.htm

14 Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? 15 Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Be´li·al? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: “I shall reside among them and walk among [them], and I shall be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 “‘Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,’ says Jehovah, ‘and quit touching the unclean thing’”; “‘and I will take YOU in.’”

DevonMcBride

Welcome!

I was never a JW but have a friend who is one who was also sending me literature. My first clue that something wasn't right with the Watchtower was when googled "Jehovah's Witness" and hundreds of sites were anti-Witness and only one site (The Watchtower's official site) was complimentary toward them. I spent months on the internet learning about the Watchtower.

If you go to the links section of this forum, you'll find many other web sites where you can find facts about the JW's. A good one to start with is AJWRB which is run by a JW elder who wants the Watchtower to change their blood doctrine. In one of the Watchtower magazines, they martyrized children who died because they refused blood.

jgnat

Mr. Kim, would you characterize MY involvement on the board as you just described as "a little bit of truth"?

skeeter1

I'm an ex-JW, and "bash" the religion where it's due. Blood policy, UN, failed dates, glory to God through works, child abuse, etc, etc, etc.

Is this a site for active JWs or for ex JWs?

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