Is the Watchtower beginning to lose its grip on its members?

by Gill 48 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Gill

  I have seen a counsellor on and off since leaving Watchtower land.

  She has made efforts to find out more about Jehovah's Witnesses.

  We were discussing why my JW family (not my husbands' they shun us as if we smell bad!!!!) are beginning to spend more time with us. Even my brother who is a JW baptised, has left JW land to live with his girlfriend and they invite him round and us quite a few times since the summer.

  Now the occassions are awkward. There certainly is very little 'real' conversation taking place when we all meet, but the thing is we DO meet and they do ask us round and also say that if the time is not convenient they will fit around us. They are all Elders, and even members of the HLC.

  Now I'm not terribly patient with my JW relatives and even my brother's girlfriend is wondering what is happening. She pointed out the issues of the Watchtower and Awake, which she reads for a laugh, where JWs are reminded not to associate with members of the family who are no longer JWs. She wanted to know why they are inviting us to their homes, especially since they never mentioned inviting us to meetings, study etc. What might their motives be? I know my parents are totally brainwashed JW, but they are continually inviting us round to their homes! I am openly apostate, especially with my parents, and my brother is technically, though not offically Disfellowshiped for living in sin.

  My counsellor pointed out that Jehovah's Witnesses seem to be beginning to disobey instructions not to meet with non JWs especially those who have left the Watchtower.

  She mused that perhaps Brooklyn is losing its grip on its members and that perhaps this is going to mark the beginning of a slippery slope for the Watchtower as its members become more disobedient and less afraid to disobey.
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  Dansk

  Definitely! Just count the number of people who have posted here over the years and the amount of newbies regularly joining!

  Watchtower is dead - it just doesn't know it yet!

  Ian
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  Gill

  Good Morning Dansk! Wonderful to hear from you! I wasn't too sure if you were in or out of the hospital at the moment, but I'm glad you're at home!!

  I am beginning to think that the Watchtower is at the beginning of its dying process. Something strange is going on in Watchtower land.

  There's not many a day that I don't wonder 'Why are they talking to us?' and 'They must be very bad JWs!'

  But, as you know, they should NOT be speaking to us never mind inviting us to their homes. I would love to broach the subject of the internet and the Watchtower with my relatives but I think they are so afraid of these 'unmentionables' that it may yet be a few years before they might even begin speaking freely. But until then....they are very naughty JWs!!! I hope your're reading this WTBTS!
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  compound complex

  Greetings Gill,

  YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stayed tuned!

  Thanx for message. I think you and your thinking powers are maybe 5 or 6 hours ahead of me here on the Pacific coast. Back atcha later! Back to the sack.

  CoCo
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  Bonnie_Clyde

  Clyde and I had lunch yesterday with a still active JW since about 1955. He knows, and has known for a long time, that things are terribly wrong. He commented that the brothers are losing their zeal, that the message has no real meaning, and that it's questionable whether Jehovah's spirit is really with them. Still--he continues because he has no other options. Up until a decade ago he served as an elder and PO for many years; then he was ousted because he stood up to his principles on a financial matter regarding the congregation. His children are all active witnesses (because he raised them that way), and he is afraid of losing their affection. The "truth" is all he has, and they are the only people he has any kind of relationship with. He still goes in "service" but with no zeal. He hates it, but he still goes.

  Oddly enough, the only person who pays much attention to him is Clyde--and the elders have warned him about associating with my husband. He has already curtailed much of his association with Clyde, but we ran into him yesterday at his favorite restaurant. I feel sorry for him. He is in his mid-eighties and he's living with the knowledge that he slaved most of his adult life for an organization who cares nothing for him.

  We talked about how so many of the witnesses are suffering mental strain from the pressures of the schedules that they are forced to endure. We wondered how much worse it will get--the mental, even physical illnesses that would accompany it. No wonder even JW's are committing suicide. I know of four.

  Bonnie
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  Gill

  Bonnie - The illnesses in the WT is something that has been commented on many times and I'm glad you bring it up again. Most of my relatives are ill and even very ill with auto immune disorders. The suicide trend, is also something that has been noted. I know of two in the last year. I wondered whether the WTBTS 'new light' on suicides getting into the New System, would encourage this trend.

  Behaviour is odd also. I can give examples mainly of my relatives. They are strange. One, who has remained childless to put the preaching work first is now a strange pet collector. She babies them and is now at the age where there is no chance of having children. She has become eccentric and bizarre. Her husband dresses like Nelson Mandela and is so stressed he looks as if he has a permanant Wedgie. I say this not to laugh at them, because I am NOT laughing at them. I am very sad for them.

  Another relative took her children to a distant and isolated part of the country so that they would not be 'aware' of Christmas going on around them. She dashes to switch the TV off incase any mention is made of Harry Potter, birthdays or Christmas. She dare not let the children watch the television on their own ...just in case. How crazy and how sad is that?

  The fact is that the WTBTS spouts BS and this is becoming more and more obvious and current JWs are having to become more and more extreme to keep themselves in the watchtower loop.

  It is a very sad state of affairs!!
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  InquiryMan

  I read on another board, that the shunning policy is reaffirmed in January 2007 issue of the Watchtower. My parents/sisters chose to shun me after I finally disassociated myself after 4 years of non-activity.... It depens I guess where and when... I hope it will change though...
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  Gill

  InquiryMan - I hope that things improve for you. To begin with, we've been 'out' for nearly five years, our families on both sides, did shun us. Only my parents used to speak to us. It has been six months now that my family have renewed their contact with us. We are surprised because of the reaffirmation of the shunning policy. And yet we were told only last week that our JW family members intend another gathering of all of us in a couple of weeks.

  Things can change. Stand your ground.
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  Jourles

  A study about teenagers becoming more greedy than ever -

  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070116/us_nm/life_materialism_dc

  When broken down by age, more teens (74 percent) than preteens (66 percent) agreed with the statement: "I would be happier if I had more money to buy more things for myself."

  Not exactly the statement the gb wants teens in the hall making, eh? If you're pioneering, don't even think of having such an attitude!
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  sexyk

  Yeah I think the watchtower is losing it's grip on it's members. Since I have just recently left, I found out that many other young people that I know personally have left too. Even the kids nobody thought would leave, are leaving. And it seems like the people in the organization are losing their zeal more and more. So, the wtbts is clearly losing their grip on it's members.