Holding a blood card means not too much. For many JWs, it's not the reality. They don't even think about it.
I never once thought about the ramnifications of a blood card until I had kids.....boy was I blind.
How Many JWs Are 100% Committed?
by minimus 25 Replies latest jw friends
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steve2
My Bible Student grandparents never bought a house, renting until they died virtually penniless in the 1970s. However, each of their 8 children - even the 4 who remain active JWs - are home owners. I also hear that many of my JW nieces and nephews have encouraged their children to get a higher education. They appear committed to the religion, I suppose, but the criteria with which you'd measure "full" commitment appears to be shifting based on the sample of my extended family. A cynic would call it "Hedging your bets"
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zarco
This is an interesting question. I also think the answers would vary significantly in response to the "how many are committed vs. zealous". In the congregation that we attend (sometimes) we have no elders who pioneer. We do have one elder that I would say is completely committed. I admire his honesty and example. He conducts several studies and helps those individuals in need. In my opinion, he does a Christlike work.
The remaining elders are pretty decent guys, but far from committed or zealous. One has burned himself out. One has been divorced a few times and is not really effective. Another seems very militaristic in his approach and is an outlier (few associate with him). The really good elders have resigned their positions. The remaining elders are family men who are reaping the consequences of following the WTBTS advice to shun education and it seems every ounce of their energy is spent taking care of their families.
The reason I focus on the elders is that the congregations seem to mirror the "norms" set by the elder body. All the Watchtower articles, talks, assemblies and visit from the CO and DO can never even come close to the example of the elders. So likewise the congregation that we attend has a couple of folks who are committed and even zealous and a bunch enjoying the ride. The remainder knows it is intellectual dishonest to be a Witness, but choose not to dwell on it.
Zarco
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Farkel
undercover,
I think you summed up the current situation beautifully.
Since I haven't been involved for a long, long time, I can only go by comments from active and newly exited dubs. From what I've seen, the attitude of current JWs is so far from what it was when I was in, it's striking.
I'd like to know from those who have recent experience with the religion if teenage dubs are as sexually promiscuous as I've heard. Also, if pot-smoking is relatively common among kids. When I was a kid, participating in extra curricular sports, school plays, going to college, cursing and the like was unheard of.
But then again, armageddon was imminent in the 1960's. Oh, wait! It still is!
Farkel
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Rocky_Girl
I'm with you, leavingWT, anyone who will die for the org is commited. Or let their children die, of course.
I'm sure any one of them would go to prison instead of give up that 15 minutes a month of field service, or join the military, or vote.
They may be 'just squeaking by' by their own standards, but they will make the commital sacrifices when needed.
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WTWizard
How is this:
One family I know gave up everything that is "luxury". Meaning no cable TV, no extra entertainment, and cutting way back on secular work. The whole family pio-sneers. The father is the lead hounder. He has given up things that used to entertain him (including playing a certain musical instrument, that I will not disclose here). And they are always out in field circus. The two children (children) had to carry suicide cards (not like they are old enough--that's when I start calling them homicide cards: when parents force their children to carry them, it is no longer suicide but murder). They were also home-schooled the witless way (barely any math or science, everything built around pio-sneering, no field trips outside the Kingdumb or A$$embly Hells, and basically no fun).
This family doesn't know what they are in for when they get older. The father has heart problems in his side of the family, while the mother has diabetes and Alzheimers. The children are not the healthiest, either--frequent ear infections, Candida yeast (systemic infections, not the ones that most people associate with Candida), and migraine headaches. Which is not going to bode well--once the parents get old enough, the children will have to support them while still pio-sneering. They are likely to end up dying before they reach 60--all because the parents were too committed to this religion.