Yeah, those were the days, my friend. Everything was so clear. In addition to proudly proclaiming the so-called good news, at the doors... even when talking to knowledgeable academics (sigh)... we were willingly engaged in conversation and 'competent' to give an expert comment on anything: hebrew and greek grammar, theology, medicine, psychology, biology, archaeology, geology, etc. That was the general spirit, not just a few zealous individuals (there still are some). Look at JWs now, the most evasive people in the world.
Remember When Jehovah's Witnesses Took Pride In Themselves?
by minimus 26 Replies latest jw friends
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minimus
Dr. John, those were the days! JWs were "experts" in everything! We didn't need any "worldly" scholarships or "higher education"---We were Jehovah's Witnesses.
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38wastedyears
Pride? No, I don't remember when JWs took pride in themselves. I was always embarrassed to tell others I was a JW. It feels better now that I can say "I used to be one, but not anymore."
I never told anyone I was a JW unless I absolutely had to for some reason. Now, I tell everyone I used to be one, haha. It's no problem to talk about now.
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I quit!
I think the "we're Jehovah's Witnesses we speak out in fearlessness " days were pre-internet. In the old days they could say their piece without worrying about running into someone knowledgeable enough to call them on it. They could spend their whole lives thinking that the Watchtower had all the answers. Now it is too easy to check out what they are telling you and point out the problems to them. And I'm sure a big percentage of them have seen things on the net the shook them and are trying to bury the memory.
And another thing they need a new date for the end of the world. How can you be an end times cult without some sort of time frame for when the end will come? They keep telling them that the end is just around the corner. The problem is they keep moving the corner.
Another problem they must have is that even the dumbest dub has to be wondering if Jesus came back in 1914 what the hell has he been doing all this time? People nowadays get upset if they have to wait more that five minutes for their hamburger to be served and dubs are no different.
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dissed
JW: "Good morning! We are coming by your home in an educational work"
HH: "Oh, okay? Who are you?"
JW: "We are here to help you learn about the, er...a book that has many answers to lifes problems"
HH: "Are you from some church or something?"
JW: "No, of course not! We are here to teach you about wonderful things."
HH: "But...but...you have to represent something, right?"
JW: "Can I ask you a question? Would you like to live in a paradise and never worry about the economy again?"
HH: "You're not answering MY question, who are you?"
JW: "Oh I'm sorry, my name is Dave and this is my companion Jim"
HH: "Listen buddy! If you won't answer my question, who do you represent? Then I'm going to ask you to leave!!"
JW: "Who told you to ask those questions? Have you been reading sites on the Web about us?"
HH: "What and the Hell are you talking about?! Just leave, whoever you are representing"
JW: "Then I take it, you don't want our free book we are offering?!"
HH: "Fine, if it gets rid of you, I will take it!"
JW: "Would you care to make a donation to our educational work?"
HH: "No, I do not care to make a donation to your work. I thought this book was free??!!"
JW: "It is free! But we are asking for volunteer donations to help us print more books, so we can give them out for free"
HH: "You guys are nuts coming to my door begging for money!"
JW: "Well fine, if that's how you feel? Then we are going. We can see YOUR heart is not right with God."
HH: "What and the F are you talking about my heart??!!!"
JW: "Have a nice day!"
As the JW's are walking away. Dave turns to Jim and says. "JG will get him at Armageddon for not responding to his message" And Jim mumbles something about, "I think I would look good in his house"
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inbetween
Interesting point about the quality of food.
Its definately true, that the food is simplified to a low level, it used to be at least more interesting.
Sometimes for research I look up older articles, they usually go much deeper...still weird, but at least food for thought.
Today, its all either rule making, or repetition of same old stuff. If you really take advice, and prepare for the meetings, its ususally done in a few minutes.
JW used to frown upon other religions for their poor spiritual nourishment, but they are going the same path.....
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WTWizard
When I first became a witless, the comments were at least somewhat intelligent. They were doctrinally false, but at least sounded somewhat intelligent. There were a certain number of people that almost always read the answer out of the paragraph, but they looked quite lazy or uneducated (or both). To me, just reading the answer out of the paragraph betrayed a lack of preparation.
These days, that is what they want. If you try to go beyond the words of the paragraph, you can be hauled to the back room. This renders giving a comment an exercise in wasting one's time--preparing the part is an even bigger waste of time because it has already been done. And, with all the sxxx that is going on with pedophiles in the congregation (let alone killing and eating babies), it is a horrible embarrassment to even be a witless, let alone not being able to defend most of the doctrines.
Agreed--it is better to be able to proclaim that I used to be a witless, as I cram the hall full of sun-worship decorations and prepare to start the first-ever decorations for Easter. (And Halloween, last year.) At least that way I am not forced to defend bad doctrines (or even any religion at all).
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fokyc
Even their dress code has become bad, my wife and I (when I go) sit at the front,
the elders shoes look as if they have just rolled in from a building site.
At one time they really did stand out from the crowd, now they look worse.
fokyc
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agonus
Yeah, back in the day you could actually buy a book written by a JW in good standing in a book store.
But "Faith on the March" has now become "Faith on the Schlep" or "Faith on the Slog".
Mormons may be a cult but they at least have an air of respectibility, intelligence and dignity in spite of their founder because 1) they've actually reformed for the better in some respects and 2) they're BIG on education. Hell, they have their own respected colleges. Can you imagine the WT opening up a college? What could they possibly teach that wouldn't cause doubts? And the Mormons, almost to a person, are almost universally and ridiculously nice. You can't help but like these people. JWs? I would have said the same thing at one time, but now I'm not so sure.
It's funny. I was watching their new "Creation Reveals God's Wonders" (I think that's the title). As WT fare goes, it wasn't terrible, just very bland and intellectually middling like everything else they put out. But the one part of the video that made me chuckle unintentionally was the scenario asking "What if Jehovah was an unloving God and everything was the same"? It showed a greyish-white room with people in greyish-white clothing waiting in line to be served gloppy greyish-white oatmeal-looking food. I thought to myself, "Christ, it's a District Convention!"