Sept.15th WT - WT Society uses Guilt & Fear to Avoid Friendship & Internet

by flipper 105 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  miseryloveselders

  There is often the "we should..." get a group for softball, have a cook-out, whatever. But it rarely materializes. Motivation just isn't there. The meetings are such a downer that spending time with other JWs is just a further extension and reminder of that downer-ness. Sure, I can have some lively conversations with JW friends and have a good time, I can have an equally lively conversation with a non-JW without feeling that they will judge me badly if I'm not "just so".

  Billy you just said a mouthful there. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "we should", or "we oughta" get together, go bike riding, or play some flag football, have some of the young brothers get together to encourage my teenage sons, etc.. Wow, I've never noticed how prevalent that is until reading your post. And you're right, the meetings are such a downer, and after spending two or three times a week with "the friends", you don't want to get together or do anything. At least not with any of them. I need my space after a while.

  I've recieved two invitations from wordly folks today. My coworkers want to get together at a bar across the street from the office after work. I prefer to find the meaning of life in a Corona by myself, so I probably won't go. Plus the woman I have a crush on won't be there as she's on vacation. Another fella I used to work with asked me if I want to go to the Rib Festival with him, which I probably will take him up on. I'll have to put overtime in at the gym, but its worth it. Nothing like BBQ Ribs.
• 

  Sunspot

  I, too, recall in the 70's and 80's when there were two and three congregation picnics at big parks and everyone got to know each other and "widened out" as the WTS urged us to do back in those days.

  We were told that "when the Big A hit" that THESE would be the only people we could trust and that we had to get to know where their loyalties were and who were the "spiritually strong" ones that we could depend on.

  As was pointed out....all this was cleverly and very methodically done away with and the BIZNESS OF WTS DISTRIBUTION came to the forefrontThe WTS is a publishing company first and foremost....with a cult following.
• 

  baltar447

  Mixed messages. I don't know what to think anymore.
• 

  snowbird

  Inducing fear and guilt are the tactics of abusers.

  WT is a master in this area.

  Syl
• 

  flipper

  Great comments by everybody ! Awesome responses. Was working all last night, finally have time to respond. Thanks !

  CAMEO_D- Good point you make here that " the mind is a battlefield ". Very well put by you. And the insidious , deceptive part about that is - WT society UNDERSTANDS this - it's why they try to control JW's minds so as for them not to think on their own. They train these people to deny their own conscience - so they will have NO conscience at all. Just like their WT leaders.

  CLARITY- Glad you liked the pictures of us and friends ! You are correct- the WT society is definitely trying to squeeze relationships and friendships away from rank and file witnesses so as to have more control over them . Many witnesses ARE wound up tight to the breaking point indeed. That's why it's good to talk about this to open their minds.

  VM44- Yes, I believe this is why the Book Study's were REALLY discontinued. You see - WT society leaders like ANY cult mind control leaders realize if they can divide family members and friends committments to one another and SUBSTITUTE as MORE important WT society comittments , then they've successfully manipulated witnesses to show first and foremost allegiance to the WT cult ! It's insidious , nasty, yet clever.

  BALTAR 447- No, it doesn't have to be MORE than WT society just wanting and needing to control EVERY aspect of people's lives even in an informal setting away from the kingdom hall. If they keep people from being close to each other, physically and informally - it affords them more options to control members. Pretty sick.

  ZIDDINA- Fortunately didn't experience the smell of Bigfoot. But with this stinker of an WT article - I'm smelling the stench of the GB all the way from Brooklyn !

  WTWIZARD- I too used to remember congregation picnics in the late 70's early 80's and then parts came out at Circuit assemblies saying it was " unwise " to have big, unsupervised groups get together. So the gatherings stopped in my location at that time also. I think it had a lot to do with Ted Jaracz influence on causing a rigid, unloving , joblike atmosphere to prevail in which people in JW's just became cogs in the wheel to serve a function- preaching the " good news " - period. No relationships or fruitages of the spirit were emphasized AT ALL.

  TEEL- Another good way for cult leaders to control if members are slacking- is to conquer and divide as well. Break up the close relationships, crack the whip and get everybody back to WORK ! It appears the WT leaders are trying to do that.

  AGONUS- The WT society is Fu&%ing up so badly they will need a huge squeegee to squeegee off all the brains that have fallen out nto kingdom hall floors after the screws get tightened with mind control even more ! It's twisted and sick.

  SAMMIES WIFE- I totally agree with you. This is dangerous stuff we're dealing with here. Like dynamite that's aged and ready to explode after it has sat for awhile - witnesses are under the spell of control by the WT society leaders telling them to shun ANYBODY who might dissuade them from WT thinking. They turn people into robots and sociopath's who have no natural affection. Scary indeed.

  QUANDO- I tried not reading the article too deeply. I just look for mind control jargon and I'm able to spot strange wording a mile away. I figured it was important enough to inform you all about. Thanks.

  WING COMMANDER- The control of the WT society HAS become much more brazenly bold ! They are tightening the screws ever so slowly yet steady so the normal JW won't notice it. However if they keep being THIS brazen about their techniques- some witnesses will catch on and leave.

  EX-WITNESS- I like your dates. Very true, awful dates in history.

  DING- Exactly. Isolation through the use of fear is a tactic the governing body has been using for years to manipulate JW members.

  MARY- Good points you make. This cult is doing EVERYTHING it can to divide people. All the WT society wants now is cold, calloused, robotic insensitive people to be there to just make a showing at meetings. They could really care less about individual members. They are made to feel socializing with people is " weak ". That only the strong ones stay busy WORKING

  I'll respond to pg. 3 & 4 later, perhaps tonight but for sure tomorrow. Thanks again ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
• 

  Scott77

  Mr. Flipper, with this new article, I think it will lead to a boiling point, a peak point where some will say its over, no more with the WTS and decides to leave for good.
• 

  Beware of false prophets

  Excellent thread Mr. Flipper! Thanks for posting this!

  I remember plenty of get-togethers and goody nights into the early 90's. I always thought it was my disinterest as a teenager, and the fact that my mother was too cheap to let me go out and do as much as I could have, that made these outings seem to dwindle, but after reading what everyone else has had to say here, I can see that it wasn't just that I wasn't getting invited less, it was also just not happening.

  I thought "bad associations spoil useful habits" not "all associations outside of your active laboring for the WTS spoil useful habits". Talk about causing more paranoia about everyone around you. It seems that it won't matter much if a person is disfellowshipped or not, you're not supposed to be friends with anyone at all! I see that they are trying to divide and conquer, but this is a two edged sword that they are wielding. Are they also telling people that, except through field circus, they are not allowed to date, therefore making it harder to marry and create more born-ins? As was mentioned before, this doesn't really allow for a pretty painted picture of JWs living happy lives to attract the attention of others. There is a church in my area who promotes small groups that do all sorts of things to no end; they have members who have joined small groups first and the church later because of their involvement in the small group. I really don't see how the WTS expects to grow at all the way they are lately. They must know that their "door-to-door" work doesn't do much in developed countries. Sometimes I really don't understand their "long term plan". (But enough of my ranting).

  I can't see how this wouldn't cause more normal people to leave the ranks if they take it the way it seems to be intended and don't rationalize their normal, human social behavior against the mind-numbing audacity of the WTS printing corp. The sad part is that many of them who haven't woken up much before their exit will think that they were just too weak to be in "Jehovah's one true organization". I'm pretty sure that's how I would have felt about it if I had continued with it past my adolescence. (I felt that way anyway when I decided not to continue with it.)

  Many young ones who are "free to leave" will do so without being allowed a social life (not to mention entertainment limitations that basically lead to the occasional selection of a PG or G rated movie). I guess the WTS will have what it wants when it's all said and done - diehards who will stop at nothing to do WTS bidding. These people will be mentally lacking (one way or another by the time the WTS is done with them), but that's what it takes to live under as much restriction as the WTS places on it's members. I don't know how they expect to get enough money out of these people to stay afloat for long.

  Sorry for such a long post! Did anyone else really identify with the movie Footloose (especially the first time you saw it)?
• 

  marvfaybenz

  Here in France, the "goody nights" after book study was never allowed, even back in the days, 10 or so years ago when I was a JW. The once or twice our book study group did this, we were told that Book Study is like any other meeting, it should be treated as such. As we don't have tea and cookies at the Kingdom Hall after meetings, so no tea and cookies after book study. Maybe it was the stuck up elders in France who wrote to the WTS in Brooklyn to complain about it happening in other countries that started the ban (I'm just guessing). I was also a JW in Hawaii for years, where they love to have gatherings and get togethers all the time (it's their Aloha spirit.) This news is going to come down hard upon them. I hope many will leave because of this, I really loved my Hawaiian JW friends.
• 

  baltar447

  I've never heard of goodie nights going away. We had them right up until the end of the BS arrangement.
• 

  Mary

  I remember when the Bookstudy was at my place for a while. In the summertime, we changed the time from 7:30pm to 7:00pm so that we could all go swimming in the pool after and enjoy Goodie Night. The attendance at our Bookstudy far exceeded the other ones and that pissed the other elders off so they split our group up as they felt there was 'too much socializing' in the group and not enough 'spiritual' activity.

  I also remember a costume party we had years ago. It was a total hoot and we had a great time. There was no booze, no drugs and no one was outside 'fornicating' but once again Crooklyn apparently doesn't like anyone having a good time so they put the ka-bobs on costume parties about a year later.

  No wonder Jehovah's Witnesses have so many hang ups. You're not allowed to celebrate anything (except wedding anniversaries), you can't have a frigging costume party and now they don't even want you socializing too much even with fellow believers. Are they purposely trying to drive people out of the religion or just see how far they can push them?