Well the JWC@fe is no more... (page 3)

jookbeard

I was banned very early on, we should all give ourselves a pat on the back

clearpoison

It really do not matter. I anyway liked JWOWW site much more and it's still there.

ziddina

JWC@fe is gone???? Day - Yammm!!! Where am I going to get my daily dose of banal chatter, now????

Juan Viejo2

Ziddina,

Go to Yahoo Answers to get your daily doze - oops, I meant dose - of "banal chatter."

I go there every so often whenever one of the questions shows up on my Google alerts. The usual form is like this:

"Q: Why do Jehovah's Witnesses look forward to a promised paradise New Earth after the war of Armageddon?"

Why would anyone besides JWs (or ex-JWs) even go to such a question?

The first few answers are usually composed of quotes from some Watchtower or a JW study book. Most are simply made up of scripture quotations pulled right out of the publications with exact punctuation (even including the original brackets and ellipses).

When an ex-JW or apostate jumps in you'll typically see a change of direction. Sometimes scriptures are quoted, but more often than not the answer includes an appeal to reason. Often there are also references to discarded JW teachings from several years before.

If the discussion continues for any length, you begin to see name calling directed toward the ex-JW contributors. Once in a while, you will see some totally illogical attack on a JW contributor that is nasty, profane and completely out of context with the discussion. My guess is that those are setups by JWs to appear to be "persecution" directed toward the Witnesses. The apostates I know wouldn't waste their time calling people names like that.

In most cases, the discussion ends after about a dozen comments. Surprisingly, some non-supporting answers are chosen as the best, but most of the time the first one that toes the Watchtower line becomes the winning comment.

I've heard from some of my insider sources that many JWs, especially younger JWs of high school and college age, are using Yahoo Answers and the similar Topix forums as a way to count hours toward their service time. In fact, one "friend of a friend of a JW" told me that they've heard conversations around the KH parking lots where several young people were bragging about doing just that. They'd actually tell their friends that they would put up a question about "X" and that all their friends should log in to the Answers site and answer. That way they could all count service time.

Amazing. Too bad the Internet machine didn't exist when I was a kid. I could have pioneered without putting so many long, hot miles on my bicycle with my bookbag strapped to the luggage rack. I could have just jumped on my laptop for an hour or two each day and I would have easily qualified as a new version pioneer. In fact, I'd probably be on the Gubning Booty right now, giving you all orders and being directly inspired by J. Hovah (or saying that I was).

JV

the-illuminator81

Agape, also known as Janus love, is the fake kind of love that can instantly turn into intense hatred when a single key phrase is uttered from the platform of your local kingdom hall.

Juan Viejo2

When I was a JW, we'd read about the term "agape love," but we'd never use it in day-to-day conversation.

In the late 1980s, I had a young man working for me who belonged to some little church near Dallas, TX. It was called the Agape Bible Church, or something like that. One day I was out in the field training him (he was an excellent employee, BTW) on a new procedure. I told him that we should take a break and get a cup of coffee. When we got to the local McDonalds, he told me that he could not drink coffee. I said, OK, have a coke. Nope, couldn't have coke. What would you like then? I asked. "Two plain hamburgers and a cup of water." I said OK, and bought him the two hamburgers.

I sat there and watched him eat those dry hamburgers with water. He then told me that he didn't mean to be rude and refuse my offer of coffee, but he was really hungry and his religion didn't allow him to drink coffee, tea or any type of soda because it was a sin. He couldn't have cheese or pickles on his hamburger either "per old testament laws." When he was done, he prayed outloud, right there in the restaurant, thanking God for blessing him and asking God to bless me because I bought him a couple of hamburgers. I noticed that he constantly used the word "agape" almost everytime he finished a sentence.

This kid was a real "kool-aid" drinker. One day I got a call from a customer complaining that this kid had stopped working and was in the utility closet praying out loud - so loud he was creating a disturbance. "And what the hell is all that 'agape' crap he keeps saying to everyone? He's scaring off my customers."

When he got back to the service center I pulled him aside and counseled him about preaching and practicing his religion openly on company time and at customer premises. I told him that I knew he was a good employee, but he had to be more discreet about practicing his religion on company time.

Next day he came in and resigned. Went home the night before and told his pastor what happened. The pastor told him that both me and my company were obviously "tools of the Devil and in order to please God he should quit his job."

So that term "agape" used like that was the first time I encountered its use that way. My family were JWs, and none of them used agape in normal conversation, so I just forgot about it.

Lately, however, I see "agape" popping up all the time in forums, comments, and websites frequented by JWs and former JWs. Two JW boys came to my door a couple of years ago, and used the term several times.

When did this use of the term start? Was it encouraged by the WT, or is this just something some of the R&F picked up?

JV

wasblind

Good Mornin' Juan

in the Draw Close to Jehovah book in chapter 23, on page 235

paragraph 11 & 12 the word Agape is mention and explained

we studied this book I think in 2005 when we were still havin'

studies in individual homes.

Juan Viejo2

Wasblind - thanks for the update. Makes total sense why they would start using it.

Just wondering, though. Is it in common use now among JWs? Or is this something specific to the younger generation or to a particular geographic area?

J V

wasblind

Hi there Juan,

I have no Idea, the only time I ever heard it used

was during a study or in a meeting

Well the JWC@fe is no more...

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