What changes have you noticed in the Witness

by d 43 Replies latest social humour

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  mommag
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  Joey Jo-Jo

  more fear, more paranoia, more fanaticism, more seclusion
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  freedomisntfree

  I agree in general with what your all saying diffenetly more seclusionism . When I was a kid the halls I was famalier with were so close knit vacationing together parties picnics celebrating anything possible now people have broken off into smaller sections or none at all they dont trust eachother anymore or less then they did.Their used to be a o "so and so is a brother so he must be alright" attitude, not much now on some level at least women and parents know their culture is full of predators.
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  ScenicViewer

  JW GoneBad said,

  It is as though the WTBTS needs a new theme, facelift, name or something in order to recapture the R&F's interest.

  I believe this is true. There was a time when there were constant new understandings, new updates, new light, etc. But today there aren't any creative minds left in the Watchtower. Fred Franz was the master of the organizational facelift. No matter how silly his notions appear to be now, they were devoured by Witnesses back in the day, and each time it made them feel reinforced that this religion is the truth! It's good that the facelift days are gone, since they were nothing more than thin facades anyway.

  I see more and more witnesses that have no clue what they are supposed to believe. I clearly remember a Circuit Overseer saying many years ago, in a talk to the congregation, that most people in Christendom didn't know what they were supposed to believe. The gist was that since we are Jehovah's people, and have the truth, we know very clearly what we believe. Those days are gone.

  Regarding the blood issue and the meaning of 'this generation', most witnesses are without a clue. The truth to many of them is simply that they don't vote, believe in the Trinity, or celebrate Christmas. And that's about it. A few years ago I mentioned the United Nations NGO relationshiop to a 40 year old born-in witness. After about 5 minutes of reviewing the Society's teachings about the UN, he said "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about." He really didn't have a clue what the Society's view of the UN was.

  Witnesses don't witness anymore. When I came in, early '70s, knowing your beliefs and being able to explain them, using your Bible, was emphasized. At some point, during the 80s as I recall, it began to change. Extended conversations at the doorstep were now discouraged. Witnessing became more of a 'let the literature do the witnessing' kind of job. I was always puzzled by that, since people are the Witnesses, not the literature. Now I get the feeling it was meant to protect Witnesses from learning about their religion from house holders who knew more about it than they did. It wouldn't do to be asked a hard question that made you think, because you might find out you don't have the truth after all.

  It has spiraled downward from there. Thinking became discouraged by putting a distasteful sounding adjective in front of it, and calling it 'independent thinking'. That made it sound like you were rebelling against God if you dared to think. After all, who have become independent from God and his organization? Apostates. They are rebels because of independent thinking. A positive spin on thinking, such as calling it constructive thinking, or critical thinking, was avoided. This was a controlling mechanism that made Witnesses feel guilty for asking honest questions that showed solid reasoning.

  Today the organization depends on Witness not knowing very much. They are like automatons going through mechanical motions, responding to a leadership that has reduced itself to cracking the whip to maintain control. (As evidenced by recent study articles regarding 'mentally diseased' apostates that should be 'slaughtered'.)
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  d

  I was told from a family member who was talking to a long time jw who visits us that 60% of the people we knew from the Kingdom Hall are gone. It got me thinking how when I was teenager, I knew a lot of JW's who ever the years left the religion young and old alike. Seeing walking the street today, many seem to just goes through the motions of life and it is depressing to see. I am glad that I am out.
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  LongHairGal

  DesirousofChange:

  Everything you posted is what I noticed as I was on my way out and becoming a "fader". It was my observation that people would have to be out of their minds to have dealings with them. Their screwed up beliefs about Adamic death canceling their "sin", their belief that "Jehovah will repay", the doctrine of "reinstatement" and also their belief that their "brother" will not take them to court makes them imagine they can DO anything and be forgiven for it.

  Why on earth would I bother with people like this??? Why would I want to "widen out" to people who can and WOULD leave me reeling from a bad experience? Am I a glutton for punishment?

  From what I gather from my few "active friends", besides the shredding gossip, they are being told to "look out for each other". I am reading between the lines. I am no idiot and I know what this means when translated into English. There are too many needy people in the congregations looking for all kinds of assistance. I really think they are getting away from the preaching work and concentrating on "helping" each other(?). I am sure they are slamming the sisters with this crap. While this may sound good to some, it is certainly bad news to responsible working people still active in the religion.

  I think the feeling in the congregations is morphing into a more cult-like attitude which is less interested in the preaching work (fewer people interested) and an emphasis on exploiting the people who are already there to an even higher degree. All in all, sounds like bad news to me.

  Scenic Viewer:

  You are right. Many JWs don't know sh#t about what they currently believe and don't really care all that much.
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  I Want to Believe

  "Witnesses don't witness anymore. When I came in, early '70s, knowing your beliefs and being able to explain them, using your Bible, was emphasized. At some point, during the 80s as I recall, it began to change. Extended conversations at the doorstep were now discouraged. Witnessing became more of a 'let the literature do the witnessing' kind of job."

  I don't think it was an early '70s thing, just a matter of when you came in. When I was pioneering in the late '90s I still used my Bible. I went toe-to-toe with a minister once, and another time had a half-hour cold-call discussion about the Kingdom as a real government, both times using only the Bible. The problem is once they start changing your beliefs it becomes impossible to defend, because I'd have to use the literature just to remember what the lastest understanding was. The longer you're in the harder it is to defend because you just can't keep track of "current truth" anymore and eventually just give up.
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  craigulous

  I think the reason why so many are depressed is that they have invested so much of there life in the delusion, that they feel they can not go back. I feel bad for people like my Mom and Dad, who are in there late years and I am sure have doubts, but would never voice them.
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  craigulous

  Btw, d, I am wondering how the conventions could be more boring. The last one I attended was in the late 80's and my ex and I went to the first session to show our faces and spent the rest of the time going to movies, and playing nickel poker at the casino in Reno. Best Assembly I ever went to, not even close.
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  blond-moment

  "I think the reason why so many are depressed is that they have invested so much of there life in the delusion, that they feel they can not go back."

  Yes, sunk cost fallacy. Not a logical fallacy, it's of a financial fallacy but it's the same.

  I talk mostly to JWs (taking their word for it) thru my videos and others. Many, know it's false, know it's total BS and they "don't care". That's what they say to me, they don't care. They also say "you had 40 years in, you are going to give all that up?" Yes, I don't care if I had 100 years in, I can't live a lie. But they don't care.

  They just want us to shut up, so they stop thinking about it and go back to sleep. I think it's great that as people wake up, so many are speaking out.