by stuckinarut2 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
joe134cd4 hours agoI think you may be surprised. I walked out of the Hall nearly 2 years ago. Up until that point I had been active. Had not one elders visit and only 3 other people bothered to call on me. 2 of those 3 only called so they could fill in F/S time. I guess you can call me lucky.
Thanks for the great suggestions and replies all!
Your points were great!. I'll just change the "getting married" part for "having children in the system"
Also the responses others made re shutting down the conversation were very good. Thanks.
Ah, the idea that they think I may have "turned apostate" is a valid one.....I think they ARE on to me!
Hi stuckinarut,
since moving to our new congregation several months ago, we have ceased F.S., assemblies, and miss most meetings.
Result? Not one visit from Elders to interrogate us - yet!!
Our prepared answer is - "Thank you for your concern, but we have private issues which we can only discuss in prayer. If matters change, we will call you. Thanks."
If they ignore my response and ask more questions, I will simply repeat word-for-word my prepared response!
They deserve nothing more!
Our prepared answer is - "Thank you for your concern, but we have private issues which we can only discuss in prayer. If matters change, we will call you. Thanks."
That is GOLD!!!!!
I will repeat that to myself like a mantra.....until it sinks in!
Thankyou!!
Joe134cd.... great point!
My biggest problem over the last few months is that I allowed myself to be dragged into discussions far too much!
And yes...I said too much
My wife learned a lesson early on. Our C.O. visited and she opened up to him somewhat. He gave her council and prayed with her. She didn’t attend his talk that week. He used his time on stage to talk about her. He classified her as more or less dead before Armageddon. One of her close friends phoned her and told her everything that she had said to the C.O had been repeated on the stage. She was livid and wrote the C.O telling him he hadn’t helped at all. He wrote back and apologized. From that time on she has used the phrase “I’m just don’t feel comfortable sharing my thoughts” which has worked very well for her. She’ll even repeat it if necessary. It’s her version of taking the Fifth.
I use a different strategy. I make it clear I don’t have problems with local brothers or the local congregation. I’m not depressed or suffering from a guilty conscience. I have issues with the Watchtower…the Society…the Governing Body. Issues with their unapologetic and dismissive attitude toward the mistakes they made that affected people’s lives, that we now jokingly call “old light”. If they need examples I furnish them. There are plenty to choose from. But it’s batshit crazy WT history, not ‘apostasy’. So my phrase is “I have issues with the Watchtower”.
JW.ORG and YouTube have opened up whole new dimension of reasons to longer trust their direction. Teepee’s, vehicles and fiddling in Assembly Hall lobbies, line dancing and teaching the hustle on the KH stage, while crowing about Jehovah blessing on all this. Promotional buttons, key chains, umbrellas and Frisbees. Even a video of ‘Psy’ dancing around Bethel to the tune of Pharrell Williams (Goggle his songs and lyrics, you may ‘cringe’… as one sister told me she did). I tell JW’s I’m shocked. I even rub it in a little. I’ve said it’s the only positive aspect of my parents both suffering from dementia. They didn’t get to see how far down-hill the brothers have gone.
Because of family situations we are careful. We don’t hide our point of view but we don’t advertise it either. And we will never answer questions destined to df us.
"I don't feel comfortable sharing my thoughts. Thank you"
I like that one too!
