by happy-n-alive 17 Replies latest jw friends
H-n-A
Tell them they have wasted enough of your time , and you are now going to live the life you want.And if they do get a bit pushy , you decide what book to study next , such as" Crises of Conscience" or" Captives of a Concept" That will sort them out.
smiddy
OH , and welcome to the board
hi, thanks for the replies guys. there arent alot of people around here where you can talk about things critically without being described as 'spiritually weak'. your comments were interesting
Welcome
if any witnesses ever got pushy with you about taking the next step after you have studied with them a long time
Yes. And from a JW that wasn't even baptized themselves (aka my Mom).
That's when I put my plan together for my life, got a job while still in high school, then graduated high school, moved out and away, went to College, and got real busy with a career and life.
so i think i may just finish this last chapter and then decline to do anymore books
Ok. Why not just decline now? Any reason to finish? I'd say move on to something more beneficial now.
Hey happy-n-alive, if you're considering being a JW you need to, among other things, be willing to accept anything that the 'Faithful and Discreet Slave' (aka Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses) dishes out, regardless of whether you believe it or not.
You also need to freaking love bacon, and be a naturally annoying person:
***Proclaimers book jv chap. 8 p. 105 Declaring the Good News Without Letup (1942-1975) ***
The Truth book was designed to encourage the Bible student to reason on the material being considered and to apply it in his own life.
This new publication was to be used in connection with a six-month Bible study program. The September 1968 issue of the Kingdom Ministry explained how the new program would work: “It would be good to try to study a whole chapter of the ‘Truth’ book each week, though this may not be possible with all householders or with all the chapters in the book. . . . If, at the end of six months of intensive study and conscientious efforts to get them to meetings, they are not yet associating with the congregation, then it may be best to use your time to study with someone else who really wants to learn the truth and make progress. Make it your goal to present the good news on Bible studies in such a way that interested ones will act within six months!”
*** km 8/98 p. 3 par. 5 A Progressive Look at the Urgent Work of Making Disciples ***
The June 1996 Our Kingdom Ministry insert, “How to Make Disciples With the Knowledge Book,” gave us this goal: “Depending on the circumstances and aptitude of the student, it may be possible for you to cover most chapters in one session of an hour or so, without rushing through the study. Students will make better progress when both teacher and student keep their appointment for the study each week.” The article went on to say: “It should be expected that by the time a person completes a study of the Knowledge book, his sincerity and depth of interest in serving God will have become apparent.” The Question Box in the October 1996 Our Kingdom Ministry explained: “It is expected that within a relatively short period of time, an effective teacher will be able to assist a sincere average student to acquire sufficient knowledge to make an intelligent decision to serve Jehovah.”
*** km 10/96 p. 7 Question Box ***For this reason, the same Watchtower, page 17, advised: “After an individual has completed his Bible study in the Knowledge book and has been baptized, it may not be necessary to conduct a formal study with him in a second book.”
What about a person who does not get baptized after completing the Knowledge book? The June 1996 OurKingdomMinistry, page 6, paragraph 23, reminded us of the point made in TheWatchtower about not studying additional books with the same student after completing the Knowledge book. Does this mean that we are not interested in helping a Bible student beyond this point? No. We want people to receive a basic knowledge of the truth. Yet, it is expected that within a relatively short period of time, an effective teacher will be able to assist a sincere average student to acquire sufficient knowledge to make an intelligent decision to serve Jehovah. It may be that because of their personal circumstances, some Bible students will even desire to study more than once a week.
*** km 6/96 p. 6 par. 23 How to Make Disciples With the Knowledge Book ***
Help Those Who Complete the Home Bible Study :It should be expected that by the time a person completes a study of the Knowledge book, his sincerity and depth of interest in serving God will have become apparent. (Matt. 13:23) That is why the final subheading of the book asks, “What Will You Do?” The closing paragraphs appeal to the student to focus on the relationship he should have developed with God, the need to apply the knowledge he has learned, and the need to act quickly to demonstrate his love for Jehovah. There is no provision for studying additional publications with those who complete the Knowledge book.Kindly and clearly explain to a student who fails to respond to the knowledge of God what he has to do to progress spiritually. You might keep in touch periodically, leaving the way open for him to take the steps that lead to everlasting life.—Eccl. 12:13.
happy-n-alive,
I, too, had my first study when I was 14, then I was baptized at 20. Two years ago my husband (a born-in JW) and I walked away from the organization. I had been in for 38 years and my husband for a lifetime. I will confirm that when I studied The Truth That Leads to Everlasting Life they were pushing everyone to get baptized after only 6 months of study because Armageddon was coming in 1975.To answer your original question, yes, I was being "strongly encouraged" by the Witnesses to get baptized.
Please, dear happy-n-alive, do your research outside of Watchtower publications to get the other side of the story. Neither the internet nor other books were available to me when I was a teenager studying with two girls I met at school. At the time I felt that to learn about Jehovah's Witnesses the best place to learn about them was from their own books and people. Nothing could be further from the truth!! You don't even need to buy any books if you don't want to as there are many sources of information right here on the internet such as this forum. Two other excellent websites are www.jwfacts.com and www.freeminds.org. And of course a search of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower, and related topics on google will turn up many resources.
One thing you need to be aware of is that if you ever decide to leave the organization after being baptized there are consequences to doing so. It doesn't matter if you are disfellowshipped, disassociated, or simply walk away, no one who is a good Jehovah's Witness will be allowed to have any contact with you whatsoever. O, and by that time you will be urged to have cut off all contact with anyone who is not a Witness. If you don't believe me just read some of the stories on this board.
I would encourage you to research how to recognize a cult. Steve Hassan's BITE method is a simple way to test if a group is engaged in manipulative cult behavior. BITE stands for:
Behavior control
Information control
Thought control
Emotional control
Jehovah's Witnesses control BEHAVIOR by regulating clothing and hairstyles; demanding meeting attendance and field service; innumerable unspoken rules and regulations; constant insistance to remain loyal.
Jehovah's Witnesses control INFORMATION by discouraging non Watchtower sources of information; insisting on no contact with former members; using non Watchtower quotes out of context (check their references for yourself); extensive use of Watchtower publications.
Jehovah's Witnesses control THOUGHT by use of their "pure language", that is, words which function to stop thoughts such as "worldly"," new system of things", "Christendom", etc.
Jehovah's Witnesses control EMOTION by excessive use of guilt; excessive use of fear, fear of thinking independently, fear of the outside world, fear of enemies, fear of losing one's salvation, fear of leaving the group or being shunned by the group, fear of disapproval; irrational fears of questioning the governing body.
So, please think long and hard about being baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is up to you to make a rational, informed decision. You will find members of this board very helpful in this regard.
Reopened Mind
