NNew member...1st post

by Oh Gawd 32 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  ABibleStudent

  Oh Gawd - Actually my FIL is a really smart guy. So smart that it surprises me he could fall for this bunk. I suspect one of the reasons he consistently spars with me is due to his own self doubt. Either that our he's a masochist.

  Hi Oh Gawd, Welcome to going down the rabbit hole and entering WTBTS Wonderland. Please do not confuse being smart with being immune to BITE control techniques. Anyone can be susptible to BITE control especially if they are born-in to a dangerous cult. i do not know why your wife was able to break-free, but feel very, very blessed that she did because you love her and your children.

  Best of wishes to you and your family.

  Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

  Robert
• 

  mind blown

  Welcome....:)
• 

  Fernando

  Welcome Oh Gawd.

  In essence, exactly what Oubliette said.
• 

  Phizzy

  Oh Gawd, welcome, and thanks for the entertaining insight in to your wife's family. I have known a number of JW's like F.I.L, they seem to be able to seperate their business lives, and often other areas of life, from their JW life.

  One such guy I knew often used to say, when questioned about some of his practices, "But that is business".

  He was removed as an Elder for a while after a case of Fraud was finally held up against him. He is back as an Elder now. (how does that work ? old boys club, I guess.)

  I think it is still a good idea to drop the JWfacts.com or JWfacts.org name in to conversation where it fits. As you say FIL or others of his family may have lots of nagging problems they shove to the back of their minds.

  The site is one that a thoroughly indoctrinated JW would normally refuse to visit, but one way I have presented it to JW's is to point out that the owner promises if you find something factually wrong with what is on his site, e-mail him and he will change it. A refreshing difference from the WT attittude !

  Keep on having fun with them ! I just love your line about it being the same kind of fun as you get at the Zoo, so true !
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  3rdGen: Your wife's family is like many I have known including some in my own family. The happiest JWs are the ones who bend the rules to fit their own wants and needs yet still believe they are protected from God's rath by being in the "ark of God's organization". :)

  I know of a few JW business owners like your FIL. (Only one with the airplane.) The one difference though, is that they are known to be pretty generous with their ca$h and typically spread it around with the WTS bigshots (COs DOs Bethel Guests and even GB if they can get into their hallowed presence).

  $ucce$$ brings respect and the lowly JW usually likes to hob-knob with the successful, bigshot JW.

  "When you're rich, they think you really know." ~ Tevya

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc

  Doc
• 

  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Welcome!

  You can't paint all JWs with the same brush. There are plenty like your family that pick-and-choose and would place money as their priority. In my experience, the COs and DOs are increasingly of that mentality, so you can only expect that the rank-and-file will similarly have a "say one thing, but do another" mentality. But there are also those elderly, childless couples that have spent decades pioneering and scrapping by financially because they really believed what WT promised. The old couple may get interviewed at the DC who say they are "spiritually rich" and have "large spiritual families." From the platform, they are praised for their faithfulness, but in the individual minds of most of the JWs, they're thinking, "I don't want to be old, lonely, and broke like that."

  There are still some gung-ho pioneers that will quit their jobs if they have to work one meeting night per year. But there are lots of "phantom" pioneers that fake their hours and readily take a better-paying job that requires working on meetings nights. Typically, they make a few appearances at a neighboring congregation's meetings so they could pretend that they are still making all the meetings... somewhere.
• 

  flipper

  OH GAWD- Welcome to the board. Sounds like you have a barrel of monkeys to deal with in dealing with your JW in-laws. Your statement " these people have the minds and knowledge base of small children " - is a very accurate statement indeed regarding most Jehovah's Witnesses. The reason for this is they are not allowed to research any information outside of WT publications thus they have the intellect of small children regarding normal world views of things with critical thinking ability. The WT Society has stolen their minds and critical thinking capability ON PURPOSE in order to maintain control of individual JW's lives so as to also control not only their lives- but pocketbooks as well. They are under a heavy dose of mind control and information control by the WT Society and that's by design and according to the WT leaders plans. So that is why your in-laws are as they are- in a nutshell. Good luck with dealing with them. And yes, many JW's live double lives in order to semi-escape the WT mind control, some escape totally, some never do- just play the deception game
• 

  steve2

  Oh Gawd - what a great avatar! Welcome.

  Actually, your description of the socializing aspects of being a JW is excellently accurate.

  I would never disclose this in polite and sensitive company, but as the years pass, more members of my JW extended family are similar to what you so well describe. Indeed, there is an unwritten rule in my family: Don't rock the boat - and we'll all get along just fine.

  I'm no longer in the organization, having been disfellowshipped for the worst imaginable sin ever - apostasy - but as the years have passed, my family associates with me on the understanding that none of us will rub the others noses in our beliefs. Yes they are concerned about what other witnesses would make of it so there is a little social reserve. Fine with me!

  I do notice that JWs are increasingly like a social club - which has all sorts of benefits for business and family ties. Oh, yes, they're still capable of unbelievable judgements against their own. But no where to the extent of earlier decades.
• 

  jgnat

  Hi, I am a never-JW married to my Witness. I laughed out loud at the description of your family zoo. Much to the dismay of my husband. As a general rule I find Witnesses to be much more afraid of congregation judgement than Jehovah's. Since the congregation is not omniscient, they tend to be more natural away from their influence.
• 

  braincleaned

  Warm Welcome to you Oh Gawd!
  
  Good introduction. Looking forward to reading your posts and comments!
  
  Vince.