Hi everyone,
Thanks for the comments and reflections and for the hugs, Essie and its nice to meet you too Little Witch. TJ, I've been around frequently but not written a great deal. I have a lot of things happening right now and after June 2 I will hopefully have some good news and will write about it.
Bikerchic's comment about the "woe to the pregnant women......" syndrome really bugs me. My mother relates how the faithful chided her for being pregnant when she was carrying me! I sat through the DC in 1987 listening to a talk about irresponsible child-rearing at this time with my pregnant wife (now-ex). My son is 15 and will be a sophomore at high school in September. In three years he'll be in college. If we'd all done as the Watchtower suggested there be several missing generations.
Regarding the latter thought in this thread, the old-timers and the hoax, I think many feel that way but blank the thought out because their whole world will collapse if they reason about it. My Dad is like that, he got quite upset recently when I asked him about current Watchtower thinking on the role of the United Nations and the unknown 'King of the North'. I pushed him too far when I asked him to explain who the 'faithful and discrete slave" is/are and what relationship the JW GB has to all the so-called 'anointed'. He quit the conversation at that point because he knows there is a big hole in JW doctrine.
The last time I spoke to my mom I tip-toed around our conversation. I bit my tongue when she explained how lucky they are to have a supplementary pension from dad's last employer (16 years)...I didn't say anything about not planning for retirement with the end so soon. I think my mom bit her tongue when I commented on the importance of planning for retirement and how I felt that I couldn't rely on getting a penny from the UK government when I retire despite 17 years of paying in to the state system, and that I am dependant on investing now for my future.
As for the strength of conviction of the younger JW generations, if the Watchtower said that the door-to-door ministry was an optional service (as opposed to voluntary) how many JWs would ever knock a door again? I guess that the number would be a single digit percentage and that within a year field service would be gone forever.
Regards,
Thirdson
Changing of the Guard
by Thirdson 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Thirdson
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teejay
if some of the elderly do realize they are caught up in a big hoax, I see it as our responsibility to help them in any way possible, but I don't see helping them see the error of their ways. – Bug
I agree, Bug.
I'd help those people any way I could. Shucks... if they needed a ride to the meeting, I'd even volunteer to take them. But try to remove the veil? Share the truth about the truth? Not me.
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sf
, the good u.s.a gives them the freedoms to be as wacky as they wanna be. Many third world countries will not allow that malarky.
So then WHY does the good ol' u.s. of a. alot such 'free-dumbs'? What does WTBTS afford them?
sKally
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gitasatsangha
Skally are you taking any medications? This made no sense at all.
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playdrums
This topic is interesting to me as someone who is trying to "liberate" a JW friend. I see my friend and her children as being very lukewarm as far as their faith is concerned. It seems to be a very different faith in that regard compared to the one I read about historically. However, being on the outside I see the new faith as being just as dangerous. They may or may not go to meetings. They may or may not hit the pavement for field service. However, they sure will stand their ground if you contradict the WTS. They'll defend their "tiny jesus" just the same (as opposed to the real Jesus in the Gospels). Same deceipt, same fear - just with an added complacency that in some ways makes them even more difficult to reach.
My position on JW's is that they are, generally speaking, victims of laziness; having a strong preference for things prepackaged and sanitized. Afterall, who can disagree that all the materials are readily available to show that there is outright deception in the very tracts called "truth" by JW's? All one needs to do is investigate. But they don't. They've found a strange comfort where they are - it's deceipt. Add in a new and updgraded level of complacency and you've got yourself one really tasty snare.
So I'm not as optimistic that this machine is dying. I simply see it as adjusting it's methods. For instance, I'm not even really sure my friend is aware of the former status of the U.N. in her religion so discussing the reversal of teaching is just an exercise in frustration. Discussing the reversal of any teaching is an exercise in frustration. She'll simply tell you that they've made mistakes and amditted it - and that's good enough for her.
Ding dong the absolutes are dead - ring in the great zomby complacency.