When You See a JW Do You Get Flustered?

by minimus 104 Replies latest jw friends

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  Tom Harley

  There are many swirls and backeddies. Certainly you can find persons who have screwed up. Certainly you can find some who have been heavy-handed. But the overall flow is in accord with what Jehovah’s Witnesses have long said. The visibility of the Kingdom message expands, what with cart and website supplementing traditional methods. World conditions worsen. Just ask the boulevard stroller looking over his shoulder for the next crazed lunatic aiming for him and fellow pedestrians in his Mack truck.

  So it’s time to mend fences. Everyone knows a large project needs organization, organization needs leadership, and with leadership a given policy or decision can go against you. It’s not rocket science. People know that ISIS is extremist. When opposers would put JWs in the same category, people think they are unhinged. There are thorns in this religion, they may conclude, but whereas ISIS never met a Westerner they didn’t want to kill, Jehovah’s Witnesses will not fight. They are not the same.

  Even thorns isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, since it is usually recognized that anything with significant upside can be expected to have a significant downside, which ones here specialize in bringing out. But they are on the losing side of reality, here. They should try to conform, if possible. It may not be easy. Perhaps, in their shoes, I would not be able to do it.

  In light of the obvious benefits or organization, it is inexcusable for any people claiming to be doing God’s will not to be that way. Surely, it cannot be good to go on record as insisting one’s own wrongs or preferences override the good of such cooperation. It’s better to mend fences rather to have one’s epitaph say “I was right.”

  Tell Outlaw, who screamed that my prior post was not on topic, even calling me Genius, that it was. 'When you see a jw do you get flustered?' is the topic. Mine was such an encounter from the other person's shoes, which are the only shoes I am in.
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  sparrowdown

  Two words - counting time.
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  jp1692

  No. When they see me THEY get flustered.
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  OUTLAW

  Tell Outlaw, who screamed that my prior post was not on topic,.....TH

  Uhh no..No screaming.......I pointed out what the topic was..

  Like most Watchtower Shills..

  You ignore that and keep trying to sell a product nobody wants ..

  .....
  

  " This Is The Best Deal Ever"............"GO AWAY!!!!"
  
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  StephaneLaliberte

  Tom Harley: The concept of excusing the actions of an organization accepting the "greater good" can be compared to a husband who provides for his family. He is good with the kids, and they never lack anything. But in the privacy of the bedroom, he frequently rapes his wife. The abused wife tells herself: Yeah, its a little evil, but look at the greater good!

  Anyone who is not in an abusive relationship will know that this is absolute nonsense.

  At the present time, about 1,000,000 people are considered disfellowshiped. The shunning policy means that not only do these people suffer, but their family, who must shun them, are suffering as well. This is not normal, this is abuse. This breaking up of families is despicable and has nothing to do with Jesus who would openly eat with sinners!

  This is only one point. There are more, many more, that are unacceptable deal breakers. An organization promoting love can not, at the same time, promote hate and pain.
  
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  Village Idiot

  Tom Harley,
  

  The visibility of the Kingdom message expands, what with cart and website supplementing traditional methods.
  

  Your cart duty is pathetic. Even the JWs manning them can tell.

  World conditions worsen.
  

  As for world conditions worsening tell that to the bygone victims of Tamerlane who killed 20 million people in the late 14th century as he swooped from Mongolia to Eurasia.

  Now listen closely. No matter what happens in the future - and a lot of bad things are going to happen - nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing will go as your organization has predicted. They have been, are, and forever will remain a false prophet.
  
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  Tom Harley

  Since coming here and more or less taking over a thread (for which I apologize) I have been asked several times to share, as though at an AA meeting. I need a place to do that, of course, for I am tired of the organization where they all come after me like backstabbers, to use someone’s description. Usually I take them out like Chuck Norris, but still it gets old. It takes some time to build up the trust to spill, especially with Outlaw coming after me with a Howitzer. Nonetheless, I’ve decided to do it, sort of, using words already written:

  “After studying one book seemingly written for no other purpose other than to harp on dress and grooming and harangue about field service, the conductor said to me: ‘Tom, why don’t you comment? You know all these answers.’ It was a turning point. He was right. I did know them all. It was time to stop sulking. From the circuit overseer on down, they had stirred up major chaos in the family. They had been heavy-handed and clumsy - but never malicious. And it had never been Jehovah. I’d read of ill-goings-on in the first-century record. Congregations described in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 were veritable basket cases, some of them, but that did not mean they weren’t congregations. Eventually things smooth out. Should I stumble when it became my turn? I’d read whiner after whiner carrying on about some personal affront or other on the internet. Was I going to be one of them?

  Let’s face it - many of Jehovah’s Witnesses are nuts, but none are liars. In a world full of liars one should be able to overlook some nuts. If screwball things happened here, they happen everywhere - usually with consequences devastating to unity - usually with parties stomping off and forming separate factions…”

  Hopefully someone will say “Thanks for sharing,” but I’m a little worried about what they may actually say.
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  sparky1

  Tom, thanks for opening up and letting us know exactly on what side of the fence you stand and some of your backstory. It took some courage to 'expose' yourself here because as I expressed in my first post, most here are NOT sympathetic to the Jehovah's Witness religion and are not shy about expressing their opinion. You have every right to be a Jehovah's Witness and to express your opinion about it but you must expect 'blowback' from those who do not share your sympathies. I knew a 'brother' once that was in similar circumstances as you. He was inactive for many years and then returned to being a Witness in the '70's. He died a few years ago as a 'faithful' elder. I say 'to each his own'. At any rate, you make the sweeping generalization that among Jehovah's Witnesses, "none are liars." This has NOT been my experience at all! My mother, who was a "dyed in the wool" Witness would not know the truth if it jumped up and bit her on the ass. When I was a Bethelite, I was lied about viciously by two elders involving two separate instances. One even went to the service department behind my back and made my life a living hell. And to say that the religion itself 'does not lie' is something of a misnomer. Jehovah's Witnesses as a religion lie through the 'sin of omission'. Only they have a different phrase for it. They call it 'theocratic warfare.' And lets not forget 'new light'. If some doctrine or belief proves to be false (technically a lie) it is changed but explained away as a 'refinement' So my biggest 'beef' is NOT things that have happened to me personally or to members of my family. My 'beef' is religion and theology in general. So many people and organizations have claimed to 'speak for God' since the beginning of time and yet life continues on just the same. As history proves them wrong, they readjust their teachings and go on as if anything they said in the past no longer matters. Even if you know that they are wrong, you must agree with the group leaders or be cast out. In my opinion that is a shameful stance to take. If you choose to stay here, I hope your time will be well spent. And please remember, take my posts at 'face value'. Thank you.
  
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  pale.emperor

  Hopefully someone will say “Thanks for sharing,” but I’m a little worried about what they may actually say.

  Sincerely, thanks for sharing. Many active JW's who come on here are gone after a week or so. This site is intended not just for exJWs and apostates, but active JW's too. We encourage debate, it oftentimes gets heated when active JW's and exJW's clash but that's to be expected. Many exJW's are here because they're still suffering from the effects of being involved with the Organization. Some are trying to rebuild their lives after losing their families. But almost all of us do actually care about the individual JW. Our families/former friends are still in.
  

  Let’s face it - many of Jehovah’s Witnesses are nuts...

  Yep.

  ...but none are liars.

  ... some are. The majority are good people doing what they think is what God wants of them. If you research JWFacts.com you'll see ample evidence of lies that have been covered over by the society.
  
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  alcyone

  Should I stumble when it became my turn? I’d read whiner after whiner carrying on about some personal affront or other on the internet. Was I going to be one of them?

  Tom, there are some stereotypes the organization disseminates. One of them is people leave JW because they stumble.

  I appreciate you overcome your temptation to stumble and I tell you, if it was only some stumbling that moved me out of the org I would be still a loyal JW. Read stories here, people leave the org because they find it is not "the truth". Some may leave because of being stumbled but definitely, it is not the major reason.

  Let’s face it - many of Jehovah’s Witnesses are nuts, but none are liars.

  The literature is full of misquotes and manipulation, so the people that produce it are liars. How do you view G. Jackson and his attempts to trick the ARC? Is he a honest person?