which rules if dropped would affect the Jw most?

nojw86

The dropping of five weekly meetings to just one. No longer turning in field service slips. Being able to smoke again if you did. Being able to celebrate hoidays, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. Visiting other faiths. Just being sorry for sinning and not being disfellowshiped, and the doing away of shunning members. While I was in the hospital last week I overheard these two sisters saying they wished they could celebrate Mothers day. For me I always wanted to celebrate my childrens birthdays. My pride and joy each year of their precious lives should have been a yearly celebration, just my thoughts. nojw

philo

Dropping the rule which says, "we must all pretend to believe that Armageddon is coming, and soon" might change things.

philo

Farkel

Shunning as it is now practiced, together with the star-chamber judicial hearings conducted by ignorant window washers and janitors is the single biggest problem facing Jehovah's Witnesses.

Despite the fact that the Bible in BOTH the Old and New Testaments showed that sinners/criminals were to be tried either before the whole city or the congregation (and in the NT, trial before the whole congregation was the LAST resort) the WT has stubbornly and heretically chosen to ignore the Bible and do it their way. Furthermore there were only 6 offenses in the N.T. that even HINTED at total shunning. The WTS has dozens, perhaps hundreds of them and they have the power to add to them or take from them at will. In otherwords, "as the wind blows and depending upon their moods on any given day."

If shunning as it is now practiced goes away, then people will be free to use their consciences and free to question WT orders and doctrine. Blood will become a matter of conscience as it should have always been. So will smoking, for that matter.

But I don't see it happening for a long, long time. When the threat of shunning (for whatever reason the WT dictates it to be for in this week) goes away, they will have lost their iron grip of fear on their followers.

Mother's days, Christmas and Birthdays are child's play compared to the seriousness and grave consequences of this most unholy and cruel practice known as WT-style shunning.

When shunning goes away, I'll go away. That's a promise.

Farkel

Gopher

Nojw,

If your question is what changes would POSITIVELY affect JW's the most, here's a thought...I second Farkel's statement that removing shunning would have the most stunning change up and down the organization. It might remove the egotistical, judgmental, 'holier-than-thou' attitude common in elders and also the rank-and-file who follow them. Also, it might make possible for the JW's to come closer to what Christians should do, "have LOVE (unconditional love)" as an identifying mark. It MIGHT. (I doubt we'll ever see it, though.)

Gopher

BugEye

nojw86

I still dont celebrate birthdays with my two children, because of several reasons
none of which are religiously based. I show love to them by hugs and presents
when I feel emotionally driven to. They know they are loved and I for one as a
borg drone never missed birthday parties. I left the world at 8 and came back to
the world at 39, and I can honestly say that I am glad I never got into the
birthday scene.
I wont impose my reasons here, because it is off topic, but I think the Changes
would fall into 3 categories.

The most positive change from a niceness point of view would be the
Disfellowshipping rule.

From a healthier mental outlook point of view, then the 5 meetings down to one
closely followed by removing fs reporting (along with approved quantity of service.

The single biggest physical impact would be allowing external literature and
media to be veiwed without guilt by the members. This one would be the biggest,
simply because it would cause members to leave in their droves.

Dave

CornerStone

Hello NoJW86,

I think the 5 meetings to 1 meeting a week would have the MOST profound effect on the R&F, more so than GB inspired shunning. I think this because the meetings puts JW's on the Watchtower's ground. The manipulation and coersion is strongest in the hall. Less time spent in the hall is less time being "conditioned" by the orgs hinchmen, the elders. Less conditioning means more freedom to question existing rules. This also means less time to enforce those rules.

BUT THE ORG CAN NOT AFFORD TO LET THIS HAPPEN!!!

They can not let a good thing like a "for free" work force dissapear! The corporation would be crippled. There power base would begin to desolve. And worst of all for them, the WHOLE WORLD would be able to see that they DO NOT have God's blessing because of their downword spiral.

CornerStone

hybridous

Farkel, you've been on fire with your last couple of posts...first, that one about 'new light', and now this.

I totally agree. Shunning is the fulcrum on which the JW world balances. Take away the penalty of shunning, and JWs are bound to make decisions based on their conscience, regarding all matters. Without the prospect of lost friends & family hanging over their (r & f)heads, what power does the WT have to enforce its laws?

CornerStone makes a good point about the meeting frequency, tho. The heavy meeting schedule is designed to leave little room for other 'distractions'. Without that, JWs have time to do A LOT of other things(like think)...and no good can come to the WT from that.

hybridous

BTW...CornerStone, the WT has already made a 'preemptive strike' (sp?) regarding the downward spiral. I remember reading in a WT not too long ago (< 1 year) that size & numbers are NO indication of wether an organization has God's blessing.

Obvoiusly, the WT has 'seen' the future, and it is not good. Always ready to dispel any fears, they cite the comparitively small number of Jews compared to the other nations during Bible times. They know that smaller numbers in developed countries could scare the r & f, so they explain it away. Surprised? I'm not.

which rules if dropped would affect the Jw most?

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