Beards vs. Shunning announcements

by slimboyfat 29 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  ThomasMore

  "OMG! I just heard that if I stick with JWs, I can grow a beard !!!!!!!! I know where I'll be Sunday!"

  The GB imagines that this sentiment will be echoed by all men with normal testosterone (maybe a few sisters also).

  JW CHALLENGE 2024: Please post even ONE person who said that permission to grow a beard clinched their decision to return or stick with JWs.

  At my hometown swimming pool, the 20 ft mens restroom ceiling was covered with wads of toilet tissue. It was the challenge of young kids to throw wads of wet TP to see it they could make them stick. That is what WTC is doing with their "You are free" changes. Some will stick but none will beautify the spiritual condition of the members.
• 

  NotFormer

  Scully: "I wonder how many JWs who have been shunning DFd and DAd family members and friends for years are going to feel reluctant about reaching out to touch base with those folks, and what their reaction will be when those family members and friends tell them to pound sand?

  "Honestly how does one approach that?

  "Hey! Long time no chat! We just got New Light™ that we can talk to you again... isn't that great?"

  "*click*

  "hello? hello?"

  "*crickets*"

  The question to ask is "Did you know that what you were doing was wrong before or after the GB told you it was?"
• 

  GrreatTeacher

  Yes, that IS the question.

  Are you doing this because you're a drone and someone else is telling you to, or have you really thought this over and have a deep moral conviction?

  You know it's the former.
• 

  My Name is of No Consequence

  How long will it be before brothers without beards are looked at sideways?
• 

  notsurewheretogo

  Have you seen that happen? How did the elder handle it?

  
  I did see a sister run out the hall crying when her daughter was disfellowshipped, but not during a Watchtower.

  
  

  I read about another “funny” case, if you can call it that, where the announcements were being handled by an older brother who was not on top of things and he mixed up names and announced that a regular pioneer sister had been disfellowshipped by mistake. That pioneer sister ran out the hall crying and the elders had to apologise.

  Yup, seen families sit through an item on not having any contact with DF family and the elder just runs through the script whilst the family are howling in tears.

  Very painful to be in the audience but the elder just stuck to the script.

  
  
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  Are you doing this because you're a drone and someone else is telling you to?

  Surely it must because their own Bible trained conscience has moved them to personally make changes. NOT that they are following some Cult!
  

  Isn't it amazing how the Holy Spirit moves the conscience of all truth loving Witnesses AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!
  
  
• 

  jehovaxx

  Being a JW from now on is totally different from only recent times. For the easy stuff you can now have a beard and wear jumpers no need to have a suit and tie anymore.

  On a deeper lever You can basically do whatever you want. Sex, blood, smoking, drugs, rock and roll.

  What will happen is elders will ask are you showing genuine repentance. If you say you are then that is enough. If the elders don’t think you are telling the truth that you have stopped they will inform you that they have decided to DF you.

  You can appeal and tell the new bothers that those last elders had it in for you and you really are sorry. On that appeal the direction is that the elders have to take your word for it that you are really repentant.

  It will be interesting to see how this plays out because there is a loophole where JWs can get away with anything now.

  It will be interesting if someone tries it like they celebrate Xmas every year and then say they are repentant every time. Will the elders follow the new direction?

  The worst that could ever happen is you get the 90 day sanction after xmas every year but after a few times the elders probably wouldn’t bother DFing you for 90 days
• 

  Scully

  jehovaxx:

  It will be interesting if someone tries it like they celebrate Xmas every year and then say they are repentant every time. Will the elders follow the new direction?

  The solution to that is easy: keep your fairy lights up all year round - they look rather lovely in the summer evenings while you're out on your patio or balcony partaking in some wine.
  
  
• 

  road to nowhere

  Beards are a mess right now. Ties and pants suits will be "not local custom " like the older beard article.

  My DF family still remembers the meanness, self righteousness, double standards, and pettiness. I do not blame them for staying away and being bitter. If they ask I don't know addresses and may ask them why they don't come at 11pm like the original committee did. (Really did)
• 

  no-zombie

  I think that the resent changes provide quite an insight into the average Witness mindset.
  

  After years of being cultured to become dependent upon the Governing Body, the average Jehovah's Witnesses has nether their own personal conscience or the ability to reason spiritually or Biblically for themselves. This means that even if the GB seemingly lightens its control over the sheep, it doesn't mean that these qualities will return, no ... as previously commented by others in this post, the Brotherhood will de-evolve down to the new standard allowed. This should be seen by the immediate adoption of beards, women's slacks and the loss of ties. Why? As I heard one mature Brother say ... "Because we can". Which is really quite a childish attitude, when you think about it, for if you follow the idea that God deserves the best, then such relaxations would actually be meaningless to you.
  

  And for the future, if changes to birthdays and Christmas becomes a reality, you can guarantee, their immediate and wholehearted adoption into the JW lifestyle, too ... purely on the basis that "we can".
  

  But a thing we need to remember that these changes are not for us personally (by that I mean current members of the Faith) but for the potential members the Governing Body hopes to draw in. They know that after reforming the Church some will leave, however they are expecting much more will enter to compensate for the loses. Yet a thing that will become apparent, is that the new generation of Jehovah's Witnesses will never be as hardcore believers as those of the past.

  Having not being put up with pain and embarrassment of refusing birthday cake or singing 'Happy Birthday' as children, or have to cut family off indefinitely through the current disfellowshipping rules, newer Witnesses will be more flexible and more willing to Church shop, than ever before.

  Just as when the Popes of Rome lost their real power over Catholics in the 20th century, so the Governing Body will loose theirs, but not in the way that they thought or expected.