Sorry, to get a little off topic. Czar probably won't be at the meeting this morning.
Have you underlined your magazine for this morning. The attendants will be checking and reporting back to the elders.
Blondie
Comments You Will Not Hear at the 11-23-03 WT Study
by blondie 20 Replies latest watchtower bible
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shamus
BUMP
It's sunday, let's all get rid of some guilt... by laughing at this!
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blondie
Guilt, that is what they serve up at the KH. Because there is no love, the true motivator.
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DanTheMan
The towerspeak buzzwords that started getting on my nerves more than any other during my last few months as a dub were struggle or struggling. In that article, the word struggle appeared 4 times, and the word struggling 9 times.
I got so tired of JW's talking about how they, or sister or brother X, was "struggling". I told an elder (during the last conversation I ever had with an elder) that every JW is labeled as being either a "doing good" or a "struggling".
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Odrade
I read every one of these critiques, and they always piss me off, but this article was worse than most. Puke.
Thanks again for the summary Blondie. My weekly reminder of how lucky I am.
Odrade
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Mysterious
I must say Blondie it was certainly interesting to study the article with my mother after having read your summary of it. Alarmingly difficult to pull the "right" points out of the paragraphs though.
This guy is either pathetically weak minded, or he was greatly exxagerating things. Sometimes I wonder if these experiences that get printed in the Watchtower are just people elaborating on their silly day to day dub lives, or are completely made up. Although then again, I can imagine a dub quiting his job over something so utterly ridicolous. I'll bet he thought the demons were manipulating the radio waves.
Ugh my mother was all over that example. I'm going into the computer field and she went on for ten minutes about how that could happen to me in my business and how this was a great example to keep in mind.
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Pistoff
Great review, blondie. I was at this lesson today, and what you saw on the page, hit me too but in living color.
This article is technicolor example of WT doublespeak and CYA platitudes. It wants the reader to think that the authors are a very loving sort, that we should have patience for those who have trouble developing self control, that God is patient too.
But, try as they might, even in this article, the true colors come through. In paragraph 12, the article discusses sex in marriage and the need for self control. OK, point taken; more to the point though would be a discussion of what each partner expects from the sexual relationship and work toward agreement. But no, the usual tripe about the oversexed male and the tired wife; and the advice from the apostle Paul, (the one who replies like a madman remember?) to not be depriving each other of it without any allowance for HOW that might be accomplished. NOTE THIS, as blondie mentioned and struck me at the meeting: "Or the physical condition of one mate may at times make NORMAL sexual relations difficult or even impossible." What is this discussing, anyway? Is this code language again for "NO ORAL SEX"? So rather than let couples work out their love life by themselves, again the geriatrics in Brooklyn feel the need to interfere in a couple's intimate life.
It gets worse, as blondie mentioned: pp 13: "At the same time, they do well to show understanding to fellow worshipers who are still struggling to manifest [self control] in that area." WHAT? Is a couple's sex life now a matter for the congregation to discuss or even have an opinion on???? What in the world is this talking about?
And of course, the usual shot at masturbation, a thing that the Bible does not discuss. It is mentioned as an unclean habit; how is that for fostering guilt? So, the article seems to state: marry if you have to, but only a witness; if you can't be married, don't masturbate. If you and the mate can't agree on sex, the congregation will try to put up with your struggle. (Question for the writers: If "normal" sexual relations are not possible, and mate agrees to manually stimulate the other, is this OK? If so, how is it different from masturbation, the "unclean habit"?)
Here is where the article goes seriously astray, and DOES NOT REALLY CONVEY what is the reality of the WT: pp 9 discusses addiction, specifically smoking and drug use; it talks about cravings, desires, struggling to limit alcohol. In the same paragraph it discusses the misuse of the tongue. (Are these issues even close in seriousness?? For that matter, is a gossiping elder ever counseled? Is an elder who discusses details of committee matters now looked at as one who has a "struggle" with self control??) This is a CROCK. If in the WT you relapse at smoking, drug use (including abuse of alcohol), it is not a "struggle"; you are DISFELLOWSHIPED. End of story. But the paragraph takes the tone that it is a struggle that can hit a christian and one can get through it. This is not the reality in the WT. There are serious consequences for "lack of self control" if you discuss them with an elder.
The truly stupid moment in this lesson: Putting David into the discussion of self control, and right after that Paul with his discussion of the man he wants to be. HOW in the world are these two things even close to one another??? Paul struggled; David gave in without any struggle whatsoever!! His behavior is included in a discussion of lack of self control??? Adultery, murder and abuse of power, these are an issue of self control? This is a struggle? Again and again David is discussed; I guess that adultery and murder put child sex abuse in perspective, according to the WT. David is constantly held up as an example of a faithful man who made a few mistakes; on balance, we could conclude that his life is a mixed bag, no matter how you look at it. He trusted God at times, but if you and I did what David did, we would never see the light of day. David's sin are a great comfort to the current leadership; they take refuge in the idea that you can commit gross sins (if you are leadership, anyway) and get away with it. Oh, sorry, right; he had family troubles all his life. Give me a break; most of us have family troubles and we didn't kill anyone, or steal their wife.
CONCLUSIONS:
Week after week the WT uses one topic after another to hint at their needing us to overlook their faults; here they have gone so far as hint (they don't really mean it you know) that drug use, smoking, sexual troubles are just small struggles with self control. Anyone who has been in the borg for a while knows better; the reality is that if you openly admit to these struggles and the JC does not think your repentence fits the crime, you will be canned for a year, maybe longer.
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heathen
I got news for the WTBTS , noone is going to tell a teenager not to masturbate with any kind of results . LMAO AT least they were telling members to be a little more tolerant but I notice the attempts to instill the belief that members should report the private matters of others to the elders . Sounds awefully Orwellian to me .
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blondie
Hi Dan (how goes the friendship?)
In that article, the word struggle appeared 4 times, and the word struggling 9 times.
And wasn?t it true that it never occurred to us to wonder why?just repetition for emphasis. Next week "meaningful" pops out. I can?t imagine a non-JW using this in conversation or in an article. Thanks for catching those buzzwords.
Hey Odrade,
My weekly reminder of how lucky I am.
That?s why the reviews don?t bother me much, except for those special puke paragraphs.
How did we ever sit through this crap?
Hey mysterious, nice avatar.
I'm going into the computer field and she went on for ten minutes about how that could happen to me in my business and how this was a great example to keep in mind
Well, as long as you don?t work for a porn company. There is nothing wrong with computers. It is like a fork, if you eat broccoli with it?if you eat crap with it?There is nothing wrong with the tool, just how you use it. She is just technologically ignorant like some older people (not me) who see the computer as the devil?s eyeball (once a name for the TV).
Very good, pistoff, I see a budding WT reviewer in you,
pp 9 discusses addiction, specifically smoking and drug use; it talks about cravings, desires, struggling to limit alcohol. In the same paragraph it discusses the misuse of the tongue. (Are these issues even close in seriousness?? For that matter, is a gossiping elder ever counseled? Is an elder who discusses details of committee matters now looked at as one who has a "struggle" with self control??) This is a CROCK.
Actually, it is talking/gossiping/telling the truth about the elders that is a sin equivalent to smoking and drug use and fornication, maybe worse.
Hi heathen,
Sounds awefully Orwellian to me .
Here?s a site you will appreciate.
http://www.caic.org.au/jws/control/newspeak.htm
Blondie
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heathen
LMAO @ the site blondie posted . They do in fact call themselves the ministry of truth . I think tho that the same could be said about most religions I have been told by catholics I was going to hell for one reason or anohter as well as baptists . I haven't been sent there yet . Unless you wanna call my present condition a living hell .
I do notice that noone in the WT land ever openly confesses sins and that the elder arrangement is being called on to police the congregations with all sorts of ridiculous man made rules . I also notice from reading this board that alot of the elders themselves are guilty of gross misconduct, so who can take any of it seriously ?