by kgfreeperson 29 Replies latest jw experiences
Well, CG, what info would convince you. The WTS says one thing and others say another. It's their word against the word of "apostates."
The WTS would like people to think they helped but once again it was only JWs that received the help. If a non-JW received help it was incidental.
Just think of what the WTS has said about other issues and how truthful they were about those.
Blondie
I can only comment on what happened at our KH in California the Saturday following 9-11.
The meeting for FS was surreal. The brother "leading" the group conducted the usual "let's look at the daily text" discussion. As I recall, it wasn't relevant to the current tragedy and no one even mentioned 9-11. The pubs were politely waiting for the "overseer" to bring it up. The group was unusually quiet. Finally, text discussed, he held up the latest magazines and asked, 'How do you plan to present these?" No hands went up. Finally, a sister held up her hand and said she had talked with friends on the east coast and they had gotten the word to go out in service with just a bible and offer "comfort" to people because the tragedy was on everyone's mind.
The elder, not having received this same "insider" info, thanked her and went back to the topics of the magazine covers and, not getting any commentary from the group, gave his own brief summaries of the topics. Then, almost as an afterthought, he nodded in the direction of the sister and said, "Let's go out there and offer some comfort to the people."
Out we went, still in a state of shock and lacking any real preparation. In the parking lot, several people crowded around the sister and got details. But leadership was absent that day, and it was the beginning of the end for me. My thinking changed 180 degrees on 9-11, when I realized the WTS got it wrong, that when unimaginable disaster struck, "worldly" people would not in fact turn on one another but would raise the bar in terms of humanitarianism. Watching on TV, I recognized this was worldly people's finest hour, and I longed be with them. The "truth" was over for me.
You're right, Blondie. I guess it would just be those people against those other people, and who would you believe? You're right.. it can't be totally proven without pictures, tape recordings, etc. and I doubt anything along those lines was happening there when the towers were under dstruction. I just wondered if there was anyone here, that was working near the area, and gravitated toward the JW buildings after the catastrophe, that were denied entrace into there. Of course, that would be anecdotal evidence, in your estimation. Hugs.. thanks for makin me rethink that..CG
CG, yes, in my case it would be anecdotal. Unless someone here was in NYC and at Bethel or at least had a close family member or friend who was...
I personally do believe they locked their doors to all but JWs based on my experience visiting Brooklyn Bethel over the years.
Blondie
My thinking changed 180 degrees on 9-11, when I realized the WTS got it wrong, that when unimaginable disaster struck, "worldly" people would not in fact turn on one another but would raise the bar in terms of humanitarianism. Watching on TV, I recognized this was worldly people's finest hour, and I longed be with them. The "truth" was over for me.
Much of what I felt Willy.
I do remember that there was a small surge of half hearted witnesses came back to the meetings after 9/11, but most of them didn't stay. One elder commented (from the platform) that some inactive witness tend come back to the KH during times of trouble and reffered to them as "submarine witnesses" because they surface during times of trouble (he was never very tactful).
I know one sister who had a mental breakdown after becoming obsessed with watching the 9/11 tragedy on T.V and started to have great fears about the big A. Many witnesses thought that this would spur the public on to be more responsive towards the religion (9/11 being proof of the "end is near") and their was a surge in field service for a short while. One poster here commented a while back that when he saw all the death and destruction on 9/11 he thought of how this type of tragedy was only a small glimpse of what the JW religion taught that God would be doing at Armegeddon and after that he couldn't stomach the WT any more. Is Armegeddon really what JWs are looking forward to? Still being a JW at the time I didn't put this together, but like most other people in the country (including most JWs I knew) I was shocked and horrified by the event. It didn't make sense when witnesses would say after that how they couldn't wait until this system came to the end. Guess they didn't think too deeply about what their religion taught about Armegeddon, which the WT depicts as being one worldwide 9/11.
When the WTBTS institutes "highest security measures", what exactly does this consist of? Do they have armed guards, or just lots of locks on the doors and someone ready to call the police? I've seen photographs of one of the former presidents of the Society (perhaps Rutherford?), surrounded by a gang of brothers carrying long batons or staffs, with which to defend him against any who might attack him.
What measures are available to the WTBTS to "defend" their property against those who might attempt to enter the premises, either to escape a disaster like 9/11, or with other motives?
As I said, I had family there at Bethel. My parents lived in 90 Sands at the time. 90 Sands was the only building allowing non-Witnesses in. All other buildings locked the doors, had security (Bethel kind, not armed guard kind) on the doors. Bethelites had to show their Bethel ID card to get in the door.
90 Sands was also locked, but they were allowing police and fire officials to come into the lobby, use the restrooms and rest in the chairs. They were given bottled water, some individuals (not the cafeteria) provided snack on a case by case. The general public streaming across the bridge were not allowed in, nor were the JWs out in the streets offering assistance.
There were 13 or 14 JW deaths. One was a firefighter. I do not recall if any elders were allowed into Ground Zero.
In my KH, the meeting for field service was not oblivious. We spent 1/2 hour talking about what scriptures to share, then we went out with bibles only.
I was as stunned by the events of 9/11 as the rest of the world. I didn't think it was the big A.
Interesting, but not once did I think to go to a KH. I no longer believe that any KH or JW has an answer, nor a shred of kindness or decency to give to a non-believer, let alone one who has left.
What HAS had me watching has been the Gulf War and now the wars with Afghanistan and Iraq. (and what burned my butt was the Taliban destruction of the giant Buddhas!) I see it as the King of the North and King of the South stuff I vaguely remember being taught so many years ago. I can't remember much about it. Just that I was amazed when my dad told me the King of the (N or S - can't remember which) was Arabia. My thought was "How can a bunch of guys on camels wage war with the World Power of the United States?"
Are the wars with the middle east part of the prophesied prelude to A?
Actually, I don't know, and I don't care. I only have a mild passing speculation about it. One day I'll re-read Revelations. Maybe. I am not too concerned about it as I believe my soul is clear.
Brenda
Sorry, I can't sugar coat this, J.R Clown is the biggest asshole on the planet
Bump.
Bangalore
