by metatron 69 Replies latest jw experiences
It's also worth noting that young Witnesses aren't simply leaving - unlike many other religions, they are being driven out
by df'ing, general shunning, and mind numbing meetings. In particular, that generalized shunning drove out the last kid
on my wife's side of the family. He committed the grievous sin of getting a tattoo ( gasp!)
metatron
:You can't leave,,,,or you're dead, you can't stay because you're head's getting screwed
Very true. When I was living at home I was told by my parents that I had to go to meetings while I was 'under their roof'. I was forced to believe something that I felt was bullshit. I had to make witness friends because I was'nt allowed to have worldly ones. Then when you move out and leave the 'truth' you get shunned. Great way to raise kids.
The ones that don't become pimps, strippers, or drug dealers usually end up becoming white supremacists or self proclaimed witches and warlocks. Many of them are diagnosed with mental illnesses later on.
Hmm, I don't think I fit any of the above. I'm more of an agnostic. I do have a decent job, my own house, two dogs and a cat, and some pretty good non-witness friends. Am I the exception to the rule here because if I can have cool magical powers I might like to try being a warlock.
I don't think the Society is really sure what to make of it either - check out both of these quotes from 2002 (courtesy of quotes.watchtower.ca):
*** Watchtower July 1, 2002, p.13, paragraph 17-19 ***
Now is the time for Jehovah to express mercy to his anointed servants and their other sheep companions. The evidence that this is so is the extraordinary increase with which he has blessed them?
18. Each year, hundreds of thousands of additional "foreigners" associate with Jehovah's organisation, and the way will remain open for many more to follow them. Jehovah says to Zion: "Your gates will actually be kept open constantly; they will not be closed even by day or by night, in order to bring to you the resources of the nations, and their kings will be taking the lead" (Isaiah 60:11) Some opposers try to close those 'gates,' but we know that they cannot succeed. Jehovah himself has said that one way or another, the gates will stay open. The increase will continue.
19. There are still other ways that Jehovah has blessed his people, making them beautiful in these last days.
*** Examining the Scriptures Daily, May 19th, 2002 ***
Of course, the number of those associated with Jehovah's Witnesses is not a criterion for determining if they enjoy divine favor.
So which is it?
-ithinkisee
If there is an increase then Jehovah is 'speeding things along in his due time'. If things are dropping off like they are, all of a sudden its ' the love of the greater number' 'cooling off'. They have all there mis-quotes all nicely arranged to keep everyone locked in.
The kids leave for other several reasons beyond what has been stated by others in this thread:
1. They look at the older generation some of who were also raised in the truth. Most of these people have little or nothing materailly. They were deprived of a college education, and they ended up doing some funky job somewhere, or became one of the legions of office cleaners (no offense meant to any one). These people have little in the way of sustaining life after they grow old enough that they can't work. No pensions, never made enough money to have an accumulated wealth, insurances, etc, they were told from the time that they were kids that the end was coming soon and they didn't have to worry (I know scores of them. I grew-up with them and see them weekly). Now they do, and the young ones see it. I never drank the Kool Aid on this subject.
2. Many of the young ones have been brought up in homes that were materially deprived because their parents were unprepared for life by listening to the WT Society. The young ones are not going to repeat the performance. They want better, plus because of this they probably have to take care of their Parents.
3. Today, cars cost 20-30K on average. A house costs $ 500K in a suburban area, etc. The kids realize that they need an education or be trained in something good to be able to earn enough money to live. You can't wing it anymore. They are smart enough to realize that if they Pioneer and do nothing to further with their lives in a secular sense, their ability to earn a living in a rapidly progressing world is slim. If they wait for the end to come as their parents did, they won't be able to live an adequate life. Thats just the stark realities of life.
4. Don't forget, you have to earn enough money to put some in the box at the KH. Somebody has to pay for things.
I agree with Bluegrass Tom.
I know for a FACT that many kids look at their parents with nothing materially or nothing stored away and do not wish to be like that.
A byproduct of these parents with nothing is the depression they now have. The stress of their twilight years that they were promised they would never see is too much and weird illnesses and stuff is the result.
These kids don't want the same dpressing lives as their parents. Plain and simple.
-ithinkisee
Metatron:
He committed the grievous sin of getting a tattoo ( gasp!)
That seems unlikely. My brother got a tatoo, no df'ing, plus I know many other JW's that got one and did not even get counselled about it. There must be more to the story than this.????
Jez
Ah, but there are different sorts of shunning, m'lady!
No, he wasn't df'd for having a tattoo - he was shunned as a bad examplre
and pushed out of a part time job he had with some other Witnesses. I know the kid
-he's good looking and well behaved but he's had it with the glorious world of Watchtower
judgementalism.
metatron
"If there is an increase then Jehovah is 'speeding things along in his due time'. If things are dropping off like they are, all of a sudden its ' the love of the greater number' 'cooling off'. They have all there mis-quotes all nicely arranged to keep everyone locked in."
The other day I got a message from a confused JW, and what I said to him was similar to what you said above:
When the number are up, "Jehovah is blessing the organization"; when numbers are down, then "Jehovah is allowing a cleasing of his people to take place; wasn't this prophesied?".
Observador.
