by GetBusyLiving 17 Replies latest jw friends
What are some paranoid dub conspiracy theories that you've heard? A dub I chatted with a week ago got all frothing-at-the-mouth excited as he told me one. Some people are trying to have a law passed in Canada that will make any gay's who want to serve in a priesthood of their church allowable, regardless of the church's policy. He looked to this as a sign that "the end is very near, the Witnesses will be persecuted."
GBL
I wonder what his thought process was to make that connection?
Josie
The WTS teaches their members that the beginning of the end is when the governments turn on and destroy religion. In this guy's mind if the government dictates to religion what they can do internally, that means the governments are turning against religion.
Of course, that doesn't take into consideration countries where government and religion are the same thing such as Iran.
The WTS also teaches that religion will be strong and viable that it won't be predictable. But the rank and file want the end to come and so jump to any conclusion with a seeming shred of proof. Note that this was in 1974 when the End was only 1 year away and religion was a going concern. The WTS was trying to soothe the rank and file.
w74 1/15 p. 54 ‘Keep Close in Mind the Presence of the Day of Jehovah’ ***Concerning what will happen to Christendom’s leaders just as concerning what was to befall the Jewish leaders shortly after Jerusalem’s fall in 607 B.C.E., it says: "Howl, you shepherds, and cry out! And wallow about, you majestic ones of the flock, because your days for slaughtering and for your scatterings have been fulfilled, and you must fall like a desirable vessel!"
So it is not a slow fading away by loss of members that brings the end of Christendom’s false religions and their clergy. Instead, just as a beautiful vase, a "desirable vessel," suddenly falls from its pedestal, to the dismay of its onlookers, so the clergy and their false religion have a sudden, surprising crash to destruction. Also, as to the swiftness of the fall of Babylon the Great, what does Revelation chapter 18, verse 10, say? "They [the mourners, including many commercial men] stand at a distance because of their fear of her torment and say, ‘Too bad, too bad, you great city, Babylon you strong city, because in one hour your judgment has arrived!’" And then, in verse 21, it continues: "And a strong angel lifted up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying: ‘Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon the great city be hurled down, and she will never be found again.’" Appreciation of this fact can protect us against any inclination to ‘put off’ the day of Jehovah simply because Babylonish religion still exercises considerable influence in some areas.
I remember an elder explaining to me that in Revelation when it talks about the merchants mourning the end of Babylon the Great, that it had to do with the governments doing away with holidays like Christmas because of all the money the stores wouldn't make anymore.
Anyone hear that one? My opinion is that even if the governments did away with religion, they would still celebrate holidays, they would just call it something else. Just like some of the offices I have worked in call the Christmas Party, the "Winter Party" etc.
Anyone hear that one? My opinion is that even if the governments did away with religion, they would still celebrate holidays, they would just call it something else. Just like some of the offices I have worked in call the Christmas Party, the "Winter Party" etc.
That's right. Japan celebrates Christmas with great gusto but not because they are Christian. In fact the WTS has made that point in showing that Christmas is not Christian. See, Love, the WTS plays both sides of the point.
Blondie
With home PC's becoming popular in the early / mid-80's, certain JWs created "congregation phone lists" (an informal list of all the names and numbers of the JW families) and circulated them among congregation member. I recall during one visit, the CO stated from the platform that Crooklyn was worried that lists like these could be used by the government to round us up and this practice was to be discontinued. LOL! Was funny how scared people were. Everyone went home and ripped up their lists. Ironic thing was, it probably made it easier for the elders to actually round people up.
They have those lists still just more under the table. Some brothers even have them on a floppy to stay in line with the WTS directive not to have them on their hard drive.
Blondie, you got the lowdown on it all!
They have those lists still just more under the table. Some brothers even have them on a floppy to stay in line with the WTS directive not to have them on their hard drive.
I was wondering what happened to those lists. They used to give them out, but then they stopped. Thx. for the info.
The 'dubs have lots of conspiracy theories including historical ones like: they completely obliterated Jehovah's name from the NT! Really, who are they?
I remember an elder explaining to me that in Revelation when it talks about the merchants mourning the end of Babylon the Great, that it had to do with the governments doing away with holidays like Christmas because of all the money the stores wouldn't make anymore.
When you think about it it was a ridiculous thing to say. Just think of all the money governments would lose in tax, from the sales and profits stores would make.
