Posts by Divergent

Finkelstein - Talking about judging, it's amazing how elders can remember petty things that happened a long time ago & bring them up much later. It seems as though they have an elephant memory of every single mistake that an individual has made in the past, even those insignificant ones! (FYI I never had any major ones) I found out that such "issues" were raised when the elders were deliberating on whether to appoint me (they were not even issues at all, but they just HAD to find some "weakness" in me as an excuse so as not to appoint me). Seriously, WTF?

Stuckinarut - You asked why I wanted those positions. Was it for recognition or pride, or was it to help people in the cong more? My reply - it was for BOTH reasons. I KNEW that I would be able to accomplish more for those in the cong if I was able to serve in a better capacity and reach my full spiritual potential. As a matter of fact, I was often helping others in the cong in whichever ways that I could (however, the elders were turning a blind eye & often did not take any notice of it or acknowledge it). As for pride, I will honestly say: YES - it was definitely for pride! HOWEVER, there are 2 types of pride. The pride that I'm referring to is NOT the selfish type of pride, but it was self-esteem, self-respect, & self-worth that I valued. I wanted to be proud of myself - I'm sure everyone here also desires to have self-pride, wouldn't you? It's only natural to want to feel that way. However, that was not how I felt. I was consumed with negative feelings, feeling self-conscious & miserable. If I don't feel good about myself, how could I help others? Not being able to make spiritual advancement (not because I didn't qualify but because my sincere efforts were constantly blocked by the elders) only worsened the situation

Whatthehadas - Agreed. It's extremely frustrating to see other brothers being appointed easily while you're stuck & going nowhere. A less zealous brother from a small cong would get speedily appointed while those from larger congs could end up being stuck for years and years. Mine was a large cong ;P

AudeSapere - Small mistake, no big deal

Kate - You said "There are many elders who love the power that comes with the position and don't want to share that power. From the platform you will constantly hear we need brothers to reach out, but really they want brothers who will be company men and agree with the most dominant elders. They want young brother who are drones to follow orders as elders"

Totally agreed. One of my "problems" was that I was NOT a good ass-kisser. I SUCK at sucking up to people. This could be a reason why I never made elder. What you said about dominant elders is true - there were a couple of them in my cong & other meeker & milder elders would simply go along with what they say, even though they may not be in agreement. They would prefer to be silent rather than to exercise their right to speak out. I agree that there are many good & decent elders. However, the rule is that there MUST be a consensus and every elder MUST be in agreement with recommending an individual for appointment. So supposing there are 10 elders, let's say 9 of them are decent & 1 is an asshole. The 9 decent elders are NOT able to recommend that individual for appointment if the asshole elder objects, although he is clearly outnumbered and even though that individual is entirely deserving of it. Sad but true

31

How I Ended Up On JWN...

by Divergent in

jw
friends

this is the story of how i ended up here on this site.... .

i was stuck in a situation where reaching out took forever, an eternity.

it was ridiculous - no matter what i did, there was always more to do.

Divergent

Thanks for all your replies! Probably won't be able to reply to all of you guys though, but appreciate the comments =)

20

Frozen and Sparlock the warrior wizard

by NewYork44M in

jw
friends

given that magic is from satan, this is what we learned from the horrible story about the little boy and sparlock the warrior wizard.

i am curious to know if witness kids are allowed to see the movie frozen.

i am not a big disney fan, but this movie was wonderful.

Divergent

Based on my understanding:

It depends on the degree of magic involved. For Harry Potter, the general view is that magic not only forms the whole theme of the movie, but the magic involved is "dark magic," thus making it unsuitable

On the other hand, Disney movies are children-friendly & cater to almost everyone. There is more emphasis on family values rather than magic. Of course, magic is featured from time to time, but it's presented in such a light-hearted way that it becomes sort of acceptable as "friendly magic"

I always believed in being balanced & rational. Hey, if you want to take things to the extreme, even Mary Poppins is a magic film & thus Christians should not watch it!

Anyway, never met anyone with such a restrictive conscience that they avoid Disney movies!

31

How I Ended Up On JWN...

by Divergent in

jw
friends

this is the story of how i ended up here on this site.... .

i was stuck in a situation where reaching out took forever, an eternity.

it was ridiculous - no matter what i did, there was always more to do.

Divergent

This is the story of how I ended up here on this site...

I was stuck in a situation where reaching out took forever, an eternity. It was ridiculous - no matter what I did, there was always more to do. I felt like a donkey chasing a carrot dangling off a stick in front of me - no matter how hard I tried & exerted, I would never be able to reach it. The elders were picky, fault-finding, over-analyzing my life, finding reasons as to why they should not give me further privileges, instead of looking at my positive qualities & finding reasons as to why they should (there were many). I did qualify, I was very sure of it. Unfortunately, I was a victim of congregation bureaucracy, having my spiritual progress hampered by elders who seemed to be intent on giving me a hard time

Reaching out & not getting there had a reverse effect on me. I was frustrated, tired, & drained. Instead of trying harder & doing more, I slacked off. I am an individual who needs constant motivation, and not attaining what I was reaching out for was a definite motivation killer

Things could have turned out differently, though. If I had been helped to make further advancement by the elders, I would be an elder myself by now & I wouldn't be here. If I had married a lovely, zealous pioneer sister, we could be pioneering happily together & I wouldn't be here. I could have easily ended up NOT being here if things had worked out better

It's ironic how my joy was killed by congregation bureaucracy, & as a result, I found my way here...

35

My first post: Pet Peeves from my JW past

by BarHarborBarbara in

jw
friends

first post here: longtime lurker but hesitant to take the leap.

my story is pretty much like everyone elses with little variance, but i thought id add a few details that especially tormented me when i was in.

im sure these are familiar, im afraid this is a bit of a rant.. --paradise: the constant chatter about a perfect world when most in the hall were not even slightly interested in taking care of the earth now.

Divergent

Anyway, my pet peeve - no matter what you do, there's always more to do. Publisher? Why not auxilary pioneer? Auxilary pioneering on 30-hour requirement? Why not try 50 hours? Auxilary pioneering on 50 hours? Why not regular auxilary pioneer? Regular auxilary pioneering? Why not regular pioneer? Regular pioneering? Why not work towards becoming a special pioneer? And the list goes on and on...

35

My first post: Pet Peeves from my JW past

by BarHarborBarbara in

jw
friends

first post here: longtime lurker but hesitant to take the leap.

my story is pretty much like everyone elses with little variance, but i thought id add a few details that especially tormented me when i was in.

im sure these are familiar, im afraid this is a bit of a rant.. --paradise: the constant chatter about a perfect world when most in the hall were not even slightly interested in taking care of the earth now.

Divergent

My observations & personal opinions:

Taking care of the earth - Not an issue where I'm at

Higher education - I'm from Asia, where higher education is viewed as very important & highly valued. Many here ignore the counsel & proceed with it anyway. Almost all young ones in my cong have some form of higher education

Debates - Seldom, less self-righteous ones here

Elders turning a blind eye - Haven't experienced that

Geography - We ain't so dumb

Bias against single people - There are many single ones here, so less bias

Desire to pioneer - Didn't have it either. Also have quite an independant spirit =)

Service - Our field service here is mostly door to door, so we do not have car groups much except when going on RV's. Based on your description, it can definitely be said that service is more organized here

1

The World Mission Society Church of God, a cult from Korea

by sherrie11 in

i just had two disciples of this religion knock on my door.. "the church of god is a destructive cult portraying itself as a mainstream religion.

by exploiting christian terminology and the bible, they are manipulating their followers to further the goals of the movement, namely money and power.

a former seventh-day adventist, and self proclaimed messiah, ahnsahnghong founded the organization in korea in 1964. .

Divergent

This sparked my interest. Did a quick search, and this is some of the the info that I found. Hmmm.. interesting ^^

WorldMission Society Church of God, also known as the Church of God, is a church that began in South Korea and has spread to over 150 different nations worldwide. The church expected the world to end in 2012. The church has since said that they did not expect the world to end in 2012.

The Church believes that Jesus was to come a second time in the flesh. They believe that Ahn Sahng-hong is the Second Coming Jesus who came with a new name (Revelation 3:11–12; Revelation 2:17) and state that he fulfilled biblical prophecies that only Jesus could have fulfilled.

As the Bible testifies in Revelation 22:17, "The Spirit and the bride," so the WMSCOG believes that according to the Bible the bride is God the Mother. According to Genesis 1:26–27, "US, OUR," there are two Gods, a male image of God and a female image of God. They call the female image of God, “God the Mother”. They teach that in the last days God the Mother has to appear on earth in the flesh. The WMSCOG believes that God the Mother is the source of salvation.

The Church believes that all human beings were originally created as angels in Heaven. When in Heaven they sinned against God and were sent to the earth as a second chance to return to God. They believe that the only way for humans to return to heaven is by keeping the Passover with bread and wine (Jesus' flesh and blood) and following the teachings of the Bible, as taught by Ahn Sahng-hong, which include believing in God the Mother, who is the Bride to give them life in the last days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Mission_Society_Church_of_God

16

Satan's tic tacs or GB kool aid?

by sparrowdown in

jw
friends

anyone that has been a jw would be familiar with any or all the following scenarios.. 1. you get offered a full time position or promotion after submitting a pioneer application.. 2. a really great bible student you have gets offered a job which means they have to move or have no time for study anymore.. 3. a promising return visit begins a new relationship and the new bf/gf is'nt favourable to jws so the great rv backs off.. 4. a married sister falls pregnant right after her and her husband are invited to bethel or circuit work or gilead.. 5.a couple needs to start caring for an aging parent right after they decide to move to where the need is greater.. etc, etc, etc.

most if not all jw's would tell you satan is to blame,.... or is he?.

satanic pattern of sabotage or blind superstition?.

Divergent

Psalm 127: 3 - Look! Sons are an inheritance from Jehovah; the fruit of the womb is a reward

Whoever blames the devil for getting pregnant must be stupid...

20

Some JW on the street, my reaction...

by sp74bb in

jw
friends

today i had some of my worst experiences.

i saw a jw group walking on preaching.

one of them knows me well, we share a lot of week-end on rbc.. my first reaction was rage and nerves.

Divergent

Just act normal & keep your cool

Cos showing anger only makes you look like a fool ^^