long-time occasional lurker, first-time poster.
cliffs notes version: i'm thinking of da'ing in order to shake my family up a bit, even though i haven't been involved with jws in more than 10 years.
longer version: i was raised as a jw but never got baptized.
Congratulations on your successful fade.
Now, please, do yourself a huge favor and move along positively with your life. Don't marinate on the JW thing another minute.
Perhaps you shouldn't even lurk in here; this place is crawling with folk that have nothing better to do than ponder the whole JW thing instead of moving on and creating a good life for themselves.
Be happy with life and yourself.
DY
when you people were witnesses, was there one thing (or many) that really told you non-jw's were not that bad people after all?
was there anything other people did to you that got you thinking or, better yet, feeling that you hadn't been told the truth about us?.
thank you for your answers..
Most people are basically good. Unless you're dealing with a 'hasidic JW', as I call the real fanatic ones, most JWs will be quite polite and civil with non-JWs.
There's quite a large number of us inside the Organization that realize non-JWs are just as good people as JWs can be; actually, it's a fact that many non-JWs are more decent that some real scumb bags that hide behind the JW Organization; but those people are the JW exception, not the rule.
Best of things to you all for the year 2010!!!
DY
hi folks,.
i have a real serious question that i hope you will be able to help me with.. in the 4-1-1986 watchtower, pages 30-31 it talks about "approved association".
what i'm seeking your opinion about is this: if a baptized jw is deemed to not be an 'approved associate' at some point (due to his having developed a divergent view regarding one or more of the watchtower's unique teachings) does his 'not being an approved associate' mean that the watchtower society no longer considers him to be a jw?
The Organization has changed, evolved, modernized (whatever you want to call it), leaps and bounds since 1986. Get your info from an article more like in the last 1 to 3 years.
Any question, inquiry or comment that results of information from so long ago is a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Need to update!
DY
my 76 year old mother and her 94 year old mother (my grandmother) are still regular pioneering.
if anyone should understand helping the less fortunate it should be these life time pioneers.
however, this is a conversation i had with my them yesterday.... me: mom, the girls (my 2 teenage daughters) and i have volunteered to serve breakfast and lunch at the soup kitchen new year's eve.
I'm sure you understand they don't feel they're wasting their time anymore than you think you're not waisting yours.
Two different schools of thought; they feel they're teaching people how to fish, and you prefer to just hand out the fish to people. Both acts produce some good, so more power to you both in your 'good' deeds.
They shouldn't have called your actions 'stupid', though. I sure don't agree with that. By that expression, they sure didn't put into practice what the Bible teaches about refraining the tongue.
I've caught some JW relatives talking down to non-JW relatives about their charity work, and I have to remind the JWs that we must treat all with respect, even if we have more liberties with them as they're family.
DY
we all filled out and mailed da letters for each congregation member we knew and mailed it to the society...would it work?
even if it is a whole lot of confusion.. .
Get a life. A hobby. Something. Way too much idle time on your hand... and head.
DY
we were very lucky not to have another airplane blow up this past christmas.. do you think we will see this country under a systematic attack in the near future?.
Yes, and it's just a matter of time and opportunity. The USA is a highly letigious society, with a population all consumed with all kinds of rights and liberties; this will hinder the ability of keeping that same population safe.
DY
i knew a few jws (including some of my family members) who would go clubbing, concerts, play sports ,watch rated r movies and go to party's with "worldy" people.
at the same time, managed to live life in the "truth" (such as field service, give talks, hold the mic during the wt study, etc.).
were you one or knew a jw who was like that.
Bending the rules a little is part of what keeps sanity for so many inside the Organization!
Hey, life's much too short to live so strictly, so into crap that doesn't really matter in the end.
All things in moderation (well, sometimes the drinking does go a bit overboard, but we recover very nicely)
DY
do you still contribute for literature, give to the worldwide work, kingdom hall fund or contribute towards the upkeep of your local kh?
if you do - why?.
I figured out the number of publishers against the expenses of the hall monthly, that way I contribute only our share (my hubby is a heavy hitter in there). So I don't contribute anymore than I have to.
It's still one heck of a good deal when compared to the poor fools shelling out 10% of their hard earned cash to their pastors. No way!
DY
mind control.
when one is a member of a group such as jehovahs witnesses, it is not possible to be aware of the degree to which personal freedoms that are normally taken for granted are lost.
the mind-control techniques used by the watchtower society are by no means unique.
It's just a way of life, quite a different lifestyle than mainstream; with many pros and cons, just like any other lifestyle.
Too many people obsess with it, when it's neither useful nor necessary; such a waste of valuable time to do so.
Enjoy what you all have, and leave the others be already!
DY
i know what the witness response is to this but what do you say now?.
I struggle with that very question often. What helps me cope is to understand that God has a time set up already for when he'll take up action, and his view of such time is much different than we humans look at it.
DY - I still struggle terribly with the waiting while all the suffering goes on.
