I think "moral support" is a cliche, so that is why it is acceptable. Written English grammar is hard to use correctly. I don't see the need to correct people's grammar in an informal writing environment. There are many people that English is their second or third language. I blame being a JW for my poor grammar, because I was taught we will all be speaking ancient Hebrew in the paradise. So why master English? :)
adjusted knowledge
JoinedPosts by adjusted knowledge
-
51
oh cr@p!! its my turn for "an elder called and wants to arrange a shepherding call" thread. Moral support please.
by MissFit inis coming and the elder wanted to set up a visit.
it's not like i wasn't warned.
there was a thread that talked about the push to call on inactive ones.. thanks to the heads up here, i knew the motive for the call.. i don't think i even know that eld.
-
-
-
23
How many *educated* adults are being converted into the Jehovah's Witnesses nowadays?
by EdenOne inthe other day i was sitting in one of those meetings where the public talk was absolutely mind-dumbing.
by minute 5 i couldn't take it anymore paying further attention to what was being said, so my mind wandered.
i looked around to my own kh and started to notice something.
-
-
adjusted knowledge
I stopped by to see my mother who was attending the one day assembly. They had their usual youth experiences going on the stage. You know where the young publishers tell how they gave up worldly goals to pioneer. Anyways this young attractive Spanish girl, perhaps 19-20 was giving her experience of pioneering and avoiding the pressure of outside influence in her spiritual development. I noticed in the assembly hall people nodding their heads and smiling. Then this young girl mentioned how she pioneers AND is taking courses at her community college to earn her AA degree. I literally heard a gasp from members around me. I understand their disappointment because how dare she only pioneer for just 100 hours, when she can obviously do 140.
They should be proud of this young woman and I at least feel she has a chance in life. With an AA degree she can easily bounce into a 4 year program of her choosing once she figures out that a career is needed to survive in this world. They also had a visiting brother from Bethel who represents the GB. He bashed on doing outside research but yet quotes Mark Twain. It is so hypocritical of the WT leaders to bash education but yet they will quote from Samuel Clemens who for the most part of his life was Anti-Religion, and they will quote from other educated men/women from all fields.
But to answer your question, I know of not one child in the congregation I left many years ago completing any college. I do know an elder from that congregation got his Law Degree. Which means he had to earn a BS/BA degree prior to the J.D. degree. So a total of SEVEN years of higher education. This is the same elder who condemn me for watching Brave Heart back in the 1990's. Yes, I watched my first R rated movie. I was such a big sinner.
-
115
Survey---who is inactive, disfellowshipped/disassociated or active?
by minimus ini am inactive for about 10 years now..
-
-
adjusted knowledge
Inactive since 1996 (last time I submitted field service report). I attended meetings and assemblies sporatically till 2000. I haven't been to a memorial since 2000.
I faded in good standing.
-
7
Help with some questions on "new light"
by adjusted knowledge infor a future conversation i will have with my mother i need some questions answered.
otherwise i will have to search and read through jw literature and i rather not :0. what was the teaching of 1919 during 1980's and 1990's (this is when i was active and my mother became a witness)?.
what is the current teaching of 1919?.
-
-
adjusted knowledge
For a future conversation I will have with my mother I need some questions answered. Otherwise I will have to search and read through JW literature and I rather not :0
What was the teaching of 1919 during 1980's and 1990's (this is when I was active and my mother became a witness)?
What is the current teaching of 1919?
What evidence or proof does the governing body used that they are choosen from God? Besides their referencing some scripture.
What are the major changes in beliefs from 1995 to Now? I already know about the scandals and not interested in using that material since she won't believe it. But showing her doctrinal changes I think will have an impact.
I basically want to show my mother that the religion I was brought up in is not the same religion she belongs to now. That in fact if I refused to accept the new light and only believed what I was taught in 1980-1999 I would be disfellowship for apostasy.
Whoever is willing to answer this, if you could maybe list watchtower references it would help. My mother has an entire library of the bound volumes.
-
42
Did anyone in the congregation discourage you from going to college?
by Trapped in JW land ini remember being out on service with an elder when i was 17. he asked me what i plan on doing after high school.
i told him i was thinking of going to college to be a teacher.
he then asked me, "do you think this system is going to be around that long"?
-
-
adjusted knowledge
I had a few that would discourage my attending college. I did early admission to a junior college in my senior year of high school. I explained to those in the kingdom hall I had to finish the next two semesters or I wouldn't graduate high school. Then when I pursued my AA and BS I simply moved away and faded. The congregation I attended was fairly easy going with only a few fanaticals.
-
5
Governing Body has a system in place to cash in?
by adjusted knowledge inso i recently attended a few meetings in the last 30 days.
i've not been in over a decade.
as posted in an earlier topic, i still have a few family members in.
-
-
adjusted knowledge
So I recently attended a few meetings in the last 30 days. I've not been in over a decade. As posted in an earlier topic, I still have a few family members in. I was visiting family members and during vacation went to a few meetings.
At one Sunday public talk the visiting Elder was talking about the importance of attending every meeting. He stated that important communication could be delivered from the Governing Body BEFORE the Great Tribulation occurs. This was the same message I heard over and over again in the 80's and 90's. Often time it would be followed up with examples in the bible of those who lost their lives for not following direction. On other occassions the Talks would speak of how perhaps special direction of hiding will be given and we may miss out because of not attending meetings.
I never gave it much thought even in my youth. Even before I learned TTAT, the scared tactics didn't work on me. I just thought these talks were used to get meeting attendance up. However, now I think this could be used as a tool to "cash in". Perhaps, this topic has been spoke of in the past and I'm just coming to the same conclusion many of you already had. But think about this, if the Governing Body wanted to "cash in" they could send the direction to sell off all real estate and collect tax free.
The most valuable asset the GB has is real estate. This is true with most traditional companies. Think McDondalds is in the burger business? Nope they are in the commercial real estate business. Poorly run companies such as Sears and Kmart are able to last decades, because of the selling off of real estate, while the top managers pocket the money.
I'm not stating the current GB will do this but they do leave the door open for this to happen in the future. I'm sure most rank and file JW would not question the direction and in fact would be thrilled that finally the big A is on the way. All it would take is a big event (war, major natural disaster, ect..) for the GB to use.
Or maybe I'm way off.. If this has been talked about just pm a link...
-
53
Describe What a Jehovah's Witness Elder Is Like
by minimus ini know what they are supposed to be like.
but at this point in time, do you think the elders look joyful?
are they serious bible students?
-
-
adjusted knowledge
My experiences with Elders is much different than what is posted here. True it has been many years since I've been an active witness, but while I was active, the elders in my congregation did care. Yes, they were hypocrites at times when it came to their family, but overall decent men. I would over look their flaws, mostly because I felt sorry for them. The actions of the Elders didn't impact my attitude to the religion. The bible is full of examples that God considered holy men that were killers of women and children. It is the teachings of the prophecies by the GB, and to be honest if they were to get just one right I might believe.
-
35
How Do You Come to Terms with Being Just One of the 7 Billion?
by will-be-apostate inbeing a jw makes one feel special, no doubt.
when i found out ttatt i realized i'm not special at all.
i'm just one of the other 7 billion human beings who will live and die being nobody, the world will forget about them (and i'm not talking about relatives and friend), they didn't make anything special in their life, they didn't change the course of history, were not famous nor rich, didn't invent facebook, google or anything awesome, didn't have an article published in newscientist, had no imdb profil, not even a wiki page, didn't write a book etc.
-
-
adjusted knowledge
I know what you mean about feeling special because how we were taught. We were taught that God knew the name of every star and so each of us were special in his eye. Even before I left the organization I no longer had that feeling of being special. The trigger was when I saw the images of the Catacombs of Paris. There were walls as far as the eye can see of human skulls stacked upon each other. I learned latter there were millions of remains down there. Looking at those skulls and thinking each one was unique at one point in existence but long forgotten. The bible may condemn, "Let's eat, drink, and marry for tommorrow we shall die"; but can you really blame people for this attitude.
-
3
Why churches should brace for a mass exodus of the faithful
by adjusted knowledge ininteresting article i found that is recent.
it focuses on catholics and mormons, but jw would fit in the arguement too.. .
http://theweek.com/article/index/258520/why-churches-should-brace-for-a-mass-exodus-of-the-faithful.
-
-
adjusted knowledge
Interesting article I found that is recent. It focuses on Catholics and Mormons, but JW would fit in the arguement too.
http://theweek.com/article/index/258520/why-churches-should-brace-for-a-mass-exodus-of-the-faithful
-
16
Two Roads... and the one I took made all the difference
by adjusted knowledge inintroduction to the faith.
ive been a lurker for many years now, and recently created an account to post comments.
someone suggested i should introduce myself and tell my story.
-
-
adjusted knowledge
Introduction to the Faith
I’ve been a lurker for many years now, and recently created an account to post comments. Someone suggested I should introduce myself and tell my story. My introduction to the religion was when I was five years old. My parents began studying with a couple from the local congregation. That was the last year I celebrated Christmas and I still have that one memory of waking up on Christmas morning. I also have one memory of Halloween dressed up as Pacman that was around 1982.
My father made an honest effort to become a witness but after five years he came to the conclusion they were no different than any other religion. He had three college degrees and was a teacher. I think because of his education and career pursuit he was looked down upon by the Elders. The biggest reason my father stopped attending meeting, was when he reported seeing an elder’s daughter making out with a “worldly” boy. My father was reprimanded, for reporting it, by the Elders and he stopped all association. Interestingly that elder’s daughter got pregnant that same year and was disfellowshiped. There are many other examples in my congregation of hypocrisy but I’m sure they are no different than the readers of this forum have experienced.
My mother eventually got baptized and believes the JW have the truth to this day. However, she rarely attends meetings but is devout in her readings and beliefs. My siblings and I are all baptized too, but are all considered inactive. I use to be a strong believer and was an auxiliary pioneer at the age of 15. My faith was much stronger than any of the other children in the congregation, because I didn’t have to go to meetings or study the literature. I did those things out of my heart because I truly believed there was a caring God.
The beginning of Doubt
My first doubt this was God’s organization actually happened an hour after I was baptized. I was at our circuit convention and my friend from my congregation was guarding an entry way. He needed to use the restroom and get something to eat, but had no one to cover for him. I asked the elder in charged if I could cover for my friend (who was the same age as me). The elder stated only baptized brothers could serve and I stated I was baptized. He then asked me how long and when I stated that I was baptized today, he replied it wasn’t long enough. Now, this may seem inconsequential to some but to me it had a great impact on my faith. I got baptized and thought, finally I’m a brother and equaled to all and then I realize that was not the case. There was a hierarchy and I was not a part of it nor had any hope of getting there as a youth, since both my parents were either spiritually weak or a non-believer. At that same convention I also followed my same friend to the accounting room where all the money was being counted. His father was an Elder at the time and was there with other Elders counting the donations. I was told I couldn’t enter that room, but I looked inside and there were many Elder wives in there along with their children. Children barely able to walk, teenagers, and women were allowed in there because of who their Father and Husband were. I was eventually blessed at the end of the convention to clean the restrooms.
The imperfections of the organization were not the deciding factor for me leaving the Faith. It was the change “and this generation will not pass away” doctrine in 1995. I graduated high school that year and thought to myself how for 13 years in my youth I preached that message and now they change it? I was told it was “adjusted knowledge” hence my user name. I decided to get my college degree and pursue a career. That was 19 years ago.