I am not an atheist, but I am not a cultist.
One leaving the cult physically does not mean that its effects immediately (or even much longer) leave you.
since becoming atheist i have been paying more attention to world events and issues.
this is giving me some worry's when i see what's going on.
as a jw i could just dismiss stuff saying "armageddon is coming, jehovah will look after us" etc etc now of course i can't do that.
I am not an atheist, but I am not a cultist.
One leaving the cult physically does not mean that its effects immediately (or even much longer) leave you.
once a month about 15 to 20 elderly jw publishers would meet at the kingdom hall and one elder was assigned to set up the system so they could view jw broadcasting.
these publishers were long time pioneers, former elders, and long time publishers who know nothing about computers or the internet.
they are the last batch of those expecting the generation that saw 1914 or understood it--- to not die off.
I looked it up on the internet, that same place, while still an elder, I learned TTATT right here on JWD.
Cooked my first turkey this year.
Was the best turkey ever (decades of marriage - wife had become a decent cook).
Google recipe online for cooking at 170 degrees F.
i'm finding it more and more funny how every wt article for the public or congregation, including jw broadcast talks about all this "growth" and how fast jehovha's organization is speeding up!
yet everything behind closed doors, insider information, elder letters and sales paint a very different picture.
i have news for you gb members!
In the Nordic conference held in Stockholm 3-4th July, in or about 50.000 persons were present. These people came mainly from Northern Europe. Totally there were there 400 people baptized. These 400 is 0.8% of all attendees.!!
This is actually quite high.
There are some pretty lame results this year. Wifibandit has a running list
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/392far/2015_convention_locationdatesattendancebaptized/
i am currently having to spend a little time waiting for an appointment in the vicinity of a central london station.
whilst waiting i am catching up on some work in a cafe.
i can see a couple of trolleys and have been watching them for around an hour now.. not one person has stopped to take literature.
Several other sisters were asked if they wanted to do cart witnessing. Their service records are probably not even close to this other sister. The only difference I could see is we are not overweight and she is.
Was actually thinking about this a few days ago.
My Dad became a Dub so he could marry my Mom.
Same thing with an older Elder in our KH. He's given his story many times over the decades - started studying to marry his Dub wife.
Seems like it works far better statistically than the otherwise 10,000 hours spent per new recruit (including the infant baptisms) .
i was having breakfast with a friend and former jw just yesterday and he informed me that the place we were eating in is owned by a former witness.
the story goes as he tells me that the wife and husband or on the outs and getting a divorce.
now just so you know the state i live in, a divorce is not quick, mandatory waiting period etc.
Oubliette 20 minutes ago
What's love got to do with it?Crazyguy: So much love in the Borg
A lot.
( Love of money - if you're a wealthy widow Dub, you get lots of love. )
today i read a comment on my blog about an image found in a 1958 watchtower publication titled from paradise lost to paradise regained.
it reminded me of what went through my mind back in those years.
watchtower meeting agendas were notoriously boring with the result of children (including teenagers) spending their time looking at pictures in great detail.
My Book of Borg Speak is/wasn't much better.
I heard someone say this month, that it is no longer being printed.
Can anyone confirm?
I
this strange photo is from a pioneer school graduating class in russia.. they're hiding their faces because, supposedly they don't want to be identified as jw's and run the risk of persecution.. the picture is very telling.
this very well illustrates how the pioneer school aims to make everyone into faceless drones whose minds are copies of wt indoctrinated automatons and not really individuals.. another thing i noticed when looking at the photo is that some aren't following the instructions to obscure their faces--some peek their eyes above the illuminators textbook and one is quite clearly exposing his profile as if he was talking to his neighbor in mid-shutter instant.. third, it's in russia, and the jw's aren't too welcome there.
communist oligarchs were quite acquainted with indoctrination and brain-washing techniques, they didn't like competition.
just got back from the wt study and it overall was just so blindingly biased and leading.. i had to read it from the platform too, i hope they couldn't see the confounded look on my face as i read this craziness out!.
first we consider the faith of abel, enoch, noah, abraham, isaac and jacob, and moses.. all of these people are held up as sterling examples of blind faith, with the article pointedly saying that their imaginations sustained their faith in gods promises for them.
no mention anywhere at all that all of these characters saw and talked to angels, spoke to god himself, saw and performed miracles, or any of the other feats experienced by these characters.
So it cannot be said, but the WTB&T$ will say what the Bible doesn't.
Bible! Bible! We don't need no stinking Bible!
(Blazing Saddles' version)
i know there are a lot of threads on here about fading and i've read a lot of them, but i have a question that i haven't found the answer to yet.. what would happen if you move to a new congregation (or at least tell your old congregation that you are moving and to have your records moved), and you don't go to any meetings?
i see lots of the fading strategies say to go to some meetings and show your face until your name is announced.
what exactly happens if you don't go to meetings in the new congregation?.
Choose a new congo that is in the opposite direction of where you live.
Also, do you have a worldly friend or relative in that opposite direction?
Use their address - and if anyone shows up at that address, have them say that you moved away - don't know where.
so fisherperson sent me a pm asking a bunch of questions re my time at beth hell.
rather than respond in a pm i will post the q/a here as i have nothing to hide.
q:what years did you serve in brooklyn bethel?
I hated the elevator rule!! I had to ride past my stop many times because heavies were on the elevator with me. Then I would have to stay on and go back to my floor. What a crock.
I'm surprised that they haven't installed keylocks in the elevators then.
Or maybe, a pay-per-ride device.