Posts by OneEyedJoe

35

Going on the OFFENSIVE

by Coded Logic in

the wtbts has an easy time painting x-witnesses as apostates because the direction of information is entirely one way.

and jws rarely get an opportunity to consider both sides of the equation for themselves.

i think that websites like this one are a great tool for those who are already questioning their beliefs or are already entirely out.

Gone AWOL - sounds like a great idea to me. One thing I'd recommend, though is to go with a less controversial message. The UN thing is just so unbelievable to anyone who's still indoctrinated that they'll probably assume it's a creative lie and not investigate further.

I like the idea of printing up the picture on jwfacts (or on like it) that shows a grandparent with their child and grandchild captioned "how many generations do you see?" Then the address for jwfacts. Since the generation change is still fresh, I feel like that's probably the best thing to go with.

35

Going on the OFFENSIVE

by Coded Logic in

the wtbts has an easy time painting x-witnesses as apostates because the direction of information is entirely one way.

and jws rarely get an opportunity to consider both sides of the equation for themselves.

i think that websites like this one are a great tool for those who are already questioning their beliefs or are already entirely out.

OneEyedJoe

If you get too aggressive about it, you inevitably end up playing the role (bitter apostate) that the wts has cast for us. If you're not careful, you may actually delay someone's awakening by keeping the apostate phobia strong. The only way any apostate information will ever take hold is if it is presented in a non-threatening way. There are few ways to do that better than to just put it up online and let the doubters find it themselves. Of we remain passive, everytime the WT has an article about bitter apostates it will stir up doubts because it won't line up with their experience.

That said, I think simple signs (I.e. ones with only www.jwfacts.com written on them) might work since it plants a small seed that can eventual come to fruition in private. Additionally, I try to play a small role by never directly going in the name for sites like this, instead I use Google to get to it, which can improve the rankings and get the sites a little more visibility.

The public in-your-face campaigns handing out leaflets at conventions will probably never have great success because even a jw with huge doubts can't take anything while others are watching.

34

IF you believe in evolution, theistic or not.....

by DATA-DOG in

jw
friends

are you more amazed by nature documentaries now, or were they better when "god did it"??.

.

dd.

OneEyedJoe

Nature shows are way cooler when in the context of evolution, for sure. One of my favorite quotes that sort of related to the topic, by Douglas Adams:

Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?

Going a but further, I think it's more beautiful when you don't believe in the fairies.

42

2014 AGM announcement rumour

by yadda yadda 2 in

from barbara anderson, former watchtower headquarters researcher and writer, on another recent thread:.

it is expected that at the 2014 annual meeting, usually held the first saturday in october, will serve watchtower leaders well to cover-up all the 100-years of prophetic nonsense.

rumor has it they are going to celebrate their 100-years of announcing the kingdom in an adroit way by featuring a move of "great" significance to do with the expansion of the governing body to an "apostolic" 12 or some other fantasy idea.. .

OneEyedJoe

As far as picking the new GB members from non-annointed goes, I kinda expect that you'll start seeing non-annointed GB helpers start partaking, then 5-10 years later bam they're on the GB. Since the scriptures talking about the anointment are meant to apply to all christians, it seems like it'd be pretty easy for a couple GB members to sit down with their chosen future member, discuss some scriptures and leave with the candidate planning on partaking at the next memorial. Do this right before the memorial, get them to partake once and they're now in too deep to reconsider.

30

Do You Think All JWs Believe Whatever Their Religion Teaches?

by minimus in

jw
friends

that same question applies to catholics, jews, islamists, baptists and so on.

.

just because you belong to a religion, does it mean you espouse every idea that they have ever presented?.

OneEyedJoe

In my experience you'd be hard pressed to find a jw under 60 who even knows the official stance on 50% of the doctrine, so it's impossible that they all believe it everything. That's part of why it's so difficult to wake someone up - you can't argue doctrine because they don't know doctrine in the first place. If you prove a doctrine wrong, they just assume that you've misrepresented the doctrine (like all apostates do) and they're to lazy to look it up.

Even excepting that, of say a healthy percentage consciously disagree with doctrine, but know to keep their trap shut about it. I don't think they're afraid of a JC per se, I think it goes back to laziness. If you talk about doubts, you will at the very least get a back room talking to, and might end up having to re-study some particular bit of propaganda with one of the elders. That's a lot of trouble, and they don't want to do it.

Actually the very fact that 90% of jws are too lazy to ensure that they have "an accurate knowledge of truth" goes against core doctrine on is own.

25

Craziest demon/magic/supernatural stories you heard when you were a JW

by EndofMysteries in

share yours, i'll start if off, i have a few i heard from the platform or from other jw's.

one from the platform, a witch was studying with jw's, and she had a relationship with demons/spirits.

when she was studying they turned on her and threatened her if she didn't stop.

OneEyedJoe

I think the stupidest I ever heard had to do with a painting owned by a study. The pioneer sister decided this painting was demonic because it was a portrait of a man, and his eyes always followed you as you moved about the room. (Anyone who's taken a 5th grade art class ought to know that this is a common optical illusion employed by many painters, most famously on the mona lisa) So, after the positive identification of the painting as being possessed by demons, she convinced the study that it needed to be burned. They tried to burn it - I guess they were just inept because even after application of accelerants they couldn't get it to burn. They eventually gave up and just put it out with the garbage. Praise jah, the demon infestation (that was invented by a superstitious pioneer) was removed!

18

JW.org statistics and the decline in first world countries.

by OneEyedJoe in

cross posting from another thread.

it seems that i might not be the only nerd here that's interested in statistics like this so maybe it deserves it's own topic.. so i was playing around with google.com/trends with some jw related search terms.

i found the results a bit surprising, and certainly interesting, so i figured i'd share.. first off, the link to what i tried.. one of the most surprising things that stood out was the regional interest.

OneEyedJoe

TOH - the main link I gave shows global data. There was indeed a spike in August, but it came entirely from the 3rd world. If you click on a country on the map below, you'll see data for only that country. That's where you'll see that interest in jw.org has plateaued in "western" countries.

21

poll, why would you hide it your buisness/job

by sowhatnow in

how many people on here who were or are jws, owned or ran a buisness who would not willingly let people at the k hall know, maybe to avoid feeling like you had to give your fellow brothers and sisters a discount, or free help, or out of fear of being judged.

did you only help out the pioneers?

and not the poor ones?

OneEyedJoe

Simon - I always try to make it out like what I do is just so different from normal IT stuff that I wouldn't possibly be any help to them.

Seriously, these people expect me to make house calls? I guess to be fair, most of them are so destitute from placing all their trust in a cult's predictions that they couldn't hope to afford my services if I were to charge them...

80

" Do not ask permission, just play the video--" service meeting instructions.

by prologos in

jw
friends

this statement startled me out of the pleasant mental absence during this week's "service" meeting.. pushing the org.

explanation: "the listener has time to interrupt, if they want--" .

together with an incredible boring "study" of an hand held device, or it's stored content, i will be a totally new crop of orgies at the halls,.

OneEyedJoe

That's strange, everyone I'm wingmanning it at a door and a conversation stopper gets thrown out, my partner adeptly "counters" it. My partner is also somehow blissfully unaware that the house holder's demeanor changes to that of an exasperated, but polite person, who just wants to go back to their usual (cult free) Saturday morning activities.

18

JW.org statistics and the decline in first world countries.

by OneEyedJoe in

cross posting from another thread.

it seems that i might not be the only nerd here that's interested in statistics like this so maybe it deserves it's own topic.. so i was playing around with google.com/trends with some jw related search terms.

i found the results a bit surprising, and certainly interesting, so i figured i'd share.. first off, the link to what i tried.. one of the most surprising things that stood out was the regional interest.

OneEyedJoe

FF-

The sad thing is I would bet that most of the R/F in the merged congregation think there's been a huge increase since their meetings probably went from being 40%full to being 80% full.