Posts by OneEyedJoe

15

Did anyone catch the change on jw.org point number 4 who is babylon the great

by poopie in

jw
friends

jw.org changed point number 4 excluding the idea of child molesting.

coments please.

OneEyedJoe

I think this is a reference to:

http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/babylon-the-great/

Do you have a screen capture from before the change?

15

i tried testing my family by mentioning that a member of the gb was summoned to appear in front of the royal commission and i found it really weird how they reacted.they dismissed it saying its just satan attacking the 'truth' and i could not believe how ignorant they are.they all think that the organization did nothing wrong or even that jw's abuse their children.

OneEyedJoe

Don't hold it against them. They are being controlled and conditioned.

Furthermore, if you were in a group setting you'll never really know what they think. It's quite conceivable that they could all be doubting the cult, but are just afraid to speak up around other JWs for fear of the consequences. That's the sort of thing that can happen when freedom of speech is abolished, like it has been in the JW community.

30

Hello!

by BeautifulMind in

jw
friends

i've been enjoying all of the discussions here for a good while now.

i found this site as i was researching things about this religion i've been in (finally after nagging curiosity and questions) but i wanted to figure things out more before coming on here and posting.

i'm glad to see that im not alone or crazy!

OneEyedJoe

Welcome! It's always nice to hear of a couple that's getting out together. Another marriage beats the cult!

18

Jw gift.org

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

how did i miss this ?

.

www.jwgift.org.

OneEyedJoe

Note the minimum, 5 pounds, stops us from donating a penny and letting them get stiffed for the credit card minimum, bummer.

They're definitely not interested in "two small coins of little value"

18

Jw gift.org

by wannaexit in

jw
friends

how did i miss this ?

.

www.jwgift.org.

OneEyedJoe

How long before jws start giving certificates that say "A donation in the amount of $xx has been made in your name to jw.org" for all their gift giving needs? If that happens, I predict birthdays will get the nu lite treatment!

53

What is their official explanation for not allowing beards?

by keyser soze in

jw
friends

i ask because my gf, who knows all about my jw upbringing, convinced me to grow a goatee, just to see how it looks.

we both decided it looked good so i decided to keep it.

i tried to explain to her that as a jw, i wasn't allowed to grow one, but then drew a blank when she asked me why.

OneEyedJoe

I'm sure it's been said or alluded to - but it's basically an unwritten rule based on a few letters about not having beards and a few references in the magazines that associate beards to negative things.

The reality of it is that it falls right in line with one of their favorite quotes - "those faithful in what is least will be faithful in what is most." They usually use this as an exhortation to be faithful in small things because you'll be strengthened, but there's actually a clear psychological effect that causes people who are willing to submit to a small display of obedience becoming more likely to obey more significant orders afterwards. It's a similar effect as the source of people "throwing good money after bad" at a poker table, or in business. They've made a small investment and rather than come to terms with the fact that this was a wasted investment, they'd rather make ever increasing investments.

I had a discussion with a friend of mine the other day and I got to talking about all the unscriptural rules that the GB puts upon JWs, likening them to the pharisees that jesus said had invalidated the word of god through their traditions of men. He maintained that they were there for the protection of the stupid/weak ones - i.e. no beards because it might stumble someone. When I told him that their order not to have beards stumbled me, he just stared at me and changed the subject.

42

Western Decline is a Reality - 2015 Memorial Attendance

by berrygerry in

as has been observed in western congos, the decline is real.. usa is 12.475 % less -2015 vs 2014.

OneEyedJoe

Yes, strictly speaking you are correct. But the increase in 2014 followed two years of far bigger drops in memorial attendance compared to 2011. That drop has now reversed but still represents much slower growth in memorial attendance numbers. As I said a few posts back, the best way to describe the US and territory patterns in recent years is "fluctuating" attendance patterns.

Yeah, you're absolutely right. I was just striving to trace all things with accuracy and admit when my recollection had been wrong :)

I believe 2011's memorial was on Sunday April 17. A sunday memorial would have definitely explained the uptick in attendance.

42

Western Decline is a Reality - 2015 Memorial Attendance

by berrygerry in

as has been observed in western congos, the decline is real.. usa is 12.475 % less -2015 vs 2014.

OneEyedJoe

I stand corrected - there was a 0.36% increase in 2014 once the merged branches are accounted for, pulling numbers from the thread below.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/282591/october-2014-kingdom-ministry-km-10-2014-pdf

Even so I think it's clear that we've reached stagnation at the very least, and decline as a percentage of the population.

42

Western Decline is a Reality - 2015 Memorial Attendance

by berrygerry in

as has been observed in western congos, the decline is real.. usa is 12.475 % less -2015 vs 2014.

OneEyedJoe

I'm 99% sure they added some other stuff to the US branch for the 2014 numbers. I distinctly remember a thread about this time last year talking about the memorial numbers and when you stripped out the newly merged territories, there was a decline in 2014 in spite of all the hype.

33

Ever wondered

by NoIdeaWhatToBelieve in

i was very hooked on the rc videos, really interesting to watch.

i started questioning stuff a couple of months ago.. however there is still a scenario that makes me wonder.

considering the israelites as god's chosen people and the kings as anointed, the bible shows many bad decisions the people made, including the rulers that were anointed.

OneEyedJoe

You pose the exact example that I use to explain my stance to separate myself from the watchtower society. Many times in the Bible the ones who were "just following orders" so to speak were punished for following someone that they presumed was gods chosen representative, when that person or entity was violating gods commands. It happened with many bad kings and it happened in the first century when loyal Jews were killed when Rome destroyed Jerusalem.

Personally, I don't believe that the watchtower society was ever "gods organization" but explaining it this way seems to make it more palatable to active jws. I think there's plenty of examples in the Bible that demonstrate that each one is responsible before god not only for their own actions, but also for their allegiances. It would be wise, therefore, to examine the organization to determine if it really is the standard of moral purity that one would expect (and indeed that it claims to be) from gods chosen representatives.