so i called a few jwdubs that still talk to me, not to try to convince them of anything or wake them up but to try to get a feedback on how they took the big meeting change and other announcements.
generally speaking, all the ones i talked to were not even fazed by the changes.
many of them still didnt even realize the meeting format had changed and thought the layoffs were a normal thing that happens all the time.
In contrast, we have seen over 100 years of failed predictions, outlandish teachings, etc. What we have seen is sort of like Moses getting the Israelites backed up to the Red Sea, holding up his staff, and nothing happening, and Moses instructing the isrealites to cross the red sea anyway, insisting that it had been parted 'invisibly'. We have not been given reason to put implicit trust in the org and/or GB. In fact, we've been given ample reason not to trust.
Fixed that for you, magnum
the october 2015 jw broadcast, hosted by gerrit losch is quite positive actually.a lot of focus on "field service" needs to be balanced with other good works - supporting those in need around you - either in the congregation (witnesses) or in your classroom or neighbors (non-witnesses).
visiting and encouraging the sick and elderly is mentioned.
jesus parable of the merciful samaritan is highlighted.
Lip service.
My best guess is that they did it so at some later point, they will have video "evidence" (for some court case) that they encourage their adherents to be friendly to worldly scum.
This. The example that they gave of "simplifying" and doing cart witnessing says it all - they'll talk about all these great ideals of helping others (even the evil worldlies) but when they give an example of how to put this into practical use it ALWAYS has something to do with handing out magazines. They give this example of spending more time cart witnessing, or they'll give their examples of helping someone with their yard work or their car or groceries - but it's always helping people when you encounter them while out in service. In the rare case that they hold up an example of someone helping someone outside of the context of being out in service, the story still always ends with a magazine placement at the very least, but usually a study being started.
Bottom line - the WTS NEVER encourages charitable works being done unless they're simultaneously pushing recruitment.
ok. when i first looked at the cover of this issue of awake i was instantly struck on how creepy it looked.
my first impressions were the picture looked almost masonic in nature.
well, further investigation has led me to another picture that shows a grand masonic hall.
There are so many tangible things that are wrong with this cult and their publications that it always irks me a bit when people harp on thin coincidences found in pictures in the publications like some kind of conspiracy theorist. Gives exJWs a bad rap, I think.
Pictures of kids being killed with their puppy at Armageddon are one thing, but scouring the internet to find a 'similar' picture as what was used in a publication and then claiming a connection is a big stretch to me.
i've seen references to baptism annulment on a few websites, does anyone know if there has ever been a successful annulment of a baptism?.
eg.
a minor claims they didn't understand a key wtbts teaching prior to baptism, is there any realistic chance of annulment?
freeyeah, i'm freefrom your incitingyou can't brainwash meyou've got a problemfreeyeah i'm freefrom societyyou can't control mei'm a defectoryou think you're strong and you can't be brokenbut your empire is dissolvingyou thought, you thought i was weakbut you got it wronglook into my eyesi'm a defectorfreeyeah, i'm freefrom your incitingyou can't brainwash meyou've got a problemfreeyeah i'm freefrom societyyou can't control mei'm a defectoryour blood is blue and your mind is turned greenand your belly is all yellowyou believe your throne is too high to be overthrownwe'll watch it get razedby a defectorfreeyeah, i'm freefrom your incitingyou can't brainwash meyou've got a problemfreeyeah i'm freefrom societyyou can't control mei'm a defectori'm a defectorfreeyeah, i'm freefrom your incitingyou can't brainwash meyou've got a problemfreeyeah i'm freefrom societyyou can't control mei'm a defector
that's the conclusion of a study showing that the dramatic drop in religious affiliation.
in the u.s since 1990 is closely mirrored by the increase in internet use.
of the u.s population had no religious preference.
for potential new-arrivals: .
if you are one of the many who are facing expulsion from bethels around the world in the near future - or simply a sincere j.w.
acts 13:31 - "who are now his (jesus') witnesses to the people.
I'm kinda with DOC on this one...I know it wouldn't have mattered to me one lick while I was in (probably would've gotten a "that's odd" and then I would've moved on) and I don't see how it would matter to anyone. Especially with how the JW bible's NT is so bastardized with the insertion of Jehovah all over the place it really muddies the water.
But my journey was my own and since I was essentially an atheist for my last decade in the cult, it makes sense that it wouldn't matter to me whether I ought to be worshiping Jesus or Jehovah, because my main issues were more foundational than that. I think the best first stepping stone would be something like jwfacts where someone can go through a quick index and find a topicthat most affects them personally and explore it. Trying to advertise any single issue as a universal first step for people waking up (not that that's what's being done here, necessarily) is folly. Everyone's path out is unique in some way, and each step has to matter to that person on a deeper level than cold facts.
hello, i haven't posted for a number of years.
i've been struggling for years of wrestling in my mind regarding the organization.
i guess the big thing for me to push me over the edge is the generation overlapping thingy.
hello, i haven't posted for a number of years.
i've been struggling for years of wrestling in my mind regarding the organization.
i guess the big thing for me to push me over the edge is the generation overlapping thingy.
Franz was pretty young by today's JW standards to have been "anointed" in 1914. Such a thing would never fly today. Just sayin!
There was a kid in my former congregation that was claiming to be anointed by 19 or so. Super pretentious "spiritual" little prick. Everyone made fun of his partaking anytime someone even tangentially mentioned him.
But back in 1913 (I think that's when franz was baptized) everyone was partaking, so they assume franz was anointed upon his baptism
hello, i haven't posted for a number of years.
i've been struggling for years of wrestling in my mind regarding the organization.
i guess the big thing for me to push me over the edge is the generation overlapping thingy.
The overlapping generation is what finally pushed me hard enough to do some research online - it pushed me over the edge too.
My problem wasn't with the whole anointed thing though - just with the fact that there's absolutely no scriptural support for their current definition of the word "generation." Furthermore, even if they didn't specify a hard end date, their prediction that armageddon would be here before the end of the 1914 generation qualifies as a false prophecy.
As for the issue of the anointing taking place in 1919, that's not really a problem for the overlapping generation the way I understand it. There are now two different 'anointings' - there's the anointed 144k, which have been around starting after Jesus' death, and then there's the anointing of the FDS. These are two different events that really don't have anything to do with one another other than the use of the word anoint/anointed. The overlap is supposed to be between generations of the anointed 144k, not generations of anointed FDS members. Though in their example they're confusing matters by using franz and other GB members to explain the overlap.
That said it's still all a pile of rubbish.
