I'm sure there will be a number of 'holier than thou' elders that will refuse to perform marriages on these grounds. That only seems logical than one of the 7 gods that you worship has already condemned the marriage as a mistake that they'll pay for.
OneEyedJoe
JoinedPosts by OneEyedJoe
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14
Will Elders Still Perform Marriages If The Sister Doesn't Marry At Least A Ministerial Servant?
by minimus inbased upon the last big meeting this past weekend, would it be proper for an elder to perform a wedding ceremony if the brother is not at least a mini servant?.
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My Relief
by Smart inwhat a massive relief!
thank god i have just found this site the other day!
i don't know where to begin!
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OneEyedJoe
I don't live nearby, but I will agree 100% with GTTM's advice. Get out while you still can. If you really care about the girl, you might tell her what you've learned as far as TTATT (since it doesn't seem like you have much to lose if you get DF'd in the process) but don't expect her to run away with you. Even if she does agree to leave the cult to be with you, that's a deal I can't advise you to take. The cult creates a powerful hold on the minds that it has poisoned, and it seems there are cases where it just never lets go, in spite of outward appearances. Even if she leaves, you still have all the family drama and it's probably not worth it.
Get out as fast as you can, and live your life! No need to pile on extra problems for yourself.
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49
Lowering the standards: The sign of a cult struggling for survival
by Hidden-Window inmany of the recent changes in the jehovah's witness organization are a clear sign of a cult that is struggling for survival.
the internet has change the scenario in a very dramatic way.
many of us who for years struggled alone with doubts and cognitive dissonance thinking that we were the only ones, that we, as individuals were the issue, now know that there is a large community of individuals who see the organization as what it is, a mind controlling cult that is not only false, but also dangerous.. the governing body clearly understands the consequences of this awakening.
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OneEyedJoe
To qualify to serve as a MS, is there something lower than
1) worshipping the GB, and
2) having the ability to "fog a mirror"?
Doc
Doc - you forget that there are lots of unwritten rules to qualify as an MS - reported service time must be above 8 or 10 hours a month on average. Meeting attendence must be high, and I've been told that I need to comment regularly at meetings in order to qualify as well. I'm sure there are more/different rules depending on the BOE in a particular congregation, too.
It's pretty funny, they once sat me down and read the scripture about what's required to qualify (1 Tim. 3:8,9,12) and they asked me what of those qualifications do I not satisfy. I honestly said "none" and they asked me why I wasn't an MS. I said "I don't know" (at the time I was still mentally in and this seemed like a better response than "It seems like too much trouble"). They then told me that I didn't comment at meetings enough and I didn't get enough time in service. I left the conversation wondering if we'd read the same scripture...
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Lowering the standards: The sign of a cult struggling for survival
by Hidden-Window inmany of the recent changes in the jehovah's witness organization are a clear sign of a cult that is struggling for survival.
the internet has change the scenario in a very dramatic way.
many of us who for years struggled alone with doubts and cognitive dissonance thinking that we were the only ones, that we, as individuals were the issue, now know that there is a large community of individuals who see the organization as what it is, a mind controlling cult that is not only false, but also dangerous.. the governing body clearly understands the consequences of this awakening.
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OneEyedJoe
Aren't there studies which show that, counerintuitively, the more harsh & strict a religion is, the more its adherents tend to be fiercely loyal?
I can't point to one in particular, but I believe you're right. This is sort of the core of cognitive dissonance - the more people invest in a belief, the more resistant they are to changing that belief. The continued lowering of the requirements will result in the R/F investing less and less time/money/energy in their belief that the WT is the only true religion, and they will therefore be primed for awakening.
The other problem for the WT will be that any one with 2 brain cells to rub together that actually has fully bought into it will have no choice but to start questioning why everything is slowing down if we're so close to the end. At a certain point the questions override one's joy at having to do less and, again, they'll be primed for awakening.
Punky - thanks for the antimatter quotes, that really made my day. That's the sort of stuff that I enjoyed when I was a child, but now I look at it and realize that it was all based on some cursory sci-fi understanding of the way the world works. If Jehovah used enough antimatter to clean up even one skeleton, the radiation released would be sufficient to annihilate all life on earth many times over. It would essentially be the power of every atomic bomb on earth going off at once. But, by golly it sounds good, and it sounds smart, and it sounds like we researched, so let's put it in!
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what WAS the 'buisness' at the buisness meeting??
by sowhatnow init sounds more like a we want to get into your buisness , buisness meeting .
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OneEyedJoe
Technically it's called a branch visit... Not sure where this business meeting stuff came from, I never heard it called that outside of this forum.
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WT recent public news release showing emergency support for MEMBERS only.....
by EndofMysteries inunder news alerts on the borg website, i noticed 2 stories, 1 about the bus crash in honduras, and it's interesting that it seems that non jw agencies have helped out when you see this statement...."we appreciate the outpouring of support from the community and the various agencies that have come to the aid of those affected by this tragedy.
so on this instance, it seems the wt welcomes aid from outside sources.
now the 2nd story, is about the hurricane in mexico, and we have this statement...."in the aftermath of hurricane odile, which hit the coast of baja california sur on monday, september 15, 2014, jehovahs witnesses from the surrounding area provided food, water, and medicine to their members affected by the storm.
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OneEyedJoe
Sorta like how members can use products derived from donated blood, but they cannot fixate blood themselves.
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Thank Jehovah for Ipads!
by stuckinarut2 inseriously, i am so thankful that the org has officially allowed the use of ipads and tablets at the kingdom hall!.
it is the only thing that keeps me sane while sitting there....being able to log on to this site while pretending to follow along with the program!.
i think i would have literally lost my mind without this lifeline!.
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OneEyedJoe
I'll give an Amen to that.
I usually end up on mic duty, so it's not too hard to screw around in the back while they're reading.
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61
Zone Visit feedback, from ones still in??
by Crazyguy injust wondering if any one has heard from ones still asleep, what their feedback has been and what comments have been made by the rank and file??.
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OneEyedJoe
I think he was referring to one (or more) of the other speakers besides herd and AMIII. There was at least one speaker that was introduced as being a "Helper to the governing body"
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i have a theory about the long term doctrine of wt!
by purrpurr ini can see no reason why the gb would want to loosen their grip on their cash cow/ cushy life.
but what will they do in 20,30,50 years?
well i suspect that at some point they will claim that the promised paradise is already here but that it has come in spirtual form.
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OneEyedJoe
Personally, I suspect they'll just keep kicking the can down the road with new definitions of "generation" and new start points for the generation. If the paradise is already here, people won't be motivated to preach about it's coming and they won't have the imminent threat of armageddon to keep 'em active if it's already come.
Even if you're thinking they'll switch to saying everyone goes to heaven (which I can't see happening, but who knows) people will slow down. If you have to die to get to paradise/heaven, then that means you should plan for a long life in this system, which means working, saving for retirement, education, etc - all these things will make people slightly more likely to wake up and leave the cult.
Though, I will admit, they have been saying that we live in a "spiritual paradise" for a while - when we're close to the congregation
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Zone Visit feedback, from ones still in??
by Crazyguy injust wondering if any one has heard from ones still asleep, what their feedback has been and what comments have been made by the rank and file??.
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OneEyedJoe
Can someone confirm this:
The JWs were told to not record the talk or take notes?
I won't claim this to be verbatim but we were told:
No flash photogrophy, don't block the aisles to take pictures without flash (or something like that)
No recordings are to be made
You should not stream any audio or video of the event to another location
Though you may use some of the points mentioned in the talks to encourage others, you should not share any of your notes with anyone.
This was without a doubt the most comprehensive and paranoid sounding disclaimer at the beginning of a talk. I'm used to the stuff about not posting video online at the conventions, but this was well beyond that. I may even be leaving out something in there.