Posts by OneEyedJoe

9

Children, you can go to Bethel when you grow up!

by stuckinarut2 in

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/become-jehovahs-friend/videos/caleb-sophia-visit-bethel/.

for those who haven't watched this, enjoy!.

hang in there for the very last comment from caleb!

OneEyedJoe

The best family day out ever? Are they really gearing up to make a fun experience for young children? Or are there going to be a lot of very disappointed kids out there?

Par for the course. Tell kids that it's the best day with family ever, get the parents to tell their kids that too, and then when it's dull and drab and boring the kids have to decide whether their parents lied to them or if it's just that there's something wrong with them that caused them not to enjoy it. Most kids, relying on their parents for everything, can't tolerate the thought that their parents would lie to them, so they'll internalize it and decide it's their fault they didn't have a good time. One more step towards blind obedience because any dissident thought is always a sign of personal failing, not a sign that there might really be something wrong with the cult. The cult continually tears down self confidence and trust of one's own truth by constantly telling you that boring things are fun, obligations are privileges, leaders are slaves, trials are blessings, etc.

6

Entertaining Guide to Bad Science Journalism

by cofty in

healthy skepticism and a bit of effort is essential to avoid believing bad science.. ....

OneEyedJoe

My father in law needs to watch that. There's one public talk outline that he gives often and always opens with "so can anyone tell me - is coffee good for you or bad for you this week?" Then goes on to use morning show science reporting as evidence that science is unreliable. The (laughable) contrast is then drawn with Jehovah/the cult in an assertion that it's consistent and reliable.

11

How many JW 'anointed™'...........

by punkofnice in

...actually believe they are chosen by god to go to heaven, as opposed to how many do it for attention seeking/presige reasons?.

i know we have nom way of really knowing.

however, your thoughts interest me..

OneEyedJoe

I don't think it's necessarily an either-or situation. There's probably a lot of factors that go in to someone deciding they're anointed - I suspect a lot of it has to do with who they've seen partaking (if they're anointed, surely I must be) or with a desire to be anointed (either to rule in heaven or for the prestige now) or other environmental factors. They take that and eventually rationalize their way to thinking they're anointed. I would guess that anyone who's partaking probably genuinely believes they're anointed, but that doesn't mean that the process that got them there was altruistic. People can convince themselves of all sorts of things just because it would be convenient if they are true.

One thing that seems to be true in my limited experience with partakers - they all seem to have a pretty high opinion of themselves. I guess you'd have to - JWs already think they're the best 0.1% of the population. To think you're anointed, you have to believe you're the top 0.1% of that.

10

What's all the whispering about...during the meetings, what are the brothers saying to one another...is it important? & other stuff

by tor1500 in

jw
friends

just wondering, during the meetings, what do the brothers whisper about.

at most of the meetings i see brothers coming up to other brothers during the meetings...always whispering something...you got it i'm nosy...what is it they have to say that's so important during the meeting.

it's not just every now & again, it's all the time.... anyone here been a brother or have privy to what you whispered about ?

OneEyedJoe

I'm sure it can vary widely, but of the conversations I've overheard going on they've all been about handling various parts or other "privileges" due to someone being absent, like truthexplorer said.

32

Are the anointed really "lovely people"?

by purrpurr in

i've personally never met any of those who claim to be anointed but the other jw's who have are always unanimous in their praise of how lovely and what wonderful people they are.

and i don't mean the gb i mean common or garden anointed.

i was told that when they speak about being in heaven that they almost "seem to glow".. is this right?

OneEyedJoe

I've known 3. One (would be in his 80s now) was a reasonably intelligent guy, but really self righteous. The next (would be late 60s) was really self centered, and was considered by the rest of the elders to be an idiot. He thought a lot of himself, but definitely wasn't all there.

The third is a kid that'd be maybe 26 now. Total moron, one of those people that would have no value without the cult. He pioneered and started partaking at like 19. Complete buffoon, this kid. Again, he thought an awful lot of himself. I think that's the common theme.

21

If WWI Had Not Started In 1914

by JW_Rogue in

would jws ever have arisen the way they did?

OneEyedJoe

Coming to the realization that 1914 could've been just a lucky guess (even though I knew it was originally supposed to be the beginning of Armageddon) was the last thing that motivated me to look online at sites like this one and jwfacts. Their "prediction" of 1914 was the last thing holding me captive for probably a couple years. They got a lucky guess and milked it for all it was worth. I think they'd probably still be around without it, but they'd look really different.

16

Confronting the elders with doubts

by HowTheBibleWasCreated in

i have already posted how i outed to an elder.... the only results were that another elder mentioned to me: "i heard you have doubts about the truth will you meet with us and clear it up... i also had doubts... i fixed them i can help.

" laughing inwardly i said sure.. oh i'm going to slaughter this moron.

when he asks my doubts i will show him the chromosome #2 video with ken miller.

OneEyedJoe

It might be worthwhile to spend some time considering what you hope to gain from talking to the elders.

If this is about trying to wake them up, I would suggest a one-on-one conversation, because when they have the support of other elders (or even just their watchful eye upon them) they'll never concede anything to you. They won't allow themselves. You'll be far more likely (though still a slim chance) to achieve results by splitting them up and keeping things casual and non-adversarial. I would also pick different topics that have a greater emotional appeal. Instead of science (which will easily be dismissed by the indoctrinated mind) go with things that 1. they know first-hand and 2. have undeniable implications. I think the best example of this is the ever changing blood policy. Asking if the organization should be considered blood-guilty for banning fractions at one time but now allowing them as a conscience matter is tough to argue with. It is impossible for any reasonable person to rule out the possibility that at least one person who's conscience would have allowed them to accept life-saving fractions died before this change simply because they were threatened with disfellowshipping for something that is no longer considered a DFing offense.

If you're just after some validation, consequences be damned, then go for it. The JW cult spends so much time tearing down our self-confidence so I can see the appeal of bringing your doubts to the elders to watch them fail miserably at addressing them. It could definitely help silence that quiet but persistent voice inside that keeps asking "what if I'm wrong about this?" I would just suggest that you make sure that quieting this voice is worth the risk of getting yourself DFed for apostasy. It seems that's a pretty likely outcome if you don't compromise yourself and recant.

Best of luck to you!

23

So can you pray for others that are not JW's ? Or only JW's

by tor1500 in

jw
friends

i'm a witness, so i need to know...can we pray for someone that isn't a jw.

reason i ask, once a friend of mine was going for an operation.

i asked an elder could he pray with her before she goes into the hospital.

OneEyedJoe

If your belief system leaves you questioning whether you're "allowed" to do something kind for someone - ANYONE - then I think you need to step back and reevaluate how you got there.

1

Reference point

by Lostandfound in

for decades i had a library of bound volumes to refer to.

is present method of publishing reference proof?

not easy to check some point by use of index, although video material has no half life is it easier for wt to change tracks?

OneEyedJoe

Yeah, I think that's one thing they're really loving about the switch to everything being electronic. They can (and frequently do) change articles without providing any notice that a change was made. If you read much news online, you'll often note that at the top or bottom of the article it mentions some change that was made after its initial release, often something as minor as a single word altered. In the cult, they never do this even when completely removing sections or changing the meaning significantly. It's completely dishonest to omit noting when changes to the articles have been made.

43

Waking People Up With Well Thought Out Comments

by JW_Rogue in

is it possible to have an effect from the inside?

with well thought comments that reveal more of the history of the organization?

the next book we study will be "god's kingdom rules!

OneEyedJoe

It didn't take me long to give up on waking anyone else up. It wasn't worth the effort for me, and it's not my responsibility to force anyone to open their eyes. What I did do while I was still in, though, was try to give comments and talks that would get the JWs nodding in agreement, unknowingly condemning themselves.

Make mention of how we would want to avoid association with ANY organization that knowingly hides pedophiles to save face in the public eye, like the catholic church.
Talk about how religious organizations often join the UN (the scarlet colored beast from revelation!) and how we would want to avoid association with any organization that has (or ever had) a membership in the UN.
Tell the story of Harold Camping (or similar - there's lots to choose from) predicting armageddon then changing the date when it didn't happen on his schedule and liken him to a false prophet that in the days of isreal would've been given the death sentence.
When stories about isreal come up in which the people die because the king is misleading them or because he made some mistake, remind them that god holds us personally accountable for who we put our allegiance in. In the case of the isrealites they put their allegiance in what was "god's organization" at the time, but when men lead it astray they were punished for continuing to follow it - we must continue to examine what we put our allegiance in to ensure that we are not putting faith in men who are not following god.

I'm under no illusions that any of this would wake someone up (maybe if they're already really on the fence...) but it sure was fun to do stuff like this and get the clueless JWs unknowingly condemning themselves. I guess it was a bit of revenge for forcing me to give my tacit approval to the cult by forming a system that makes free speech and objection impossible.