Posts by Balaamsass2

26

Is the USA gradually moving to a majority of citizens being non-religious

by Reasonfirst in

jw
friends

this is a topic discussed in a current article in the hongkong based asia times*.

find it at: https://asiatimes.com/2023/09/nones-still-no-match-for-us-christian-nationalism/.

the claim is made in the article, that near 30% of americans are non-believers, and that this number is increasing.

Balaamsass2

I have had this discussion with an old attorney friend from work. He studied to be a Catholic Priest for a while...but liked women too much. :) He identifies as Catholic but rarely attends church. Calls himself "Spiritual but not religious".

3#rd Gen and I moved to rural northern California 25 years ago from the San Francisco Bay Area. We have a LOT of former Assembly of God Pentecostals who have moved into our town. They (Bethel church) now comprise about 15% of the population. They have added some Hippie- Hindu practices (Kundalini tantric sex), "Prosperity gospel", NAR beliefs and rock music to their religion and seem to be growing. Combined with speaking in tongues, faith healing, and far-right political bent they are very different. They believe god will protect them from illness, yet have a militia.

I read that most Americans are becoming less religious.."Spiritual"....but not religious.

New York Times : America Is Losing Religious Faith

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/23/opinion/christianity-america-religion-secular.html?unlocked_article_code=Zlln1UZwlrnDMRn1EaWo96lnIud540AEeVEQg9Ds5b06R9Tr748cwh3TX0dVzqDUYzbTu6NZUppqFhjHHXFXw2jK7TFNPZgqABh1XWIY621ZgcaAcsVvIZjkF6ns2Ww6tiIGyzkCx1w_PJCIjigySMgHEMT0fuLXlxm4pUbk9GEnrjXSuYzlErlHSGcmsCDcT1zp1zPsvU7oc0WdNkWp3ArkTC9oec8APuBGA8F2qGd-eTyqtQ74EAM3BH4ZooIP9MB-PFe7g2GDMqVLhddBrtMWPden3DcnmBGWZBy87BcMytUnsNEeEVrQ0n2SFwWmjlqu094k_ByCTnjNgKMZLFnIyhz5zhhdrtibASAbXg&smid=url-s

32

Do you play the LOTTERY?

by Fisherman in

jw view gambling as a sin and sadly people get addicted to gambling causing them financial and health problems.

but is playing a couple of bucks a week on some lottery tickets actually gambling?

what do you have to lose?

Balaamsass2

It was a big deal in the 70s & 80s. A LOT of JWs worked in Nevada Casinos. Construction, Food service, housekeeping, and they were forced to quit their jobs.

Today, not such a big deal.

After we attended our last JW meeting over 10 years ago, 1st Gen bought us a couple of lottery tickets, and me a Cuban cigar for my birthday. lol. :) Lottery tickets are a Cheap price to pay for a pleasant daydream.

26

Exes: Would You Rat On A Current JW?

by NotFormer in

it's an interesting thought.

if you are an ex jw, presumably dfed, and you see a current jw in good standing engaging in behaviour that would concern their elders, would you pass on that information to interested parties?

do accusations from exes and other outsiders carry any weight?

Balaamsass2

Serious crime, I would call the police. I would never contact the elders or get involved.

My "half-in" aunt's "unbelieving husband" took delight in reporting JWs in town for ANYTHING he thought might be illegal, or unchristian to the cops, elders, or anyone who would listen.

When I was an elder he would aproach me at family reunions to try and bend my ear with a litany of complaints on a long list of people.

Strange bitter guy. His 30 + grandchildren would not visit him...or anyone else. Died alone. I never once repeated any of his venomous accusations.

47

Retirement savings

by TxNVSue2023 in

what's the current jw stance on retirement savings?

i know it changed.

pre1975 it was an attitude of "don't worry about retirement, this system is ending soon".

Balaamsass2

Long hair gal

Well, They left a message. I called them back about 7 hrs later and they had released her on her own. No doubt because an insurance company was unwilling to pay...or Medi-cal wouldn't foot the bill.

They did not have a forwarding address or phone. I asked around but no one knew what happened to her and she evidently disappeared into the morass of big city homeless. I only knew about her situation from phone calls from current and ex-Jws in the SF Bay Area who had seen her with her bags in coffee shops.

47

Retirement savings

by TxNVSue2023 in

what's the current jw stance on retirement savings?

i know it changed.

pre1975 it was an attitude of "don't worry about retirement, this system is ending soon".

Balaamsass2

My only income in retirement is from ignoring Watchtower. Saving, investing, and buying a home all starting in the 90s.

In the 70s I hung on the Governing Body's every word i.e. "1975!!!!" Pioneered, Bethel, Pioneer, need greater.... until.... we needed health insurance and rent.

Got a steady corporate job in the late 80s and my wife number #1 the Pioneer, went to the elders to report my "lack of faith" because I attended night college PT, and she saw my paycheck stub deductions for an IRA, Disability insurance, and a 401k. She got me removed as an MS. She was Pioneering and left me a year later because of my "lack of faith" that the "End was right around the corner". At that time the "Family Book" gave the green light for divorce for "Spiritual endangerment".

Wife #1 was SHOCKED after she left me that "JEHOVAH and Watchtower DID NOT "provide" and she actually had to eventually get a job in Lui of Pioneering. lol. :) She continued to never save money or get reliable employment believing Watchtower's "Armageddon was "just around the corner". When she got too tired, crazy, and haggard in her late 60s to get another husband or continue working, she became a homeless bag lady sleeping behind Kingdom Halls and begging at Coffee Shops while reading her Watchtower on her tablet with free WIFI. ( A San Diego mental hospital called me last year looking for someone to release this homeless 70-year-old to since her "Worldly family" and local JWs refused to. Exhibit A... The result of BELIEVING Watchtower BS 100%.

39

So, 60 Years Ago

by titch in

so, folks, 60 years ago, starting on september 1st, i believe, we, local witnesses in southern california, had the "privilege" of attending the "around the world assembly", at, of all places, the rose bowl, in pasadena.

(i think that it was an 8-day assembly) i was 9 years old then, almost ready to start 4th grade.

so, was anyone else, on this site, at that assembly?

Balaamsass2

Do I remember? YES. I was 8.

Pasadena was hot and smoggy....until it rained. We all wore dry cleaner plastic bags and sat in the rain. I got sick from the smog and heat. Mom fainted in the heat. But I DID get one day in DISNEYLAND I never forgot.

The Mexican food in the cafeteria was good. :)

All the adults in our hotel had cocktail parties and got hammered. lol.

The teenagers had pool parties.

Oh... and the Babylon Book. Who could forget all the years of boring book study nights spent on that book?

21

Aftermath of being Reinstated

by TxNVSue2023 in

i'm in the process of being reinstated ( my df'ing story is on here).

because i've never been in this position before, i don't know how i will be treated once i'm reinstated.

i moved to a new city/state and i don't know a single person here or in my new congregation i am attending.

Balaamsass2

If... you really WANT to reinstated....each hall will be a little different.

Since most JW elders are not the world's most literate group...moving a few times (for work, sick parents, etc.) tends to improve the chances of records being lost and letters becoming more brief.

I have seen a number of people get reinstated and accepted over the years. Like with most any group, donating $$ visibly in the box by CHECK seems to help since a couple of brothers will see them and possibly discuss them. Visibly participating, spreading a bit of $$ around (meals, etc.), telling a few funny stories, G-rated jokes, and being generally low-key, and amicable.

Personally, as I have aged, I can no longer stomach kissing up to people I do not like or respect...it makes me ill.

28

Could this be the end of JWs? What are the consequences if it is?

by Teddnzo in

multiple very serious allegations against tony and then huge efforts to remove him from all pictures and videos, have to admit it doesn’t look good.. once the pennsylvania investigation becomes public knowledge and front page news it will be very very hard for 8 million pimis.. is it possible that this could be the largest problem the branch has ever faced?

larger than 1975, the overlapping generations or any other ‘test of faith’.

many will feel heartbroken and betrayed.

Balaamsass2

People are people....and we have been tribal for many thousands of years. The mind can be a powerful prison.

I think the constant drum of bad publicity will simply demoralize the rank and file so they attend and contribute less and less. Younger members who use the internet will wake up and drift away.

This happened with Christian Science, Quakers, Shakers, and a number of other denominations in the USA.

It would be more gratifying if the Governing body were actually outed and convicted in a RICO-type investigation for evidence destruction and coverups, (like Jim and Tammy Baker for fraud) but I doubt we will see anything like that.

35

Are Elders prepared to take the fall for WT/GB misdemeanor's / crime ??

by smiddy3 in

i have been thinking about this in relation to the directive given to elders to destroy any incriminating evidence they may have either on their pc`s ,e-mails , private notes in their possession, or notes in their witnessing bags ,etc.

to do with child sexual abuse they may still have in their possession.. isn`t that encouraging the elders to interfere with the justice system ?.

to break the law?.

Balaamsass2

One San Francisco Bay Area Elder was summarily disfellowshiped in absentia for truthful testimony on the witness stand a few years back. Direct orders from HQ. His orders were to lie ie: "theocratic strategy".

In the Pennsylvania Attorney General's investigations on Child abuse, one EX elder is singing like a canary about Watchtower's orders to destroy evidence. I hope Watchtower and the GB have conspiracy charges pressed "RICO".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstruction_of_justice

12

Blood Card Check

by NotFormer in

i remember many years ago that apparently there was an annual event where witnesses' blood cards (or whatever they're called) were checked by some visiting wt dignitary.

that the blood cards were current, and that the r&f were carrying them.. given the situation in some countries that kingdom halls can't legally keep data about people who have been visited, is the practice of checking and enforcing the carrying of blood cards similarly illegal in some places?.

are there any places where it is illegal for the hlc to set up camp near the hospital bed of a sick jw?.

Balaamsass2

In the 2 local cases, the elders kept the 3 sisters' identities secret from the accused. The accused had no idea how the elders got the information. One was an ex-elder's mistress's STD being treated and paid for by the married brother (JW intake clerks). The other was a single sister who got an abortion (JW in medical records).