Posts by Balaamsass2

18

gossip

by Nancy1919 in

i was once was told by an jw elder it was a rule not to gossip or swear as it could harm someone, but i guess the new light allows this.

it was bad enough when they were calling people worldly now i heard a jw gossiping about someone and it was mean.just another reason i would never go back.

.

The fear of "outsiders", "apostates", "worldliness" and "sinners" has been institutionalized by Watchtower HQ because of their own fears of the outside world. What can you expect from a marginalized cult?

It seemed to ramp up a bit in the 70s about anyone appearing to not believe the world would end in 1975. Home buyers, college attenders, pregnancies, business starters. All were subjects of negative gossip as faithless and materialistic.

Around 1980 "apostates" secretly following Ray Franz were feared.

Attractive single sisters are frequent targets as possible "husband stealers".

It's always something.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-of-the-ooze/202303/why-gossip-feels-so-good#:~:text=Some%20psychologists%20have%20suggested%20that,pair%20bonding%20and%20good%20feelings.

90

What is Your Favorite WT Lie?

by Sea Breeze in

i would like to start a thread on lies that the watchtower and their reps have told.

surely we all have one or two that truly sticks out in our memories, no matter how much we would like to forget.

my favorite wt lie: the reason they don't want to release the name of the "scholars" who worked on the new world translation is because they do not want to accept "glory and honor" from others.

Balaamsass2

So, so many flip flops. Is old "light" a lie...or the "new light"?????

If God Jehovah has existed eternally, has he been lying to his "faithful slave" or just playing with them? Or.....do they simply "make up things" or "hear" things like a precocious preschooler????? Or...are they simply old fashioned con-artists???

It is hard to recall all the lies and flip flops. JWfacts.com has a handy short list.

https://jwfacts.com/watchtower/changed-watchtower-teachings.php

18

Unlocking Hidden Meanings: A Fresh Look at the Creation of Eve

by TimWexler in

hello!i am an independent scholar and researcher with a deep curiosity for ancient cultures and texts.

i do not adhere to any religious tradition, but my passion for understanding the mysteries of our past has led me to explore biblical stories in depth.

my particular interest lies in the original hebrew text of the bible, which i find fascinating both as literature and as a source of historical riddles.i recently completed a study that might change the way you perceive some well-known biblical stories.

Balaamsass2

Which Eve? Was she full Neanderthal or just partial? :)

https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species

90

What is Your Favorite WT Lie?

by Sea Breeze in

i would like to start a thread on lies that the watchtower and their reps have told.

surely we all have one or two that truly sticks out in our memories, no matter how much we would like to forget.

my favorite wt lie: the reason they don't want to release the name of the "scholars" who worked on the new world translation is because they do not want to accept "glory and honor" from others.

Balaamsass2

Biggest lie?

Watchtower and the Governing body are "Chosen" or "Spirit directed".

16

Ramapo project approved

by dropoffyourkeylee in

news is that the ramapo project has been approved by authorities and can move forward..

Balaamsass2

My relative, the 1940s Bethelite and Branch overseers' words keep coming back to me: " Don't do what Watchtower says....do what they do". "They keep planning and investing for the future".

They have always had undisclosed offsite farms and buildings on the down low.

30

Is it just me, or is Watchtower lowering its standards?

by ukpimo in

in the past, we used to hear talks on:.

avoiding sexual immorality and porn, as well as masturbation and other sexual practices.

why evolution cannot possibly be true.

Balaamsass2

Is it easier to be a JW now. Yes, perhaps.

Fewer hours in meetings. ( No separate book study). Shorter Talks.

Way fewer hours in field Service for Pioneers, and Servants.

Less rigorous dress and grooming rules.

Easier to be reinstated.

But much harder to remain MENTALLY in. Abundant information in books and the on the internet that abundantly proves they are morally deficient and in NO WAY CHOSEN BY A MORAL CREATOR. Obviously, Elders and Servants are not vetted by the organization, or HOLY SPIRIT (if it exists). Obviously Watchtower is complicit in covering over crimes. What moral person WANTS to associate with an immoral organization?

16

The case from Denmark - setttled in The European Court

by AndersonsInfo in

beninu andersen.

denmark.

i am not aware of how many of you are familiar with the danish case of a jehovah's witness who was hospitalized after a tragic accident where he fell several floors from a scaffolding where he was working.. the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit and was conscious (albeit somewhat confused) for the first three weeks.

Balaamsass2

Thanks Barb!

22

Netflix Live Boxing Event

by moomanchu in

jw
friends

when i was in the org it seemed most brothers were very much into football and other sports.

which looking back makes no sense and makes me wonder why?

it felt like an overcompensating to be masculine.. shouldn't football be deemed unchristian?

Balaamsass2

Lol. I seem to remember some Watchtowers about competition and violence in sports and TV in the 1980s. I ignored them. Wife #1 the "pioneer" didn't forget and accused me on being "a man of violence" while I was watching the 49ers in a football play-off one weekend, caped with an old John Wayne movie! She stomped out of the house. Evidently, it was to complain to an elder neighbor 2 blocks away. When she got there, the entire family and another elder were watching the same things! lol. ( the family recounted the story to me years later). :)

Church Lady on Football: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgMkBNWuquo&list=PLuiwnTWuEF8P4sjlF94Ip9ZkXeYHpW4Nd&index=3

51

2024 year Highlights: JWs hit 9 million Publishers

by Sanchy in

jw
friends

watchtower put out some highlights for the 2024 service year:.

average publishers: 8,828,124. peak publishers: 9,043,460. a 43.2 percent increase in "those who returned to jehovah", meaning 65,816 were reinstated.

baptized: 296,267. memorial attendance: 21,119,442. missing stat: number of partakers .. womp womp.

Balaamsass2

Watchtower lies about dates and "prophecy". They lie about Child and senior abuse. They lie about financial statements at conventions. They lie on their tax returns. They lie in court. It is considered "Theocratic strategy". Why should anyone believe their membership numbers?

A "new" congregation in the third world can mean 30 people set up benches under a tree, and follow whatever the only local semi-literate male tells them.

Religion is a snare and a racket.

121

PRESIDENTIAL predictions...let the prognosticators have their say!

by Terry in

jw
friends

my only prowess in making predictions stems from my 77-years of life in the united statesgrowing up under president truman, eisenhower, kennedy, nixon, .....etc.

etc.i was a widdle kid sitting in front of a tiny black and white tv set when the very first broadcastsof political conventions, deal-making, debates (nixon vs kennedy), assassinations (jfk, rfk, martin luther king, etc.

) i grew up with duck and cover under my elementary schooldesk, the cold war, the iron curtain, the korean war, the vietnam war and i went to federal prisonas a jw conscientious objector while hippies, flower children, political activists protested and universitystudents were fired up on by troops.i grew up reading newspapers (2 of them).

Balaamsass2

I expected the election to be a coin toss. I am surprised that such flawed candidates are chosen out of hundreds of millions of people. The propensity of humans to need "cults", gurus, sky daddies, and strong men astounds and worries me.