i do remember reading an article that it is not ok for jw to sell cigarettes at gas stations, etc... i was wondering what about lottery tickets?
they do sell lottery tickets at few restaurants around my home.
if jw works there and rats me out to the elders, i would not give a damn about it but i still prefer not to hear from the elders about it..
"If someone played the lottery and won, and donated the money to the society, would they accept it and would he be disfellowshipped?"
WT will accept anything in the form of checks, money orders, cash, credit cards, gifts, estates, etc. They could care less where it comes from as long as THEY can benefit from it. They will just do what they do best...SWEEP IT ALL UNDER THE RUG!! Money flows one way in Watchtower land...in THEIR POCKETS!
a month ago i decided to register in this board.
i had decided to step down pioneering but was frightened about the consequences.
i had finished my university degree some months before (despite disaproval from brothers in my congregation) and i had to choose: continue pioneering and working in jobs with no future or starting a career, working full-time.. i was thinking to postpone the decisiton but... i was fed up with preaching.
"I guess what I'm saying is that even if you have doubts as to god's existence, they will not DF you, and they will be perfectly willing to have you "step down." However, if you express doubts as to the BORG, you're out."
It's interesting in WT land that you can question the existence of God and nothing happens but as soon as you question the org...you're out. Really tells you a lot about this cult!
a month ago i decided to register in this board.
i had decided to step down pioneering but was frightened about the consequences.
i had finished my university degree some months before (despite disaproval from brothers in my congregation) and i had to choose: continue pioneering and working in jobs with no future or starting a career, working full-time.. i was thinking to postpone the decisiton but... i was fed up with preaching.
Another question...those Elders that are telling you not to quit, are they themselves full time pioneering and working a full time job?
We have a family member who has 5 kids and had to work additional hours to support his large family. He was an elder and wanted to step down. The Body of elders tried talking him out of it. He asked the brothers if they would chip in to help support his large family. Guess what? They did not push it further. This family member is no longer a JW. He saw the abuse this organization lays upon its member and exited. His children and wife wife are all out too.
Ask the Body of Elders to help with your finances and see what kind of response you get. lol Tell them you can remain a pioneer and continue with your responsibilities IF they help support you. That is one thing WT and it's members will never do....HELP YOU. They may bring a meal over when you need it but will never really HELP YOU. It's amazing!
a month ago i decided to register in this board.
i had decided to step down pioneering but was frightened about the consequences.
i had finished my university degree some months before (despite disaproval from brothers in my congregation) and i had to choose: continue pioneering and working in jobs with no future or starting a career, working full-time.. i was thinking to postpone the decisiton but... i was fed up with preaching.
The key thing you said in your post is..."they elders have NO empathy." You are 100% correct on this.
My spouse and I are currently watching our family members struggle financially. They are almost 70 years old. None of them went to college, they pioneered and went off to Bethel. They look and sound so beat down and discouraged. Trust me when I say to you....TAKE THE GOOD JOB. You have your education, now go use it.
The only reason they (the Elders) are discouraging you, is because you do a lot of tasks that they don't want to do. They are "using" you.
Move forward. You have a lot of life before you. We left in our late 40's and even we have a lot of life ahead of us. Our families in their late 60's do not. They have wasted a life.
Good luck and hugs to you. You sound like a brilliant guy!
in the late 1990s there was magazine article that asked the question, are jws a secret society?
obviously they said no, because they claim to be transparent to outsiders and new members.
but they really are not transparent at all.
Slimboyfat, yes the Internet has exposed many details and activities that might have never been revealed to the rank and file in the past.
One example a few years ago was the apartment complex they purchased with "dedicated funds" for over $50 million!
Why didn't they build enough space in Warwick to house the all the Bethelites for the move out of NY? Only space for 800 - 1000?
Who get to live in these luxury apartments? The faithful ones with the biggest secrets?
Heres the link:
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/289472/watchtower-buys-apt-complex-fishkill-ny?page=1&size=10
i cannot think of a single doctrine that is so clearly laid out in the bible that every christian sect teaches the same point.
are there any doctrine where there is total consensus amongst all christian religions, including jehovah's witnesses?.
Jw leaks stated the number 1 reason for any religion. Money, I will add, power and a comfortable life style for it's leaders.
what other cut backs do you think will be coming or might be coming these next few years for the borg ?.
after much research and prayer i am returning to being a jehovah's witness i can find nothing that eliminates them from being god's directed people , in the end they will reach the end of there journey despite mistakes and errors just like the israelites entered the promised land , thanks for your input and all the best on your personal journey ☺.
midnight..
Yes...I had that voice all my life. I always use the example of a child. Imagine your child comes to you with a question and you punish the child for asking the question. Good grief, how will they ever learn? As a JW you are not allowed to ask questions. What is wrong with that?
Right before we left I asked a Brother..."do you not see the contradiction on this point?" He replied "no". I knew then and there that these people will not see it...no matter what. I dropped it and and never asked a question again. What's the point? I will spend my time enjoying my life and not banging my head on the wall.
wife and i have watched the whole series and just finished episode 7 last night.
personally, i am seeing a great deal more subtle and day to day similarities to watchtower than the obvious ones i already knew existed, ie shunning.
very eye opening and heartbreaking, even more so than going clear in my mind.
Oh wow tor1500 are you ever right on your post above. We have witnessed this several times in our family. We had a family member that got a slap on the wrist and boy he just couldn't take it. Now that he is in "good graces" again in the org. he can't see anyone elses problems. He's all warm and snuggly in the org again so all is well. It's always easier passing judgment on others, UNTIL it happens to YOU!
first of all, sorry if i cannot correctly express the original expression used in my native language to ask for the "spiritual condition".. a few years ago some member of the family asks my wife directly how is her "spiritual health" (for me it's one of the many strange vocabulary used by jw like "the slave says...").
she was catched by surprise with the direct question and says that everything is ok... and luckily someone call them for lunch.. my question is: do you have any good answers for that question?
you can be ironic/use some humor because the question is a little bit anecdotical .
Spirituality equal JW tasks, nothing more. How many hoops are you willing to jump through to prove your loyalty to a man made organization. Sad!
