Thanks Doc. when I saw that new word "brazen" it made my head explode. At least it helps me shake the dissonance when it tries to creep in. I had friends growing up that were asked to describe in detail to the elders the extent of their conduct to determine how loose or brazen...1 finger or 2 and how far in etc.... yuck ! The questions that were asked by the elders should be considered brazen! Seems to me the shepherd book should be renamed the book of Pharisee and the only instructions in a true shepherd book should be one word - LOVE
Awakenednow
JoinedPosts by Awakenednow
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17
Elders Correspondence Guidelines PDF
by pale.emperor inhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/0b0d-uj0uvjrasknuagrmd0vixza/view.
interesting reading.
a few things i learned from reading this that i wasn't aware of when i was a jw:.
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Elders Correspondence Guidelines PDF
by pale.emperor inhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/0b0d-uj0uvjrasknuagrmd0vixza/view.
interesting reading.
a few things i learned from reading this that i wasn't aware of when i was a jw:.
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Awakenednow
Is marrying an unbeliever defined as brazen now too? Therefore can be df'd ?
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How much have things changed?
by dogisgod inm'y mother indoctrinated me from birth.
1951. from that time to the 90s things preceeded fairly repetitively.
5 meetings/week, personal study, door-to-door, participate in nothing else outside of the society, no dating.
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Awakenednow
🙃
yup it's totally different and kinda creepy how opposite it used to be.
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Baptism at 10 years of age! March 2017 broadcast
by stuckinarut2 in(i wanted to put this in the child abuse section of the forum!).
we have seen that during the march 2017 broadcast, m stephen lett has openly praised children who get baptised as young as 10!.
so lets summarize why it is wrong to push child baptism (not far off "infant baptism" that jws condemn other churches for).
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Awakenednow
To sign a legal contract... what happened to Jesus was baptized at 30 and following him as a model closely?
It's for control (guilt complex incorporated into a naive personality) and numbers game. This way they have boasting rights to annual baptism numbers that to me probably reflect a high percentage of kids; and If unable to count the kids would show a very ineffective ministry in general. What kind of lack of morale in the rank and file would result? They'd have to fall back on the preaching work is over line but the challenge there is the flock is looking for eminent destruction of the world and a 100 more years from now.... and another and another. This doctrine is falling apart fast and unrealistic and unsustainable. At a certain point it will all tip and no longer containable.
Just sayin' 😋
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Went to the assembly..some.personal thoughts on it.
by integ ini've been as honest as i can on this forum throughout my time bouncing in and out..and been jumped on for saying anything positive about the "truth" or my experiences at the hall, but it's been a few years now since i have been attending meetings.
i go to the memorial for family reasons and went to the assembly today for the same reason...but one observation i have to make is most of us have all dealt with years of hearing how gawd awful "the world" is and how the only happiness is going to meetings and out in service.
now that is total bs.
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Awakenednow
Thanks for sharing your experience Integ. It's nice hearing that you are at peace with it all. I understand the nostalgia and I miss those times too, everything except the bs parts including the nonsense of being shunned. But, the times in the "truth" were some of the happiest times of my life and I always looked forward to assemblies, except the last couple due to waking up to all the doctrinal error and those were like listening to fingernails scratching chalk boards for hours. The world definitely is what you make of it. My life is blessed and I'm happy to have moved on. Maybe one day I'll pop in an assembly to say hi just like you. I'm happy for you that you've found the strength to move forward.
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For any victims of abuse by Elders/Watchtower
by nicolaou inif you are still holding on to your story and struggling alone please, please consider speaking up now.
the australian royal commission into child abuse has shown that these enquiries are not toothless and can in fact make a difference, but only if they are empowered by brave individuals like you.. now it's the turn of the uk.
yes, there's been a few false starts but now is the time to tell them what happened.
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Awakenednow
Has anyone in USA started a class action like Australia?
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Beware of Emojis! A worksheet from jw.org to help you!
by stuckinarut2 inwe all know just hoe dangerous emojis are right??
well, thankfully, "jehovah's organization" have lovingly provided a step by step worksheet to help!.
https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/teenagers/worksheets/friendly-or-flirtatious/.
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Awakenednow
Totally funny comments and sad the org is really going there. I can hear the special needs talk now. Poop emoji use is uncleaness and therefore Mark the unclean emoji sexual poop sexting violators of holiness.
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How do JW's determine a person is anointed?
by thinker11 ini've always wondered about this.
when a person believes they made a spiritual connection with god and proclaims themselves as anointed, how do they determine whether this person is anointed or not.
does a group of elders look at the person's spiritual resume and check off the person's pioneer stats, bible knowledge, attendance, work ethic, personality, etc and then believe in the person if they have a good track record?
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Awakenednow
From my understanding, You just know ... Holy Spirit bears witness to yours that you belong to Christ and life takes on a new meaning. Most christians experience this as they put on the new personality, filtering life's experiences through the filter of patterning Christ in love, humility, compassion, kindness - Christ being the revelation of divine love. I've seen this in so many christians attending various churches. It's sad the Jw doctrine is a contradiction of "undeserved kindness" Grace and legalism, leading to missing out on experiencing a Grace filled life instead of a guilt/work self-righteousness focus. Once convicted you are compelled to follow the leanings of that Love dominated Spirit although human imperfection can interrupt the behavior. To me it's the awareness that I am beloved of my creator and I can choose to live my life in that strength, if my source is Love therefore I am love (except when I'm not in which Christ then makes up for my lack and I am not under condemnation or feeling guilty for not being good enough because Christ is Good in my place) the Holy Spirit convicts the individual of this. It's not weird or hocus pocus but can be sudden, like an aha moment of awareness and thereafter you just begin to see the fulfillment of all in Christ Jesus...the way,truth and life. Its not about being a king in the earthly sense of ruling over others as WT teaches... that's why it's all confusing to jw"s.
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Are baptized Witnesses that are no longer in the "truth", but were NEVER DF'D, now to be shunned and treated like disfellowshipped ones?
by Dunedain ina relative of mine was telling me, that in his, and a few neighboring congregations, there is a little confusion amongst some of the jw's about this "issue".
some families are having a hard time about whether certain relatives will be attending certain family functions, because some family members that are no longer in the "truth", might be invited to these functions.
mind you, these persons were never disfellowshipped.
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Awakenednow
I'm faded. My parents have relationship with me still and my sister and her elder husband refuse to communicate, while their sons (one elder, one ms) still will respond albeit at arms distance not closely as before. It's weird! The whole speak in unity thingy is obsolete as the value of this religion fades even to the faithful.
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Life is changing for me: no pioneering, got a job!
by Skepsis ina 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.
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Awakenednow
Awesome Freddo. No need to feel bad about living your truth and the friends are still under the spell. Good for you! I love your responses and attitude. It's hard to let people down who held you as an example, but it's better then personal dishonesty which leads to depression, etc. best of life to you! Do you still regularly attend?