Posts by somebodylovesme

150

The dubs at "Witness World" are discussing UN involvement!!!!!

by somebodylovesme in

i am a lurker on the "witness world" witnesses-only website.

they are having a discussion because someone during door-to-door service confronted them with the un letter.

they are all saying that it is "obviously made up"... but the person is planning on writing to the society to ask.

somebodylovesme

How does one give read only access? I have no problem copying and pasting what has been said over there. Here it is, or what is there thus far:

brucejw	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 07:14 AM
I'm New Group: Members Posts: 9 Member No.: 308 Joined: 3-January 04	A recent thread by roger talks about how a guy at the door accused the WTS of investing in Coca Cola (nothing wrong with that IMO). But the thread reminded me of a recent accusation I heard while going door-to-door. One guy said the WTS was involved in the United Nations! I of course said the WTS would never get involved with the scarlot colored wild beast. He then showed me some letter supposedly from the UN which confirmed that the WTS registered with them and by registering they had to agree to support the UN and the UN's charter. I was dumbfounded... wasn't sure how to respond to this at all...

Jzero

Posted: Jan 15 2004, 08:35 AM

I love my WW

Group: Members
Posts: 133
Member No.: 17
Joined: 15-August 03
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QUOTE (brucejw @ Jan 15 2004, 11:14 AM)

A recent thread by roger talks about how a guy at the door accused the WTS of investing in Coca Cola (nothing wrong with that IMO). But the thread reminded me of a recent accusation I heard while going door-to-door.

One guy said the WTS was involved in the United Nations!

I of course said the WTS would never get involved with the scarlot colored wild beast. He then showed me some letter supposedly from the UN which confirmed that the WTS registered with them and by registering they had to agree to support the UN and the UN's charter.

I was dumbfounded... wasn't sure how to respond to this at all...

Sounds to me that you are associating with an apostate.

If the person showing you that info calls himself a "brother" he and a copy of his letter needs to be reported to the CO.

brucejw	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 08:42 AM
I'm New Group: Members Posts: 9 Member No.: 308 Joined: 3-January 04	I think you misunderstood...it was someone we ran across out in service. I didn't know how to respond so I just said I'd come back later after I researched it. But I am not sure how to go about it...

PamelaDO	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 08:50 AM
I love my WW Group: Moderator Posts: 112 Member No.: 70 Joined: 19-August 03	I guess you could do research on it, but if nothing else, I would tell him that we do not support the UN and that if he had doubts as to my knowledge of the matter all he had to do was email both the UN and the Society and compare their responses. No doubt this is a letter started by some apostate org. and it can easily be found false. -------------------- Pamela

brucejw	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 09:03 AM
I'm New Group: Members Posts: 9 Member No.: 308 Joined: 3-January 04	Thanks for your reply. I like your idea of writing the Society. He gave me a copy of the UN letter.. I think I should send it to the Society and ask them about it. I've never written the Society before. How long does it take to get a reply? Too bad they don't have an email address for general questions (or do they?)... I could scan it and send it to them and hopefully get a faster response.

brucejw	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 09:19 AM
I'm New Group: Members Posts: 9 Member No.: 308 Joined: 3-January 04	actually are there any bethelites here? or someone here that can email a family/friend at bethel? I could send you the scanned UN letter and maybe you could email it. I'm eager for a response so I can get back to this guy.

Polly Pan	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 11:41 AM
I gotta be me Group: Admin Posts: 306 Member No.: 228 Joined: 20-November 03	You're best bet would be to contact the society directly. If you go to the official web site of the society, on the right hand side of the screen under the heading "Browse" you'll find "Contact Us". A few simple questions and the society will be in touch with you promptly. -------------------- "Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm."

Jzero	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 11:44 AM
I love my WW Group: Members Posts: 133 Member No.: 17 Joined: 15-August 03	Why would a person be holding onto and passing out incriminating evidence against the Society if they are not an apostate? You won't find apostates giving talks at the kingdom hall. they have to live somewhere, we do cross paths with them at their homes while in the door to door work. I advise against making copies and distributing it. And I advise against anyone giving out names and e-mail addresses of Bethelites, and I advise fighting the curiosity of obtaining a copy for yourselves. The document could be a fraud. Perhaps the person distributing the copy to you has done so innocently, however if the document is a fraud then he has been misled and is just serving the purposes of the apostate who created the fraud. If it turns out to be a fraud then do you want to have shared in distributing such lies? If it turns out to be a copy of a legitimate registration, then I am confident that the Society and their lawyers have done so with out compromising the integrity of the scriptural requirement to remain neutral. Whatever the case is I don't need to see it. Unless a copy has been distributed by the normal means (Kingdom Hall and Publications) by the Society themselves. I don't disagree with writing the Society or asking your elders about it.

PamelaDO	Posted: Jan 15 2004, 12:24 PM
I love my WW Group: Moderator Posts: 112 Member No.: 70 Joined: 19-August 03	When I suggested writing to the society, I meant that you would suggest they should do it. I personally would not get involved in all the time-consuming research of it. I'm sure that's just one more thing apostates want - for Witnesses to waste their time with this junk. If the letter is supposedly from the UN, just tell the person to ask the UN if it's a fraud - they would know. Why does this person care anyway? I would think that all you'd have to say is "This letter is a fraud". If they question you further, tell them if they don't believe you to contact the UN. -------------------- Pamela

Savita

Posted: Jan 15 2004, 01:43 PM

I might like this

Group: Members
Posts: 32
Member No.: 114
Joined: 3-September 03

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This has been a ploy of the apostates for years. Present something to cause a person to doubt or question the organization and consequently undermind a person's faith and confidence. Just file it under "trash." ------------------------------ After this I posted a short and non-revealing post saying that yes, I had a letter from the WTS saying they were an NGO and that it WAS true. I am waiting for replies..... -SLM

150

The dubs at "Witness World" are discussing UN involvement!!!!!

by somebodylovesme in

i am a lurker on the "witness world" witnesses-only website.

they are having a discussion because someone during door-to-door service confronted them with the un letter.

they are all saying that it is "obviously made up"... but the person is planning on writing to the society to ask.

somebodylovesme

I am a lurker on the "Witness World" Witnesses-only website. They are having a discussion because someone during door-to-door service confronted them with the UN letter. They are all saying that it is "obviously made up"... but the person is planning on writing to the Society to ask. hmmmm... it just still amazes me that they write it off so easily. It is a debate I will DEFINITELY be watching. Any other lurkers out there?

SLM

7

Do NGOs receive funding from the United Nations?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

this question actually came up because i was thinking about independent charities and the potential advantages of them teaming up with the un.

then i thought... hmmmm if they could get funding... if ngos could get funding, that might explain why the watchtower would join.

what other benefits could there possibly be?

somebodylovesme

This question actually came up because I was thinking about independent charities and the potential advantages of them teaming up with the UN. Then I thought... hmmmm if they could get funding... If NGOs could get funding, that might explain why the Watchtower would join.

What other benefits could there possibly be? I just can't figure out WHY they joined. It doesn't make sense.

SLM

12

Internal conflict ? A JW is always "sick" and misses meetings. Doubting?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

the person in question is my husband's mother who is a jw.

she is in her late 40s... has been a devout dub for 20 years or so, and has never to my knowledge had any spiritual "problems".

she exhibits every characteristic that the typical rank-and-file should have.

somebodylovesme

Lady Lee -

Your problems sound a LOT like my mother-in-law's. Headaches are her primary, but most of the other things are part of her condition which, the more I read, I surely do believe is psychosomatic. It's interesting to hear about the self-depricating feelings... I hope she doesn't feel that way, but perhaps she does because her son left the truth, or - who knows - maybe she does doubt her own goodness. I guess you never know what's going on in someone's head.

12

Internal conflict ? A JW is always "sick" and misses meetings. Doubting?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

the person in question is my husband's mother who is a jw.

she is in her late 40s... has been a devout dub for 20 years or so, and has never to my knowledge had any spiritual "problems".

she exhibits every characteristic that the typical rank-and-file should have.

somebodylovesme

The person in question is my husband's mother who is a JW. She is in her late 40s... has been a devout dub for 20 years or so, and has never to my knowledge had any spiritual "problems". She exhibits every characteristic that the typical rank-and-file should have. In our personal conversations, she always tells me how strong her faith is and how it pulls her through everything, blah blah blah... (I was never a JW - my husband, her son, has been inactive for 2 years).

I lived with their family for about a year, and I started noticing that her health seemed to be conveniently problematic. She tended to have "headaches" on meeting nights. The family attributed it to stress, so she got a new job (her old job required a lot of travel and long hours, so this was good). The new job required her to work a lot of nights and even Sundays, but to my knowledge, she never complained to her boss nor tried to get out of working. The headaches continue despite medicine, but I can't help but notice they seem to be worse when she has obligations at the Hall. Often, her husband and the rest of their dub family goes out on service without her. I can't remember the last time she went out on service -- yet everyone is ignoring it.

I know she has some health issues - but I actually think they are linked to the stress of being in that religion, especially now that her son is inactive. I don't think she's consciously getting sick to miss meetings, but maybe subconsciously she's avoiding it? I don't know. Health issues aside, I have been wondering lately if she is secretly having doubts... I know when we had some family crap (us getting married, with me being worldly), her concerns were not what God would think, but what the "Congregation might say" and if her husband would lose privileges because of it. She didn't seem concerned that we were (Supposedly) displeasing Jehovah or whatever. Just that the elders might come after her or something. She just hasn't been the same since then.

I don't want to ask her, because I do NOT want to be seen as an apostate (I'm not. They've said so. Since I am nonreligious and have been very supportive of their faith and my husband's freedom to do what he wants, I'm okay in their eyes) .. but I don't even know what to watch for. I don't know if this is a sign or if I'm overreacting. I don't know if someone can have doubts without knowing it.

I guess I'm just looking for thoughts... I love this woman so dearly and respect her right to believe in whatever she wants. But if she is unhappy in this faith, and if it is making her ILL, then I wish she would realize it and get out for her own health's sake.

SLM

16

Am I the only one who has never seen a WT/Awake left in a public place?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

i've heard a few comments about watchtowers and awakes being left in doctor's offices, laundromats, etc.

maybe the witnesses are lazy in my home area, but i have never seen anything like that -- and i think, since i always look for something to read, i would have noticed.

strange.

somebodylovesme

... guess my area is "lucky", then. :) Actually, I have heard dubs around here say that theirs is a congregation "in trouble" because the numbers are dropping, hours are very low, etc. So it does make sense. I had just never even HEARD of mags in public places!

SLM

16

Am I the only one who has never seen a WT/Awake left in a public place?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

i've heard a few comments about watchtowers and awakes being left in doctor's offices, laundromats, etc.

maybe the witnesses are lazy in my home area, but i have never seen anything like that -- and i think, since i always look for something to read, i would have noticed.

strange.

somebodylovesme

I've heard a few comments about Watchtowers and Awakes being left in doctor's offices, laundromats, etc. Maybe the Witnesses are lazy in my home area, but I have never seen anything like that -- and I think, since I always look for something to read, I would have noticed. Strange. Is it just less common in rural areas?

Just a little observation for a Monday afternoon.

24

Crossing Over... with this post

by alias in

jw
friends

.

it took over three years to do it, but i am *no longer* a newbie.. aren't you proud?

show me some love!.

somebodylovesme

Congrats!! I long for that day... :)

12

Age at which you were baptised - and why isn't it taken into consideration?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

my husband was baptised right after he turned 11 years old.

this was highly unusual in his congregation (not sure what the average age is) as most people were at least 16 or 17 before they took the fatal plunge.

by the time my husband was 16, he realized what a huge mistake it was as he no longer wanted to have anything to do with it.

somebodylovesme

Interesting responses. Age 7! That's amazing to me. yikes.

I've heard from my husband another ex-JW friend (who was 14 when she was baptized and left at 18) both that they knew they "had to do it eventually" and didn't really see it as a decision. It was like, might as well do it now and get it out of the way. They both claim that's the mindset others their age had, too. Very sad.

I like the point that Jesus was 30. I'll have to bring that up sometime if my dub in-laws start talking about baptism... :)

SLM

12

Age at which you were baptised - and why isn't it taken into consideration?

by somebodylovesme in

jw
friends

my husband was baptised right after he turned 11 years old.

this was highly unusual in his congregation (not sure what the average age is) as most people were at least 16 or 17 before they took the fatal plunge.

by the time my husband was 16, he realized what a huge mistake it was as he no longer wanted to have anything to do with it.

somebodylovesme

Hello,

My husband was baptised right after he turned 11 years old. This was highly unusual in his congregation (not sure what the average age is) as most people were at least 16 or 17 before they took the fatal plunge. By the time my husband was 16, he realized what a huge mistake it was as he no longer wanted to have anything to do with it. He continued going to meetings until he was 21 and has since been inactive (two years, now).

I have raised the issue with his parents - basically asked them how on earth they could let their 11-year-old enter a LIFELONG commitment. I asked them if they would have let him get married at 11 - they said no, but that he was "ready" to be baptised then. I said, obviously not.

Now, he has not done anything to get disfellowshipped, so everyone is content to leave things as they are. But I predict someday, someone will want to cut him out. Is the person's age at baptism ever a possible consideration? I doubt it. But say they try to disfellowship him even 10 years from now (which is the soonest we'll probably even be living in that area again). How can they stand there and tell a 30-something-year-old that he is losing his family for a decision he made when he was 11? That seems so absurd. But, I guess that is the nature of the beast. Sigh.

How old were you when you were baptised? And do you know of any time a young age has helped the person when they want to get out?

Thanks,

SLM