Incognito

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Posts by Incognito

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  23

  1st month of fading

  by Jrjw in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm nearly at the end of my first month of becoming inactive.

  only my daughter knows.

  i've had a cold half of the month so no questions or pressure has been put on me yet.

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  Incognito

  In support to DOC's suggestion, you could attend a Cong some distance away from the territory where you actually moved to. Attend a few meetings on an irregular basis but request to have your publisher card moved there.

  Claim a job transfer requires some evening and weekend training which may result in irregular attendance initially. If asked for your address, claim you currently reside in a temporary apt/house until you find something more suitable and permanent.

  Since you mentioned moving yet again, it won't be too odd initially when you don't further attend. They will then probably expect to receive a request to further forward your publisher card. If you attend that cong only a few times, they probably will soon forget what you even look like.

  By doing this, you shouldn't need to actually move 2X. Because no one in your actual location Cong knows you, you should likely be able to disappear without looking over your shoulder.
  
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  32

  Confused

  by Kas12 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am 12 years old and im confused because my mam is leaving the truth after 12 years and i want to celebrate xmas but she still doesnt believe that should do it coz even though shes realised society has lied about things she still believes in god.

  im unsure whether i believe in god or not but i havent really looked into it much ..

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  Incognito

  But, she can't be researching everything all at once, only the things that are most important to her. Even if she finds information that contradicts JW teachings, that doesn't mean she will right away accept the new information. After being a JW for sometime and in being required to fight against opposition, contradictory info is often confusing and is usually first rejected. The process of becoming an ex-JW often can take years, sometimes decades.

  Although it may be frustrating for you now, please remember, your mom by leaving the religion, has opened the door a little to you being potentially able to celebrate Christmas. If she hadn't allowed herself to consider leaving that religion, you would have no hope of celebrating, at least until you are old enough to move out and start making your own decisions, with the potential of being shunned by your own mother.
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  32

  Confused

  by Kas12 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am 12 years old and im confused because my mam is leaving the truth after 12 years and i want to celebrate xmas but she still doesnt believe that should do it coz even though shes realised society has lied about things she still believes in god.

  im unsure whether i believe in god or not but i havent really looked into it much ..

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  Incognito

  Religion is separate from beliefs.

  While your mom maybe leaving the religion, that doesn't mean she right away stops believing at least some of the teachings are true.

  I have difficulty understanding when some new members first start posting here, say they just left the JW religion so they can now celebrate Xmas and birthdays. That seems to signify they didn't celebrate those things, not because they believed them to be wrong, but only be accepted in the JW religion.

  I can however understand a person leaving the religion, doing their own research, and then deciding it is their choice whether to celebrate those things or not.

  Your mom started being taught over 12 years ago that those celebrations we're considered by God to be wrong and unacceptable, meaning God will kill her if she does them. Those fears and programing are not going to change overnight but will take some time IF she allows that to happen. Perhaps she will eventually do her own research, and then feel comfortable to reconsider her beliefs including what she now believes about those celebrations.
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  48

  Latest JW.org Statistics Are Confusing & Lack Context

  by steve2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  earlier this week a new post on this forum announced that the 2017 worldwide annual service report was available on jw.org.

  wow - that's earlier than the statistics for the 2016 service year which appeared in the 2017 yearbook last january!

  good effort, jw organization!

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  Incognito

  In JW land, ministers who teach the bible (Publishers) refers to all JW's who go for field service and turn in reports.
  

  While I agree with you on who WT counted as "ministers who teach the bible", I don't necessarily agree that they were all considered as "JWs".

  As a born in, 40+ year active "JW", I had always understood, a person wasn't considered to be an actual JW until becoming baptised. My SO confirmed that understanding. Although a person may fully believe and consider themself a JW, living their life as a JW including being active as an unbaptized publisher, they were not considered to be officially a JW but merely an 'associate' until baptism.

  Using 'Ministers ...', especially the 'Peak' publisher number to represent JW numbers, seems to be a method to present there is a greater number of JWs than what WT would actually consider internally to be technically true.

  Please consider, although you may have understood how things were done when you were an active JW, especially if an Elder, if you have been out of the organization for any length of time, in consideration to all the recent changes within the organization, statistical practices and procedures may have also changed. Since WT is so compartmentalized, those outside of that WT department, will likely not be advised as to changes.

  As you may not agree and consider all Ministers as JWs, please explain why "un-baptised publisher" is designated differently than "baptised publisher".
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  12

  Welcome me

  by natasha in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello brothers and sisters am new here , what is the website all about ?.

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  Incognito

  this site is for ex-JWs
  

  While most members of this site are ex-jws, it is not an ex-jw site as all person's, ex-jws, never jws and currently practicing JW's are welcome. The main topics relate to Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower practices, beliefs and member experiences as JWs

  Welcome Natasha! Tell us a little about yourself.
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  48

  Latest JW.org Statistics Are Confusing & Lack Context

  by steve2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  earlier this week a new post on this forum announced that the 2017 worldwide annual service report was available on jw.org.

  wow - that's earlier than the statistics for the 2016 service year which appeared in the 2017 yearbook last january!

  good effort, jw organization!

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  Incognito

  No, it includes only baptized and unbaptized publishers. There is no practice of counting those who do not turn in their field service reports. - Dreary
  

  Alright then ... the point being, the Fast Facts box in Darkspilver's post on page one, specifies New Zealand's population divided by 'Ministers who teach the Bible', to arrive at the ratio of JW's to population.

  'Ministers who teach the Bible' appear to include not only baptised publishers but also un-baptised publishers, to arrive at the ratio of JW's to population. My and Diogenesister's comments relate to the prospect of WT counting all publishers, not only those baptised, to calculate the 8+ million active JWs currently throughout the world.
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  34

  Strange

  by Jrjw in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a couple of times at the meetings this year we've been told that in the future we might get some strange directions from the society that might not make any sense to us.

  then they've said will we show our loyalty to jehovah by still obeying?

  seems a rather unusual thing to say.

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  Incognito

  That is, they would say that the Israelites were told to do something that looked crazy: go down into the dry Red Sea with the waters held back supernaturally. - Careful
  

  Did Moses state he is imperfect and not inspired when he gave those instructions, or.did God visibly prove he was using Moses as his messenger?
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  48

  Latest JW.org Statistics Are Confusing & Lack Context

  by steve2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  earlier this week a new post on this forum announced that the 2017 worldwide annual service report was available on jw.org.

  wow - that's earlier than the statistics for the 2016 service year which appeared in the 2017 yearbook last january!

  good effort, jw organization!

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  Incognito

  No doubt, the start to reporting less information. I suspect less info will be reported next year, and less the year after, until the report is eventually phased out.

  With regard to number of congregations, I wonder how they are counted??

  If the 'North' congregation is forced to combine with the 'West' congregation which forms a new congregation called 'North West', is that reported as 3 congregations in that service year?

  I realize not all merged congregations are given a new congregation name, but I expect many of you will get my point regarding how the numbers maybe being counted.

  Are they implying the 'Ministers who teach the bible' reported number is the number of JWs in that country? If that number is actually comprised of 'Peak' publishers which would include unbaptised publishers who report 1X, then that would help to explain the increasing reported number of JWs.
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  52

  Royal Australian Commission - Recomendations for Jehovahs Witnesses

  by curiousconfused in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  the report is finally out.......... ————————.

  recommendations to the jehovah’s witness organisation.

  recommendation 16.27. the jehovah’s witness organisation should abandon its application of the two-witness rule in cases involving complaints of child sexual abuse.. recommendation 16.28. the jehovah’s witness organisation on should revise its policies so that women are involved in processes related to invesation and determining allegations of child sexual abuse.. recommendation 16.29. the jehovah’s witness organisation should no longer require its members to shun those who disassociate from the organisation in cases where the reason for disassocia on is related to a person being a victim of child sexual abuse..

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  Incognito

  I understand the ARC's report, is really intended to be recommendations to the Australian government, not recommendations to the various institutions that were investigated.

  The ARC was implemented to investigate how large a problem child abuse is within institutions. True, the ARC cannot implement laws and ensure enforcement, but it had authority to report cases which it learned about. The problem within Australia was found to be so prevalent, the ARC needed to be extended to 5 years. The commission's final responsibility is to provide recommendations to government (law makers) on how these problems can be prevented or at least be reduced, and what should occur when there is suspicion or an allegation of child abuse.

  With the ARC submitting its report to government, it then is the government's hands to review the data and to hopefully adopt or better the recommendations so that new requirements and laws are enacted.
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  55

  Very Lost

  by Jrjw in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  hi i've been a jw for 12 years and got married 2 years ago.

  i'm now separated.

  my husband hid from me that he suffered from depression, extreme anxiety issues and a personality disorder.

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  Incognito

  Welcome Jrjw!

  What others in the congregation think of you, you can't do much about. Don't waste your time worrying about or trying to change other people's perceptions as they will continue to believe what they want. Fiction is usually more exciting than fact.

  Other JWs, while they can be friendly and welcoming, are conditional friends at best. If a JW does not fully comply with the religion's dictates, they will often find themselves criticized and/or shunned by the very JWs they thought were their closest friends.

  It sounds as though you have come to realize and accept what needs to be done with your marriage, but you are conflicted by the WT position against divorce and remarriage.

  Notice I said WT position as opposed to JW belief. Consider, if WT stated tomorrow that divorce and remarriage is now a personal decision, how many JWs would no longer hesitate to divorce their spouse, to find someone else.

  In addition to being responsible for yourself, you have 2 children to raise and to teach. Show them you are a strong woman who respects herself, who will stand-up for herself and for their welfare.

  Don't hesitate to immediately take action when needed. Inaction will usually be regretted, often for the remainder of a person's life.