Welcome MrTheocratic! Your opening post describes witnesses in liberal, urban environments, which is exactly where I live. As someone who is still physically in, I can tell you, witnesses here don't know and don't care about doctrine. Sure we have a few zealots like you said but most are just social witnesses. So I totally see and agree with what you're saying. However I grew up in a rural, conservative environment, and witnesses there are completely different. When I go back to visit family, it's like going back in a time machine. The people there, for the most part, take the "truth" very seriously.
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JoinedPosts by the comet
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The Secret is out....but nobody cares
by MrTheocratic ini've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.
i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.
i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.
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It's starting shunning will stop brochure first.step
by poopie ini'm in contact with service and writing and brochure first step there bleeding publishers they can't take it anymore publishers are depressed because they feel they must shun others and they know it's unloving.
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If I put my tinfoil hat on i still can't see them totally ending the shunning. It's way to powerful of a weapon to stop using. -
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Nature of the Word "Spiritual" Amongst Witnesses
by freemindfade ineven as an atheist i consider myself spiritual, always have, metaphysics and spiritual discussions about enlightenment and so on i find interesting, even if belief in a yhwh is not in me.
i want to propose this simple definition of the word "spiritual" among jehovah's witnesses.. spiritual = indoctrination or indoctrinated.
i have been told how i'm "just not a spiritual man".
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sir82 100% right! Spirituality for a jw is all about what people see you doing. For guys trying to get promoted in the company you have to be "spirtual" what does that mean? The elders need to see your wt underlined, comment, out in service and be willing to clean toilets. That's what being spirtual means to them. -
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Any ever use a different version of the NWT in the KH
by Clambake ini brought a niv to the hall the other day.
man, i sure got some attention for it.
someone actually offered to get me a bible.
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I also use the Greek Interlinear Bible sometimes. If you're using anything but the "silver sword" you occasionally get some funny looks. Although, the c.o. did tell us during a talk, that we weren't sinning if we did use the old nwt. Apparently somebody had been saying it was a sin? So he cleared that up for us. -
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Yet Another Putdown of Women! – KM March 2015
by SAHS inthis weeks service meeting part (week starting march 23, 2015) in the our kingdom ministry under the heading meetings for field service that accomplish.
their purpose includes a little sub-article entitled when a sister must conduct.
the direct link is: http://www.jw.org/en/publications/kingdom-ministry/ click the little document download button under the one labeled km15 03-e us and then choose a format (pdf looks best)..
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Just got back from the sales..i mean service meeting, where we went over this part. It was BORING! People going off on how loving these reminders were, and boy jehovah sure is speeding up the work! Ranting a bit here but geez this meeting was just painful to sit through -
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Yet Another Putdown of Women! – KM March 2015
by SAHS inthis weeks service meeting part (week starting march 23, 2015) in the our kingdom ministry under the heading meetings for field service that accomplish.
their purpose includes a little sub-article entitled when a sister must conduct.
the direct link is: http://www.jw.org/en/publications/kingdom-ministry/ click the little document download button under the one labeled km15 03-e us and then choose a format (pdf looks best)..
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she should avoid giving the appearance of instructing those in attendance,
so a sister can give instruction, just don't give the appearance you're instructing anyone?
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POLL: Will You Be Attending The Memorial & If You Are---Why?
by minimus ini was just invited.
i thanked my old elder friend and he left.
(i'm not going).
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The mrs. and I will be going. -
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Mandatory voting in USA
by Sour Grapes ini am sure that president obama's saying today that mandatory voting in the usa would be a good thing is going to get the witnesses all excited as they look forward to being persecuted for not voting.
just another sign showing how deep we are into the times of the end and how close they are to burying billions of people who don't read the watchtower.. sour grapes .
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Yeah, mandatory voting is never going to happen. Here in Oregon a "motor voter" law was just passed. Now if you have any interaction with DMV, you are automatically registered to vote. Also in Oregon we do all voting by mail. So now witnesses will be receiving a ballot in the mail during elections. Makes it pretty easy to vote without anyone finding out, I've been doing it for years! -
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Inactive ones are not JWs
by gone for good inyears ago, the insinuation was often presented, that those who were inactive were actually not witnesses at all.
the point being made was that ''...winesses is a verb, not a noun...''.
i know there were published assertions to this end in the older books and magazines, with possibly even quotes from the likes of rutherford or knorr ,.
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Campaign of hate- I have wondered about that too, as I no longer turn in service time. I think it would be a evil genius move if they said, if you're inactive for longer than 6 months, without a valid excuse, it's considered disassociating yourself. It could be done fairly easily, you get a visit from a couple of elders asking why you aren't turning in time. If you don't have a good reason, you get a couple of months to turn in time. When/if you don't they annouce you as no longer one of jw's. If they did that, guess what? I'm turning in service time every month, and I bet many people would do the same. Instant increase in numbers! -
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Is disfellowshipping as popular as it was years ago?
by minimus ini seldom hear of people getting df'd anymore.
years ago it seemed there were a few per year in a congregation.
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Steve2- 100% right about expressing apostate views. It always reminds me of Joe McCarthy and the communist witch hunts in the 50's. His question was, Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party of the United States? The elders have, "do you think Jehovah is directing this organization/ the governing body? Answering wrong to to either one pretty much ends you.