Posts by Athanasius

14

When did JWs begin.

by Lost in the fog in

" the contestant was useless as he said the 1700s.

the correct answer the quiz master gave was the 20th century.

and then he added, "they only began in the 1930s believe it or not.

The Bible Student groups still in existance claim that C. T. Russell was not the founder of the JW religion. In fact if one examines today's Bible Student doctrinal structure it is basically the religion that Russell taught. So the JWs are actually a break away from Russellism. Just like Russell's religion was a break away from Second Adventism.

What makes it confusing is that Rutherford won control of Russell's printing corporation, the Watchtower. Then Rutherford dumped many of the Russellite doctrines and replaced them with his own, creating a new religion. This resulted in over 75% of the original Bible Students leaving the Watchtower to reorganize independently and restore Russell's religion in their congregations.

29

Has Watchtower taken the joy out of 'the good news of the kingdom'

by UnshackleTheChains in

i ask this question for the following reason.

i was sitting at the kingdom hall thinking about all the rules, procedures, policies, teachings that each member must follow ......or else!.

at the watchtower study we are reminded of the paradise earth where we will all be the same and happy.

Athanasius

I don't recall the JW religion as being anything joyful. However, growing up in the 1950s and 60s, JWism was more intellectually stimulating back then. Of course that's only comparing pre-1980 JWism with its 21st century version, and not to say that there was ever anything intellectual about this religion.

However, during the 1970s the GB enacted several reforms that gave some of us hope that the religion would cease being legalistic and become more mainstream. Locally we even had a few independent Bible study groups where we studied the Scriptures without using Watchtower publications. But when Ray Franz was booted from the GB and the liberal wing silenced, locally independent Bible study ceased and the witch hunts began.

So while there may have been a few joyful moments during my 30 year sojourn in JW land, for the most part it was a sorrowful experience.

22

Lack of young people in the congregation?

by IAmJustMe in

jw
friends

been baptized for two years but being in the truth for longer.

one thing i have always noticed is the lack of young people in the congregation.

does anyone feel the same ?.

Athanasius

This isn't a recent phenomenon. When I was a teen growing up in the 1960s the majority of kids raised as JWs left the religion as soon as they graduated from high school and got out on their own. Of five of my close friends, today only one is still a JW. Four were gone by the 70s and I left in 84.

I remember adult JWs bemoaning the fact that so many of the young adults were leaving, and most of these came from supposedly devout JW families.

37

Thank you, George Couch!

by charonsdog in

i just thought i'd share this story from my past.. back in the 80s i remember the big problem seemed to be about music.

(today, it's tight pants, i guess) the organization, society, whatever they were calling themselves, were always going on about the music we listened to.

disco, heavy metal, the whole "backwards masking" thing...couldn't escape hearing or reading about how satan was corrupting us unless we were listening to kingdom melodies or elevator music.. i was assigned to wtf in the late 80s and remember one of the articles stating that "young people know that the rhythm of rock music is the rhythm of sexual intercourse.

Athanasius

I remember a CO railing against "worldly music" at a CA back in the late 1970s. In addition to modern music he also condemned classical music, as he claimed that some of the composers were homosexuals. No doubt that was why the bethelite mentioned by the OP got rid of the Tchaikovsky tape after George Couch's tirade.

But being a classical music fan, I kept my classic collection as I could care less about the composer's sexual preference.

17

Whatever happened to them??

by jeffory1 in

jw
friends

just talking to someone recently about former co's in our area.

it went as follows,,,,george cook,saw that he was now in princes congregation or should say the former prince.. brother gwaltney,,nw usa area now drives a school bus his wife sold cosmetics at a nordstrom.

brother spangenberg had to leave co work as his wife was sick ,,went to low paying menial job.. brother ---- cant remember his name but he is now working a a waiter in a italian restaurant,,singing as requested by customers.

Athanasius

Hi Jeffory,

Not sure if we're talking about the same CO Baxter. However, back in 1963-65 we had a Bill Baxter as our CO. He and his wife were in their mid to late 30s back then so he would probably be close to 90 now,

Before he was assigned to our circuit in northern California, he had served somewhere in the mid-west.

Athanasius

12

Recent JW Literature Trolley Experience

by Athanasius in

the j ws have set up a literature trolley in one of our local shopping centers.

since the goodwill thrift store at the center has an excellent selection of second hand books, i stop by twice a month and buy a book or two that catches my interest.

as a result i've become friendly with the j ws who mind the trolley.. usually the minders are two 70 something j w ladies.

Athanasius

The J Ws have set up a literature trolley in one of our local shopping centers. Since the Goodwill thrift store at the center has an excellent selection of second hand books, I stop by twice a month and buy a book or two that catches my interest. As a result I've become friendly with the J Ws who mind the trolley.

Usually the minders are two 70 something J W ladies. But this time they were joined by a quadriplegic man, who looked to be in his late 60s. He was laid back in a special wheel chair with a directional lever that he could operate with his chin.

When I stopped by to say hello, I asked them: “How's business?”

To which one of the ladies replied: “Slow.”

Unfortunately I didn't have the time to do any un-witnessing. So when they reminded me that the literature was free, I took the Watchtower and Awake leaflets to look over and ask questions about the next time I would stop by.

But as I walked to my truck, I wondered who would get credit for the two leaflet placements since there were three J Ws minding the trolley?

I also thought it interesting that now not even a quadriplegic JW can escape Watchtower service. No doubt at their next convention this poor guy will be wheeled out on stage to give his experience about how even with his disability he was able to distribute Watchtower propaganda to the public.

192

Question for SBF

by Fisherman in

slimboyfat, it appears that wts is going, gone digital.

can you show your view what is wts next move after they are completely gone from kings county and settled in warwick?

- this thread is your if you want it..

Athanasius

Last year I obtained a copy of the Revised NWT (Silver sword) from JWs minding a literature trolley. However, it isn't what I'd call a quality publication like a Bible purchased from a secular publisher. True the new NWT has a sturdy vinyl cover, but the pages are cheaply glued to the spine instead of being sown as were the pre-1990s Watchtower publications.

If modern JWs use their Bibles like JWs did in the 1960s and 70s when I was in, it won't be long before the spines crack and the pages fall out and they will have to get a replacement.

In fact when I told the JW that I was surprised at the decline in the quality of their publications, all they could say was that the Watchtower had to cut costs as printing had become so expensive.

Guess I shouldn't complain as the RNWT was free.

21

Chapter 26 New Boy 50 years a Watchtower slave

by new boy in

jw
friends

we wanted sex too.

so why did he get married?

so they punishment you for leaving bethel and getting married?

Athanasius

I registered for the Draft when I turned 18. I began pioneering in 1966 and all I had to do was show my Draft Board the letter from the Society stating that I had been accepted as a Pioneer Minister and they gave me the 4D classification. The 4D was given to ministers of religion and divinity students. My wife got pregnant in 1968 so I had to quit pioneering. But all I had to do was take a letter from my wife's doctor confirming the pregnancy to the Draft Board and they gave me a 3A classification which exempted me from the draft for the time being.

However, if there was a national emergency on the scale of World War II, then it was possible I could be drafted.

Back in those days all young single male JWs pioneered and kept their 4D classification as long as they stayed in the Pioneer service. But if they got removed as pioneers, they could be drafted.

There were several other JWs that I knew who didn't pioneer and served time in prison.

JWs didn't have to go to prison, they could have accepted alternate service and performed work in hospitals or non-military government service. But the Watchtower leadership of that time considered alternate service to be compromising.

I knew one JW who quit pioneering during the Vietnam War. However, he never notified the Draft Board of his status change. The local Draft Board never found out and the guy stayed free and never went to prison. As far as I know he's still an active JW.

11

You tired of me asking for help yet?

by vienne in

an early watch tower evangelist was e. c. leigh.

in 1882, he was a student in allegheny city, pennsylvania.

he traveled through the central states in the 1880s and early 1890s.

Athanasius

Have you checked with some of the independent Bible Student groups? Perhaps the Dawn Bible Students, the Layman's Home Missionary Movement, the Chicago Bible Students, or the Pastoral Bible Institute could be of help.

9

Missing the Memorial first time in 34 years

by oppostate in

my wife has left to pick someone else's bible study half an hours drive north of us to bring them to the kh 20 minutes south of us, and pick up two other people on the way.. this is the first memorial in 34 years that i won't be at the kh to "celebrate".. if i want to "remember" jesus christ sacrifice and his command to keep doing so, i'm doing so on my own terms.

not controlled by a despotic, oligarchical gobo which directs most attending folks to be there but to "skip" the very thing jesus command explicitly mentions to do.

i'm also convinced that it doesn't have to be exactly on the same lunar month evening as the jewish passover, but that "whenever" it is commemorated by someone, with faith in christ, and belief in his promises it would be best to do it not for show or for the sake of appearances but sincerely out of one's feeling of "communion".. if you are a christian believer are you going to the memorial this year?

Athanasius

I won't be attending the Memorial this year. I left the JWs 33 years ago and don't plan to go back. Instead I'll probably attend Easter Services at the local Anglican Church this Sunday.