Posts by ezekiel3

6

Arrogance, Anger, and the Watchtower

by czarofmischief in

do any of you guys recall, from your dubbie days, the deliberate attempts to form a caste system within the org?

how every prophecy was applied to the "anointed" alone and not to us.

how freddie tried to make jesus the mediator only for the anointed's prayers?

ezekiel3

I agree with this topic. I would also add that this produces a strange mindset with most JWs who have the "earthly hope." It is a pattern of thinking on the verge of human-worship:

1) Ever been to a furneral for an anointed and heard "He/she is looking down on us right now?" JWs finally able to use the "worldly" Christian's consolence. Plus an anointed's furneral is very different that a R&F JW. Why? Because most JWs will never see them again. So bitter-sweet.

2) There is a weird reverence around anointed in the congregation, after all, they will be our "kings and priests" right? This results in a strange deference to that person. Ever had a field service meeting conducted by an anoited person? Or heard the behind-the-back whispering, "She's anointed!"

3) There is a marked mysticism to the anointed concept. Immediate immortaility (according to JWs even Jesus did not receive immortality until he was resurrected), "How do they know they are anointed?", being able to see Jehovah face to face, "They are really just normal people that have been selected by Jehoavh", etc. (See emperor with no clothes.)

Even if R&F JWs do not overtly worship the anointed as humans, they are encouraged to pay special reverence to the concept. With more and more congregations and fewer anointed, the personal interaction is now missing; many JWs have never really known an anointed one. So it is easier to deify "the anointed" as a concept and further turn the R&F into a lower caste.

But the most wicked game that JWs buy into is that the FDS are the elite decision makers, apart from the rest of the anointed. Here we have "pharisee-ism" squared. Oh wait, have you heard the urban rumor where anointed ones from around the world will begin to send in letters about a matter, almost magically at the same time, and then the FDS will make a change. Yeah right.

14

Is the WT a parasitic organistion?

by badboy in

jw
friends

what do you think?

ezekiel3

Parasite, organism that lives in or on a second organism, called a host, usually causing it some harm...In parasitism, also known as antagonistic symbiosis, one organism receives no benefits and is often injured while supplying nutrients or shelter for the other organism.
MS Encarta Encyclopedia

Hmmm...

7

Furman Moving Sale

by ezekiel3 in

announced this week at service meetings: wtbts has sold and will vacate 360 furman (brooklyn heights ny) by early next year.

will be tranferring within brooklyn complexes.

oh, and contributions will be appreciated for this project...

ezekiel3

Announced this week at service meetings: WTBTS has sold and will vacate 360 Furman (Brooklyn Heights NY) by early next year. Will be tranferring within Brooklyn complexes. Oh, and contributions will be appreciated for this project...

28

Completely Rediculous WT Quotes Re: Music

by Nosferatu in

there's some stuff i found in the publications that i found completely rediculous regarding music:.

g78 5/8 pp.

16-20a recording artist finds something far better.

ezekiel3

This is exactly why I don't listen to classical. Beethoven was known to turn-on women of his time with his dramatic ryhthms (reference "driving beats" of today) and Mozart was a notable immoral who died of a venereal disease.

Music is always generational. In our time the 50-70 year olds would never think of Beetles as wicked music. Weren't they the ones who introduced the drug culture/eastern philosophy to America?

60

Convention Drama creeps out JWs?

by ezekiel3 in

jw
friends

i am getting news from jws who have attended the district convention that the drama (which is pre-recorded and played to lip-syncing actors) has a demon-possessed woman with a ?demonic voice?.

can anyone confirm this?

it is said to be pretty creepy sound effect and many jws are uncomfortable when they hear it.

ezekiel3

I am getting news from JWs who have attended the District Convention that the Drama (which is pre-recorded and played to lip-syncing actors) has a demon-possessed woman with a ?demonic voice?. Can anyone confirm this?

It is said to be pretty creepy sound effect and many JWs are uncomfortable when they hear it. Could the drama ?smack of spiritism??

We may need an old elder and a new elder, the power of Jehovah compels you!

3

A new way of getting in your time in the UK?

by dmouse in

jw
friends

every sunday, not far from me, literally hundreds of cars converge onto a local farm and set up picnic tables from which people sell all the used stuff they don?t want anymore ?

bric-a-brac, clothes, toys, tools; you name it, they sell it.

i?ve found quite a few bargains in the last few weeks, like a nearly-new leather motorcycle jacket for 10!

ezekiel3

Ha! This is funny. What is also a common trick (at least in the US) is to hit up other people's yard sales while going door-to-door in that neighborhood. Usually two or three JW couples would converge on the sale and peruse, while eventually, one JW would 'strike up a conversation' with the person conducting the yardsale. This would justify the 30 minutes (times 6 publishers = 3 hours) of time that was being counted for Jehovah's service. What a scam.

25

Talked w/a JW Yesterday - So glad I'm out

by Seeker4 in

jw
friends

it's been quite a while since i've written anything here, maybe a couple of years.

some may remember me, seeker4, from the old h2o, or the early years of this one.

i was a jw for about 35 years, ms, elder for about 15, pioneer, all of it.

ezekiel3

Seeker,

I am interested in more information about the dating of ice sheets/no flood 4,000 years ago. Will you or someone else recommend a source for this?

"GROUP THINK": JWs defined

by ezekiel3 in

a recent report from the us senant blasted the cia for "group think" regarding its faulty intelligence of iraq.

what struck me immediately is this is a perfect definition of jw's policy of control.

consider the following from the link shown below.

ezekiel3

A recent report from the US Senant blasted the CIA for "Group Think" regarding its faulty intelligence of Iraq. What struck me immediately is this is a perfect definition of JW's policy of control. Consider the following from the link shown below. Red highlights in italic comments are mine.

http://www.exocortex.org/psych/groupthink.html

Group Think

This following is from the textbook "Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology". The characteristics of group think is something to be avoided. It's somewhat 1984-ish.

Necessary Conditions

A cohesive group. (Proof of God's spirit?)
Isolation of the group from outside influences. (Separation from "world", no marriage to unbelievers, friendship to outsiders condemned)
No systematic procedures for considering both the pros and cons of different courses of action. (Even for "anointed" who are not governing body)
A directive leader who explicitly favors a paticular course of action. ( Governing Body)
High stress. (Pressure to conform through loss of family, threat of vindictive god at "Armageddon")

Symptoms

Illusion of invulnerability, morality, and unanimity. (A "clean organization", Jah will protect/resurrect, "Jah has always one organization he has worked with")
Pressure on dissenters. (Disfellowshipping, collective peer action for small deviations e.g. facial hair, 2-door cars)
Self-censorship of dissent. ("Bible-trained conscience" is actually WTBTS programming)
Collective rationalization. ("New light", "Jehovah will correct in his due time" )
Self-appointed mind guards. (Programmed fear of apostates, "Don't even look!")

Flaws of Decision Making Process Under Groupthink

Incomplete survey of the group's objectives and alternative courses of action. (WTBTS cannot be honest about its objective to prosper on the backs of it members/contributors, thus it cannot make informed desicions to increase its membership except to rely on its typical cult-tactics)
Failure to examine the risks of the preferred choice. (Policy of "impending end" deflated by new understanding of "1914 generation" and other previous failed timelines. Risk: Massive defection )
Poor and incomplete search for relevant information. (Publications very selective with literary sources and rarely referenced)
Selective bias in processing the information at hand. (Constant awfulization of "world" regarding "signs of the times" and other negatives. Enforced image: unloving, cold society outside organization)
Failure to reappraise rejected alternatives. (Note: First two Presidents of WTBTS are effectively considered apostate based on their rejected teachings)
Failure to develop contingency plans in case of failure. (WTBTS increasingly reactive to apostate actions. After 1975 fallout and Ray Franz defection, only a severe clampdown on apostacy and desent. What is the plan when the GB dies off shortly?)

8

Jesus long hair vs short hair

by Nosferatu in

this is something that i had been wondering about.

in many worldly religions, pictures of jesus showed him with long hair.

in the wt publications, jesus is showed with short hair.. where did the whole long hair thing come from?

ezekiel3

Insight from the Scriptures Vol 1, pg 1020

Hebrews.

The practice among Hebrew men from the first was to let the beard grow, but it was kept well groomed; and they trimmed the hair to a moderate length. In Absalom?s case, his hair grew so abundantly that when he cut it once a year, it weighed 200 shekels (2.3 kg; 5 lb), possibly made heavier by the use of oil or ointments. (2Sa 14:25, 26) God?s law commanded Israelite men that they should not ?cut their sidelocks short around,? nor destroy the "extremity" of their beards. This was not an injunction against trimming the hair or beard but was evidently to prevent imitation of pagan practices. (Le 19:27; Jer 9:25, 26; 25:23; 49:32) To neglect the hair or beard, likely leaving them untrimmed and untended, was a sign of mourning. (2Sa 19:24) In instructions to priests given through the prophet Ezekiel, God commanded that they clip, but not shave, the hair of their heads and that they not wear their hair loose when serving in the temple.?Eze 44:15, 20.

Interesting that no reference is given to the first statement. The photo below is from Draw Close to Jehovah, pg 210.

25

JWs are boxing their hobbies

by ezekiel3 in

much entertainment in the watchtower, 15 august 2004, pg 24. see the picture for the full text to learn that we can "put off every unecessary weight" by boxing up our "hobbies and non-essential personal projects.

" i wonder what's in the box.... it is interesting to see how jws are encouraged to have hobbies:.

*** g91 11/22 pp.

ezekiel3

Much entertainment in the Watchtower, 15 August 2004, pg 24. See the picture for the full text to learn that we can "put off every unecessary weight" by boxing up our "hobbies and non-essential personal projects." I wonder what's in the box...

It is interesting to see how JWs are encouraged to have hobbies:

***

g91 11/22 pp. 21-22 What About Hobbies? ***

Worthwhile

Hobbies

Some hobbies help you develop valuable skills, such as needlework, dressmaking, or the pursuit of the culinary arts. True, these hobbies particularly appeal to girls. Nevertheless, there is nothing unmanly about cooking. (Compare John 21:9-12.) You may not reach gourmet standards, but experimenting a bit with cooking can help you develop abilities that may prove invaluable if you must ever fend for yourself. Girls, on the other hand, may benefit from trying their hand at auto mechanics or household repairs.

Another worthwhile pastime is the learning of a language. Young James, for example, currently studies Russian. Perhaps a second language will enable you some day to teach Bible truths to others in a foreign land! Indeed, hobbies can often serve as a means of helping other people.

For example, is gardening your hobby? Why not hone your horticultural skills on a garden that belongs to your grandparents or to some other elderly ones who find it hard to care for it properly? Do you enjoy do-it-yourself work? Then why not offer to help an elderly person or a widow with home repairs? When cooking is your hobby and you have a favorite recipe, why not prepare the dish to present as a gift to someone in need? Remember, "there is more happiness," Jesus said, "in giving than there is in receiving."?Acts 20:35.

A hobby can even help you to advance spiritually. If you like to make models, for example, might not building a miniature ark deepen your appreciation of the strength of Noah?s faith? (See box.) Constructing a model tabernacle or temple may likewise improve your knowledge of the way God?s servants worshiped long ago. In Bible times the shepherd boy David played the harp in his spare time. Later he composed beautiful songs to Jehovah?s praise. Could you learn to play a musical instrument yourself? If so, why not use your talent to praise God by learning some of the melodies in the songbook Sing Praises to Jehovah? As you play the music, ponder over the sentiments the lyrics convey. Are you a collector? Then gather items that relate to the Bible. Or try filling a scrapbook with pictures of Bible lands.