Axelspeed

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Posts by Axelspeed

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  210

  Real 'BIG' news WTS sued biggie worker compensation

  by DannyHaszard in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  jehovah's loses comp case

  church may be forced to pay millions

  by jess wisloski.

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  Axelspeed

  Great news! It seems to be coming in more frequently.

  Remind me never to cross Danny H.

  Axel
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  13

  Got braces?

  by Jourles in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well i'm finally doing it.

  i'm getting braces again.

  back when i was quite younger, i had removable braces.

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  Axelspeed

  Yes, I got them at an older age and dont regret it at all. It was one of the first things I did when I realized that I would probably be around for a while and the End was not right around the corner.

  The time went by faster than than I expected.

  I got used to them after a while...

  The fact that I was taking care of myself, I think the perception was that I was conscious and cared about my appearance.

  Never got the feeling that I came across as nerdy...when you're older, it seems to mean something different and didnt seem to hurt in the looks/attractiveness dept. as much as I imagined it would...at least that was my experience (or what I wanted to believe anyway)

  Do it, you'll be fine.

  Axel
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  5

  How will they spin 'the Bethel layoffs'?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i think they will call it 'keeping the eye simple'.

  we found ways to reduce the bethel force in order to put more emphasis on the 'preaching work'.

  probably in a km article.. or maybe that has been done and i missed it already.. jeff

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  Axelspeed

  ...forgot to answer the question. I've already heard this one:

  "They [WT] want us to concentrate more on the preaching work."
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  5

  How will they spin 'the Bethel layoffs'?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i think they will call it 'keeping the eye simple'.

  we found ways to reduce the bethel force in order to put more emphasis on the 'preaching work'.

  probably in a km article.. or maybe that has been done and i missed it already.. jeff

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  Axelspeed

  One thing I always hate is when I do something that later turns out not to have been the smartest of moves...and then later there is suddenly a rush of people who suddenly show up and say "Well you should've done this" or "You shouldve done that".

  Its even worst when they preface it with something like "Well I started to say something, but...."

  It is with those thoughts that I make the following suggestion to exiting Bethelites:

  Get what you can and what you think you may need...while you can. Once out, no matter how its framed or labeled, in financial real world dollar terms, most of you will basically have the same benefits plan as a Regular Pioneer with all its many benefits. COs, if one is able to snag one of these spots, may have it a bit better for a while anyway. For the rest, good luck on the job search. Bethelites- take note, you will be entering the real world now. No more cooked meals, made beds, automatic laundry service, medical. Get what you can while you can. If you have access to compelling inside documents that may later be of use...get while you can, you never know when you'll need it and wish you had. Yes, the friends will assist ...for a while, but ultimately it will only be you and your spouse. In the real world, when they lay people off, they will often wait till the last moment to let them know...and then proceed to have someone accompany them out the door. There is a reason they do this. Axel
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  210

  Real 'BIG' news WTS sued biggie worker compensation

  by DannyHaszard in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  jehovah's loses comp case

  church may be forced to pay millions

  by jess wisloski.

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  Axelspeed

  They take wonderful care of you up to a point, and then you're on your own

  This should be a sobering, wake up and smell the coffee thought for bethelites on the way out. The fact that many will be reassigned is just a nice way to say "you're on your own now". You will basically have the same care plan as a regular pioneer with all its many benefits . Good luck on the job search. Bethelites- take note, you will be entering the real world now. No more cooked meals, made beds, automatic laundry service. Get what you can while you can. If you have access to compelling inside documents...get while you can, you never know when you'll need it and wish you had. Axel
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  24

  How much time does the WTBT$$ have left?

  by TallTexan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  obviously, there is no answer to this, i just think it's an interesting ??.

  my personal opinion is that within 10 years, the wts will be a shell of it's current (and especially former) self.

  it may not even take that long.

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  Axelspeed

  I stated my comments above, well just because. There is no way I believe those things will really happen.

  They need to evolve or go through the process of evolution. Take for example the animal kingdom and evolution (if you believe in it). Animals themselves do not have it within themselves to evolve. In other words, if my short-faired dog is suddenly tossed into the artic, he himself cannot suddenly grow the coat of an alaskan dog to adapt to the environment. He is what he is. His DNA is already set. He will only pass on the capability to evolve to his offspring, and then they will adapt over time. If the suceeding offspring do not evolve fast enough, they become extinct.

  Only those who are born with a more insular coat of hair will survive (survival of the fittest). If they cannot evolve fast enough, they become extinct. If they can, they survive, but in a different form. Obviously this takes a lot of time.

  The internet has greatly shortened the time they need to adapt or evolve. The current leaders of the WT do not have it within themselves to adapt...they cannot suddenly change their spots. Maybe the future leaders can, but the time needed for a successful evolution has become very, very short.

  They are being tossed into the cold without a coat. The current leadership is showing it will not evolve. And only time will tell whether the org goes the way of the dinosaur or can truly evolve...and if it has the time it will take?

  Axel
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  24

  How much time does the WTBT$$ have left?

  by TallTexan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  obviously, there is no answer to this, i just think it's an interesting ??.

  my personal opinion is that within 10 years, the wts will be a shell of it's current (and especially former) self.

  it may not even take that long.

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  Axelspeed

  I agree with you Gary. The problem is there is no one with the combination of charisma/cajones to put their neck one the line to propose anything radical enough to turn the ship around. They have already made an example of a few to instill the needed fear. Here are a few changes that I believe would begin to turn it around. Take note WT:

  1. Get rid of the mandatory DF/ DA policy. Make it voluntary and based on individual conscience. Most people don’t choose to associate with unsavory individuals anyway, much less invite them into there homes. Shunning family is just cruel and unnatural.

  1. Get rid of the Service Meeting and combine it with the TMS, and put the emphasis on the bible, not pushing literature. A lot of people like the TMS and the idea of giving talks and being involved. The TMS was probably one of the good things that JWs come away with that helps in real life (public speaking). The Service Meeting is showing itself to be nothing more than a sales meeting on how to push books and magazines. While you’re at it, get rid of the Book Study too.

  1. Get away from the book publishing business. It’s dead- in the way you have benefited from it. The internet is here, and while the printed text will always be here, the way the WT does it is becoming antiquated and dated- and it shows. This is becoming increasingly evident, even to dubs. Find something else- like real estate ; )

  1. Cut back drastically on the door to door work, maybe to once a month (voluntarily), because let’s face it, the dubs look just plain weird out there now every week. Dubs like to have the distinction of witnessing, but not every freakin week. Diversify into alternate forms of service and volunteer work. Take advantage of the idealism of kids and promote more volunteer work.

  1. Allow more freeness of thought. Go back to the mentality of the Bible Students- always searching for a truer truth, but never being dogmatic enough to claim possession of an absolute truth.

  1. Totally revamp/remove the blood policy- a very tough but necessary change. This will be the biggie. Cut your losses and move on. There will be big losses, but coupled with the following, they would bounce back eventually.

  1. Realize that JWs are JWs not so much because of the theology anymore, but more for the social. It is already becoming a social club. Most dubs couldn’t defend their theology, even with the literature now. But people do want to be around others like them that they can generally trust. And JWs are basically decent and good people. Some people need this. In fact, there will always be people who need this. Spend money to make money (i.e. build a more satisfying subculture).

  1. Stop denigrating higher education. The rationale is just not flying anymore, even with diehard dubs. They missed out, and want more for there kids. You should too- more education= greater satisfaction. Don’t worry about the contributions, they will come. I’ve seen people give money to far more ridiculous things.

  1. Get away from the OT and concentrate more on the gospel accounts. I think you would be amazed at the result.

  1. Stop trying to invent stuff just to be different. Not celebrating Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, or Thanksgiving? Come on, give us a break! These are rules where they are not needed or appreciated, and a stretch to justify. Let them have something.

  My fingers are tired now, but that should get you started. But you should hurry, because the hemorrhaging is increasing.

  Axel
  
  

  
  
  
  
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  30

  Do you feel 'Disconnected' since leaving the borg?

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i mean - many of us had a history that was exclusively in the 'truth'.

  nothing else.. now having left, do you long for a discussion with some who share your past culture, understandings, and lifestyle?.

  is that the 'appeal' of this board to many?

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  Axelspeed

  is it like we have no history - like a blank page has been inserted in our biographies

  Absolutely. This becomes even more evident when filling out an application, and it ask for personal references...and sadly, none are available. Its like, don't you know anybody?

  This becomes more of an issue when compounded with the hardships in creating new relationships.

  Axel
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  58

  If You Had Internet Access Years Ago----Would You Have Gotten Out Sooner?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know if i could've 15 years ago because of having nowhere else to go, but now i know i couldn't stay.

  what about you??

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  Axelspeed

  Another quick point:

  I believe the intenet is a big threat to the WT because through information, it exposes so much of their misinformation.

  But the bigger threat is that of networking with others who have been there done that. When jws can see that they are not alone in their depression in the "spiritual paradise, that they are not crazy, and that their thoughts are shared by many others, this is the bigger threat. It will provide many the courage to peek behind the curtain. That number is increasingly reaching a critical mass. The internet will provide the support.

  Axel
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  58

  If You Had Internet Access Years Ago----Would You Have Gotten Out Sooner?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know if i could've 15 years ago because of having nowhere else to go, but now i know i couldn't stay.

  what about you??

  ?

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  Axelspeed

  I was already on my way out. I was miserable in the seemingly endless cycle of meetings and preparing for parts. I was a young elder with more and more responsibility being piled up on me. Everyone seemed to be happy with my life except for me. I still somewhat believed even though I had serious questions that no one wanted to tackle, and I didn't want to press too hard. I wont get to far into it, but I was what could be termed the pinnacle of my JW career, which made my next moves all the more unexplainable, discomforting and disquieting to those around me. There was no label to place on me.

  At this point I changed congos, resigned and reduced my attendance to a trickle. I was willing to just live and then die at Armageddon.

  I eventually went on the internet, and I cant quite remember what I typed in, but in had something to do with being a free spirit. I started going to sites about being a free thinker. I knew that I wanted to re-engineer my whole life. While researching reethinking and reading more about personality types (i.e. Jung and Myers Brigg) I literally stumbled onto the freeminds site. I read everything. It expressed a lot of things I had already thought and filled in the gaps in a lot of other areas.

  I read COC and it allowed me to come to terms with the fact that it was ok to leave. ISOCF then showed me Ray's brand of chrisianity, and though I'm still deciding what i believe now, I do know the wt took the wrong path when they came to the fork in the road in the late 70s and 80. I read books on cults, and was finally able to admit that I was raised in one. Other key books were True Believer, 1984 and Animal Farm. There were other books too.

  I enrolled in a couple of college courses. Seeing and learning the cyclical nature of religion, and how it has been used to control, opened my eyes emensely and made quite evident what a sheltered education I had gotten throughout my jw life. Once I saw a more whole picture, I was able to see what a speck the jws really are and have been on the world scene. Jws are legends in their own minds only.

  But there is no way I would have gotten to the point of looking on the internet at jw sites if I wasnt already ready for it. I had no clue these types of sites even existed.

  This is more info than you asked for, but I felt like typing.

  Axel