Posts by steve2

to the person, they are going after them and confronting them on whatever it may be but when it comes to official reasons for deletion, they are giving false information.

this morning, i heard that another elder got deleted for going to a believer/unbeliever's wedding.it was also reported that he was caught "talking to a disfellowshipped person".

It's easier to understand how, even when there are some basically merciful and compassionate elders, they'll be "squeezed" to conform with the Watchtower hardline. I know this is not a new thing, but it underscores how loving qualities are no match for hardline qualities.

It must be so hard to serve as an elder and to observe the hardline responses of the others, yet to still feel basic compassion for the "wrongdoers". Let's face it, the JW definition of wrongdoing is very, very encompassing. E.g., giving a talk at a venue where a worldly hymm has just been sung.

58

KM in 1974 praising people for selling all their stuff and pioneering?

by ithinkisee in

someone on this site mentioned they got a km off ebay that praised those that sold all their belongings and preached.. does anyone know which km that was?.

interesting, when going through the society's cd-rom i noticed that the drama for the district convention in 1975 was about noah's ark and was something along the lines of "there's still time left!

" (i'm paraphrasing).. -dm

steve2

In saying ?anyone,? The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah?s Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date.

What a convoluted, awkwardly phrased sentence, especially the part that reads "....hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the...." Who let this bumbling phrase get through the proof-reading?

Ah, it must have been approved because it hides the fact that whatever was written was officially approved for publication. I'd admit even a skeric of respect for the GN if they had just come out and said, "We got it wrong and we're sorry for building up your hopes".

26

New Tactic Used By Society

by minimus in

jw
friends

...or not so new-----i'm seeing that they are getting rid of people on false charges.

to the person, they are going after them and confronting them on whatever it may be but when it comes to official reasons for deletion, they are giving false information.

this morning, i heard that another elder got deleted for going to a believer/unbeliever's wedding.it was also reported that he was caught "talking to a disfellowshipped person".

steve2

If you were deleted as an elder or as a ministerial servant

Thanks IP_SEC. Seeing the word officially in print reminds me how "lovingly" the JW writers express themselves!

26

New Tactic Used By Society

by minimus in

jw
friends

...or not so new-----i'm seeing that they are getting rid of people on false charges.

to the person, they are going after them and confronting them on whatever it may be but when it comes to official reasons for deletion, they are giving false information.

this morning, i heard that another elder got deleted for going to a believer/unbeliever's wedding.it was also reported that he was caught "talking to a disfellowshipped person".

steve2

This phrase has been used for many years; it comes from being deleted from the list of elders -- that list being part of the official congo record which goes to the society and is updated at each CO visit.

I appreciate this information, having not heard the word "deleted" used by the JWs. Is it used in any of their publications at all, such as the elders manual?

Also, despite the "pains" the GB goes to in specifying the exact disfellowshipping process, it seems as if congregations do differ in the degree of strictness with which they follow the process.

I'd say that some bodies of elders are more merciful than others, which is why sometimes when I hear the circumstances under which some have been d'fed, I've been truly astonished by the summary severity of it all.

136

DA-ing Announcement in the Society's New Book

by Mark in

jw
friends

the society's new book 'organized to do jehovah's will', to be released in the congregations .

on the 20th of march, introduces a change in the df and da announcements.

announcements will read the same: "[name of person] is no longer one of jehovah's .

steve2

I never expected the Witnesses to be sucessesful at becoming a mainstream religion.. they seem to be going the other way - tightening the reigns. Interesting to see what effect this has on the rank and file.

Maybe this is the direction the GB is aiming for. In New Zealand, there's a strict religious group known as Exclusive Brethren who used to do public preaching, but increasingly in recent decades they have become more and more closed in their outlook, and they are very strict: Literally turning up on members doorsteps and demanding (for example) that the wife leave her husband perhaps because he has not attneded church meetings. Rather than "damage" attendance, the Exclusive Brethren have claimed that it is protecting them. Goodness knows there are always huge numbers of parked cars outside their hall every weekend and census figures show this group is still "thriving" despite its closed and intolerant nature.

26

New Tactic Used By Society

by minimus in

jw
friends

...or not so new-----i'm seeing that they are getting rid of people on false charges.

to the person, they are going after them and confronting them on whatever it may be but when it comes to official reasons for deletion, they are giving false information.

this morning, i heard that another elder got deleted for going to a believer/unbeliever's wedding.it was also reported that he was caught "talking to a disfellowshipped person".

steve2

It does sound unusual. Do you know if the elder is appealing the decision?

39

Were You Really That Much Harmed Because You Were A Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

looking back, did your being a jw hurt you all that much???

?

steve2

The pain I went through is now my gain. As someone else said (not on the topic of JWs): While no one would choose to go through the pain they've experienced in their life, it would be a shame not to find meaning and purpose in it, to learn from it and grow.

Same with me: I would not want to go through my teen and young adult years again as a JW just because of the "end product" (e.g., better able to appreciate my innate strengths and abilities to look after myself).

But, that experience has made me who I am, someone who is increasingly able to fully own his past without apology or anxiety. JWs may not realise it - or even care - but (ahem!), Their unhelpful and rejecting behaviours helped make a man out of me!

They are one of the most important reasons - there are others unrelated to my JW upbringing - that have shaped my identity. While I can expres my views on specific deplorable JW behaviours and attitudes,I can thank them without being facetious or sarcastic.

18

How do you think the society would react if...

by truth_about_the_truth in

as an active witness, you won the lottery and offered to contribute a large portion of that to the worldwide work?.

- take the money and cover up your "wrongdoing"?.

- take the money and df you?.

steve2

Hey, do what a lot of normal people do when they win: Don't tell anyone; not even your worldly relatives. -

51

Some JWs Are "In The Closet"

by minimus in

jw
friends

by that, i mean, some witnesses will not just now "out" themselves because of various fears and concerns.

some of us are still "in the closet".

so to speak, because we're not ready to expose ourselves to the "loving brothers", just yet---at least not 100 %.

steve2

While I am df'ed, I have to be on the 'low-down' around my JW family about my 'apostate' ideas. They for sure do not know just how opposed I am.

This is so true. JWs can cope with someone being df'ed for "immorality" or unethical business practices, for two examples, because such a person may well still believe the Watchtower's role in God's purpose. But, in the JWs eyes, apostates are the lowest of the low. When I was first df'ed, some of the most "hurtful" shunning I experienced was by other df'ed people who did not want to be seen associating or even talking to someone else who no longer believed in the Watchtower Society.