watching in on my wife's zoom meeting last night, there was an item about discipline is love.
they played a 'caleb' animated cartoon and then the instructions were 'if possible, ask selected young children' several questions.. it seems however, that there are no children in my wife's current congregation so the questions were all answered by retired brothers and sisters.
the congregation mainly consists of elderly people (like us) and the few of childbearing age seem not interested in having children.
Predictions of their demise can be wishful thinking.
Congregations reflect the catchment area that they are from. A part of town with a lot of retirees in it will make an old congregation. The next one from an area of town with the sort of housing for families will have a lot of kids. It can also be cyclical. Todays children will in a few years be a congo full of teenagers. .. then they grow up and move . That's life
i found this experience on reddit today.
disfellowshipping never really bothered me.
i always thought it was just another way of getting rid of members that weren't welcome anymore.. but i've changed my mind.
It is not the basic principle of d/f that is bad , but the way that it is applied. The movement has its rules , you break them continually, they can tell you to leave said movement. However should that stretch to shunning family members? That is a another add on of The Society.
In this case , even within WT rules , the elders had no right to tell them to kick out their son. The parents, should have told them it was a family matter and not their business
it reads like a case of stupid hard necked elders and weak minded parents.....
i’ve noticed a change in family attitude recently, like there is just something extra on their mind.
i even had to call my brother to check if he was dying and too scared to tell me.
anyway, i saw a video last night my saying jws think we only have 12 months left before armageddon so thought maybe this is the reason for changes attitude.
What’s this video? Was it official?
Uber dubs who are really unhappy with life in this world have always said this kind of thing. From scripture it appears they had some like that back in the first century congregation too.
It is meaningless.
Around here it would be perfectly o k ( UK) I see elders and public speakers with beards quite often.
WT sept 2016
“What about the propriety of brothers wearing a beard? The Mosaic Law required men to wear a beard. However, Christians are not under the Mosaic Law, nor are they obliged to observe it. (Lev. 19:27; 21:5; Gal. 3:24, 25) In some cultures, a neatly trimmed beard may be acceptable and respectable, and it may not detract at all from the Kingdom message. In fact, some appointed brothers have beards. Even so, some brothers might decide not to wear a beard. (1 Cor. 8:9, 13; 10:32) In other cultures or localities, beards are not the custom and are not considered acceptable for Christian ministers. In fact, having one may hinder a brother from bringing glory to God by his dress and grooming and his being irreprehensible.—Rom. 15:1-3;1 Tim. 3:2, 7.”
i have been hearing the cult is upset that this video leaked and is trying to remove it off the net.
lol are they really that stupid?
but if anyone has a link to the video i would love to see it.
I have just defended their stance in refuting untrue allegations made against them but this is different
somehow this music video got out , it does not really matter, it is the kind of thing everyone used to talk over while settling down at a convention. Who cares if it has been seen?
They are making a mountain out of a molehill....it is crap music anyway, not made for commercial gain just a filler at convention that will soon be free to see on their website.
watchtower v. anti-cult organization sponsored by russia and france.. https://bitterwinter.org/fecris-sentenced-in-germany-for-defaming-jehovahs-witnesses/.
If anyone uses their platform to criticise another, it must be truth. That is the standard that civilised society demands.
This bunch went off half - cock , with half truths and rumours so they deserve all they get. I have no problem with that.
we all know the scripture where jesus says 'this generation will by no means pass away before the end will come'.
the jw interpret this as the destruction of the jewish state in jerusalem by the romans and the dispersal of the jewish people.
however, while researching the history of judea, i come across various facts about the region.. so jesus died about 30ce and his disciples were likewise well in their thirties or older, the 'generation' by definition would've lasted until ~50ce (the time during which children are born and raised to have children of their own).
I contend that Jesus did not say that the city and land would be entirely desolate and uninhabited, he said the Temple would be destroyed and a great tribulation. It would come in the lifetime of his close companions who were men around his own age.
Accepted history records that this is what happened.
it just that the gb has a problem mixing biblical fact with goofy opinions.. but at least is isn't like the churces!.
.
I'd second Smiddy's comments above..... well put.
If I could believe that they taught the truth, I would still be following them , but I cannot. ...
i realize many here think that in-person meetings will return as soon as things are safe with covid.
but many acknowledge it will likely be 2022 or later when this happens.. surprisingly, many pimi jws in our congregation are not shy about saying they are fine with zoom meetings forever and do not want to go back to in-person meetings.
many speculate similar thoughts that are on this site....such as a combination of in-person and zoom meetings.
The super keen ones are itching to get back to the meetings and out in the Ministry. But a lot of others dont really.
They can never say so of course but I know my relatives dread the day they have to make the effort to get there
when you look back , did your witness associates act like normal human beings?
did any of them ever show compassion and feelings for a disfellowshipped person?.
any elders ever try to be kind to you, not “kind” as watchtower organization dictates, but truly kind and caring for you if you were experiencing difficulties?
As an organization JW s are pretty normal . True , there are some nasty ones and sometimes they get to be the most successful dubs. I always got on better with the "lesser ones" who were usually good people.
Their trouble is that they really believe that Holy Spirit and Gods truth falls out of the GB's #### , (sorry, I mean their mouth) . That makes them cherish and admire obedience to the GB above all else.
From the cloistered marble halls of War-wick the GB issue their instructions and expect them to be obeyed in the real world , despite resulting in hardship and sadness for those affected. Left to themselves ,those tough uber dubs would show a lot more humanity.
