Anything that brings a whole host of them a good dose of humility in recognizing that they are not unique and causes them to look at that reflection in the mirror and admit that by their unchristian actions, they may in fact be less than. Cause them to examine who they are because of the society. Anything that makes them question their motive, their actions, their focus and their blind faith in the organization is good. sammieswife.
sammielee24
JoinedPosts by sammielee24
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29
How big does the "Big News" have to be for you to not feel disappointed?
by GetBusyLiving ini hope this is huge.
like massive bethel schism huge.
like families reuniting in a blur of tears and joy, huge.
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Did you ever see or experience prejudice in the religion?
by free2beme inbesides the strong hatred of woman, that we know the witness religion teaches, did you ever see black bothers ignored in their attempt to reach out to be ms or elders?
did you ever see latinos treated different because of how the local community viewed them?
i know the watchtower teaches that this does not happen, but i actually experienced an event with a black brother that was a friend, that bothered me when i was in the religion.
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sammielee24
Hi cybs...isn't it all just too hypocritical though?? I can recall sitting through that first meeting and coming away so angry and the anger on that point alone has never gone away because the slanderous tone of the meetings and blatant prejudice against 'wordly' people sickens me. When an organization tries to tell me that my entire family, all the people that I know and every single person that exists outside their Kingdom Halls are all nothing but dirt, it tells me directly what they really think of me. My reasoning goes that if they think that of all worldly people then stop knocking on our doors because it's nothing more than arrogant condescension from a belief that they are somehow so much better than the rest of the world. They are not. Every time I heard another meeting like this it just reinforced my own beliefs that this is not a loving Christian organization and that I could not ever become part of it (baptized) simply because I see the world and all it's people as good and kind hearted, not evil and useless. I could not live my life within an organization that feeds and controls its members on fear and falsehoods. I certainly could not cast off my family as garbage quite so easily as I have had to witness many in this organization do. sammieswife.
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Did you ever see or experience prejudice in the religion?
by free2beme inbesides the strong hatred of woman, that we know the witness religion teaches, did you ever see black bothers ignored in their attempt to reach out to be ms or elders?
did you ever see latinos treated different because of how the local community viewed them?
i know the watchtower teaches that this does not happen, but i actually experienced an event with a black brother that was a friend, that bothered me when i was in the religion.
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sammielee24
The religion is all about prejudice
That is the real truth. I was never so appalled as when I sat in the KH as a non-witness, open minded to hearing what the JW's were all about and trying to decide if this was indeed the 'truth' for me, and hearing the talk given about how 'worldly' people were so bad. Bad association. No morals - no values, basically worldly people are the scum of the earth. (comments made by JW to JW with UBM have been - "the whole congregation knows why any man would be with a worldly woman -ie; her conduct is loose and she is only good for sex; and "JW men are coveted by worldly women ie; they are so moral and pure and good). Prejudice is rampant throughout and toward anyone NOT a JW - matters not the skin color or culture. Sammieswife posting this.
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D'Fing and Love
by I-CH-TH-U-S ini once talked to a jw about disfellowshipping and was curious to how can this be showing a christly love when you all out turn your back on them.
he gave me an answer about rightousness and unrightrousness having no fellowship (which is biblical) but it didnt make sense to me.
didnt seem applicable in many ways.
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sammielee24
The sinner sees clearly that his sinning stands between him and his association with Jehovah and his clean people.
The assumption that all people in the society are 'clean' is an interesting statement to make.
To assume that the 'friends' who sit beside you in the hall and smile at you, who embrace you with their cloak of conditional love, respect and acceptance, are all 'clean' is a huge leap of faith.
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D'Fing and Love
by I-CH-TH-U-S ini once talked to a jw about disfellowshipping and was curious to how can this be showing a christly love when you all out turn your back on them.
he gave me an answer about rightousness and unrightrousness having no fellowship (which is biblical) but it didnt make sense to me.
didnt seem applicable in many ways.
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sammielee24
If you voluntarily join any organization, be it a golf club, a political party, or a religion and you flagrantly flout ITS rules, then you would expect some discipline, even being expelled, disfellowshipped. You have to have some disciplinary procedures in place. Disfellowshipping..in my opinion, is a biblical concept.
I absolutely agree with another post in that a person who is raised in the society has not volunteered his life to the organization - that was a decision made for him. The mindset of the society is control over its members and those members are parents who control their children by the WTBS guidelines of inclusion. When a child grows up in fear of living or getting close to other people because they will not survive Armaggedon - that imposes a barrier in that child that may last with them a lifetime. That control includes isolation from the world and the abilitity to judge all people in the world as having less value so that if those witness children are cast off as adults they often suffer years of depression, guilt and loneliness - not to mention an abject fear of death, demons and destruction at having to live in a world they have been taught is governed by Satan.
We should also recognize that everyone in the same society MAY NOT know all the rules and thus do not realize that they are flagrantly flouting them until they are called upon for reproval or counsel. If honesty were a policy inside the society and lying were not an accepted practice within the organization, then all laws of the Watchtower would be written and available upfront for all members of every one of the congregations, as well as those honest and open minded individuals they seek to save. Disfellowshipping and shunning is not understood by many people outside the organization as most people tend to think of it as simply being removed from the church and not from their own family. It is not until they are baptized and tied at the hip that they fully comprehend what can happen to them thus there are many who will remain long after they believe this is not the truth - because of fear of loss is so great. If people were told at the outset that in the event they challenged one simple rule (and the list is long) on the WTBTS list, they could be removed from their families - they may never speak to their parents, sisters, brothers, grandparents, children; they will not attend their family weddings or funerals; they may not attend their children while they lay ill; they may lose their job and quite possibly they will not have an association with any single person they know - then most would walk away. These things are NOT discussed with all honesty while a person studies, therefore making a decision based on the reality of what can and does happen is impossible. SW.
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D'Fing and Love
by I-CH-TH-U-S ini once talked to a jw about disfellowshipping and was curious to how can this be showing a christly love when you all out turn your back on them.
he gave me an answer about rightousness and unrightrousness having no fellowship (which is biblical) but it didnt make sense to me.
didnt seem applicable in many ways.
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sammielee24
If the analogy of one or two drops of red dye turning an entire aquarium red were to validly apply to a congregation it would mean that ANY outside influence would have the same effect.
This statement is so true - in essence - according to their own belief any outside influence is negative therefore I say that all JW's should immediately halt the preaching work! Hearing someone else's viewpoint might corrupt their thinking - of course there go the book sales so I guess in exchange we up the ante by dictating that all members alter their wills and bequeath any and all monies to the society. Or maybe we'll change the whole donation idea for publications to one of membership dues thereby setting a rate of service pay to be included in the membership. The society is hypocritical and prejudiced imho. SW
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73
D'Fing and Love
by I-CH-TH-U-S ini once talked to a jw about disfellowshipping and was curious to how can this be showing a christly love when you all out turn your back on them.
he gave me an answer about rightousness and unrightrousness having no fellowship (which is biblical) but it didnt make sense to me.
didnt seem applicable in many ways.
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sammielee24
Sorry for the rant above - just one of those days I guess. Mrs Sam,
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73
D'Fing and Love
by I-CH-TH-U-S ini once talked to a jw about disfellowshipping and was curious to how can this be showing a christly love when you all out turn your back on them.
he gave me an answer about rightousness and unrightrousness having no fellowship (which is biblical) but it didnt make sense to me.
didnt seem applicable in many ways.
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sammielee24
Those words cannot be linked. Shunning is the most blatant form of cult control and one of the most abusive there can be. Totally devoid of love. Anyone who believes shunning is love does not know a deep and unconditional committment and love to another human being. Why is it that any Witness can knock at my wordly door, embrace me in their KH, tell me they care about me and insist they love me as their sister - but they sneer and avoid another sister, who although she WAS their sister, they have cast off for perhaps nothing more sinister than kissing a man. By that example alone I would question their loyalty and proposed love for me - after all, I want a sister in my life who will guide me, embrace me and love me in spite of my weaknesses, not one who believes it is their right to judge, condemn and bury me - and further to do it all so willingly. I've heard the 'keeping the cong clean' - forgive the language c$%#p so many times it's pathetic. Discipline can be meted out within each congregation by removal, reduced privileges and other such means - control can only be achieved by extreme punishment by shunning. Abuse does not equal love.
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Please welcome THE SHOOTIST
by alamb in.
just wanted to introduce my friend the shootest.
he is new here and wanted to welcome him.. .
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sammielee24
Welcome to the board
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Time again for........ Congregation roll call
by Jourles init's been a while since this topic has been brought up.
use it as a chance to see if there is someone you might know from years past.
1973-1976 --- lakeside, ca??
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sammielee24
I attended congs in Sterling, Longmont, and Loveland. All in Colorado. Moved to Layton Utah later. Anyone know anyone in these congs? IM me if you do. Would like to catch up on old friends (?), Can I call them that?