so, my husband and i are 'faders/inactive' and have been for some time.
we live in another city about 60 miles from both sides our family.
his parents and my mom are very active in the congregation in their area (they live in the same city).
The WTS has said that you can call on a house with a no trespassing sign but it's your responsibility if anything negative happens. Mosts publishers don't go - the ones that do are zealous nuts.
Anyone can encourage an inactive or irregular person. Only the elders can call on a disfellowshipped person.
i posted this on another thread but it really got me thinking about how the wts could really do this:.
the wts needs to stop spending so much cash.. they have real estate but once sold and the proceeds used it offers no more value.. they need to simplify, simplify, simplify (and isn't that the mantra they recite each time they make an organizational change?).
they could: push more and more printing to the individual publishers in order to cut down on printing costs (this may only apply to developed countries but it still would result in significant savings).
Simple insearchof,
passing the plate is greedy
tithing is biblical.
Every witness in the world (minus a small few) would be falling over themselves to tithe (or hide some income).
i posted this on another thread but it really got me thinking about how the wts could really do this:.
the wts needs to stop spending so much cash.. they have real estate but once sold and the proceeds used it offers no more value.. they need to simplify, simplify, simplify (and isn't that the mantra they recite each time they make an organizational change?).
they could: push more and more printing to the individual publishers in order to cut down on printing costs (this may only apply to developed countries but it still would result in significant savings).
TJ,
I am also surprised tithing hasn't been instituted. Perhaps it yet may...
im doing a bit of research for an academic paper on shunning and am interested in your response to any or all of these questions.. please think back to when you were a jw (if necessary) or to other jws you knew.. 1) does shunning work?
(for example, does it bring sinners to their senses?
does it keep the congregation clean?
I think there are just too many variables to know if shunning changes the course of the one shunned.
I believe shunning and disfellowshipping are used as tools by the majority to peer pressure the minority into not questioning or leaving. Not necessarily sinning, because sometimes human weakness just lets that happen, but questioning, doubting, researching, asking questions and trying to convince others they're crazy are all outwardly minimized by the fear of disfellowshipping.
Instill fear and members won't stray (as much).
i wasjust really curious to see what the average of everyone's "history" is here, and also how many "higer ups" we have that have abandoned the ways.
so what were you, an elder?
a pioneer?
TL,
regular pioneer, ministerial servant, elder, bethelite - free baby, free
entry and exit papers: http://www.mediafire.com/?exrr1amq2st.
bethel life: http://www.mediafire.com/?itdnv159cxa.
info for the wallkill bethel family: http://www.mediafire.com/?b22smj2nbmt.
Oh man you're so much faster than me. I just located all my crap and haven't even begun to scan it yet. I will get to it though.
so jehovah's witnesses came to our door, this is about the fifth time, i always miss them, but they talk to my wife, this time i was home due to the holiday season, the man was an elder, he came with a newbie, thought he would show her "how's its done"), the young women sat there with mouth wide open, as she watched me beat up her elder with his own bible.
well after discussing the scriptures for about 2 hours, (subjects included: salvation, ransom, permission of evil, god's organization), she looked at me and said "amazing, i've never heard it explained quite that way before.".
the elder asked me what religious affiliations i had, i told him, "i am with the associated bible students.
when flustered and embarrassed people can and do say some pretty off the wall stuff.
What's so unusual about an embarrassed and flustered elder calling someone the anti-christ?
I wouldn't have said it - I would have left as soon as my scriptural knowledge was shown up the first time. In the car group I would have said you must be apostate and then marked your door down as a do not call.
this site has a copy of the co outline... in spanish
http://www.herniacerebral.blogspot.com/
Excellent!
my wife has recently been contacted by a pesky meddling sister about restarting a bs that she stopped almost a year ago and she is going to be attending the assembly in hampton, va in a couple of weeks.. i have no idea what these are like, and was wondering if you all could provide me some read ahead material so i know what areas they will hit on, as well as be able to prepare me for her attitude and mood on her return, not only each evening, but also after the event is over.
.
Rounding up the worldly friends is a good idea. Made me laugh thinking about some emergency phone call tree with worldly friends answering from all over the country and swooping in to ask your wife out for a ladies night.
Beat the witnesses to the punch. Arrange for a regularly scheduled activity. Perhaps a class at a local community center or a college course that you would both enjoy that's not pertinent to her major/minor. Don't just set up a date night because the WTS is waaaaay more important that a date night (take it from me) but make it a committed thing to an outside entity. Perhaps her worldly (hahah using that term) can help you plan or arrange something.
Oh and you could plan some weekend trips away in the month of august and september. that always helps.
is there any extent of the law which we could sue the society for taking our time, brainwashing us and tearing apart our families?
or would that just be pushing it?.
i ask because the attorney who prosecuted jfk's murderer came out with a book outlining a case against bush for murder which is pretty far-fetched yet convincing.
All I know is this:
A major class action suit with thousands of members suing for character defamation and pain and suffering due to being disfellowshipped wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of winning - BUT IT SURE WOULD CATCH THE NEWS MEDIA'S ATTENTION.
