Posts by R6Laser

290

JW Children Lie in Custody Cases

by compound complex in

direct and cross-examination questions in child custody cases.

wtb&ts, page 42.

"be careful that they [jw children being questioned] don't get the impression that they are in a demonstration at the circuit assembly, when they would show that the first things in life are service and going to the kingdom hall.

R6Laser

It sounds like two different religions to me. I was a raised in a large city and knew many JW's from many different halls. We all had to follow the same rules, written and unwritten. Those rules were the religion. It wasn't just elders enforcing the law, it was parents, friends of parents, relatives, siblings and your own peers turning you in for any infraction, from any KH.
There was absolutely no outside association allowed under any circumstances. No dances, school sports or organized sports of any kind. Life was school and the endless meetings, service and studying. After Highschool graduation, life was then assumed to be endless meetings, study and pioneering. 1975 was just around the corner.......it was that or die. Funny, to me it felt like we were already dead.
r.

Not two religions, two different types of followers. They were not rules, they were just comments made by someone who was given power. There were those that followed everything to the smallest detail and those that didn't. I have plenty of examples of those that didn't follow everything that they were told. As far as who is enforcing it, all it would take is for you to stand up for yourself and stop being taken advantage of. My uncle was an elder and he tried to get involved and give me rules. I would just tell him "we'll see what happens", but never was I involved in any circle of parents, friends or elders enforcing rules down my throat.

Funny how you mention how there were no dances, school sports or anything, but I knew plenty of young members who did all those things you mention. I myself was later appointed as a MS but I still went to college, I went to college parties, clubs, bars all while being a MS. And guess what most of the times I was out in these so called wordly events I would come accross other members doing the same thing. So I'll say it again, if you were too afraid to stand up for yourself and let the elders walk all over you, then yes you were told what to do and you followed whatever they said.

290

JW Children Lie in Custody Cases

by compound complex in

direct and cross-examination questions in child custody cases.

wtb&ts, page 42.

"be careful that they [jw children being questioned] don't get the impression that they are in a demonstration at the circuit assembly, when they would show that the first things in life are service and going to the kingdom hall.

R6Laser

Certainly, many Witnesses not only have normal (casual) acquaintances with non-Witness schoolmates, neighbors and workmates, but many of them have close non-Witness friends.
Eduardo, this statement alone is a farce and you know it. I lived the "truth" for 40 yrs and I can tell you first hand that having a "close" friend with a "worldly" person is strongly discouraged in the Tower. How many times did I hear that scripture that says " friendship with the world is enmity with God". You are living in denial if you cant see the roses.
The Claw.

I can personally say that it is true that many witnesses do have normal and close non-jw friends. I had plenty of them, most of the kids in my hall had them. This is just coming from my point of view, but there were 2 classes of jw, those who followed everything they were told to the last word and those who just attended the meetings but had their own minds made up on how they were going to live their own lives.

Most in my congregation when I was attending where not doing whatever they were told by old men who make up rules in the platform. In the other hand most here in this forum belong to the first group, those that followed whatever they were told. That's why there are so many extreme cases cited here because it is mostly made up of the ones who followed their advice, and got burned while doing it.

You said it in your statement, "a relationship with a worldy person is strongly discouraged", but if you had common sense and wanted to have real world friends you could do it without thinking twice about it. I did it, and many jw's that I knew did it and we never got caught in any foxhunt or unfair persecution. When I left the WTS I was gone the next day, and not once did the elders came up and interrogate me or started anything out of the ordinary. I still talk to most old friends in the congregation, still talk to my mother and uncle who are still in. And while I do agree that some elders are extremely critical all it takes is some courage to stand up for yourself and take control of your own life. How easy that is I guess it depends on each individual and their situation.

67

Dec KM indicates extreme paranoia over booking hotels NOT on the list

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

over the years, the society has included half a page in their annual guidelines when planning for and attending the district convention.. in particular, they have been very insistent that only hotels on the recommended lodging list be used.. .

the language in this month's km is even more insistent than last years.. .

here is the text in full, with the original emphasis.. .

R6Laser

I will look at the OKM. Is that in print? The plastic and paper bags I use have to be generic now?
What kind of a cult would care that I got my coffee at Dunkin or Starbucks or McDonalds?

The answer is that you will not find this on print, and most don't care what you have for coffee or donuts. I used to bring McDonald's breakfast with me all the time to the assemblies, no one ever mentioned anything about it. At times I would go out at lunch time and bring in food, nobody stopped me and mentioned anything. I even remember ordering pizza when staying late in the Hall for either cleaning or doing accounting or literature duties. Not once did anyone had a problem, instead most were very thankful.

The thing with all these crazy rules is just like everything else, there's some real overzealous people that make their own rules and want them to be followed. Most of the time these rules are made up by elders who are too strict and usually not liked by anybody. Therefore they like the fact that they are given power by those who follow their made up rules.

28

The Dishonesty Amazes Me

by roflcopter in

so there was a brother that i have know for some time that bought a little truck.

i wanted to buy this truck and he wanted to sell it to me, but might at the same time want to keep it since his son is almost of age.

so i borrowed this truck for a while, about a month, and the brother told me he put it on his insurance and it cost him a whopping 25$ a year since he had been with his insurance company.. well long story short a lady cut me off and i rear ended her at about 5mph... not a very hard collision... but when i call the brother (who is a ms) he says he doesnt have insurance and denies telling me he ever had it.

R6Laser

28

The Dishonesty Amazes Me

by roflcopter in

so there was a brother that i have know for some time that bought a little truck.

i wanted to buy this truck and he wanted to sell it to me, but might at the same time want to keep it since his son is almost of age.

so i borrowed this truck for a while, about a month, and the brother told me he put it on his insurance and it cost him a whopping 25$ a year since he had been with his insurance company.. well long story short a lady cut me off and i rear ended her at about 5mph... not a very hard collision... but when i call the brother (who is a ms) he says he doesnt have insurance and denies telling me he ever had it.

R6Laser

LOL! So you drove someone else's car without proof of insurance and got on an accident, something which you caused. And you don't want to claim responsibility for it? The accident is your fault, driving without insurace is also your fault. I don't see what your complaining about. Next time don't drive someone else's car without proof that you're insured.

142

THE BACK PEDDLING HAS ALREADY BEGUN......

by Mary in

jw
friends

as i mentioned before in another thread, my dub aunt, along with several other witnesses, told me that they were specifically told that the governing body let it be known that tract work would trigger the beginning of the end by infuriating the other religions and somehow causing the governments to "turn on babylon the great".

this was supposed to start before the end of this year.

one thing i mentioned is that they were smart enough this time, not to put anything down in writing, but simply let it get around by "word of mouth".

R6Laser

This is how rumors start. So here we have a member who told you what she heard somebody else mention. That's how it always start. Show me where the WTS says it specifically. Not what one person says of what they heard from someone else. Why is this tract such a big deal to most on this forum? There have always been special tracts and announcements. The WTS always has mentioned how false religion will be destroyed. This is no new issue, but why all the hoopla in here for something that most that have been in it already know.

34

For those that think there are "subliminal images" in Watchtowers...

by AlmostAtheist in

jw
friends

do you believe the watchtower organization is inserting them, or individuals are doing so on their own?.

having looked at the images that people have found and pointed out, i have to say that i don't think they are there at all.

just random patterns that happen to look like something familiar.

R6Laser

Dave, I have to agree with you. When I get bored at the hall such as during a W.T. study, I look at the pics in the publications and can always find something that resembles a demon or other strange oddities. I think a person can do this with ANY picture and those that get excited thinking that the art dept. put them there ....are grasping at straws. As was mentioned, there are plenty of ligitimate fallacies without looking through artwork to find them.

LOL. How about who put these so called subliminal images in carpet designs or some of the wood panels that have design to them, or curtains? Let's not stop there, I've seen subliminal images in clouds, water ripples, mirrors, sand, etc...

Look at anything with any kind of pattern and most of the time you will be able to make out recognizable images out of it.

16

Uzbekistan~WT EXPOSED AS 'CANCER'

by DannyHaszard in

uzbek tv programme warns of christian missionary activities.

uzreport.com, uzbekistan - 1 hour ago.

... a russian woman named vera, captioned as a former member of a jehovah's witnesses organization, said that her group did not allow celebrating birthdays and ... former member of a jehovah's witnesses organization.

R6Laser

What a terrible article. Yes JW's are a cult and it prohibits things like birthdays and such. But the person was not forced into not celebrating. You are not forced into the cult.

Also this comes from a Uzbekistan, I would have to say that a lot of things they approve off are things you or I would think are not acceptable.

Goes to show the extent of what some go to badmouth what they used to be because they are so bitter.

72

Astonishing Publisher Peak in Britain for August 2006

by slimboyfat in

well i just got the new kingdom ministry for december and it has the publisher peak for august: 129,482!.

that is quite an amazing total when you compare it to the trend of recent years:.

2006 - 129,482. i wish i could produce a graph, but you get the picture - there has been a dramatic increase in the publisher peak number this year compared with the recent downward trend after the 1995 "generation" change and subsequent stagnation.

R6Laser

If a publisher forgets to put a report in one month ( and loads do) they are counted as two people when they submit two reports the following month.

Where do you get this information?

Reason I ask is because when I was still in, I was in charge of things like this. I was also in charge of the accounting. I must say that your statement is false, at least false in the way it was done when I was in.

7

WT languishes while Babylon enjoys a boom

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

this news item should get downunder dubs thinking and wondering where they went wrong.

after all, the waters of babylon were supposed to be "drying up" - well, weren't they?

tuesday november 28, 02:35 pm.

R6Laser

Nothing new with this information. The WTS has never had any huge growth when compared to most religions. If you really think about it the WTS is really one of the smaller religions out there.