Spook

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Posts by Spook

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  28

  My DA letter!

  by Spook in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  the moment arrived.

  i have sent out my first three letters: one to the local congregation, one to the governing body (right, right, like i'll get a reply?

  ), and one to my family.

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  Spook

  Thanks again all! And especially GBL.
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  10

  A New Book

  by scholar in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  routledge books have released a new sociological study of the movement, namely 'jehovah's witnesses portrait of a contemporary religious movement' by andrew holden ph.d. publication date 10 jan 2002 and its isbn: 0415266106. .

  scholar ba ma (studies in religion)

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  Spook

  Best part:

  "one of the greatest problems of authoritarian millenarian religions, how their members cope with changes in doctrine and practice imposed (usually without any explanation) from above. The failure of Christ to return in 1975 (and previously in 1918 and various other times) should have created classic cognitive dissonance. (Incidentally, Holden is incorrect in saying that in post-1975 JW literature 'there has been no mention of these prophecies'; in fact, they are explained away as individual over-enthusiasm.) The numerous books by former JWs often mention, for example, the JW insistence (but only since 1937) that Christ died on a stake, not a cross, and the frequent changes in attitude to organ transplants, and to fraternizing with non-members."
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  10

  A New Book

  by scholar in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  routledge books have released a new sociological study of the movement, namely 'jehovah's witnesses portrait of a contemporary religious movement' by andrew holden ph.d. publication date 10 jan 2002 and its isbn: 0415266106. .

  scholar ba ma (studies in religion)

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  Spook

  Home > List of Issues > Table of Contents > Full Text

  Full Article View/Print PDF article (99K) Download to reference manager The British Journal of Sociology Volume 55 Issue 4 Page 594 - December 2004 doi:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2004.00040_7.x Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement David V Barrett 1 Holden, Andrew : Routledge 2002 206 pp. £ 55.00 (hardback) £ 16.99 (paperback) Of all the non-mainstream Christian sects, the Jehovah's Witnesses (along with the Mormons) are the most familiar to us, from their door-knocking. Of how many other religions could so many non-members name their evangelistic magazines? We might not want them, we may not ever have read them, but we've all seen copies of The Watchtower and Awake! And many people are aware of the JWs' policy on blood transfusion, and even perhaps that they won't vote, or fight in wars. But how much do we know about their beliefs, about how their lives are different from ours, and about how they manage to fit into a very JW-unfriendly world? This last, in particular, is a sociological question; in Roy Wallis's terminology, the Jehovah's Witnesses are very much a world-rejecting religion. Much of Andrew Holden's book seeks to answer this question. He spends less than a chapter on the history, doctrines and structure of the religion. Although the first two can be found in many books on Christian sects, it would have been useful, in his later discussion of how certain beliefs and practices of the Witnesses affect their lives and their social interaction with the rest of the world, if he had given us more detail on their doctrines, both their origins and development, and the logic behind them Holden spends some time on modernity theory and its application to the JWs; probably his most relevant reference is that the non-mystical, rational religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is a bulwark against 'the terror of chaos' (Peter Berger, Facing up to Modernity, 1977), in that its absolutism 'eradicates risk and ambiguity' for members. He also points up the contradiction that the religion makes full use of the benefits of 'rationalism, liberal democracy and advanced technology' which it condemns. The most interesting part of Holden's book, and its most valuable contribution to our understanding of the JWs, is his discussion of the problems Witnesses have with their families and friends, and in employment. Several chapters, based on in-depth interviews, explore these difficulties. What is it like, for example, to be a child growing up in a home that doesn't celebrate Christmas? Or not being allowed to take part in school sports or other extra-curricular activities? Or facing the normal problems of being a teenager, such as discovering and exploring their sexuality? Like many new religions, the JWs have a strict moral code There are other problems, common to all religions. What if one partner in a marriage is a member, and the other isn't? From the evidence Holden presents, it seems that in these cases more usually the wife is a member, and the husband not. (Why this should be, he doesn't say.) One might think that for a very patriarchal religion, which teaches submission of the wife to the husband, this would create real problems, but the impression is that in most cases couples muddle through, finding compromises that work for them This is obviously anecdotal qualitative sociology, almost social reportage. Holden presents a series of snapshots within a framework. Other sociologists doing a similar study under different circumstances, at a different time, perhaps in a different country, might get different findings. As he says in a brief discussion of his methodological approach, 'It is only by understanding the natives' worldview that ethnographers are able to make sense of an individual act, but these interpretations can only be partial and must be subjected to continual revision.' But the worldview depends on the doctrine, and as mentioned, the book is weak here. It touches only in passing on one of the greatest problems of authoritarian millenarian religions, how their members cope with changes in doctrine and practice imposed (usually without any explanation) from above. The failure of Christ to return in 1975 (and previously in 1918 and various other times) should have created classic cognitive dissonance. (Incidentally, Holden is incorrect in saying that in post-1975 JW literature 'there has been no mention of these prophecies'; in fact, they are explained away as individual over-enthusiasm.) The numerous books by former JWs often mention, for example, the JW insistence (but only since 1937) that Christ died on a stake, not a cross, and the frequent changes in attitude to organ transplants, and to fraternizing with non-members. A rather more detailed reference to such ex-member accounts would have provided a useful balance to the information from Holden's own interviews. Holden has largely succeeded in what he set out to do, and as an ethnographic study this book has some value. For any readers with a reasonable knowledge of the Jehovah's Witnesses, it doesn't add a great deal, though the personal stories provide a very human illumination. David V Barrett 1 The British Journal of Sociology Volume 55 Issue 4 Page 594 - December 2004
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  46

  The Watchtower, Scholar and Misrepresentation of Source References

  by AlanF in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  our resident pretend-jw-scholar who calls himself "scholar" enjoys justifying lying and misrepresentation by the watchtower society and himself.

  the society, out of one side of its collective mouth, recommends not misrepresenting source references, yet out of the other side, goes ahead and does so without hesitation whenever it is convenient.

  the society understands that unfair quoting is dishonest.

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  Spook

  "When the Creator/Creation was first published there was no such thing as the ID movement"

  Fallacy!
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  30

  Circuit Assembly Review: "Be guided by the 'wisdom from above.'

  by Spook in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i just got back from the circuit assembly.

  some interesting perspectives:.

  9 people out of 2500 got baptised.

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  Spook

  Hehehe. Meetings a priviledge? Kind of like shutting my wang in a car door is a priviledge!
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  28

  My DA letter!

  by Spook in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  the moment arrived.

  i have sent out my first three letters: one to the local congregation, one to the governing body (right, right, like i'll get a reply?

  ), and one to my family.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Spook

  Thanks everyone! Ghandi had it right - the more you resist something, the stronger it becomes. The WTBTS has a pigeon hole into which they fit "apostates." Any action of direct opposition actually strengthens the siege mentality. I'm making a stand that I know my friends and family will remember in a few years when things really start falling apart.
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  12

  The Future of WTBTS: A prediction.

  by Spook in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  in light of the recent statistics and change in awake publication, i have the following thoughts:.

  1. the work in western lands is steady or decreasing.

  2. foreign territory in western lands is increasing proportionately.. 3. therefore, the established, wealthier population of publishers in western lands is decreasing more rapidly, being replaced by foreign/special language territories.. 4. a majority of the financial support for publication comes from the decreasing base of wealthy western culture.. 5. the pressure for material in foreign languages is increasing.. 6. the cost of the preaching work is increasing, due to #5, and the increased costs of transportation due to oil prices, and the economics of electronic transmittals reducing the global demand for shipping.. 7. a large portion of the most zealous young peple switch to foreign territory, reducing the activity of established congregations in western lands.. 8. due to #7, #1-6 will increase in the future.. i predict: (1) further seperation of printing and operations into branches.

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  Spook

  Ezekiel,

  Do you know if the financial support for all printed materials is divided into branches? Or is only the opperational activity divided into branches?

  As to the comment by another poster about reform: As a student of anthropolgy and organizational theory, I feel that reform on the major issues that are causing conflict is not likely without a major chaotic, discreet event. The role of the GB as a group of anchient men living in near total isolation from the real world prevents real change taking place. Since new members are brought in gradually, the idea of a younger generation producing change is not likely from the top down. The new members that are brought in will be integrated for a decade, then the roles will be reversed.
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  7

  Invitation: Chicago Area Post Disassociation Letter Party. Open Invite!!!

  by Spook in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey folks,.

  i have my da letters all lined up.

  i want to have a party in chicago in april.

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  Spook

  I sent the letters off today! Anyone up for drinks on me in Chicago? Send a PM!
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  9

  Example of bait-and-switch logic.

  by Spook in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  from the watchtower website article on propaganda:.

  "however, we do not want to be so narrow that we refuse to consider facts that can improve our thinking.

  how can we find the right balance?

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  Spook

  Aint it the truth. Everyone interested in the organization should read Orwell. Allan F. has some fine comparisions.
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  18

  Two thirds of the Earth's Resources Used Up?

  by MegaDude in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1447863,00.html

  two-thirds of world's resources 'used up' .

  tim radford, science editor.

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  Spook

  Global sustainability initiatives have an ecological resistance from the culture of pessimism - particularly apocalyptic religious fundamentalism. The greatest polluter on the planet believes it is God/god/god(s) chosen nation - with 90% of the population respecting the bible, and almost 50% believing in global appocalypse.

  We are part of nature. There is no mastery of it. We are part of mankind. There is no conquering of it.