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JONAHSTOURGUIDE:
It is a sneaky underhanded tithe. Some JWs might not think it’s a big deal. Others who were criticized for working might think it’s a very big deal.
NOT FORMER:
Hopefully not too many JWs would be stupid enough to fall for this - that some religion has a right to see their paystub.. But.. then you never know.🙄
an interesting read in today's wall street journal.
just another brick in the wall to keep people away from watchtower.
everyday life can be hard, and it is very hard to be enthusiastic about any group that constantly begs for money, brags, and covers up child rape.
BALAAMSASS2:
Yes, I read it and I agree that it is the trend in general that fewer people attend church. It’s true that the baby boomers are largely church attenders but I think it’s family tradition because in the past most of their families did.
With regard to Jehovah’s Witnesses, I think it’s a little different. I was raised Roman Catholic and I remember coming and going when it suited me. I certainly didn’t feel like I had a bulls-eye target on me like when I was active in the Witnesses.
Catholics who stopped going generally lost interest or passed away. They didn’t stop going because they were treated badly, subjected to intrusive behavior or shunned or gossiped about like in the Witness religion like I experienced. The Witnesses are their own worst enemy.. Many Witnesses who have stopped going (such as myself) did so because of extreme behavior and attitudes they would not tolerate, etc... I won’t even get into failed prophecies!
at what point does a jehovah’s witness cease to be a jehovah’s witness?
what if a witness doesn't believe some of the official teachings of the governing body but remains silent on these subjects to avoid being disfellowshipped?
is he or she an apostate to the faith?
At what point? It seems to me that any questioning or disagreement with anything the JW religion currently teaches is ‘apostasy’ in somebody’s eyes there. The key here is if you go around blabbing it.
But, with the current paranoia there, if you are ‘faded’ and tell somebody there you don’t want to go back because of this, that or the other thing - they could view you as *gasp* an apostate or at the very least ‘not upbuilding’.
I might be facing a situation like this (I don’t really care because I’ve been Out for so long). I have gotten to the point that I can no longer humor JWs and will be honest and voice my disagreement. Whereas in the past I might have kept quiet.. They cannot accept this.. If I finally lose these long time ‘friends’, so be it. At this point, I am not bothering to beat the dead horse.
the twickenham post made me think of this.
i have a few jw family members on facebook and being summertime, their pics of the convention have shown up in my fb feed.
along with their comments about "i wished it would never end" or "what a glorious weekend".
SYD BARRETT:
I didn’t mean to hijack your thread and will get it on track but I will answer FISHERMAN:
You have raised a straw man argument as I am not talking about ‘the resurrection and eternal life’.
I am talking about people who were told to ‘avoid careers and do full time ministry and not worry about retirement as they were told they’d never see old age in this system of things’. I know this personally as I had it said to me - but thankfully never listened.. Meanwhile those who said it are long dead after living a cushy life!
Many older JWs could have made other preparations and still stayed in the Witness religion only they’d be in better shape now while waiting for their ‘paradise’.
Getting back to the OP, I agree with most everybody about how they feel about assemblies.
the twickenham post made me think of this.
i have a few jw family members on facebook and being summertime, their pics of the convention have shown up in my fb feed.
along with their comments about "i wished it would never end" or "what a glorious weekend".
Maybe in the early days I might have enjoyed one or two assemblies. But, after that I can’t say that I did.. In reality the assemblies were exhausting and since I worked full-time I was especially tired.
I also felt they were a physical endurance test - to be sitting in stadium seats for three days and that’s assuming it’s an indoor or covered venue. Otherwise, it could be quite miserable and I remember a few that were. Boy am I glad this is all in the past!
From what I’ve read about this year’s assembly it sounds like it was meant to make disappointed JWs feel better about ‘Armageddon’ not having come yet.. I mean how do you make people who sacrificed for years (needlessly) and who reached an old age you told them they’d ‘never see in this system’ feel better?? I don’t think you can.
wife in.
bro high opinion of self stopped.
he is part of hlc, but was alone.
BETH SARIM:
And by word of mouth your name will be leaked? Just why is this? It’s because Witnesses can’t keep their mouths shut.
If you don’t talk about your business to everybody maybe it could remain private that somebody is admitted to the hospital for something. The exception would be if some JW works in the hospital OR if extended family are JWs then it would get out.
I’m not saying that this has anything to do with the OP.. But, I think most of the self-inflicted problems in the hall are caused by Witnesses who just don’t know how to shut up about their own damn business!
I could never stand this about the religion. This constant gossiping (even about themselves) is a sickness..and I can’t even feel sorry for them.
these are good comments to consider enjoy!.
jehovah's witnesses who leave their religion, do so for many different reasons.
here are seven.. watchtower prophecies and dates for armageddon have failed repeatedly.
Thanks for resurrecting this 13 year old thread.
It’s nice to see the comments of old posters including my own. I still stand by what I wrote about not tolerating intrusiveness and people making divine claims, etc.
But now, thirteen years later things are worse in the JW religion since much has happened. The religion has changed so that it is almost unrecognizable. Witnesses have grown older and many have reached retirement age unprepared. They were told ‘Armageddon’ would be here and they wouldn’t need to bother. Too many have spent several decades in the ministry instead of holding down a decent job and putting away for retirement like I did. Needless to say, the religion has no charitable social programs.
Back when I was active in the Witness religion I was surrounded by suburban middle class people. There was no mentality of desperation in the air.. NOW, there’s a disappointed attitude because the JWs expected the recent coronavirus pandemic would be ‘the End’.. They are upset they have to continue on - having reached an old age they never expected to see.. They had hoped to be in the ‘new system’ by now growing younger.. Adding insult to injury, they are financially unprepared!!!.. This is disastrous. It is for these reasons I am GLAD I left the religion years ago. I have no desire to be around this.
jehovah’s witnesses open historic museum in edo .. https://punchng.com/jehovahs-witnesses-open-historic-museum-in-edo/.
RILEY:
Yes. The JW religion has absolutely no social programs.
Meanwhile, they have a large enough number of needy members who followed the religion’s dictates not to get college/careers - and consequently have reached their retirement age totally unprepared!.. Instead, the religion tells their members to seek out ‘worldly’ charities. They don’t give any assistance whatsoever.
But, yet they are building museums - to charge admission no doubt.
SEA BREEZE:
Any persons stupid enough to shun their own children on the say so of a religion don’t deserve any pity from me.
*** w94 11/15 pp.
"in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
" so said 18th-century american statesman and inventor benjamin franklin.
EASY PROMPT:
Yes, I totally agree with your post (too bad if it offends anybody). The truth hurts. The whole arrangement there in addition to not paying taxes, are living on taxpayers’ contributions in congregations (yes, people they knock and accuse of being materialistic).
The JW religion knocks hardworking people with secular jobs. I was shunned for working full time but I’m Thankful I never listened or I wouldn’t have retired.
DREARYWEATHER:
Sorry to break it to you or hurt your feelings but when you were at bethel you were indirectly living off taxpayers income!.. That’s why it was offensive to me when I would hear about bethelites making derogatory remarks about working people. Who the hell did they think was supporting them but working JWs’ contributions!?
When 9/11 happened it was rumored some bethelite(s) were supposed to have made terrible remarks about JWs who died in the collapse.
Regardless of how hard you worked at bethel.. the fact of the matter is that place owes its existence to hard working, tax paying members’ contributions!
the watchtower is a manipulator.
one of the tools they use is guilt, and they use it via the "guilt trip.
" just so we are clear, a guilt trip is:.
SKEETER1:
Yes, the JW religion is a master of guilt trips.
How else could they have persuaded so many people to give up decent jobs/careers to do unpaid full-time ministry for decades? This was a combination of guilt-tripping and fear mongering about Armageddon. So many Witnesses reached retirement age they never expected to see - and they are unprepared.
I cringe when I think of what could have happened if I listened.. Yes, I felt guilty at the time but the guilt was overridden by my practical fear and also seeing older JWs collecting their pensions! Thank God I wasn’t raised a JW!
They also used guilt tripping in other ways in the congregation - trying to get sisters to do favors for Users. Thankfully, I had a full-time job and wasn’t available. I would have refused anyway. Besides, they can never be forgiven for all the lies and deception!👎
I’m certainly immune now to anybody’s guilt trips.
