hi, all--i was just wondering, since there is emphasis on counting your witnessing hours in the jws, if they indeed count their time here and in other chat forums?
i happened to check the jws own chat forum, and it is closed to non-members.
i thought that it was interesting that they are free to come here, but we are not free to go there to discuss the bible.
LAURA LYNN:
Yes, the Witnesses took away their long held teaching of counting time and turning in a slip at their 2023 annual meeting! ..No more. They just need to tick a box now that indicates they did some witnessing.
Even though I am long out, learning about this change came as a shock to me as I was judged over ‘low hours’ years ago because I worked.. But, today I am very Glad that I never listened!
But, active JWs surely did come on here to count time.
mark jones writes:.
if they were spied upon and it was reported to the elders they’d be “invited” to a judicial committee whereupon they’d be cross examined in a locked backroom by three men acting as judge and jury to decide if they are guilty.. .
if the elders decide that they are guilty, they’ll then decide if the person is sorry.
BETH SARIM;
What I took away from all of this is that the JW religion hates holidays and celebrations - and not just because they are supposedly ‘pagan’. That’s just a convenient excuse because even the days of the week are pagan.
The religion does NOT want their members associating with non-Witness relatives and friends because it fears that the members will get used to the love and non-judgmental treatment they would receive.
The religion is simply afraid the members will wake up and get un-indoctrinated when they compare that loving treatment to the grief they get in the Kingdom Hall.
the last assembly i attended was over 10 years ago.
the monotone speakers, boring talks, uncomfortable seats, long prayers and nodding off after the lunch break did me in.
i survived the morning sessions, but the afternoon sessions were brutal.
RULES & REGULATIONS:
I worked full-time and I remember going to work on Monday after the assembly being totally exhausted!.. Now why would that be after I was sitting for three days? Maybe it had something to do with getting up early; being around people I didn’t really want to be with and maybe listening to monotonous talks and sitting on uncomfortable seats, etc. You were not refreshed when it was over.
What I also hated was the overly long closing prayer.. If people were smart they left before the song and prayer and beat the crowds out of there.
You couldn’t pay me to do this now and I am glad this is all in the past.
this was one of the craziest things i remember about the summer conventions.
i would go into the sister's bathrooms and the mirrors would all be taped up with brown paper so that we couldn't look at our reflections.
were were amish or something?
LOST IN THE FOG:
Sometimes a woman didn’t just want the mirror to ‘put on war paint’ 🙄 but to see that her dress was down, run fingers through her hair - and check that she wasn’t trailing toilet paper on the bottom of her feet!
And ‘suitable single brothers’? That’s a laugh.
I remember in the early years once trying to do this very quick once over in the bathroom of a circuit assembly and getting an evil look from some miserable sister changing a baby’s diaper. I was nowhere near her. She acted like I didn’t even have a right to be there.. Not my problem.
mark jones writes:.
if they were spied upon and it was reported to the elders they’d be “invited” to a judicial committee whereupon they’d be cross examined in a locked backroom by three men acting as judge and jury to decide if they are guilty.. .
if the elders decide that they are guilty, they’ll then decide if the person is sorry.
KERRY KING:
I am glad you are able to see the importance of celebrations and holidays for forging strong family ties!
I was raised Roman Catholic and so thankful I had these things and wonderful memories of caring people including beautiful decorations and cooking aromas.. These were priceless and in sharp contrast to the sterile environment of JWs.
Right before I started my ‘Fade’ from the Jehovah’s Witness religion, I sent out Holiday cards for the first time in decades!.. I also re-established contact with estranged relatives before it was too late.👍🏻. I had much apologizing and explaining to do but people were understanding!
You were correct about those JWs who abandoned their families and got ‘married’ to the organization in a sense.. If these Witnesses are expecting the org. (or any of their spiritual friends) to take care of them in their old age they are in for a very rude awakening!
i'm unclear on how this has been achieved or if permissions have been given.
presumably, audible (part of amazon) have their own procedures to ensure legality, but here it is nonetheless;.
listen to crisis of conscience - raymond franz by crisis of conscience - raymond franz on audible.
JEFF T:
I remember when a friend loaned me her copy of ‘Crisis of Conscience’.
She made fun of me (and rightfully so) when she saw how I turned it over and hid the cover. I’m ashamed to say that this was true. However, the book was a powerhouse and I was sorry I hadn’t read it sooner.
BALAAMSASS2:
One thing I don’t miss about the JW religion are the envious women who have such issues about other women there with nice figures.. They always had criticism about attractive stylish women and their outfits.
I can only imagine now with the wearing of pants that these same women with serious issues will have something more to complain about!!
have some time thinking about my recent and less recent personal history because of the summer holiday.. the 90's crossed my mind.
the years i became pimo.
a friend, a room mate during the 1993 moscow international convention, went to university.
DESIROUS OF CHANGE:
I’m glad you finally did get out though!
You’re probably not the only one who hung around until that Overlapping crap. I was long Out by then, thankfully..
But, the real issue with 1995 was the time element for people who didn’t have a decent job and were waiting for Armageddon to ‘save’ them.. That was a linchpin teaching.. When that got thrown out the window, people realized this ‘system’ would be around longer… They did the math and realized it was later than they thought and they better do something.. I had a hypocritical elder tell me he was putting in more overtime to save for his retirement.. But he didn’t leave the religion. I got out because that was the last straw as far as I was concerned.. I just didn’t believe them anymore.
It’s also possible some Witnesses there weren’t worried about their financial/job situation and hung around after 1995 and maybe even stuck around after the ‘Overcrapping’ nonsense.
I think anybody who is left in the JWs at this point does NOT care what is being taught.
reading about jw.org rules changes these days gives me a sad observation.. everything what "is" today, can be gone tomorrow.. that makes it all worthless.
you were an elder, searching for evidence, and proof to df a person.
because he or she was not humble enough.
KERRY KING:
As somebody who was not born in the JW religion, I found their stand against so-called worldly people to be ridiculous.
I came to see, as you did, that the Witnesses were very unloving and cliquey. ‘Worldly’ people could run rings around Witnesses in being loving and charitable. When I examined the Witness philosophy about life I found it ridiculous.
Jehovah’s Witnesses play a dangerous game of pretend and act like they are a little village in ancient Israel. In this village everybody’s needs are taken care of. Well, the REALITY is that they are not. They are a religion made up of people who have to go OUT into the real world to get employment and their education as well. They have to FUNCTION in the real world. Witnesses mentally cripple their people so they cannot function.
As somebody raised Catholic who came into the JWs as a young working adult, I could see their mindset was absurd - and that’s why they could never convince me to do something so stupid as to quit a good job to be in an unpaid ministry!
have some time thinking about my recent and less recent personal history because of the summer holiday.. the 90's crossed my mind.
the years i became pimo.
a friend, a room mate during the 1993 moscow international convention, went to university.
BLONDIE:
I remember that feeling you describe like being freed from prison.
My planned ‘Fade’ from the Jehovah’s Witnesses came after a year-long internet study of their history.. I started my ‘Fade’ on the night of a weeknight meeting.
It was winter. I remember staying home and watching CSI... It felt strange at first because I was breaking a habit but I was glad to not be going out in my car on a cold night.. But, the real free feeling was sleeping in on the weekend mornings. I was ecstatic.. Sunday was special and I felt so great getting up and leisurely making breakfast.
I had finally pulled myself out of this trap and freed myself of the load of bricks.. It was the best thing I did for myself! I escaped their controlling clutches and kept my job until retirement. They hated me but so what?
