Posts by LongHairGal

48

Even with recent changes it’s a struggle to get people to attend

by hoser in

jw
friends

the kingdom hall is still empty.

even with amalgamation of 2 congregations.

the elders are handling the microphones and there was only one comment from zoom at the watchtower.

LongHairGal

I started my ‘Fade’ from the Witness religion in 2001… When 9/11 happened and some inactives were scared and coming back, I was the one running out.

As far as I can see with these recent changes: (no more hourly time slip reporting and beards permitted), maybe a few younger people might stick around for a time… Surely I don’t see these changes enticing any intelligent people back who have left.

When I left, they weren’t using iPads yet. They weren’t showing videos yet. When I left, my congregation were basically responsible people (no desperation yet). The mentality was that the End was coming ‘soon’. The pioneers who hardly worked weren’t worried yet and expected Armageddon to save them from not preparing for retirement ‘in this system’.

Fast forward to now in 2024: the congregations suffered a loss of many after 1995. In fact, that’s why I left.. The End still didn’t come to save anybody.. Covid came and was a false hope that the End was near… Now, many have reached senior years in many case$ unprepared. Even for seniors who prepared, they still have to deal with illnesses.. Why on earth would anybody who is long out of the religion want to go back there?

44

2023 Yearly Report UNDER the Microscope

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/pi7sn2rnrke?si=lnvklqct6nuayv2q.

branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 85 (= down one from 86 from the previous year and quite possibly they are referring to the hong kong bethel that closed down recently).

number of lands reporting: 239 ( =the same as 2022).

LongHairGal

MAGNUM:

You say it well about how it was in the JW religion back in 1980s!.. I remember it too.

But, I know I was nowhere near as zealous as you and others there must have been. No, I was the pariah on the fringes who worked. When the religion dropped that hourly time reporting with the stroke of a pen at the recent annual meeting, I thought about all those Witnesses who knocked themselves out for years.. There were no apologies, no nothing.

I can only imagine how all these disappointed people must feel about this religion now!

22

The Meaning of ETC

by titch in

folks: i don't mean to be a "forum grammar policeman", but there is something that i've noticed a few times.

i've noticed that a few---not all---but some, members of the forum who use the abbreviation "ect" when they want to use the abbreviation of "etc.

" for your education today, the term "etc" is the abbreviation for the latin term "et cetera.

LongHairGal

TITCH:

I looked up ‘pedant’ and it refers to TOO much display of learning.

Just because somebody spells properly and uses grammar correctly in most instances, does not make them a ‘pedant’, in my opinion. It just means we are better educated in this area! We are older and came from better school systems, before it all went to shit!

There are those who would downvote us. Let them. They are younger and came out of dumbed-down school systems. If they didn’t learn most of these things in grade school (like I did) they won’t have it in adulthood. They may also feel that computer skills are all they need in life. 🙄

I also believe ‘texting’ set us back to some degree as too many people abbreviate and use shortcuts in written speech. I have a friend whose texts were so incoherent I had to tell her I couldn’t understand a damn thing she wrote.. When I text I write in plain English so people can understand me. I might leave out the punctuation though.

On a related topic: because of the increase in the number of individuals who never learned cursive script (because of further dumbed-down school systems) - I would advise everybody to write in block letters on labels and envelopes - unless you don’t care if your parcel gets there.

47

Does becoming (or remaining) one of Jehovah's Witnesses result in Poverty? Pew Research results differ from Watchtower claims.

by Balaamsass2 in

"raised in the truth" during the 50s, 60s,and 70s i repeatedly read and heard from the platform how reading the magazines weekly "was the equivalent of a college education" and how many had turned their family economic situation around by being "trustworthy" and giving up expensive bad habits most "worldly people" had.

sounded good.. what is the reality?

how does avoiding higher education, and then spending up to 20 hours a week getting ready for, commuting, and then participating in meetings and field service affect family finances?.

LongHairGal

DISGRUNTLED FOOL:

I am glad you took the very wise advice of that older gentleman in the 1970s.

He warned you not to listen to talk of “gloom and doom” and that the JW religion was saying this in the ‘40s”.. He was most correct to say: “if you don’t look out for yourself, they certainly aren’t going to”.

I know this all from personal experience. They thought they would ‘punish’ me 🙄 with shunning in the late ‘70s and later because I would not quit my full-time job to do housecleaning and the ministry.. Thankfully, I never listened and worked until retirement.

When they removed the hour reporting at the annual meeting of 2023, I felt validated (not that I needed it because I always felt I did the intelligent thing).. The result is that many thousands of Witnesses who knocked themselves out for decades - ended up unprepared for their retirement!.. What a slap in the face!.. The End of the World didn’t come in time as they were led to believe!.. They hoped Covid was finally it.. Surely, they would have ALL made a different choice if they knew how it would turn out!

22

The Meaning of ETC

by titch in

folks: i don't mean to be a "forum grammar policeman", but there is something that i've noticed a few times.

i've noticed that a few---not all---but some, members of the forum who use the abbreviation "ect" when they want to use the abbreviation of "etc.

" for your education today, the term "etc" is the abbreviation for the latin term "et cetera.

LongHairGal

TITCH:

I know how you feel.

This is the result of dumbed down school curriculums in the U.S. several decades ago. So, now you see all sorts of mistakes like the one you mentioned. I’ve seen college educated people who cannot spell to save their lives and don’t know grammar rules. You even have lazy individuals who don’t care and some write and don’t bother capitalizing anything.

But, if this is bad for ‘worldly’ people who supposedly have education, how much worse is it for homeschooled and poorly educated JWs?

67

Thoughts on annual meeting “new light”

by FFGhost in

so, i finally saw the annual meeting video part 2.. this is the one with the “new light” on who might survive armageddon, vs. those who do not.. in summary, for those of you fortunate enough not to have to sit through it, it’s something like this:.

old light: once the “great tribulation” starts, that’s it for non-jws.

the “door of the ark” is closed.

LongHairGal

FF GHOST:

Yes, how many countless Witnesses made life-altering decisions based on teachings that have now been thrown out the window!
The beliefs about who is saved and when are always subject to change anyway and I never paid much mind. But, the big one about the service hour reporting being done away with is major.

I was judged on this years ago!! I am forever grateful I never listened to anybody there and kept my job until I Retired. Maybe I can credit my so-called worldly upbringing!

So what if the JWs hated me? I wouldn’t want to be around any of these people now. They must be in panic/desperation mode.👎

8

Jehovah's Witnesses Sinner's Prayer

by NotFormer in

i've noted before certain similarities between jws and independent fundamentalist baptists, such as door to door work.

the ifbs call it "soul winning".

the goal is usually to give a quick tour of a few bible verses, get the householder to "repeat after me" a formulaic prayer confessing faith in jesus.

LongHairGal

NOT FORMER:

That would be interesting to see because Jehovah’s Witnesses are a works-based religion! No Christlike Grace for them! Besides, theirs is a superficial works and not real charity anyway.

You are only as good as the last good thing that you did that benefits them. Or, how many HOURS you got! Ooops! You don’t need hours anymore. Well, what are they to do now?🤷🏻‍♀️

Personally I think salvation should be faith with at least a few works that are real charity to benefit the community. Not ‘free bible studies’ - which are really their publications’ studies.

66

My decision.

by MissDaSilva in

jw
friends

i’ve decided to disassociate from the jw organisation.

i cannot be part of a community that blatantly rejects the sacrifice of jesus in that demonic memorial ritual.

amazing what information you find when you start researching.. i’m writing my letter and posting it to the kingdom hall this morning.

LongHairGal

TONUS OH:

I couldn’t do PIMO either. Instead, I abruptly stopped going.

The timing was right because of personal family reasons.. I then made a meeting here and there and the memorial for a couple of years and then stopped because I couldn’t stand even being in the same room with these people for a short time!

47

Does becoming (or remaining) one of Jehovah's Witnesses result in Poverty? Pew Research results differ from Watchtower claims.

by Balaamsass2 in

"raised in the truth" during the 50s, 60s,and 70s i repeatedly read and heard from the platform how reading the magazines weekly "was the equivalent of a college education" and how many had turned their family economic situation around by being "trustworthy" and giving up expensive bad habits most "worldly people" had.

sounded good.. what is the reality?

how does avoiding higher education, and then spending up to 20 hours a week getting ready for, commuting, and then participating in meetings and field service affect family finances?.

LongHairGal

ROAD TO NOWHERE:

And who would the ‘someone else’ be who would ‘grudgingly’ provide ‘charity’??

You are not referring to the fewer and fewer responsible rank & file people left in the religion, are you?? This is a stupid delusion and urban legend that too many Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to.. It is bad enough that JWs in decades past thought this when the congregations were brimming and full of people! That is not the case anymore.

Besides, it isn’t like 30 years ago when the JWs bought somebody a bag of groceries until they got on their feet again.. No, these people are senior citizens and AREN’T getting back on their feet again.. They aren’t getting a job tomorrow. They will be expecting charity and handouts the rest of their lives!!!

This is the actual outcome for many thousands of JWs who were in the ministry for decades and didn’t get actual jobs in their Youth like the REST of society traditionally does!!.. This is because of following the (now expired) teachings of a religion!

It is absurd wishful thinking for any JWs or even ex-JWs to imagine any of their ‘friends’ or associates are going to provide for them in their old age!

This is the result of indulging in fantasies all their lives instead of healthy realistic thinking.

47

Does becoming (or remaining) one of Jehovah's Witnesses result in Poverty? Pew Research results differ from Watchtower claims.

by Balaamsass2 in

"raised in the truth" during the 50s, 60s,and 70s i repeatedly read and heard from the platform how reading the magazines weekly "was the equivalent of a college education" and how many had turned their family economic situation around by being "trustworthy" and giving up expensive bad habits most "worldly people" had.

sounded good.. what is the reality?

how does avoiding higher education, and then spending up to 20 hours a week getting ready for, commuting, and then participating in meetings and field service affect family finances?.

LongHairGal

BALAAMSASS2:

I feel it is important to mention the change at the recent annual meeting of doing away with reporting hours for the R&F.. This ‘reporting of hours’ IS the reason why too many Jehovah’s Witnesses are in the state they are in!!! ..They were ‘scared’ into going out in the ministry full time or almost full time.. Armageddon was coming sooon!... Meanwhile, they should have had careers and paid into retirement.

But, the wonderful religion threw this hundred year old teaching out the window!!!! Poof! Thousands of Witnesses knocked themselves out for decades, lived on the edge and NOW are in senior years and in trouble!

I got knocked for working full-time years ago... But, I paid no mind and Retired when the time came.

After being ‘Faded’ all these years what do I read about but this latest change! ..How did I feel???.. I felt validated and SO glad I never listened.. But, I was angry at what could have happened to me if I caved in to all the pressure when I was young from older busybodies with cushy lives - most of whom are dead by now.

I have nothing but contempt for this awful religion and cannot believe anybody informed still goes there now in 2024!