Posts by jwfacts

34

What is this latest letter from the GB about?

by stuckinarut2 in

we have been told this week that all in the elder and ms body will be read a letter from the gb about "make this the greatest month of activity ever"..... has anyone else had such a letter read out in their cong / servant body?.

i presume it will be all about "recommending strongly/insisting" that all these men should pioneer for the month?.

jwfacts

I have not seen it, but they like to do a push in August to get the publisher statistics up, as it is the last month of the service year. I thought maybe they will have a big preaching campaign in September, to be the anniversary of 100 years of the invisibile rule of Christ. That would get everyone excited that Armageddon may come in October; maybe they don't want to take that risk of failure.

13

July 15 Awake - strange quote and i'm not sure what else...

by Gladring in

i was trying to find the source of the michael j. tyler quote in the was it designed article in the jul 15 awake, when i came across this website.. was this posted before the magazine?

is the watchtower passing someone else's work off as their own, or the other way round?.

also, can anyone find the source of the quote?

jwfacts

It is the July issue of the Awake, not 15th. Here is the quote from page 16:

"If, as some claim, its reproductive system evolved, the gastric brooding frog would have had to make vast changes to both its physical makeup and its behavior all at once. “It is inconceivable to contemplate a slow and progressive change in its reproductive biology,” wrote scientist and evolutionist Michael J. Tyler. “The habit is totally effective or it fails completely.” The only plausible explanation, Tyler says, is “a single, huge, quantum step.” Some would say that such a quantum step is called creation."

I'm not sure it is a misquote, but rather a misunderstanding of quantum steps within evolution.

10

need advice

by search4truth in

jw
friends

i'm trying to fade away from the jw religion fully aware of ttatt .

my wife is still under mind control of this cult and teenager 14 years old attending most of the meetings an some ministry arrangements but is not interested and going just to please mum.

i actively educate my son about about other cults and their practices and he knows i don't believe that wt has anything to do with god.

jwfacts

Cult and mind control are both accurate descriptions, but can be counter productive and taken with offense. Other terms to use are "high control", "undue influence" and "coercive persuasion."

Teenagers are perceptive but also vunerable to these types of groups. Rather that discuss the Watchtower being a cult, continue as you have and highlight the techniques that make it one, and how there are manifest in other groups. You will do him a favour not only to leave the Watchtower, but also to learn how to avoid similar groups. Lifton's criteria are the foundation to any discussion, but also a bit difficult to understand, so try to make it more obvious by application to other groups, including religious, corporate and political.

Multi-level marketing companies are very compelling for young people trying to make easy money, and so similar to the Watchtower structure that would be a great discussion with your son. The sales pitch always includes the following points.

Do you want a better future
Would you like to remove all your money problems
Do you picture yourself with a yacht in a paradise island
Do you want to belong to a special family of like minded individuals
Wouldn't you love to belong to something that improves the world
What we have is the best product of all that are out there
You need to make sure you use our product and not others
You need to talk to everyone you know about this to build your network

It is easy to see how these comments apply equally well to a Usana, Amway or any high control religion, and you will hear them at almost every meeting.

I would keep your wife out of this for now, as you don't want to start a battle between the two of you for your son's allegiance.

39

why dont more elders leave?

by Crazyguy in

you would think that what they are exposed to more would wake up and leave, why not?

thoughts..

jwfacts

Their cognitive dissonance is some of the strongest. Many elders relish the power and realise they would be nothing if they left the religion.

27

For those who have been out for 5 years or more.......

by Phizzy in

jw
friends

........... do you find you are now far more relaxed about things ?

things in general, and things wt/jw related ?.

i find i am much more relaxed and pragmatic about life in general, mrs phizzy and i do what we can, but we don't get overly upset at what we cannot do.

jwfacts

I am. I have found a really amazing peace in my life that my friends respect me for. I think the stress of leaving and pain of loss can destroy a person, but for those that survive and come through it, perspective on life can become a lot clearer.

51

Elders answer questions about the changes of the blood ban

by opusdei1972 in

some days ago two elders visited my sister because she has not been attending the meetings more than one year.

this time she prepared notes containing watchtower past teachings about the blood ban so as to ask them for those changes, and it seems that the elders were also prepared for her past questions.

for instance she showed them that "albumin" was considered "under scriptural ban" in 1956 (read the page 20 of awake, september 8).

jwfacts

Again, my sister told them that we are not under the Law of Moses, but they replied that some principles remain.

I love that. Some principals remain - with those some being arbitrary. Menstrating women are no longer unclean and need to stand outside the camp, and children are no longer to be stoned for disrespecting their elders, but taking blood from foreigners somehow is a remaining principle. Even then it does not follow, since the Great Crowd are symbolised by the foreigners, and the 144,000 were under the law, so with the elders logic the Great Crowd should have blood but not the 144,000.

12

Dungy idols

by Duncan in

jw
friends

been gone a while, i havent posted a topic here for since 2004, but remembered this story this morning, so i thought id make a post.

dungy idols!

ring a bell with you?

jwfacts

It is interesting that new New World Translation has changed dungy idols to disgusting idols. If you look up Eze 18:5 it uses the word disgusting, and then has a footnote that the word could relate to "dung." Other passages omit dung altogether.

21

In the News: How being a teen mum, growing up as Jehovahs Witness and my kids prepped me for Masterchef fame

by Wild_Thing in

from australia: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/how-being-a-teen-mum-growing-up-as-jehovahs-witness-and-my-kids-prepped-me-for-masterchef-fame/story-fni0cvc9-1226974154930.

renae smith with her two daughters kyah and paris who had to agree before renae went onto masterchef.

picture: richard dobson.

jwfacts

I love how she freaked out about having to cook an eel. Then forced herself to overcome her phobia and went on to create one of the top dishes. She is a tough lady. Hopefully I'll bump into her in Newtown one day.

47

A precious gift to all from Jehovah (channelled via Focus)

by Focus in

jw
friends

some souls here may feel i was a little harsh.

if so, i am deeply sorry.

i was abused by a handful right from the start, presumably on the basis of the avatar picture (and 2001 vintage).. when visiting dubland, i often find that others start fights with me - for whatever reason, and i provide quite a supply of them - and when it doesn't quite go the way they expected, they cry persecution.