jwfacts
JoinedPosts by jwfacts
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70
What made you stay "in" even when you knew it wasn't the "truth"?
by mentalclarity inso i've been thinking a lot about why i stayed a jw for so long even though i had always had doubts about the doctrines.
i was born into the religion, left and came back as an adult for another decade.
some of the things that come to mind (besides the threat of shunning-and this isn't to minimize that very real threat) was:.
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43
The denial of 1975 when and how did they go about it.
by Crazyguy ini was pretty young in 1975, all i remember was a few complaining at the hall after and those at the door that razed us over it.
does anyone remember how they went about denying it and when this started.
i do remember a scripture in psalms about people being mighty and living longer so this was used.
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jwfacts
They started damage control before the expected date. In 1975 they were already saying that we don't know the exact time since the year of Eve's creation is not known.
"Another speaker, F. W. Franz, the Society’s vice-president, forcefully impressed on the audience the urgency of the Christian preaching work.
He stressed that, according to dependable Bible chronology, 6,000 years of human history will end this coming September according to the lunar calendar. This coincides with a time when “the human species [is] about to starve itself to death,” as well as its being faced with poisoning by pollution and destruction by nuclear weapons. Franz added: “There’s no basis for believing that mankind, faced with what it now faces, can exist for the seventh thousand-year period” under the present system of things. Does this mean that we know exactly when God will destroy this old system and establish a new one? Franz showed that we do not, for we do not know how short was the time interval between Adam’s creation and the creation of Eve, at which point God’s rest day of seven thousand years began. (Heb. 4:3, 4)
But, he pointed out, “we should not think that this year of 1975 is of no significance to us,” for the Bible proves that Jehovah is “the greatest chronologist” and “we have the anchor date, 1914, marking the end of the Gentile Times.” So, he continued, “we are filled with anticipation for the near future, for our generation.”—Matt. 24:34." Watchtower 1975 May 1 p.285 -
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Far and away the best video I have seen explaining cults
by jwfacts inthis 5 minute ted video perfectly explains what a cult it.
it does not mention jws, but perfectly aligns with them.
it is put in a manner that would make some understand why jws are considered a cult.
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jwfacts
tuned out after I saw the depiction of one human leader.
This is a good point. A lot of people think a cult has to have a single leader. Discussions on cults should be clearer that it requires a dominant leadership, not leader. Many will start with a strong leader, but after the leader dies the structure may change. The important aspect is not the number of leaders, but whether the leaders use the concept of mystical manipulation and cannot be questioned.
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Far and away the best video I have seen explaining cults
by jwfacts inthis 5 minute ted video perfectly explains what a cult it.
it does not mention jws, but perfectly aligns with them.
it is put in a manner that would make some understand why jws are considered a cult.
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jwfacts
Island Man, that is a good video too. The Ted one is a good introduction for someone that does not comprehend what a cult is or that they are in one. The one you include is far more in-depth, and I dare say would be somewhat incomprehensible to many JWs when listening to it the first time.
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Far and away the best video I have seen explaining cults
by jwfacts inthis 5 minute ted video perfectly explains what a cult it.
it does not mention jws, but perfectly aligns with them.
it is put in a manner that would make some understand why jws are considered a cult.
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jwfacts
This is not getting much response but I think it is a very important approach to take with JWs. There are so many trigger points to get a Witness thinking.
This is potentially a good topic to raise at carts. Don't tell a JW they are a cult, rather ask, "what do you think are the indentifiers that cause a religion to be classified as a cult?" See what they say and then run through the points of this video.
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Far and away the best video I have seen explaining cults
by jwfacts inthis 5 minute ted video perfectly explains what a cult it.
it does not mention jws, but perfectly aligns with them.
it is put in a manner that would make some understand why jws are considered a cult.
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jwfacts
This 5 minute Ted video perfectly explains what a cult it. It does not mention JWs, but perfectly aligns with them. It is put in a manner that would make some understand why JWs are considered a cult. I would love to see this spread throughout the JW community.
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Why is the approval of family so important?
by jwfacts inone of the reasons people remain pimo is fear of losing family.
those that are disfellowshipped and shunned regularly comment about how devastated that they have lost the approval of their parents.. when i respond to emails from people saying how difficult it is being estranged or looked down on by their parents, i would like to say that over time they will come to terms with it, except i not sure that people ever do.
i cannot shake that feeling either.
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jwfacts
Thanks for all the great comments. A lot of different perspectives.
It almost appears to me that to be a Witness, one must be academically dishonest, disloyal to their natural instincts when it comes to love and mercy, unmotivated to do any research for themselves, easily offended by outside stimuli, judgmental toward others and callous to the plight of those in emotional turmoil around them.
Wham - that may be a bit harsh. Your summary is correct, but I know a lot of really nice, genuine JWs, which I have pondered for years in an attempt to reconcile. Cognitive dissonance is the go to answer. I also like to think that at the core JWs are so beaten down that they don't trust their own judgment. Who are they, as mere mortals, to question Jehovah (AKA Watchtower governing body leadership)?
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Why is the approval of family so important?
by jwfacts inone of the reasons people remain pimo is fear of losing family.
those that are disfellowshipped and shunned regularly comment about how devastated that they have lost the approval of their parents.. when i respond to emails from people saying how difficult it is being estranged or looked down on by their parents, i would like to say that over time they will come to terms with it, except i not sure that people ever do.
i cannot shake that feeling either.
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jwfacts
Contrast it with the folks who shrug off OUR love for no longer wanting to be a Witness. Do THEY appear to be well-rounded people?
Yes, I guess continuing to want the acceptance of such parents shows we have not lost our humanity.
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30
Why is the approval of family so important?
by jwfacts inone of the reasons people remain pimo is fear of losing family.
those that are disfellowshipped and shunned regularly comment about how devastated that they have lost the approval of their parents.. when i respond to emails from people saying how difficult it is being estranged or looked down on by their parents, i would like to say that over time they will come to terms with it, except i not sure that people ever do.
i cannot shake that feeling either.
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jwfacts
One of the reasons people remain PIMO is fear of losing family. Those that are disfellowshipped and shunned regularly comment about how devastated that they have lost the approval of their parents.
When I respond to emails from people saying how difficult it is being estranged or looked down on by their parents, I would like to say that over time they will come to terms with it, except I not sure that people ever do.
I cannot shake that feeling either. I wish that I could have convinced my father before he passed away that the live I am living is something that he could be really proud of. Or with my mother, convince her that although we share different opinions, overall I am still the same person that she was so proud of many years ago.
With JW friends it doesn't really matter to me anymore what they think.
Why is it so important to children to have the approval of family regardless of how they are treated by them, and is it possible to fully overcome that longing?
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Is there anything recent in the publications about Jesus only being the ransom for annointed?
by NikL ini was trying to find something recent that i can show "still ins" in my sphere but it is proving harder than anticipated.. most of what i am seeing is couched in confusing goblygook wt style prattle.. my wife argues that it's not even true and i think that's the case with most jaydubs.. so i guess if it is a teaching that is being allowed to fade, maybe it's not worth pursuing?.
any of you scholars out there got anything recent clear and handy?.
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jwfacts
The 2016 Watchtower index at wol.jw.org also includes the topic "Mediator ... for anointed only"
