Regrettably I missed all of this before, but after reading your post on why young people are leaving the Watchtower I found these.
Enjoyed all four parts, and look forward to part 5 and beyond. Thanks.
part 1. part 2. part 3. i submitted my regular pioneer application in late 1993 so that i could officially begin on january 1st.
i knew that my application would get the rubber stamp of approval from the service committee since i had never been involved in any conduct that would prevent my appointment.. i was however slightly rebellious throughout my teens; but it was what i would refer to as a "watchtower rebelliousness".
you see, i believe that there are two forms of rebelliousness among jw youth.
Regrettably I missed all of this before, but after reading your post on why young people are leaving the Watchtower I found these.
Enjoyed all four parts, and look forward to part 5 and beyond. Thanks.
i have been giving a lot of thought to the young people who are leaving the watchtower organization in recent years.
last night, i was reading the thread posted by jwfacts a while back in which he provided some statistics and graphs showing the rapidly declining growth in the watchtower.
one factor that was discussed at length was the high number of young people who do not stay in the organization.
I agree wholeheartedly with what unshackled said,
''Excellent post, Jeremy C. Now I'm wondering what other gems I've missed in your other 400 posts.''
Thank you.
I read this site every day and have done for several years but I seem to have missed your posts.
So easy to read.
watchtower baptizing young children.
today i uploaded a new article to my blog addressing further the subject of watchtower and baptism of young children.
the sweet little boy youll see in this blog article had no capacity whatsoever to understand the commitment he would be held to.
It goes on,
But it seems that some among Jehovah's people have gone to the other extreme.
Many Christian parents let their children wait until they are in their late teens before broaching the subject of baptism.
Time and again, we hear of youngsters making a valid dedication solely on their own initiative.
For example, the preteen son of an elder sincerely wanted to get baptized. So his father had three other elders discuss with the youngster the questions designed for those contemplating baptism. Their conclusion was that, though quite young, he qualified to be baptized as an ordained minister of Jehovah God.
Why, attending the Pioneer Service School in the Bahamas recently was a ten-year-old baptized girl, the daughter of two full-time ministers!
watchtower baptizing young children.
today i uploaded a new article to my blog addressing further the subject of watchtower and baptism of young children.
the sweet little boy youll see in this blog article had no capacity whatsoever to understand the commitment he would be held to.
Watchtower 15th March 1988 page 14 paragraph 20 says
Baptized at What Age?
Jesus' words at Matthew 28:19, 20 show that it is those who have been made his disciples that should be baptized.
Hence, it follows that no infant or small child could meet the Scriptural requirements for baptism.
An infant could not exercise faith in God's Word, in God the Creator, and in his Son Jesus Christ.
An infant could not understand that the holy spirit is God's active force; nor could it repent of past sins and make a solemn vow to do God's will.
But seven year old children can.
suggested street encounter questions:.
perhaps you have a question or two that might prove effective.. .
1. is it true that you believe that only jws will be saved at armageddon?
Householder Question 1
Why do you people come door knocking?
Witness Answer 1
To preach the good news.
Householder Question 2,
What, exactly, is the 'good news' that you are preaching?
Witness Answer 2,
That soon [don't laugh] God is going to put an end to all the badness in the world and bring about a paradise on earth.
Householder Question 3,
Do I have to be a Jehovah's Witness to get in this paradise?
Witness Answer 3 (LYING)
No, only God can read peoples hearts.
Householder response to lying answer 3
Well, as you just told me I don't have to be a Jehovah's Witness to be saved, thanks for letting me know and I look forward to seeing you soon in Paradise.
Witness Answer 3 (truthful)
Yes.
Householder response to truthful answer 3
So, if I get this correct, you are calling on peoples doors to tell them that soon God is going to kill them unless they become a Jehovah's Witness. I'm not sure what newspapers you read but in most peoples minds that is definitely not good news. Goodbye.
THE London riots are the inevitable consequence of a society that includes some arseholes who like to steal things instead of working, experts claimed last night.
Sociologists said the devastation across the capital was the direct result of either social exclusion and government cutbacks or some young, inner-city pricks finding a flimsy excuse to set fire to Carpetright.
As the city's often neglected underclass of dicks, twats and fuckers, let out a desperate cry of opportunist theft, Waterstones in Clapham was only spared after staff hurriedly removed the Stars of the Jeremy Kyle Show Pop-Up Book from the window.
Dr Tom Logan said: "I'm a sociologist, which means three things - I have an appalling education, I have very little money and most of the time I am unbelievably bored.
"And yet I have only a fairly small inclination to set fire to some shops while refreshing my tracksuit collection.
"You see, some people are just dicks, but sometimes even dicks like an excuse."
Rioter Martin Bishop said: "I'm not entirely sure who is to blame for me wanting to steal things and then set fire to the building where those things used to be.
"But it is nice to have the flimsy excuse. It makes me feel more mature."
Meanwhile, as former England cricket captain Alec Stewart began assembling a posse of vigilante test heroes, seismologists reported a sudden lurch to the right as people who own tagines found themselves calling for the immediate deployment of the Parachute Regiment and a couple of RAF Tornadoes.
Julian Cook, a planning consultant from Finsbury Park, said: "As long as it doesn't get too 'Bloody Sunday' I think it could teach them a valuable lesson about property rights and the rule of law."
But Dr Logan stressed that long after the fires had been extinguished debate would continue to rage over what turned these dicks into the fuckers they are.
He added: "I suspect it'll be easier if we all just agree to blame Carpetright."
men are turning to a life of carefree homosexuality to avoid the expense of wives and children, it has emerged.. .
a sharp drop-off in the men's grooming market has been linked to heterosexual men growing the thick facial hair which they believe will make them enticing to other males.. civil engineer, bill mckay, said: "with the economy unlikely to improve in the near future, there's no way i can afford nice dresses and designer chocolates, let alone the school uniforms and hefty tuition fees that are the eventual consequence of those bribes.. "alternately, if i bag myself a hairy builder then not only will he have no interest in cath kidston products, but also he can build my extension for free while we share interesting sport-related banter and laugh at the peter kaye jokes in nuts magazine.".
he added: "i suppose we'd have to have sex at some point.
MEN are turning to a life of carefree homosexuality to avoid the expense of wives and children, it has emerged.
A sharp drop-off in the men's grooming market has been linked to heterosexual men growing the thick facial hair which they believe will make them enticing to other males.
Civil engineer, Bill McKay, said: "With the economy unlikely to improve in the near future, there's no way I can afford nice dresses and designer chocolates, let alone the school uniforms and hefty tuition fees that are the eventual consequence of those bribes.
"Alternately, if I bag myself a hairy builder then not only will he have no interest in Cath Kidston products, but also he can build my extension for free while we share interesting sport-related banter and laugh at the Peter Kaye jokes in Nuts magazine."
He added: "I suppose we'd have to have sex at some point. I'd just see that as a healthy male challenge involving physical hardship, like kayaking."
Craig Williams, 40, from Glasgow, said: "Financially I think gayness is really the way forward, plus men don't have all those emotions like women do.
"And morally it's fine because apparently all my favourite action film stars are secretly homosexual.
"But other than growing a beard I don't really know where to start. My friend said gays have a secret mating whistle that they do by blowing onto a celery leaf.
"I think I'll just cut the arse out of my trousers and wander around until something happens.''
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/cash%11strapped-men-turn-gay-201108094176/
an enigmatic people emerged from the cloak of.
prehistoric anonymity, and began to build marvelous.
cities in the fertile plain between the mighty tigris.
...............Adam was about 37 years old.
although it was wrong for the wtbts to claim this i the '60s, '70s, and '80s, i'm pretty sure (correct me if i'm wrong) that most "experts" believed it too.
idk.. but did most people believe, especially experts -in the 1990s- that if you don't scream or fight when threatend with rape, you have committed fornication?
the wts did.
many of us needed time to get away from this religion.
i took the course of fading and it's worked pretty well for me.
after i saw sooooo many silly rules being enforced, i needed to get out!.
Nickolas,
You also said,
''There must be many Jehovah's Witnesses among the 7 million who know in their hearts that the Watchtower is crap but who just don't want to think about it, or are forced to think about it only when the really ugly stuff gets personal.''
As awful as it may seem, the life threatening situation with the blood is what forced me to face up to reality. Be a man, if you will.
For that, at least, I am grateful.