an enlightning and disturbing story in today's atlantic.. ginger.
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http://m.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/06/the-seven-signs-youre-in-a-cult/361400/.
There are many different definitions and signs of "cults" as there are religions. It seems to be a rather loaded word that get people on the defense or offense pretty quickly.
Even Jesus started what some would consider (and some considered at that time) a cult.
No one would argue that Witnesses are an unhealthy, high conrol religious group, though. (Except Witnesses, of course.) And they do fit the profile of some definitions of a cult, but not all.
can anyone tell me exactly how the jws advertised the '75 being the end of the world?
how were they soooo effective?
i mean, other cults are effective also, but damn!
STAY ALIVE 'TIL '75!!!
It rhymed. And I hear it was said a lot.
did you loath them?
did you feel it was a "privilege" to have the elders care deeply about your spiritual well being?
if you were an elder or ministerial servant, did you enjoy going to the homes of the sheep?.
The only one I actually remember was from when I was a kid, and it felt weird and awkward because my dad was an elder. They even acted awkward, and I remember it being said the only reason they were there was because the C.O. had been on their case about making sheparding calls to all. (Actually our congregation was real bad about making ANY!) They were like "... well, this was swell. Next week, you can come see us! Haha!" Talking to my dad.
As a young adult trying to fade, I remember them trying to make an unscheduled sheparding call. I hid. I'm not ashamed of it! Self preservation. We've all done it! :)
i am still in, and as my name says "stuckinarut"...now i know it is not the truth, i know it for a fact...but im so messed up with a wash of hundreds of thoughts that i cant seem to get my head in order.. i thought i had my head clear and my 'sh1t together' so to speak....but ..... im sure you know what i mean?
when there are so many reasons and facts proving ttatt, but if asked to make a list in bullet points now, i would get so overwhelmed....i just dont know where to start.
i feel like i would be like a balloon let go flying around the room in all directions trying to 'spew' out the facts!.
You could also start an online blog. They can be anonymous and they are a great way to organize your thoughts, evidence from websites, files, etc. And then they are in an easy place to go back and look at them.
On a side note ... it helped me to also make a list of non-doctinal issues that are part of the Witnesses. More sociological issues (and some doctrinal issues overlap to sociological issues.) Shunning, education, lack of tolerance for outside research, intolerance of researching their own religion's past, hypocrisy, judgmentalism, degradation of women, condemning all others not part of their group ... those things bothered me more than any doctrine.
i've noted a few people aluding to a rumour that there will be a "big announcement"(tm) that will "shock some"(tm) later this year, probably around agm time.. in the interests of pointless speculation, what might this be?
i am sure we can all think of some outlandish possibilities but i am interested in what could have some possibility of actually happening.. for example,.
- sisters able to do some aspects of ms roles.. - regional conventions (nee.
I think the BIG SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT will be ...
"We will have a special campaign during the month of January! Our literature offer will be the latest new release for the young ones in our communities featuring the two Mexican children in our cartoons! This truly is a HISTORIC EVENT! What will YOU do to make sure you can pioneer and take part in this EXTRAORDINARY opportunty to serve Jerkovah more?"
how educated are you?
and how great is your vocabularly ect ....?.
do you think ir right to judge people by how intelligent/ educated they are and how much vocabulary they use???.
Intellience comes in many forms. Being "book smart" is only one kind of intelligence. I can probably beat you at any word game, but if we go head to head explaining the inner workings of my car, I will most definitely lose. (What makes the engine run? I turn it on and step on the gas!)
"If you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid." - Albert Einstein
these days, virtually every public talk speaker thinks it's interesting and intellectual to include a dictionary definition of some word.
often the word is in common use and needs no explanation, such as 'exercise', or 'knowledge', or whatever.. now contrast that to all of the words that the wt has it's own meaning for, and referencing a dictionary for the common understanding of it would be viewed unfavourably.. words like 'generation' or 'men' (as in jesus is mediator between god and 'men' - 1tim 2:5-6).. what words have the wt redefined that you know about?
- i'd like to compile a list if possible.. splash.
Clearly, the most prominent word they use that they have redefined is "Truth".
A close second is "Evidently".
does anyone know if any of the current governing body members became a jw as an adult, or were all of them raised and bred a jw from childhood?.
i have a theory that the jws that are "born in" and stay in tend to be more extreme and less reasonable because that is all they have ever known, especially if they are sheltered and groomed to be a good little jw.. and i was just looking at what i could find about the newest and youngest member, mark sanderson.
he was born on february 4, 1965, and he was baptized on february 9, 1975 ... a few days shy of turning 10 years old!
Wow. Just wow. Well, that blows my theory out of the water!
just a bit of humour.. are you attending the 100 years of lies district convention?
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keynote speakers include jw survey, marc & cora, john cedars, mike and kim, apostate chick, ex jw international, propagandatechniques, danmera, anon dude, and everyone on jehovah's witness .net!.
I will start working in my banner ... "SEE YOU AT THE BAR!"
someone mention on another thread about the newest- youngest governing body member- if he is anointed being baptised around 1975 why wouldnt anyone else baptised around that time be anointed too!.
right ???
or since the call to be anointed ended in 1935 teaching became no more with new light - is it random choosing now??
I don't know the answer to your question, but I am more disturbed by the fact that he was baptized a few days after his 10th birthday.
I mean ... did he claim at 10 to be of the anointed? Exactly when did he decide? How long before he became a member of the governing body did he decide he was anointed? 2 weeks before? 2 years? 20 years before? It would be interesting to know.
