Posts by careful

15

The Share of Religious Americans will continue to decline- New York Times. Why? New Pew Study

by Balaamsass2 in

locally, in northern california i have seen/heard a drop in jw and mainstream church attendance especially in person attendance.

(exception: a new creepy local new-age charismatic/pentecostal group: "bethel church" 11,000 and growing mega church(kundalini yoga/sex combined with prosperity gospel, trumpism, guns, rock music, dancing, glitter, speaking in tongues, and faith healing).. for me this paragraph sums it up regarding jehovah's witnesses: " ...smith described organized religion to me as having become a “polluted” idea in the american mainstream, because of the publicity around sex abuse scandals and financial malfeasance in many different faiths in the ’80s and ’90s as millennials came of age.

“the scandals violated most of the virtues believed to make religion good,” smith wrote.

careful

Vidiot:

careful - “…The one place it has been increasing is in the extreme right wing of evangelical Protestants, Trump supporters and all…”
Yeah, they finally (re)discovered a “version” of Christianity that lets them be assholes again.

21

What's with the attack (counsel) on husbands with no corresponding article for wives?

by Rattigan350 in

what's with the attack (counsel) on husbands with no corresponding article for wives on the jan 2025 w that is being studied today?.

is there a point to that?.

careful

There is a “bigger play” at work here.
the article from this weekend, after a quick skim, was designed to negate those two ‘policies’ with weasel language about respecting you wife and not demeaning her sexually etc etc.
net net, “official” policy is that any sex is good sex, they stay out of it, should anyone ask. Unofficially, but what will be referenced by all elders, is the article fromthis past weekend where they will refer to demeaning sex and tie that to oral and anal.

Justaguy, you seem to have hit the nail on the head.

40

What the new JW light position really is 👍

by ElderBerry in

i’m still an elder and i consider myself jw light.

as my fellow elders are.

we don’t throw our weight around like elders used to in the past, it’s all very easy going these days.

careful

Wow, what a testimony! Thanks for the share. Quite revealing.

That said, I must ask something based on this:

You could turn up to any meeting with zero preparation and give any item. It’s all done for you there is no thinking required anymore.

Is this supposed to be some kind of virtue? How does that jibe with the advice at Heb. 5:14?

"Solid food belongs to mature people, those who have .. have had their perceptive powers trained to distinguish right from wrong." The implication here seems to mean individual thinking, not some "parrot what we've laid out here."

Then there are all those proverbs that encourage one to seek out wisdom personally, obviously in the context of studying, and Ezra's example of studying the Law himself in order to teach his fellow Jews? (7:10)

I'm not finding fault with you. Rather I'm hoping to get you question how you personally are measuring up—or not—to the scriptural requirements of your position. The GB and their ever-obedient underlings/devotees have designed a system of exterior efficiency. Is this all you want, "It’s all done for you; there is no thinking required anymore"?

Is that what Jehovah wants, brainless robots/parrots?

15

The Share of Religious Americans will continue to decline- New York Times. Why? New Pew Study

by Balaamsass2 in

locally, in northern california i have seen/heard a drop in jw and mainstream church attendance especially in person attendance.

(exception: a new creepy local new-age charismatic/pentecostal group: "bethel church" 11,000 and growing mega church(kundalini yoga/sex combined with prosperity gospel, trumpism, guns, rock music, dancing, glitter, speaking in tongues, and faith healing).. for me this paragraph sums it up regarding jehovah's witnesses: " ...smith described organized religion to me as having become a “polluted” idea in the american mainstream, because of the publicity around sex abuse scandals and financial malfeasance in many different faiths in the ’80s and ’90s as millennials came of age.

“the scandals violated most of the virtues believed to make religion good,” smith wrote.

careful

BA2, thx for the PEW study link. Interesting, given how the decline of religion in almost all areas of American subculture, liberal/conservative, Christian/Jewish, Protestant/Catholic has been going on for decades now. If it has indeed been leveling off, that's a significant change.

The one place it has been increasing is in the extreme right wing of evangelical Protestants, Trump supporters and all.

RG, that's an important observation re: Islam. I realize you're speaking of those native lands. I wonder if that's true among Moslem immigrants to the USA, especially the first-generation born-ins whose parents immigrated. Do they have the same fervor for Islam that their parents have, or are they becoming secularized like the young native-born American Jews, Protestants, and Catholics are? I remember having a young doctor not long back whose parents immigrated from the Middle East. He had a typical Arab last name, El- or Ab- something that was definitely Arabic. I asked him once about something about Arabic. He looked at me blankly and said, "I don't know about that stuff" with a degree of disdain. He wound up marrying an attractive blonde American woman. Their kids surely won't be raised Moslems!

21

Oral and Anal Sex flip flop? March 2025 Announcements and Reminders

by ukpimo in

just in.

a jaw dropping announcements and reminders for elders this month.

how can you serve as an elder and believe this organization is spirit directed after reading this letter?.

careful

Since generally speaking amarried couple would not discuss with others this intimate aspect of marriage,

Are you serious? Is the GB so out of touch with the R&F that they don't see this subject as one that young Witnesses who are dating would WANT to discuss before marriage? That gossipy type sisters will want to discuss among themselves?

They really are in their own world...

8

JW Lawyer in Norway uses "theocratic warfare" to conceal the org's controlling language!

by BoogerMan in

in the org's vocabulary, the term "independent thinking" is applied pejoratively to any jw who thinks & reasons for themselves.

the org's lawyer knew exactly what he was doing in court when he voiced his carefully prepared words:.

"watchtowers lawyer anders ryssdal compares jehovah’s witnesses’ baptism to the norwegian state church’s confirmation of 15-year-olds, arguing that their baptism is no different.

careful

"their baptism is no different"—right! Doubtless, they too recognize that the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses in Warwick, NY is God's sole spokesman on earth.

7

Announcement of Elijah's Coming

by ElijahisMe in

it is with profound humility and reverence that i share a message of great significance.

in the year 2001, my son and i witnessed the birth of the kingdom of god, experiencing spiritual battles that affirm our divine calling.

as prophesied in the scriptures, my son is the elijah to come, the forerunner to jesus' second coming.. living in the wilderness by his own choosing, my son embodies the spirit and mission of elijah, preparing the way for the lord.

careful

How long have you been psychotic?

27

I want a marriage mate that’s a brother

by Lace83 in

hi, my name is leacy and i am 41 years old.

i live in california.

i attend the rancho santa margarita congregation.

careful

Lace83, your chances of finding what you are looking for here are about equal to the chances of the Governing Body posting the detailed minutes of the last 10 years of their meetings on this website.

However, with the posting of your picture here, along with the name of what congregation you attend in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, you stand a very good chance of getting a visit from your local body of elders! Good luck with that!

21

When JW's say they are 'In the truth'...

by Ron.W. in

where did this phrase 'in the truth' come from?.

it's been around as long as i can remember.

is it from the time they were promoting 'the truth shall make you free' book back in 1943?

careful

The term likely goes back to Russell and the 19th-century grass-roots Protestantism that he moved around in theologically, plenty of those Adventist types, dispensationalists, and other fundamentalists who were all caught up in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. They liked the term "present truth," which is defined as "those scriptures of particular relevance to the present dispensation," (J. Gordon Melton, A Dictionary of Religious Bodies in the United States, 1977, p. 249).

From that, most likely under Freddie Franz's direction, it morphed simply into "the truth," connoting whatever doctrine he put forth, gobbled up so eagerly by the ever "faithful" rank and file with their obsession on "unity at all costs."

Presto: "the truth!" Those books you cite, Ron.W., just reflect this history.

4

Two-by-Two's (JW-like religion) leader arrested for CSA

by buzkid in

a secretive christian church that is extremely similar in beliefs to jw religion, and has a surprising global reach is at the center of an fbi investigation for csa.

the religious group goes by multiple names, such as "the truth" and "two-by-twos.

"as child sex abuse allegations aimed at the church continue to come to light, we are learning more about the organization.

careful

I'd read about this group a few months back when they were under suspicion. There are certain similarities but they have been under the radar far more than than the WTS due to being so small, clannish, and 'informal'. The WT organization because of the preaching work, public assemblies, fighting in the courts, etc. are more in the public eye.