i've been wondering why the gb chose to include a weekday for the district conventions.
is it to test how loyal the members will be if they have to choose between their religion and work?
or are there other reasons?
Hey jayhawk
Yeah I've heard of those longer DC's. Never been to one though. I guess based on the fact that they've previously revised the number of days, mandating Friday as the first day of DC is no coincidence. But why? Why didn't the reason they drop Day 4 make them drop Day 3 as well? Why inconvenience so many JWs with an entire Friday for "spirituality"?
INQ
i've been wondering why the gb chose to include a weekday for the district conventions.
is it to test how loyal the members will be if they have to choose between their religion and work?
or are there other reasons?
I think that + bethelites get 1 more day off from work. bastards.
Hi W-A-C,
Spare a thought for those poor bethelites, an extra day off that is wasted on a DC isn't exactly restful.
INQ
i've been wondering why the gb chose to include a weekday for the district conventions.
is it to test how loyal the members will be if they have to choose between their religion and work?
or are there other reasons?
I've been wondering why the GB chose to include a weekday for the District Conventions. Is it to test how loyal the members will be if they have to choose between their religion and work? Or are there other reasons? Surely it's not because they have a lot of material to cover. Anyone who's been to DC's long enough should realize that some parts are just fluff.
INQ
we humans are an arrogant, anthropocentric species.
ptolemy posited that the earth was the center of the universe.
once copernicus began to show that the sun, not earth, was at the center of our solar system, some still believed that the sun at least was the center of the universe.
Can anyone else add any human centered views we as a species have held?
Homo sapiens = Latin homman + Latin sapiwise, rational
Unlike the astronomical fallacies, we've yet to prove that humans aren't "the only surviving hominids with sophisticated language and tool manipulation abilities". But yeah, it is a rather arrogant title.
INQ
hi, i'm new to this forum and i was hoping someone could help me with some reasoning here.
i notice in the watchtowers they mention that on occasion people fall into the "trap" of "independent thinking" and this is often associated with pride and a misunderstanding of god.
also just as frequently it mentions that god progressively reveals truths to his followers.
With regards to the New Light doctrine, JWs often draw this comparison between themselves and the unfulfilled expectations of the 1st century apostles.
Is this comparison accurate? The following is a post of mine from an old thread (Why do JW's elders act like their failed predictions is no big deal?) :
WTS predictions were in black and white, clear for all of "God's household" to see. Then the rank and file of the time were often shown the method of calculating such dates, expected to incorporate such dates into their belief system, and to make serious changes in their lives in light of the impending end. By contrast, all a JW can scripturally point to is the fact that the apostles in Jesus' day either had preconceived notions of God's plan "11 While they were listening to these things he spoke in addition an illustration, because he was near Jerusalem and they were imagining that the kingdom of God was going to display itself instantly" - Luke 19:11 "6 When, now, they had assembled, they went asking him: "Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?" 7 He said to them: "It does not belong to YOU to get knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction" - Acts1:6,7 or were aware that their knowledge was incomplete "9 For we have partial knowledge and we prophesy partially; 10 but when that which is complete arrives, that which is partial will be done away with." - 1 Corinthians 13:9,10 UNLIKE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, the apostles didn't write Gospels or letters to publish such tentative ideas and pass them off as divine secrets. The record shows that the only time their ideas were verbalized was to their Teacher, the purpose of which was to confirm, not inform. Consequently they also did not have to write new Gospels or letters to explain the errors in their "expectations". No apostle had to excuse his backflip by sheepishly quoting Proverbs 4:18, using terms like "new light " and "old light". As far as they were concerned, you were either in the light, or you're in the dark.
Hope this helps. Welcome to the forum, Morocco! INQ
my sister phoned my mother yesterday and she was all happy that her son found a good job.
and since she belongs to another religion, she said "god blessed us".
so, in my jw mind, i said to myself, "nah, it can't be".
Hi JH
I know of some JWs who would tell you, without a blink of an eye, that Satan must have been dishing out these so-called "blessings" to make faithful JWs doubt Jehovah's loyalty to his organization and to give the unbelievers a false hope. Only blessings with a WTS stamp of approval can come from God. Didn't you know that God is the copyright of the WTS Inc?
INQ
i've seen soooo many witnesses taking meds or alcohol because of unhappiness and depression.
i know of one woman who regularly gos to her shrink and is the most depressed person that i know of.
personally, i believe it's because a jw can never do enough to satisfy god or the elders....what do you think?
There was a period in my life where I was chronically depressed. I wasn't born with it cos I was a happy kid when I was younger. But in my teens, it ws bad. It wasn't your typical teenage angst though I suspect that the phase did contribute to my misery. I would have no appetite, didn't want to go out, didn't want to watch TV, cry a lot, hurt myself physically, contemplate suicide. While I cannot blame everything on my JW upbringing, I CAN AND WILL BLAME THEM FOR THEIR demonization of the world.
"Everyone on the "outside" is not good company."
"Reading the Bible brings you Happiness"
"Fellowship with God's household is wholesome" (It wasn't. If you've ever been in a congregation with arrogant elders and power hungry young men you might know what I mean. It never ceases to amaze me how the power of God's Word cannot compel these ones to change.)
"We must not shy away from being DIFFERENT in this world"
The last message was particularly damaging to my ability to socialise and interact with other youths at school. I would never curse, express disgust at obscene jokes, feign disinterest in sex, reject well-meaning peers (non-JWs) who tried to be my friend ("they're not good company, no point getting close to them"), take pride in the derision I suffered from my peers for being different. I was a martyr, product of the pharisaical self-righteousness of the bloody old men of the Watchtower, but more significantly, I wasn't happy.
How could one be happy when he constantly defies his true nature?
Now that I'm away from my home cong and I do what I want, when I want, I am beginning to see that life is truly enjoyable if you choose to make it that way. You needn't postpone such simple pleasures for a future Paradise that will never come in your lifetime, if ever.
INQ
hello everyone, i was wondering it has been along time since i have been to the jw hall and when i was going they would give me a guilt trip about going to college and tell me that i shouldn't waste time on that and instead learn how to go door to door.
i wasted 11 years not going to college because of them and i just went back 3 years ago.
i still have 4 more years to go.
however i have seen that the witnesses have doctors and lawyers too so they have to go to college to get there so how can they say this about others going to college?
The JWs I personally know who have professional careers, have in most cases obtained their degree BEFORE becoming a Witness. Some were already in their last year of uni when Jehovah's agents came visiting.
On the other hand, JW's who are contemplating uni will often be persuaded to do otherwise. I was. Those who are already at uni, have to put up with the bias reporting of what goes on at uni, with dramas and talks that insinuate a lack of spirituality in those who choose the "wisdom" and "wealth" of this world. I do.
If you feel that college is not for you, by all means quit. But do it for the right reasons. Do not be a victim of other people's anti-intellectualism.
Welcome to JWD, jaada.
INQ
just had two months worth of mags shoved through my door(thank goodness i wasn't in but out with kids having fun!
)had a flick through them but what caught my attention was the july 1st watchtower 2nd study article "youths, make it your choice to serve jehovah".
it seems to be basically encouraging all the young ones to get baptised, and mentions one boy who was only thirteen!i was'nt born into the jws but i know that in my early teen years i would personally never have been emotionally ready for such a major commitment.
Answering your question from the Org's perspective, I'm sure JWs wouldn't hesitate to point to the examples of young Samuel (the prophet) or 12-year-old Jesus to insist that even young teens can serve Jehovah with a "sound mind". And so if they are ready to serve at that age, they can enslav dedicate themselves to do Org's God's bidding.
Never forget that a fundie's first line of defense is scripture. In their minds, the literal interpretation of scripture trumps all.
INQ
high cierra: teen scores best-ever ib mark at bhs
royal gazette, bermuda - 4 hours ago .
... cierra, a jehovahs witness who was named the islands outstanding teen 2006 earlier this year, does not intend to go to university but will instead carry ...
Hey Shazard
I wouldn't be so harsh about the quality of those tests. lol
I think people can be (unconsciously) selective in exercising their thinking abilities. Have you ever acted like a fool in front of a crush? I think it's the same principle. Where emotions are involved (e.g. religious fervor), logic is held in suspension. The good news though is that she is a bright spark. Often, bright sparks will eventually be conflicted by the inconsistencies of their faith; or stumped by the intelligence of a redneck elder!
Give her time. She may join us here one day!
INQ
