Posts by whyizit

16

How do I get a Witness to do some deep research on Russell? Any Pointers?

by NotaNess in

jw
friends

i feel most witnesses don't know of the history behind russell and the beginnings of the society.

they're bent on "origins" of things, but we know that the wts keeps material and knowledge to a minimal on the origins of the society, and specifically russell.

to a co-worker, i hinted at the pyramid memorial about russell, and he said he didn't know what i was talking about (a 20 year jw veteran).. any pointers on how i can ease the subject into "forbidden" conversation around the witnesses at work?

whyizit

This recently happened with me. My JW friend kept hapring on how "if I only knew the history behind most Christian religions". So I asked her to give me some info. on the history of the WTS. Are they a branch of Advetists, Christadelphians, ??? How did they get their start?

She sends me the entire Chapter 5 of the Proclaimer's book!

Page 43- Ahhhh! So Russell was an Adventist!

Pg. 45- Russell didn't like Adventists teaching everyone else is burned up. Don't JWs teach something similar? Everyone else is destroyed?

Then you can go into the whole "he taught Christ came back in 1874 as "the LORD's TRUTH"????

You get the idea.

24

"Born-Again Christian" co-worker's Anti-Semetic comment distirbs me.

by booker-t in

jw
friends

i was having a very interesting conversation with a co-worker that is a "born-again christian" and is a very nice guy.

he is very hard-working and everybody loves him to death.

one reason i like him so much is because he lives the role of a christian and not just "announce" every 5 minutes that he is born-again like alot of christians i know.

whyizit

Perhaps your self-proclaimed "born-again" friend does not understand what it is to be a born-again Christian.

The reason I say this, is because a true born-again Christian most likely would not say such a thing.

It kind of goes along the lines of that old saying: Just because someone goes to church and says they are a Christian does not make them one, any more than standing in a garage proclaiming to be a car makes them an automobile.

41

Is this petty? An argument with the neighbours

by needproof in

jw
friends

i'd like to ask you all whether or not you think that we are being petty here.

the house next door to us has been empty for a while now.

the last person to use it was a chinese doctor who used to house illegal immigrants which looked after his little cannabis factory.

whyizit

I can see that this would be an irritating situation. However, is it really worth an escalating war with the neighbors?

I took a class in basic Russian a few years ago, and my teacher and I became friendly. They are very social people and they are not accustomed to the boundaries that we take for granted here.

It is probably a cultural difference more than down-right "ornery" behavior.

Perhaps you could make an effort to be friendly and meet up with them on a more personal level. You may find that they are not trying to antagonize anyone, but are just doing as they would in Russia. Keep in mind that they may not fully understand your language either, but they will understand your kindness.

I would probably try that, before completely dismissing them as a Pain In The Butt. After you get to know them better, you could kind of fill them in on how things are done here. That some of the neighbors view it as inconsiderate when someone is too loud after certain hours. Etc..... I would guess that they really don't understand the problem.

10

My latest JW experience.

by Abandoned in

jw
friends

i was assigned the dining room this morning at work and i had a jw at the first booth.

i recognized her by her bible made larger because of the included reasoning book.

i got a kick out of recognizing her in this way.

whyizit

Everytime I see those magazines in a public area, I collect them up. I'm planning to put them to good use. :0) (Cult awareness project.)

I went in the hospital to visit someone early on a Sunday, and the waiting room had those magazines fanned out on every table. I bet people thought I was crazy! I asked if anyone was interested in any of them and the two people there said, "NO!" So, I waltzed out of the hospital with an armload of them! I took every last one, and I bet I had at least 40 of them! Those people in the waiting area probably thought I was going to jump head long in to the WTS.

I have collected them up at my Vet's office too. I asked if I could have them, and he wanted to know why. Apparently he did not give permission for them to be left in his office in the first place, and he was not thrilled that anyone would be reading them. After I told him what I wanted them for, he was more than happy to send them home with me.

27

Ever notice how interested worldly friends were to hear you'd left...zzzzzz

by Gregor in

jw
friends

the first few years after i got my head out of my jw ass i assumed that worldly associates would be fascinated to hear of my escape....wrong.

most of them looked at me like "what the f--- are you talking about?"...

"who cares?

whyizit

That is because they don't "get" it. They simply do not realize the magnificence of it all, UNLESS they have a family member that they are hoping will one day leave.

For one thing, most people would see it as leaving a church denomination. When we left the Baptist church to join a non-denominational church, no one thought much about it. Including us. We still visit our Baptist friends, etc... No biggie!

If people understood more about the WTS, THEN they would be more interested. But most people have no idea. They just think it is another denomination of Christianity. If you decide to leave, the you'll find some place else. They don't see it as the true accomplishment it is, because they don't know anything about it.

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW YOUR STORY!!!!!!

And I know others who would too. But we are the ones who have loved ones that are in the WTS, and we want to know everything about coming out of it.

71

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Have The "Right" To Practice Their Religion???

by minimus in

jw
friends

whether we agree with them or disagree---i think they have a right to practice their religion----although i disagree with their beliefs.

whyizit

I only had time to read the question, so I'm sure my answer is probably a re-peat of what others have said. But, just in case it's not, here goes:

Yes. Absolutely. They DO have the right to practice their religion.

HOWEVER, I think it should be mandatory that any group that is actively trying to recruit others into their group, no matter what that group is (religious or not), should have to provide a written TRUTHFUL statement that covers EXACTLY what they believe, and EXACTLY what they expect from people who join their group.

9

I've been asked to explain the Trinity...............

by whyizit in

jw
friends

a jw friend of mine asked me what the trinity means to me and how i can use the bible to explain it.

why others think it is so important.. i understand that this could be a baiting technique to try to pull me into a debate, but in another aspect, i think she really could be wondering about it.

lately she has appeared a little disgruntled with the wts.

whyizit

A JW friend of mine asked me what the Trinity means to me and how I can use the Bible to explain it. Why others think it is so important.

I understand that this could be a baiting technique to try to pull me into a debate, but in another aspect, I think she really could be wondering about it. Lately she has appeared a little disgruntled with the WTS. (She is not yet baptised.)

For the sake of argument, let's assume that she is asking, NOT because she wants to debate, but because she really is curious. Should I give her a long winded version of it, or should I try to keep it as short and to the point as I can? Do you have any good suggestions on what NOT to say, or perhaps what would be BEST to say about it?

I don't mind getting in to a back and forth discussion about it with her, but I really would like to keep from offending her. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

(BTW: I don't mind that some folks do not believe God is tri-une. I know the concept is hard to grasp. But I really would like advice from those who DO believe it.) Thanks.

10

When the "honeymoon" is over....will previous doubts be revisited later?

by whyizit in

jw
friends

i have been studying a lot about mind control.

i understand that while someone is in the "honeymoon" phase of being recruited in to a group, it is very unlikely that they will leave.

my jw friend is still in that stage.

whyizit

I have been studying a lot about mind control. I understand that while someone is in the "honeymoon" phase of being recruited in to a group, it is very unlikely that they will leave.

My JW friend is still in that stage. She has not yet been baptised, so the love-bombing is still very intoxicating to her. We recently discussed how the 607 BC date doesn't add up, and she actually agreed that she thought they were a couple of years off, but dismissed it as "close enough". The point I am getting at, is she did the math and found the error herself. Yet, she is still enamoured with the group and is jumping in deeper all the time.

If she goes ahead with her indoctrinazation process and becomes baptized, with my understanding being that it is shortly after baptism that the "honeymoon" is over, then how long do you think it will take before she starts to become disillusioned with the WTS? Do you think the points that have been made previous to her commitment to the group will start to weigh on her mind? That she may want to revisit them with me when disillusion starts to take hold?

I am trying to figure out how to recognize when the disillusionment starts to occur. I have sensed it in the past, but it was more toward a person in the group, rather than with the WTS as a whole. Any ideas on how to tell when this is happening? What reaction should I have? Just a listening ear, or more food for thought? I don't want to drive her away.

Thanks for advice!

30

Describe Your Emotion Involving The Witnesses

by minimus in

jw
friends

are you angry?

dissapointed?

saddened?

whyizit

Disgust---at those in the highest levels, because they know they are NOT God's organization, yet they won't buck-up and accept responsibility. Come clean and change things to the way they ought to be.

Saddness---for my friends are enslaved. They are trying so hard to do what is right.

Terrified--- that it could cost them their very lives, due to the blood policy.

Frustrated----(I can totally relate to Tuesday's response.) It seems like nothing gets through.

Hope--- having faith that something will eventually get through. Even if I don't get the chance to see it happen.

Love--- I truly love my JW friends. It's not conditional upon them jumping through any hoops.

36

What would you do???

by Es in

jw
friends

hey there, im kinda looking for some guidance here, i had a very close friend, she was actually one of my bridesmaids at my wedding, she's a little messed up but never the less we had a good friendship until i told her i was pregnant....!

it was no secret i was trying we had told everyone that we wanted to start trying after our wedding, but anyway when i told her her response was " oh, ok congratulations" and that was it, for the 9 months i was pregnant i reckon she asked me twice if i was ok and how it was going, all her text msg were about her and what was happening in her life.

she has come no where near us since i have had kaia, she hasnt seen her once and kaia is coming up to 6 months old.

whyizit

When I was younger and single and some of my friends became married and pregnant, we drifted apart somewhat. Our lives and interests were different for awhile. I didn't avoid my friends, but I didn't know a thing about babies. Or being pregnant, etc... To be honest, I wasn't really all that intrigued with babies, until I had one of my own.

Of course, I attended their baby showers and went to meet the new arrival. I wasn't a cold fish about the whole thing. I just didn't "get" what the hoop-lah was all about. Until it was my turn! NOW I get it.

Maybe your friend is uncomfortable around babies. Or maybe she had a miscarriage or abortion unbeknownst to anyone else. It sounds like something is going on under the surface. Something she doesn't want to talk about. Not exactly like she is trying to be hateful. It is coming across that way, though.

She may have forgotten she asked you about being a bridesmaid. If it all feels way too awkward and you don't want to go, you could always send her a card and/or gift and then let it go. Then if she makes it a point to ask why you were not there, you could just tell her in a nice way that you felt you might be out of place, and why. "Are we still friends, or not?"