Which is one sign that the WTS is operating a cult. Demonize the rest of the world and claim that the only path to happiness is through them. Cult 101 stuff.
Doubting Bro
JoinedPosts by Doubting Bro
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JWs say its impossible for "worldly people" to be happy
by shopaholic ini've had 3 different jws tell me this over the past few weeks.
basically their thinking is non-jws are not happy and when they appear to be its not real, its not a true happiness.
according to them, non-jws use drugs, alcohol and wild sex to make themselves happy.
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Ex-Elders & MS's Outweigh Current Ones
by minimus in.....in amount, i believe.
i think there are more former elders and servants than there are current.
if you look in a hall, it's not uncommon to see 5 ex elders just going to the meetings, doing whatever little they can do.
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Doubting Bro
In the local congregation here, outside of myself, there are no ex-elders. There are a couple of ex-MS. In some other places I've been, the ex-elders actually outnumbered the current ones. It's really hard to tell how many are still believers. Obviously, there are current elders who don't believe as evidenced by the leaks and their posting here. I continue to attend for my wife and I seriously doubt that most in the congregation even suspect that I think the WTS is completely full of crap. The fear of revealing one's true feelings prevents most from disclosing that they aren't true believers if they're still attending. However, if they were true believers, in my opinion they would still be in positions of authority since they would believe they were selected by holy spirit. I've even had friend who are elders suggest that I was committing a sin by stepping down as an elder because I was not "yielding to the spirit". Of course, deleted ones probably still believe - they just owned up to missteps.
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Latest tract campaign a complete bust in our area - yours?
by bud2114 inso much for worldwide coverage of the latest tract campaign that ended on nov 16.
("would you like to know the truth?
") our service overseer announced last night on the local needs part that our cong.
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Doubting Bro
The results here were about the same. A guesstimate of 50% of the territory completed, which means they assumed that most of the territories taken out were completely covered even though they were not turned in. So, I'm thinking its closer to 40% (maybe less). The experiences were not very good. They went along the line of, "the person was nice and took the tract, I'll be following up". One person said they were reactivating an old study, with this weekend being the first study. I am happy to report that I passed out exactly 0! I did however, recycle the 50 copies I was given.
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The burdensome load of a Jehovah's Witness - did you feel this way?
by jambon1 infor me, my life as a jehovah's witness was tiring, depressing & miserable.
surrounded by negativity i felt utterly supressed & unhappy.
to carry out my 'responsibilties' became very difficult.
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Doubting Bro
I echo the burdens that everyone else felt. The guilt about missing a Sat service day was always there. The burden really accelerated once I was made an elder since you really never got a break. I honestly don't know how I did it all. I have friends that are still elders and the number 1 topic of conversation is how they are swamped. But, they (and when I believed I was the same way) think they're doing all these things for God. After all, once you get to the new system, you can do what you want, right?
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Ownership of Kingdom Halls secretly turned over to Watchtower org!
by kool aid man06 inthe watchtower org.
is nothing more than a business masquerading as a religion.
the conference call this sat.
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Doubting Bro
Blondie is correct. Also, less common but still out there is ownership is held by the congregation in trust. Then, 3 elders are designated trustees. I think all of the halls built in the last 20 years are likely held by the non-profit corporation that Blondie outlined because in the event of the congregation being dissolved, ownership could revert to the WTS. Not sure if the by-laws specify or if it would just take a vote by the Board (made up of 3 loyal elders). The WTS has a brochure (of course they do) outlining how these things are to be set up. I've heard there was an effort to get the halls held by a trust to convert to a not-for profit corp but haven't actually witnessed that.
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DF and shunning to end soon...jw numbers will triple
by oompa inrecently at the beach house with my df studly son...a carload of young jw's in service drove by and saw us...old friends of his/me...they turned around and stopped...hugs and all!...i loved them treating him so human.
most dubs now hate to shun...esp.
their own family and there is less and less of it...my own mom will not shun my son, but dad will...she just told me she has no prob treating my son as just her normal grandson because she believe no kids should be allowed to be baptised!....i love you mom!
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Doubting Bro
They certainly need to change the business model but I just can't see them ever giving up shunning. Its too ingrained in the JW culture. On one hand, it seems they are loosening slightly with the elimination of the BS & reducing meeting times, yet on the other hand, the rant against college education continues and will be featured once again in the 2009 service year circuit assemblies(at least here in the US). The WT giveth, the WT taketh away!
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What do you think of this-obese win right to 2 airline seats for price of 1
by sir82 insee this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27827328/.
obese have right to two airline seats, one faresupreme court of canada rules for those functionally disabled by obesitywhat do you think?
just from a purely selfish standpoint, i would be grateful if the 500 pound passenger next to me were able to occupy 2 seats, rather than being wedged into 1 (and spilling over the sides)..
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Doubting Bro
This is a case of the government overstepping the bounds of common sense. The airlines get revenue from selling seats. So, if they have to give away extra seats because a person is obese, they are losing money. To compensate, they'll have to raise fares. So, if I am responsible, exercise, watch what I eat so that I can fit into the seat, I get as a reward the opportunity to pay more so that someone who doesn't care about their health can have more room. In the US, a kid can fly for free if under 2 and only if they sit in the parents lap. That's fair because they aren't taking up an extra seat. However, over 2, they have to pay full price. That's fair because they are taking up a seat that the airlines could sell to someone else. How is being obese a disability? Insane. And you Canadians thought Americans legal system is screwy??
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Nov 5 Dr. Phil - Cult Mind Control - WATCH TONIGHT!
by still_in74 inwednesday - november 5, 2008mind control?its hard to believe, but in america alone, there may be as many as 5,000 religious groups preying upon the weak and vulnerable, and all in the name of god.
dr. phils guests have warnings for you and your children.
seeta says when her 18-year-old daughter joined a religious group called 1 mind ministries, she left home with her 7-month-old son and never returned.
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Doubting Bro
Jesus also raised people from the dead, healed numerous folks from terrible illnesses, feed thousands from a few fishes & loaves of bread. You could see why folks followed someone like that. I'll gladly sell everything and be a JW missionary if the GB can produce even one miracle showing evidence that they are Gods chosen people. Anything short of that requiring strict obedience is probably a cult.
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No children until the new system---Has this changed?
by Iwonder17 ini have noticed that the "wait until the new system for children" montra has seemed to go away in the past few years from the wt.
i am thinking that they realized that if the dubs stop having children, then they will stop growing in numbers.
as a result, they have stopped putting in writing that the dubs should wait to have children.
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Doubting Bro
Where I used to live, there were a ton of young (in their 20s) couples that all said they weren't going to have kids "in this system" including me. Fast forward 8 years, ALL of them that are still married now have at least 1 kid! We're talking about folks that got married in their late teens, pioneered and continued to do so into their 20s. If the WTS were smart, they would be encouraging child bearing because that's going to soon be their only source of growth. And, with the low retention rate among kids that were born-in, they need to have lots just to keep the numbers even.
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I am en elder and I am ready to VOTE!
by outofthebox inhey, .
as some of you know i am en elder.
i don't believe, but for the sake of my family i still go to the meetings.
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Doubting Bro
Jeff - When that QFR came out I specifically asked a CO if it represented a change in WTS policy. Non-neutral activity (NNA) is one of the "deadly sins" that can get you DF'ed and voting has always been considered a NNA. He said that in the US and Western Countries in general, the answer was no. He told me that only in countries where it was mandatory to vote or you could be subject to mob violence would this apply. At the time, I thought,it was inconsistent. We're told that you can't take a blood transfusion which may be mandatory from a medical point of view, preach where preaching is banned, brothers in Malawi died over a political card, etc but you can compromise on this? I filed it away but during my awakening, I thought about how the WTS must have needed to put this out to satisfy some government to make life a little easier for them. Nothing is ever done to help the R&F.