Posts by Doubting Bro

49

Dilemma of Shunning Policy

by Drearyweather in

apologies if this topic has been discussed earlier.. i was thinking of whether demanding for a ban on shunning policy would be beneficial for the larger society.

following are some things that we need to remember while advocating the issue:.

1. shunning is not limited to jw's and for many americans, it is not that controversial as it seems.. 2. jw shunning is not a dark secret policy.

But shunning is literally the only tool they have to really force people to comply. If not for that, how would they enforce their crazy rules? That would be the single largest fundamental change they've had in a very long time. Sure, it would be great if they dropped organizationally mandated shunning although it would take at least a generation to change the behavior.

To drop a scripture, Jeremiah 13:23 - can a leopard change its spots? Or can a cult not be a cult? (or high control religion if you prefer more politically correct language).

If they morphed to a mainstream religion, they likely could grow it but only after suffering major losses and totally rebuilding. Not saying it can't happen but wouldn't wager anything on it.

49

Dilemma of Shunning Policy

by Drearyweather in

apologies if this topic has been discussed earlier.. i was thinking of whether demanding for a ban on shunning policy would be beneficial for the larger society.

following are some things that we need to remember while advocating the issue:.

1. shunning is not limited to jw's and for many americans, it is not that controversial as it seems.. 2. jw shunning is not a dark secret policy.

Doubting Bro

While I agree with Slim, I don't think that solution would pass constitutional muster in the US. You can't treat one religion differently from another religion based on their practices unless such practices are against the law. Shunning could never be against the law. To me, you should remove tax exemption from all religious organizations unless such organizations can prove they are providing charitable work which would not include religious instruction (as it currently does). And then, only provide exemption for the portion of the organizations revenue that is devoted to charitable causes.

25

You Don't Have to Tell the Elders Anything!

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you were ever brought before a judicial committee, and were about to be interrogated by the elders, just remember...you owe them nothing.

they are mere men and no better than you!

even if it wasn’t a judicial interrogation , you should never feel obligated to them.

Doubting Bro

Remember the two witness rule and use it to your favor. Never admit to anything, deny, deny and deny.

43

Hidden history of the Watchtower religion

by TerryWalstrom in

the deeper you dig--the less impressive jw’s become!___________________you may think you know the men who are vitally important to the birth of the religion--but chances are good you’ve been kept in the dark.. _____________.

did you know?the 1st case heard by the supreme court of the united states concerning the watchtower society involved a director (an officer) of the watchtower, william franklyn hudgings.. a brief description of hudgings and his character.hudgings was an attorney, quack doctor, self-identified ‘scientist’, a pro-zionist, and religious enthusiast who over the years held various director and officer positions in the watchtower society, and the affiliated people's pulpit association and international bible students association.

at the time of this particular case, william hudgings acknowledged being the corporate secretary of the people's pulpit association and acknowledged that his daily duties included the administrative charge of printing of the watchtower magazine, the bible student's monthly, the kingdom news, and other watchtower publications.. (hudgings was also re-elected to the watchtower society board of directors in january 1919.

Doubting Bro

Really interesting Terry! Thanks

29

A recent antiwitnessing experience

by john.prestor in

i shared one of these before in which my approach left something to be desired, and i got some flack for that, and rightly so.

so if this story doesn't go over well i won't share another... but given how it ended, i just had to share.... a few days ago i took a trip to a nearby city by bus.

in the about 20-30 minute window between my connecting buses i walked over to a mcdonald's and got a cup of coffee, and when i came back to the little bus station i saw a literature cart sitting unmanned near the doors.

Doubting Bro

Couple of thoughts:

I"m sure the woman was breaking the rules of the station by playing music (or in this case a video with sound) without headphones and loud enough to cause a disturbance.

The guy really told you to get out of there? WTF. He's the one that is loitering. I think you did well not going off on him.

You should complain to the authority that runs the station on both points above.

56

Mo Money ... $$$

by loneranger in

jw
friends

the money grab continues!!

at a very recent circuit assembly (usa), the accounts overseer gave the typical accounts report for the ca in the early afternoon.

there were 2100 people at the assembly.

Doubting Bro

DOC - I hear what you are saying but the consequences of leaving right now outweigh the consequences of being PIMO. So, until that changes, I see the few hours a month at various meetings for appearance sake as the price for peace. Once that is more trouble than it's worth, then I'll make a change.

56

Mo Money ... $$$

by loneranger in

jw
friends

the money grab continues!!

at a very recent circuit assembly (usa), the accounts overseer gave the typical accounts report for the ca in the early afternoon.

there were 2100 people at the assembly.

Doubting Bro

I was at an assembly this month and they did mention the branch charge. But the overall number that I heard was the $10 per head with the majority of the money going to the branch. But, I was really zoned out at that point, the branch statement caught my attention. Honestly, I thought they were being a little more transparent than they usually are. I, of course, gave $0

44

Business class for Governing Body

by Sergey Antonov in

jw
friends

hello everyone!

does anyone have any confirmation that the governing body uses the business class for its flights?.

also interesting is the information about the hours that were on the hand of one of the members of the governing body..

Doubting Bro

Rubadub - 100% agree. I travel frequently for work and get upgraded on a regular basis. And, I'm not a senior executive taking international trips. I can see how some folks that maybe don't have to travel for work could resent their upgrades but I believe there are other more meaningful things to hammer them on than this.

27

What’s the big deal with birthday cake?

by Addison0998 in

how strict were the jehovah’s witnesses you knew about birthday cake?

i knew a girl who saw a few pieces of cake in the break room at her work, and ate a peice, then found out later that it was left over birthday cake.

she felt so guilty and was scared about a bad impression she left on her work mates.

Doubting Bro

OrphanCrow - I agree that the WTS is a money hungry organization but I think the Vidiot's point about socially isolation from non-JWs is really the reason. It does feed into money though. By socially isolating JWs from non-JW family and friends, they tighten their control (cult 101). More control ultimately leads to more money.

32

How Effective Are Anti-JW Internet Sites?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think that once you get on the internet and you see evidence that shows jehovah’s witnesses do not have the real truth, it can jolt you.

but i don’t think simply going on an internet site typically changes a person’s direction—even if the information is very damning toward the witnesses.

i think it takes time to eventually get out.

Doubting Bro

These sites were a tremendous help to me. I was always open minded (so I thought) to discussing positives and negatives of the organization but was convinced it was still the "truth". I was challenged by a friend which caused me to find out more of what he was talking about. At first, I thought there could be reformation and frequented pages that advocated that. But, the more I allowed myself to openly question things, the more I realized that it simply is not the "truth". I remember feeling physically ill as the realization that I'd been fooled slowly came over me.