As a child, mostly embarrassed. I went through a phase where I was proud to be a JW. But, now I'm back to embarrassed. I go out of my way to hide the fact that I'm a JW but as was mentioned, its almost impossible to do. At this point, I'm ashamed of myself for not seeing through the illusion until now.
Doubting Bro
JoinedPosts by Doubting Bro
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22
How embarrassed were you to be a JW?
by exwitless ini, for one, was often embarrassed to be a jw; i always felt guilty about that, because it was always drilled into us that we should never be ashamed of our "religious heritage".
well, it's really hard to be the only one at your workplace who doesn't celebrate christmas, birthdays, etc.
it just draws so much unwanted attention to you, like when people try to tiptoe around certain subjects in your presence.
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Did the JW's ever admit that they were wrong on something?
by JH inok, when they have a new teaching, they call it new light, but did the jw's ever admit that they were wrong on something?
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Doubting Bro
I would have a more positive view of the org if they were admit to all their errors. And not just admit but apologize. A real apology not one of those " I'm sorry if you took what we said the wrong way" lame apologies.
But, don't worry. There is no way the GB would be humble enough to admit they did anything wrong.
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Which meeting goes first ?
by 5go inif the gb.
me the school because it would allow more time for brow beating in the service meeitng wihch would be one hour.
then no one would complain about thier kids being up way past thier bed time on school nights..
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Doubting Bro
Having contribution boxs at the CBS location is still official policy. It isn't done that often because its a pain to administer. We had a CO around the same time frame Blondie is referring to "remind" us that we were to give the friends an opportunity to contribute at each meeting.
At the time, I had a book study in my home and put a little index box. I tried to hide it but on a rare occassion, I'd find $5-$10 in there. I finally just took it out once the CO rotated. One person actually thought it was to help me offset the "cost" of having the book study in my home. When I explained to just goes to the world wide work, they said why do we need the box here then since we can contribute at the hall? That was my point as well.
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Which meeting goes first ?
by 5go inif the gb.
me the school because it would allow more time for brow beating in the service meeitng wihch would be one hour.
then no one would complain about thier kids being up way past thier bed time on school nights..
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Doubting Bro
The problem with eliminating the CBS (by far the least attended meeting) is that it is mainly used as a way to keep tabs on folks. The WTS has actually wanted congregations to increase the number of CBS and have no more than 15 publishers in each group. That way, the BSO has an opportunity to
watch like a hawkshepherd the study group. They also want the CBS groups to met individually for Sat service. Again, the smaller the group, the more likely that you notice someone is missing. Also, don't forget about the number of books that are moved when a new book is studied. At least that meeting is the most accurately named thing in JW world.I don't see them eliminating the school because its main purpose is to train JW men to publically speak. I could see maybe alternating the school & service meeting, thus having 2 of each per month and cutting the traditional Thursday night meeting to 1 hour. That way, it looks like they are responsive to reducing the load on the brotherhood without really doing anything.
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Notes from recent CO meeting with elders/ms
by Doubting Bro infor some reason, i can't cut & past from word.
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Doubting Bro
minimus,
And what if one of the folks involved is the son of the well liked PO? How fair is that going to turn out? Also, why would the branch want to take on the liability of being consulted? I know they'll route the call to the Legal Department to get privilege but what about the individual elders? I would think if they inserted themselves into a business dispute, there is a good chance of them being named in a lawsuit as well. Is "mother" going to provide a defense??
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Notes from recent CO meeting with elders/ms
by Doubting Bro infor some reason, i can't cut & past from word.
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Doubting Bro
AS,
Yeah, that cracked me up as well. And even funnier was that the CO said that will no explaination, and just moved on. I couldn't look up because I was afraid my reaction would have given me away. Maybe the holy spirit just conference called Paul into the weekly meeting since he was on the road so much??
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Notes from recent CO meeting with elders/ms
by Doubting Bro infor some reason, i can't cut & past from word.
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Doubting Bro
Thanks finally free & lost light!
We recently had the CO visit and I thought I would share the notes from the outline given to the elders/ms. Nothing earth shattering here. You would think that the meetings the CO has with the elders/ms would be encouraging them to think of ways that they can help the congregation. Instead, it is often a lesson in the WT Talmud.
Render
WTSGod Sacred Service with Godly Fear & Awe (of the FDS)3 ways we can demonstrate godly fear:
1) Resolving Disputes – 1 Cor 6:1-8 – Don’t take your brother to court. Paul outlined this policy for Christians. Serious disputes such as fraud and slander should be handled in accordance with Matt 18. To avoid reproach on Jehovah’s name, elders should provide direction but not take sides. Settle business matters by using the Bible. Contact the branch if necessary. There are some permissible legal matters that can go to court including 1) insurance compensation, 2) divorce, 3) child custody, 4) alimony, 5) bankruptcy, 6) wills. You can take legal action if the other party sues you first (counter-suit). If you sue your brother, you will be removed as an elder/ms.
My comments – Given yesterdays WT article where the great crowd was clearly only companions of Christians and not really Christians themselves, I can’t really see how the scripture cited can apply. Paul said that they were to judge the world, so why can’t they act as judges now. However, I don’t know any anointed elders, we certainly don’t have any. So, doesn’t that mean that they’re not qualified to sit in judgment? Also, why woulda spiritual leader feel the need to meddle in others business affairs? That’s why we have impartial judges.
2) Show honor to one another – Haggi 2:7 – All brothers are desirable. Don’t feel that the English language congregations are superior to non-English congregations when sharing the hall. Don’t make them a 2nd class citizen. Reports that some BOE are having trouble working together. Must have the same mental attitude as Jesus.
Not surprisingly, there is major dysfunction among JW elder bodies. I haven’t seen one yet that really gets along that well. The infighting is noticed by the R&F and fuels the gossip mill. There are very few elders I know that have the same mental attitude as Jesus. Also, notice how the WTS is recognizing how important non-English congregations are to the numbers here in the US? I would love to see the numbers broken down by language. How much would you be willing to bet that the English congregations are shrinking and Spanish & other languages are completely driving the 1% US increase?
3) Adhere closely to theocratic direction in appointments – Must follow the scriptures. OD book sets out qualifications for elders & ms. Holy spirit appoints you. 1 Tim 3 & Titus 1 set out 16 requirements for elders. Also, look at their “theocratic history” (meetings, service time, family study, commenting, willingness to do whatever they are asked). There should be an impartial review and no favoritism for friends & relatives. Don’t measure prospective elders against what current elders are doing, measure against the guidelines. Must be baptized for 1 year before being considered for ms. 27-28 minimum age for elders. Only those who meet spiritual qualifications at the time of appointment are said to be appointed by holy spirit. Titus 1:5 – Titus given authority from Paul who was on the first century governing body to make appointments. Same today. GB appoints men who make the actual appointments. Holy spirit is behind us.
Ok, let me get this straight. Elders/ms are appointed by holy spirit only if they met the qualifications set out in the Bible. But, holy spirit doesn’t block the appointment of someone who doesn’t? So, how exactly is holy spirit involved at all? And, notice how it’s not just the scriptures that are used. The theocratic history is the element that gets 90% of the attention in my experience.
In conclusion, this one wasn’t as rule driven as others in the past, believe it or not. But, there was very little said about taking care of orphans & widows or about helping folks with real problems. If I were to sum up the single largest problem with the org, this is it. All the focus on rules, none on love.
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Notes from recent CO meeting with elders/ms
by Doubting Bro infor some reason, i can't cut & past from word.
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Notes from recent CO meeting with elders/ms
by Doubting Bro infor some reason, i can't cut & past from word.
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Doubting Bro
For some reason, I can't cut & past from Word.
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Letter from GB to all Congregations
by sspo inthis morning i found out that last night at the service meeting, a letter was read from the society to a nearby congr.
about the danger of the internet.. they warned all the dubs about being on the internet because many are being influenced fom apostate websites and pornography.. does anyone else have the details of what was said and read?.
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Doubting Bro
I have a copy and will paste it when I get a few moments. Nothing major and really more directed to parents about the dangers their kids face.