i just found this on the site listed below and was surprised by the statement in bold underline.
does anyone know about this who could give more info?.
interestingly, although comments to the effect that "jw's are the happiest" were at one time commonly made, they have not appeared in witness publications, to this writer's knowledge, in a number of years.
Thanks for the posts. Some comments regarding the first one:
That name, Havor Montague is familiar. Wonder who that is. Looks like the article was published in 1977, so those 'recent' observations may no longer be that?
There are so many trivial gramatical mistakes in the article I suspect it was never published anywhere (an editor would have caught most of them).
Still, it was great reading. Thanks for sharing it.
I look forward to your findings.
Edited by - Dia on 18 August 2002 5:35:20
i've spoken to several people regarding the catholic churches child abuse scandals.
i always bring up the issue as it pertains to jw's as well.
the comment that seems to end such discussions is something along the lines of:.
Thanks sl for a wonderful little teaser. Not that I needed one. I'm not doubting at all.
C'mon! It's only just begun...just because THEY think it's over and done, just because they held their breath through all of this and now think it's 'back to normal' because nobody cares....Surprise! They don't make the rules.
Incidentally, if this helps - when people bring up the Catholic thing - and sometimes I bring it up myself just to say this - I always respond with, 'That's one thing you can say for Jehovah's Witnesses. They sure make the Catholics look good.'
When it follows, as it often does, that they are puzzled by that comment, it gives me the chance to fill them in.
Between you and me, I don't mean to sound so flippant. Like yourself, I have a lot of respect for the way the Catholics - church and laypeople - are handling this crises. And if JWs were not the way they are, they could learn a lot from them.
i just wanted to share with you all what i wrote to connie about the story on cnn.. i wanted to comment about the story done about jehovah's witnesses and the matter of them covering it up.
i have met bill bowen and heidi and amber.i flew from dallas to minnesota to be at heidi's press conference.
i was a jw and was raised this way.
Is there a video of this show online anywhere?
from paradise lost to paradise regained
children's book by: (watchtower bible and tract society, 1958).
from pp.
And.....why would it be that JWs have phobias??
i'm working on printing a new bumpersticker, but i need a rough estimate of how many i should run:.
if the watchtower society doesn't lie,.
well then, jehovah god is the liar!.
"Jehovah's witnesses....
WHO IS GOD?
'JEHOVAH' OR THE 'WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY'?
(....take your time)
note: i will attempt to make my attitude as well as my language in regard to this subject in compliance with simon's wishes to keep the profanity at a minimum.
for those who have read my posts before you know how hard that will be for me.. i am really mad.
those gosh darn jw's have gone too far.
Dave,
How tragic. College is a confusing time and grandparents don't live forever.
Your grandfather is lucky to have you. Be sure to let him know how much you appreciate him.
Some things come to my mind:
Can you somehow let her know that some witnesses know all the 'rules' of the Watchtower society but they just don't take them that seriously when it comes to little things - like good people and family and such. And they're still good witnesses. They're just careful not to go blabbering a bunch of things that are really none of anybody's business. And maybe tell her to just pray about it. Because family is a gift from God and IF the witnesses are wrong on this - and they've been wrong before - then people, like your grandpa' could get really, really hurt for nothing. And she wouldn't really be able to make up for that.
Question: Could you agree to lay off the 'apostate stuff' around her? She is, afterall, pretty young and maleable. And there is going to be lots of time in the future for more details to emerge. She doesn't have to be there for all of it. She can find it out later. And she would, hopefully, respect you one day for respecting her through this time of her adolescence.
There's a really good example to be found in Nelson Mandela and how he handled things with his ex-wife who became a JW. LOVINGLY would describe it. With an awareness that YOU are the grown-up in this situation.
And they need the kind of love and respect that you would give to a tiny errant child. Part ot it is just trusting that they will grow up one day.
And not criticizing them for being a little kid. I think they just don't know any better.
So show your Christian love and don't 'get into it' when it serves no purpose. Life is long.
We are all of us on this site VERY passionate about our feelings about this cult. And you can ALWAYS talk to us. We understand.
And you can always speak up publicly as it's appropriate, to join our condemning voices.
But there's just no sense in trying to talk to rocks. In some situations you just gotta' do what needs to be done to just get through it.
Maybe when it's all over and the pressure is off, the rocks will come around.
Nelson Mandela was not a coward for not standing up for every wrong or right little detail every single time. Just sensible.
It sounds like you don't really have any particular ISSUES with the JWs in your family right now. (No child molesting, etc.) It's just a matter of being outraged by their idiocy. (And their current policy, of course. You might want to point out that they can't disfellowship people who have never even joined, but that they're under a lot of pressure right now, so maybe they're saying some things they probably don't really mean.)
We all know what it's about to be outraged and disgusted by them. We're very familiar with it. But maybe your family are not the people to take it up with. They're not the GB. Hell, one of them is only a college student.
Let go. And let God.
Maybe they'll come around one day just because you're having such a loving time with grandpa'. Maybe they won't.
But love is your only weapon in that situation.
Be patient. It took me 30 years to recognize the love that I'd missed out on.
Trust me. It will mean a lot WHENEVER it shows up!
By the way....
I love your cussing style. If it's any consolation, you type 'goshdang' (whatever) but I HEAR the words you are wanting to say.
Pretty cute.
And yes, you do have a gift for writing. And for humor. Thanks for sharing it.
i wanted to pull this out into its own thread...this is the press release that will be going out as soon as we reach our goal...please go to http://www.amazon.com/paypage/p2ranmtqodei4e to get us there!.
here is the text of the press release...don't send it around just yet!.
for immediate release.
Beautiful!
my disfellowshipping
as with anyone associated with jehovahs witnesses the worst possible news anyone can have is being df.
it means a loss of everyone and everything you have known all your life.
This is the stuff for which they coined the term, "Catch-22".
Fortunately, they have no powerl over you without your consent.
my disfellowshipping
as with anyone associated with jehovahs witnesses the worst possible news anyone can have is being df.
it means a loss of everyone and everything you have known all your life.
1) Sheila needs a telephoto lense. We really want to see some of those pictures up close.
2) As righteous as you are, you now have in your lap all the misery of a parent whose child runs off to join a cult. I know and can see how much you love these people. When the hubbub dies down, you are going to experience some GRIEF. We are there for you. May many more who are geographically NEAR to you also enter your lives to ease the pain of shunning by your very long-time friends. Denial is an amazing thing. (If nothing else, this should make somebody's graduate dissertation in psychology!)
3) Joe, your words were so beautiful. And touch me very deeply (both of you). But think back; these are people who are ready to SACRIFICE their children's lives to the WTS! How can anything be surprising after that??
Somewhere in the distance I hear a bell tolling. I think it is the opening of the 'First Church of Jehovah's Witnesses, Reformed'.
Hope they have windows. And decent music.
a jw quote disturbed me.go back to my idea of hating false religion.
my opinion was to hate those religions and not mine... but to have a clean conscience and to hate what god hates.
a real hatred will make you exercise the personality that god wants in the new system that will last forever.
Thanks, jgnat for putting all those together.
Useful things to try to keep in mind at the present time, when clearly JWs and the WTS are our enemies.
