It will not work. The WT knows this and this is why the Conti case matters so much. They know the outcome will set a legal precedent that will force them to choose their finances over control of the flock. The decision will weaken the judicial process as the WT knows it.
done4good
JoinedPosts by done4good
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23
A sensible fix for the Jehovah's Witness "two witness rule" when dealing with child sex abuse
by Watchtower-Free injehovah's witnesses could retain their two witness rule for internal judicial.
congregation matters .
but in the case of a child abuse allegation they should .
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done4good
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Are we going to see a mass awakening?
by kairos inthe internet is the archive for civilization.. watchtower cannot hide it's history.. are we seeing the beginning of a mass exodus out of her?.
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done4good
Most new ex-JWs tend to believe all of the R&F must see what they see...I know I did 9 years ago. The reality is, people really cannot see TTATT for what it is, since existentialism and cognitive dissonance prevent it.
Having said that, if we consider both of those mental blockades and what they are, we can see how the recent changes in the organization just might lead a good many to leave, (albeit, over time).
Existentialism deals with the fear of the unknown, or fear of things we cannot control, (like dying). With the WT continuing to water down its doctrine, most JWs simply don't "know" what they used to regarding many things that they used to have all of the answers for. The cost of staying to satisfy this innate need often can prove too costly, in the absence of something tangible doctrinally to believe in.
Many of the changes brought about recently bring into question many of the assumed norms regarding the "dignity" of worship, (think of using the KH for concerts and dances), not that there is anything wrong with these things, (all normal churches do them), but JW was supposed to be different. Not any more. The tacit message that is sent is that we are just like everyone else.
All of this adds to cognitive dissonance. In the mind of a JW, their religion is not supposed to be this way. A person can only handle so much cognitive dissonance before they tune out. JWs are now exposed to dissonance inducing material at every meeting. Something has to give.
The changes being made in the organization are in uncharted territory, (outside experts making them or not). There is no example jw.org can point to that demonstrates they have a model for success. The changes that are being made are clearly being made out of desperation, (or else why make them). All of those changes are superficial, and nothing is being done to address the actual core issues.
While I still firmly do not believe the organization is going anywhere soon, I do think it is in decline, and searching, (scrambling), for direction. The next several years are going to be very interesting.
d4g
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done4good
The platitudes from the elder who mentioned "spiritual protection" is the responsibility of the elders and not "physical protection", or some such BS, is just plain disgusting. I don't think I could have watched much more than that.
Good piece, however. This issue needs a broader audience, and I think PBS did a good job.
d4g
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The beginning of the end for shunning?
by Saltheart Foamfollower inthe borg seem to prepare for changes by missing explanations out for a while then presenting a "new understanding" which doesn't contradict the most recent discussion.check out the most recent references to gog - no identification as satan.. in today's wt study, paragraph 15 concerning benefitting from the prodigal son stated "if we meet a person who has strayed from the congregation, will we offer loving and practical help to assist him to return?
" there is no footnote or other qualifier saying not to go to disfellowshipped ones (who are definitely the ones being talked about) which is still the official policy.
i know this isn't an ending to shunning, but it may signal the start of the preparation for a change.
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done4good
DF/DA/Former believer policy will not change. It is part of the superstructure that is needed for the organization to survive.
The same goes for FS, (i.e. busy work), the anti-higher education position, (i.e. do not allow critical thinking), and end times. Remove any of these and the others quickly fall under their own weight. The organization would no longer be JW.
d4g
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Prank call to Governing Body member Anthony Morris III gets through
by Watchtower-Free inalert..............alert.....breaking news .......... john cedars of jwsurvey has pranked called governing body member anthony morris iii at bethel .
over 2 minutes of pranking .
as i type he is editing the recording into a video .
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done4good
Sorry, but this tactic is immature and foolish. It does little more than to feed a JW's persecution complex, and in the end just adds weight to their argument that apostates are nothing more than rabid haters. Absolutely counterproductive.
This is what happens when an egomaniac gets lost in his own arrogance.
d4g
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All this new JW.org stuff is hurting my brain
by Nosferatu inso i just watched the singing cart video.
i literally cannot describe how i felt watching that.. growing up as a jw was serious business.
we had to take the preaching work seriously, watch our conduct, give a good witness by our actions, and be on our best behaviour to ensure we made it through the great tribulation.. when i was a child, i had dreams of being a cartoonist.
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done4good
This is all lipstick on a pig...
Nothing of any substance has changed, if anything, despite all of this happy-happy, joy-joy stuff, the organization is even more totalitarian and controlling than ever before. Once the euphoria and novelty wear off, not only will the youth be leaving, but a good many older ones as well, since nothing of any substance will be left, (not that there ever was much, but at least at one time the illusion of such existed...)
d4g
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"Laughter trumps fear every time" - another method to chip away at WT's authority?
by sir82 insaw this article on slate.. it got me thinking - the wts are certainly providing lots of ammunition for spoofing.
talks about tight pants, singing trolleys, rubber faced buffoonery from lett...... what if we start encouraging jws to laugh at their leadership, instead of kowtowing in reverential awe?.
from the article:.
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A quick summary of topics and issues wrong with jws
by stuckinarut2 inyou know how our minds often get all "fuzzy" and confused when we are put on the spot and asked to come up with points?
we often tend to lose focus and go off on tangents?.
im trying to compile a basic list of bullet points for the most obvious and clear problems / doctrines / history of witnesses that can blow the org out of the water.. it is more for the purpose of getting my own thoughts clear rather than using it to talk to witnesses (as that doesn't really work).
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done4good
Sorry Magnum, but experience has taught me to respectfully disagree with you on this. All of these points are academic in nature, if not used to present a line of argumentation to a JW. I fully understand where the OP was going with it, but without purpose of discussion, none of them have any meaning outside of JW land. There are better and more convincing lines of argumentation we can use for our own edification if we need to "prove" to ourselves that JW is somehow not the "truth".
You can start by reading any science or history book...
d4g
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A quick summary of topics and issues wrong with jws
by stuckinarut2 inyou know how our minds often get all "fuzzy" and confused when we are put on the spot and asked to come up with points?
we often tend to lose focus and go off on tangents?.
im trying to compile a basic list of bullet points for the most obvious and clear problems / doctrines / history of witnesses that can blow the org out of the water.. it is more for the purpose of getting my own thoughts clear rather than using it to talk to witnesses (as that doesn't really work).
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done4good
In a D/A letter I wrote several years ago, I used bullet points such as you mentioned in the post script.
I would not use that approach today, knowing what I know now. None of those things made me leave. They served as supporting evidence to myself for leaving. Real world human factors led to my decision to leave, and this is why 99% of JWs that leave, do.
A two class system, (us vs. them); misapplied or bad logic on every level; dishonesty; lack of love; a lack of integrity; etc., are the things that wake someone up eventually, when a certain personal threshold of tolerance for such things is exceeded. This cannot be forced, although these things can be highlighted in certain situations.
The best thing to do is discuss these types of concerns on forums like this one, and let folks come here on their own volition. This is the real difference maker in the information age in which we live today.
d4g
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From 1 to 10, how do you rate the value of the Internet in your awakening?
by Hidden-Window inas we all know, the internet is a real game-changer in allowing us to know the truth about the watch tower and its history.
i always had doubts and it was the internet that presented me with the ever-growing number of individuals who were going through a similar struggle.. i give the internet a 9 in my awakening.
what about you?.
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done4good
Awakening is a process. It usually begins long before we are consciously aware of it, and ends quite some time after. I probably began to wake up unwittingly about 10 or 11 years before I left, however, as most experiencing cognitive dissonance, would have never had the self-honesty to admit it.
I left before I did any research on the internet. My own experiences by then made staying in mentally impossible. I was comfortable with that decision at the time, but soon discovered I needed answers, as the questions began to surface and the need to make sense of it all became the next important step. I had no idea just how misguided I was. The internet was very significant, (a big shout out to the late Timothy Campbell !), in allowing me to both develop the proper premises to base questions on, and getting those questions answered.
December 25, 2005 was my last meeting. I have been not been to a KH since. 9 years later, there are still things from time to time that are necessary to sort out that sites such as this are helpful with, although more in a cathartic way than actually assisting in "awakening", (such as writing this). I would like to think I am beyond that by now.
Overall, the significance of the internet is about an 8. I would have left anyway, (and did), however the internet allowed myself to be exposed to a far richer life experience since leaving than I would have had otherwise. It convinced me to pursue things I always wanted, (like do a lot of reading about all kinds of subjects, go back to school for my Master's, etc.).
d4g