as someone brought up as a jw and been an elder and been disfellowshipped (twice!!!
) i find it difficult to understand why ex jws have to attack the religion, yes religion, not cult or sect.
i am no longer disfellowshipped just do not want to practice anymore.
Let me be perfectly clear about something. Folks do not come on here to attack JWs. The discussion that takes place here, is a combination of therapy, cautionary warning to others, and education and assistance to those who have left or trying to leave, and dealing with the baggage. I left 9 years ago, and still have a need for all or some of these things at one time or another.
As far as "attacking" the WTBTS goes, well that is fair game. Karma is a bitch.
d4g
i've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.
i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.
i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.
Good thread. No time to read all of it now, (at work), but will and add my observations later.
d4g
i don't post on here for often, but i read posts almost daily and i love our little community of ex-jw's.
a little bit of a background i was raised in as jw but was never baptized but was a publisher and believe it wholehearedly.
my father was very strict when it came to the religion and although i really quit going in my early 20s (which broke his heart) it held a power over me until i was close the to 30. at 30 i decided to enroll in community college while working full time and got my aa last year.
When I wrote my personal statement to go back to school for my masters, I did include some references, (no direct quotes), concerning my upbringing. Since it was honest and purely my take on the matter, I wrote the statement in about 2 hours, complete with proofreading and editing, (I needed to edit very little).
PM me if you want to see what I wrote as a guide.
d4g
it appears that a new 16-page brochure, with the title "return to jehovah" is to be released at the regional convention (dc) this year.
it would be written specifically for those faded or da/df.chapters are:a letter from the governing body1.
the lost one i will search for2.
It's also for the beneifit of the media. Non-JW's are often astounded when they hear of the harshness of disfellowshipping, I'm betting that the WT will respond by saying that they do all they can to help the DF'd ones to return and quote this booklet.
I would agree that this has much to do with it also. They organization is taking heat in the media these days for both their child abuse issues, (primarily), and secondly for their shunning policies. Even through it is nothing more than a re-hash of a 2008 article, the fact they feel the need to address it again, fits the context of an organization that is trying to save their image.
d4g
it appears that a new 16-page brochure, with the title "return to jehovah" is to be released at the regional convention (dc) this year.
it would be written specifically for those faded or da/df.chapters are:a letter from the governing body1.
the lost one i will search for2.
it appears that a new 16-page brochure, with the title "return to jehovah" is to be released at the regional convention (dc) this year.
it would be written specifically for those faded or da/df.chapters are:a letter from the governing body1.
the lost one i will search for2.
Londo111 - Growth is at a standstill in many places. Most baptisms are children of JWs...and only a third of those remain who were raised JW. There are many former JWs...it would make sense to try to get some growth that they are not seeing from door to door.
I suppose...but this really smacks of desperation, if that were the reason.
d4g
it appears that a new 16-page brochure, with the title "return to jehovah" is to be released at the regional convention (dc) this year.
it would be written specifically for those faded or da/df.chapters are:a letter from the governing body1.
the lost one i will search for2.
Why would they even bother with this?
d4g
even as an atheist i consider myself spiritual, always have, metaphysics and spiritual discussions about enlightenment and so on i find interesting, even if belief in a yhwh is not in me.
i want to propose this simple definition of the word "spiritual" among jehovah's witnesses.. spiritual = indoctrination or indoctrinated.
i have been told how i'm "just not a spiritual man".
Even as a JW I never ascribed to the JW definition of "spiritual".
d4g
what would be your answer?
are you are a righteous person?
on a scale of 1-10, how righteous do you feel you are?.
Those who do not believe in righteousness may leave. Please close the door quietly behind you.
Typical judgmental religionist attitude. I stopped reading after that. Quite "righteous"...
d4g
let me preface this by saying, i don't know if mr. cosby is guilty of all that he's being accused of.
the number of women coming out against him is pretty damning, but no real proof has been offered (that i'm aware of anyway).
and it is this circumstantial, hearsay evidence that can actually play into the hands of someone trying to get a jw to grasp the seriousness of the child abuse claims in the jw religion.. how so?.
Generally, calling someone on or pointing out areas that should cause their cognitive dissonance does not work, (immediately). The immediate response is almost always some kind of mental shut down.
Longer term though, I believe this can work. It plants a seed. Whether that seed will germinate depends on other factors outside of our control. To push beyond the seed planting phase of this, will almost certainly backfire.
If done carefully, and kept brief, I believe this approach can work long term.
d4g
