Good post, Terry.
d4g
words that motivate.
our communication has to pass through the mind of another human being and survive what his or her mind is going to do with it!.
wordsby themselveshave to motivate the listener in the same way a combination lock will open if the correct numbers are dialed in exactly the correct sequence.
Good post, Terry.
d4g
i just thought i would mention this on the off chance they might be lurking here.
the two quotes are.
(1)vincent toole ="i've never heard of the term 'theocratic warfare'".
TheOldHippie-Speaking from personal experience I had people tell me,,,,,,,"Speaking from MY personal experience, in my congregation's district there are some 8-10 inactive ones, and they are greeted and well treated by everone in the congregation, visited from time to time etc. One of them has been an elder, two servants. So it is a risky business to try to broaden one's own personal experience to be the one and only truth for the entire world. I never would try to say my experience is the universal one, and perhaps neither should you.
This does not wash, and reads as typical apologist bullshit. You are using a straw man. No one is saying it applied to the "entire world". What people are saying holds true mostly, and that is the point. Stop being so intellectually dishonest.
JWs do not tolerate former believers. "Inactive" is a JW proprietary term, and its importance does vary from person to person. That is really about as subjective as this matter becomes. The second a JW openly admits to no longer being a believer, (DF/DA or not), just watch how many "greet [this individual] and well treated by everyone", he/she is. Former believers are a direct source of cognitive dissonance for a believer. They will shun them automatically. And yes, I do speak from experience, and it does damn near apply almost universally.
d4g
why doesn't the wtbts just lie and increase the published amount of people who attend the memorial?
who would know the difference?
the same with the amount munching on the crackers and sipping the wine.
FayeDunaway - I completely agree with sir82, and it reflects the mindset of JW philosophy ....be meticulously accurate about the little stuff, totally screw with the big stuff.
That is what happens when one uses an ancient bronze age tribal assemblage of writings as a moral compass.
d4g
here is a quick breakdown of our conversation (by text message).
me: "have you read about the royal commission?
the org has been covering up child abuse.
The silver lining is it means they know about it. You cannot do much about the cognitive dissonance, it is expected.
This is getting coverage, the WTS is scared, and the inmates are getting restless. This is a win-win.
d4g
why won't they (the wbt$ head honchos), simply change policy on sex offenders?
will they?..especially after the arc for eg?
it seems that with all the bad press and now the arc among other institutions that are exposing the wbt$ for a haven for paedophiles, why hasn't the wbt$ simply changed it's insane policy?.
Two reasons.
1. It sends a powerful message to the R&F that things are very broken in the organization and it is not "The Truth".
2. Once the two witness rule changes, it provides the slippery slope that would cause the whole judicial process the organization uses to fall apart.
The first one they can do little about. The longer they wait to address the issue, the truth will be exposed anyway, and will be uglier than ever. That is happening now, and will only increase as time passes. The second one they are holding on to dear life for, because once the judicial process in the organization is weakened, the organization loses a key control mechanism it is ill equipped to do without. The organization would crumble as we know it, even if it survives in some form.
d4g
i ask because my gf, who knows all about my jw upbringing, convinced me to grow a goatee, just to see how it looks.
we both decided it looked good so i decided to keep it.
i tried to explain to her that as a jw, i wasn't allowed to grow one, but then drew a blank when she asked me why.
Terry nailed it.
It is about obedience. Basically, if they can get you to obey on something so banal, they can get you to obey on anything they expect.
d4g
ask any jw the question "why do jehovah's witnesses impose their views on others?
we do not impose our views on anyone!".
do you impose your views on others?
There are times when I really do think there are moles in Bethel...
d4g
while i'm glad that the practices of the wts are under review and the australian commission is taking them to task, i'm not really expecting huge changes in the long run.
oh, they may have to agree to some changes in how they report crimes brought to elders' attention, but this excitement over the supposed expose of wt practices shall pass, and jws will soon be canvassing neighborhoods and rolling their carts, looking for converts.
conventions will go on.
It is not about all or nothing and has never been. It is about small changes forced by social evolution. This is happening for sure.
Just look back at the last 15 years and it becomes clear to see the organization is feeling the pressure. Don't go by the numbers. They can always find ways to spin those positive, since their accounting methods for membership and finances are proprietary to them. The anecdotal evidence is very compelling. The organization has been bleeding its best and brightest for some time.The intelligent that remain are apathetic at best. The quality of the writing is almost infantile, and the authoritarian controls are at an almost all time high. These changes are a reflection and microcosm of what is happening to all authoritarian groups, especially those religiously based.
The RC will not "bring down" the organization. This is part of a long term death of 1000s of cuts, and is following the trajectory of the demise of religion in general, (don't go by the US Midwest or South either, those are outliers on a world scale, along with the Middle East; Both regions have high representation of authoritarian types). That said, the RC is different in its approach than a conventional civil or criminal court trial, in that it is not performing within the protocols of a typical court system. This is allowing it great ability to expose information that is educating many people about the inner workings of the organization, and this will continue long after it is over.
This trend will continue elsewhere. It is not over by any means.
d4g
i don't know why this person is saying this (to me) mad sort of statement.
where is this information coming from?
what evidence is he/she citing?
however, it may be that they are trying to find jackson and see if he will come in to assist.
it has been said on a wt friendly news site, that jackson has declined.
i don't know what this means in terms of what the rc will decide to do.
Vidiot - Authoritarian ideology-based regimes are loathe to be seen submitting to the demands of their opponents; they'd rather burn to the ground.
I would add that those regimes are fundamentally incapable of anything but burning themselves to the ground in the long run. It is inherent to the design.
d4g