Central NJ, (Where Taylor ham turns into pork roll...And Eagles and Giants fans collide on Sundays)
...Or do we just have an identity complex??
d4g
done4good
JoinedPosts by done4good
-
211
Where are you from?
by BeautifulMind ini know we are all anonymous for our own personal reasons, so i understand if you would rather not say.
but if you don't mind sharing that would be cool.
i currently live in georgia, usa.
-
-
done4good
-
47
Taking bets on how long this cult will last and what will happen to it
by macys ini wanna make a poll here.
how many years do you think the jdub cult will exist as is and what will happen to it?.
i say the growth stops this year and starts to decline.
-
-
done4good
Children of God - Was that not the cult that original Fleetwood Mac guitarist Jeremy Spencer joined?
-
105
New Watchtower Propaganda and hate speech destroying families (Feb 2016 WT)
by Daniel1555 inthe following is a paragraph from the new february study watchtower article "learn from jehovah's loyal servants.".
7 a conflict of loyalties may arise when a close relative is disfellowshipped.
for example, a sister named anne [1] received a telephone call from her disfellowshipped mother.
-
-
done4good
Half banana - "Jehovah" has been promoted insidiously to become a cypher for the GB in the minds of the flock.
And sadly, that is the most effective weapon in their arsenal. Stealthy and insidious enough that the R&F don't notice it.
d4g
-
47
Taking bets on how long this cult will last and what will happen to it
by macys ini wanna make a poll here.
how many years do you think the jdub cult will exist as is and what will happen to it?.
i say the growth stops this year and starts to decline.
-
-
done4good
And it is not all about membership numbers...I don't think the society outright lies about its numbers, but its numbers are easily massaged upward. The coercive system used to count members, along with the control tactics involved enables the members themselves to lie about their activity, as well.
The intelligent and successful are slowly leaving, and this exit is increasing in velocity. A membership full of uneducated, desperate folks does not bode well for them long term.
Lastly, society is evolving away from dependency on religion. Pretty much all religions are either being forced to evolve along with society, (meaning becoming more liberal and accepting), or are becoming increasingly hard line in deference to the evolutionary processes. Those of that latter group, (of which the WT certainly is), are alienating themselves from society at large.
d4g
-
47
Taking bets on how long this cult will last and what will happen to it
by macys ini wanna make a poll here.
how many years do you think the jdub cult will exist as is and what will happen to it?.
i say the growth stops this year and starts to decline.
-
-
done4good
It will exist in some form for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, here is what I know:
1. It does not exist in the same form, even remotely from what it was 10 years ago when I left.
2. The rate of change has rapidly accelerated.
3. The accelerated changes are all or mostly out of desperation of survival.
4. I did not foresee any of these desperate changes 10 years ago.
5. I don't expect the organization to be recognizable in the next 10.
d4g
-
19
Give me 5 minutes to explain...
by pixel ini keep thinking about the time i will "come out" and tell my wife about this sick cult.
i don't know when that day will come, but knowing me i will seat down with her and ask her for 5 minutes to explain to her why we as a family has to get out.
my question is: what will you tell somebody in 5 minutes, that will convince that perdon that this is not a good religion to follow and that we have been deceived?.
-
-
done4good
Not possible, but neither is 5 days, weeks, months...
You can plant seeds, but that is about all you should do, even given an unlimited amount of time. If you are too direct/forceful all you will do is raise her cognitive dissonance to an alarming level, and she will likely react very negatively, and even dig in harder.
I am not suggesting "faking" it either, (although I understand the need to do that for a period). There is nothing wrong with stopping going to meetings, FS, and all of the other nonsense, and letting her come to you to ask why. You can start by saying something as, "Out of respect for your beliefs, I would rather not discuss it". Say that sincerely and mean it. People sense sincerity, and that in itself should soften her and allow her to open up a little more to further discussion. Then take it very slowly.
d4g
-
23
If JWs Were More Tolerant Would It Help Their Money Woes?
by minimus inthey don't want you bettering yourself.
they hate college education.they applaud you if you quit full time secular work and instead, "pioneer".
they cry that they have money problems.
-
-
done4good
Pistoff - This is possible, but not with the level of thinking and leadership qualities shown by the men who are on the GB.
Other fundamental religions, including mormons, encourage higher education but have developed the mindset and culture that allows their young adults to enter the 'lion's den' of higher thinking and still go back to an insular world.
What would it take? An open discussion, one that pre-emptively tells potential college students that their faith will be challenged, that in comparison to other faiths they are lacking this or that or are the same, that they just need to ignore this or play along for the sake of the congregation, that while this old world is still functioning we need to make use of the 'worldly wisdom' to righteous advantage, or some such nonsense, see, is isn't hard to come up with a 'logical' reason to attend college.
The real issue as I see it is that the WT has NO interest in developing the strong social inner structure of close knit congregations, with organized child care, elder care outreach, sports and recognition programs and the like, that would draw a college graduate back; after all, why would someone whose eyes are opened go back unless the strong sense of community and social structure made it worth being there?
They always fall back on their 'now is not the time for such endeavors', 'there will be plenty of time for that in the new system', 'the main thing is the preaching work' rebuttals to such proposals.
The men who run this are NOT bright enough to come up with a way forward.
The WT tried in the past to water down its anti-education stance. It did not work. People started streaming out after a few years. The reason it did not work is because higher ed is not compatible with a draconian, anachronistic, "the world is horrible and beyond repair", type philosophy. Higher education is about success, and success is more than just about starting a career. It serves to change your worldview for the long term.
Successful people don't make good robots. They see a positive way forward and work towards it. This is not how authoritarian regimes operate. They want you to believe everything outside is falling apart, and the only safe haven is within their confines.
In the end, JWs that pursue higher education do not leave simply because they learn critical thinking skills. Human nature tends to prevent one from using those skills inwardly towards their belief system anyway. Higher education is a pathway to a successful life, not only materially, but also in terms of satisfaction and overall happiness. Those that attain the latter cannot easily ascribe to a worldview that all is evil and under control of some evil supernatural force. These ones will walk given the proper incentive to allow them to overcome their social dependencies on the organization, with enough time.
In short, removing control mechanisms cannot be done without a wholesale change in what the organization stands for. They would no longer be "Jehovah's Witnesses".
d4g
-
23
If JWs Were More Tolerant Would It Help Their Money Woes?
by minimus inthey don't want you bettering yourself.
they hate college education.they applaud you if you quit full time secular work and instead, "pioneer".
they cry that they have money problems.
-
-
done4good
Minimus - My Wt. experience is that the Organization could easily change ANY of their beliefs and write off anything that was previously taught if they so desire and the majority will accept it as more new lite.
End- times is part of their foundation. Remove that, or shunning, busy work, and other authoritarian control mechanisms, and the whole thing falls apart.
d4g
-
105
New Watchtower Propaganda and hate speech destroying families (Feb 2016 WT)
by Daniel1555 inthe following is a paragraph from the new february study watchtower article "learn from jehovah's loyal servants.".
7 a conflict of loyalties may arise when a close relative is disfellowshipped.
for example, a sister named anne [1] received a telephone call from her disfellowshipped mother.
-
-
done4good
Yes, the WT has always held to these positions. However, that is not the focus of the OP. There is some serious loaded language in this article, almost brazen. For those of you that point out this is a more disturbing article than usual, it is not your imagination.
Providing an example of what to write in a letter to a dis-fellowshipped relative or friend and how to handle a non-JW funeral is not only over the top, these are deliberately placed control mechanisms. As reprehensible as the WT is, this was not the norm not too many years ago.
Reading that WT brought back some painful thoughts of a similar communication I received from a friend, and the verbiage as was written to me was not nearly as cutting.
Sick. Fucking. Bastards.
d4g
-
23
If JWs Were More Tolerant Would It Help Their Money Woes?
by minimus inthey don't want you bettering yourself.
they hate college education.they applaud you if you quit full time secular work and instead, "pioneer".
they cry that they have money problems.
-
-
done4good
Simon, you may be correct that they are trying to mainstream in some respect, but they would have to give up end-times. I don't see how they can do that. As long as they teach we are in the "last days", they will end up chasing their tails with that any effort to mainstream. It will always come back to having to control folks in such a way to keep them "barefoot and pregnant". The Mormons, (no matter how strange and ultra-conservative), don't have a similar end-times theology, which is why they can have their own universities, political groups, etc. They are not dependent on the same level hopelessness as the end-times groups are.
d4g
