Posts by doinmypart

60

Beards......the CO allowed this one!

by punkofnice in

a minny man in a local congregation has a beard...he was bullied by the elders to remove it.. then the co came along and told the elders to allow him to keep his beard.

(not as the result of any skin condition or anything).. i kid you not!!!.

what do you make of that?.

doinmypart

It depends on the BOE. Here in the U.S. it is almost certainly frowned on. I had a soul patch and always had to shave it off before assembly parts per the DO. There is an elder in my mother-in-law's small congregation (he is 1 of 3 elders) in southern U.S. who has a beard. He gave public talks at other KHs, but often wasn't invited back after elders realized he was bearded.

When I go to the KH with my wife, I get compliments on my beard. I think beards are pretty much a non-issue among the congregation members. Not enough male JWs have the courage to just do it. They're waiting around on the Ok from Branch. This is similar to the white shirt only norm they had several years ago. Eventually a GB member will sport a beard and the green light will be on.

C'mon Mark Sanderson, go ahead and rock that beard or goatee.

74

They continue to drop like flies

by suavojr in

jw
friends

yes, the jws continue to bleed their young ones, so far in my local kh 3 were dfd, one girl just turned 18 this month and packed her bags and said goodbye to the cult and her cultish parents, another young 18 year old man decided to have a non-jw girlfriend and decided to stop attending and is no longer a witness.

they continue to leave and wt leaders dont give a damn.

they dont do anything to help kids be successful and live a healthy life.. .

doinmypart

My son and his friends are 18 - 19 years old, of his friends:
One is DF and attending University
One is No longer a publisher and attending University
One is No longer a publisher and living with significant other
One is a regular pioneer not working or going to school
One is a regular pioneer and gay, but not sure what to do at this point in his life

And then there's my son, a bit of a conundrum. He is close to all his friends. My son is in his 2nd year at the University, works 20 hours a week, and practices Muay Thai. He isn't interested in being an MS, but helps out around the KH. The first few kids I mentioned above had strict JW upbringings and it pushed them away. Which makes me wonder about my approach with my kids. When I was an elder and my wife and I pioneered we had a laid back approach. After I quit, all of the family studies, meetings and regular FS stopped for my family, but they still go to the KH mostly for friends and family.

Born-ins are interesting for me to think about. My mom is a JW. She raised my siblings and me in a strict manner (Mom is a black lady from the south and she "don't play"). All of my siblings except one are out. Many of the born-ins I know who had laid back parents are still JWs. I know a lot of born-in JWs in the Midwest, South, and East coast U.S. and most of them are JWs socially.

In my experience the born-ins (my age and younger) who are still JWs tend to be "weaker" than the converts from my mom and grandmother's generations. I have relatives (Bethel heavies, Sub CO) who are nowhere near as staunch as some of the old school brothers from back in the day. We went on a cruise earlier this year with CO & wife, Bethel heavy & wife, and several other family members. We had a good time like regular (i.e. worldly) people. Perhaps it was because we're all related, but whenever we get together during the year and no one is proselytizing the JW world is forgotten for a moment. I don't know anyone in Legal, but I think the .org will weaken through gradualism and morph due to legalism. Some leave and the ones that stay tend to water the whole thing down.

23

Sisters Witnessing in "Pants" now?

by Atlantis in

.

witnessing in pants now?

petra.

doinmypart

Da Fu?! They really think they are giving a fine witness. Even when I was a full, dyed-in-wool believing Witness I would've been too embarrassed to pull this stunt. They have no clue how ridiculous it is to pimp that ish in front of the White House. This pisses me off. I'm so tired of this kind of stuff.

There were recent tornadoes in the area. My family said they were going to the area. Stupid me, I thought they were going to help...oh hell no. The congregation were going to witness and setup a table. Big argument after that conversation. /sigh/

62

End shunning or lose tax free status

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

which would the watchtower choose if it came down to this in the united states or europe?

losing tax free status would mean losing millions of dollars.

ending shunning means people would leave by the boatloads.

doinmypart

It is about money and control. They would keep their tax break and write an article "ending" shunning, BUT in practice continue shunning. Similar to how they handled the voting issue. Around 1999 they had some problem in regards to voting in some country, so they penned a QFR, here's a snippet:

w99 11/1 28-29
In view of the Scriptural principles outlined above, in many lands Jehovah’s Witnesses make a personal decision not to vote in political elections, and their freedom to make that decision is supported by the law of the land. What, though, if the law requires citizens to vote? In such a case, each Witness is responsible to make a conscientious, Bible-based decision about how to handle the situation. If someone decides to go to the polling booth, that is his decision. What he does in the polling booth is between him and his Creator.

Shortly after this article came out, the DO met with our BOE and told us there was no change, we do not vote. And then he went into a short Q&A letter from Branch. Here's a more recent quote from a 2008 publication:

lv pp. 212-215
What should a Christian do in lands where voting is compulsory or in a situation where feelings run high against those who do not go to the voting booth? Remembering that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went as far as the plain of Dura, a Christian, under similar circumstances, may decide to go to the booth if his conscience permits. However, he will take care not to violate his neutrality.

So I think they would handle it in a similar fashion; say one thing for the public while telling members something different. Shunning and DF'g are two separate things. The WTS will continue to DF members. They might adjust the shunning piece, make it less Draconian, but shunning is too powerful a tool for them to let it go.

5

JW connection on Gang Related tv show

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

on gang related, a fictional series on fox about a gang task force, a 2013 jw calendar is on the wall in the pilot episode.

the calendar can be seen several times around the 49 minute mark.

and one of the characters' nickname is "j-dub" praise jah, such a fine witness!

doinmypart

Welcome to the board Lorenzo "J-dub". I enjoyed the show and will continue watching. I hope you're able to continue landing roles in the future. I also hope the person studying with you and/or the elders don't give you too hard of a time about the characters you portray. Here in the southern part of the country the elders gave my nephew a hard time for the character he played on stage at our local theatre.

Take care of yourself and look forward to seeing more of you onscreen.

5

JW connection on Gang Related tv show

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

on gang related, a fictional series on fox about a gang task force, a 2013 jw calendar is on the wall in the pilot episode.

the calendar can be seen several times around the 49 minute mark.

and one of the characters' nickname is "j-dub" praise jah, such a fine witness!

doinmypart

On Gang Related, a fictional series on Fox about a gang task force, a 2013 JW calendar is on the wall in the pilot episode. The calendar can be seen several times around the 49 minute mark. And one of the characters' nickname is "J-Dub" Praise Jah, such a fine witness! Ha ha.

39

A few International Conv instructions (more ways to control)

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

a few official instructions jw delegates are being told leading up to the international conventions.

congregation secretaries are holding conference calls and then relating the instructions to the congregation.. atlanta - do not drive to convention, parking will not be available.

take public transportation; attendants will be on all public transit and able to assist.. dallas - attendants will be on site at all hotels to make sure delegates leave the hotel at their assigned times and take their assigned route.

doinmypart

Blondie you are so right re. those scenarios. Growing up with single mom and several siblings trying to get to and around convention. Those were the days of long conventions with afternoon witnessing. My poor mom struggled, I don't know how she did it.

As much as they are looking forward to this event there are some approaching it with some trepidation. Responsible elders locally and at Branch are trying to reassure everyone that all is well.

39

A few International Conv instructions (more ways to control)

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

a few official instructions jw delegates are being told leading up to the international conventions.

congregation secretaries are holding conference calls and then relating the instructions to the congregation.. atlanta - do not drive to convention, parking will not be available.

take public transportation; attendants will be on all public transit and able to assist.. dallas - attendants will be on site at all hotels to make sure delegates leave the hotel at their assigned times and take their assigned route.

doinmypart

KateW, no joke. I wish it were... especially that last one for New Orleans delegates. Unfortunately I know several JW at various levels in the Organization and they are all looking forward to this historic event in spite of the expense and trouble.

Forgot to mention... there will be hospitality committees responsible for entertaining foreign delegates after hours.

39

A few International Conv instructions (more ways to control)

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

a few official instructions jw delegates are being told leading up to the international conventions.

congregation secretaries are holding conference calls and then relating the instructions to the congregation.. atlanta - do not drive to convention, parking will not be available.

take public transportation; attendants will be on all public transit and able to assist.. dallas - attendants will be on site at all hotels to make sure delegates leave the hotel at their assigned times and take their assigned route.

doinmypart

A few official instructions JW delegates are being told leading up to the international conventions. Congregation secretaries are holding conference calls and then relating the instructions to the congregation.

Atlanta - Do not drive to convention, parking will not be available. Take public transportation; attendants will be on all public transit and able to assist.

Dallas - Attendants will be on site at all hotels to make sure delegates leave the hotel at their assigned times and take their assigned route. Do not use GPS. There are areas of AT&T (Cowboys) Stadium off-limits because the Jerry Jones family has valuable items on display.

New Orleans - Carry two wallets in case you are robbed. Keep a small amount of cash in the wallet you will hand over to your assailant.

101

New field service rules coming this summer

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

new guidelines for field service coming this summer.

new publication to be released giving new ways of counting time, conducting studies, group activities, etc..

doinmypart

Sorry for brevity and lack of info. A relative at Bethel sent the publication, but since I'm on the "outs" with most family members I'm having a hard time getting my hand on the release. They've been reading and discussing excerpts. That's the best I can do for now. Hopefully this may prod someone else to post it.