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Posts by Gayle
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16Comment in this News article?
by Gayle inif you are inclined to make a comment at this news site:.
http://www.standard-freeholder.com/articledisplay.aspx?e=1597245&auth=kathleen+hay+khay%40standard-freeholder.com&#postbox.
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19
I think I understand... I am being shunned...
by Almost_Did_It ini think i finally realize whats been happening... as i said earlier, i almost took the plunge knee-deep into becoming a jw... i had many confrontations with my wife and others in my family, but i still continued to push forward.... .
itd been almost 2 years since i first was indoctrinated and 1.5 years since i have been studying... i studied with a friend who was also a co-worker.
we studied before or after work because it was convenient for us both.. .
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Gayle
Friendships among JWs are totally conditional!!
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Young JW males dating non-JWs scenario
by Gayle ini know this happens among the jw girls too.
i had seen this many years ago as a jw but a couple recent circumstances i have been informed of this happening now as well.. young jw males dating non-jw girls.
some still active, some fading (not because of questioning jw doctrines), perhaps just wanting a bit of the wild side.
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Gayle
Have you seen this much? I know this happens among the JW girls too. I had seen this many years ago as a JW but a couple recent circumstances I have been informed of this happening now as well.
Young JW males dating non-JW girls. Some still active, some fading (not because of questioning JW doctrines), perhaps just wanting a bit of the wild side. Then sooner or later he falls for the nice non-JW girl, likes her, considers long-term/ or married already. Still believing the Watchtower Society is the 'truth', he wants his girlfriend or wife now to study and become a JW.
He may or may not be disfellowshipped at this point. Some of his motivation may be that she will be taught that the wife should be in submission to her husband? In the past, I've also seen she later becomes a JW, quite "theocratic" and then he leaves the organization again and her and the kids.
Have you seen this?
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58
"I'm Perfect, You're Doomed" discussion...
by Tuesday inhas anyone read this book?.
i figured i had to comment because everyone was telling me oh tim, youre going to love this book.
she went to the same assemblies as you, she was raised in a similar household, she did poetry slams as well.
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Gayle
I just finished the book. I felt sadness for her as I do for all JW youth. I found her different than me as a child, teenager, young adult. I toed the JW life into my 30s. Some of her remarks/ways as a child, teenager would have scared me to death and I may/would have been judgemental. I would have never quit school. However, I do understand the struggle for a JW kid going to school, juggling that tight-rope life where you are not even allowed to integrate socially at any level.
How can a JW kid "love" school fully, not easily, where you can not celebrate simple kids stuff,,,cannot join extra-curricular fun programs or sports, the arts (Kyria's interest) etc., call door to door on your classmates and even teachers. You are doomed to be an oddball to some degree. The Watchtower Society clearly criticizes college education of being of any value. That attitude can easily trickle down to some JW kids having a hard time. Kyria was crying out, who would have cared in her world? She was "cutting" herself and threatening suicide, interpreted that she was just trying to get attention, yes,,but that was serious. How much does the Watchtower Society nullifying and choke the spirit of their youth?l Her JW world and parents would not encourage her to get her some professional mental/emotional health care, which JWs are only taught a paranoia at best that the counselor would probably try to break down their faith.
She married too young. Most JW kids get married too young, not enough maturity and not enough of life skills and there is a very high rate of divorce. My JW marriage ended in divorce too though we married in our late 20s at Bethel and married 21 yrs. Hard to prove, but I suspect JW marriages have a higher divorce rate than the national rate.
So she became out of control, feeling "doomed" now herself and nowhere to go as the Society closed down in her mind to any normal healthy sources or options. She made other additional negative, harmful choices.
The exJW kids have a hard path, especially when their own parents shunned them. (I sometimes wonder how parents can shun their own kids unless it in some way makes them feel righteous even though they themselves obviously were not so "perfect" as parents themselves) It's terrible!
Kyria seems to have had to go through a lot of "hard knocks", many learning experiences to move on through. I can only hope now with the Internet with information and facts that more JW youth can be informed of the "dooming" Watchtower Society and see it as a destructive religion and not worth the youth investing their life, education and freeminds in it.
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My Presentation - Wesley from Brazil
by wesleywws inhello to all, i am wesley of brazil.
of the city of lavras, in the state of minas gerais.
i am dissociated of this sect since september of 2008. today work to help people to see the dangers of this religion.
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Gayle
I am anxious to hear more about the "big revolt" there in Brazil! Look forward to your posts.
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British Sociologist Predicts Possible Collapse in Jehovah's Witness Numbers
by slimboyfat ina newly published article by british sociologist david voas argues jehovah's witnesses may be about to experience a collapse in numbers.
contrary to claims by american sociologist rodney stark who predicts strong future growth for jehovah's witnesses, voas shows that jehovah's witnesses' efforts at recruiting new members have become increasingly unsuccessful over the past few decades: the rate of increase has steadily declined, and the number of hours each publisher must preach to produce an extra convert has gone up substantially.
voas suggests a reason for the stagnation may be that there is a natural limit to the number of people in a given population that are susceptible to conversion to sectarian groups like jehovah's witnesses - the 'carrying capacity' of the population, and that the limit has largely been reached.
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Gayle
It seems all the English speaking congregations are mostly on "endurance" mode. The newer foreign language groups may have higher numbers of converts and thus a "new zeal" mode for now. The "new zeal" areas could burn out or down sooner than the English speaking.
English speaking have had more financial advantages possibly at least in the past. Whereas, in foreign language groups or other cultures, especially in third world countries where there is an extreme need for education, financial sources just for health and basic decent housing, etc, they could burn out very soon as they have basic daily hardships that the "Governing Body" absolutely would not be sympathic towards nor helpful for their reality needs at all. Even Japan had a big bubble increase some years ago and has shown a fast fizzling.
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Forget all of the stages: Denial, Anger, Sadness - Don't you sometimes just feel STUPID for having believed in the Organization?
by BonaFide ini know i have been through all those stages, i denied it, then i got angry, definitely sad.
months and months of this, and i still am in for my family and friends.. but sometimes i just feel stupid.
why did i ignore basic common sense for so long?
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Gayle
Going forward . . . . . . . . ... . . . . .
we are smart!!!
I can 'blame' it on my parents. To me, they were victims tho too. Naive, Dad's nerves wanted a new world, after being a WWII prisoner of war. I don't think my mom would have ever been a JW without my dad. Dad is now a disfellowshipped "apostate".
At least, my children were never baptized, have free minds, didn't have to start their life in the "hole" or deep pit of JWdom.
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1949- Pioneers who got Married were treated like a Disfellowshiped person!!!
by Witness 007 inrutherford's book "children" printed in 1941 told brothers not to have children or get married before armagedon....the result?.
watch.
91 11/1 p.29 {special pioneers lifestory he has to mention a bad situation} "in may 1949 i informed headquaters in bern that i planned to marry marthe and we desired to remain in full-time service.
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Gayle
Then, when Knorr wanted to marry Audrey, the policy changed. Just another issue, that the Society can change policy on a dime without any apology for any affected. Vaccination issue, organ transplants, blood fractions, etc etc etc. Changes - no apology ever for those that suffered, died, didn't get married,,didn't have children. The Society's members are dispensible, can always get more.
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How has the Amish lasted this long?
by Gayle inthey are a cult.
a closed society.
limit their children's education to 8th grade.
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Gayle
They are a cult. A closed society. Limit their children's education to 8th grade. Have extreme shunning. Their teens are allowed to go out into the world (the English), almost enouraged to do so,, they are not prepared at all for life outside,, kids get totally wild, even drugs etc. and yet a documentary stated about 80% still go back or stay. Their life is hard work, farming, no modern conveniences. Their little world still gives them a sense of security and community. It is a puzzlement to me.
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"Radio Free Europe" and Internet successful similarity
by Gayle inradio free europe was generally a success, providing eastern europe with the truth according to the rest of the world during the cold war (or, more accurately, the western world), not just the soviet union-censored propaganda that was distributed by the respective governments.
it contributed to the downfall of communistideology in eastern europe by exposing the reality of the oppressed, or the oppressed to the reality of their oppression.. look what impact "radio free europe" (50s-70s) had in getting through to suppressed u.s.s.r. people as to world facts and the reality of their oppression.
now more so, with the internet facts of so many issues available to so many people getting so much info available into the comfort and quiet of their own home.
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Gayle
Radio Free Europe was generally a success, providing Eastern Europe with the truth according to the rest of the world during the Cold War (or, more accurately, the Western world), not just the Soviet Union-censored propaganda that was distributed by the respective governments. It contributed to the downfall of Communistideology in Eastern Europe by exposing the reality of the oppressed, or the oppressed to the reality of their oppression.
Look what impact "Radio Free Europe" (50s-70s) had in getting through to suppressed U.S.S.R. people as to world facts and the reality of their oppression. Now more so, with the Internet facts of so many issues available to so many people getting so much info available into the comfort and quiet of their own home. Hopefully the Internet and these such sites will "contribute to the downfall (or at least a big impact) of the Watchtower Society by exposing the reality of the oppressed, or the oppressed to the reality of their oppression."