Posts by boyzone

43

Why do I still feel guilty?

by JWinprotest in

yesterday as our family entered the parking lot of our kh, we realized it was not our congregation entering.

soon afterward we remembered that this week was our co visit and we had missed the tuesday night meeting.

i think it's the first time in over 20 years that i missed a meeting with the co. tonight is our bookstudy/co talk, i wonder if anyone will ask where we were (not likely, everyone is so over us).. it's weird though because a large part of me could care less, and we were laughing about it all the way home.

boyzone

Hi JWinprotest.

Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. Never undersestimate the power of constantly drip-fed "reminders" and "recommendations" and "must do's" in this Organization. You've been conditioned to think that if you don't follow these "reminders" you don't have God's approval and you've been listening to such false reasoning for decades. Of course its going to take a while to shake that off.

Being at the meetings, CO visit or DC says nothing about the quality of your faith. All it shows is an obedience to an organization that lays a huge amount of importance on these things and judges you on your adherance to them. Don't give them that control!

Both Spike and Reniaa are fringe witnesses and therefore are still convinced that you have to "work" at meeting attendance etc as part of the Organization to gain salvation. This isn't so. Salvation is a gift freely given and can't be earned no matter how many meetings you go to.

So don't be convinced with this "feeding at Jehovah's table" guilt trip they lay on people. God knows your faith because he reads your heart not your meeting attendance.

61

What the Family Worship Evening Arrangement Really Entails

by cantleave in

jw
friends

as most people here know the combined book study allows an evening for "family worship".. the co visits march - august 2009 is really focussing on this.

if a jdub family head doesn't do a full evening of family worship and uses this time to do recreational activities he is as guilty as isrealite who didn't use the sabbath for worship.

the result, will of course be same as the unfaithful isrealite, death!!!!!!!!!

boyzone

I can see this as being one of those "Yes we must do that." and ending in 2-3 months

Yep, sounds like one of those good intentions the BOE get regularly. Like the time they were supposed to cover all the Do Not Calls to see if they're still DNC's. Or the time the book study conductor was meant to go on field service with everyone in his group. Or the discussions about getting started on the KH toilet refurb (never done).

Yep, buckets of good intentions....

61

What the Family Worship Evening Arrangement Really Entails

by cantleave in

jw
friends

as most people here know the combined book study allows an evening for "family worship".. the co visits march - august 2009 is really focussing on this.

if a jdub family head doesn't do a full evening of family worship and uses this time to do recreational activities he is as guilty as isrealite who didn't use the sabbath for worship.

the result, will of course be same as the unfaithful isrealite, death!!!!!!!!!

boyzone

Our PO, Doug Mansbridge (now deceased) never studied with his kids. He said he totally disagreed with the Society about doing this as the kids get enough from the meetings 5 times a week and they didn't need to be stressed out anymore. Anytime a talk featuring family bible study came up, another elder was assigned to take it.

With that kind of thinking, the Society would likely tell you that his kids would all leave the "truth" but instead they're all still in.

So I reckon, this famiy worship night is a good thing in the long run. It'll stress out the dads, the kids will hate it, mums will dread the conflict and more will throw in the towel and leave.

32

Don't You Hate It When A Witness Says "We Miss You At Meetings?"

by Wasanelder Once in

jw
friends

don't you hate the hypocrisy when you run into a witness you haven't seen in over 5 years (even thought they live less than five miles away in the same town) and they say, "we miss you at the meetings?

" they can't call or stop bye to say hello, but they miss me at the meetings.

what crap.

boyzone

Hi wantarevolution.

I knew a sister that was so sick of the phone calls from a particular witness every time her family missed a meeting that the pressure caused her to stop going altogether. She even disconnected her landline and was very selective about who had her mobile number.

I remember one time I got sick of the same calls. The wife of an elder (she was also a friend) would constantly ring me up to see why I wasn't at the meeting. Often I would hear a click on the phone line so I knew her PO husband was listening in so I told her in detail about the terrible period pains I was having and how I was bleeding so heavily this month that it was making sitting very uncomfortable etc. She ummed and ahh'd and sounded embarrassed, then the phone clicked as her husband got off the line real quick!

Asshole.

148

"Remember, nobody can REALLY love you unless they know and love Jehovah first."

by AllTimeJeff in

"unless they know and love jehovah first.

they love "jehovah".

they discuss how to make sure that though they are in charge, everyone doesn't see them, they see the great and powerful jehovah.... oh.

boyzone

Love is an intrinsic part of our nature. Therefore if you have a belief in God, you may attribute this love as being "made in his image". If not, you won't.

Bluecanary

How do you know when someone loves you? By their words or by their actions? If a fellow witness claims he loves me, but ignores me or mistreats me, is his claim true? Does the fact that he "knows" Jehovah mean he loves me by default? Conversely, if a worldly person claims he love me, speaks to me kindly and helps me when I need it, is his love a lie, meaningless or nonexistent?

If so, I'll take heaping helpings of lying, meaningless, nonexistent worldly love anyday.

Good call.

50

Was There a Fictional Work Helped You Realize the Truth About the (T)ruth?

by BabaYaga in

the pen really can be mightier than the sword, and even fiction often carries much weight and powerful messages.. did you read a book or watch a movie that made you think?

did an "entertaining" work plant a seed of doubt?.

the first one i can remember making a definate comparison to the witnesses in my mind was ray bradbury's martian chronicles.

boyzone

Another George Orwell classic, Animal Farm, and The Truman Show.

Watching and reading these was like a lightbulb going on.

32

Don't You Hate It When A Witness Says "We Miss You At Meetings?"

by Wasanelder Once in

jw
friends

don't you hate the hypocrisy when you run into a witness you haven't seen in over 5 years (even thought they live less than five miles away in the same town) and they say, "we miss you at the meetings?

" they can't call or stop bye to say hello, but they miss me at the meetings.

what crap.

boyzone

Yup I HATE that. I had a sister walk past me every day without saying a single word. She knew my JW mum was fighting cancer but didn't take the opportunity to even look me in the eye... and when I mean every day, I mean every day.

Then she came into the coffee shop where I work and I had to take her order. However before giving her order to me, she held up her hands and said in a low voice, "the only thing I'm saying is we miss you".

I just about managed to hold on to my emotions long enough to take her money. I got off the shop floor and then blew.

I swear to this day I have NEVER been so angry in my life. The locker room door took a pounding as I vented all the rage I could muster at this condescending, self-righteous woman who had opportunity every day to say something to me when our family was going through a worrying time - but she chose not to.

25

Weird "end of world" convention advert left in my door yesterday.

by JWoods in

jw
friends

it is a single 8.5 x 11 color page that opens with this drivel: how can you survive the end of the world?

--- you are warmly invited to come and listen to the answer.... there is a typical watchtower picture of zombie-like survivors coming out of a dark armageddon storm cloud with lightning and thunder, and walking into a spring field of sunshine and flowers.. on the back is quoted mark 13:37 - "keep on the watch".

(said near 2000 years ago, but continuing on) - four bulletins: stay awake as christian families / know that the end is near / imitate jesus' example of watchfulness / keep in expectation, watching for jehovah's day.. at the bottom is a generic invitation to mail in what is a little coupon for a bible study to the local branch office (no local contact information is given) with entries for such places as trinidad/tobago, ghana, nigeria, curacao, etc.

boyzone

Is this a special invite to a talk? Is it another of their worldwide leaflet dropping/keep everyone busy campaigns?

Not fair...I want one.

43

Where did the Watchtower Org learn its Mind Control techniques ?

by wobble in

jw
friends

this is a little where and when, i am not widely read in chuck russells stuff or rutherfords,the former is quite looney and the latter makes me want to up-chuck.. but i get the impression, i must admit more from isolated quotes rather than proper reading, that chuck hardly used mind-control,apart from trying to convince that his strange interpretation of scripture was correct,and even rutherford didn't use it so much,although the signs are there.. so when,and where from ,did they learn the mind control methods they use,that are so similar to all the other cults, is there a college course being run somewhere on how to build and control your own cult?.

and do the g.b take extra lessons in it, and pass them on to all members of the writing committee?

and then down the ranks,the d.os and c.os certainly use it,and i don't believe it is un-consciously,they are taught.. any ideas ?

boyzone

History shows the rise and fall of many peoples. It seems to be a cycle.

Lets hope their "fall" isn't too far down the road.

43

WT Society Makes JW's Feel Bad about Themselves - No Self Worth

by flipper in

jw
friends

i have noticed this a lot in attitudes of witness relatives i've talked with over the last few years , as well as other former witness friends i have talked to.

many witnesses feel bad about themselves due to having it drilled into them that we are all " sinners " who allegedly inherited " sin and imperfection " from adam and eve .

that essentially humans are " born dead " or in a " dying " condition due to alleged " inherited sin " .

boyzone

ALL TIME JEFF- I agree. It is horribly mentally unhealthy to always feel guilt over things. I remember hearing fellow witnesses talk about how inadequate they felt, or guilty they couldn't do more because of debilitating illness. I'd just tell them, " Don't be so hard on yourself- Jehovah appreciates what you do ! " But they were getting a DIFFERENT message from the WT society. They were being told it WASN"T good enough ! Bastards.

I agree with your comments to Jeff here Mr Flip. When I was "encouraged" with the words "don't be so hard on yourself", the first thing I thought of was the words of Peter when he said to Jesus "Be kind to yourself Lord". Remember Jesus reply? He said, "get behind me Satan, you think not God's thoughts bu those of men".

So as crazy as it sounds, not only is the guilt piled on by the Society, but its as if the bible was endorsing it too. Anyone who told me to ease up became like Satan to me.

God, how crazy is that! No wonder the guilt can be such a crushing weight for some. You hate yourself for failing, the Society dump on you for failing, then it seems as if the bible does too. Its a wonder any of us are still sane.

Thanks for your lovely reply to me, I really appreciate it. Its good to be alive!