this is a legitimate question.
did any of us ever find real joy in being at the meetings?
did any of us ever finish a meeting and think "i feel so enriched"?
NotBlind: "Self Congratulations", "obey, obey, obey"
Your right!! One of the things that started to get on my nerves was the feeling that JWs were like the Pharisee Jesus talked about.
Luke 18:11: The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
this is a legitimate question.
did any of us ever find real joy in being at the meetings?
did any of us ever finish a meeting and think "i feel so enriched"?
I did enjoy meetings. Without sarcasm, I actually did enjoy having shallow conversations before and after the meetings. Sure, I knew none of them were true friends, but somehow, I still enjoyed seeing them every week or 3 months (at assemblies). This summer, I actually drove to Cornwall (Ontario, Canada) where we had our district conventions and reflected on how I actually miss some of these people.
As for the talks, I’d say that on average, I was in agreement with about 60 to 70 percent of their content and as such, did enjoy these things. Back then, I had fooled myself to believe that I constantly needed to be reminded to be a good person in order to actually be one.
However, towards my last active year, it became difficult and going to these meetings became a chore. I was increasingly sensitive to talks placing the Organization as equal to God. I started counting how many times they would say “Faithful slave” and “governing body”. How these man imposed an unscriptural authority over the conscience of others. How they lied about the world and other religions. How they happily exposed the sins of others, and hid their own. How they almost rejoiced at disasters occurring around and in the world, using such stories to offer a “false security” feeling to their members. How they frequently spoke in half-truths, etc.
As time went one, these things became unacceptable and appalling to me when my kids started to repeat these things, like absolute truths.
Finally, when I realized I was spending my meetings taking notes of everything I wanted to “explain” to my kids later, that is when I realized it was time to stop.
well it finally happened!
we have been waiting about a year for this, my dfd husbands family asked us for money.
even though his own father hasn't met our 8 month old son.
How about "Sure we'll help you. Lets go do a grocery together. You need cloths? Lets go shop together."
If they accept, by spending time with you, they will realize that you are not, in fact, the monster described by WT literature. If they do not accept saying that they can't do things with you as you are disfellowshiped, then, say:
"Here I am, with my heart on my hands, willing to help you, and now, not only are you refusing my help, but you are breaking my heart. How am I supposed to feel when you ask me to make sacrifices for you when I am not even worthy of your presence?".
If they say: You can come to our house, but we can't spend time in public. Answer: "If the opinion of other's count for that much, will they feed you? Then, what right do they have to judge you?"
Do not simply give them money without requiring their time and presence, otherwise, all the comments above are valid. They could very well say: "That was the least this sinner could do after everything she has done to us".
jworg is carrying a "news" article concerning their recent win of a telly award.. i don't need to add to the jworg website hits, so here is the award listed on the telly award website:.
https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/list/?l=jehovah%27s&event=16&category=3&award=b.
2015 online video bronze winners.
According to the fact sheet of the Telly Awards, you get 1 out of 3 chances to win (10% silver, 25% Bronze) !
if you have watched the march broadcast you will understand the topic title.
another propaganda piece intended to subtly blame the victim.
i would like to see them present a clip showing an arrogant self righteous elder interfering in the personal affairs of a family.
Most witnesses will readily admit that the watchtower is not perfect and that it is not inspired. However, they do not seem to grasp the fact that if they accept this fact, then, the organization should act as an imperfect, uninspired, sincere Christian individual.
For instance, a good Christian would first consider the possibility that he or she is wrong before judging others. He would ask for forgiveness and try to make amends for his wrongdoings. He would listen to anyone questioning his teachings without questioning his motives and character. He would not assume that everything he does is the will of Jehovah. Thus, he would not tell his friends that if they help him, they, thereby, help Jehovah.
People seem to lose this understanding when they fail to realize that a group should be judge in the same way we judge an individual.
i have a question.....if two jw have sex and only one of them goes to the eldurrs and confesses.....do they both get busted?
or does the boe need a confession from both people.?
if one of em denies it happened will that person still get df'd?.
today, an old jw friend came to visit a member of my family who is still active.
i saw them leave together to run errands.
when they left, she didn't say hi and barely looked at me.. after taking care of my cores around the house, i noticed that the sister had forgot to turn off the head lights of her car.
Today, an old JW friend came to visit a member of my family who is still active. I saw them leave together to run errands. When they left, she didn't say hi and barely looked at me.
After taking care of my cores around the house, I noticed that the sister had forgot to turn off the head lights of her car. So, I called them on my relative's cell phone, but the sister thought they could probably be back in time before the battery would run flat. Well, that didn't happen. The battery died. So who was there to save her day and give her a boost? ME!
She was so nice with me, making small talk and smiling and laughing, just like in the good all days.
I tell you, there is no greater pleasure than being a nice person to them making them realize: How come he didn't become a complete dick? He hasn't been to the hall in so long; shouldn't he be bad by now?
i read in a european ex jw forum that this year they are making a special effort to invite not only the inactive but also a special effort is made to invite all disfellowshipped.
.
i don't know if this as always been a common practice, or something started anew so they can boast about the numbers of attendees..
If I was disfellowshipped, I would have a lot of fun with this. I can imagine the conversation:
- Why should I go?
- Jesus said: "Keep doing this".
- Who was he talking to? Me or the anointed?
- The anointed, but, by extension, the great crowd, us, you.
- So, you want to invite me, and the general public, to a memorial celebration to which I am not part of. It doesn't sound right.
Could you imagine verses in the bible that would explain how Jesus invited the public to a certain place, had them seated in a large room and asked them to wait patiently while he shared wine and bread with his 12 disciples, no one else? Then, how he went to a podium and explained to them that though they were not part of that ceremony, they were welcome to have witnessed it; They too, would benefit from that arrangement. Can you imagine how that would be written in the bible? How it would actually have happened? What would it say about Jesus' personality?
I'm puzzled by what you're doing with this. The Jewish Passover was a "sacred" meal shared with the family and close friends; Jesus made it his own by adding the wine and the bread at the very end. Why would that not be sufficient?
Why not keep it simple?
have we noticed how often the society uses comments like this?.
"jehovah's witnesses are the most honest people...etc".
while it may be true that witnesses as a whole are decent, law abiding people, are they truely "honest" when the very foundation of beliefs are based on mistruths?.
If you start talking about the pyramids and how Charles Russel derived prophecies from its measurements, there will be an uncomfortable moment. JWs will immediately question your motives. On the other hand, if you talk about David sinning with Bath Sheba, they will say: The bible is truth as it did not hide anything!
The fact that there is a sizable discomfort about talking about anything negative about the WT is a big problem and makes them dishonest.
so on my facebook feed this morning pops up a picture with the words 'jehovahs witnesses the happiest people on earth' i have no idea why i can see this must have come from a friend of a friend!
anyway i take a quick peak at the comments, about 30 of them all saying the same jw propoganda.
then ,non jw, makes a comment about a terrible person she knows that is a jw and that jw's break up families and listen to man and not god.. jw replies: just because someone says they're from a certain faith doesn't mean they're living it.
To be honest with you... she probably stopped reading and deleted the post at the UN bit of information.
I would advise, next time, to stick to your guns and simply asks the same question again. You may also expose her tactics.
For instance: You have yet to answer my question. Instead, you have used "ad hominem", that is, attacking the person making the argument rather than offering counter arguments. This is what you have done by calling me bitter, unhappy, disfellowshipped or disassociated. Please stay on track and explain, from the bible, why someone that did not commit a gross sin, should be shunned by his own family should he choose to leave the witnesses?
