having been out of the cult for a few years now, i can finally sit back and accurately access the good, bad and the ugly, especially as it relates to education and having a sense of self-worth and realizing your potential.
in my opinion, religion is a total crock, but at least in some religions there is at least some value that you can translate your experiences and education gained in such into the real world.
for example, the mormons have their own accredited university where you can obtain a degree and you can actually put that down on your resume and use it in the real world.
I think it's by design that JWs are so lacking in social skills. It's what keeps so many trapped inside.
If they venture out into the 'world' to see what it has to offer, most are ill-equipped to deal with it, and come running back to the organization believing the world is evil, and the congregation is the only safe haven.
what were/are your speculations about the great tribulation.
unless those days were cut short no flesh would be saved?.
When the Cubs win the World Series.
if you could go back in time and tell yourself one thing about jws would you do it?
and what would you choose to say to yourself?
do you think you could have convinced yourself not to get baptised if you chose the right thing to say?
Hard to say, because I was so convinced it was the truth at the time. I really had no other aspirations at the time. But a more objective view of their history may have given me pause. Also knowing the new system wouldn't be here yet in 2016.
Ultimately, I would like to go back and tell myself that I didn't know nearly enough about the world to be so sure of myself.
so if there was no promise of a "reward" for faithfulness...no paradise...no eternal life etc, how many witnesses would stick with the "faith"?.
sure, the reward might be "making god happy", but he supposedly holds out the paradise promise with eternal life as an incentive right?.
before anyone says, that's what satans challenge regarding job was about, just think.
I always found this to be one of the biggest frauds of the JW religion- their claim that they serve god solely out of love, and not due to any promised reward of eternal life. I, too, often wondered how many would stay in if the new world weren't constantly dangled in front of them.
my favorite were the ones where they were reading a wt publication in the break room at work, and an inquisitive co-worker, thirsty for spiritual knowledge approaches them.
this leads to an informal witness, which eventually leads to bible study and baptism.. in all my years of working, i've never had anyone show the slightest bit of interest in what i was reading while i was on my break at work.
but as i said, maybe it's just me..
My favorite were the ones where they were reading a WT publication in the break room at work, and an inquisitive co-worker, thirsty for spiritual knowledge approaches them. This leads to an informal witness, which eventually leads to bible study and baptism.
In all my years of working, I've never had anyone show the slightest bit of interest in what I was reading while I was on my break at work. But as I said, maybe it's just me.
jesus was a perfect sinless human (they say) who came to die for mankind.
he gave up his perfect life for all.
selfless?
This was always one of the things that baffled me about the bible- how Jesus supposedly gave his life for the rest of us.
Um, no. He slept for three days then was rewarded with a kingship.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/80708572/former-jehovahs-witness-admits-we-targeted-grief-stricken-as-ripe-fruit.
jehovah's witnesses target grief and see the recently bereaved as "ripe fruit" for conversion, a former elder of the faith says.. vince and michele tylor​ spoke out after reading the story of wellington woman jean sergent-shadbolt, who received a handwritten letter from a jehovah's witness three months to the day after her step-cousin, friend and flatmate died.. a current senior elder of the faith says it has no policy to target grieving, and those who do so are acting on their own initiative.
however, he concedes such people may feel guided by jehovah's witness literature.. but vince tylor said he knew of members who would trawl though obituaries to find grieving people, or visit cemeteries.. "not only do we see watchtower printed material suggesting and supporting writing letters from obituaries such as what jean received, but we even have reports and articles of encouragement for jws to go to cemeteries to look for people as well.".
I recall a number of years ago how some sister got my ex wife to go through the news paper obituary and write to people who had just lost a loved one
I have a workmate who was called on by a JW who had gotten his name and address off of a registry at a mutual acquaintance's funeral. Lord knows how many others on the registry they called on.
there are threads on the content of the rc and reaction of awake jws here, but how are indoctrinated jws reacting to the convention.
my family and i have not attended yet, but i am bracing myself for it.
anybody talking in jw circles?
I'm sure it will go down as the greatest convention ever until next year.
To be fair, the bar is usually set pretty low.
http://www.chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk/news/11227290.plans_for_huge_jehovah_s_hq_take_shape/.
its going to be a real beautiful place when its finished.. they are going for quality over quantity.
it used to be accommodation for a few thousand permanent residents, now its looking like less than a thousand permanent with the possibility of a few thousand more in temporary accommodation should the need arise.. some say the plans are going to be like a garden of eden in england :) i mean they had farming in london over the years but this is going to be epic what they are planning for temple farm at chelmsford.. they are planting thousands (literally) of fruit trees, including tropical fruits in huge green houses, huge vines yards and then the same basic farming activities as before.
Do you try to deny the Vatican has a bloodthirsty past and have amassed huge stockpiles of gold? All of this large secret gold stockpile is stained with blood.
I won't deny the blood on the Vatican's hand, if you don't deny the blood on the WT's. Deal?
My point is that both have amassed wealth at the expense of its members. At least the Catholic church is giving back. How many hospitals and charities have the WT established? What are they contributing to society, other than unsolicited wake up calls on Saturday morning?
http://www.chelmsfordweeklynews.co.uk/news/11227290.plans_for_huge_jehovah_s_hq_take_shape/.
its going to be a real beautiful place when its finished.. they are going for quality over quantity.
it used to be accommodation for a few thousand permanent residents, now its looking like less than a thousand permanent with the possibility of a few thousand more in temporary accommodation should the need arise.. some say the plans are going to be like a garden of eden in england :) i mean they had farming in london over the years but this is going to be epic what they are planning for temple farm at chelmsford.. they are planting thousands (literally) of fruit trees, including tropical fruits in huge green houses, huge vines yards and then the same basic farming activities as before.
The amusing part is that this same poster, on a previous thread, went into a diatribe about how much wealth the Catholic church is hoarding from its constituents. Now he's awestruck by this.
