Posts by Billy the Ex-Bethelite

26

Watchtower has a Philosophy of Totalism

by OnTheWayOut in

cults tend to have a total explanation for everything- everything that ever happened, everything that is happening now, and everything that ever will happen.

that certainly fits watchtower.

they have a black-and-white perception of everything, they are never wrong, there are no gray areas.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

While they have a very good/evil worldview with no gray areas, in reality the world is full of gray areas. Consequently, JWs in Mexico compromised and paid bribes while JWs in Malawi refused to compromise and died. Many JWs died refusing blood therapy under threat by WT, while others are allowed to take blood... but only after fractionation. Their bedroom laws, dating, etc. are crazy with huge areas termed "brazen", "loose", "unclean", etc. "Did you touch her boobs? Over or under her clothes? Did she resist? Was it touching or caressing? For how long? Blah, blah, blah" What happens in the investigation/JC and the consequences are determined by local kangaroo courts. And the clothing rules? It really shows that they are completely concerned about the appearance of the outside of the cup while the inside can be filled with toxins.

Of course, WT can't leave the thinking and decision-making to the individual. They want a high level of control. Yet I don't think they'd issue uniforms to all JWs because the individual's choice of clothing is a way to judge them and keep them under a level of fear. And for the single sisters there's a fear of getting in trouble vs. the fear of not getting noticed by guys and winding up like the elderly single pioneer sister with hairy legs and 27 cats.

In my personal experience, having lived a life that stayed clear of the gray areas as a good JW, as soon as I did something "in the gray area" that the rest of the BoE could take issue with, they chose to bring down the hammer on me! This turned out interesting since what the BoE said that I did was terribly wrong... yet my family had known about what was going on beforehand and didn't see anything wrong. And other local JWs I talked to afterward were in shock that the BoE took issue with something far less significant than issues in the lives of those other elders. And what I didn't wasn't a significant as flying a flag in front of the local KH.

I don't know how clear I'm being, but while it's a cult that views everything in black-and-white, there are huge gray areas in between that cause chaos in the way JWs love to harshly judge... or completely ignore any perceived infraction.

43

Are people really happy at Bethel?

by The Searcher in

if they are this happy, why do they keep taking down this video?

:).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evulyocziz8&feature=youtu.be.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

People on here are saying the GB know about it or it was made with their consent. Does anyone actually know?

HAVE ALL OF YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT IT'S LIKE IN WTLAND?!?!?

COME ON PEOPLE, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR POWERS OF SPECULATION?!?!?!? In the absence of knowledge, there is all the room in the world for guesswork!

This looks like something cheesy done for Bethel Family Night. But to JWs, this is fuel for speculation:

In a snooty, holier-than-thou JW voice, "This is something done by apostates to make JWs look worldly!"
In a weepy voice, "This is from the GB to remind us that JWs are real people that like to have fun."
In a fanatic voice, "I hear that Pharrell Williams is studying. Yeah, a sister in my Hall said that he said somewhere that he's learning about the Bible from Prince... or the Williams sisters... or the repentant ghost of Michael Jackson"

Remember when an mp3 recording was being circulated that supposedly was George Benson and Celine Dion singing one of the Kingdumb Maladies? Lots of speculation, and some outright lies, circulated around that gem among the JWs!

41

Counting service time in a creative way

by nevaagain in

jw
friends

couting time and, how to count time while doing as little service as possible is often a hot topic around witnesses.

i even overheard pioneers discussing about it.

they call it "creative time counting" (i translated that phrase from a different language so bear with me ;-).

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

What was the "pioneer spirit" that WT always talked about? Walking slow and rounding up.

There were many times that I was very conscientious about only counting the time that really counted. Those times were generally during the first week of the month.

Around the middle of the month when I was getting a little behind on my number of required hours, I was counting more of the travel time.

By the end of the month it usually become "rounding up". For example, if somebody in the group hit the first "always NH" at 9:45, and at the last RV the sisters in the group got back in the car at 12:10, that was parts of 4 hours. Just like Jesus was in the grave for parts of 3 days and it counted as 3 days, same went for my time... 4 hours. Whew, and putting in 4 hours like that, you can't go running from door-to-door!

50

Hello

by Garrett in

jw
friends

hello forum,.

i'm new here and not sure where to post.

so, i'm 21 years old and currently a baptized witness, however, i'm slowly making my mind up to leave and here's why.. first, there are certain things that make no sense to me in the organization.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Welcome!

Plenty of things to do in France besides sit in a Salle!

27

An interesting comment given by an older brother during the prayer yesterday.

by My Name is of No Consequence in

i have been a regular visitor to this site for several years now.

i never really felt the need to set up an account and post...until now.

at the close of yesterdays meeting, an older brother gave the prayer.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Welcome Name is No Consequence!

As already mentioned, this is a huge turnaround from previous directives. WT was okay with computers and technology for printing their litteratrash, but as far as the rank and file, computers were an unnecessary expense. Computer games, video games, and television were a waste of money. Books were all that was needed.

When they finally started weakening that people needed computers and the Internet, including kids doing homework, then they said it had to be in a public area of the house and supervised. Plenty of talks and demonstrations where good dubs talked themselves out of getting such expensive "worldly" electronics.

While the office workers in bethel had computers and internal email accounts, I don't think Ted Jaracz did. Teaching was hopelessly challenged technologically from everything I ever saw. But, Ted is dead now. If there's a hell, that's where that pompous a$$hole belongs. But I digress...

Now it sounds from my parents that it's a status thing to have those electronic devices at the Kingdumb Haul... colorful, big, and bright displays to read from, and sing from! So it's switched from a 'no-no' to a 'must have'. And all those teenage boys in possession of ipads (formerly condemned as an acronym for Internet Pornography Access Device). And who am I kidding? It was lots of "old boys" that got their "privileges" removed for viewing porn. And now it's easier than ever! Very "handy" for "brothers" to "prepare for the WT" after their wives have fallen asleep.

I agree that this move is to save money. But is it really? My parents and I don't talk about the cult much, but it comes closest when we talk about people and about their need to learn this new technology. And it's VERY frustrating for my parents and most of their "generation" at the Haul. The last time it came up, my dear mom said, "well, it's a move for the organization to save money."

Then I said, "Well it sure hasn't saved you money! You could buy a lot of books and magazines for the money that you've spent on your devices and an expensive monthly fee for an Internet connection that you don't really use." And then I changed the subject...

Billy:1
WT Craporation: -1

72

Last nights meeting...

by DATA-DOG in

i know dubs are delusional.

i know dubs don't reason well.

i know dubs are a bit off, like many groups.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Of course it's cartoonish, so there's no clarity of age. But judging by their sizes in the drawings, and certainly by the voices in the singing, they're all quite young. To me, it's as if it's for the youngest of kids to say, "hey, they're my age!"

And I think it's pretty creepy that the "stumble" and "fall" that Jehovah "raises" these sinners from is knock down some oranges at a fruit stand. Really? These are such little kids that they have no concept of what lies ahead in the adult world, and the judicial committees they could be facing in the future. That's then followed by how no matter who else lets them down, their imaginary friend Jehovah is always there for them. In reality, WT and my imaginary sky-daddy have been the greatest to "fail me and proved to be untrue." Daydreaming about animals in paradise gets pretty old when you're wondering how you're going to pay the bills piling up around you.

21

Mormon 'support' for gays, pressure on the WTS?

by Simon in

the mormon / lds church has noticably changed it's stance toward homosexuality and instead of condemning it seems to be supporting protection for people's rights (of course they want to throw some protection for themselves in there as well).. how will this affect the wts?

the lds is the more-successful counterpart to the wts, similar age and history and same non-mainstream appeal.. i have no doubt that the lds church is only changing because they know which way the wind is blowing and society has completely changes it's attitudes towards gay people.

maybe they just want to stay ahead pf the curve before federal legislation enforces people's rights.. now, can we see the wts changing their views" will they be one of the last holdouts?

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

I would expect the Muslims to embrace the LGBT community before WT did.

But then I never expected JWs to embrace the world wide web and be carrying around Internet Pornography Access Devices [IPADs].

72

Last nights meeting...

by DATA-DOG in

i know dubs are delusional.

i know dubs don't reason well.

i know dubs are a bit off, like many groups.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

If I recall correctly, ToMo3 had said that if a kid wasn't mature enough to be baptized, he wasn't mature enough to get his drivers license. Looks to me like they're backing it way down from 16 here!

Maybe it's because they realized they needed to get them baptized even further ahead of puberty.

Or maybe they're so desperate for MS and elders that they'll start appointing these preteen brothers to the elder body. In that case, the KM school will be all cartoons.

49

Jehovah's Witnesses requesting financial transparency in Spain

by JHK in

two jehovah's witnesses requesting financial transparency in spain branch.

one picture in the assembly hall and another on the bridge.. .

http://johnhenrykurtz.blogspot.com.es/2015/01/transparencia-financiera-llegara-antes.html.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

all we should do is to shut up and keep donating.

"My thoughts exactly!
When you give to Jehovah, it's nobody's business what I do with all that cash!
It's your job as JWs to shut-up and preach!"

49

Jehovah's Witnesses requesting financial transparency in Spain

by JHK in

two jehovah's witnesses requesting financial transparency in spain branch.

one picture in the assembly hall and another on the bridge.. .

http://johnhenrykurtz.blogspot.com.es/2015/01/transparencia-financiera-llegara-antes.html.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Nobody cares about any single piddly congregation with its $1000 checking account and $800 monthly expenses.

Actually, when I was involved, I was surprised at how feverishly the CO cared about the congregation accounts and auditing. It wasn't just that the receipt totals needed to match the deposits, but that the deposits had to be made right away after each meeting, no matter how small the amount of money collected or the inconvenience about finding a way to get that last deposit in before the month ended. Most of these accounts servants were rather downtrodden MSs with crappy jobs working long hours, so their wives were helping... but had to find some young, snot-nosed, newly baptized kid to sign the receipts because women didn't qualify to sign things in those congregations.

So there's transparency at the congregation level. There is much less transparency at the circuit level. And believe me, I've been in circuits where the CO has dipped into circuit funds like they were his personal piggybank. Above that? The money disappears into a black hole.