Posts by pseattle2

13

using humour with cult members

by besty in

folks i needs some input on this subject.. i have 3 family members who are shunning me due to their jw belief system and i would like to prime some non-jw relatives on the use of humour to reach out to them.. its not right imho to poke personal fun or be sarcastic or unkind about their belief system so what do we do?.

any suggestions on how humour can be used in this way?.

garybuss + dogpatch - you guys are the experts - please advise......

pseattle2

This is an interesting topic, because in these types of situations, at least in the long-term view, I've always felt that whichever side is funnier will eventually win. Once you hit upon a routine of using satire to point out the absurdities of a situation, you just keep using it and you attain some sort of private victory, at the very least. This almost never works with Jehovah's Witnesses, but at least it makes me feel better.

For example, my favorite story lately is about how my mother was initially afraid to let me read the books of Dr. Seuss, because she was afraid the bizarre stories and illustrations would result in my "thinking all weird."

Instead, I was encouraged to believe that Bruce Springsteen was possessed by Satan, and that one day I'd live in a world where polar bears would be my friends. Nah, that ain't weird. Right.

40

If The Society REALLY Cared About Gas Prices They'd Implement Program Now!

by minimus in

jw
friends

they are full of sh*t!

if i were a practicing jehovah's witness, i'd seriously take the governing body's words to heart immediately.

since they don't want to add any further burdens on us, i would not "wait on jehovah (them)" but instead i'd follow the spirit of their timely words and cut out one more meeting night and save gas money!

pseattle2

I mentioned this in another thread on this topic: When's the last time you remember the WTS actually citing current events in the outside world -- i.e., gas prices -- as an impetus for changing anything?

Far as I can recall, the only action they've ever taken with current events in mind is to cite them as reasons why "we're so close to the end."

Just a point.

32

Sex in the new order?

by keyser soze in

often times, at work, my mind will wander.

just the other day, out of the blue, i began to recall a trip my family took down south, to visit my mom's relatives.

i don't remember what instigated it, but my aunt, my dad, and my oldest brother got into a spirited debate about whether or not people would still have sex in the new order.. my dad, after rather awkwardly pointing out how much he enjoyed sex, said he didn't think it would be done away with completely, at least he hoped not.

pseattle2

There will be sex in the New System. But no cab ride home in the morning -- you'll ride on the back of a tamed lion!

63

WHAT MADE YOU LEAVE? Doctrine or people?

by chuckyy in

hi.. just wondering what made you take the final leap out of the org?

was it doctrinal in that certain things just didnt add up or was it because of the actions of people in the org.

that made you leave?

pseattle2

People. Worldly people, actually. I couldn't buy that they were all terrible people as the WTS claimed they were.

I was 15 and I didn't really care about doctrine. It always felt to me that truth was much simpler than the convulted fake mathematics JW's used to explain everything.

30

New announcement from the 1st time zone in the world.

by karter in

just got back from the assembly the bookstudy will be part of the ministry school service metting as of 2009. the cost of fuel is 1 reason.

to many elders taking bookstudys time could be better spent on other things.

family heads can now spend more time with there familys.

pseattle2

I was thinking about timing of this announcement.......last week was the "new Light" revealed...do you think
this announcement was convenient so as to change the topic and/or possible research or questioning into
this new light aka Bull$hit?

There's so much going on in the WTS that they need to deflect attention from, I wouldn't be surprised if their next announcement is that they've been acquired by McDonalds.

(Which would make sense, since they're 50% of that restaurant's Saturday morning revenue.)

30

New announcement from the 1st time zone in the world.

by karter in

just got back from the assembly the bookstudy will be part of the ministry school service metting as of 2009. the cost of fuel is 1 reason.

to many elders taking bookstudys time could be better spent on other things.

family heads can now spend more time with there familys.

pseattle2

Does anybody else find it peculiarly fascinating that the gas-price crisis is being used as the smokescreen here?

In moderately dense urban and suburban areas, the "students" were assigned to certain homes on the basis of proximity. We never drove more than 2 or 3 miles to whatever house we were meeting up at. The net gain of gasoline per month from this change can't equal more than a quarter of a gallon to most people. Rural areas might be different, but still.

This is also the first time I recall the GB publicly basing a decision on world(ly) events. There was a gas shortage in the '70s, but they still had book studies. The fact that they're claiming that forces outside the WTS are influencing their policy is against their isolationist tradition. As another example -- they now claim they're selling the Brooklyn properties because they're afraid of "terrorist attacks"? Why'd it take them 7 years to finally do that? Why didn't they start trying to sell the facilities in 2002?

This is a level of worldly influence that should be noted; they've run out of rationale for themselves, so now they'll cite worldly events as an impetus for these policy changes.

This kind of thinking would've come in real handy during the Malawi persecutions of the '70s. Death and torture doesn't sway a religion to change its belief about purchasing national ID cards, but when gas hits $4 a gallon, they'll eliminate 52 hours of meeting per year. There's integrity for you.

Plus, since they're not starting this change until 2009, I guess they're not exactly planning for the imminent apocalypse, are they?

30

New announcement from the 1st time zone in the world.

by karter in

just got back from the assembly the bookstudy will be part of the ministry school service metting as of 2009. the cost of fuel is 1 reason.

to many elders taking bookstudys time could be better spent on other things.

family heads can now spend more time with there familys.

pseattle2

Family heads can now spend more time with there familys.

But with the end so close, who has time to spend with our families???? We gotta start building rafts!!!!

(I think we should start a meme, in which we excuse ourselves from normal every day duties because "the end's so close." I.E., "But with the end so close, what's the point of taking out the trash?" Maybe I'll just do it. I'm frisky this morning.)

135

CONFIRMED Book Study amalgamated with the TMS and SM

by yesidid in

jw
friends

.

old timers on the board may remember that i was the first to mention the november 06 blood insert in the km.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/121104/1.ashx.

the same very, very reliable source has confirmed that the book study will be amalgamated with the tms and sm.. this same source recently had a long and private conversation with a gb member.

pseattle2

(Sigh) Why couldn't they have done this in 1973, when I was 6? I could've watched Happy Days.

71

Criticism worthy of your time

by johnnyc in

as i read posts throughout this site, i became amazed at some of the criticism people have actually spent time creating, reading (as i did), and responding to.

dont get me wrong, some of what i read are good issues that seem worthy (to me) of discussion, but to be honest, i find that 90% of the posts are based on ridiculous petty topics that are obviously tied to a sense of deep hatred of the wtbts.

i can appreciate that some of the people who leave such post, and have this hatred, are taking their time to discuss such things as part of a therapeutic process to combat the fact they spent a large portion of their life dedicated to an organization they feel abandoned them at some point.

pseattle2

Quite the contrary, I’ve found references in the WT literature praising some of the work the UN does for humanitarian purposes.

Dude... are we talking about the same WT here? You're talking about The Watchtower, right? That magazine the Jehovah's Witnesses publish? Not the Bob Dylan song?

Sorry, I'm being snarky there.

I now realize my initial response to you might have sounded a bit pie-in-the-sky and didn't give you enough specific answers.

All I gotta say to you is this: You left 8 years ago because something didn't work. You're considering going back now, I guess because you don't want your child to lack a religious structure, and you just haven't found a suitable replacement for the JW's.

The thing is this: Faith has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS MINUTIAE, these false numbers, this false corporation posing as a religion, and their arbitrary rules. People become JW's because they want to be controlled.

You apparently need something else to control you and think that's the only answer for your child.

You, and your child, and your wife, can do much, much better. I urge you to keep investigating, keep asking, keep doubting, and keep looking behind the curtain. Please.

I hate seeing someone fall twice for this bullshit just because they discovered The World Was Difficult Without It. Yeah, it was difficult. But better. Much fuckin' better.

Take care my friend.

71

Criticism worthy of your time

by johnnyc in

as i read posts throughout this site, i became amazed at some of the criticism people have actually spent time creating, reading (as i did), and responding to.

dont get me wrong, some of what i read are good issues that seem worthy (to me) of discussion, but to be honest, i find that 90% of the posts are based on ridiculous petty topics that are obviously tied to a sense of deep hatred of the wtbts.

i can appreciate that some of the people who leave such post, and have this hatred, are taking their time to discuss such things as part of a therapeutic process to combat the fact they spent a large portion of their life dedicated to an organization they feel abandoned them at some point.

pseattle2

I stopped being an active JW about 8 years ago, and I go to a meeting every 4 months or so. About 2 years ago I started an active search for “God”, only to be very disappointed in what I found out there, and have been disillusioned with certain realizations I had about the subject matter altogether. I’ve since been looking all over for information, and truthfully have been considering going back to being a JW (though have not acted upon it) based on not finding anything better out there. My wife is now pregnant, and this has hastened my desire to settle upon something.

Why do you need to settle the matter?

I mean, are you looking for an acceptable substitute that reflects the monotheistic thing? The old human -> mediator -> deity relationship? Will nothing else suffice?

I'm truly not trying to be snarky about this, and I'm really sorry if that's how it's coming out, but your position is curious to me -- it just seems to me that if you're looking to "settle upon something" in the matter of religion, you really haven't figured out your question yet.

For me, my mistrust of all religion has made me an agnostic, and I'm happy with that. I don't have a desire to settle the matter of God in my lifetime. I try to respect others' beliefs, and just try to find a common ground upon which we can relate and be friendly. I don't feel there's a need to impose a deadline for understanding God upon myself -- and I sure am not going to raise my two children as Jehovah's Witnesses, like I was raised. No 5-hour-a-week meetings or arbitrary restrictions for them; they'll get enough of that in school.

I just find it interesting that you feel the need to settle this matter of God before your child is born -- and that you may "settle" for Jehovah's Witnesses because nobody else has stepped up for you. How can one "settle" to have a belief system? (I mean, besides the Governing Body and their two-thirds majority rule...)

As far as your other comments -- yeah, there's bitter people here. They have excellent reason to be bitter. You're right in that we need to transcend that, eventually. It ain't easy. But yeah, you're right about that.

As for the smoking gun you're looking for, if you haven't found it yet, you will soon. We all will. Just keep very attuned to the changes your Kingdom Hall is announcing, very very attuned. Whatever you do, don't stop questioning them, and don't let them bully you into silence.

Welcome aboard, and take care.