Posts by wifekeepsmeinit

8

When you used to go out in field service......

by lavendar in

jw
friends

......did anyone ever ask you a question that you couldn't answer??

if so, what was the question?

what did you say to the householder if you couldn't answer it??.

wifekeepsmeinit

Well, I still go out in service, but usually its the failed prophecies question, then I'll try to skirt the issue and say the light is getting brighter, we admit to our mistakes, yada yada yada. And if they persist my conversation stopper is: I am not an representative of the Watchtower magazine nor will I ever be (bold face lie), my truth comes from the Bible. Questions on blood, 1914, the generation issue, I can usually Baffle them with Bullsh__.

43

Growing a Beard: Reaction from JWs

by compound complex in

hey there,.

how have jws reacted to a fellow member who decides to grow a beard?

i'm speaking of the brothers (unshaven).. thanks,.

wifekeepsmeinit

I think it all depends on which Kingdom Hall you go to. Of course the rules (even the unspoken ones) are all the same at any KH on the planet, but its the degree to which they enforce them. Interestingly enough, what Ive noticed is that attendance at KH, BS, TMS, and in Service greatly increases as the level of control decreases, for minor issues such as a beard.

60

JW IQ's. Below average? (Includes SM anecdote.)

by Open mind in

are dub bulbs just a little dimmer than the general population?

here's a little highlight from this week's local service meeting that prompts my question.. it's the annual, 20 minute, robotic hand-pumping session conducted by the secretary trying to get everyone all hyped/guilted up for this summer's district convention.

anyway, towards the end of the q&a, there's a paragraph that talks about offering a ride to the elderly/infirm ones in your congo.

wifekeepsmeinit

Yeah, I agree somewhat with Hillary Step,

What I have found is that we all went through a process which gradually stripped us of any critical thinking skills if we were 'converted' to the faith, and allowed few critical skills to develop if we were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses.

Both my wife and I are University Educated and did quite well through University. But I think its those "critical thinking skills" that have been stripped are ones that have any type of Criticsm of the Watchtower Organization. We are told consistently to trust the Watchtower, resist independant thinking and that the Governing Body is Jehovahs channel of communication. We start to think about how miniscule we are in relation to the Governing Body in knowledge and "how could I even doubt them" is the thoughts which race through our minds. So when a good friend of ours is DF'd for having doubts about what is said in the WT magazine we "Learn" to not question anything. Of course, I don't have to explain the severity of treatment one has to comply with when a member is DF'd, but we will all think about what that former member must be going through or feeling in his or her mind. And we don't want to feel the same thing.

One thing I have learned about being in Sales and this applys to what the Jehovahs Witnesses are doing: The majority of people will do far more to avoid losing what they already have, then they will to get something they don’t have. So in other words the fear of loss is a much greater motivator then the possibility of gain. People make decisions based on emotions, then they rationalize those decisions afterwards.

When people are in a group, they are like sheep waiting for a Sheppard to direct them. They will comply with whatever the leader is proposing because there is a feeling of safety within that group. All humans want and need to feel wanted. The people we have Bible Studies with, they will perceive you as someone who truly cares for them if we make them feel wanted. People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. And what do all active Jehovahs Witnesses do (i'm one of them) when a new person comes into the Kingdom Hall for the first time. We shower them with so much love and attention that they will have a desire to come back. When they finally get baptized, What do we do? - Nothing. We invite them over once and a while for a token dinner. We forget to show them all that Love and Attention that they once had, and we learn that it is so much better to give then to receive.

I guess I'll conclude with a statement that I learned in University, I forget who said it, but here it is:

"The law of consistency keeps us from being intelligent, if we are wrong we should admit to it, but we don’t. Once somebody passes up an opportunity in the present they will most likely pass up that opportunity in the future as well."

So I guess now that I have my thoughts on this post, I do fully agree with Hillary Step, just needed to add a little bit.

15

Revelation Jan 07-08 Week in review

by still_in74 in

sorry for the text format, i have this all in html with all kinds of formatting for emphasis but it keeps coming up error when i try to submit.. .

chapter 29. .

singing the triumphal new song.

wifekeepsmeinit

Bonnie_Clyde,

Did you ask your wife to explain it to you?

We didnt get home until 9:00pm, I wanted to sleep, didnt want to have to listen to some insane reasoning. There's one thing I know about my wife, when we start to argue about something (she's french) it becomes a long drawn out affair. She will bring up arguments that have nothing to do with what we are talking about to completely confuse me (or try to get me off track). - Funny, now that I think about it, she's immitating exactly what the WT is doing.

Nomoreguilt,

If there's one thing I've learned about women its, "They are all the same" - nuffsaid

17

WT Comments (1/14 JAH'S SOVEREIGNTY) BLONDIE RETURNS!!

by V in

wifekeepsmeinit

Notice how the Devil is portrayed as dark and ugly in contrast to previous WTS teachings, and the Bible saying he appeared as an angel of light. (Ezekiel 28:11-19)
How was Satan able to take on a form a human could see when the WTS teaches God has taken that power away from the wicked angels?

Thanks I really enjoyed reading your comments, especially when I read about Jesus Mediatating for 40 Days about Jehovahs Sovereignty.

Also, It defy's all logic to have the Devil protrayed in the picture as being dark, ugly and as a person, I really liked how you picked up on that. It would make sense to have the devil protrayed as something mighty, otherwise Jesus obviously wouldnt take him seriously.

Especially when the Devil is protrayed as an angel of light in 2nd Cor. 11:14, and as a spirit in so many other scriptures, Eph. 6: 11-12, say's it best "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against Principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Thanks again, Im looking forward to the next WT as it helps me see the true light.

15

Revelation Jan 07-08 Week in review

by still_in74 in

sorry for the text format, i have this all in html with all kinds of formatting for emphasis but it keeps coming up error when i try to submit.. .

chapter 29. .

singing the triumphal new song.

wifekeepsmeinit

THIS IS WHERE I JUST SAT THERE STUNNED... THE REALIZATION THAT THIS SCRIPTURE HAD BEEN TWISTED TO THE POINT OF COMPLETE NON-RECOGNITION.

YET WE ARE TO BELIEVE THAT THE 144K WERE NOT REALLY THERE, BUT THERE FIGURATIVELY IN THAT THEY WERE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE THERE IN A HUNDRED YEARS OR MORE . PLUS , THEY ARENT REALLY ALL SINGING THE SONG IN HEAVEN BUT SOME OF THEM ARE ON EARTH, SOME IN HEAVEN, SOME POSSIBLY NOT EVEN BORN YET, BUT THESE ARE OR WILL EVENTUALLY SING ON EARTH WITH A HEAVENLY LIFE IN VIEW SO...

THEREFORE THEY ARE SYMBOLICALLY ALREADY IN HEAVEN WITH JESUS SINGING BEFORE THEMSELVES (THE ELDERS) EVENTHOUGH THEY ARENT THERE YET !!!! ???

Finally, its all starting to make sense now. I didnt study or read ahead of time for last nights book study, but I can remember just sitting there thinking to myself "what the heck is this book saying" I didnt have a clue. Afterwords during the car ride home, my wife turns to me and says "You don't understand a word of what was said tonight do you?".....I said "Nope sorry dear, mabey since I've missed the last few book studies, mabey I should just not go at all until the book is done" ........No dice...I guess I'll have to start working late on Tuesday nights again.

12

What does it take to get reinstated???

by The Last Nephilim in

i have laid low from posting here for a bit and was barely here at all to begin with, so most, if not all of you, may not remember me.

i thought i'd let you all in on what just occurred in my cong.

my ex wife was df'd in 2003 for multiple counts of adultery spanning a 7 year stretch.

wifekeepsmeinit

Does anyone have a scanned copy of the "JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: FROM PUBLISHER TO ELDER IN SIX MONTHS"

Looks like an interesting read.

4

My Observations About My Congregation

by TooBad TooSad in

last sunday as i sat at the meeting, being bored out of mind, i looked around the hall to try to.

determine why each member was in attendence.

i was there because of family ties.

wifekeepsmeinit

Yeah that sums it up for sure.

Although at our congregation, last year they opened a "school" to learn sign language so they could join the sign language congregation.....and just about half our congregation wanted to join (around 50 or so), they scaled it back so that only 15 could join the school at time. Now its 2 years later, there's about 40 - 45 in the sign language congo, and only 3 of them are acually deaf. So I guess what I'm saying is, life as a Witness is getting boring. (well for me anyway). Im starting to get sick of 7 hours of meetings and Bible Studies per week.

60

JW IQ's. Below average? (Includes SM anecdote.)

by Open mind in

are dub bulbs just a little dimmer than the general population?

here's a little highlight from this week's local service meeting that prompts my question.. it's the annual, 20 minute, robotic hand-pumping session conducted by the secretary trying to get everyone all hyped/guilted up for this summer's district convention.

anyway, towards the end of the q&a, there's a paragraph that talks about offering a ride to the elderly/infirm ones in your congo.

wifekeepsmeinit

Thanks for the warm welcome Snowbird.

got may ass handed to me at a few doors too... Mostly by people who has actually read enough stuff to get me off the canned script and away from "what I knew". Sort of a wake up call... got me looking and reading...thats a bad thing for a JW boy to do.

Yeah your right, theres been a few times where I was out gunned by some extremely smart Christians, who were also excellent communicators. I remember After a bout with one, I was completely confused, and "naturally" I went to the WT CD or an Elder for clarification, and that of course gave me renewed vigor that I was right and "they" were wrong. But as of lately I have been going to other sources for my "information" or "food". I've recently ordered a couple of books by Raymond Franz, and now lately ive been feeling a little paranoid about if a Brother or Sister will see my order at the post office.

Nice huh.

60

JW IQ's. Below average? (Includes SM anecdote.)

by Open mind in

are dub bulbs just a little dimmer than the general population?

here's a little highlight from this week's local service meeting that prompts my question.. it's the annual, 20 minute, robotic hand-pumping session conducted by the secretary trying to get everyone all hyped/guilted up for this summer's district convention.

anyway, towards the end of the q&a, there's a paragraph that talks about offering a ride to the elderly/infirm ones in your congo.

wifekeepsmeinit

I think over time you get "dumbed down". The WT magazine, the books, the insanely simple questions from the KM. I mean, when you first start with them, you think you must be pretty smart learning all these new things about the Bible, and after a little while you almost think you are superior to other people around you because of the Bible knowledge. I know when I first started with them, I wanted to get out in the public and pick a fight with someone in Christendom, (to prove how smart I am).

But....over time, you are constantly exposed to the same questions that are re-hashed over an over again, drilling it into your mind. The WT magazine is a classic example, you read 50 words in a paragraph and then are asked a question " Why is God the Sovreign Ruler" - well the answer is in the first sentence of the paragraph. Its silly, and I think when you are constantly asked silly questions over and over and over again you start to think that these questions are the "norm", and this is the level we are all at, and then you think "well I better not second guess the WT, I might get into trouble" and you tow the party line.

Plus it dosent help that I am constantly told not do any "independent thinking"