i ask because a friend of mine (who stays in touch once in awhile) had made it clear to me about 6 mos ago that he didn't care if i was df'd or not - that he still would speak to me and check up on me.
well his parents are both disabled, and his father recently died in the house!
so he sends me a text telling his father passed - and i told him i would call him.
If it were me, I would go to the service to support your friend. You will cringe throughout the sales pitch / memorial talk, but that's not why you're there (and, to be frank, that's not why anybody's there).
You may be surprised about how various JWs treat you. I've observed that some JWs use funerals as an "excuse" to treat DF'd people like human beings. Now, most times this has been in the context of DF'd family members of the deceased, but sometimes this applies to others too.
i consider myself an intelligent woman...maybe not strong on the 'common sense' front, but academically i've done pretty well...so...how on earth did i not see through it all when i was studying in the beginning???.
i remember worrying about their 'sales pitching' styles and their arrogance of believing they had the 'truth' ...but still i got involved and became totally immersed in it all.
i feel like i sacrificied our whole family to them, who now shun me.. yesterday, my new son in law, he's a lawyer, asked me how i could have believed it wasnt a cult (topical word this week here) he said he didnt understand how i could have been persuaded to believe it all and trust them with so much and for so many years...... i feel ashamed of myself that i did and that i brought all this upon our family...anyone else relate?.
Certain parts of Watchtower doctrine appeal to logic--especially when compared to traditional Christianity. For example, Witnesses love to harp on the Trinity doctrine using arguments such as "who was Jesus praying to?" and "who resurrected Jesus?" and "Jesus said the Father is greater than I am," etc.
They use similar arguments to deconstruct other traditional teachings (Hell, immortal soul, etc.). If you buy those arguments, then you've just excluded almost all major Christian religions. Combine that with the appealing promise of living forever on a paradise earth, and I can totally understand how folks get sucked in.
Of course, there are plenty of Watchtower doctrines that are laughable (trumpet blasts of Revelation, 2300 days of Daniel, etc.); confusing and contrary to common sense ("generation," Jesus isn't your mediator); and slanderous of God (only JWs will survive the "imminent" battle of Armageddon).
But Witnesses don't emphasize these teachings or their history of false prophecy, which should be enough to convince a fair-minded person that the Watchtower is not "God's visible organization." Unfortunately, it takes a while for most to figure this out. By then you're often in so deep that it's tough to get out.
have you ever heard a witness say something like "why do apostates have to keep talking about the wts/jw faith?
why don't they just go on with their lives?
if they've found something better, why don't they just focus on that instead of us?
Have you ever heard a Witness say something like "why do apostates have to keep talking about the WTS/JW faith? Why don't they just go on with their lives? If they've found something better, why don't they just focus on that instead of us?" I've heard such statements and I've seen such statements written by purported JWs on this and other websites.
When I hear/read such statements, the old adage about a "pot" and a "kettle" comes to mind. If there is any religion in the whole world that has absolutely no right to complain about criticism, it's the Watchtower / JW faith. This is a religion that requires its members to actively recruit people to leave other religions in favor of the WT/JW faith. This is a religion that has consistently, for many decades, denounced every other religion in the world as part of the harlot of Revelation. This is a religion that used to picket in front of churches on Sundays wearing signs that religion is a snare and a racket. (note that I have no problem with the WTS doing this; I'm a fan of free speech; but I do have a problem with double standards and hypocrisy--if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen)
Some of the JWs who have made such statements are first-generation Witnesses. In other words, they left another religion to join the Witnesses. After joining the Witnesses, they regularly engage in the "preaching work" which involves distributing WT literature that denounces other religions (for example, remember the "End of False Religion is Near" tract campaign a few years back?). Imagine the outcry that these Witnesses would make if ex-Witnesses embarked on such a campaign!
So, how can a JW keep a straight face while complaining about other people criticizing the JW/WT faith. Talk about double standards! As a wise man once said, "if you can't take the heat...get out of the kitchen."
life everlasting in god's approaching new order.
it would be very nice to hear some of his talks from the 70s to see how they were different from other gb member talks.
i bet he used bible more than the others.
any ideas where to find some?
me - "whatcha doin?".
jw - "preaching to "save lives"?".
me - "who's gonna do the killing?".
Too true. That's why many individual JWs come up with ideas that directly contradict WTS dogma on this matter. I've had many JWs deny that God will kill billions of Chinese/Muslims/etc who've never seen a Bible, much less a WT. These JWs claim that God will "read their hearts." Problem is that this teaching is not found in WTS publications and in fact it contradicts clear WTS doctrine, such as the "mark for survival" of Ezekiel 9.
But here's the point. If (1) the WTS teaches that God will kill billions of people who've never heard "the message" (which it does), but (2) God really isn't going to do any such thing--rather he's going to "read hearts" as these JWs claim--then isn't the WTS blaspheming God by making him out to be a mass-murderer? When I was an active JW, I used to get indignant at Christendom for blaspheming God by saying he burns people in hellfire. Funny that JWs don't apply the same standard to their own religion that blasphemes God by claiming that he's going to kill billions of innocent/ignorant people imminently.
as jws, we would have seen the adolation the governing body received.
even as far away as australia, we thought and spoke of them with reverence.
after all, they were figuratively at gods right hand, with the prospect of one day being in heaven with him.
Thanks for the reminder, Blondie. That's something that many JWs and ex-JWs don't realize--namely that after Ray was kicked out of Bethel, he attended a congregation as a regular JW for a year and a half.
Also, he was not DF'd for "apostacy." Rather, he was DF'd for eating dinner with his DA'd boss/landlord. And it's interesting that when the boss/landlord DA'd himself, JWs were not forbidden from associating with DA'd people. Then, in September 1981 the WT came out with "new light" that DA'd people had to be treated like DF'd people. The circuit overseer and some elders (almost certainly at the Society's direction) used that as a way to "get" Ray.
updating,.
it is confirmed that cynthia will be signing the papers this morning to remove ray from life support.
if anyone has posted their address on the internet, it is requested that you remove it for the safety of cynthia and those who are with her.
This is heartbreaking. As one who had the privilege of corresponding with and meeting Ray, I can say he was one of the kindest and most humble men I have come across. He was an excellent listener and a thoughtful speaker.
While I'm saddened that he chose not to have a memorial service, it is in line with his personality. He was not interested in notoriety for himself. Also, he may have been concerned that his memorial could have become a spectacle or a platform for some to make statements regarding the WT Society. Ray would not have wanted that. He merely wanted to go in peace.
not only is there a change in the way the magazines for field service are distributed to publishers.. there's news of a change in distribution of the study issue of the wt.
from now on a publisher will.
get them like they get their kms, that is by having their service groups overseer hand deliver them.. another way to exercise control for control's sake and make the sgos busier and feeling more and.
Jim, I think that's going to happen in the near future. I predict they'll "encourage" JWs--especially those in western countries--to download and print the study WTs.
my buddy and i were recalling some of the worst talks we ever heard.. one classic we remembered was one by a new c.o., who gave this talk on his first visit.. the guy was an arrogant tool, and he thought he was the voice of god.. we couldnt remember the title, but all we remember was a 30 minute rant against the phrase "take it easy".
we thought it was supposed to be talk encouraging pioneering, but it quickly took a turn for the worse....... "we often hear worldly people use the phrase "take it easy" - as christians, we do not take it easy!".
"we should never hear the phrase "take it easy" here at the kingdom hall".
I guess that C.O. is not an Eagles fan.
