Posts by BonaFide

69

Questioning me as an apostate

by God_Delusion in

i am an active jw.

i was born in the "truth" (i really feel uncomfortable calling it that) and am now married to a witness.. for a year now, i have actually come to see that the gb are just business-psychologists.

anyone who views jehovah's witnesses as a religion and not a cult, really needs to evaluate their way of thinking and they also need to look up the definition of the word "cult".. anyway, my parents recently came over on holiday (they live in another country and are also residents of bethel).

BonaFide

God-Delusion, welcome to the board. My advice is make sure you want to be disfellowshipped before you let them do it. If you do, great for you, but if you don't, then make sure you avoid the magic phrase, "I don't believe in the Organization."

Just keep on saying you have questions, but you love Jehovah and his Organization. They will have a hard time disfellowshipping you, you can even write to Bethel or talk to the C.O. In order for them to disfellowship you, you have to tell them you no longer believe in the Organization, or the Faithful Slave. Remember that even saying you don't "believe" is grounds for disfellowshipping now.

I almost got in major hot water a few months ago for bringing up stuff at a family WT study. A couple of friends were there too. I was able to stay in by emphasizing I still believe in the Faithful Slave. Some still avoid me, but others don't.

So just MAKE SURE you want to be disfellowshipped before you try and teach the elders anything. They are not there to learn anyway, in their point of view. You could ask them to help you do research, and maybe get them to think, but its a pride thing for most elders, not a doctrinal thing. You could prove everything to them and they won't accept it. That's how I was.

Anyway, I wish you the best.

BF

19

What is your best example of Witnesses REPHRASING something to change its meaning?

by BonaFide in

jw's redefine words.

they change lives as a result, with people actually thinking they are in control, when they are not.. here are some that really have caused me anxiety, arguments, and just complete frustration.

even when i was a "believer" some of these bothered me.. provision (rule).

BonaFide

JW's redefine words. They change lives as a result, with people actually thinking they are in control, when they are not.

Here are some that really have caused me anxiety, arguments, and just complete FRUSTRATION. Even when I was a "believer" some of these bothered me.

Provision (Rule)

Mature (Follows WT Society)

Independent thinking (Thinking)

Faithful and Discreet Slave (A group of men and women in NY who write the WT)

Discipline from Jehovah (Elders deciding if your family and friends can speak to you)

Guidelines (Rules)

Suggest (Should do, or else elders can counsel you)

Apostate (Someone who used to think JW's correct, and now doesn't)

Privileges (Anything the Society wants to call it, including being appointed as an elder or servant, or cleaning toilets.)

Do you have any examples of REPHRASING that you have seen the Society use?

BF

17

Calling Young Brothers to Bethel while Kicking Out the Loyal Ones

by Ultimate Reality in

jw
friends

this week marks the news of two "young" brothers i know being accepted to brooklyn bethel.. this pattern continues to demonstrate the current "human resources" policy of the current gb.

while telling those that have spent the best years of their life, "we need you in the field", they continue to bring in the healthy, unsuspecting young brothers so they can be used up with nothing to show for it late in life.. at last year's d.c. there was an interview with a brother that had been "sent back to the field" some 4 months prior to the convention.

what was so sad, is that the brother was clearly alone, and perhaps scared, in his new assignment in a remote rural area with a congregation of 40. he had been accepted to bethel after high school, never pioneered, and had been at bethel for 30 years!

BonaFide

I talked to a brother at the convention last week whose daughter and son-in-law are former bethelites. 23 years. Now he said they were asked to "go back into the field" in other words, they were asked to leave. According to him, they love it.

BF

12

Have you been propsitioned by a married brother or sister

by dearone in

jw
friends

i have experienced this one more that one occasion.

when i was 16 a good friend of my dad's use to make me sit on his lap being young and naive i thought nothing of it.

one day he came straight out and ask me to have sex with him.

BonaFide

Actually I am not positive it was an actual proposition. When I was 17 a married sister gave me a ride to work when my car broke down. For two weeks every day until I fixed my car. Then she invited me to Santa Barbara, about two hours away, for a weekend. She had friends there, she said. I declined, but I never thought of it as a proposition, maybe it was. I assumed we would be with her friends, but it seemed wrong to me that she would take a trip away from her husband, so I said no.

In my missionary assignment I would eat at a different family's home each day while I was in the circuit work. Mostly, the husband was home for lunch, and it was a nice lunch. On a few occasions though, there was no husband home, and the wife acted strange, very friendly. I never tried to pursue anything, so it never went anywhere.

Come to think of it, there were some other strange things some married sisters have said to me...

BF

12

Have you been propsitioned by a married brother or sister

by dearone in

jw
friends

i have experienced this one more that one occasion.

when i was 16 a good friend of my dad's use to make me sit on his lap being young and naive i thought nothing of it.

one day he came straight out and ask me to have sex with him.

BonaFide

dearone, if I were you I would contact the police. Stalkers can be dangerous. Sometimes the elders can help as well. If you tell his elders that he won't stop calling you, most elder bodies will tell him to stop or lose his privileges.

BF

17

What is the worst experience of COGNITIVE DISSONANCE in JW's you have had?

by BonaFide in

jw
friends

last year, i listened to a talk on cd from a member of the governing body, brother losch.

he says the dead bodies will be all over the place and we will have to bury them.

it has been mentioned on this forum many times.. so i knew that my family had not heard the talk, or else they would definitely have talked about it.

BonaFide

One of my family members got a little emotional when she talked about the new light about the anointed. She said how wonderful that Jehovah will take care of us at Armageddon by having the anointed around. I didn't bother with an answer.

BF

28

Have you ever been on TELEVISION?

by BonaFide in

jw
friends

i sometimes try to put a non-witness topic out there, guess i need a break.. i was on tv once.

when i was a missionary i was filmed as i gave a talk at the assembly.

30 seconds max.. back here in the states, i auditioned for a reality tv show once, and i made it to the first round, but the show was never picked up.. and you?.

BonaFide

Wow, some of the people on this forum really have some talent.

My reality show was a fitness-related show. I made it to the top 20. Too bad the show was never picked up. They said possibly the FIT channel, but it never happened.

BF

28

Have you ever been on TELEVISION?

by BonaFide in

jw
friends

i sometimes try to put a non-witness topic out there, guess i need a break.. i was on tv once.

when i was a missionary i was filmed as i gave a talk at the assembly.

30 seconds max.. back here in the states, i auditioned for a reality tv show once, and i made it to the first round, but the show was never picked up.. and you?.

BonaFide

I sometimes try to put a non-Witness topic out there, guess I need a break.

I was on TV once. When I was a missionary I was filmed as I gave a talk at the assembly. 30 seconds max.

Back here in the States, I auditioned for a reality TV show once, and I made it to the first round, but the show was never picked up.

And you?

BF

17

What is the worst experience of COGNITIVE DISSONANCE in JW's you have had?

by BonaFide in

jw
friends

last year, i listened to a talk on cd from a member of the governing body, brother losch.

he says the dead bodies will be all over the place and we will have to bury them.

it has been mentioned on this forum many times.. so i knew that my family had not heard the talk, or else they would definitely have talked about it.

BonaFide

Wow, several of you had your family members get mad at you just like mine did.

BF

17

What is the worst experience of COGNITIVE DISSONANCE in JW's you have had?

by BonaFide in

jw
friends

last year, i listened to a talk on cd from a member of the governing body, brother losch.

he says the dead bodies will be all over the place and we will have to bury them.

it has been mentioned on this forum many times.. so i knew that my family had not heard the talk, or else they would definitely have talked about it.

BonaFide

I guess I should emphasize that this was last year when I thought I could convince my family. I posted about it briefly before also. I thought at that time that my family would 'wake up' as I did. Obviously they didn't.

But I am curious to hear what others have experienced in their congregations and with their families or friends.

BF