Posts by hybridous

51

At This Point, Would You Care If You Are or Were Disfellowshipped???

by minimus in

jw
friends

at this stage of "coming out" of the "truth", would it faze you if you were disfellowshipped?

hybridous

Actually, yes, it would matter to me...

You see, I'm trying to keep hold of the best possible relationship between me and my devout JW family. A very long time ago, as a child, I figured out that I wouldn't live happily as a Witness. That being the case, I never got baptised, but maybe I was being disingenuous...I always gave, and still give, the distinct impression that I am somewhat interested in the JW faith, but am holding back for some reason.

This act, this...falsity...is what keeps me within a semi-normal relationship with the people I love very much. So, I've been able to keep any JW 'label' from applying to me, and therefore giving any reason for my JW family to shun me. I aimed for the 'cracks' in this sick JW belief system, and somehow, I seemed to have hit the bullseye. I have seemingly locked onto the only 'semi-honorable' exit from this miserable cult.

So, YES, I would care if any label were to be slapped on me. It would mean strain on the relationship between me and the JW family. I'm not sure exactly what power the local Elders wield, given that I was never baptised, but that seems to be a crucial point, for some reason...

25

How secure are the GB?

by vitty in

jw
friends

i was thinking today, how secure are the governing body?

with all the hatred they have created over the years it wouldnt take much to send someone over the top and try to "exterminate" the ones who they feel are responsible for maybe a ruined marriage or life.. i cetainly wouldnt want to be in their shoes.

but i wounder how they feel, do you think they feel secure and safe.

hybridous

On a different note...

I believe that these men (GB) retain their positions based on nothing more than reputation alone. What I mean by that is, haven't they been removed from positions from actual corporate leadership? So what happens if they start making decisions that are deleterious to the financial health of the WT society?

What happens then? Could they actually be removed from their positions?

12

Why the GB are never self critical?

by greendawn in

those pussyfooting with the devious nature of the gb of the jws should notice some strange things in their behaviour.

they are not known to (1)have ever carried out an act of self evaluation and self criticism and accept that they were wrong in some of their actions, or (2) to accept any criticisms from jw members let alone reply to them with rational arguments.

that is a most unchristian attitude.

hybridous

After years of ridiculing the Catholics for the same thing, these old codgers have realised the benefits of their own Middle Age type papacy.

The old battle-cry is the same, 'Submit to our rule, or die' except this time around they don't have the political clout to make that happen. I bet they rue the day they turned their backs on that power.

Why aren't they self-critical? Well, any amount of introspection (where is he, anyways?) requires the acceptance of the possibility that the self may be found in error and in need of correction. In other words, where the rubber meets the road, some degree of humility is required. Since that is anathema to these dictators, there is no real prospect of self-examination or subsequent improvement. And that simple fact alone should indicate to any believer in Jesus, that these men are not led by Him.

42

Do JWs Consider You To Be An "Apostate"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

we all know that our simply being here is considered an act of apostasy by witnesses.

whether they know you frequent such boards or not, are you considered an "apostate" by the witnesses?

hybridous

Everything I think and feel about the WT religion/cult would put me in that category. However, I was not baptized, so I was never officially a JW. I cannot be DFd (or unwillingly DAd).

So I could unload what I know on the family, and they would say that say that I have 'apostate leanings', but I think the official term is reserved for one who has been disfellowshipped under such charges.

My goal is actually to have the best possible relationship with the family, so I need to avoid that label and any association with it. Consequently, I bit my tongue a lot.

14

Magic moment

by Phil in

jw
friends

for all the persons that have been lured into the jw organization i was wondering if there is a magic age level or maximum exposure time where such a person comes to the realization that what he /she has been filled with information and doctrine that only hurts families and is the major cause of their breakup with their families.

i have seen some people that have come to the realizationaround the age of 40. would this be the age of realization?

is it something else?

hybridous

It was probably at the age of 10 or 11 for me. I had lived long enough to know the extent of the JW routine, and how nothing meaningful would ever change to allow some level of comfort or normality.

Having all the experience of my 10 or 11 years behind me, I would repeatedly try to extrapolate my future. What would my life be like? What would I make of myself? Would I ever be able to convince myself to buy into this crazy religion enough to believe that I was doing the right thing? Would I ever have ONE GODDAMNED MORSEL of FUN before I DIE?!

So, you can see my line of thinking, and how at such an early age, I just knew I would leave. Everything I saw around me led me to conclude that staying in would just result in a lifetime of bitter misery and regret. Fortunately, I never got baptised, and this allowed me to have the best possible relationship with family, given my non-participation in the religion.

32

Is There Truly Any "Underground Reform" Going On?

by minimus in

jw
friends

not an organized type, at least.

as an elder, i would try to bend the organization's rules so as to be more moderate and give the "sheep" a little more comfort.

but no elder or group of people could organize such a group and stay within the watchtower's (kingdom hall's) walls.

hybridous

I think that the orgainzation will continue to suffer, but...

If the WT is going to play the 'cooling off' card, then that implies that they have given up expectations of growing the organization. Growing the organization is what the leadership is about. Like any business, the religions goal is to protect what it has and improve its share of whatever market there is.

I think there remains a strong sentiment from the 1950s to the 1980, when the service reports would come in and all you'd hear was growth all over, and how that proved the Jah was blessing this organization. People got very used to the idea that this organization would grow indefinately. I think in the minds of many, many JWs, this organization cannot and will not falter. The WT playing that 'cooling off' card will be like pulling the rug out from under those people.

The WT can fall back on that explanation any time it wants, but there is a flipside to it. The flipside to cooling off is: negative growth, negative dollars, and you're on board a sinking ship. You think JWs fake their ministry hours now?! Wait until the WT acknowledges that no one is coming in - go ahead and fake, what's the point?

And as for reform, metatron is correct. There is no reform, there is only fracture. So be it.

23

Part 1: How Would You Answer This Issue?

by Amazing1914 in

jw
friends

part 1:

when we were faced with tough issues as jws, we used one or more of a few ways to find answers.

we either searched the publications, consulted with an elder, or in some cases, wrote to the society.

hybridous

Interesting that as a Hindu, he had his own belief system, yet he sought to be validated by yours.

I would have told him that he had to answer to his own God(s) for whatever his decision was made, so make your decision in light of your own religion and beliefs - not mine.

That said, Elsewhere's story about a broken family hits hard. My wife had something like that happen in her family, a while back. Nobody survives that well, they just survive...and are forever altered, if not altogether ruined. An entire family, for the sake of one? Not if it was my choice.

55

birthdays

by cr1234 in

does anyone know where the article is in the awake that says birthdays are a conscience matter?

hybridous

As far as the Jewish holidays go...

Seems kind of unfair and arbitrary of Paul to allow Jewish Christians to celebrate/observe those holidays of their old religion while denying the same comfort to Roman and Greek Christians.

I guess my question is: why wouldn't this allowance extend to all Christians of all origins?

It's not a meaningless issue...allowing Jewish Christians to keep their old observances might have allowed them to keep close to their families despite their new faith. For a Christian, once Jesus Christ was executed, Judaism was from that point on a 'false religion'. Why the allowance for Jews, but no allowance for those of other nations? After all, once Jesus died, the Jews enjoyed no more of a special relationship with God than any other nation, right?

1

enjoying suffering

by stillajwexelder in

men enjoy others' misfortune more than women -study by patricia reaney .

london (reuters) - germans have a word for it -- schadenfreude -- and when it comes to getting pleasure from someone else's misfortune, men seem to enjoy it more than women.

such is the conclusion reached by scientists at university college london in what they say is the first neuroscientific evidence of schadenfreude.using brain-imaging techniques, they compared how men and women reacted when watching other people suffer pain.. if the sufferer was someone they liked, areas of the brain linked to empathy and pain were activated in both sexes.

hybridous

I thought that the title here is a bit misleading...

Men enjoy others' misfortune more than women -study makes it sound like the study found that men like seeing others suffer for no reason at all, when the article clearly qualifies that the suffering is only enjoyable when the victims do their part to earn it.

55

birthdays

by cr1234 in

does anyone know where the article is in the awake that says birthdays are a conscience matter?

hybridous

On another note, I smell a trial balloon being floated.

I've suspected for some time that when the WT is getting ready to loosen up the chains on the whole birthday thang, this is how it'll be done.

They'll print an article stating that some True Christians have quietly and respectfully observed family member's birthdays, in good conscience. This will be contrasted to a WORLDLY birthday celebration with rowdy music, and drinking and such. Then the article will end by saying that what each Christian or Christian family decides to do is up to them, and nobody in the congregation should judge them.