Wouldn't real independence mean discontinuation of subsidy?
Be careful what you ask for!
the donald has recently suggested that he would like to look into buying greenland from denmark in the same manner that alaska was purchased from the russians.
i think the danes would be smart to look into selling it as it is costing them money every year with very little returns for their investments so far.. the alternative might well be that donald declares greenland a national security threat and invades them so that the world remains safe for democracy.
i would suggest to the danes that as any other real estate transaction that they put it on the open market and see how much russia or china are willing to offer .
Wouldn't real independence mean discontinuation of subsidy?
Be careful what you ask for!
simona halep has just given serena williams an absolute ass-whupping, winning her first wimbledon title.. so i guess congratulations are in order.. but, i gotta say, if i'd forked out loads of money for a courtside seat i'd be a bit disappointed.
the match lasted just 56mins, with halep winning in straight sets 6-2 6-2.. surely, it's time for the women to play over 5 sets in grand slam matches?.
Why do women play fewer sets in the first place?
now i think i may have seen everything.. "boy crowned prom queen by schoolmates".
i'm all for people being entitled to wear what they want and live as they please as long as they're not harming anyone but - a male prom queen?
maybe there wasn't much competition in his school?.
I wonder if the young ladies at the school were eligible to be Prom King.
Because if they weren't, it would seem that they were handed a very distinct disadvantage due only to being females.
Right? If the males could win either King and/or Queen, but the females could only win Queen, that doesn't seem fair...
i'm starting to get my first hate mail because of my book.
two people sent the book back to me (unread of course) with notes about jehovah's vengeance.
one person tore it up and sent me a note.. however, i know of two born in jws that read it.
The flack is heaviest over the most sensitive targets.
You get hate mail because JWs are great at hating (not so good at loving - sorry, Jesus!).
Keep doing what you're doing. I'd like to read your book.
what was their view of jdub rules?.
what was their view on the dfing thing?.
did they get pissed and think it was a cult?.
Yes.
Highly recommend therapy to help get a person thru some of the mental garbage we tend to carry around.
My counselor didn't offer much in way of offering 'views' on such, since I came there already with my own 'views' and very legit reasons for such 'views'.
When using the word 'cult', I've been asked about the basis for using the word.
I merely deferred to experts in the field, and the fact the WT religion does happen to meet several criteria applied to groups and their behaviors.
I wasn't challenged on that any further.
My counselor was, fortunately, somewhat familiar with the WT religion, and the damage it does. He was great at explaining the programming I was suffering from; the cognitive distortions I was continuing to labor under, and the tools that exist that a person can choose to employ that 'defuse' those emotional/illogical thought habits.
My only mistake was not going to counseling 10 years earlier. I was born-in, so the ORG bullshit molded much of the ways I learned to 'think' (it's not real THINKING for the JWs - it's FEELING, and they don't know the difference!).
I really can't recommend counseling highly enough. Sometimes, separation from JWs isn't enough, because their mental garbage follows you around after you leave their presence. For me, it was an absolute necessity on my road to getting better.
for me it’s freedom!
you are not bound by an organization’s man made rules and whims.
you don’t have to account to mere men for approval.
I like not having to hide from information because of what it might do to my worldview and 'beliefs'.
It's great to merely learn what there is learn, and accept what is true, and then
deal with the world as it is,
instead of how I'd like it to be.
i have read extensively about the origins of birthdays, and i still don't get it.
but it's not what it means today.. even wedding veils were used to ward off the "evil eye".
but it's not what it means today.
Like with the prohibition of blood transfusions, they drew their 'line in the sand'...
They can't backtrack now. It would be a huge credibility hit, even from true believers within.
Sacrifices have been made...the psychology of previous investment.
It doesn't matter if it makes one lick of sense or not...
similar to that recent convention video, this illustrates a mother ignoring her disfellowshipped daughter's phone call.
.
(august 2019 meeting workbook).
I would die to see the face of that mother if the daughter's call was something very urgent, like accident!!
As per the Tower, this girl is 'dead' already. No, no great loss for mom.
This sure is a great form of Christianity. Who wouldn't want this?!
similar to that recent convention video, this illustrates a mother ignoring her disfellowshipped daughter's phone call.
.
(august 2019 meeting workbook).
Smiling face, no tattoos, no piercings, just a normal, happy life....Is that really the image they wanted to project?
That's a good question. Maybe the Tower knows that their caricature of former members really doesn't hold water anymore, so they presented a normal, dignified image in the hopes it hits closer to home and is more effective.
Swastika face tattoos and dinner plate ear gauges might evoke some incredulous laughter, even among the devoted followers, and that's not a chance the Tower is willing to take.
Not concerning the very cement that holds this cult together. No, sir. No laughing matter.
.
ja2 replies4 retweets12 likes.
reply.
To me this is more than just one sentence in the baptismal question. The whole perception based on spirit direction delves into many stated suggestions the WTBTS has made over the years to keep the flock sweating it out til the end.
Yes, without all the supposed 'authority' that comes with "Spirit-directed", then the JWs are just another church, and a really shitty one, at that. They simply CAN'T back away from these claim of exclusivity without giving up the central essence of the Organization itself.
I mean, if it's not 'God's Organization' then why put up with all the burdensome nonsense? Regular mainstream churches that do not make such claims rely on other ways to provide value to the members. The JW cult religion was never built to do that. It has to rely on bluster and fear. They don't know HOW to mainstream and be just another church, even if they wanted to.
How I would LOVE to be proven wrong about that...but I don't think I am.
This is the ultimate problem with making such claims in the first place. Eventually, you'll have to make good on those claims.
Where does this go from here?
I suspect that the leadership would like to back away from their 'Spirit-directed' assertions (at least in print), as faaaaar as they possible can...without abandoning it. Like a lot of things, their success must necessarily rely on a very delicate balancing act