freddo

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Posts by freddo

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  26

  Born Ins, How Did Your Parents Get "The Truth™"?

  by pale.emperor in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  born ins are in a unique position in that we never knew any other way of life.

  no birthdays, christmas and overly superstitious family just seemed normal.

  when my parents talked about their pre-jw life it seemed like they were talking about completely different people (actually, that's true, the cult had taken their real selves).. so i'd be interested in hearing how your parents were indoctrinated.. my dad.

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  freddo

  My parents had me quite late in life aged 38 or 39.

  My maternal grandmother died at age 60 when my mother was pregnant with me in 1960. My mother got called on by two nice ladies who "offered the resurrection hope". She got baptised in 1962.

  My father was ex-forces (last three years of WW2 and just after) a hardworking man who loved my mother and let her get on with it as far as being a JW was concerned. He would go to Sunday meetings with her and was befriended by the Congregation Servant and his sidekick who took a social interest in us as well as a bible study type of interest.

  By about 1965 he was coming to all meetings and was "favourable to the truth".

  Mum absolutely was convinced by the 1975 rhetoric from 1968 and Dad came to believe it too, getting baptised in 1969.

  No horror stories - we always had food on the table and a modest house on a mortgage which despite my mother's entreaties to my father, we didn't sell or give up any employment to pioneer.

  They have both died - my Mum awaiting Armageddon to the last and my father going through the motions with less zeal than he once had.

  I firmly believe that the catalyst for us becoming JW's was my grandmother's rather early death and my mother not wanting to accept it fell for the lies of the "truth" brought to her by two nice ladies.
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  22

  Current JW Go Fund Me requests

  by Listener in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this topic was discussed a few years ago and i thought i would have a look to see what is going on with go fund me's by jws.

  i am astounded that there are a great deal more jws requesting money than there were a few years ago and even by pioneers.i've only looked in detail at a few jw go fund me requests but came across this one that i am stunned about on a number of levels.. my little maryhello friends.

  meet my wonderful girlfriend mary, a 23 year old "need greater pioneer"serving in the english field in san marcos nicaragua.

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  freddo

  Maybe one of the GB might donate the proceeds from selling a Rolex or Apple watch?
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  21

  The WatchTower conductor lied on stage

  by Isambard Crater in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  on sunday morning in the watchtower study, a "study" who was their for the 1st time put his hand up and said; "i have a question.

  when the paragraph says give up everything, it doesn't really mean give up everything like the pearl merchant, does it, like be willing to lose my modest house, cheap car and other basics i own?

  i mean, that sounds a bit much".. the watchtower conductor said in response; "no, it's just a parable and it doesn't mean give up everything.

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  freddo

  That study will hopefully "Make Sure of All Things" before he gets sucked in.

  Is there any way you can anonymously post a printed sheet from jw.facts to his home?
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  29

  What would happen to a JW who respectfully refused to fill out a no blood DPA?

  by Island Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know you'll be involuntarily disassociated if you unrepentantly accepted a blood transfusion; and i know you'll be disfellowshipped for apostasy if you openly disagreed with watchtower teaching.

  what if you have done none of the above but simply respectfully refused to fill out the dpa without giving any reason for your refusal - so they can't accuse you of openly disagreeing with the no-blood doctrine and df you for apostasy.

  they don't know why you're refusing and you're not giving them the reason - and you're being very respectful.. what can they do?.

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  freddo

  Keen congregation secretaries are a pain. I know I was one.

  They typically remind you when your blood card is out of date (5 years in the UK). They get reminders to remind the congo and so occasional announcements about "only e.g. 70% of you have up to date blood cards on file, what would you do if you were in an accident etc.")

  That's as far as I went, but more recent secretaries in my congo go further.

  Some secretaries remind you personally or by text. I had a reminder last year by text. I texted back "thanks for the reminder, Mike" and heard nothing since.

  if pushed further I am resolved to say "thank you for the reminder" and I will SHUT UP. Whatever is said then will be met with "like I said, thanks for the reminder".

  E.g.

  Sec'y: "Blah blah accident blah blah for your protection blah"

  Freddo: "Like I said twice already, thanks for the reminder."

  Sec'y: "Aren't you going to fill out a card then Freddo?"

  Freddo: "Like I said three times already, thanks for the reminder."

  Sec'y: "Sounds like your stalling me Freddo."

  Freddo: "Like I said four times already, thanks for the reminder."

  Sec'y: Eventually runs out of steam.
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  29

  The most absurd reason have you heard someone disfellowshipped for ?

  by Chook in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  someone said on forum they knew someone df for not going to assigned meeting in old days .

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  freddo

  "pale.emperor" mentions "brazen conduct" this is a more recent sub category of the old "loose conduct" (which was largely used to justify reproof or DF'ing for non-penetrative sex before all the porneia definitions came along).

  I knew of a committee which DF'd on the basis of loose conduct a married but estranged sister for dating "unrepentantly" a work colleague in the 1990's.
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  36

  Why the vitriolic hate?

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am sure we have all thought of this before, but it struck me again today:.

  why does the society promote such vitriolic hate toward, and about those who have left "the truth" ?.

  surely it is obvious that such critical attitudes towards ones like us who have left, only serves to proove that they do not have "the truth"?.

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  freddo

  Like a rejected controlling spouse they hate the fact that you are free and that you could be an example to help free other family members from their grasp.
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  15

  Doubling up on Circuit Overseers for Apostahunts?

  by Wakanda in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in my area i know of four congregations dissolved in one circuit, so that leaves eight weeks a year empty for that circuit overseer's calendar.

  dissolving congregations is happening more than in my area, so i believe we can assume other c.o.s have open time.

  it appears that c.o.s are visiting with a companion c.o.

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  freddo

  In the old days CO's would occasionally - once or twice a year - have DO's come with them to "shepherd them" and observe etc.

  Nowadays "a more experienced CO" does the riding shotgun thing from time to time. They sometimes go in on the more difficult congo's, but often it's just a scheduled thing.
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  23

  The average Witness will continue to follow Watchtower leadership whether right or wrong.

  by UnshackleTheChains in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i hate to say this, but given my own experience as a jw for almost 3 decades, i am beginning to believe the average jw will continue to look to and be guided by the gb regardless of whether they are right or wrong.. despite all the scandals and negative media attention the watchtower organisation is receiving, life seems to go on as normal in jw land.

  it's truly bizarre!!.

  clearly, the gbs tactic of mostly hiding away from the media is clearly working for them.

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  freddo

  Sad but utterly true Unshackle ...
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  49

  The Internet is worse for the Watchtower than 1975 was: here's proof.

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am translating jwfacts to spanish.

  i am doing the "statistics" section.here are two graphs that show that the statistics have never been worse for the watchtower:quantity of hours required for 1 baptism: note how low it went in 1974-1975, and note that 2016 is much higher than the slump of 1978... about double, to be exact.

  2016 was a historical record in this statistic (higher is worse for watchtower).. this stat is the baptisms as a percentage of the publisher average.

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  freddo

  I go with the internet exposing them.

  But it has come a few years after the "generation change" which has dampened spirits, and easy access to smartphones has come along to accelerate that.

  1995 was actually the end of the "two horned wild beast" aka 1975 and the generation that saw 1914. This was really one doctrine with 1975 being the first disappointment and 1995 being the writing on the wall that the whole thing was a crock of shit.

  But keen dubs could still hold on to the generation doctrine in their heads. My old study conductor actually said to me in about 1996/7 - "the generation doesn't really pass away until 2000 or even 2014 - I'll wait and see." Sadly he died in 2012.

  So the generation change started a twenty year gradual disappointment for some older born-ins. That hope pretty much died in 2014 with the big hoopla conventions.

  After 1975, there was still the "old generation teaching" going strong for another fifteen to 20 years and so a bounce back occurred. After 1995 nothing of urgency (except "soon") replaced it.

  Internet.

  The internet came into many homes on a PC in the early 2000's. Then laptops and then from the late 2000's handheld devices. (Remember the advice to have your PC in the family room so you couldn't privately access stuff?)

  So I believe that in the west most folk got private use of the web from about 2005 and especially so since the late 2000's. This is increasing yearly even now and encompassing second and even third world countries.

  Internet's effect on non-jw's who might have otherwise been interested.

  All except the most emotionally damaged will quickly, after a visit from two nice ladies or an encounter at the trolley cart, check out JW's on line. When they do they will be met with jw.facts, child abuse headlines, shunning, blood and other negative stuff.

  Only the slack-jawed wrecks will come in from the outside. This is why if you look round your KH you will see the dregs of society. The dubbies will say they are those sighing and crying. I say that they are the only ones left who cannot see this cult for what it truly is.

  Born-ins - as evidenced by the newbies on this forum will also see the negatives and the poor kids will be stuck between losing their families and losing their sanity.
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  53

  2017 Convention Recording: JWs Applaud 10yo Girl For Shunning Her Own Sister

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this poor girl was baptized at 9yo.

  .

  she isnt old enough to buy alcohol, to vote, to decide her own medical treatment, to buy a pet, to travel alone... yet she was deemed old enough to dedicate her life to a religion that will cut her off from her family if she ever leaves.. here she is applauded for shunning her own sister who tried to keep in contact with her after waking up.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yzgnfda8ki.

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  freddo

  "Smiddy"

  I think Vin the Tool said he'd never heard of "Theocratic Warfare" not "shunning".

  Now about the video ... almost Nazi Germany.

  I can well imagine Artur Axmann interviewing a Hitler Youth member at a parade who has denounced his family for anti-Hitler sentiments.

  At least they would have been dressed more smartly.