Posts by Juan Viejo2

52

Maximum Damage to the WT.

by Essan in

i have to hand it to the society.

they understand the power of organization.

they demonstrate that no matter how ridiculous your message and how much the facts don't support your position you can still accomplish a lot if you are organized.

I think your fears are misplaced. New people are stepping up and speaking out every day. Every so often we will lose some of our outspoken friends due to health, lack of funds, disinterest, and other natural causes. But just go to YouTube and type in "Jehovah's Witnesses" and you will find scores of new videos - everything from well-made ten-minute documentaries to satirical, but painfully true, cartoons. There are testimonies and demonstrations, along with announcements of new books or new podcasts practically every week.

This movement is not in danger of dying. There are dozens of nominally active JWs, faders, recently DA'd and DF'd elders and others connected to the JW religion that make themselves known here and on other forums every week. They are here where they want to be, while still showing up at a KH to keep the rest of their lives functional.

I'd like to see the day (I pray I live that long) where the practice of "shunning" begins to work against itself. If the power of "conversion" ever shifts to those who have left the religion and away from the brainwashed cult followers, then maybe a faster decline of the WT will become apparent. In other words, when "active JWs" realize that THEY will lose their friends and family members IF THEY STAY IN THE CULT, maybe they will finally wake up and come out SO THEY DON'T SELF-DESTRUCT AND LOSE EVERYONE THEY LOVE.

As editor of Ex-JW.com, I get emails and contact form responses every week from those trapped inside the WT cult looking for a way out. Thank goodness there are so many wonderful volunteers that run Meetups and support groups all over the US and Canada that hold out their arms in welcome. I've referred dozens of brothers and sisters to these good folks for help and consolation.

My own connection with the Menlo Park Kingdom Hall scandal has put me in touch with so many wonderful and supportive (but still "active") JWs that admit that they finally see the damage that the WT leadership has done to once tightly knit congregations. They know we are out here and most now know how to contact us. Forums like this one, created and managed by Simon, Moxie, and many others, have really made a difference and active JWs are reading them every day. The "conscious class" among JWs is a reality.

I once told my wife that if I could educate just one "active" JW enough to convince them to leave, I would feel that all of my efforts were successful. Maybe my involvement hasn't been the only thing to get some folks to leave, but perhaps in concert with efforts by Barbara, Silent Lambs, Randy, MadSweeney, Richard Rawe, and even Kool-Aid Man, my efforts may have helped a few sincere ones leave the Borg. May those efforts continue to pay off.

We can't stop this movement. Even if some of us leave or take a break, it will continue to grow and more JWs will find us and leave the JW cult forever.

JV

52

Maximum Damage to the WT.

by Essan in

i have to hand it to the society.

they understand the power of organization.

they demonstrate that no matter how ridiculous your message and how much the facts don't support your position you can still accomplish a lot if you are organized.

Juan Viejo2

Something is in the works that might be a step in the direction that this thread treds...

We'll see.

JV

140

The effect we are having on the Watchtower is HUGE

by jwfacts in

i was inspired by a recent thread i know i aint gunna crumble the wt, but a girl can dream to look at the effect we as individuals are having on the watchtower society.. 3dogs1husband quoted a story to show that even helping only one person is worth it.. it is encouraging to note that the one person you may have helped has lead to millions being helped, due to the power of compounding growth.. compounding growth is well illustrated by the rice on a chessboard problem.

if you start with 1 grain of rice on square one, and double it to 2 on the second, 4 on the third, 8 on the fourth, by the last (64th) square there would be 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains of rice.. likewise, if you help one person out of the grip of the watchtower this year, then next year you help one more and they help one, in a few years that is going to have a formidable result on the number of jehovahs witnesses.

look at the following statistics.

Juan Viejo2

Sweeney, Facts, and BOC,

As we move further into the 21st century, and the Internet becomes as much a part of everyones lives as TV and radio were in the late 1900s, the Watchtower will find itself forced into a corner and will have to change tactics.

Someone knocks on your door. Quick howdy-do and gives you a magazine. Who are these people? you ask. Let's look them up on the Internet. Let's Google them. Oops, what this? Freeminds - JWfacts - Watchtower Documents - JWN - Ex-JW.com? Oh my! Even Wikipedia! Obviously they're a cult, made bad predictions, covered up child abuse, treat women as second-class citizens, shun dissenters, break up families, etc., etc., etc.

No way would you want to join or even be a part of such a religion. Might as well join a Bible-thumping Baptist church. At least they let their kids celebrate their birthdays and play Little League baseball. And if you leave the church, you won't lose your family.

And if you're already in the religion, who's going to see you check out a site like JWN once in a while? Won't you want to find out what the latest scandal is or what the most recent version of the Elder's handbook has to say? You'd find that in about 5 minutes on the Web.

Let's face it. Every home will have a computer or iPad or something similar. Their new TVs will have Internet access so that they can get streaming movies. People are curious and will look to see what the latest "gossip" might be. As the over 50s JWs die off (or get DF'd) they will be replaced by a more informed group of people in an out of the WT who will finally have the knowledge that leads to "living a real life" unencumbered by the WT cult.

JV

18

What does REAL LOVE mean to YOU?

by nicolaou in

.

i'm not after heavy debate, i just want to hear some nice stories for a change.

lift me up, make me feel better, tell me about the time you really felt love.. .

Juan Viejo2

Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers - oh, and you guys, of course!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XDZjLAV66A

JV

13

Any apostates in LA?

by Velour in

jw
friends

heyo!.

just moved to la from austin, texas and i'm looking for my people ^-^ is anyone here in la?

i'm specifically in hollywood.

Juan Viejo2

Here's a link to a great group in LA and Orange County. Quite active. Also has links to San Diego area group.

http://exjwslosangeles.org/

JV

14

Watchtower Puzzle Spirit-Directed vs Inspired

by FatFreek 2005 in

watchtower puzzle spirit-directed vs inspired.

scan your bible and you probably won't find the term spirit-directed.

i searched for that term online and could not find a dictionary that defines it.

Juan Viejo2

FatFreek,

You have a PM

JV

23

I have read Crisis Of Conscience! What next?

by TimothyT in

so i read the book... i thought it was brilliant!.

any suggestions?.

timmy xxx.

Juan Viejo2

Greatest Show on Earth - Richard Dawkins. Makes evolution understandable and explains how to prove how old the earth really is.

JV

7

Current Teaching on Competition?

by skeeter1 in

jw
friends

i have an adult jw relative that is a baptised publisher.

been "in the truth" for some time, and is still going to meetings, out in service, etc.

this jw relative entered into a competitive horse show and won several ribbons.

Juan Viejo2

When I was a kid JW (back in the day, a long ways back), competition was limited in sports activities. We could play chess or checkers then, but organized sports in school was considered to be over the line. Baseball, football, wrestling, boxing, basketball (other than simply shooting baskets by yourself), were all considered to be "warlike." Chess was later added to that list because of its history, not that you'd be likely to get killed or injured playing board games.

My father allowed and actually encouraged my brother and I to engage in sports like football, tennis, and baseball. We even played on Little League and school teams. My father loved sports and would not deny us the opportunity to get out and "rough it up" a little. Dad even liked to wrestle and slap fight sometimes - but never punching (except when we weren't expecting it and got blindsided as we walked in a door). My father was very much an exception - even though he remained a faithful JW for over 53 years.

But most JW families forbade their kids from engaging in competitive sports. Even those with a lot of talent could not play much. Sometimes we'd have a softball game or shoot a few hoops if a bunch of JWs got together for a picnic - but I could count all of those times on the fingers of one hand.

The secret words were "competition" and "war-like."

JV

10

Watchtower and 2014

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

watchtower and 2014. .

today i uploaded a new article offering my views of what watchtower has waiting in the wings.

my article is titled watchtower and 2014 and is available at: http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2011/06/watchtower-and-2014.html.

Juan Viejo2

My guess is that at some point the WT will have to relent and start supporting Internet use. In the not too distant future I'm sure it will be impossible to buy a plain-wrap cell phone; all will have to be set up for a minimum level of Internet access. My Droid all but requires that you have an email account, preferably Gmail, so that you can load your contacts and their basic information.

More and more government agencies (DMV, business licensing, etc.) are requiring that you provide an email address. I can see elementary and secondary schools requiring Internet access via laptops or iPads for grades 3-12, just like most colleges and universities do now. Each child will either have to provide or be given Internet access in some form. But look at the benefits: eliminate school books, references, and school libraries. Let the kids learn to use the Internet to access approved texts and required research material.

The Watchtower already recognizes the power of computers and the Internet. They have at least 3 fully WT-approved websites of their own. They issue CD-DVD disks each year with the WT library. Why not put all of that on the Internet and let everyone access it via computer?

Printed materials? They're down to the point that WT and Awake! magazines are barely pamphlets, not the substantial mags we had from the time of Russell and up through the early 1990s. Why not point interested persons to the Internet to read current magazines (that are already available online from the WT) and then, for those without Internet service, allow the brothers and sisters to simply print a copy of the PDF version of the magazines and give copies to the interested householders?

New wide-screen TV sets come with built in Internet access. TV "no worky" unless you are connected to some sort of Internet access, either broadband cable or via satellite. To think that JWs will completely abandon their TV sets is a ridiculous idea. I doubt the WT could ever maintain that level of control, especially on the under 50-year old members.

I've been on the Internet since 1987, even before the "WWW" (world wide web) made its appearance. I've seen things progress so fast that even I, a pretty savvy webmaster, am having difficulty keeping up with all of the advances.

I think that the next generation of GB members will have to recognize by 2015 (2020 at the latest) that they will need to move from being a hardcopy printer/publishing company to an Internet online information provider. In fact, why should they spend all that money on foreign language versions of the magazines? I ran a quick test of one PDF copy of a recent Awake! magazine through the free online Google translator - and it was over 80% correct. By using minor adjustments in sentence structure and simpler word choices could probably get the accuracy up and over 95% (they are already doing the "simple" thing now).

I think they'll have no choice. If the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and the London Times have all read the writing on the walls and eliminated the bulk of their print versions, then eventually even the WT will have to give up and go completely online.

And when they do, watch out! Nothing will be able to keep the flock in the pens. People need to learn and explore - it's built into our genes. If you type in "Jehovah's Witnesses" or "Watchtower" in Google search, half of the entries could be apostate or JW critical websites. They only have 3! So what will the other 7 front page entries be? How will they be able to prevent their followers from checking out those other sites?

Many JWs will access and explore those other sites, discovering bits of truth along the way. Only those who have been so brainwashed or full of WT kool-aid will not venture to those other sites. Hopefully the bulk of the next generation of converted and born-ins will have that exposure and will be able to clear their brains of the WT garbage.

A good day is coming...

JV

95

Top Ten Pickup Lines at This Year's Convention

by JimmyPage in

10. if i said you had a nice governing body would you hold it against me?.

9. let's overlap our generations if you know what i mean.. 8. what do you say we lose this great crowd?.

7. i want to be your faithful slave.. 6. tonight we're gonna party like it's 1974.. 7. your breasts are like towers.. 6. would you welcome a shepherding call?.

Juan Viejo2

"Forbidden fruit tastes sweeter. Come to my place for a snack..."