Posts by Juan Viejo2

76

GOP 2012 Race Is Down To Romney, Cain And Gingrich

by Bangalore in

jw
friends

gop 2012 race is down to romney, cain and gingrich.. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/11/14/and-then-there-were-three-gop-2012-race-is-down-to-romny-cain-and-gingrich/.

bangalore.

.

Juan Viejo2

Designs - it is interesting how many of these Republican candidates have had conversations with God. In each of these He told them to run for President. Somewhere along the way He apparently got confused and didn't realize that He'd told EVERYONE TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT!

I know as soon as one of these fakers makes a statement like God told me or God directed me or I know that God would want me to run, that they are lying. What amazes me is how many people who are non-certifiable actually take what they say as being truthful.

Let's see: In the past God has moved Pat Robertson, Jesse Jackson, Mike Huckabee, Michelle Bachman, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich to all run for president. So far not one has even made it past the primaries. Either they are lying or it must be some other god that they are getting instructions from.

JV

92

Pre-emptive shunning - a growing reality

by cedars in

i'm scanning through some of the results from the 2012 jw survey as they're coming in.. the most populous of the six voting categories with 76 voters so far is my own category, for those who are inactive, or "faded/fading" (not disfellowshipped or da'd, but no longer reporting time on the ministry).. one statistic already leaping out at me surrounds the question "do you experience 'pre-emptive shunning' from active witnesses, who view you as 'bad association'?

" of the 74 who voted on this so far, 76% have answered "yes" to this question.. it's early days, and obviously i will have a clearer picture of the extent of the problem once the survey closes at the end of the year.

however, the results already in suggest that pre-emptive shunning is widespread among inactive ones, despite this not being an "official" policy of the society.. i was interested in your opinions as to why this may be?

Juan Viejo2

It seems clear from this thread that the Watchtower's leadership may have created a situation that is spiraling out of control. They have devoted so much of their recent Watchtower articles and convention talks demonizing anyone that does not meet their very rigid guidelines. Some examples:

1. Men who are not elders or ministerial servants yet. Maybe they just haven't been chosen or at that Kingdom Hall long enough. Maybe they don't have the time or personally feel qualified. BE SUSPICIOUS. ASK WHY THEY HAVEN'T BEEN CHOSEN. THEY MUST BE WEAK. [Even in war time, not all eligible men were chosen for the draft.]

2. Single mothers without a husband. Unmarried couples who have been dating too long. They must be up to something. They must be engaging in heavy petting or worse. [Some couples enjoy platonic long term relationships. Related brothers and sisters and even cousins might live together in the same house - because they can't afford to leave and go on their own, or must share the care for an elderly or disabled relative.]

3. Single brothers or sisters that come to meetings and even go in service, but do not strive for advancement or stick to themselves. They don't seem to have any friends and are not well-known. Maybe they are homosexual. Maybe they are hiding some horrible secret. [Some people are just very shy or prefer to keep to themselves.]

4. Brothers and sisters who never seem to get it. They are always asking questions or wanting someone to explain the reasons behind a teaching or a policy. They ask questions like "when did this change?" - or "isn't this a contradiction?" They always seem confused? They are like little kids who keep saying "why?" every time you answer their question. They must be apostates, or at least doubters. [Some of us are just curious. We want someone who seems to understand better than we do to explain something clearly, rather than to just respond, "that's just the way it is," or "because we've always done it that way."]

I could go on. But we've all known brothers and sisters like those above. Yes, they might be somewhat different from the norm, but aren't we all in some ways? Should we judge others as being suspect because their actions or personalities don't fit within our own little box? And even then, should we purposely avoid them and shun them because they seem different than what we are used to?

It seems the Watchtower has created a situation that all of those types listed above should raise warning flags to the rank and file as possible troublemakers or apostates. It's like living in Nazi Germany or the USSR - not knowing who to trust, being suspicious of everyone, and reporting anyone who acts outside the norm.

JV

92

Pre-emptive shunning - a growing reality

by cedars in

i'm scanning through some of the results from the 2012 jw survey as they're coming in.. the most populous of the six voting categories with 76 voters so far is my own category, for those who are inactive, or "faded/fading" (not disfellowshipped or da'd, but no longer reporting time on the ministry).. one statistic already leaping out at me surrounds the question "do you experience 'pre-emptive shunning' from active witnesses, who view you as 'bad association'?

" of the 74 who voted on this so far, 76% have answered "yes" to this question.. it's early days, and obviously i will have a clearer picture of the extent of the problem once the survey closes at the end of the year.

however, the results already in suggest that pre-emptive shunning is widespread among inactive ones, despite this not being an "official" policy of the society.. i was interested in your opinions as to why this may be?

Juan Viejo2

Earlier today I got this note through a contact form on Ex-JW.com. Normally I don't share those little messages, but the sender said that I could since this subject is current and fits this thread:

----------------------

Your Name: XXX

Email: XXXX

How can we help you?: I have some additional information

Connection to JWs?: I am currently a Jehovah's Witness

Message: My kingdom hall is treating me like disfellowshipped and I don't know why. This has happening for about 6mos. I was baptized at the dc in 2010 and have never done wrong. My husband left me and I was pregnant with my new baby. We did not get divorce yet, but I know he is living with his new girlfriend. I asked a sister if she could watch my baby while I went to get some county assistance, but she got mad because I was there for four hours because the lines were so long. She won't talk to me any more. I went to an elder and told him what happened and said I wanted to apologize and he said he can not get involve in a personal problems. Ever since then now no one will talk to me at the kingdom Hall. I mean they walk away from me when I come near them. it feels like I am juinor high again and the cliks are ingoring me. I go door to door at least once a month pushing my baby and no one will even let me ride with them so I just knock on doors in my neighborhood. They say my baby and the stroller take up too much room even the elders suburban. I don't know what to do? I think they dont like me because my husband left me and I must have done wrong. But he wouldnt touch me when I got pregnant and told me I was a fat piggie. Then he got his girlfriend. What did I do wrong. Can you help me? I dont want money just tell me how I can get people to understand. I am not df and no reproved so I dont know what I did was wrong.

------------------

I've forwarded her story to one of my contacts that is far more competent than I. But what do you think? This smacks of pre-emptive shunning, apparently due to gossip. Thanks for offering to help Mr. Elder of the Kingdom Hall so filled with love.

JV

92

Pre-emptive shunning - a growing reality

by cedars in

i'm scanning through some of the results from the 2012 jw survey as they're coming in.. the most populous of the six voting categories with 76 voters so far is my own category, for those who are inactive, or "faded/fading" (not disfellowshipped or da'd, but no longer reporting time on the ministry).. one statistic already leaping out at me surrounds the question "do you experience 'pre-emptive shunning' from active witnesses, who view you as 'bad association'?

" of the 74 who voted on this so far, 76% have answered "yes" to this question.. it's early days, and obviously i will have a clearer picture of the extent of the problem once the survey closes at the end of the year.

however, the results already in suggest that pre-emptive shunning is widespread among inactive ones, despite this not being an "official" policy of the society.. i was interested in your opinions as to why this may be?

Juan Viejo2

Jesus made it very clear what his feelings were on pre-emptive judging:

Matthew 7

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

What the Watchtower is promoting is exactly the opposite to Jesus' command. And then to add shunning to this act of judgement? That goes far beyond anything that you could possibly call "Christian love."

I hate to think that the religion that I grew up in, my faith for most of my youth, has completely gone from one that not only taught us to love each other and to show forgiveness, to one that teaches that everything and everyone is suspect. I can't imagine going into a Kingdom Hall and mentally dividing the brothers and sisters up as "strong in the faith" or "weak." I don't want to look at a young brother with a neatly trimmed mustache and label him as "spiritually weak." I don't want to imagine a sister pregnant with her sixth child as being "sexually promiscuous." If that is the case, then I should have the right to judge certain elders as "haughty" and "seeking fame," and their wives as "gossips." While I might believe those things in my heart, I must not judge those people or shun them as evildoers just because I hold those opinions.

How do you judge a person who is "spiritually weak"? Can you compare someone who turns in one hour a month of honest door-to-door preaching to an elder who NEVER knocks on a door but turns in 20 hours a month counting family study night, his public talks, and elder meetings? Who among us can judge? Should I avoid the elderly sister with only one hour a month? Or should I shun the "pioneer" who turns in 70 hours a month spent mostly driving around or sitting in coffee shops?

Shunning is an evil thing. Those who practice it and those who promote it are evil. Both are acting in direct opposition to Jesus' own command quoted above.

JV

36

Help: Been Disfellowshipped for 6 Days

by weskerbouts in

six days ago, on the 24th, the announcement was made.

the prior 3 weeks were an 'interesting' time after having come forward about my sin (problem).

(i have an addiction to pornography.

Juan Viejo2

I totally agree with everyone that suggests that you give yourself a breather from religion. Just give that part of your life a rest and use the time to expand your interests.

As to your addiction? A sociologist that I knew told me that 85% of all men admit that they masturbate whether they have porn available or not. Then he told me that the other 15% are lying. Unless you are dysfunctional or a castrato, if you are under 70 years old you'll probably look at porn or conjure up visions in your head. It's wired into your brain. If you are busy doing other things, then you can control your urges and reduce your need for visual stimulation.

The HBO TV series "Rome" had sets that showed porn drawn on the walls of buildings all over the city. Most graffiti was porn. Art and statues of gods, goddesses and even heroes were typically naked or show in suggestive poses. When they dug up Pompei a few years ago they discovered pornographic images all over the wall of the public bathhouses and wealthy homes. It was just part of their culture.

The Witness leaders have this mindset that is similar to that of my grandmother's. She and my grandfather were married for nearly 70 years, but she always dressed in a closet out of his view and always wore a beddress when they slept. She proudly announced on several occasions that Granddad had never seen her naked. Of course, she was my grandmother, and the idea of seeing her naked is a stomach-turner for me. But she just felt it was sinful to be naked in front of a man.

My guess is that there are quite a few serial porn viewers even among the Governing Body - it's so easy to get.

So if you really are confused and feel that your particular taste in porn is damaging to your mental health or that it may lead you to commit criminal acts, then go get some professional help from a medically degreed professional - not from a religious charlatan or a preacher that is a so-called expert.

JV

16

Saturday, January 28 at 10pm EST - CULT FREE RADIO

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

topics will be jwsurvey.org and the role of women in the borg.

for the live show:.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cult-free-radio.

Juan Viejo2

Show #13 is now available on Ex-JW.com.

http://ex-jw.com/web-directory/cult-free-radio-archives-2012

It's a good one!

JV

63

The 2012 JW Survey is now online!

by cedars in

i'm delighted to announce that the 2012 annual survey has now been launched and is ready to receive your votes!!.

please visit www.jwsurvey.org and give us your votes at the earliest opportunity.

this latest survey is obviously available to all those who voted in last year's survey, as well as to those who have never voted before.. so, what's different?.

Juan Viejo2

Nobleheart,

IP addresses relate to where you tried to log in. Were you at home? Or using a WiFi at a library, fast-food restaurant, coffee shop, or other public place?

Spammers use public WiFi to avoid being traced to their homebase. That's why some sites flag those IPs and block them. Those IPs often show up on international databases and then innocent people try to use them to access protected sites like JWSurvey.org and get blocked.

If you were using a public WiFi, go somewhere else and try again.

If you were using your business WiFi, go somewhere else and try again.

If you were using your home cable or DSL network, try again. If it still does not work and you get that error message, use the contact form on JWSurvey.org (jwsurvey.org/contact-us) and click on "I'm having a technical problem." Indicate that you are being blocked as spam. I'll see your IP address and clear it from our protective database.

If the contact form won't let you through, send me an email at [email protected] and I'll take it from there.

JV

63

The 2012 JW Survey is now online!

by cedars in

i'm delighted to announce that the 2012 annual survey has now been launched and is ready to receive your votes!!.

please visit www.jwsurvey.org and give us your votes at the earliest opportunity.

this latest survey is obviously available to all those who voted in last year's survey, as well as to those who have never voted before.. so, what's different?.

Juan Viejo2

Irondork - I really wanted to add "be" a couple more times to that sentence just in case it needed them, but took your suggestion and eliminated the extra. Thanks for flagging that for us.

BTW - We had voters from literally every corner of the world yesterday. No votes from Antartica, but every other continent was represented. It truly is a 'global' survey after only one day.

I thought Sweeney did just fine in spite of his illness. He's a trooper and we all appreciate that.

JV

16