Posts by Juan Viejo2

10

Calling All Watchtower Historians ... What was the V.F.V.?

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

in the may 27, 1942 edition of the consolation, the watchtower society devoted several pages to the controversy surrounding the burial of joseph rutherford.

in several sections, they write about "the opposition" in vague terms without much specificity as to who these other groups of people were who were supposedly persecuting them.

one section refers to a group called v.f.v.

Juan Viejo2

I remember while going door-to-door with my father in the mid-1950s encountering a householder who threatened to beat us up and call the police. "I'm a veteran of WW2 and a proud member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars."

My father looked at him and replied, "Well that's good. Where did you serve?"

"The Pacific in the United States Army!"

Dad calmly replied, "Well thank you for your service to our country."

"You Jehovah's Witnesses are all communists and cowards and you deserve to have your ass kicked!"

Dad looked at him and responded. "Well, if you want to kick my butt, feel free to try. But you should know that I too served in the US Army and also in Hawaii. I did not actually go to battle as I was an airplane mechanic. But that was better for me as I never wanted to kill anyone - friend or foe. Now if you still want to come down those stairs and kick my butt for trespassing or disrupting your morning, feel free to try. But accusing me of not serving in the Army isn't a good reason. However, you should know that I would never volunteer again, because Jehovah teaches us not to raise our hand against anyone, friend or foe."

The man behind the screen suddenly came out and looked my father right in the eye. "I apologize sir. While I want nothing to do with your religion, I would like to shake your hand as a fellow veteran." They shook hands and even gave each other a man-hug after that.

My father actually regretted what happened. He was afraid that Jehovah might consider his response to be "bragging about my military service."

But yeah - back in the late 1940s and early 1950s JW men took a lot of flak from veterans and families who had lost someone during the war. We kind of expected it and tried to understand where they were coming from.

JV

10

Calling All Watchtower Historians ... What was the V.F.V.?

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

in the may 27, 1942 edition of the consolation, the watchtower society devoted several pages to the controversy surrounding the burial of joseph rutherford.

in several sections, they write about "the opposition" in vague terms without much specificity as to who these other groups of people were who were supposedly persecuting them.

one section refers to a group called v.f.v.

Juan Viejo2

Yes, the VFW has been a critic of all things Watchtower since they were formed. Here is one incident during the WW2 years:

"https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1107117313

David T. Smith - 2015 - ‎Political Science

54 In Guymon, Oklahoma, in August 1940, a crowd of 1,000 gathered outside a courthouse where six Jehovah's Witnesses entered pleas on charges of violating an anti-peddling ordinance that had been passed a few weeks earlier at the instigation of a local Legion and VFW member. After all six pleaded not guilty a local ... "

52

Have you ever gone back to a meeting out of curiosity?

by stuckinarut2 in

just wondering if anyone has gone back to a meeting out of curiosity?

(perhaps to an area far from your old khall where you know no one).

with all the changes from 2012 onwards (videos, tv screens, new meeting format, new songs etc) it would be an odd experience to be in attendance!.

Juan Viejo2

Dead-ringer for JW Facts. Good looking fellow with a good heart and an excellent head on his shoulders.

29

Has Watchtower taken the joy out of 'the good news of the kingdom'

by UnshackleTheChains in

i ask this question for the following reason.

i was sitting at the kingdom hall thinking about all the rules, procedures, policies, teachings that each member must follow ......or else!.

at the watchtower study we are reminded of the paradise earth where we will all be the same and happy.

Juan Viejo2

Athanasius is quite right about the 1950s and 60s for Jehovah's Witnesses. The biggest downer was that young brothers just getting out of high school still faced the possibility of being drafted and by refusing, likely to go to prison. We had one brother that spent 3 years in federal prison (messed him up some, too) and another young man in his early 20s (and a recent JW convert) who did go to prison for 18 months around 1960. I sweated a few bullets over that at the time, but getting married and having a baby daughter, bad knees, and being color blind got me through it unscathed.

But going to meetings and even out in the door to door service was kinda fun and a chance to mix with a lot of people of various ages. Going to conventions for a teenager was great fun and I met a lot of new friends and cute girls while roaming the hallways.

But the mid-1960s saw a major change in attitudes. Everything started feeling uncomfortable. In 1966 the idea of Armageddon coming in the mid-1970s was just hitting the ground. Rules became stricter. Public talks began to move from being self-prepared from an outline to being delivered from a rigid script that allowed very little modification by speakers. So we heard the same 8-10 talks nearly word for word about three times a year. For young people teens and up - who and how you dated them suddenly became more restrictive. I met my first wife in high school and dated her for well over a year before we got engaged. I never tried to change her from being a Catholic - and she didn't mind being around Jehovah's Witnesses - so she came to meetings and also went out with me in service while she was unbaptized. Yes, she was encouraged by my parents and the congregation members to consider becoming a JW, but I felt no pressure by my parents or JW friends to break up with my fiance or restrict who I married. Of course, all of that also changed in the 1960s. So my wife became one - and I soon "unbecame" one.

Everyone was being encouraged to "go where the need was greater." Our congregation saw several families (including my parents and siblings) sell their homes and move to remote cities in the midwest (USA) and southeast states like Mississippi and South Carolina. My parents moved to Nebraska and then later to Arkansas. They saw their savings dissipate and had great difficulty finding reasonable jobs in order to survive. Some brothers were rewarded by their Kingdom Hall by being assigned as servants in their local congregation - but many also found the preaching work in strange places to be quite stressful. Many couldn't deal with it and eventually returned to their hometowns to try to pick up where they left off.

Being a JW wasn't much fun after that - at least nothing like it was in the late 1940s to early 1960s. There was no longer any joy in Watchtowerland. Many of my former acquaintances experienced major mental and physical problems that could be directly tied to the new policies that the Society embraced and enforced. Shunning, lots of shunning - unlike anything we'd seen before.

JV

40

DF’d or DA???

by DATA-DOG in

so, i think i’m going to be df’d, but elders are out of town and no decision has been officially reached.

what would happen if i sent a certified overnight letter and said that i was going to disassociate before they have their meeting??.

i know the two conditions are similar, but i’m just curious... dd.

Juan Viejo2

"Road to nowhere" has it right. Just disappear. Walk away. Don't answer their calls. Don't return their mail. If they come to your home and you meet them at the door, just tell them you can't talk because you do not feel well. Don't expand on anything. Just go. Don't look back. Toss all of your collections of old magazines and books in the recycle bin. Don't watch JW videos or apostate videos for at least 6 months. Spend your spare time watching relaxing shows and documentaries on TV. Read a lot of recent best sellers and listen to your favorite music. If you are approached by a JW acquaintance politely tell them that you are not in the mood to talk to them. Clear your head. Do something that is relaxing and fun and just let your brain and body (and bank account) rest and catch up.

At the same time, remember that leaving the JWs is like leaving alcohol or drugs. JW related thoughts will linger in your head for months and create some stress. You will get through all of that soon enough. Withdrawal symptoms are your body's way of easing you down slowly. If you want to have a little mental abuse in your life, watch Trump discussions on your TV station. You can not help but slowly clear your head. Watch some good nature documentaries on cable TV. You get a whole new concept of reality watching nature and geology in action. Suddenly things will clear up. One day you will have a brief pang of regret and give it all a second thought - that's normal. But those feeling will pass when you think back about the boredom and repetition of the meetings, the inane 3rd grade reading level articles in the magazines and on JW.org. Avoid calling or talking to any of your old JW friends. They aren't interested in helping you resolve your issues - they want to shame you into returning. That's their only goal. In real life, other JWs don't give a fart about your reasons for leaving. They don't care about your feelings or motivations. They only want to shame you into returning to the cult.

Within a few months you will really begin to enjoy the freedom and clarity of thought. Yes, you may miss some of your old JW friends - but give it time and you will soon be able to recognize which of those "friends" were fond of you because they really liked you, enjoyed your company and cared about you. The rest will avoid you and try to shame you into returning so they can shame you some more.

Think FREEDOM of your mind, body, finances, and time. Those will be your rewards by leaving the cult.

JV

23

Why the meetings are boring and uninspiring

by UnshackleTheChains in

each individual may have their own views as to why they feel the meetings are boring and uninspiring.

in my case i find the midweek meeting so, because of the constant emphasis on pitching watchtower literature.

its just monotonous and one big yawn.. i watch other christian faiths where they open up a chapter of the bible and discuss it's contents.

Juan Viejo2

Lisa Rose, A recent video on YouTube showed a gentleman that managed to get assigned as a fill-in speaker at a remote KHall. It turned out that he took the subject assigned and modified it in a truly honest and expository way. It took the other elders in the KH a few minutes to realize that he was not delivering a WT prepared talk. But when they did they shut him down pretty quick.

What I found interesting was that as you watch the audience, they somehow knew something was wrong. Even though he was speaking the truth, it was clear that it wasn't Watchtower "truth" - and soon the elders were up and trying to get him off the stage and out the door. But if you listen to what he said, it was not profane, accusatory, or supportive of any other religion. But it clearly was not from the Watchtower.

That fellow will be on my heroes list for quite a while. His brave move proved his point very clearly.

https://youtu.be/hLgwyfhtIHM

J Viejo

23

Were visits to the library an important part of your childhood?

by compound complex in

jw
friends

greetings, fellow bibliophiles:.

i remember how sad i was, as a little child, when our beloved carnegie library was razed (unsafe, structurally).

the same tragedy occurred when we moved to a new town and that similar architectural treasure was demolished to put up a new and gleaming building of steel and glass.

Juan Viejo2

Raised in Riverside, California in the 1950s and 60s, I regularly visited the downtown library (also originally financed by a Carnegie grant). The old library was a classic in every way and was located between the historic Mission Inn and the Riverside Community Auditorium (a site for most annual JW circuit assemblies for that area).

I got my love of books from my mother. My dad was not a reader, nor were any of my relatives on his side of the family. Besides my mother, my aunt "Jerrie" (Geraldine), who was not a witness, but perhaps the smartest member of my family. Jerrie would sit down with a cup of coffee and the New York Times daily crosswords and blitz through them all before her coffee got cold. I loved when we visited her. I asked her how she became so proficient in words and puzzles. "Went to the library almost every day. Looked up something new in the dictionary or encyclopedia before I went to bed every night. It's easy if you just stay on top of learning something new and looking up what you don't know."

While far from being as skilled with crosswords as my aunt was, I still remember many facts that I learned while visiting the library as a child and many of them have stayed with me throughout my life. Although I have owned a copy of "The Two Babylons" by Hislop since I was 15 or 16 years old, I still refer to it every so often (more for entertainment than for historic facts), I see that there are copies still on Amazon.com. Most of it has been discredited or challenged, it's still a good read for entertainment. And my first exposure to it was the local library.

That's why I strongly suggest that everyone living in medium to large cities continue to visit their local libraries. Some cities without libraries have state universities nearby that will sometimes offer access to local citizens.

I definitely count my love of books and history to my being allowed by my parents to read anything I wanted and to go to the library anytime. I am fortunate to live in my state's capital city and am just 50 miles from Portland, also home to some excellent libraries and bookstores to go rummage through.

Carnegie was not a saint by any means, but like a lot of multi-millionaires of his time, he did finance and fund some projects that have survived to our day. If you have one in your area go visit it and pat the door on the way in as you whisper "Thanks, Andy, for the very nice gift to us all."

JV

48

Watchtower Releases 2017 Grand Total Figures!

by darkspilver in

jw
friends

2017 grand totals.

branches of jehovah’s witnesses: 90. .

number of lands reporting: 240. .

Juan Viejo2

I don't trust the Watchtower numbers at all. "Publishers" can count both baptized and unbaptized. They can also count children who accompany their parents as they go door to door.

In recent years, anyone who spent as little as a half dozen hours in a year engaged in any JW activities would be counted as "publishers" as long as they turned in at least on time report.

Times have changed since my days as a JW kid publisher aged 10 to 16. One of my parents or a fellow JW would go down one side of a street and I would do the other by myself. I would engage the resident of any house where the door opened. I would often go inside and sit on the couch and preach to adults (lucky me - never molested). We just didn't think about it - we just did it. And our hours were true hours - from the time we knocked on our first door until we got in the car to leave the territory. When we stood on street corners with magazines, we were expected to walk up to as many people as we could and engage them, offering them the latest magazines and also engaging them in conversation if they stopped and wanted to chat.

Today's Watchtower and most JWs are sadly very poor salesmen for the religion. The magazines and booklets are laughable and so juvenile. If someone challenged us while we were working a street corner, we'd offer to engage them in a sincere and active conversation. The keepers of the magazine stands now prefer not to talk to you if they can avoid it - and going into a deep conversation or any kind of theological argument is unheard of today. I truly believe that 99% of their growth is due to new children born into the organization and a few old timers who left and then returned because they simply had to do so for financial, health or relationship reasons.

JV

43

The denial of 1975 when and how did they go about it.

by Crazyguy in

i was pretty young in 1975, all i remember was a few complaining at the hall after and those at the door that razed us over it.

does anyone remember how they went about denying it and when this started.

i do remember a scripture in psalms about people being mighty and living longer so this was used.

Juan Viejo2

LisaRose wrote: "As 1975 grew closer the Watchtower was already back pedaling a bit about that date being the end. For a while not much was said about it, some people still believed it was going to happen any time, others did not, mostly people didn't talk about it. By the time the Watchtower did talk about it, they basically tried to shift blame, acting as if some people "went ahead of the things written" when the reality was that they did everything they could to make people believe that the world was ending while not actually saying so in so many words..."

-------

That was exactly what my father told me when he called and apologized for shunning my brother and I because we left the JWs a few years before. He took all of the blame on his own shoulders. He told me that F. Franz never really said that Armageddon would come in 1975, he simply said that "it could happen that year or soon after." My father used those exact words mentioned above - "your mother and I went ahead of the things written." They took all of the blame and did not accuse Franze or the Watchtower for anything that happened.

The fact was that in Kingdom Halls everywhere, the elders were beating their flock with almost constant warnings to become more active, get rid of their doubts, divorce unbelieving spouses and ignore unbelieving children and other relatives who would not join their parade. That awful 1975 prophecy divided more families than just about any other thing the WT had ever done. For many JWs, it was a black and white issue: Believe in 1975 or get out and be shunned.

And then the rank and file took all of the blame on their own shoulders. They were all convinced that the WT never said that 1975 would be the beginning of Armageddon for sure - but individual JWs (all 4 million or so of them) took it literally and ran with it. This was Jehovah's way of saying "don't run ahead of my organization - or even run alongside the WT."

A lot of tears were shed, a lot of money and property lost, and a lot of medical procedures put off for too many years because JWs believed the big 1975 lie. The Watchtower will forever carry "blood guilt" over that major blunder.

JV

47

Serena Williams Pregnant

by wisdomfrombelow in

jw
friends

now that she has announced that she is 20 weeks pregnant and not married, what is her status in the cult?

.

Juan Viejo2

I've given Serena a lot of thought in the past and I think that her parents may very well be the bottom line in re her decision to get baptized.

I can imagine that her father and mother have discussed this whole thing very carefully with Serena and given her specific guidelines about how she should walk the line of being an unbaptized Witness.

Like Prince, Serena has been very vocal and demonstrative at times about her connection to the JWs, and yet (like Prince) has never really changed their act. Some of what she does is simply reflexive as part of her winning and playing in tournaments. Running around the stadium with her sister waving the American flag is clearly responsive and showing good citizenship and pride. Not putting her hand over her heart in other situations shows her loyalty to the JWs. Telling a line judge that she'll "Fing kill you!" probably happened on one of her non-JW days.

I grew up with some young JWs who did not get baptized but came to the meeting and went out in service with their parents. Asking them why they all told me something along the lines of "my parents don't think I'm old enough to make that decision." I count them among having truly caring parents who decided early on not to have their kids locked in before they had a chance to understand the ramifications.

I also note that Venus doesn't really talk about the JW thing at all. No one has made it clear as to her status.

In any case, the whole Serena situation is full of double-speak and hypocrisy no matter what the facts may be.

JV