Posts by jgnat

18

Comments You Wont Hear at the 12-15-02 WT Study

by blondie in

title edited thanks to minimus (it's the drugs folks) .

comments you wont hear at the 12-15-02 wt study .

what do they talk about?

jgnat

Blondie comes through again! What a trooper! I look forward to your instalment every week, Blondie. Here are a few of my margin notes from this week's study.

The Christian Family

p. 3-4. Worldly families are dismissed with a broad sweep of depressing words;

"disobedient...without self-control...spousal violence...abuse...neglect...drug abuse... immorality...run away." The article suggests that JW's can protect their families from this by "heeding Jehovah's (read FDS) counsel." I am struck by the lack of specific direction and advice to parents on how they can help their families. Also, note the use of third-person. "Christian couples recognize that they have emotional, spiritual, and physical obligations..." I believe this heavy use of third-person language helps faithful Witnesses to reconcile the discrepancy between the ideal and the real.

I was taught to be a Christian with first-person language. Every illustration and example was brought home by having me think about how it applied to my own life. There was no wiggle room. I had to seriously ponder the consequences of the statement. A discerning Witness using first-person language may have to admit that their family has some distressingly worldly characteristics, and that the WTS has not been the all-encompassing protection it claims to be. That might lead to the next logical step that their family may require more attention than the hours stolen between meetings and studies and door-to-door work. Also, by making the statement third-person, a faithful Witness can confidently repeat that

"All family members meet their God-given obligations...blessing to one another and to the congregation." even if this ideal does not exist in their own home. Or at the local Kingdom Hall.

The Christian Brotherhood

p. 7 Blondie, I notice you picked up on this, too. All the fruits of the spirit that involve grace and mercy (rather than study, meeting attendance, and door-to-door work) is compressed in the short time before and after meetings. How precious.

(Text in red is from the WT article)

13

The WT and Paranoia

by jgnat in

do you see the pattern?

wt october 1, 2002 jehovah blesses and protects those who are obedient

p. 18..no doubt prior to and during that time, gods people will experience major tests of their faith and obedience.. wt october 1, 2002 cultivate obedience as the end draws near.

jgnat

Brumm,

I agree with you that the growth of the WTS, which is lacking the usual cultic dynamic leader, seems more organic than planned .

Heathen, my concern is that the WTS is claiming UNPRECEDENTED persecution, and that they are the MAIN TARGETS. As Quotes so succinctly pointed out, lots of groups are being oppressed.

Quotes,

I am so flattered...

Outlaw

, I couldnt agree more...

Utopian Raindrops,

thanks for keeping your sense of humour. I just couldn't resist...bare arms...
So who will get violently hurt by them.

I was not suggesting violence, though the wrenching apart of families is traumatic. I am suggesting, though, that anyone that sticks out, that is in any way different, will be viewed with ever more suspicion. There is a lot of hate in the society. There is a lot of resentment toward a world that is way too darn happy for its own good and just refuses to die. People that carry that much hate can't keep the love going all the time too.

When they say ,"Still, in Jehovahs due time, their lies are always exposed, and their "ignorant talk" is effectively muzzled. " They mean Jehovah will do it...not any human.

I do not have as much confidence as you on this point, Utopian_Raindrops. The society is very energetically trying to muzzle opposing voices, starting with its own members. The simple procedure is to Disfellowship them. The dissenting voice is effectively cut off. I am sure there are members of the GB and legal department that would dearly love to muzzle some members of the media. If they could do it legally.

Why do religions think they need punishments and fear to make people behave?

I do not blame any one religion. I think evil men use religion as a tool for their own end. As Shakespeare illustrated, cruelty exists as a possibility in everyman. There are also people in all the religions that are doing amazing good in our society.

NeonMadman,

great to see you posting again. Between studies right now? Great response. I agree about the society loving a little persecution. It dawned on me today that the society may be gearing up in case the DRAFT comes back. That could put a lot of American JWs in a crisis of conscience, and a position to martyr themselves.

13

The WT and Paranoia

by jgnat in

do you see the pattern?

wt october 1, 2002 jehovah blesses and protects those who are obedient

p. 18..no doubt prior to and during that time, gods people will experience major tests of their faith and obedience.. wt october 1, 2002 cultivate obedience as the end draws near.

jgnat

Quotes! I am so flattered! I inspired an inspired website designer!

Utopian Raindrops, I could not let one of your comments go by without comment, it is just too funny....

JW's do not bare arms

Is this a new dress code I did not know about? Kind of like JW's do not bare knees? ROFTL. Thank you all for your comments. I will provide more learned responses to your comments when I have a moment.

13

The WT and Paranoia

by jgnat in

do you see the pattern?

wt october 1, 2002 jehovah blesses and protects those who are obedient

p. 18..no doubt prior to and during that time, gods people will experience major tests of their faith and obedience.. wt october 1, 2002 cultivate obedience as the end draws near.

jgnat

Do you see the pattern?

WT October 1, 2002 Jehovah Blesses and Protects Those Who are Obedient

p. 18..No doubt prior to and during that time, Gods people will experience major tests of their faith and obedience.

WT October 1, 2002 Cultivate Obedience as the End Draws Near

p. 9...In fact, the main target of Satans spiritual warfare consists of Jehovahs anointed ones..

WT October 15, 2002 Oppose the Devil

p. 1 In these "last days", however, Satan is concentrating his efforts on Gods dedicated servants, waging war with anointed Christians,...

WT October 15, 2002 Jehovah Cares for You

p. 18 Satan is doing all in his power to bring persecution, opposition, and pressure from all quarters upon Jehovahs people. He tries to disrupt our peace and destroy our fine standing with our God.

WT November 1, 2002 Maintain your Conduct Fine Among the Nations

(Dec 9-15 2002 study)
p. 17 Unfortunately, some "unreasonable men" in authority persecute us or oppose us in other ways - such as by promoting smear campaigns against us. Still, in Jehovahs due time, their lies are always exposed, and their "ignorant talk" is effectively muzzled. (I wonder, exactly, how the WTS plans on muzzling its opposers? Are they leaving it up to Jehovah?)

Tyrants, when threatened, become paranoid. Their survival depends on total control. When that slips, they will do anything to ensure their continued survival. at the expense of those under their control. Some interesting thoughts from a book review of History and Hatred,

Feelings of rage and hostility in particular are subject to denial and projected on to others. Violently angry and afraid of their own aggression, paranoids defend against their rage by viewing themselves as the victims of persecutors. In effect, the paranoids impulse to persecute and tyrannize others is denied and projected on to phantom enemies who then become imaginary persecutors who must be hunted down and either subjugated or destroyed....The process of projection, however, has been implicitly recognized for centuries, as we may see from these lines in King Lear:

Thou rascal beadle,hold thy bloody hand!
Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thy own back;
Thou hotly lusts to use her in that kind
For which thou whipst her. (IV, vi 157-60)

If we respond narrowly to Shakespeares poetry, we will see a barbed insight directed against the sadism of petty tyrants. If our response is broader and more generous, however, we will see, reflected in the figure of the beadle, nothing other than ourselves. The whole point of Shakespeares lines is not that they illuminate a psychiatric illness. It is that they succinctly describe one of the fundamental processes of human psychology.*

Consider how David had to run for his life when King Saul recognized his authority was slipping. (1Sa 18:5-12). I fear for the intelligent, capable, funny witnesses in the society, who will experience greater pressure to conform in the coming months. If they stand out at all, innocent or no, they could become a casualty to the growing paranoia. Be like David and run. Run for your lives.

* History and hatred

Political Paranoia: The Psychopolitics of Hatred by Robert S. Robins and Jerrold M. Post. 366pp. Yale University Press, 1998
book review
Times Literary Supplement, 10 April 1998

35

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: anyone?

by gilwarrior in

my compultion is locks.

whenever i leave my house i have to turn the doorknob two, three, four and even five times to make sure it is locked.

i have done it so much that my door knob is getting loose.

jgnat

Yeru, that is just TOO FUNNY!!!

35

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: anyone?

by gilwarrior in

my compultion is locks.

whenever i leave my house i have to turn the doorknob two, three, four and even five times to make sure it is locked.

i have done it so much that my door knob is getting loose.

jgnat

I know that OCD is a serious disease, and if your doorknob is getting loose, it is time to see a doctor. There are some very effective treatments available. My honey has a mild form of OCD, and I find it an endless source of amusement. If you have a loved one with this disorder, try some of these.

Twist the bottles of ointments and lotions so the labels are facing AWAY from the front.
Switch around items on the bedstand.
Listen to him check the latch on the trunk. Twice. Wait until he gets to the driver's door. "Honey, are you SURE the trunk is closed?" Watch him go back and check again. Laugh hilariously.
Your first week together, wash his navy fleece joggers in with his white nylon gym shorts. Spend the next 10 evenings picking lint off and apologizing. Promise never to do laundry again.

A little bit of levity helps him to see the silliness of it all, and it really seems to help him keep it in check. Plus I don't have to watch as much television. My entertainment is built-in.

18

Jehovah does not forget His servants !

by spectromize in

i realize a lot of you here have lost faith in one form or another but i'll i want to say is jehovah god never forgets those who belong to him.

all the righteous blood spill from abel till this modern day will be accounted for.. .

there is not a terrorist on this earth that can hide because if you spill righteous blood there will be judgment rendered by jehovah god.

jgnat

On the hunt for modern martyrs, are we? I could find some, but they might not be what you have in mind... and stubbed toes from slammed doors doesn't count.

27

moral dilemna

by zanex in

i have been df'd for a good long time and have gone/going through the different stages of the healing process but i dont think that i am anywhere to giving up all of my deep-seated anger and hostility that i continue to have.

i have gotten attatched to it, ironically enough.

my moral and maybe somewhat ethical delimmna is: i am in a service provider position and i provide translation services for members of a specific community of interest...problem is that a certain person has come into my focus of the world...an elder.......a great many bones in my body want to manipulate and maneuver his life into the palm of my hand....then crush him.

jgnat

A word to the wise from my own experience, zanex.

I am not a JW, but I have been treated badly before. For several years I had peers that caused me no small amount of grief at work. They made my life misery. I took some comfort in planning appropriate revenge (never acted upon).

I am very sorry I even had those thoughts now. You see, I possess so much more than they ever did. I have my integrity, intelligence, and good sense. I learn from my mistakes and become ever more valuable to my employer. In have weathered storms in my personal life, and they have made me stronger. My former peers are stuck in their limited world of pettiness. The smallest crisis in their life, and they fall apart. They don't even understand why these great opportunities just seem to drop in my lap. I now feel very sorry for them. They have nothing. What I have can't be taken from me. And looking back, I am ashamed of my pettiness.

The elder who represents everything you hate about the WTS is walking through life truly unaware. One day he will bump in to old age, and realize he has nothing. Shoot. Armageddon is not here yet. Feel sorry for the man. Direct your rage at the organization that would create such men. Bring down the organization.

26

KM Official Explanation of Counting Time

by Funchback in

taken from page 8 of the december 2002 kingdom ministry.

sorry, i don't have a scanner.

do you contribute to an accurate report?.

jgnat

Good memory Tashwaa. I bet this is what you were thinking of:

David Numbers the Fighting Men 1 Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are."
3 But Joab replied, "May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?"
4 The king's word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.
6 But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king's command was repulsive to him. 7 This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
8 Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."
(I Chronicles 21:1-8 NIV)

20

At last..My photo's

by Brummie in

jw
friends

i kinda shyed away from posting my pics, since y'all so good looking and i'm far from it.

anyway i've mustered up the courage so here goes: .

this is me as a child: a couple of months before my avatar.

jgnat

David_10, my daughter taught our cat to sit, shake-a-paw, lie down, and go in to his kennel. Cats can be trained. They just won't do it for free.