Posts by inbetween

9

Social Networking Media to Hasten the Demise of Watchtower

by Scott77 in

the social networking media technologies like facebook, will over the years, continue to present insurmountable challenges to the growith, stability and eventual demise of the watchtower as an organisation.

realizing this inevitabilty, its therefore easy to predict that over the coming years, more and more talk about the perceived 'threat' of internet will be part of standard talks in kingdom halls, assemblies and convections.. what do you think about that?

.

inbetween

evrything that become very popular was and always will be the target of WTS-leaders.

When Tv started in the fifties, then internet in the nineties, all this was targeted...

however it developped in two was: in time more and more jW got used to new technology and used it despite warning of the Borg, on the other hand, to those happy in a cult, it does not make a real diffrence. If I want to be deceived, nothing, no TV, no internet no Facebook will awaken me...

So, I think, the growth will slow down due to information on the internet, but I do not think the demise will happen, my prediction:

The WTS will remain with a slow growth rate (mostly in developping countries), more financial cut backs, and ups and downs in tightening and loosing the bonds as they did the past decades...

27

Special meeting in Vienna, Austria June 8th, 2010

by Desilusionnee in

we've got a special meeting in vienna, austria on june 8th (all austrian jw are invited to come to vienna) and i'm really curious about what they are going to tell us.

did you have such a meeting?

desillusionnee.

inbetween

desillusionee, you have a pm...

27

Special meeting in Vienna, Austria June 8th, 2010

by Desilusionnee in

we've got a special meeting in vienna, austria on june 8th (all austrian jw are invited to come to vienna) and i'm really curious about what they are going to tell us.

did you have such a meeting?

desillusionnee.

inbetween

isnt it supposed to be Br. Jackson ? not Lösch, what I heard, even though he is from Austria...

32

Anyone look at this board while still an IN and ACTIVE JW?

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

i vaguely remember looking at this board a few years ago, before i ever considered leaving the borg, and being appalled at the evil and hateful attitudes i saw here and scared to death of reading any further.. now i go back through years and years of posts and there is no evil or hate there at all.

it's one of the most kind and welcoming boards i've encountered since the invention of the internet.. that is how well borg indoctrination works.

it is eerily like 1984. black is white.

inbetween

I remember, years ago I stumbled on accident on this site, read a few posts, and thought, damn apostates, exegarating and telling stupid stories, or I thought, maybe they had some bad personal experiences and blame the WTs for it.

Then last year, I was curious about something on blood, and came to ajwrb.org.

First I thought, cool a site from the HLC, but what i read there confirmed all my doubts and opened my eyes even more,

shortly after I again came to this site, and found so many good arguments against JW beleifs, arguments, some I never heard before, some I refuted the wrong way, and some that I came up with myself but suppressed them, due to thinking, that I do not undertand everything anyway, and have to wait on Jah.

Still technically "in" but mentally free....

31

Do JW's cherry-pick what to find offensive? Is it hypocricy?

by Terry in

jw
friends

to take a stand for true worship, we need to have a viewpoint like that of the prophet isaiah, who told true worshipers: touch nothing unclean.isaiah 52:11.. .

jehovah's witnesses are preoccupied with religious "cleanliness" and "purity" of worship.

at least, that's what they say.. for example, jw's aren't permitted to engage in many commonly observed holidays because of connections to pagan false worship.. christmas, easter, thanksgiving are no-no's!

inbetween

regarding the original post:

Well, I always thought like this: using days and months named after pagan Gods has nothing to do with worship.

the line of reasoning, at least the part, that was logical to me is like this: because of the command, not to mix true and false worsip, it seems consistent not to celebrate Christams and easter for example.

Why ? because both, Christmas and easter, have a clear religious touch in connection with Jesus Christ, while on the other hand are heavily influenced by pagan traditions, therefore original true worship seems to be contaminated over the centuries through pagan rites.

On the other hand, I never (even as full believer in WTS) understood the stance on birthdays, toasting, etc...

those things are not part of any worship, they are just traditions, like a wedding ring or a pinata, and even though having pagan roots (like almost anything today) it does not contamnje worship, because its outside any religious application today.

If the WTs would go this way, it would be more consistant, well, anyway it should be a conscience matter.

Above all, for none of this things there is a reason for disfellowshipping anyway...but thats another story.

9

Did anyone notice this? 2-15-2010 WT Welcome to the best way of life

by baltar447 in

i was taken aback that paragraph 11 basically says that a relationship with god does not even begin until after dedication and baptism.

did anyone notice this?

i've been trying to find any similar statements in the wtl but so far haven't come up with anything.

inbetween

yknot, thats probably right, however overzealous dubs do exactly this, they take every single word like an expression from God himself...

9

Did anyone notice this? 2-15-2010 WT Welcome to the best way of life

by baltar447 in

i was taken aback that paragraph 11 basically says that a relationship with god does not even begin until after dedication and baptism.

did anyone notice this?

i've been trying to find any similar statements in the wtl but so far haven't come up with anything.

inbetween

During WT study I pointed this out to my wife, even had a question mark on that paragraph...

I wondered, how can you dedicate yourself to somebody you do not have any relation, how can you experience the grace of God, which should move you to dedication, when you not already before had close friendship to the almighty.

Its also fascinating, how contradictory the whole thing is. JW invite people during their bible study to pray and rely on God whle having problems, but then say, well sorry, but you had no personal relation to him, its only after getting dunked....

30

What is the J.W. position on video games?

by outlander in

want to study with me last winter.

he came into my house and while walking around looking at things he noticed my shelved collection of video games, some going back 15 years, but most old playstation rpg and racing games, a few ps2 rpg'd mixed in.

the usual stuff, final fantasy and such.

inbetween

There is one kind of entertainment I really do like: a good video game.

Even long before I knew the truth about the truth, I liked to play video games, despite the negative undertone that is present in talks or articles of the society about this genre.

Of course, they never outright say, playing video games is wrong, but they almost always put them in bad light.

Mostly for violence or spiritistic content, and even if this does not apply, it is a kind of entertainment that can cause addictions and steal lots of time.

Its their kind of controlling, only highlight the negative aspects of some thing.

Admittedly, there are problems with people getting addicted, there are games, which are really gross and overly brutal, especially for children they can steal too much time. But the same is true with everything else.

I usually applied my own conscience, but did not make a big deal to others about it.

And there is a big difference between using violence in a video game and using violence in real life. So all this talk about violence in entertainment is the biggest hypocrisy, when they encouraged not too long ago even officially the use of force (violence) in rearing your children.

37

Do not circulate recordings or transcripts of talks at the meetings last night.

by life is to short in

jw
friends

ok i listening in for the meetings and will probably go to the special talk sunday, they are having it this week because of the special assembly day last weekend.. i am doing this for a very good reason but it is driving me crazy listening to this stuff.

i need to vent of else i feel i will go crazy.

it is so stupid.. ok so last night was the question box and it was about recording the public talks.

inbetween

its funny same kind of comments here too. A brother, normally a really smart guy, said, that Jehovahs org is moving, what was 10 years ago changed. We should not listen, because information might be wrong now.

hm, truth changes ? didnt know that....

Also funny, some years ago, I received a recorder talk from a GB member directly from our CO.

Wonder what he really thought of this article...

2

"Spiritual conversation"? What is that?

by teel in

you surely remember that there were numerous exhortations to talk about spiritual things, especially in kh.

i never quite understood what that's supposed to mean.

(which is probably why i talked so little in the kh i guess).

inbetween

it made me think, because usually in the KH you talk about norma stuff, work, holiday etc, and I always felt a bit guilty, since it was not spirtual... however, what great can you talk especially after midweek meeting, where you learn for the 182nd time, how to offer the magazines or to invite people to the org etc....

The only spirtual discussion I really had was when I asked or discussed deeper questions, (with some in our hall you can do that) but in the end, that easily led to questioning things, the society teaches...so sad, we have some great minds, the WTs restricts them and dumbs down any real spirituality...