what happened?
was it too close to a watchtower society impersonation?
did i say something too offensive?
What happened? Was it too close to a Watchtower Society impersonation? Did I say something too offensive? Whaaaaa? I was just havin' fun, and had just prepared a WT-style response to someone who didn't seem to know it was a parody, too...ah, well...
--sd-7
ok, so i've heard it said before that disfellowshipped people can't associate with other disfellowshipped persons.
is this in print anywhere or in the elder manual?.
also, are there "rules" about disfellowshipped persons marrying?
Remember that those who are expelled (I hate that DF term) are considered as 'no longer Jehovah's Witnesses'. Therefore, how can the rules of Jehovah's Witnesses apply to people who are no longer Witnesses? If a person is seeking reinstatement, though, probably the elders would make issue with their associating with a person who had been expelled. They'd probably tell them to shun said person if they wanted to stand a chance at reinstatement. Because coming back in means submitting oneself to the rules again. But in that midpoint, like, at a time when you've got no shot at reinstatement in their eyes, nah, they wouldn't care.
--sd-7
in the latest october 15th 2012 watchtower (page 13).... "because of what they perceive as defects in the elders, some individuals who engage in serious wrongdoing in the congregation have refused to appear before a committee of elders assigned to help them.
this could be likened to a patient who loses out on the benefits of a treatment because he does not like something about the doctor.".
sounds like they're now trying to stigmatize those who try to avoid judical action.
00DAD, you just opened my eyes a bit wider. The Sanhedrin. That's their scriptural precedent...that's just horrible. And yet it was obvious. Should've seen it from a mile away.
I regret ever going to my committee. I just had to know, had to see it with my own eyes, to realize just how the true face of Jehovah's Witnesses shows itself in its purest form. I was kind of over a barrel, too, with my wife, so...it was a political decision, though probably if it was really political, I would've brown-nosed my way to a reproof (in theory). At the same time, I don't regret it, because it gave me my own story to tell, one not subject to the possibility of being an unverifiable anecdote from someone else.
Hmm. Not looking forward to seeing these jokers again at the convention...coming soon...
--sd-7
life is so short and being a witness is such a waste of valuable time.. now, i do not feel rushed or compelled to be at a meeting or out in field service.
much less stress!.
Sleep in on weekends. Oh, man, is it good...I think I got started a little early, though, before I left the JWs...
Reading. Lots of reading. Catching up on forbidden books and R-rated movies can be nice. I still skim Watchtower literature, of course. I even read the Bible as well, from time to time, though it's been awhile.
I write--be it here or in my journal. I try not to do the latter at home, though. It upsets the Mrs.
Mostly, it's what I would've done even if I were still a JW, except I'd avoid stuff that was over PG-13 and/or had magic in it. Though I'd probably let that slide a bit in video games and comic books...
So I guess getting out didn't mean much other than just not having to be bothered with all the stress and pressure of 'doing more' and elders trying to 'put me to work'--which was never really meaningful work, it's not like we were running a soup kitchen or cleaning up the river or something--and all that crap. But for me, that's still a lot.
--sd-7
this picture appears on page 30 of the latest october 15th 2012 watchtower in an article discussing the importance of sticking to our baptismal vows..... .
anyone care to guess how young this poor chap is?.
cedars.
13-15 years old, I should guess. It's all in the face. No hint of facial hair yet. I almost think those are his parents off to the right in the background--the noses are similar enough, and the subtlety of the photos the WTS uses makes it even more likely. The parents were clearly nudging him ever-so-nicely towards it, what with becoming homeless the minute he turns 18 otherwise.
--sd-7
looks like it's fun.
there's a cool story in there about how a ministerial servant got deleted for playing violent video games, and then wrote to the branch office about it and told people in his congregation.
classy, guys, really classy.
Yeah, I once heard someone say in an assembly talk, "You don't have the RIGHT to disobey Jehovah!" I was far from questioning the organization at the time, but my first thought was, "Uh, yeah, we do--that's called free will. Even if we were choosing to die, we'd still have the RIGHT to choose it." It's a delusional, power-hungry state of mind that causes them to reason this way. Nobody has rights except if they say so.
--sd-7
in the latest october 15th 2012 watchtower (page 13).... "because of what they perceive as defects in the elders, some individuals who engage in serious wrongdoing in the congregation have refused to appear before a committee of elders assigned to help them.
this could be likened to a patient who loses out on the benefits of a treatment because he does not like something about the doctor.".
sounds like they're now trying to stigmatize those who try to avoid judical action.
If you know the doctor is a hack, why would you bother going to him for treatment? Are they trying to make this hypothetical person look stupid because they used common sense?
I remember the elders on my committee talked about wanting to "help" me and whether or not I wanted to "accept the help". In other words, do I want to let them convince me that things that are demonstrably not true at all are in fact true? Well, as Princess Leia said to Lando Calrissian, "We don't need any of your help."
Where was all the 'help' before the committee, by the way? Imagine! A doctor who doesn't have time to see you until you have a life-threatening illness that requires immediate surgery! Sad state of affairs. Better stay healthy, then...
--sd-7
looks like it's fun.
there's a cool story in there about how a ministerial servant got deleted for playing violent video games, and then wrote to the branch office about it and told people in his congregation.
classy, guys, really classy.
Elders may make mistakes that affect us personally. If that happens, how inappropriate it would be for any member of the congregation to react according to the world’s spirit, vehemently demanding “justice”
Because of course, only wicked people care about little things like "justice". Or "basic human rights". Or "not being abused".
But doesn't the Society maintain a rather vigorous Legal Department to make sure that THEY get "justice", even if they have to DEMAND it?
--sd-7
looks like it's fun.
there's a cool story in there about how a ministerial servant got deleted for playing violent video games, and then wrote to the branch office about it and told people in his congregation.
classy, guys, really classy.
It is really counterproductive, though, for us to jeopardize the peace of the entire congregation in an attempt to justify our actions.
I wonder if the Society realized that after berating people for 'reading too much into' all that talk about 1975? This is a good example of accusing other people of what they are guilty of--common propaganda technique.
--sd-7
looks like it's fun.
there's a cool story in there about how a ministerial servant got deleted for playing violent video games, and then wrote to the branch office about it and told people in his congregation.
classy, guys, really classy.
How much better to view reproof as a way to open our eyes to see weaknesses that we were not aware of and then quietly accept the correction.
This would be Watchtower-speak for, to quote Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, "KNOW YOUR ROLE, AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
--sd-7
