Lepermessiah - as sad as I am to see your Metallica avatar go, the new one is... not bad at all!
Thanks - I thought one of the all-time great Leper Messiahs deserved a tribute.
lepermessiah
JoinedPosts by lepermessiah
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18
JW's and Selling Stuff at the Hall
by lepermessiah inmy wife got an invite to a "party" and got me thinking...... one of the biggest things that used to annoy me was how many members of the congregation were involved in those mlm sales schemes or "work from home" companies and they used the kh as the hub of their business.
many of those companies are very legit, and i have no problem with people selling that stuff, its just that people would use their field service tactics to pressure others in the hall to buy stuff.. every week, a member of my family would get invited to a candle party, cosmetics party, tupperware party, vitamin party, etc......you could go bankrupt just from the constant flow of parties and feeling obligated to buy something.. the sad part was that if you turned down the invite or went and didnt buy anything, you would offend the selller!.
then, they would always run around and deliver their orders before and after the meeting (unles the elders put a stop to it), otherwise you would see them out in their car after the meeting distributing everyones' orders.. .
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18
JW's and Selling Stuff at the Hall
by lepermessiah inmy wife got an invite to a "party" and got me thinking...... one of the biggest things that used to annoy me was how many members of the congregation were involved in those mlm sales schemes or "work from home" companies and they used the kh as the hub of their business.
many of those companies are very legit, and i have no problem with people selling that stuff, its just that people would use their field service tactics to pressure others in the hall to buy stuff.. every week, a member of my family would get invited to a candle party, cosmetics party, tupperware party, vitamin party, etc......you could go bankrupt just from the constant flow of parties and feeling obligated to buy something.. the sad part was that if you turned down the invite or went and didnt buy anything, you would offend the selller!.
then, they would always run around and deliver their orders before and after the meeting (unles the elders put a stop to it), otherwise you would see them out in their car after the meeting distributing everyones' orders.. .
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lepermessiah
My wife got an invite to a "party" and got me thinking.....
One of the biggest things that used to annoy me was how many members of the congregation were involved in those MLM sales schemes or "work from home" companies and they used the KH as the hub of their business.
Many of those companies are very legit, and I have no problem with people selling that stuff, its just that people would use their field service tactics to pressure others in the hall to buy stuff.
Every week, a member of my family would get invited to a candle party, cosmetics party, Tupperware party, Vitamin party, etc......you could go bankrupt just from the constant flow of parties and feeling obligated to buy something.
The sad part was that if you turned down the invite or went and didnt buy anything, you would offend the selller!
Then, they would always run around and deliver their orders before and after the meeting (unles the elders put a stop to it), otherwise you would see them out in their car after the meeting distributing everyones' orders.
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6
She's like the wind...
by dgp injust a fool to believe.
she's like the wind.
just a fool to believe.
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lepermessiah
Put on Roadhouse with Patrick Swayze, that will make you feel much better!
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32
Work Related: Am I correct for being angry?
by Elsewhere inmy manager expects (never directly ordered me), but expects me to have my work laptop booted up at home every evening after work, all weekend long and every holiday so i can monitor my email and promptly respond to emails.. .
am i wrong for being pissed off about this?.
the company i work for is always talking about their "work life balance" program for employees.
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lepermessiah
You have every right to be angry.........
Thats not reasonable nor is it realistic.
What if you go out a lot of after work, hobbies, sports, etc......are you going to have email access there?
There is no way you should expect employees to be tethered to a computer at home.
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26
The reporting of field service time
by lepermessiah inwere any of you really bothered/still bothered by the practice of field service reporting?.
there was an old post on here that got me thinking how the practice got started.. instead of simply being a tool to monitor the progress of the faith, or to see if the work was done "throughout the earth", it appears to me that it was just a tool used to keep the presses rolling and to see how much literature to produce - along with controlling the rank and file.
the average jw gives it no thought, its just another "blessing" from the organization when you hear the monthly reports, etc.. the organization is so statistics-driven that they make jesus out to be a ceo with people who need to meet their sales quotas.i'm sure he really wouldnt care if peter and andrew got 20 hours one month and john got 25. wait, maybe thats why john was "beloved" .
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lepermessiah
Were any of you really bothered/still bothered by the practice of field service reporting?
There was an old post on here that got me thinking how the practice got started.
Instead of simply being a tool to monitor the progress of the faith, or to see if the work was done "throughout the earth", it appears to me that it was just a tool used to keep the presses rolling and to see how much literature to produce - along with controlling the rank and file. The average JW gives it no thought, its just another "blessing" from the organization when you hear the monthly reports, etc.
The organization is so statistics-driven that they make Jesus out to be a CEO with people who need to meet their sales quotas.I'm sure he really wouldnt care if Peter and Andrew got 20 hours one month and John got 25. Wait, maybe thats why John was "beloved"
When I first started to have questions about the organization, the first thing I mentioned to my wife was the practice of field service reporting. I told her I think its used to control people, make them feel guilty, etc. Its also used to measure "spirituality". The first thing used to evaluate an elder or a MS is "How many hours does he average in field service?" You could be a wonderful shepherd, kind, true Christian, but if you dont have 10 hours a month in service, you are not considered whatsoever. Then you get counseled - "Well if you want to "reach out" you need to get your field service time up." How many times did you see an A-hole appointed in the congregation simply because he was male and had 10 hours a month in service?
The whole thing is a total joke.
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14
Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 03-07-10 WT Study (DEDICATE JAH)
by blondie inhe will even restore his loyal ones to their youth so that they can benefit from his care.
more happiness than dedication ourselves to anything or one else--even a spirit-directed organization?.
about making the choice to belong to jehovah.. comments.
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lepermessiah
No it is not reasonable, not in the slightest. You take a child into the home in the hope that by showing them love and respect they can grow and thrive. You don't make them promise to love you and respect you.
Great point Nugget! That illustration disturbed me big time.
I agree about the writing in the Watchtower. It has been at an all time low.
I havent read a magazine in several months (other than the study articles so I can pick them apart) but the study articles are poorly written and very sophomoric. Sometimes its like its written for a 6 year old.
Im sure the Awake's are even worse.....
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14
Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 03-07-10 WT Study (DEDICATE JAH)
by blondie inhe will even restore his loyal ones to their youth so that they can benefit from his care.
more happiness than dedication ourselves to anything or one else--even a spirit-directed organization?.
about making the choice to belong to jehovah.. comments.
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lepermessiah
How does the word "undeserved" resonate in you? Do you feel "special"?
Great as usual, Blondie!
I read through this article and next weeks' study article and it really hit me how much that attitude affected my outlook growing up.
They slant it in a way to make people feel so inferior and that they only way to to gain God's approval is to become a WT slave.
It just floors me how they point everything toward total submission and paint God as someone who doesnt really love you unless you join the organizationand follow all of its laws verbatim. Its almost as if you are "disfellowshipped" until you become a JW.
What about the scripture "God is Love"? How does that fit in with God's undeserved kindness?
When a child is born, do the parents look at the child and say "well, our love is undeserved at this point, lets wait and see what the kid does for us."
No, they love the child because it is their child! Isnt God the same if we are all his children?
The best thing that has happened since my fade is that I no longer have the WTBS view of God - its very refreshing!
Thanks again for all of your hard work, amazing amounts of research, etc.......
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24
So.....do you or don't you want them to come after you?
by Quillsky ini've noticed an interesting dichotomy in these discussions.
as a starting point, i understand that we are all different --- there is no "we" here except that we have all been, or been involved with, jw's.
but this is interesting..... some people complain about being "hounded" by elders and shepherding calls and previous "friends" and so on.
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lepermessiah
There are some genuinely nice people in the congregations. They genuinely care about others. I don't have a problem with them. My problem lies with the organisation and what it claims to be truth and the way it deals with people who criticise it.
Well said cantleave....the hardest part for me has been to paint everything with one brush. I like what Ray said in COC and In Search For......they SAY you can leave whenever you want, and leave with dignity, but that is not the reality. Its like trying to leave the NAZI party in the 1930's - you can expect that the Gestapo is watching closely.
Not all elders are Pharisees, not all JW's are self-righteous A-holes, but I would find myself lumping them all together.
Actually my wife helped me with that one - she said "well, if all elders are a-holes, that means that you and your Dad were a-holes, and I know you weren't - you both were very sincere."
After that, I really started viewing things different - I despise the organization, but love many of the people in it. Even with them, you have to keep a healthy distance since you really dont know who to trust. My guard is up with everyone.......
I am at the point where I just want to be left alone by JW's - I just want my space right now and if I still have some REAL true friends, they will show themselves. Based on the many experiences here, I am not holding my breath - every JW has to decide "Who do you love" the organization or the person who left" - Well, unless someone keeps it way on the down low, they HAVE to choose the organization......therefore I am building relationships outside the organzation.
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10
Friend sent an interesting article, just passing along.......
by awildflower inhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-schweitzer/the-chilean-earthquake-an_b_479995.html
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lepermessiah
Thanks AWildflower! That was a great article!!
Franz or Applewhite
It was so nice to see those two CRACKPOTS mentioned in the same sentence!
Maybe Freddy is riding around on Haley's Comet.......for as nuts as people thought Heavens Gate was, how many more thousands of lives did Freddy trash over Marshall Applewhite?
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10
Where did they come up with COLPORTEUR and why dont they call themselves that today?
by LUKEWARM inw07 8/1 pp.
12-13 serving jehovahan honor and a privilege beyond compare***.
eventually, on july 22, 1924, i was baptized in symbol of my dedication to jehovah.
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lepermessiah
Colporteur = Latin for "SLAVE"