I was 22 when I became a JW in 1973. I had been on a spiritual search for some time, I was in a bad place in my life. The Watchtower seemed to have all the information I needed. The literature at the time at least FELT impressive. It also agreed with my world view at the time (anti-war, anti-government, etc). Had my introduction to the WTBS been through today's dumbed down books and magazines I would have kept looking.
Posts by JeffT
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34Anyone notice how when some of us older ones were in the cult.......
by mickbobcat inwhen i was a kid in the late sixties the type of books we would study was very intense compared to the bull shit pablum that they put out today?
i mean the finished mystery and others now its these stupid books that don't dive deep into the beliefs.
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JeffT
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6
1984 movie, Similar to WT land.
by dropoffyourkeylee inwow, if you have the time, watch this movie of orwell's 1984. it was made in the '50s, so its a little hokey, but wow the similarities are scary.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mj08hncica.
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JeffT
Language. George Orwell clearly understood that if you gave new meanings to old words, or created new words with special meanings, then you could control how people thought. One of the characters explicitly states that when language is fully under the control of the party it will literally be impossible to frame an argument against it. Words such as "freedom" will have lost all meaning. The WTBS was well on its way to realizing this when the internet came along. I think it may be impossible to do that now.
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7
Is Watch Tower still the most popular?
by Ardian inas per report generated by ttt (tingtopten.com) watchtower is the most popular magazine in the world.
is it still the most popular magazine among readers?.
source: https://tingtopten.com/2020/01/top-10-most-popular-magazines-in-the-world/.
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JeffT
see my comment in your other thread.
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9
No inetrest in Watchtower & Awake?
by Ardian inthe watchtower and awake have been listed as the most popular magazines.the figures are astonishing.
i am not sure whether it is based on reality or not.. source: https://tingtopten.com/2020/01/top-10-most-popular-magazines-in-the-world/.
i have seen the link on many social media networks.
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JeffT
It's based on bogus accounting. Unlike the other magazines on that list the Watchtower and Awake are not sold directly to the public. They are sold to the JW's who then dump a few every month in the preaching work. The rest end up in recycling bins. However all of them are counted as "sold" since the R&F paid for them. I have no idea what COVID has done to their numbers.
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15
The Life of Pioneers...
by The Bethelite ini don't know why but sometimes like to check up my old/self righteous friend, gary kennedy from bethel on face book....he is a pioneer in ecuador.
yes and just like most pioneers he likes to brag on his selfless life style.
he is serving the lord my sitting at home and writing out thousands of letters long hand all day long to count his time.
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JeffT
The new workstation for JW pioneers:
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30
The Cancel Culture Is Alive And Well
by minimus inif you don’t support certain ideas or beliefs, you may find yourself on the losing end in business, money matters, and community.
curt schilling, a former red sox player who is conservative today reported how his insurance company suddenly dropped him even though he was an excellent consumer with them because of his “ views”.
he was marked by those in charge and evidently was told by the rep he knew that they didn’t like his political views.
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JeffT
What will CNN, MSNBC etc have to fill their time with once Trump is no longer President?
I've been wondering about that. I think its entirely possible they'll just keep talking about Donald Trump.
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16
Hysteria & Final Thoughts
by Sea Breeze inevery republican president ever elected starting with reagan generated hysteria in the news media.
they belittled, cajoled, ridiculed, mocked and resisted the highest elected leader in the land in an attempt to overturn the will of the people.
reagan.
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JeffT
No one in Japan ever imagined, something like this was even possible!
Most of the United States (including the scientific community) didn't know it was possible.
No one could have predicted what the last year brought us. I think the Democrats are going to overreach, too far, too fast, and this time they will be the ones taken by surprise.
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84
QUITTING QUIETLY here is the Canadian version of the document
by gone for good ina while back, i suggested that an easy, quick, quiet exit with the signing and dating of a concise and irrefutable document would spur faders and pimos to preempt the elders' interference by quitting quietly first , before a fade or a confrontation.
here is the document .
https://1drv.ms/w/s!avoitfxyvyqghq3gbmkhfyqp_jqp?e=8bttg1.
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JeffT
I'm free of this religion because thirty-three years ago I decided to stop participating in it. Almost a year after we stopped going to the Kingdom Hall my wife and I wrote a DA letter. We wrote the letter to make sure they knew we decided to join and voluntarily and we left voluntarily. During that year we voted in the 1988 election, celebrated Halloween and Christmas, our oldest son's birthday, my wife's birthday, I grew a beard (not allowed at the time) and generally did whatever the hell we wanted. We wrote the letter when it became obvious the elders were coming after us and accepted the fact that family and friends were going to shun us.
That is the point here: there is no get out of JW jail free card. If you stop participating, at some point they will shun you. I'm concerned that some one who doesn't know any better will see this form you've cooked up and think they've found an easier softer way. Such a path doesn't exist. Freedom is a struggle, and there will be hardships. We do a disservice by leading some to believe it won't be hard.
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84
QUITTING QUIETLY here is the Canadian version of the document
by gone for good ina while back, i suggested that an easy, quick, quiet exit with the signing and dating of a concise and irrefutable document would spur faders and pimos to preempt the elders' interference by quitting quietly first , before a fade or a confrontation.
here is the document .
https://1drv.ms/w/s!avoitfxyvyqghq3gbmkhfyqp_jqp?e=8bttg1.
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JeffT
There's been something nagging at the back of my mind while reading this thread, I finally figured it out tonight. Go to Youtube and do a search for "Sovereign Citizen." You will be treated to hours of video of knuckleheads armed with some paperwork they downloaded off the internet arguing with cops about how they don't need driver's licenses, insurance etc because those laws don't apply to them. I think we have the same thing going on here. The only reason they don't end the same way is because the elders can't arrest you.
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84
QUITTING QUIETLY here is the Canadian version of the document
by gone for good ina while back, i suggested that an easy, quick, quiet exit with the signing and dating of a concise and irrefutable document would spur faders and pimos to preempt the elders' interference by quitting quietly first , before a fade or a confrontation.
here is the document .
https://1drv.ms/w/s!avoitfxyvyqghq3gbmkhfyqp_jqp?e=8bttg1.
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JeffT
Strange that you can picture a comedy sketch, but you can't possibly picture a dignified, irrefutable way to extricate yourself quietly and quickly from the authority of a family destroying c--t.
I liked Simon's SNL skit. What I can't picture is why I need a piece of paper full of pseudo-legal babbling to stop participating in something I no longer wish to participate in. I just told them I wasn't interested anymore. It was dignified and irrefutable.
