Posts by JeffT

15

Jehovah’s Witnesses That Acted Like Humans

by minimus in

jw
friends

when you look back , did your witness associates act like normal human beings?

did any of them ever show compassion and feelings for a disfellowshipped person?.

any elders ever try to be kind to you, not “kind” as watchtower organization dictates, but truly kind and caring for you if you were experiencing difficulties?

JeffT

My first congregation was full of good people. It was part of what attracted me to the Watchtower. I remember one elder who was a pain, but most were OK. The others were pretty decent, especially the elder that married wife and I. After about ten years there, I left to go back to school. A few people discouraged the idea, this elder (he actually stepped down as an elder for a while because he couldn't handle the crap level) pulled me aside and told me to go for it, wife and I needed to get away from her family.

I sometimes wonder what the good ones are thinking now? Do they go to sleep at night, struggling with the knowledge that they wasted their lives?

22

Degree of Effectiveness of JW Letter Writing Form of Witnessing

by Disillusioned JW in

a newspaper article quotes a jw as saying "every (letter) i put in the mailbox, i feel, 'ah, this could reach somebody.

'" the article also quotes her as saying "we are accomplishing even more now than we were door-to-door because this way everybody in the house gets a chance to pick up that letter and respond to it.

it just feels good.

JeffT

this way everybody in the house gets a chance to pick up that letter and respond to it.

We got a letter a few days ago. We passed it around and everybody got a chance to laugh at it before I threw it in recycling. Is that what he means?

6

Non first hand..

by zachias in

jw
friends

there is a "jehovahs witnesses discussion forum" that ask for people to share "non first hand experiences you feel compelled to share."..

so stories about smurfs wandering about conventions for example.

yes "non first hand experiences you feel compelled to share.".

JeffT

It sounds impressive, but "Rumor" or "Gossip" would be easier to say more accurate.

27

With a whimper, not a bang

by JeffT in

jw
friends

the thread about old timers got me thinking about trends i see with the watchtower.

i've changed my opinion about where the organization stands.

when i joined the religion in 1973 it was dynamic, even the small congregation i attended sent out three or four pioneers.

JeffT

The thread about old timers got me thinking about trends I see with the Watchtower. I've changed my opinion about where the organization stands. When I joined the religion in 1973 it was dynamic, even the small congregation I attended sent out three or four Pioneers. The literature sounded deep, or it at least offered a lot to think about. When my wife and I left in 1988 it was already getting stale. My research started after sitting through a circuit assembly part about the dangers of higher education because the end of the world was so soon. I remember thinking "doesn't that mean it has to actually end at some point."

From everything I've seen there is nothing new going on, all the literature, talks etc just beat the same dead horses. I don't believe scandals, financial issues, or lawsuits will bring them down. Unless it completely rebuilds itself the Watchtower will die of boredom.

26

JWD oldtimers

by Gorb in

jw
friends

hi friends,.

are here still some oldtimers from the earlier jwd time?

gorby .

JeffT

I've been here about twenty years. I'd been out of the Watchtower about a dozen years at the point. I'm still interested in JW land.

31

What Do You Want To Talk About Regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses?

by minimus in

jw
friends

we do talk a lot about how this site doesn’t center on all things jw.

so what would you like to discuss?.

the floor is yours..

JeffT

I used to say that I had not seen a new thought in a Watchtower publication for years. Now I have to say I haven't seen a thought of any kind. How do the dubs manage to keep going? I'm particularly interested in how younger generations are managing.

11

Street-Talk with Jehovah's Witnesses

by Vanderhoven7 in

street-talk with jehovah's witnesses.

opening up a street-level dialogue with jehovah's witnesses:.

since this will probably be a one time occurrence, an important objective of any street encounter is to bless jws with doubt about their beloved organization.. after exchanging niceties, you might say something like:.

JeffT

A number of years ago I ran into a group doing street work in downtown Seattle. One guy approached me and starting talking about 1914 and the end of the world. I asked him if he'd read any of Russel's books. He said no. I told him he should, as Russell said 1914 would mark the end of the world, not the start of the last days. He mumbled something about Russell predicting big things and the conversation ended.

A few years ago I asked two JW's at my door about Jesus not being mediator. He insisted that Jesus was mediator to everybody, I asked him to look up when they changed that and come back and talk to me. (He didn't).

I liked asking them a question like that as I think its possible (although unlikely) they may look up the answer and be forced to think about it. This isn't really working anymore as they just say "look it up on JWdotborg"

11

Chinese Rocket Falling to Earth

by Simon in

as if the chinese haven't already done enough to the world recently, they have now let a 22 ton rocket go out of control and start falling to earth.

it's going 18,000 miles an hour and no one knows where it's going to hit but if it isn't water then it might leave a scuff mark.. the good news it is shouldn't be canada, as we're too far north.. the bad news is, well ... are you in canada or the same latitude or more north?.

chances are it will hit the pacific, but it's 2021 and the way things are going it could hit a major population area.. if it does hit anywhere with lots of people, i hope it twats the shit out of beijing..

JeffT

This has happened a few times over the years. I remember two from the seventies or eighties. Skylab hit western Australia which was probably as good as hitting water. The radioactive power generator for a soviet satellite hit Canada and sparked a major cleanup as it scattered pieces all over.

For a more recent (and unfortunate) example look at what happened when Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas. I expect something similar this time.

9

Blood Plasma hair treatment

by Steel in

i am a balding man.

mid 40s.

i just shave it really close so it’s looks like a choice.

JeffT

Bald men don't waste our hormones growing hair.

5

Anyone have stories about this?

by Biahi in

just reading on reddit...witnesses coming over to someone’s home after a death in the family to ‘pick over’ their possessions or asking about if they left any money to the cult?

i remember, at my previous place of employment, a mexican immigrant at my workplace, had converted to jw from catholic, although i did try to talk him out of it.

this has to be over 25 years ago.

JeffT

I can think of three cases where something like that happened, none involved JW's or the Watchtower in any capacity. JW's don't have a lock on bad behavior. The worst one was an employer who got in a fight with his sisters over an oceanfront vacation house. By the time I quit working for him they hadn't spoken to each other for at least a year.

I'm very thankful my siblings and I were able to settle our parent's estate without a fight. Mostly that is because Mom and Dad worked with a top notch estate lawyer, everything was settled before either one of them was even sick. There's a lesson in that.