nugget

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Posts by nugget

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  44

  Is this true? Do the elders really do it like this?

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i put this week's wt paragraph about disfellowshipping on my fb page and said how poor robert's family didn't even check to see whether he was dead or alive in 16 years and a friend of mine of the 'conscious class' commented about how unchristian she felt disfellowshipping to this degree is, and i agreed.. another friend, and uber-jw who has a host of illnesses and yet pioneers, who everytime she and her husband go to another congregation, if he's not appointed within three years they move to another and try for an appointment there - he used to be an elder and no one is willing to promote him again- replied to my thread.

  now keep in mind she has a dfd son and she doesn't even know whether he is dead or alive, because she follows the wt to the tee.

  she replied, among other things,with this:.

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  nugget

  I took time to look at the questions for baptism and nowhere is disfellowshipping and the consequences properly discussed. When I was baptised it was a very general discussion talking about immorality and I could never imagine being in that position. So when a person makes the decision to be baptised the full implications and penalties should they change their mind are hidden from them.

  At the other end when the elders remonstrated with us over Facebookand JWN posts they never repeatedly explained the consequences. It was all top level and implications rather than specifics.

  In fact the doctrine on how to treat DF'd ones changes over time and is not fixed so how can anyone know how they will be treated from one year to the next.

  The person to be DF'd is no longer accepted as part of the congregation so their thoughts and feelings on the matter are considered irrelevent. It would only be necessary to show compassion if a JW felt there was an obligation to do so and currently there is not.

  The JW is trying to justify bad behaviour by making it all about the other person. The truth is she has a choice.
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  49

  Are we all bitter?

  by LouBelle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i posted a link on fb that lead to a topic here.

  i then had one of my 'friends' start having a go about how bitter everyone is here....fact he said.

  (he used to be a jw elder but left a while back, not sure why he left or if he has even researched the faith since leaving) the more i tried to reason with him that actually it is a support forum, the more he lashed out that everyone here bad mouths the jw's and only attack the jw's.

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  nugget

  I find that some people who leave are still a little sensitive to criticism of the organisation and are not ready to empathise with those who have had a bad experience.

  I appreciate that elders are conditioned to behave in a certain way and members are controled so I do not feel bitter towards individuals. I am less forgiving of those who control the congregations and publish the hate and contempt of others in the magazines. It would be hard to have a neutral point of view when you see the harm they do.
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  63

  Are the Witnesses Really Losing Their Young People?

  by What Now? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  that article about jehovah's witnesses having the lowest retention rate for born ins keeps popping up every now again ... i'm just curious if any of you have noticed that this is actually the case.

  in the congregation that i grew up in, i'm going to say that 95% of the young people in their teens to mid twenties are either regular pioneering, regular auxiliary pioneering, serving in foreign language congregations or where the need is greater.

  both of my younger sisters are regular pioneers - and the young people in their hall even organize 8 pm to midnight service on friday nights of their own accord.

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  nugget

  It depends on the congregation I think. However in the congregations I have known retention is poor. In my own family of 4 girls 3 of us are out only one is in. One of my sisters never got baptised and 2 of us woke up and left.

  It is a religion that offers nothing for the young. It is telling that the congregation mentioned by the OP is active in the ministry since this is the only way to gain any approval in the organisation.
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  66

  If 1914 is wrong then how is it that it was such a landmark year?

  by awakening in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is the question that came up in my mind.

  now dont get me wrong i know the dates from 607 - 1914 are rubbish, but how would you explain to a witness when they will automatically say, look at the momentus year 1914 was.

  that is evidence enough that 607 is correct!.

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  nugget

  coincidence which unfortunately hasn't helped them our since then. After all nothing momentous happened in 1975.
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  34

  JWs Lack of Love and Feelings

  by jemba in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have noticed the extreme lack of love in this group of people who preach love, love, love.. we recently had serious floods come through our area and the jws couldnt have cared less.

  our 'worldly' friends did sooo much for us though.

  raising money, giving gifts, cards, accomodation and so much support and hard work.. i personally think jws are one of the most insensitive, uncaring religions around.. three religious groups were absolutely wonderful during the flooding of our area.

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  nugget

  I think the organisation discourages it's members form offering physical assistance this conditioning means that it often doesn't occur to them to help. They are told that the society helps members, that they are first to the disaster area and that by contributing to the worldwide work they have done enough. All the literature says that preaching is the best help a witness can give.

  Some witnesses will go the extra mile and offer help and others are completely unmoved by the plight of others.
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  26

  In All Honesty Would You Have NOT Given Blood To Your Child If He or She Needed it?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a "faithful witness", i never had to deal with this on a personal level.

  i imagine the pressure must be extreme with the elders and others "supporting" you to do the right thing.. do you think you would have given blood to your family member, especially your child if you were in that situation..

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  nugget

  If my child needed blood to survive they would have had it. I wouldhave condemned myself before letting them die.
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  68

  Raphael Aron in The Age newspaper: Jehovah's Witnesses 'a cruel cult'

  by WinstonSmith in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this popped up on the age website today, might have to buy the paper tomorrow..... http://www.theage.com.au/national/jehovahs-witnesses-a-cruel-cult-20130315-2g5x3.html.

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  nugget

  I cannot believe the barefaced cheek saying shunning is a myth. The magazines and their own website highlight that shunning is considered an acceptable practice.

  There seems to be a lack of control in the official message with people going off message. The usual line is that family members chose for themselves whether to shun or not. Seems that the spokesman is a little rattled which is odd for them. They are under scrutiny like never before, I hope something solid results from this that helps to informn the congregations and improve practice.
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  25

  Shepherding call

  by lostinthought in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, on sunday i left the meeting and was sitting in my car putting my keys in the ignition, an elder pulled on my door handal and opened up.

  i rolled my eyes, this man is annoying...anyway he asked if i was going to be around wednesday.

  i told him i should be.

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  nugget

  text - "something has come up and I can't make it Wednesday". Next time they ask politely decline, thank them for their concern, but state that it is not possible at the moment and you will contact them when things have settled down.
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  34

  I need some advice please!!! I'm torn on what to do.

  by Gojira_101 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this morning i woke up thinking about a friend of mine, i will call her sara...here's some of the back story.. we grew up together and have always been good friends, even though we wouldn't stay in touch, we would just pick up where we left off.

  sara has always been different, and i never really knew what it was growing up, but i didn't care, she was my friend.

  so we lost touch for many years and then about 4 yrs ago when i went back to my home town, we reconnected.

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  nugget

  If she is your friend then be her friend. Reconnecting with important people in your life helps when y0ou are on the outside too. The sooner you start the better.
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  45

  A Mormon manages to awaken from mind control with a little help from Jehovah's Witnesses...

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a brilliant, honest, well presented video.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s4hqkiiz5a.

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  cedars.

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  nugget

  very interesting I woke up partly by looking at the history of the Mormon faith can work both ways.