Don't forget all that wonderful 'encouragement' and 'upbuilding'..
Honestly, it's very awkward making conversation with people you've known for years but don't really care about that much. I'm sure some feel the same way about me. LOL
everything that is done at the midweek meeting can now be done at home.
the videos are online, the first talk is scripted, the bible highlights are scripted.
you could get the same experience by just reading and watching the material from your tablet.
Don't forget all that wonderful 'encouragement' and 'upbuilding'..
Honestly, it's very awkward making conversation with people you've known for years but don't really care about that much. I'm sure some feel the same way about me. LOL
everything that is done at the midweek meeting can now be done at home.
the videos are online, the first talk is scripted, the bible highlights are scripted.
you could get the same experience by just reading and watching the material from your tablet.
Everything that is done at the midweek meeting can now be done at home. The videos are online, the first talk is scripted, the bible highlights are scripted. You could get the same experience by just reading and watching the material from your tablet. There is absolutely nothing to miss by not going to the midweek meeting.
-when i was in my early teens we were studying the revelation book for the second time.
the first time i didn't understand much but the second time i remember that my family had quite a lengthy discussion about the lake of fire.
they were trying make sense of the scripture and the jw interpretation.
-When I was in my early teens we were studying the Revelation book for the second time. The first time I didn't understand much but the second time I remember that my family had quite a lengthy discussion about the lake of fire. They were trying make sense of the scripture and the JW interpretation. My young mind just started thinking that it didn't really matter if we understood it or not, it was in the book so it was what we believed.
-1995 The WT changes the view on what a generation is for the first time. My dad who isn't a JW but knew all about the generation teaching says "Oh, I guess they had to change that those anointed were getting pretty old." Part of me agreed with him that that was the real reason. However, I never said anything to anyone about that, instead I followed the rest of my family in thinking that my dad was just cynical and too lazy to be a JW. LOL
- I don't remember the particular year but at the regional convention there was a talk with new light about who the Princes were of Isaiah. Well, after what was probably one the most boring talks ever the brother got to the point, the princes and chieftains were the Elders of the congregation. That they would have a special place in the Paradise as leaders of God's people. I remember thinking that this was a good way to motivate brothers to reach out to be Elders.
- The WT article "Feeding The Many, Through The Hands Of The Few" comes out and again everyone is trying "make it make sense". I didn't really even try, I felt like the brothers were purposely trying to cut down the role of the anointed and raise themselves up above it. Sure, we all knew that the brothers in Bethel were the ones really in charge but why was there this need to make it so clear? Were they afraid that there would be divisions in the org? Also, this new light erased the previous idea that their were always honest hearted ones who God considered part of the slave class. That idea was appealing and seemed strange to change it.
-Again, I forget the year but it was another RC. It was the last talk of the convention, we had been promised very exciting new light. The last talk arrives and it is about the book of Daniel and the feet of iron and clay. Without any real scriptural explanation the brother starts in on how we used to think the feet of clay would be a time when other weaker nations would grow in prominence. Now though it was adjusted to mean that we were already in the feet of clay. That the world powers had already been weakened by different factions within their own countries. As an attendant I looked around at people in the audience and noticed that unlike when I was growing up people weren't very enthusiastic about the new light. No one really even mentioned it, it seemed like it was changed for the sole purpose of making it seem that Armageddon was imminent.
-2013 The article "Seven Dukes, Eight Shepherds" mostly the article was all over the place. The only thing that stood out to me was that now infamous quote and how they want Elders to obey any directive given and in turn the average publisher. Around the same time they released the drama "Walk By Faith, Not By Sight" which also drove home the message of listening to direction rather than using your own thinking. This combined with another fear mongering article complete with JWs huddled in basement really flipped the switch for me to start thinking about what I really was involved in.
jw's want to begin a study through their new "what does the bible really teach?
" book.
should a non-jw study with them just to point out the contradictions and muddled thinking in the book?
No, if you're not a JW then they won't listen to you anyway you would be wasting your time. If they suspect that you are looking at any apostate material they will write you off and stop listening to anything you have to say. JWs are instructed that they are to look for "right hearted ones." What this really means is that they are to look for people who want to believe and be taught, not people who want to debate or challenge doctrine.
wasn't sure where to put this but .... .
so mr bsom and i got to talking and we got to wondering if there aren't other compound like buildings being structured, or if assembly halls have been built with greater living quarters?
the entirety of this situation is really beginning to shape up like the davidians or jim jones.
I'm realizing that w exjws there's probably two schools of thought....
a) People who think that the GB are in it for the $$
b) People who think that the GB are delusional whackadoodles who think they're the bees knees.
c) People who think the GB are manipulators but not for money, simply for power and control. There is no way to look at some of the content they have been releasing and not see that they are clearly and intentionally manipulating people's emotions. The whole GT bunker video series is not really about the GT at all, it is about modifying JWs thoughts and actions to be more in line with WT. I think they all know that most of what they say is rubbish. They may feel that the ends justify the means or that people will ultimately be happier as JWs. However, there is no way they believe these end time scenarios and prophecies that they use to keep people in line.
wasn't sure where to put this but .... .
so mr bsom and i got to talking and we got to wondering if there aren't other compound like buildings being structured, or if assembly halls have been built with greater living quarters?
the entirety of this situation is really beginning to shape up like the davidians or jim jones.
No, because they know the GT is fake and bunkers cost a lot of money. Kool-aid packets can be shipped to individual Kingdom Halls, problem solved. LOL
i watched the bunker videos again and noticed something strange.
even though none of the characters had actually been disloyal to the org when commended for their loyalty they all say "it wasn't always that way".
it was always that way, none of them had actually sinned!
Darryl, great point, if this is the great tribulation then what was it that JWs and others faced during Nazi Germany? What is it called when in many places right now JWs face extreme poverty? I think this video shows just how biased the GB is towards an American point of view.
i was just going through some of my talk outlines and i've decided to git rid of quite a few of them.
i'm still serving, but as time goes on... there are many subjects i will not teach anymore.. i got rid of the outlines dealing with blood, the field ministry, and ones talking about 607 and 1914. i can barely stand hearing them let alone give them.
in fact, talk 41 "stand still and see the salvation of jehovah" is one i got rid of because its whole point was about having blind obedience toward the gb and the elders during the great tribulation, and that we need to start practicing obedience now if we want to survive.
Don't remember the title but there is one about creation that tries to disprove evolution. Absolutely ridiculous! It takes the debatable points and tries to argue those but avoids the hard questions that JWs just can't answer.
i watched the bunker videos again and noticed something strange.
even though none of the characters had actually been disloyal to the org when commended for their loyalty they all say "it wasn't always that way".
it was always that way, none of them had actually sinned!
unbelievable paragraph in yesterday's watchtower was "encouraging" the sheep to not have kids.
most of their growth comes from the born ins and they are still on about not having kids?.
then it went on to "encourage" those that do have kids or grandkids not to spend to much time with them and instead to spend their time serving kingdom interests!.
It's statements like this that make me suspect they really believe their own nonsense. If they were cynical about the end times and more interested in growth, there's no way they would discourage having children, is there?
I have the feeling that they like to throw different things out there because they know it will appeal to different groups. For example they may have an article on how children are a blessing from Jehovah. This appeals to young families and encourages them to raise their kids "in the truth". Then you have a statement like this which may appeal to young couples who don't have kids who want to travel, learn a language etc. Now they have a way to do those things while still being super spiritual. They know that people are going to have kids no matter what, it is human nature, so I doubt they will ever feel the need to encourage having more kids.