Posts by MMXIV

51

Categories of Former Jehovah's Witnesses

by neverendingjourney in

jw
friends

i was never disfellowshipped, but it's been about 10 years since i was an active jw.

i've made an occasional meeting or half-day at an assembly here or there, strictly at the behest of family (maybe once a year), but i'm completely disconnected.

more importantly, mentally i'm 100% free.. we all have a tendency to project our views and beliefs onto others, and tending to believe that other former jws share our views is no different.

MMXIV

This site is poisonous. Not because it speaks against JW’s but because all of you are not concerned with the truth. Are you all out volunteering you time in support of the orphans, sick, and poor no. You all are focused on internalized anger, regret, and confusion.

Judge&Jury70 please lets consider volunteering - I suspect you mean more than some numbers on a piece of paper of hours spent in the so called ministry. I suspect you are talking about what JW's do to actually help the sick, the orphans or the poor. I for one have always been interested in the millions of poor orphans displaced in refugee camps. It was a surprise to me to learn they would be there on average for 7-10 years. So they would also lose out on any education too during their childhood. To run those camps takes serious organisation, serious funds and serious volunteers. Yet the WBTS damns the organisations who try and help and yet does nothing itself to help them. You see a dying orphan needs medical care, food, education, a sustainable living - not the damnation from a religious cult of those who would dare to try and provide those things?

Next time you visit a refugee camp on the boarders of Syria or in the Sudan please let us know of the extensive work of JW's to help those sick, poor orphans. Before you judge those on JWN with your "free thought", your reductive accusations and own misdirected anger please consider what volunteering actually is. Until that point don't judge those on this site for debate or indeed expressing anger and regret. You've already judged us, judged me - but you don't know me or what I do.

mmxiv

PS I'm in group 3 with a little of group 4 (although according to Judge&Jury70 we're all in one poisonous group )

29

We shall dress with modesty (1Tim2:9), why dress like rich lawyers or wealthy financiers?

by Mr Fool in

in my point of view, modest clothing is simple and humble.

so why are jw-men dressed like they own a big company or are challangers to the president post?

.

MMXIV

My wardrobe changed drastically since I'm no longer a JW. It's now more modest and less for show.

I wore good suits and had a huge array of ties. Now as an ex-JW I'm in jeans nearly all the time - I sometimes dust off a suit but am actually overdressed when I do so. The rare times I meet very senior people (on 8 figure salaries) they're in business casual with no tie or often they are in jeans also.

What I wear to work as a business professional I wouldn't be allowed on the ministry or in the kingdom hall. But then I do have worldly standards now and JW's have more godly standards in everything including attire.

mmxiv

77

What does your screen name/avatar mean and what does it stand for

by BU2B in

jw
friends

and why did you choose it?

if you have a avatar, what is it and why did you pick it?.

ok ill start.

MMXIV

i thought about the year that would indicate JW's truly had it wrong about the end coming according to their generation teaching (well according to one of their generation teachings). I didn't spend long thinking about it - wanted to get in on a thread. It's a bit impersonal really and I think a more friendly name might have represented me better - but I don't think we judge people too much by their avatar (or do we??).

mmxiv

35

Most Irritating Thing About The Jw's

by integ in

for me it is the smugness.

it's their inability and refusal to admit they are wrong....ever...even in the face of irrefutable evidence.

isn't pride a sin?

MMXIV

all of the above and...

JW's assume they have full rights to your possessions, your house, your car and your petrol. If you're on holiday well surely they should get to house-sit and enjoy something better than their existence. Gatherings arranged and assumed that your house will be used although you're asked as an afterthought. That people decide you need to give strangers a lift home or collect people that live a long way away when clearly you are not a taxi-driver.

That whatever you contribute in terms of time, energy, resources - this is almost instantly forgotten. You are judged by last month's "report" (whatever that piece of paper really achieves) and not for years of previous service.

The judging. that brother shouldn't have spent so much on a car, this sister is wearing a new dress again bla bla. The endless judging of what people have and what they do with their time and that they feel they have the right to give "advice" on the topic. Ironically I've never known a more materialistic, time wasting bunch of people.

mmxiv

19

Will Generational Teaching Affect Recruitment?

by bemused in

this is my first post, so let me introduce myself briefly.

i am not, nor ever have been, a jw but i have a close family member who has been a witness for many years.

i have been curious about my relatives beliefs for some time but have only recently looked in any detail at what witnesses actually believe, which led me to this site.. i have seen references to changes to generational teaching but have not really understood what it was all about until i read the article let your kingdom come but when?

MMXIV

Welcome bemused,

Don't apologise, topics often get repeated - many from slightly different angles and different posters contribute.

The new generation teaching I doubt will be used on the door to door ministry - it cannot be proven or logically derived at from scripture so simply won't get used. It's now a teaching for those who have been in the faith for some time.

I used the old generation teaching in the 90's quite often on the ministry - not that I managed to convert anyone. It was simple - anyone could grasp it and it made sense (based on the big assumption of 1914).

I suspect new recruits are mostly the kids of JW's (although the majority of those seem to leave in teenage years) or foreign language territories where a high proportion believe in God and the personal contact for JW's seems appealing.

The new generation teaching is one example of many crazy beliefs or traditions. Like JW's don't celebrate or attend birthdays because the two times they are mentioned in the bible something bad happened. Well the dozens of times dogs are mentioned in the bible they are always in the most negative way, yet JW's don't have an issue with owning them as pets - somewhat inconsistent.

mmxiv

46

What are the buzz words or trigger for JWs?

by UBM101 in

i read steve hassan's book and he mentioned about buzz words or triggers that call out the cult personality of a victim of mind controlling cult.

when you were in, what triggered you?.

MMXIV

"sadly they left the truth"

"sadly they chose to give up"

"sadly they chose what Satan's world had to offer"

"sadly" I chose life, freedom, the ability to question, education, fulfilling career, joy, friendship, fun, holidays, personal achievements, hobbies.

mmxiv

102

Ran into a witnessing table at the park today

by confusedandalone in

i just got in from my daughters homecoming(she is a cheerleader and these guys make a huge deal out of this stuff).

they play 3 football games of various age groups.

it starts at 8 in the morning and just ended at 1:30. i just got in the house literally 5 minutes ago and i had to share.

MMXIV

Bushel / light? Well done to those sisters. I'm confident in assuming they hate doing FS. They are embarrassed of being JW's. They are used to going to conventions and sitting for a whole day listening to boring talks so chatting to a friend for 5 hours seems a decent Saturday morning.

It beautifully sums up how inefficient and pointless their work is, how unmotivated their workforce is and how far removed they are from the early days of the cult.

If these were paid sales staff they would be fired immediately.

mmxiv

406

Goodbye JWD/JWN (my last post)

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

after some considerable thought i have decided that i will no longer post on this forum because i want to return to jehovah.

thank you for all the kindness and many interesting discussions over the years.

i wish you all well in the future and the decisions you make.

MMXIV

Slim, be sure to know that you are free to follow whatever course you will and hold whatever opinion - I won't shun you for it. You're welcome back here whenever you like (no need to make any formal apology to our community) and post your progress or thoughts. Best of luck (clearly hoping it's a joke but understand if it's not).

mmxiv

81

What are you NOT allowed to say as a Jehovahs Witness?

by The Quiet One in

"one of the bible study was listening and singing the song by jason mraz titled lucky with the chorus going like this;.

quote.

'i'm lucky i'm in love with my best friend.. lucky to have been where i have been.. lucky to be coming home again.. lucky we're in love in every way.. lucky to have stayed where we have stayed.. lucky to be coming home someday..'.

MMXIV

When will sisters give public talks?

The internet is a really good place for research

We'll contact the legal department after we call the police

I'm going to spend the whole of saturday morning down the gym

We are so lucky to have the UN fighting for our human rights

That ex-JW became really successful and is quite happy since leaving

What a waste of time that assembly was

I really hope the end of the world doesn't happen

72

New Understanding of this Generation

by pronomono in

another tidbit of information about this generation from the 1/15/2014 study edition under "let your kingdom come - but when?".

they've changed it again.. this generation will not pass away14-16.

what is a third reason for believing that gods kingdom will come soon?.

MMXIV

losingit - spot on about the new bible as a distraction and clearly this being the first study article of 2014 they are trying damage control. This was planned a while ago to counter the 2014 embarrassment.

They have changed the language from "evidently" to "we understand".

We understand this generation doesn't mean overlapping generations or two generations otherwise why did he say this generation?

We understand the WBTS has to delicately extract themselves from making false promises of living forever to millions of people.

We understand that many of those who believed those promises died and many have grown old.

We understand that is the human tragedy - they lived and died believing a lie because it was printed in a magazine and repeated over and over.

mmxiv