i was under the impression that the watchtower headquarters in brooklyn contained all the literature in every language.
well imagine my surprise when after traveling all the way to new york and burning about $50 on cab fare that the only book they had in the langauge i needed was a songbook.
if literature in foreign languages are stored in brooklyn, where else are they kept in the u.s?.
I was also dissapointed by the bookroom at 25 Columbia heights - they had some hard-to-find litterature, but wasn't an impressive by any means.
Of course, I was 'still in' when I'd visited - just couldn't care less now.
EDITED TO ADD:
Then again, EVERY DAY is a Wasted Day at Watchtower Headquarters!
my washer recently went out.
i wo't be able to get a new one until next month.
so i have been using laundermats for the last two motnhs.
How delightfully subversive!
i was wondering about that half-table/half-podium thing that jw's use on the platform.
is that unique to jw's & do they build them, like shakers had their own furniture?.
In southern Ontario, most platform furniture (lecterns/"podiums", sisters' table, etc) were originally made at the Canada Branch - now they're made by a millwork company owned by -you guessed it- a brother. All have the same design (flaws).
if the carrot and stick aspect of being jehovahs witnesses upset you how do you reclaim your desire for reward?
i'm assumng that you all agree with me that feeling rewarded is a basic human desire.
how much effort do you think we should put into trying to make our lives rewarding?
There are pretty basic rewards, such as being able to sleep in and have a "normal" weekend, or not having to go door-knocking in the cold of winter and the unforgiving heat of summer, not being forced to wear skirts for women, or being able to grow a beard for men.
The most satisfying benefit, on an emotional (or daresay, spiritual) level, is the reward of mental honesty. The ability to think, speak and act as one sees fit according to a reasoned and rational philosophy that is open to challenge and debate.
an older man on the elder body i was on, once said at an elders meeting, just prior to a co visit:.
"brothers we want to be careful not to bring up any dirty laundry with bro...co when he comes to visit" i didn't say anything at the time because i was duly doing my duty as a non thinking jw or at least non speaking and i also knew i was outnumbered.. even though i put this in quotes, i really don't remember exactly what he said but the general idea is there.. so the question is, has anyone else had a similar experience?.
perhaps some may have some thoughts on the many shows that go on in a kingdom hall..
My experience has been very similar. I'd say it's a fairly common sentiment, although most PO's/CoBE's aren't so blunt as to spell it out. There's an understanding that when "the boss" comes to visit, t's are crossed and i's dotted and there's no room for dissenters.
Of course, there's always a group of disgruntled/exasperated ones who insinuate their way into the CO's schedule, "airing dirty laundry" before meetings, during meals and in FS - I've known many in this group. When the body finds out, there's always some form of retribution.
Jehovah's Spirit-Directed Organization, indeed!
another thing my jw friend says to me when i question the wt is, "what would their motivation be?
they're so humble and no-one gets paid except a basic living allowance for the workers at bethel.
they're not like those other rotten 'ministries' whose leaders get paid a lot of money, etc.".
Simon17 gave a very good summary of the reasons.
1) Most honestly believe they are serving God in the only correct manner
Very true for most (but not all) JW's. About the purest motive you could list, but probably the weakest one as well.
2) (for the R&F) The feeling of belonging to something specialWe hear about this all the time from the platform, because it's a known motivator: the "united international brotherhood" that only we, as a special group, are part of. This feeling of being part of an "inner circle" within society as a whole is very powerful. For those who are socially disadvantaged (broken families, nomadic upbringings, or pretty much any born-in JW), having a prepackaged set of 'friends' lovebombed to you upon baptism
3) (for the higher ups) The feeling of power/authority/respect and influencePeople can get drunk off having Power, Recognition and Influence, however petty (or significant) it actually is (remember Hall Monitors in school?) In an environment where cleaning the toilets is a privilege, any smidgen of authority becomes incredibly potent.
4) (For the higher ups) Lack of real monetary worry...Add to this a level of luxury not readily visible to the rank-and-file publisher. Rutherford's excesses are well-known, what with his depression-era Cadillacs, or Beth-Sairim - but even now, who among us really knows how the higher-ups live and travel? Want to visit Europe? I've never been, but I'm sure any one of them can appear at any Convention or visit any Branch they want, and it's a done deal. I doubt those at the helm sleep two-to-a-room in cramped dorm-style rooms - their living standards likely surpass 90% of the 7+ million members they represent.
They proudly announce there are no salaries, true; but as any HR rep will tell you, "a salary is only one part of your Total Compensation."
id like everyone to share there most memorable meeting attendance they had.
for whatever reason.
id like to thank everyone for there comments who read my introduction post.
It seems pretty fitting that the favorite meeting is usually the last one - as was also my case.
I was a few months into my fade when I got a call to help with a service meeting demonstration on the last part of the meeting. I agreed: one last hurrah, why not? Everyone's usually fidgety by the end of the night anyway, so why not give them something to remember?
So I showed up about five minutes before the part was to begin - really didn't have the patience to sit through any more drivel than I had to. The time comes and we go up... it was A BLAST! Instead of the usual 'stand-in-place-and-present' skit, we roamed the platform, came down off it and used the adjacent room -usually a literature counter- as a separate 'house' - we EVEN had someone hide in there beforehand and come to "answer the door" as we knocked - the whole audience was in stitches by the end of it. I could smell the fumes coming out of some elders' ears.
Did anyone learn anything? Sure hope not. But it definitely was a meeting to remember, hopefully for more than just me.
It was fun to leave on a high note while making a bit of a mockery of the whole thing.
i see alot of new names here lately and if you look at the log on names here there are thousands who have moved on....every 2 years the posters change.....some vent and leave, others stay on for years.
i guess moving on with your life is a good thing, i think this site helps...any thoughts?.
This is probably my first meaningful post on here - I've been lurking for a long time, yes!
From the very beginning I've considered this site to be a great resource to observe what others are going through. I used it to validate my own experiences, discover new aspects to the hipocrisy we called "The Truth" and as a still-active JW carefully plan my fade.
Now this may be due to some lingering bitterness in me, but I would rather cast off my JW/ex-JW identity as soon as possible and never look back. I say this knowing full well that my own awakening wouldn't have been possible without the contributions of people (such as Ray Franz, Barbara Anderson, Randall Watters) who've embraced and shared their history with the organization to help the rest of us wake up to reality.
Perhaps it's because I've spent the first half of my life being defined as a "JW" that I don't wish to spend the other half as a recovering "ex-JW." In the meantime, I'm happy to spend time with the (mostly) caring and intelligent people on this board.
the new, new, new, new light on the generation: just believe it -- or else!.
the watchtower, august 1st, 2001 issue, page 14, paragraph 8:.
"first, since oneness is to be observed, a mature christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned.
I don't understand why was the New Light on "this generation" needed, anyway?
1995 saw the elimination of the troublesome doctrine linking the "generation" to 1914 - very few of whom were alive then, even less (if any) now. Now they were a timeless "class" of people - first the wicked, then the annointed. This once-pivotal doctrine was now neutralized and neatly set aside. Why mess with it?
What possible motivation could there be? It couldn't be to impart any sense of "urgency" - the overlapping generation doctrine has pushed The End back another 30 or 50+ years. That's not "urgent" at all, so why bother?
Or, are they sifting out the ones who were intellectually dissatisfied to begin with, to have a core group of zealots who will believe anything they're spoonfed? (I remember a post by Mad Sweeney here). That would explain the mental pestering I seem to notice more and more.
w07 8/1 pp.
12-13 serving jehovahan honor and a privilege beyond compare***.
eventually, on july 22, 1924, i was baptized in symbol of my dedication to jehovah.
I suppose New Light™ revealed the term to be incompatible with 2Cor 2:17?
"...we are not peddlers of the word of God as many men are..."
