although i was exposed to the jw's as a child as the only religion i knew, i was not a jw until i got out of the navy as a conscientious objector.
so i was typical "worldly" when i hit 18 out of high school and i got to see the world before personal catastrophy involving heavy drinking made me turn to the lies that i thought were "the truth.
" so just over 30 years ago, i got the special privilege of serving as the original crew of a brand new ship with a crew slightly over 200. i served 5 years on the "uss worldly" and then left to become a jw.. when you are the first crew, you learn together how to use that ship, how to run things smoothly.
After breaking with the JWs some 20 years ago, I found that I was unable to move on until I had re-discovered the person I was before the Watchtower madness took hold. This process took a number of years to complete, but was worth it - and also contained some very pleasant surprises:
I'm happy to report that my pre-JW associates have accepted me back into the fold unconditionally
- and that was one of them!
Bill.
early this morning i get a phone call from my jw brother i have not heard from in 5 yrs .the first thought in my head was someone has died .
so i answer cautiously ......hi is everything okay ?
he just starts talking as if we had always been in contact.
Interesting that over the years he could justify not having a relationship with you, because the Bible tells him not to, yet kept on over-drinking.
In my experience, an all too common situation amongst the Witnesses:
- If not shunning a DF/DA relative, then there is will be some other outward show of piety (like "gets his hours in" or similar)
- meanwhile, his best friend continues to be a character called James Boag!
Bill
i've been thinking about something lately that bothers me.
i mean it happened years ago, but it just seems really sick.
when i was disfellowshipped, my sister took all of her pictures that had me in it, cut me out and saved the rest of the pictures.
I well and truly got in my father's bad books over the JW religion - not when I left it, though, rather the opposite.
He didn't object when I got baptised in September, 1972. The stuff hit the fan blades some three months later, when the elders made me throw in my apprenticeship ( the "end was too near", and all that!).
The immediate effect of that was to cause one almighty brawl, when my father stormed into my place of work, intent on punching me clean into the middle of next week! While never much of a one for violence, on that occassion I felt obliged to protect myself by hitting back in exactly the same manner - maybe even a little worse.
Anyway, for four years after that, my name was never even mentioned at home. And after my father's death, I found some family photos in which my face had been removed.
That whole sorry business caused a rift in the family that never was completely healed.
Bill.
does anyone personally know jws serving on the writing committee?.
what is their outlook regarding the end; are they still truly convinced?.
are they expressing doubts or seem demotivated?.
All very good observations!
Never to be underestimated, though, is the way that propaganda can work even on those expounding it:
i.e. if you either hear enough lies being told for long enough, or tell enough lies for long enough, you can end up believing it yourself.
This has been the experience of a number of persons who have lived under totalitarian rule.
For example, Robert W. Ford, an Englishman who operated Tibet's radio system, was taken prisoner when the Communist Chinese invaded that country in 1950. As a prisoner, Ford was subjected to a merciless program of indoctrination ("brainwashing"). He figured thay if he wanted an early release (or even any release at all) he had better pretend to go along with this indoctrination program. However, he later remarked that the scary thing about this was, that towards the end of his time as a prisoner, he was actually starting to believe this nonsense.
I strongly suspect that Crazy Fred Franz, the deluded bloody fool that he was, ended up believing his own propaganda about 1975.
No wonder the more extreme cult leaders are so easily able to convince everyone (including themselves) to swallow a cyanide cocktail!
Bill.
every once in a while i hear people purposely make fun of jws, calling them hovas, jeehoovers, etc.
i don't think that's a good way to reach them..
It may not be the best way to reach them, but oh boy, it always makes me feel good!
Bill.
jw's often say they don't serve with any dates in mind.
but the fact is many of them can't fathom why the end just hasn't come yet.
since 2014 marks 100 years of invisible rule many witnesses can't help but think this has some special meaning.
If their activity is in any way "ramping up" around here, I have seen no evidence of it yet!
The last time they called in at our house was over 12 months ago, during the Memorial invitation campaign for lastyear.
Bill.
jehovah's witnesses have always been a fringe, anti-intellectual movement, almost by definition.
there is nothing new about faddish health concerns, attitudes that ignore history and science or even beliefs that defy common sense ( false prophecy for what, 130+ years?).
however, there are two differences with jw's of the past that will prove critical for the survival of the organization today.. 1) poor financial conditions - in the past, it was possible to hold all sorts of nonsensical beliefs and still be a functional member of the human race, generally.
"it means that the WTS is accumulating ever greater numbers of weak, dependent people with empty wallets and fragile health"
And the JWs are singularly ill-equipped to deal with people who are in this state. How many times did you hear it spelled out:
- "Jehovah's organisation is here for only one purpose, to preach the good news of the kingdom."
Anybody requiring welfare existence is directed to whatever services are provided by the state - or if these are unavailable or insufficient, to those offered by charitable institutions.
Furthermore, they have no qualms whatsoever about directing their own R&F to charitable services that may be provided by the much-maligned "Churches of Christendom".
I experienced this directly some 30 years ago, when my children were very young and my wife was hospitalised for three months. Accused by the congregation of "trying to use people" when I sought some help with caring for my children, I received instead assistance from a group run by the local churches. I tell you, the irony of that was not lost on the people of the small town in which we lived!
Bill.
no, we havent.
on the contrary, when we have discovered that our beliefs were not completely in line with the bible, we have changed our beliefs.. is this correct?.
gods name in greek scriptures?
Practically all translations of the bible contain doctrinal bias, the New World Translation is no exception.
Bill.
being a jw is amazing!
who agrees with me??.
the jw is a protection from the world.
The ten best things about being a JW:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
l
hi everyone, i was discussing with a family member recently and was encouraged to at least consider the benefits of being raised in the truth.
for example,i'm not a drunk, don't do drugs, respect others etc.
the point is i've found lots of nonwitness friends who have similar behavior.. growing up, when a worldly person does something good like help someone i'll hear things like "that's nice of him, for a nonwitness.
"it comes as a surprise when you see how roughly and frumpily dressed local witnesses are"
Good point, Steve2.
The scruffiest individual I ever knew was always"properly" turned out in white shirt, sports coat and tie:
- BUT......... what is that expression you have in New Zealand?
- something about having looked like they had just "been dragged backwards through a gorse hedge"
Bill.
