what were the most sinificant news events concerning the watchtower org.
for the year 2010.thanks to the internet we are now all able to see so many news stories exposing the watchtower.granted some of these stories are good public relations, but for the most part the stories coming across the net are a major embarrassment for the jehovah's witnesses.
what news about the org.
Adding to slimboyfat's list:
8. MTS school is done away with, and 2 schools are formed: one for single brothers, and the other for couples.
9. The Pioneer Assist program is over.
10. Downloads of magazines and other publications available at jw.org, also the elders submitting now the monthly reports from the web.
the concept that "god is love" comes, for christians, from the letters of john.. on another thread p sac.
said "god is love, reconcile that with...(the matter being discussed in the thread, babies in hell) and then get back to me".. my question is, was john saying that the god of scripture is "love" , for that is mighty hard to "reconcile", or was he saying that when we humans "love" we have found the divine ?.
I do believe in God as a superior and intelligent being. But the concept of him being 'love' is sometimes hard to reconcile with reality. For example Rom 1:20 says "For his invisible [qualities] are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made..".
I always had a hard time watching a Discovery Channel documentary on wild animals or biology and thinking about God as love. Things that come to mind include predator behaviour amongst animals, same species cannibalism, competitive behaviours, mating rituals (some particularly violent), etc. Many were really gory and painful to watch. I don't know if anyone else felt the same about this, maybe it's just me.
i've already written "my story".
i've been "out" for 35 years.
but that is not a story that contains the little stuff.
Yes, I'm also new here and would like to hear your firsthand experiences. I came into the 'truth' this last decade, and it'd be interesting to read how the JW experience was like in the '50s and '60s.
1.the organization itself denies access to reality and substitutes its own version, interpretations and meanings.. a.only watchtower approved publications are allowed.. b.no higher education is to be pursued.. c.no non-jw friends or associations are encouraged with their "outside" points of view.. d.no free-style questioning of doctrine or criticism permitted.
curiousity is verboten.. e.threat of being "marked" or disassociated looms over them.
2.between every real-world event and the rank and file jw's mind is a roadblock.. a.the moment of identifying is short-circuited by an interpretive moment of re-labeling in watchtower-speak.. b.all things happening are forced into a narrow storyline and propagandized as end times happenings leading to armageddon.. 3.social and personal identity is expunged and replaced by a collective persona: "jehovah's witness".. a.private thinking is red-flagged as selfish and sinful.. b.personal improvement, welfare and ambition is crushed and door-to-door ministry substituted as "worthy" endeavors.. c.self-conscious obsession permeates witness awareness as each person is transformed into a public spectacle of performance for judgement.. d.since you aren't an individual you don't really have a right to fall in love and marry or educate or earn.
2.Between every real-world event and the rank and file JW's mind is a roadblock.
a.The moment of identifying is short-circuited by an interpretive moment of RE-LABELING in Watchtower-speak.
b.All things happening are forced into a narrow storyline and propagandized as End Times happenings leading to Armageddon.
This point particularly stood out to me. When talking about everyday events with a JW the discussion often steers in the direction of the 'last days', 'worldly people' displaying traits found at 2 Tim 3:1-5, them going from bad to worse, and ultimately Armageddon.
for me..... (1) new job.. (2) moving to canada.. (3) continue to hit the gym most days.. (4) no armaggedon.. what will the new year bring for you or what resolutions will you make?.
.
think about it .
A DA letter, and disassociation as a result.
A new outlook on life
More dance classes
More 'worldly' friendships and fun activities
Considering other religions (within Christianity)
and most importantly: More love
january 8, 1947 awake!:.
excommunication is "altogether foreign to biblical teachings.".
it's an unbiblical roman catholic teaching by which "you are looked upon with the blackest contempt... being cursed and damned with the devil and his angels.".
very interesting indeed. thanks for bringing up this article. i have it bookmarked now.
my family was enmeshed with the wtbts for generations before my birth.
i'm certain it has been asked before but i am curious what brings others into the fold?
what was the attraction?
We lived in an ex-communist country in Europe where atheism was enforced. After the fall of communism we were thirsting for some faith or religion so we attended different churches. We didn't like the Orthodox church because there was no Bible teaching offered there. And then the JW missionaries knocked on our door. We had 0 Bible knowledge, and they used the Bible. We were impressed. You can imagine the rest.
not that i'm thinking about it, even for a brief nano-second, but something i have thought about is this, is there any way you could go back and not have people look at you with the stink eye?
after admitting your true feelings, how in the world could people ever look at you the same?
if you were in the situation of welcoming someone back, would you be able to look past the errors?
I'm still in but the day I'll walk out, it'll be game over.
i've been doing a lot of research lately and decided i'm not going to allow the losers in cheap suits to order me around like their dog.
they are not masters of my faith and have no authority to 'lord it over' me.. all the same, many even of the rulers actually put faith in him, but because of the pharisees they would not confess [him], in order not to be expelled from the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than even the glory of god.
- john 12:42-43 .
Mad Sweeney I appreciate your comment. For some time I was of the opinion that Russell was a decent man, in spite of the wrong prophecies. But after doing my research I came to realize that apart from being misguided, his character is quite inconsistent. These inconsistencies are reflected as you clearly pointed out, in his view of himself and the Bible.
Moshe that's excellent and so realistic. Too many JW make up compassionate excuses to skip get-togethers with 'worldly' people. And inwardly they resent what they miss out.
