Posts by Anony Mous

@slimboyfat: I speak at least 2 and understand at least 4 of those languages (and no, it's not Klingon). The idea that they are supposed to be 'written' is the disconnect here.

They're unwritten dialects, the idea that they should be written can be considered condescending, rude, politically motivated but an outside entity from the USA suddenly 'speaking' a language that they don't know, have no proper translators for and don't understand the history of just to convert people.

It's mostly extremists that are looking to promote this idea that a language is "better" or "proper" when it is written, whether it is colonists and missionaries or modern "highly educated" activists (notoriously, all those groups historically belong to the same political side), they all have the same motivation - let the educated tell you how to speak, read and write - if you speak a language where you can't do that, then you're not 'smart'.

As the above said, you can't show this to a 'real' Jamaican, because they don't know what it is, the written language of Jamaican Creole was created by an elite class for their own feel-good educated class politics. The orthography was literally invented by demand of the government and a few highly educated rich people in Jamaica a few decades ago and it hasn't caught on for a reason. Just like there is no written language of Flemish, Ebonics etc, and trying to solidify those languages into a strict written language with grammar and rules is sorely misunderstanding the historical and cultural reasons for its existence.

@slimboyfat: I look forward to seeing more translations of WTBTS literature in other politically charged written conlangs:

Ebonics; Scots; Irish; Esperanto; Toki Pona; Klingon; Flemish; Walloon; High Valerian

@elderberry: what other belief system sacrifices their children on the issue of blood? What other belief system lets their children be molested when there are no two witnesses? What belief system tears apart families through shunning, kidnapping, parental fraud and adoptive fraud? Because those are the things the organization makes itself guilty on, that is the direction the followers get from elders, CO and the branch office.

And JW don’t study the Bible, you “study” WTBTS literature.

In regards the membership differences, it’s well known in religious leadership that more people are attending but fewer people become members or tie themselves to a particular church.

As far as the nature of increasing, more young people and Democrats have been attending church, many are indeed trying to get away from religious extremism on their side. Republicans on the other hand have been leaving the classic church, especially in blue districts as churches have in many cases betrayed their own standards in the hope of gaining followers in the last few decades.

@SB: the story that Jesus was resurrected in the flesh was highly disputed, even the Bible makes mention that people didn’t believe it and that was with supposed eye witnesses.

Find me any non-biblical source for the un/supernatural events that surrounded the death of Jesus, you’d think somewhere in the world someone would’ve written about an unplanned solar eclipse, zombies or earthquakes. The Chinese, Mayans and Persians were all capable to calculate a solar eclipse at that point and made very detailed observations throughout the eras… crickets about that in their writings.

Do you believe Dionysus was resurrected? Because that is where the story comes from and a lot more people back then believed in the Greek mythology over a Jewish sect.

@carla: this is exactly true. I’m moving from atheist to agnostic/cultural Christianity, not baptized in the church nor member, and the pastor shook my hand today and congratulated me on my being accepted on a church committee. This would NEVER happen in JW-land.

@elderberry: what you call JW lite is not new. It is the position of almost every single elder with family or every single rich JW I’ve ever known over the past 40 years - rules for thee but not for me.

I’ve known people that have worked with Michael Jackson and reportedly MJ and his mother and a lot of the Jackson family was raised if not baptized JW, as are the Williams sisters as well who not so long ago posed nude on a retail magazine. I’ve known an elder 20 years ago, he owned a huge road construction and equipment rental business you may have heard of, had a contract with the US RBC. I’ve visited with the Vogel family who have a huge retail homeopathy empire (and are all JW, source their employees from to the local branch office in the Netherlands).

Guess what was common with all those people: they were rich, they all had fancy cars, them or their kids all got positions as elder or branch/circuit overseer, them or their kids rarely went in service (and don’t think about using their 9-seat SUV for service, no, it was me in my rusty ‘97 Buick), their visits to the KH were sporadic at best (like you and me would’ve gotten counseled), and they took the rules rather unserious, if you were on the ‘in’ at least their pool party get-togethers were not even moral by ‘worldly’ standards, they were like Hollywood depictions of college frat parties, their daughters got unexpectedly pregnant etc. But they never get into trouble because they were rich and that’s what it is all about when you go deeper into the cult, just like the Scientologists or the Mormons.

I have been ‘deep’ in the organization, as you can see from some of my leaks I did a long time ago. I pin the blame on the JW organization because their policies are the cause of many issues that continue hurting people to date, including myself and my family, that is not a subjective reality, I can quote you the things I was told, I have published here the “Protecting children from the misuse of blood” handout that the WTBTS denies the existence of in court. What you’re basically saying is that Jews just wanted to pin the blame on the Nazis for their troubles during WW2, ‘they may be right’ - like WTF, you’re tone deaf.

I’m not calling you out on your belief, it truly doesn’t matter to me whether you believe the explanation of the Bible verses, that’s irrelevant. I’ve changed my position on that many times over the years. I’m calling you out on your actions or lack thereof which speaks to your objective moral depravity which may not be your fault, you were shaped like that as well by the organization, but you have to recognize when something is wrong, and then do something about it. You don’t seem to be mature enough to understand the damage caused yet, but you’re an elder, you are legally going to be held responsible for your congregation, be very careful if you’re going to continue pursuing this lifestyle.

You can read my history, including my recent history, I’m now in a position where I would be rich and an elder as well, I could’ve done what you do and shut my mouth and raise my kids in the same way as some of the elders I have known over the past decades. But I could not live with myself, once the handout “Protect your children from the misuse of blood” was given to me, I was told by the elders the various ‘outs’ to the rules - have your child removed from your custody, say it was a lapse of judgment, just don’t tell anyone etc. I’m not sure if you ever had to do the spiel with any new expecting parents, but I could not live with myself doing that. I was counseled once for trying to console a mother who had just lost her baby and uterus, but she was poor, she was reprimanded for ending the pregnancy. I tried to do the right thing and got called out for it. That’s why I tell you: try to do the right thing for once and see how far you make it. The JW org is not about helping people, it’s about controlling people and it’s about power and money, unlike most churches.

And all the above is why I say: JW Lite is not new, it’s just what elders and higher ups consider JW to be, but like a pyramid scheme, you need a vast majority of underlings (there is ~1 elder to 20 ‘lower level’ true believer people) that suffer and pay up with their assets and their life for you to be so cozy.

@longhairgal: you are spot on but this has happened generation after generation. I’m the 3rd generation JW, 2nd gen raised-in. We each expected 1975, then 2000, not sure what people have been looking forward to, 2014, 2024, 2034? I have never known any 4th and 5th gens out there, the disillusion affects families quickly, but they keep promising and failing new victims.