although this is coming from a recent post on another thread by an individual who claims to be a jw, it is something that i have heard expressed by other jws.
it is a supposed distinguishing jw characteristic:.
...and while they have not always gotten it right the first time, one of the things that distinguish them from other christian denominations is the fact that they are willing to abandon beliefs when they come to realize that such beliefs are premised on wrong conclusions.. while other christian denominations seem unwilling to adjust their theological viewpoints, even when they are presented with clear evidence demonstrating flaws in what are essentially the underpinnings of their theological beliefs, because jehovah's witnesses embrace bible truth, we, unlike what other christian denominations do, distinguish ourselves by championing bible truth over what we may have thought at one time to have been bible truth.
There seems to be a totally illogical mind-set that freely admits . . . while our beliefs might have been wrong in the past . . . they are all "the truth" right now!
Astounding really . . . but a distinguishing characteristic for sure . . . of a cult!
when reading all of the variety of toppics on this site it appears by the lack of responses that some dont really care about your subject?
or they just cant find the word to say, or they mosly like reading but not commenting.
and some subjects ive read that have had many comments compared to others are just plane stupid as hell.
I like to read heaps and learn from others experiences.
I usually post when I feel I can add something of value (or if someone pisses me off LOL)
any person or situation ?.
The merciless persecution of an elderly brother by the PO and his wife, closely followed by the suicide of a delightful young man who also incurred their wrath . . . nasty, nasty people.
Being heavily involved in both issues (the young man was my B student) cost me my mental health, and gave me plenty of time to think and read.
The rest is predictable history.
one of the things i hate most about this corporate religion is they have a money box for many things that "bring praise to jah".
wordwide work.
convention expenses.
The poor? . . . with next to no education at WT's insistence . . . that would be almost all of them!
those of you who have been following my story know that i just 'came out' to my family about being finished with the religion.. does anyone have advice on how to explain this to the kids?
their ages are 9 & 14 and they are very smart and fully grasp all the issues.. they are living with their father who has brainwashed them.
so this is very touchy.. should i just keep being a good mom and just lay low?
My kid's were 16, 11 and 9 when we ran for our lives.
I was ill for a while and didn't discuss the situation straight away . . . but when I did I was careful to begin by asking them how they felt about the things they had learned at the KH . . . only that . . . without counter argument.
I was pleasantly suprised that while they asked the occasional question . . . the three of them absolutely HATED the meetings, HATED field service and were really glad they didn't have to do it anymore.
I know your circumstances differ Julia, but it might be relevant in that if you be available simply as a sounding board for them at first, you will get to know what they really think . . . not what they think you want to hear. Then you have a starting place. Additionally . . . they will have little to "quote" you on reducing the possibility of them being in the middle of a debate which could trouble them.
Being a sounding board mostly will provide a place of security for them . . . then you can progressively deal with their fear and guilt which the WT will undoubtedly instill . . . and this will give them relief.
Good question . . . and some good answers here . . . pick the bits that suit your situation
the above mentioned article caught my eye for a couple of reasons .
.. it is obvious to most observers that the children of active jw's provide a potential "large army" and in spite of the attrition rate of jw youths (around 2/3's i believe), it's a resource the borg are keen to maximise.
there tactics appear to be encouraging baptism at an ever younger age.
Can 7 and 8 year olds rightly be referred to as infants? . . . or is that a bit of a stretch?
The point in asking . . . do the WTS practice "infant baptism"?
It can quite safely be said they practice "child baptism" which is every bit as bad really
I know it's all about labels . . . but if the shoe fits . . .
Infant baptism in most mainstream Christian religion carries little more than symbolic meaning . . . more like officially 'naming the child' in my experience.
But in a dangerous cult . . . more like another form of child abuse?
they say the average person will own about 25 cars in their life time.. from 1982 to 1988 i owned a 1971 dodge challenger convertible.
it had a 340 with a 4 speed stick.
i loved that car.. i didnt cry when my wife left me....i did cry when that car drove out of my life!.
In over 40 years of driving I've owned about 30 cars, including a restored 1928 Ford T. It's hard to pick a favorite but it would probably be the 1940 Studebaker Commander I restored in the early 80's.
I don't have any on-line photo's of the actual car but it looked exactly like this one . . .
Right now I'm getting around in a 1989 Toyota Corolla FX-GT. The 1600cc twin cam motor was pulled apart at 440,000 km's and given new rings and bearings - standard! It's just about to top 500,000 kms . . . not my favorite by any stretch but the 4AGE motor is brilliantly engineered . . . tops 9500 rpm . . . and goes like a cut cat
A brother's wife was making Sunday dinner, when the brother walked in the house and says "that ham smells wonderful." His wife replies "That's a Dam-Ham."
The brother was surprised by his wife's use of profanity. She showed him the wrapper and explained that was the brand name of the ham.
They sat down for dinner and the brother says to his son, "Son, pass me the dam-ham." and his son replies, "that's the spirit, Dad, now pass me the fucking potatoes"
severe abdominal pain turned out to be pancreatitis !
very scary .... his levels of enzymes should have been 180 ,but were 4,500 .
all the tests xrays , ulta sound and mri showed no gallstones or blockages just one mother of an inflamned pancreas .
Troubled Mind . . . coincidentally, my eldest son is also 23. So sorry to hear of his illness . . . it sounds like it was a near thing. You still have him with you and that's the main thing. I wish him a full recovery and you and your family the very best.
i was at home this morning typing up a couple legal documents for some general contractors to sign that were going to be doing some tree removal on my property, when i get a visit from a sister in the hall i used to attend.
she usually stops by at least once a week.
i haven't been to meetings for over a year now and didn't attend memorial this year, but she was quick to remind me how i missed out.
I rembember visiting a KH I had never been to before . . . after 20+ years 'in' . . .
This guy, about my age, pounced on me and began preaching . . . "Have you ever stopped and imagined what living in paradise would be like . . . etc etc?" . . . on and on he went from Adam to friggin Armegeddon.
I didn't get a chance to speak with anyone else for a full 20 mins! I started off feeling patronised and eventually became totally irritated. Every attempt to interrupt was just bulldozed over. It was a humiliation.
I think with some . . . the only thing that stops them is pulling the key out of their back and waiting till the spring winds down. They love the sound of themselves preaching and yes . . . are busy counting time.
The only satisfaction I got was how he must have felt when I got up and delivered the public talk
