my maternal grandfather, adolph joseph deman, was in his mother's womb as the family crossed the ocean from east flander, belgium.
he was the first to be born in the u.s. in 1885. his father's death in 1888 contributed to his departure from school and work as a lad in the iron mines of republic, michigan.
the house he later built on a homestead in maple valley, washington, near kent, was a substantial pillar in my unstable early life as a precocious jw child in a dysfunctional home.
What a great story.
I have fond memories of working in service with my paternal grandfather. He also kept it crazy simple. He would just have a set of magazines folded in half in his back pocket, no bible, whip em out and hand them to the householder. He would say like one line and bid them good day.
Thanks for sharing that...
can you allay my suspicions of wt associated activity?.
during the last 3 to 4 co visits, i noticed a predeliction on the part of the ladt few co's for taking photos at fs meetings and photos of cong at end of visit.
i'm beginning to suspect that such is not because the co's have a newly found socially engaging disposition (being cool).
I have seen it a few times also. I believe it is coming from the branch. One overseer said as much.
I see it as corporate mumbo jumbo. Part of it is the branch is seeking proof the overseer had the class or served the cong. They may use the pics for marketing/ propaganda of course at some point also.
i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.
my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.
gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.
I agree with your basic premise that the org doesn't know what the hell it's doing with kids and that is a long term handicap.
It's what you get from a doomsday cult that refuses to admit it's a religion.
If they had any common sense they would also get more involved in the community. Ever heard of charity? How about a food drive or something? How about taking up some money for that family across town that lost their home in a fire?
They are too preoccupied with trying to be God's Paul Revere to figure out that they're just another church and their members actually want/need that.
i started leaving the group in 04', and quit following what they do around 08'.
my recent posts express my reaction to what has happened since.. i just "tuned in" to the jw broadcasting episode for may 2016. it is worth a viewing.
gb member anthony morris describes what is basically the thrust of why this entire effort exists.
They've gotten by with so little before (tools specifically for youth), it's hard to argue these videos aren't a step up.
The truth is this org doesn't give a good damn about kids. Now they are showing an interest suddenly but purely for self serving reasons. The leadership sees them as future members (donars).
The sudden interest in children (I thought JW's werent supposed to have them) is actually another sign of their desperation as oldskool pointed out in other threads.
Their biggest problem by far is apostasy on the internet. Apostasy has led to stalled growth. So they are resorting to ramping up customer retention methods and winning back old customers (inactive).
why murder 8 billion non-believers to just turn around and resurrect 20 billion other non-believers?
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Why murder 8 billion non-believers to just turn around and resurrect 20 billion other non-believers?
They are desperate for control.
Shameless what they are resorting to.
This organization will continue to lose ground. There's no stopping it now. They have already peaked. But what will become of this shrinking cult in the coming years is an increasingly nasty insular entitled delusional fringe group. They are becoming more and more extreme.
We all knew they were facing a choice. Were they going to become more mainstream or more cultish. They have officially chosen to become more cultish and controlling. They aren't even really trying to recruit anymore. It's about riding the current members to a grinding halt.
when i first heard the term 'critical thinking' it was as a teenager during a watchtower study.
the study went on to elaborate how we shouldn't be swayed by critical thinking.
there was no explanation that the term didn't mean 'to criticize' thoughts and words, but rather that it means 'to objective think and to evaluate thoughts and words'.
Yeah I'm sure that was done on purpose. Confuse the terms.
Paint critical thinking as a bad thing to be avoided. More BS mind control.
I don't know of a good replacement term, though. I use the term "objective thinking" often and I bring up understanding "distinctions" between things. For instance, the distinction between Jehovah and the Watchtower, Bible, and Tract Society is a big one.
That really is one of the big challenges. Introducing critical thinking to a JW who has been trained to not think critically and to swallow fallacy after fallacy. They also feel like thinking critically is questioning God. That is another hurdle. They need to apply critical thinking to that notion, lol...... It never ends!!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i405e0vge0k.
thanks for all the support!.
I like the point about getting the actual bound volume to show quotes.
Isn't it crazy how trained Jehovah's Witnesses are to question the source instead of look at the actual information? It is a sleazy tactic to change the subject and vilify the source. They use terms like - Mentally diseased, twisted reasonings, table of demons ...etc. Fear fear fear...
Anyhow, thanks for sharing..
i'm new here and haven't introduced myself yet, but have been lurking for the past couple of weeks and learned so much!
quick first question: if i get disfellowshipped for researching info on websites other than jw.org (the official website), how can i expect to be treated by my husband still in the truth?
ie what will he be told by the elders about how to treat me?
I am not sure what your current beliefs are or how much of those you have shared with anyone including your husband. It's what you believe or no longer believe that can get you in trouble.
Looking at websites is a slap on the wrist at best. What you would have to be careful about is how you answer their loyalty questions to see if you are an "apostate" or have "apostate ideas".
(i am still a serving elder.
i have no idea how much longer i can stomach it.
timing is terrible for stepping down right now, though.
wannaexit - I agree. Superstition is a good word for it too.
stuckinarut - it is hard to believe the hold that indoctrination can have on a person. We all lived it and I see it in others, and honestly I still have a hard time believing it.
Quarterback - What you describe is true. Unfortunately this often leads to a disfellowshipping because of the circumstances. Years ago I knew a young couple where the wife went to the elders because the husband was being physically abusive. The elders didn't believe her, probably because the brother was popular in that congregation. She eventually left him, cheated, and got disfellowshipped just to be done with it all. Sad.
