I agree,
BUT!
Nobody at the door (well at least when I was going door to door) wants to talk in depth either.
People are very apathetic in general about religious doctrine.
The JWs are dumbing down but is that reflective of society as a whole?
gone are the days of getting into discussions about their beliefs.
doing major research to prove a position or watchtower doctrine is a thing of the past.
all they want from you is to surrender and accept everything they say as undeniable truth.. do you agree?.
I agree,
BUT!
Nobody at the door (well at least when I was going door to door) wants to talk in depth either.
People are very apathetic in general about religious doctrine.
The JWs are dumbing down but is that reflective of society as a whole?
in the 80's and 90's (maybe even earlier) i remember hearing lots of witnesses talk about "demon attacks".
whether it was someone studying the bible who then started having strange things happen in their house to people bringing stuff home from yard sales and getting personal attacks and horrible dreams resulting in them dystroying stuff they brought home or getting rid of it.. .
i also remember hearing a sister say she had to pray in a home with a study because the study started to get attacked.
I think there is a simple reason.
The more mainstream the Witnesses have gotten, the more this type of thing has dropped off.
Its amazing how much of anything will dry right up when it is no longer "cool" to say you experienced it.
The reverse is true also.
it's been kicked around already that the conventions were logistically disasterous and spiritually vapid.
my question, and i hope you will add your comments to mine, is: why?
why did the wtbs go through the trouble of putting these things on?
I think they wanted an "air" of celebration because of 1914/2014.
SInce nothing has happened to really celebrate - they invented something.
thread is here:.
http://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/16494-robin-williams-found-dead/.
a few quotes:.
As far as the whole suicide/resurrection thing...
There was a question from readers about that some years ago. They said it is "up to Jehovah" but there is some reason to think they will be resurrected.
The example given was a situation in the Old Testament where some soldiers (?) killed themselves and God commended the men who took their bodies and buried them. Thus showing them honor - in spite of killing themselves.
So the reasoning was that only Jah knows what was in that persons heart and if appropriate he would/could resurrect them so therefore an elder could give a talk upon their death in our time today.
That was the gist, sorry I dont have a link or remember more specifics.
sorry my bad englich i need the new book for pioners , edition 2014 !
in pdf or doc, please!
My my....
everyone is in rare form this morning....
the following e-mail is circulating among jws about the international convention at fedex stadium in landover, md.
note the all-too-familiar jw claims: everything they do (including the simple act of parking cars) is proof of jehovah'stm blessing, and everything wt did at the convention was the fastest, greatest, best ever.
oh, and the never-fails-to-get-mentioned alleged 'persecution'/resistance from some unnamed authority who tried to get in watchtower's way and hamper the effort...but jws prevailed anyway (as always):.
This thread has provided me with some great laughs this morning, thanks!
So, my take:
Subject: International Convention in Landover, Maryland To:
Brothers, Some interesting facts and photos from the International Convention in Landover, Maryland. Truly it was directed by Holy Spirit.On Friday morning it seemed that the parking of all those in attendance would be chaotic at best all weekend. The authorities were poised to take control from the volunteers. But with cooperation and Jehovah's Holy Spirit, adjustments were made in the initial direction. From that point on there were minor issues that were quickly resolved by our brothers in administration and parking. On Sunday Jehovah's people parked an estimated 22,000 cars and 182 chartered buses - the most at any event in FedEx history. We also set another record. The fast ingress and egress of cars and buses in FedEx history. Truly a testimony to Jehovah's name and the direction of His spirit. The cooperation of departments, volunteers and our brothers and sisters coupled with Jehovah's spirit and direction has made an impression on all involved. This is not confidential information. Please share with the brothers and sisters.
Most of what I would have commented on was covered SO much better by all of the pesters above so I will content myself with just the last sentence. The whole email provides a wealth of information about the sender.
He is a congregation bad ass elder. Probably on the service committee or definitely wants to be. Maybe the "secretary" since he values passing on secret info so much. He is eager to be an "inside knowledge" sharer. That ups his legitimacy (and importance) in his own mind.
He probably carries several titles. Not very impressive ones - just titles. "Assistant" to the Assistant Parking Overseer comes to mind as a potential title.
Either that, OR his brother in law is all of the above and forwarded this clown the email!
hi i have to go to one of these soon.
i find it difficult enough to sit through a meeting knowing what i now know.
how to survive a whole three days???!!!
purrpurr,
Never mind the reason you have to go......it is your own and valid.
I had to go this year also. I did it for 2 elderly sisters who needed a driver and seat finder. Once seated they were happy campers and didn't really need me. I occupied myself by watching the faces of people around me. I was especially amused during the "resurrection" video which was supposed to be the crown jewel presentation.
At least half the people around me were NOT crying. They looked skeptical in fact! That cheered my heart.
I soon discovered a young couple near me that I have known for years. They have a toddler. I told them my "back was bothering me" (it wasn't my back - it was my boredom truthfully) and I took their toddler daughter out for long walks.
It was delightful. We met many, many people out walking and talking. There were so many more people out strolling this year. Not just the teenagers.
The sessions seem very short because they have broken them down in to 10 minute segments. There arent long talks except the baptism. It is an obvious attempt to relieve boredom.
Much as was my decision to walk the toddler - a preemptive strike to relieve boredom!
Viewing it as a social interaction group rather than an educational event really helped my attitude.
some of you might remember my first post on here about my dilemma of whether or not to remain in a relationship with my jw girlfriend after learning ttatt http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/278710/1/im-new-and-need-help#.u-kltpldvyq.
while we were taking a break, well it turned out to be not very much of a break because of our still strong feeling for each other (we eventually went from talking every few weeks to once a week and then to everyday again) and things started to get complicated.
well last night we officially decided that it would be best for the both of us to at least part ways for now and end things.
Batman it was loving of you to set her free to pursue her own path. Breaking it off, the two of you have mutally given each other permission to go on with life as you both see fit.
This was an elegant, loving and wise decision.
how did the secretary introduce a sexual offender or a repeated pedophile to your kingdom hall?
i saw two different "letters of introduction" that really depressed me because i knew both of the victims and their side of the story was not reflected.
how were those letters you read and did they reflect anything or describe the conduct of the sexual predator?.
BucketShopBill,
Reading about how you feel is helpful to me. I was an indirect victim in a similar situation. I watched it cause a downward spiral in the life of a person I care more about than anyone.
Knowing how you feel now is healing and makes me feel better on some level.
Thank you,
Millie
so i'm reading another carl sagan book and he seems to invariably find a way to slam j-dubs in each one.
(i can't say i blame him.).
anyway, in this one he discusses the fact that the gospels give contradictory geneologies of jesus--differing lines back to david from joseph, and a different number of generations.
I thought Heli was the father of Mary?