an average of five kingdom halls being constructed daily, almost 8 million brothers and sisters, dissemination of bible literature in 595 languages, 111,795 congregations worldwide, distribution of 179 million bibles available in 116 languages, 239 countries where jehovah's witnesses have a presence, etc.. need i go on?.
on the other hand........... crisis of conscience, freeminds, the awaa, jw.net, ummmmmm........hmmm........idk six screens or something?
not exactly working out for you guys.
As I believe someone else pointed out, I don't think most of us here want a competition with the Watchtower. We simply want to live our lives our way, outside of a high control group. We want to be able to think, to be able to struggle with the questions to which there are no pat answers, to go on a picnic with our families on Saturday, to take a vacation without having to attend a convention, simply to live our lives as we see fit.
You have real competition. We are not it.
i'm lucky enough to live in a part of the us that many would call "pastoral.
" true to the label, i pass a small farm on the way to talking my daughter to school each day.
the other day i notice the owners had their small flock of sheep out to pasture along witha black goat.. for some reason i had a flashback to all the references the society uses re sheep, other sheep, sheeplike and goatlike etc.
Another aspect of the "sheep and goat" mentality that is usually overlooked is that it stigmatizes left-handedness. The sheep are at the right-hand side, and the goats are on the left. Many members of my family, including my daughter, are left-handed, so I'm a little sensitive about prejudicial comments that suggest a connection with evil or inferiority.
"one of the bible study was listening and singing the song by jason mraz titled lucky with the chorus going like this;.
quote.
'i'm lucky i'm in love with my best friend.. lucky to have been where i have been.. lucky to be coming home again.. lucky we're in love in every way.. lucky to have stayed where we have stayed.. lucky to be coming home someday..'.
Back in the '70's when Happy Days was a favoite TV show and I was rearing my daughter as a dub, my daughter said "Sit on it, Potsy" in front of me, two JW women and one of the women's smaller children. I laughed. One of the dear "sisters" turned to the small child, "That was a bad thing for B**** to say. Just because her mommy laughed, that doesn't make it okay," or words that meant exactly that. The real bummer is that I didn't defend myself or my daughter. What a dumbass I was!
it came to me as i typed a reply on a fbook apostate group:.
dubbish !!.
the words jw's come out with.. _________________________________________________.
KateWild: When I first saw the word 'dub," I thought it meant that JW's didn't have to think for themselves, that they just "dubbed" what they downloaded from the Watchtower.
However, someone told me that it was an abbreviation for J Double U.
new childrens activity on jw.org - "they listened and obeyed".
am i too skeptical or is there an implication that those who are disobedient are likened to lepers?.
http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/family-worship-projects/they-listened-obeyed/.
Teaching people simply to obey instead of analyzing situations and making appropriate decisions based on their own best interest is one of the worst evils of religion. I grew up that way, and was reinforced constantly for being a "good girl." Then it took its toll when I couldn't obey every master I had because they all told me differently. So, I read Wayne Dyer, and the rest is history. It's still hard to stand up for myself, and I fail many times, but I'm getting better and better. AND, I like myself and others much better, too.
these are apparently real complaints received from a uk tour operator.
no country has a monopoly on having stupid people!.
these are actual complaints received by thomas cook vacations from dissatisfied customers:.
The spoiled, easy-life people are the same everywhere, n'est-ce pas? Excuse my French!
ever since i've learned ttatt the love for my wife, df'd family, worldly family and people in general has become more real!
it's like there is no one telling me who and how to love it just comes naturally with real true love!!!
also i've seen that i have become less depressed and have actualy started tolose weight!
Your "natural affection" has been restored!
hello all, can anyone give me some inputt on the masons.
im always leary about cults and joining groups.
but the masons seem ok too me.. i want to join because of new freinds and just network with people.
The masons apparently have secret rituals. I don't know if you've seen the John Ankerberg Show, but it's about religion. There are often exposés of cults, including JW's, on John's show.
In the '80's, John did a show about the Masons. Afterwards, he received death threats. I was shocked and horrified!
The Masons also finance Shriners' Hospitals for Children. I personally have received great benefit from them.
You might have to go along with some weird stuff, but you might also get a chance to help disabled kids. Do what's right for yourself regardless of your decision.
just wanted to introduce myself.
i've made a few comments here and there on the lovely jwn i started to wake up to ttatt this year.
basically, i'm a born in jw and was baptized at 16. lived a double life until i wa 25 and beat myself up about it constantly.
Good for you! I think lots of JW's lead double lives. After all the "ideal" JW life is impossible anyway.
Best wishes! Welcome to freedom!
actually, in my experience, i have not found them to be tighter or more generous with money.
i've found them to be about the same with handling money as non-jws, though less likely to invest their money, but unlikely to waste it on cigarettes, pubs/clubs and gambling like many non-jws do.
i certainly don't find them tighter or stingier than normal people though, and slightly more honest.. what are your experiences with jws and money compared to non-jws and money?.
Apparently, some years ago ('50's or early '60's) the JW's had a convention in New York. In one of the local newspapers, it reported something to the effect that "they came into town with the 10 commandments and a 10-dollar bill, and didn't break either of them." This is hearsay on my part, but I have no reason not to believe it.
Once my JW ex-husband and I and an older sister ate at a local restaurant. The waitress was having a bad day, and the older sister said, "Don't leave her a sign of a tip!" I told him that waitresses are poor and may have children at home. Then I asked him, "Would you like it if you had to live on handouts from your customers? Don't you have a bad day sometimes?"
My experience with American JW's is that they are more tight-fisted with money than most other people.
