on many posts by those with experience of df or da shunning, it look to me that the most fanatical observers of the shunning practise are mothers, and when a person approached parents about their own doubts or intentions, approaching the mother the most daunting prospect .
odd that visiting warwick leaflet has a picture of a meeting of some sort with a room comprising men only, given the subordinate role given to women, one might think they would be more liberal over shunning close ones, but not so.. what drives this, is it grabbing an opportunity to be more visible by their loyalty, or low level of education of a lot of dubs so that the sisters blindly accept direction or authority.
i might have expected some kick back against the shunning practise by sisters giving evidence to their independence of thought.. our real thinkers here will be able to explain this fanaticism of loyalty better.
I think everyone is different.
My mother was very reluctant to have anything to do with my brother. He was in a bad situation. My father spoke to her about it, and the elders. She meant well. If it had been me it probably would have been different with my father but it wasn't so maybe i'm wrong.
I think one of my kids is so much like my mother and means so well.
hi guys, non jw here but i was wondering why jw's believe going out in service is worship?
are they just told that or do they try to use scripture to support that?.
I believe it is the 'public declaration of our hope' (Heb. 10:23-25) in fulfilment of Jesus words at Matthew 24:14
in reading these posts, it sounds like a lot of you are very jealous of the wt.
society’s annual income and the money they/we have in the bank.
jehovah has indeed blessed us.
'Yes. What other religion on the face of this earth is truly preaching the good news of the kingdom?'
Watchtower June 1 1968 page 331
On the Joyful March to Mankind’s Millennium
'Arguing against a literal future millennial rule by Christ, some have claimed that such a teaching would chill the missionary ardour of Christians to make disciples of all nations. (Matt. 28:19,20) But not so! Today no people are more zealous in carrying out this missionary commission than are the Christian witnesses of Jehovah, who believe that the 1,000-year reign of Christ is literal and future. In comparatively few years these have grown to more than a million. Today they are carrying out this commission in 197 lands and islands of the sea and that in 169 languages. Last year they devoted 184 million hours to this work!
And no wonder. What good news they have to tell the people! They proclaim the good news that the millennial rule of Christ will begin with this generation and that it will mean ever so many blessings for the people :..'
(underlining mine)
In the book God’s Eternal Purpose Now Triumphing For Man’s Good (Watchtower 1974) page 6
‘All these transformed ones, religious and non-religious confidently look for life on earth to become better within their own generation. They are now patterning their lives with this assured expectation of grander things to come for earth’s inhabitants. ..What has brought about this marvellous transformation in their minds and hearts and lives? It is this: They have all come to an accurate knowledge of God’s “eternal purpose” and are shaping their lives in harmony with that divine purpose’
(underlining mine)
The Watchtower September 1st 1969 page 532 commenting on ‘Faith and Determination needed to please Jehovah’ and Hebrew 11:1 where ‘the apostle Paul defined faith as ” the assured expectation of things hoped for , the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld”
‘Jehovah has made many promises of the things yet to occur. One may hope that such things will come to pass, but such expression may only be a whimsical wish, not real faith. Faith is more than just an expectation. It is expectation that is assured to such a degree that it is able to support, uphold and guarantee that what is hoped for will become a reality. This is the meaning of hypostasis, a word common in ancient papyrus business documents in reference to guarantees placed on transactions.
( the words assured and guaranteed are italicized in the article)
…Substantially the words (hy po’sta sis and e’leg.khos mean that faith gives to things future, which as yet are only hoped for, all the reality of actual present existence, and irresistibly convinces us of the reality of things unseen and brings us into their presence.” The Expositor’s Greek Testament. Vol. IV page 352'
Deaconblues1914 I posted these quotes to give you some idea of why my parents felt it was impossible to grow old and die of old age. My mother particularly expressed her faith to me as her son and to her sisters of the marvellous hope she had by her faith in the promises of Jehovah brought to her by Jehovah's Witnesses.
Another reason for my parents to believe as they did, the way that I understand it is that the scripture in Acts 2:17 where it talks of the pouring out God's spirit and they 'will prophesy' which verse 16 shows to be quoting from the book of Joel is fulfilled in the remnant of anointed Christians from 1919.
The death of my parents in old age has certainly affected some in my family
'The dedicated believers had been anointed with holy spirit to prophesy and preach.'(WT.1966.page 690)
in reading these posts, it sounds like a lot of you are very jealous of the wt.
society’s annual income and the money they/we have in the bank.
jehovah has indeed blessed us.
Soon, very soon
That's what the Witness who studied with my parents when they were in there 20's said, he told them it was impossible to for them to die of old age, they can live on into a paradise earth never needing to die. They died in their 80's lying incontinent in their beds, some paradise.
on the door frame, on the door, door knocker, bell.. loud, very loud, regular, soft... gentle... or just pretended and never knocked at all?
we just had a city worker come a knocking on our front door and my responce after she left was, she should go down to the local kingdom haul and give lessons.
her knock was so loud, she could raise the dead.
When I was preschool my father would try to make field service more interesting by having me ring the doorbell and offering an invitation to the householder he's just had an hour's argument with before we left. It didn't work and usually I was being told off for looking uninterested in what he'd been talking about on the door. What a bad witness. Of course he was telling the householder how he would never grow old and die. Well he grew old and died.
I would knock or ring the bell when I pioneered with the intent of finding someone home. One elder was known to pretend to ring the bell.
was there anything positive about your jehovah's witness experience?.
Positive.
I joined the School in the congregation in 1966 and gave a bunch of bible readings and small talks, I have also read the Watchtower on the platform at the meeting in the 70's, said prayers at the meetings and taken the arrangement for field service and done the opening part in the service meeting been in demonstrations on the platform at the circuit assembly and spent hundreds of hours in field service talking to a variety of people.
20+ years later I was no better than when I started in 1966, probably worse. I got a couple of G's for my talk in 1966 and W's for the last few. I always hated getting on the platform and wasn't too keen on going into the Kingdom Hall. I don't like crowds. I am supposed to meet some friends and relatives at a pub later today before seeing a play and it's 50/50 as to whether I will actually make it into the pub.
One time my brother and I had a discussion with my parents about the benefits we felt the 'Truth' had made for us growing up and not getting in bad ways and bad association etc, My father and mother felt there was some input from the 'Truth' but also felt it was more their parenting as he could point to some who had even though raised in the 'Truth' had fallen into bad ways and I have to admit my father was never going to be easy 'Truth' or no 'Truth' He was a fascist before the 'Truth'
So on those two things I can't cite them as examples of how I had benefited positively.
The one thing I can say I feel that I benefited in a positive way is my praying. I am positive with it and I think that relates to being a Witness.
how do you view your upbringing as a witness?.
most of us who were raised as witnesses would appreciate that some aspects of our upbringing were ok. a foundation and measure of stability came with it.. but, it struck me too, that we also lost so very much!
and we lost a lot of potential.. by this i mean, we need to look at not just what we lost, or what was deprived of us, but what that ended up costing us as adults into the future.. if i take $10 from you, you have lost just $10.. but, if you were going to use that $10 to buy something that would end up earning you $1000, then i actually took $1000 from you!.
How do you view your upbringing as a witness?
I think there is a view that if you are raised in a christian land or muslim or others you are most likely to have the religion of your parents.
I know when I was a young witness I felt lucky that my parents were witnesses and had accepted the 'truth' as I felt there was no way I would ever have gone to the kingdom hall and or the meetings and assemblies and I think the truth of this was borne out later when I left home. I attended the meetings and field service but most of the assemblies I missed and elders came to see me at one point 10 years before I left the witnesses and questioned me as to why I wasn't reaching out. I had no interest in privileges that I saw as a means of control that could be revoked in order to get your obedience.
I'm glad I came to know Christianity.
I think my relationship with my parents and other relationships could have been better. My upbringing affected my work decisions and my marriage, dating and other relationships I wouldn't say for the best.I think it affected my health.
how do you view your upbringing as a witness?.
most of us who were raised as witnesses would appreciate that some aspects of our upbringing were ok. a foundation and measure of stability came with it.. but, it struck me too, that we also lost so very much!
and we lost a lot of potential.. by this i mean, we need to look at not just what we lost, or what was deprived of us, but what that ended up costing us as adults into the future.. if i take $10 from you, you have lost just $10.. but, if you were going to use that $10 to buy something that would end up earning you $1000, then i actually took $1000 from you!.
In the late 1960's my parents decided they wanted to have a simpler life and devote more time to their sacred service. So they sold up and moved. They rented a house and my mother and father devoted more time to the field service, study, and raising two children to be regular pioneers. My father was an elder and temporary pioneered and so did my mother.
The house they sold is now valued at £1.2 million the flat they own now is worth about 10% of that, our inheritance.
In the late 1980's I had a man from the bank come to my house to discuss insurances and he talked for along time about pensions. I declined and after he left I chatted with my parents who were visiting regarding how I would not need a pension based on our faith in God and message we preached. Over 10 years later I had left JW and I started a pension. The financial adviser whilst setting it up noticed that I had been offered one in the years previous and said if I had started it then it would be worth double when I take it.
These are two examples of how my beliefs as a JW have affected my life i believe
As for what would have happened in other area's of my life if we had not been witnesses of course I can never know.
However looking at my cousins and now my grown children I find no reason to suspect that anything like drug addiction or alcoholism or such things would have been anymore likely.
As to whether I would have been a christian I don't know. Both my children are, as are some of my relatives.
just been reminiscing about how c/a's have changed since we were young.
i remember when they started friday night in some rented hall , as well as the two weekend days.
saturday morning was a brief session then field ministry (which only a few performed ) and sunday sessions.. in the free time around the venue we just used to hang out socialising and eyeing up the girls.
We had to sit through all the sessions, no going to the toilet while the sessions were on and take notes from a young age, asked questions on the ride home to see if you were paying attention. No playing in the intermission either.
just been reminiscing about how c/a's have changed since we were young.
i remember when they started friday night in some rented hall , as well as the two weekend days.
saturday morning was a brief session then field ministry (which only a few performed ) and sunday sessions.. in the free time around the venue we just used to hang out socialising and eyeing up the girls.
I really disliked the assemblies as a kid and remember getting home from school and thinking, no weekend.
