when you were a devout jw.
did you feel that you had an actual "relationship" with jehovah/god just from praying to him and reading the wt or bible?.
or that this was actually even possible deep down?.
I really tried to have a relationship with Jehovah. May be it was not in the cards, or perhaps I did not try hard enough. In any event, we have gone our own separate ways. If you happen to see Jehovah, or talk to him, let him know I am doing fine.
Although, I doubt he remembers me; you know, running the universe and 'what not' tends to be a big distraction as compared to me.
i just saw my first watchtower magazine in about 15 years...it was tucked under my doormat.
all i can say is wow!
i was shocked at how small and flimsy it was.
The Watchtower has created a religion out of "dumbing down." I wonder what the end point is in their quest to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
you read it here first!.
to all congregations.
re: midweek meetings during visit of circuit overseer .
This thread takes me back to the good old days. There was a special Saturday meeting and Tuesday meeting, There was also an added talk on Thursday and Sunday.
Oh so boring.
i just saw my first watchtower magazine in about 15 years...it was tucked under my doormat.
all i can say is wow!
i was shocked at how small and flimsy it was.
I never understood the "simplified English" Wts. This must have happened after I left. Who is the target audience for this mag/rag?
i'm extremely neutral in our house, so it's not my influence - honest!.
my 11-year old is light-years advanced with his intelligence and humour.. he's going around the house singing "listen, obey, and be castrated.".
was not impressed.. pretty hard to contain my laughter..
listen, obey, and... bend over and assume the position.
Different lyrics but same theme.
i'm not making a bold assertion here, just pursuing an idea.
what would have to happen to prove that the watchtower is probably "packing it up", conceding the field, retiring to their new headquarters in senescent peace?.
the dramatic changes we have observed are mostly motivated by money or legal concerns - but not all, as with cutting back on meetings.. you could reasonably have an old guard that still fanatically hopes for armageddon, any day now, while younger men keep their doubts private.
Instead of giving up, I think they are "hunkering down."
They need to wait for the current generation to die off. In the meantine they are securing their worldwide assets. Give them 50 years and they will emerge as a totally different religion.
im always promising to quit jwn but it is like a drug; once you are exposed to ttatt you just cant turn of yuor brain.
i just cant find any comfort in the empty promises that i hear from the platform anymore.... .
what i have noticed after waking up to ttatt is how the jws are a group of 8 million daydreamers!.
Daydreaming can be a constructive process. Depending upon what you classify as daydreams, some may consider goals the same as daydreams.
I tend to agree, I also agree that a person should always project a positive future in their goals.
The real question is: are these dreams anchored in reality?
do they actually believe that if they tell you that you are "missed", that you will desire to return to the sheepfold?
.
"What on earth makes the Watchtower Organization think that inactive ones a would ever want to go back to the vomit?"
But, Mim, you have it all wrong; the real question is: can they count time while encouraging inactive baptized publishers?
Elders are on a mission, not to save lives, but to have enough hours to retain their status.
talking with a long time elder last night, was very revealing.
he has been a jw for over 60 years, a man that was incarcerated in cuba in his early 20s and faced great loss and suffering over his beliefs and for being born in a communist country.
this brave man is now brittle and low-spirited.. while nightfalls on his life, he is made aware the end is near.
Life is not a dress rehearsal for something, it is all we have. In this situation, there is nothing you can do other than provide comfort.
finally, after almost a month, i get a response from my mother about the un.
for those who didnt see her original letter and my response, just click on the sheet of paper icon in my profile and you can catch up on this.. i will place my comments in italics and names will be replaced in parentheses.. .
dear ranchette,.
The JWN is a treasure of great threads. This is quite powerful. Thanks for bumping this to the top.
