I completely agree that the dress code is all about control, but as far as gripes against the WTS are concerned, this one is about number 10,001 on my list. There are at least ten thousand better things to go after these guys for.
Socrateswannabe
JoinedPosts by Socrateswannabe
-
24
Dress and grooming
by stuckinarut2 ini know this is an old topic, but it came to mind again.... yes it is appropriate for people to dress neatly and respectfully for a dignified religious gathering, but why does it have to be a full suit with collared shirt and tie?.
why does it have to be a full dress or skirt and jacket?.
sure, we would find it distasteful for a person to arrive in swimwear or work overalls or other inappropriate attire, but why does it have to conform to strict standards?.
-
-
-
17
Can anyone allay my suspicions?
by Nicholaus Kopernicus incan 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).
-
-
Socrateswannabe
I've noticed that too and I think it could be for two reasons. First, COs seem to be getting younger every day and the younger ones are more likely than the old ones to do something like that. The other reason for it is I believe these guys must have gotten a directive from Mother that they need to remember everyone's name by the second visit and so they take the pics, go back to their apartment, and label everyone in the photos so that they can memorize names and faces right before they make their next visit. That's my guess anyway.
-
83
what buzz word from the jw's do you hate & why?
by Sabin inso my hubby has been on a bit of a roll about the jdubs, we were talking a lot about them & he said the buzz word he hate's the most is "worldly" why?
because he say's "with that one word they have condemned (according to their believes) a person as being worthy of nothing but death.
".
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Brotherly love. The very idea of it in this organization is pure bullshit -
50
genuine english guy seeking jw lady
by english_gentleman inhi, i believe that a lady is put on earth to satisfy the needs of her partner and respect his views in all matters.. i realize some here may consider that old fashioned and not based on sexual equality.. yet a lady and man are not created equal because the lady gives birth and the man must sire many children.
if you are a lady under 30 and keen to meet me, willing to cook and breed, then please message me here.
please do not contact me if you disagree with my views, we can agree to differ.
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Hey...I think we need to lighten up! If this isn't a joke I'll eat my hat...if I wore a hat! -
17
Elders & Ex Elders, did knowing sins of congregation members change how you treated them?
by Wasanelder Once inwhen you found out all the sins of fellow witnesses did it effect how you treated them?
it was shocking when i found out the range of bs these people did to each other.
i don't mean sexual abuse, i mean fraud, theft, infidelity and more.
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Wasanelder Once: In answer to your OP yes, it changed the way I treated the pubs because I lost respect for them. That was really my fault, because I had the expectation that since this is supposed to be god's organization, we should be better than the "world" we're surrounded by. Of course that's not true and in fact the JDubs are no different than anyone else. All of that bible education that they get has very little effect on any of them, and I include myself in that.
And it's not just the pubs. The same kind of shenanigans that you see in the rank and file is going on with the elder body. There's plenty of backstabbing, underhanded dealings, temper tantrums, marking territory, and nepotism going on. Oh, and that goes for many of the COs that I've known too.
-
66
THE LINGERING SHADOW OF '75
by Terry innone of you are old enough to have been there, i suspect.
i had been in prison two years as a jw conscientious objector when the exciting news about 1975 spread like wildfire.i was paroled from prison in 1969 and immediately began pioneering.
the pressures began mounting throughout the organization.
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Mad Irishman, you were lucky to be surrounded by reasonable people (at least by JW standards). Yes, my experience was different, but it is also my recollection that the frenzy was being fueled by articles in Watchtowers, KMs, and through talks by GB members, COs, and DOs. We were getting peppered from all sides with this stuff. -
66
THE LINGERING SHADOW OF '75
by Terry innone of you are old enough to have been there, i suspect.
i had been in prison two years as a jw conscientious objector when the exciting news about 1975 spread like wildfire.i was paroled from prison in 1969 and immediately began pioneering.
the pressures began mounting throughout the organization.
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Punk:
"Out of zeal and enthusiasm for the vindication of Jehovah's name, Word and purposes, and the desire for the new system, some of his servants have at times been premature in their expectations." Watchtower 1979 Jul 1 p.29 How Jehovah Guides His People
I was at a convention at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, It seems like it was 1973. Nathan Knorr gave several talks at that convention and he left absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind. Armageddon was coming in 1975. To later counsel us poor schmucks in the Watchtower against "premature expectations" was about as dishonest as one can be.
-
66
THE LINGERING SHADOW OF '75
by Terry innone of you are old enough to have been there, i suspect.
i had been in prison two years as a jw conscientious objector when the exciting news about 1975 spread like wildfire.i was paroled from prison in 1969 and immediately began pioneering.
the pressures began mounting throughout the organization.
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Terry: JW's were defeated, dispirited, and depressed and they just gave up.
Those people have swallowed the whole thing and shit it out and flushed it away like it never happened.
There. That's your answer.
Cognitive dissonance.Pre-1975, the brains of Brooklyn were still laboring under the notion that there were 7 creative days of 7,000 years each. They believed that Eve's creation marked the end of the 6th creative day and that the next 7,000 year period was god's rest day.
They concluded that Adam had been created in 4026 BCE and that Eve was created shortly afterward. If you add 6,000 years to the year date of 4026 (no zero year), the result is 1975 CE. By 1975, 6/7ths of god's rest day would have been expended. It made such a neat package to say that the last 1,000 years of god's rest day would be the 1,000 year reign of Christ. So, 1975 must be the beginning of the 1,000 year reign, ergo armageddon is coming or will be over by 1975.
After the big letdown that Terry described, the spin doctors had to come up with something to rally the troops. So they claimed that they missed the mark on 1975 because there is no way to tell how long the period was between the date when Adam was created in 4026 and when Eve was created. Now, they conveniently decided that it could have been a few months or it could have been a few years, which pushed out the 6,000 year anniversary of the end of creation a bit. That bought them enough time so that some of the faithful let the whole thing drop, and no longer "served Jehovah for a date". Yes, according to the Society, this whole thing was our fault. We were the ones who pushed ahead and made 1975 into such a big deal.
Some JWs couldn't dismiss that whole mess quite as easily, some dropped out, some couldn't cope. I am very sorry to hear of what happened to your wife, Terry. What a tragedy.
-
61
The Watchtower Org will die.
by Freeandclear ini was just reading through some posts and had a startling realization.. the comment that sparked this went something like this: why oh why when i started into this in 1989 did i not research the history of the wtbts?
etc....... i too was studying and moving towards baptism around that same time.
i got dunked in dec of 1990.. my thought.
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Coded Logic: Already there. The growth rate for Jdubs is less than the population growth rate. And the Jdub growth rate has been falling every year for at least the past 15 years. I think within the next two to three years we'll actually start seeing negative numbers.
The bOrg doesn't break down statistics by language within a country, but given the paltry overall growth rate in the US for many years, my guess is that the only growth has come from Spanish speakers, and that the English speaking numbers have actually decreased. The Spanish have saved the bOrg's butt in the US and allowed them to continue to report gains.
-
7
A WRITER (me) looks at the "character GOD" from the standpoint of bad writing
by Terry ini pay attention to what other writers write about writing.
writers always have limits--even writers of fiction.. do you choose to live in a world where pigs fly and deuces are wild?
that would be an imaginary world.. do you choose to live in a world where god rules?
-
-
Socrateswannabe
Terry, I agree with you, there is some god-awful writing in the bible. The greatest writers/teachers understand how to take a complex subject and explain it in an easy-to-understand way. The bible seems to do just the opposite.
There were people like Homer turning out great pieces of literature at around the same time as the bible was being written, and yet the almighty god could only manage what we have come to know as the bible--a wholly inferior work.
Thank you for providing the link to the book, "Who Wrote the Bible?". I found that book in the public library many years ago. It was the first book I read on higher criticism of the bible, and it was an eye opener for me.