3rd we both are in the same situation with regard to family and degrees of time spent. My Great Grannie converted Granpa who converted Mom who converted me. Mom was a different style JW, she was not a people pleaser and not afraid of any elder or CO. She belived in College and other things considered evil. The responsibility of putting undue or unearned homage to these men, is both our parents and our fault. What evidence did they offer to us, that merited them double honor or glory? Looking back now, this was like some M. Night Sham movie, "The Sixth Sense" "The Village" we had the clues but were to busy with the story telling and background noise, to figure out what was going on. Now we look back and shake our heads and say I Get It Now! I appreciate your posts and writing 3rd Gen, peace to you!
AvocadoJake
JoinedPosts by AvocadoJake
-
9
Faithful and discreet, maybe, but never humble
by dgp ini was re-reading another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/218101/2/governing-body-pics) and i just couldn't help thinking that the faithful and discreet slaves may perhaps be faithful and discreet, but they are certainly not humble.
they let other witnesses treat them like special holy men.
not that i would have expected anything different from them, but i feel they should at least act otherwise for appearances' sake.. would it be fit for the members of the board of directors of any big company (enron, say) feel they have a special quality to them, one that puts them above all other humans, just because they approve things with two thirds of the vote?.
-
-
-
78
What's the most insensitive thing you have been told while grieving?
by 3rdgen ina few years ago my 21 yr old firstborn and only son died in an accident.
i was an active jw at the time.
in fact , i was at the meeting when it happened.
-
-
AvocadoJake
3rd Gen, My aunt told my mother, this was when my brother died, "You have five others kids, why are you crying still!" My aunt of many evils knew how to help the broken hearted ones, her love and compassion made her elegible to be an elder. She is one of the most wicked human beings, she is the most disgusting JW, and I have worked with the criminally insane in the hospitals, yet she surpasses them by far. I digress but you get the point, no comfort for those who mourn, I am so sorry about your son, and will pray for some type of comfort for you.
-
43
What Drug Helps You Cope With Your Mentally Diseased Apostate Mind?
by AvocadoJake incollege, exericise, reading, sports, beer, women, men, or drugs?.
-
-
AvocadoJake
Pride, the drug of choice right now is "reading, running and long distance cycling.) some Xanax at night, or JWN.net when I can't sleep! Elvil (amytripiline) is a horrible medication, My aunt offered me some ten years ago, and Arggg! It caused me to have heart palpatations!
-
62
The status of women in early Christianity
by Leolaia inthe watchtower society maintains a very strict gender dichotomy in its organization.
this is news to no one.
although men -- in many cases, unqualified men -- are expected to reach for advancement within local congregations (e.g.
-
-
AvocadoJake
Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life
By: Lynn H. Cohick Baker Academic / 2009 / Paperback Leolia, you might enjoy this book, I did
-
48
WHY IT IS WRONG FOR ELDERS, MINISTERIAL SERVANTS AND PIONEERS TO SOCIALIZE WITH THE WEAK ONES!
by AvocadoJake inthere is a sister in our hall who has made it clear why her "jehovah" does not like weak ones.
her husband the po, will refuse to work with those who are not getting ten hours or more a month.
the weak ones "are spiritually dangerous and will bring you down.
-
-
AvocadoJake
Jehovah God and Jesus Christ have a different outlook for the "weak" ones. Matthew 9:11-13:
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ [a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Contrast with Hosea 6:6 "6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offeringsKJV (Acts 20:35)
34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
35 I have shewed you all things,how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
(Romans 14) NLT
"1 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2 For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him judge whether they are right or wrong. And with the Lord’s help, they will do what is right and will receive his approval"
Read Ezk 34 while taking your sweet time, who is Jehovah condemming? Shepherds who were suppose to watch over his precious Sheep, he is angry his sheep were weak, lost and hurt, starving, meanwhile the Shepherds (Elders) were willfully neglecting his sheep while eating and drinking, and slapping each others backs! -
44
WT Society Appoints Elders/MS Based on " Functions " Performed - not ....
by flipper in........... holy spirit or any " fruitages of the spirit " like love, kindness, mildness, meekness , etc.
shown by men considered for elder or ms positions.
qualities or true positive character traits are not that important to the wt society in appointments of these men in jw congregations.. no, the real " qualifications " that a jw man needs to exhibit is being able to report 10 hours a month in knocking on people's doors offering wt and awake magazines !
-
-
AvocadoJake
Teetotalism is not advised, if you want to fit in with the elder body. The drinking parties, rival the spirit of Bacchus, with a touch of National Lampoon, yet remain holy and dignified, just ask them! If you saw how much wine and whiskey these men drink, "Were just wine tasting, we have a higher alcohol tolerance! Gluttony another cardinal quality, while working out, is met with a scripture in Timothy. "exercise is benificial for little, obesity is good."
With the micromangement of everything in the Socieity, the creativity of the elders and servants is frowned upon. Trying to deliver a fresh and new perspective on outlines that are forty years old, while staying within the time constraints, a diffucult task. There are rumors of Watch-Teleprompters to be installed in high net worth areas, so anyone who can read, can give a talk! This is good news for Brother Curmudgeon, who is so old, he exhales dust!
Thanks Balaam, you can't make this stuff up, even if you tried! Everything you wrote, I have seen or experienced!
Friday night the C.O. would bring up the name of every male in the hall and the entire body would have a "shot" at the poor guy. Even though everyone knew for months about the visit, one or two elders with an Ax to grind would quietly wait and say" I'm sorry but I Just hear a troubling rumor about Brother ....... and I think we should look into it before "laying our hands hastily on him". Of course the brother would be passed over. This would happen over and over till the poor smuck got the message and changed halls. Sometimes a funny brother would be called "not serious minded" no doubt over a joke at the expense of one of the Elders in the past.
NO ONE WANTED a pioneer appointed in many halls. Yikes! A true believer might show them up!!! :) In many halls no one wanted someone who was a real bible student, or a non team player. If need be, in some halls rather than be forced to appoint "boat rockers" some kind of "investigation" was mounted with perhaps "private" reproof that didn't get to be appealed and with no troublesome paper work going to the Watchtower Society. That would put the possible boat rocker on ice for 3 years!! There is always "loose conduct", "Causing divisions" that can be investigated. ie Farting in meetings, alone with a sister in field service, correcting/embarrasing an elder, writting any kind of letter to headquarters, repeating any negative press, reporting ANY sin without 2 witnesses against an elder..you get the point."
I wish everyone was forced to see the truth of the machinations of the BOE bandits, and how coward they truly are behind the seen. If a JW has not been lied to by the elder body or elders, they must be part of the 1 percent of the Kingdom Halls.
regarding DMZ it's yours!
-
184
Please dont be guilty of committing the sins you have indicted the WatchTower of
by mankkeli inplease dont be guilty of the sins you have indicted the wt of commiting.
something is common to all on this discussion board, we are quick at castigating the watchtower.
although, i understand your reasons for doing so, but i will warn you not to be guilt of the same offense the wt had committed.
-
-
AvocadoJake
Agreed! Nice writing Makeli!
-
9
Faithful and discreet, maybe, but never humble
by dgp ini was re-reading another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/218101/2/governing-body-pics) and i just couldn't help thinking that the faithful and discreet slaves may perhaps be faithful and discreet, but they are certainly not humble.
they let other witnesses treat them like special holy men.
not that i would have expected anything different from them, but i feel they should at least act otherwise for appearances' sake.. would it be fit for the members of the board of directors of any big company (enron, say) feel they have a special quality to them, one that puts them above all other humans, just because they approve things with two thirds of the vote?.
-
-
AvocadoJake
Hi dgp,
The only ones to blame are we ourselves, for allowing others to put men on a pedestal and agreeing without testing them. Those who have been around the block in this organization, know they are just men guessing and churning the Word of God. Men have been trying to project their own self grandiose image and others gladly will pay homage, for something unproven, just to feel like they belong in the group. Jesus said this about those Religious men who trampled the weak ones.
John 5:41
NLT "41 “Your approval means nothing to me, 42 because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. 43 For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. 44 No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. [e]
-
48
WHY IT IS WRONG FOR ELDERS, MINISTERIAL SERVANTS AND PIONEERS TO SOCIALIZE WITH THE WEAK ONES!
by AvocadoJake inthere is a sister in our hall who has made it clear why her "jehovah" does not like weak ones.
her husband the po, will refuse to work with those who are not getting ten hours or more a month.
the weak ones "are spiritually dangerous and will bring you down.
-
-
AvocadoJake
There is a sister in our Hall who has made it clear why her "Jehovah" does not like weak ones. Her husband the PO, will refuse to work with those who are not getting ten hours or more a month. The weak ones "are spiritually dangerous and will bring you down. The Watchtower training school for elders, help me realize a weak man or woman, can bring down five spiritually strong sheep!" Her next comment proved how wreckless this new mindset is, "I wish we had an application, each new family would have to fill out. If the family checked "Yes" to any of my twenty questions, they would be asked to join a Hall that is compatible with their sorry spiritual state." These are real issues the Socieity is having to deal with, it reminds me of Terry's "The Dog Did not Bark" brilliant post.
1. Have you been inactive in the Field Ministry over the last year during any month? Yes or No.
2. Have you ever been disfellowshiped before? Yes or No
3. Do you suffer from emotional problems? Yes or No
4. Have you called the Elders late at night to discuss a personal problem? Yes or No?
5. Is your meeting attendence below average? Yes or No?
6. Do you have children at home who are not attending meetings? Yes Or No?
-
52
The Dog that did not bark: Jehovah's Witnesses' greatest mystery
by Terry in'the dog that didn't bark' is an expression from a sherlock holmes mystery.
it was an important clue that led to identifying the criminal.. it seems that the killer entered and left the estate grounds one night but without the guard dog barking an alarm at the intruder's presence as expected.. from this nonevent holmes reasoned that the dog must have known the killer and that clue led to solving the case.. .
jehovah's witnesses are "the dog that didn't bark.".
-
-
AvocadoJake
Nancy you are wondering about the current 'faithful'? I am struggling now with this rocky little boat that is taking on water. My mind melted two months ago when I was given another version of the "Generation" and shook my head. With the New and Mid GenElders, its very easy to fade away without anyone noticing, other than donations taking a dump, if you give more than half the Halls income each month. I am taking things slow, and not sharing what I am learning, critical thinking is not a concept that is practiced in the organization. "The Slave has provide a new update! This is awesome how the Slave has provide new light again!" There are those who truly think Jehovah has told the "Slave" when the "End Times." will come. When a letter is read to the Hall, people still 'hold their breath, look at each other with eager anticipation, "Is this the letter to stop preaching and will herald in the Great Trib?" 'Will we now go out and preach "The Message of Doom?" the message that you are no longer able to receive Salvation but are Doomed!" This still goes on and people's hearts race with each special annoucement, as of Nov 2011, this mindset is still the same!