Posts by Phizzy

19

Convention attendance

by joe134cd in

just heard from a pimi cousin who recently attended a convention, and remarked about the low attendance.

peak was about 500. i remember that circuit, in years past, had attendances of 1000+.

it's been over a decade now since i last attended a jw convention.

Phizzy

" You mean assembly! " Yea, it's funny how many of the old J.W special words have changed, always it seems they change to make things sound more acceptable.

Maybe in the case of "Assembly" a widely circulated joke spurred them on to change it, here is the Joke , now out of date of course : " A guy drives past a building that has the sign on it " Jehovah's Witnesses Assembly Hall" and he thinks to himself " So that is where they build those Robots !"

With one of the latest to change it as usual was done for Legal reasons, the change from "Disfellowshipped" ( a crap word anyway) to "Removed", to try to fool the Courts that their practices in this regard have changed, they have not.

On the matter of attendance , I would dearly love to know what the current ones in my area are, Kent, U.K, as I think it is great that the numbers go down ! I am sure they have in my area, but I attended my last "District Assembly" as it was then called, in 2006, and my last K.H Meeting in early 2008, so have no way to find out.

24

The Creation Story of Genesis 1 in its literary context

by Leolaia in

genesis 1 , the priestly (p) account of creation, has often been compared with the enuma elish, the akkadian creation myth.

some have claimed that p is dependent on the latter, but this is highly improbable.

in terms of similarities, most note the parallel of marduk splitting the body of the sea-monster tiamat and creating the heavens and earth from it, and elohim's division of the thwm "watery deep" (hebrew cognate of akkadian tiamat) into the heavens, earth, and seas.

Phizzy

PP you said to me : " I'd much appreciate a thread from you, sharing something you learned recently.."

Thanks for the thought, I will maybe find time to do that, but at present things are a bit hectic in my life, I have a lot of writing to do in the form of a Novel, and I will have to immerse myself in that, and have to live with the characters in my head for a while ! My Mentor told me he wanted me to finish it by the end of December, I have not really started it ! He said to me the other day "You cannot keep making excuses", which is true, the guy is too bloody perceptive, he sees through my procrastination.

But I find it refreshing to turn off from one thing for a while, and put the old grey cells to work on something different. I am always amazed at the depth of study possible when it comes to the Works we find in the Bible, so it still fascinates me as an area of study.

Keep your grey cells working, I find doing so is good for "the soul", the old body won't do what it used to do, and does some things it shouldn't, but if we can keep our minds in Olympic quality fitness, that is a great thing for us !

24

The Creation Story of Genesis 1 in its literary context

by Leolaia in

genesis 1 , the priestly (p) account of creation, has often been compared with the enuma elish, the akkadian creation myth.

some have claimed that p is dependent on the latter, but this is highly improbable.

in terms of similarities, most note the parallel of marduk splitting the body of the sea-monster tiamat and creating the heavens and earth from it, and elohim's division of the thwm "watery deep" (hebrew cognate of akkadian tiamat) into the heavens, earth, and seas.

Phizzy

Thanks PP, for the info from the Talmud, and for reviving a Thread by Leo, yourself and other contributors. It will do some new members here good to see what a "Study in the Scriptures" should look like !

I miss the in-depth stuff, which mainly disappeared with Leo, who perhaps felt her contributions were "casting pearls before swine" ?

Thank you for being here still ! You always give me more of an Education, and spur me to further research.

4

Ten Mind Games Jehovah's Witnesses Play

by Sea Breeze in

jehovah's witnesses are masters at changing definitions of words to redirect thoughts.

they have done this effectively with common theological terms.

the result is that even when people leave, many still think the jw's have "some truth" and that maybe its just the leadership that is the problem.

Phizzy

I realised that Proverb referred to the life course of a Righteous man ONLY, when I was in the org. it was patently a misuse of its obvious meaning to extend it to greater enlightenment on Scripture etc. it simply has nothing to do with that.

I also thought that the "Righteous man" in the Proverb could equally be someone who lead a morally upright life without necessarily being a worshipper of Jehovah.

It is a stand alone Proverb, probably originating outside of Israel. I also while still in ,and in fact years before I actually left, realised the profligate use of Trigger Words by the Org to exercise Mind Control over the members. But at the time I just thought it was designed to guide new converts, which it was of course, but was far more insidious than I then realised.

These things were just some of the matters that made my Cognitive Dissonance rise to screaming level, and I finally properly examined the org's Doctrines and Practices, and then felt compelled to walk away.

27

Memories of Excessive Laughter

by Sea Breeze in

jw
friends

jw's are not known for laughter.

there are the rare exceptions.

they are more known for their fear mongering and doomsday scenarios where "the dead shall come to be as manure on the surface of the ground from one end of the earth clear to the other".

Phizzy

The Congregation I joined when I moved after marrying my wife in 1970, was much as Blues Bro described his first one.

But maybe a tad more relaxed, with even more laughter, I remember one occasion when something that was said, I cannot remember exactly what, resulted in uproarious laughter from the audience, and the Elder on the Platform laughing so much his head ended up resting on the Rostrum as he struggled for breath !

One new convert remarked to me "This place is more like a Music Hall than a church !" , he was referring to the many audible comments from the audience that were regular at the time, and often funny.

But today the org. is a dull miserable place, where laughter is minimal, and an event as above described would be frowned upon, so not happen.

The J.W's have indeed lost more than they know, and made the org. far less appealing.

25

gossip

by Nancy1919 in

i was once was told by an jw elder it was a rule not to gossip or swear as it could harm someone, but i guess the new light allows this.

it was bad enough when they were calling people worldly now i heard a jw gossiping about someone and it was mean.just another reason i would never go back.

.

Phizzy

Hi Nancy ! and a warm welcome here !

I was born in to the Cult in 1950, and all my life was conscious that Gossip was rife constantly among the J.W's. To be fair, but not totally excuse the individual J.W's, Gossip is ubiquitous throughout Human Society.

But the counsel was always that J.W's should be better than "worldly" people, and IMHO they were a hell of a lot worse ! Yes, humans tend to gossip, but it was a HUGE part of every J.W conversation !

The trouble was that confidential matters, many that should not have become known outside of an Elders Meeting, became common knowledge as soon as a few J.W's got together, there was no confidentiality.

We used to know which Elders wife would spill the beans, and her husband would as well ! It wasn't a matter of him telling her, and trusting her not to repeat what she knew. Both of them seemed to think that telling tales on their fellow J.W's made them look better, and of course it was all part of the horrible judgmental attitude that they have. And of course, as is common with Gossip, the story got changed in the telling.

Decades before I left I noticed the contrast between a J.W congregation and a "worldly" Club I belonged to, and still do in fact. The Club was and is a warm friendly place, where you always get a warm welcome from all, whereas only a few welcome you as you enter a K.H, and though a bit of what we could call gossip goes on, it is never malicious, or heavily judgmental, and confidences are kept, not spread far and wide.

6

Scam Marketing !

by Phizzy in

we are constantly being attacked by scam marketers who create a perceived need , not a real one, and hence create within us a want.

if we fill our desire for that thing or things by buying in to it, we then end up with totally unnecessary expense.

we have been scammed.. whether that be something to do with the latest fashions and trends, the latest 'phone, car or something similar.. the longest running, and most lucrative marketing scam in all human history has been religion.

Phizzy

We are constantly being attacked by Scam Marketers who create a perceived need , not a real one, and hence create within us a want. If we fill our desire for that thing or things by buying in to it, we then end up with totally unnecessary expense. We have been Scammed.

Whether that be something to do with the latest Fashions and Trends, the latest 'phone, car or something similar.

The longest running, and most lucrative Marketing Scam in all Human History has been Religion. Religions create a perceived need, and hence a want, for gods in our lives, and create a "sin" or "sins" that are no more real than their gods, that we need "Salvation" from. It costs us much, in the form of actual $$$, and personal cost to our Quality of Life.

The J.W religion from its start, but especially since the time of Rutherford, has used Scam Marketing.

As Mark Twain sagely observed : " Religion was invented when the first Priest met the first Gullible Fool".

Learn to identify all Scam Marketing, and you can lead a Happy, and Fulfilled life, at a much much lower cost !

18

Shunning--newest directive

by stan livedeath in

so just what is the latest directive on shunning?.

asking for a family member.

Phizzy

" In next to no time JW's will be asking if anyone has ever heard the term disfellowshipping! "

True, but they must keep up with "Jehovah's Chariot" , and use only the current "Cult Speak", the term is now "Removed" we learn, as with a number of changes in the J.W Esoteric Cult Speak over the years, the word has changed, but not the practices associated with it.

The "removed" person will still be shunned, which IS intolerant and cruel !

19

Reddit thread: ‘This Cult is Dying and it Brings Me Joy’

by LongHairGal in

this is an excellent thread to read that i saw yesterday and the poster hits the nail on the head and tells it so well.

he is really knocking pimi witnesses and has a lot of well deserved criticisms about them.. he says he hopes at this point that they never wake up….

i am inclined to feel the same.

Phizzy

Agreed Beth, to a degree, but with some it is merely fear of the unknown that is the main reason they stay. I was in exactly the position you describe, when I walked away most of my friends, family and contacts were J.W's, I relied on them for business, also my wife had been in from birth, and I did not know if I would lose her !

But, it is so much a part of me to be a Lover of Truth that when I learned that far from being "the truth" the J.W religion is The Big Fat Lie I simply had to leave cold turkey, I could no longer be a part of that without sacrificing every shred of personal integrity, and denying who I really was !

I took my chances, of course the J.W's cut off all contact, I lost business, and my J.W family became "distant", a sort of mild shunning. My darling wife it turned out was happy to leave, she hated "Field Service" and the Meetings, apart from the socialising after.

Within a few weeks she told me she was an Atheist now too. I survived financially, made contact with my ex-JW and never J.W family, with whom I am now very close, and I made closer ties with friends I had who had never been J.W's. Those friends are wonderful, they have helped me through tough times, and their evident love is unconditional.

So PIMI's should have no fear of leaving, if they are Lovers of Truth, and have personal Integrity, but how many actually do now ?

11

Revising History

by no-zombie in

while i'm aware of wt books being revised without noting the differences on newer editions (the truth book is a classic example of this) ... is there evidence of the writing committee revising the online versions of wt articles, as compared to the printed editions?.

if there is a previous thread on this topic, just link it ... as these is no need to reinvent the wheel.. thanks.

Phizzy

They also did it with revising in the Bound Volumes of the Magazines what was said in the original Edition. For many years I had a Copy of one of the original Mags, and the appropriate Bound Volume.

The change they had made was subtle to a degree, in that the ordinary "Publisher" would not have noticed, but they changed embarrassing statements in the original, for the version that they Bound , that takes EFFORT ! a new Print Run for one Magazine, to hide what they had originally said, and had sold, as "truth" to the J.W's and Public alike.

In the end I got rid of old Bound Volumes and Mags, but it confirmed to me just HOW devious those Liars are !