former governing body assistant howie tran has shared his bethel vow of poverty contract.
it reads rather culty.
i think clause number 9 is particularly worrying...to adhere to, not the bible alone, but also the watchtower literature and the governing body.
Former governing body assistant Howie Tran has shared his Bethel vow of poverty contract. It reads rather culty. I think clause number 9 is particularly worrying...to adhere to, not the BIBLE ALONE, but ALSO the Watchtower literature AND the governing body. But what if the GB contradict the bible? Then clause 10 will sort you out.
i'm not entirely sure where this has come from, but these past few months i've found myself gradually becoming more and more involved politically and identifying myself differently.
we all remember what it was like as jws, no political involvement whatsoever, no national pride, no singing the national anthem or saluting the flag etc.
the watchtower literature always shown artists renditions of nationalism or politics like this:.
Alex, I have a Welsh last name. Wales is only a 45min drive from me and, laughably, I do like to cling to the Welsh side when ruby is on or I see a nice castle in Conwy.
or is that old light??.
many young men avoided the draft due to their being “ministers”.
if everyone who is a jw is a minister, women and kids should share ministerial status and even be able to legally officiate and marry someone....as long as they are baptized..
They tell the rank and file this to make them feel special. But in reality only the elders are regarded by the Watchtower society and legal authorities as "real" ministers.
When I worked in immigration, we were always exasperated when we'd get visa or passport applications which had been countersigned by a run-of-the-mill JW rather than an elder. Because when a passport or visa application is verified by a "minister of religion" we had to ring them up and check out their credentials with the head of their church such as The Catholic Church in England and Wales,or LDS Administrative Office etc etc. whatever the religion was.
Almost always we'd get someone claiming to be a minister of Jehovah's Witnesses and we'd have to tell them that they're not officially recognized as one even by their own church.
They were never pleased and would be adamant that we were wrong and we surely haven't been speaking to the right people because "the society wouldn't say that".
a brother who is not baptized ( so there's still hope for him ) had a sister recently run into him at a store.
show wanted to know if he's going to the kingdom hall.
she asked him to write a letter for her to give to his mother ( who's deceased) in the paradise explaining why he didn't make it.
I would have loved this opportunity. I'd write a letter explaining exactly why I'm not a Jehovah's Witness with printed out evidence of the UN letter, stocks in cigarette companies, Gerrit Losch's distancing from Watchtower etc etc.
Coz you know they'd take a peek at a letter you'd written.
in my studies i’ve come to realize that most dying and rising gods such as inanna, jesus and others all were dead three days and nights.
the moon is dead as far as man not being able to see it in the sky three days and nights but many of these gods are not associated with the moon, osiris maybe being the only exception.
have any of you in your research come up with a plausible idea on why there all dead just threes days and three nights?.
Jesus being dead for three days is supposed to be anti-type for Jonah being in the belly of the fish for three days.
Also, saying/doing something three times was used in bible times to signify something that is definite. Saying "i divorce you" three times made a divorce legal etc. So one being dead for three days would indicate that they are indeed completely dead.
Or in the words of Monty Python - passed on!
is no more! He has ceased to be! expired and gone to meet his
maker! a stiff! Bereft of life, he rests in peace! pushing up the daisies! His
metabolic processes are now history! off the twig! kicked
the bucket, shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain
and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!!
as i spend more time here, things id forgotten come back, mostly bad and some i plan to share eventually.. but this one is happy, one of a sunday talk by a new elder from nigeria in our hall.
i remember the intro word for word.
id like to share it with you.. "brothers, sisters, newly interested ones.
There was an elder in Speke (Bro. Wagenecht) that used to say "shit" and didnt think it was a swearword. He grew up on a farm apparently. He never said it from a platform, although that would have been brilliant!
also does any have any information about a primary school instructor name wilkinson at bethel .
And FYI, I've still not figured out how a man get get off with a pillow. Women, I can understand, but men? Unless you were to roll it up and... but then it's all dry and not worth the chafing.
oh rapture!
today's wt caused my wife's first [jw mind control] epiphany and she didn't hesitate to share upon her discovery.
09/16/2018 | "where are your eyes looking?
My word they really are forgetting what they even believe anymore. I know of no other religion that has to backtrack so much to keep their members.
"May", "another possibility", "evidently", "another plausible explanation", "perhaps" etc f^ck me...
To the JWs lurking here, maybe you'd be better of just studying the bible on it's own and forming your own conclusion. It's less embarrassing and you dont have to keep updating your beliefs and no one will ask you to die due to a medical procedure they Jehovah "maybe, kinda-sorta, evidently meant" when he said abstain from blood.
i'm not entirely sure where this has come from, but these past few months i've found myself gradually becoming more and more involved politically and identifying myself differently.
we all remember what it was like as jws, no political involvement whatsoever, no national pride, no singing the national anthem or saluting the flag etc.
the watchtower literature always shown artists renditions of nationalism or politics like this:.
I'm not entirely sure where this has come from, but these past few months I've found myself gradually becoming more and more involved politically and identifying myself differently. We all remember what it was like as JWs, no political involvement whatsoever, no national pride, no singing the national anthem or saluting the flag etc. The Watchtower literature always shown artists renditions of nationalism or politics like this:
Nationalism and politics were always blamed for causing divisions. OK, they do to some extent, but that's not their purpose.
When I first woke up and left I still held on to the belief that "I'm not British, I'm a British citizen" or "I swear allegiance to no country". It kind of made me feel a little better and more enlightened than "those people who blindly go along with singing the anthem". But then... I don't know... I've slowly started to refer to the UK as "my country" in conversation and in writing. I didn't notice it at first, but I caught myself saying it. Usually I'd correct myself but I didn't this one time and thought about it later. I wore a poppy leading up to remembrance day the first year I left the cult. I did it initially simply because it was always verboten in the JWs.
Yes, this is my country.
Yes, I do care what happens to my country.
Yes, I would like a say in who gets elected to represent me in parliament.
Yes, I do appreciate how fortunate I am to be born in a country which is advanced and relatively wealthy. I had no say in this of course, but fortune could have led me to be born in China, Ethiopia or, heaven forbid, the USA (joke!).
And then the world cup happened (the soccer world cup to our American friends). I always support Germany in the world cup because a) England are usually shit and b) I have German ancestry which has fascinated me since I was a boy. But this time, England did really well. Better than Germany in fact. And I felt... proud. Every four years, England becomes united - Scousers and Mancs, Geordies and Cockneys, all in one crowd rooting for the same side.
And then there's the flag. I used to laugh at those people who flew the flag. I would probably never fly it casually, but now I would definitely fly it for a national event. I look at it now and think of my grandad who fought in WWII. His dad who fought (and lost his sight) in WWI. And those who went before them. The flag itself is just cloth, yet now I look at it and feel pride. I'm not for one moment saying my country is better than any other - but I feel a new found sense of belonging and duty.
I'm British. I have a Queen. I can (and will) vote to elect a suitable representative of this country. I will defend my country's honor and name if it's being besmirched and - which is a complete 180 from the old me - I would join up to defend it if we were at a WWII situation and fascists were carving up Europe and threatening my land. I will wear a poppy to remember the dead and those who fought for Britain, that includes those from the colonies who fought for us.
However, I do still feel that my country doesn't have a national anthem, it has a song about the Queen (god save the Queen). Plus, as an atheist it annoys me that "god" is in there. But, I will sing it and feel teary eyed thinking of my grandad, great-grandad and whoever else fought for what I, and so many others, take for granted.
Sorry for the rant but it helps me to get this out. Especially in writing.
NOTE: For the non-UK readers, a "Scouser" is someone who comes from Liverpool (yours truly), a Manc is someone from Manchester, Geordie from Newcastle and a Cockney from London.
the other day, we were discussing the similarities that a jw has to a drug addict.
(or any form of addiction really).
as jws, we constantly required "another hit" to keep the cravings at bay, or to keep the level of "high" as a "spiritual" person.. yet another jw related activity - ministry, meetings, publications, assemblies etc...just to keep the high level of euphoria.. but what happens when the "drug" supply is cut off?
I find that, like an addiction, when people "come off the drug" they tend to fill the void with another addiction or go right back to it after a while. That's why it's a good idea to find a useful or fun hobby to fill the void during the process of waking up. For me it was Morrissey's music, life drawing and photography. Much more fun and meaningful than another boring meeting.
