i could go on and on about my personal journey over the last 2 years or so, but i don't need to.
everything i needed to hear to finally lay my doubts to rest happened on one meeting night.
it could only be divine providence.
Wasbline says, " Wasn't Steve Jobs Buddist ?"
Rumor had it that Steve Jobs was studying with Jehovah's Witnesses just before he died, well for several years I guess. Shortly after beginning to studying and going to the meetings he came up with the idea of the tablet, touch screen thingy dingy. He said it was so the older ones wouldn't have to carry those big book bags and would have all the information in a light weight solution. Steve also visited Bethel and made several suggestions.
although i really hate the wt/jw shunning policy, which especially huts those who have been df'd, i find i am in a kind of way doing it to my jw family.. i do not include them in anything i do, in my own family gatherings, and i cannot be arsed to inform them of things going on in my family, or to even go and see them, unless really necessary.. this all adds up to a kind of "reverse shunning", and i do feel a twinge of guilt about it, but it is simply how things have become.. do you, fellow faders, find a similar thing happening ?.
I learned working in the Nuclear Plants priniciples that I apply to toxic family relationships: Time, Distance, and Shielding.
is the united nations letter about watchtower's involvement from 1991 to 2001 still available on the united nations webpage?.
Thank you Finkelstein, Mind Blown, Problemaddict, Apognophos, and Oubliette for your input. Mind Blown, if you have some links for the hedge funds that would be interesting to investigate, it would be just Mind Blowing.
Personally, I believe WTBTS could have come up with a better excuse than the library card. They could have said that they were using the United Nations to assist in disaster relief and promoting religious freedom.
For new comers or interested parties, this is good information; there are still witnesses that either are unaware of the UN involvement, or passively deny it. There are some Brothers like Brandt Jones that were eventually disfellowshipped for writing an inquiring letter to WT about their involvment.
a friend of mine recently had his co visit and in the elders meeting the co out-right asked the question: how are the friends doing in your cong.
as regards pursuing higher education?
the co continued...you know in view of all the counsel from the slave regarding the dangers.
There has been some great comments on this thread. To bump the thread and reiterate:
1) No, college is not for everyone, there are many that are resistant to education, and deliberately want to get by with the minimum necessary in effort and time.
2) Yes, some witnesses have heeded the "admonition" reguarding "higher educaiton" of the Great Atomic 8-12 members of the "Faithful and Discrete Slave" spritual advisers, and later regret it.
Some that are discontent "complainers in life" sometimes will use this as the excuse of why they are loosers in life. These are the same persons that did not apply themselves to the educational process even when having access to free public education, and most likely would not have even had the drive, dedication, or ambition to complete a degree. Again, these are ones looking for an excuse of why they are not content with their lot in life.
3) True, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, did at one point in the mid 1990's retreat from their position of "the end is so close, there's not enough time to finish a four year degree" position, to at least a position that gave publishers more individual responsibility and individual freedom to make a personal decision to seek "higher education". However, those who exercised the right of personal decision would envoke distasteful comments, adversarial looks, and unofficial congregational shunning and restrictions on responsibilities unless it included a toilet cleaning or mowing of the Kingdom Hall lawn.
4) The world's work environment has changed, and no, a High School education is "evidently" not consistently sufficient to earn a living wage in most first world countries for a man or women to sufficiently support a small family that would include the basics including health insurance. There are exceptions (some on this forum) and some individuals have been able to earn sufficient wages to support more than the basics in life with just a High School diploma. This is great and I am happy for these individuals, but a few successful cases do not necessarily make a successful path that can be followed with consistancy. Further, many will admit that the work environment has changed and they could not possibly replecate such success if starting today, and do not advocate it for their own children!
For me personally, coming from a struggleing family of carpenters, I wanted to study structual engineering and architecture, live at home while attending the university. I had no desire to learn how to drive a nail, or use the basics of a 3,4,5 pathagorium theorem. However, Dad, who was already smarting from the false/100% failure of 1975 expectations, unbelievably informed me that I would have to pack my bags and leave the house if I continued pursueing my goal of a university degree in engineering. To make his point he xeroxed copies of bound volumes of WTBTS literature stating what a waste of time it was to pursue a degree. This was 35 years ago.
At this late date of December 26, 2013, the 100% failure rate of WTBTS's expectations, predictions, interpretation of prophesy, or their own prophesiahing, (whatever you would like to call it if you are a JW apologetic) etc. to the time of the end, the generation of 1914 that would not pass away,etc, the current WTBTS's posturing towards education is irreprehensable.
It is comparible to analog advise in a digital world. However bad the advise given by the self-proclaimed "Faithful and Discrete Slave" is, it cannot be ignored that it is simply not any of theirs (or any religions) business to take an adversarial position to "higher education", PERIOD. Any religion that would take an adversarial position to higher education should raise concern to its followers of their motive and what they do not want you to learn. Other than a cautionary, "count the cost" position, don't get too indebted to student loans, maintain your spirituality, morals etc, any further discouraging advise is certainly questionable. Why not encourage Christians to save some money for their childrens college tuition, be in a financial position to house them at home to avoid possible harmful association in the dormitories, etc. Oh, I'm sorry, the WTBTS is very greedy and they want all of a families cash and available credit and they want it immediately.
My Opinion: The purpose of the scriptures is to assist the human family with having a hope for the future, to assist in making wise decisions, and maintaining balance in life. (List is not all inclusive.) How??? after having articles in the mid 1990's about the "What is the Bibles Viewpoint of Higher Education" (which was "somewhat" more balanced than the current posturing),they could regress to their current dark age commentary. Has the Bible changed? or has the WTBTS opinion changed????
Personally, I could be angry not only of their past position and how it influenced and exerted negative forces in my youthful life 35 years ago that led to depression and the ongoing struggle I contend with today.
However, what angers me is like a pedophile that continues to harm, ruin, and destroy lives, the WTBTS keeps their asinine and cultish position on higher education, leaving the residual congregation adherants to enforce their position by marking, shunning, and generally making a seeker of educations life's "hell". Personally, I think of "impale them, impale them", would be a workable solution. What pompous asses the Atomic 8 are, "Faithfull and discrete"? my ass.
i need help with writing an article regarding vaccinations, organ transplants, and blood transfusions.. i am doing my research using limited amounts of non-wt sources and mostly just the actual wt literature.. what i am having a hard time understanding is:.
most of the articles in the golden age, at least at the beginning of the anti-vaccination stance, are actually written by contributors.
since there are very pro-vaccination articles and then lots of anti-vaccination articles, how can i determine the actual wt viewpoint on vaccinations?.
For many years witnesses were reluctant to take some vacinations because some of them had blood "fractions". Missionaries were required by the different governements to get vacinations, and were told by WTBTS that if they did not get the vacinations they could not go to their assignments.
I have seen different periodicals write positive and negative articles about the same subject, when the truth comes out they can point out how they were correct, when actually they just covered their arse.
its almost 9:30pm christmas night.
due to hubby being a jw i am never invited to any holiday dinners.
christmas, easter, thanksgiving ect.
KarriOtt, Merry Christmas, may you find love and happiness in this next year!
hey i'm new here, i've been reading up so much here and on other sites about tatt and it has really settled a nagging feeling of doubt within me.
truly i have been lied to and have been trapped in this cult.
i've been suffering with depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, hospitalization, anti depressants, loneliness all this while being in supposedly surrounded by "the happiest people" on earth.
Winnie, I'm not qualified to give avise on relationships with mother, but I totally understand, and hope the best for you. I know it is difficult. Many blessings.
is the united nations letter about watchtower's involvement from 1991 to 2001 still available on the united nations webpage?.
Oubliette, this is a good idea, because I did see it originally on the UN website with my own eyes. Printing it will work just fine. Thanks. Apognophos, thank you, that link is good also. Great work arounds.
many people think those verses are suggesting that the wars, earthquakes, food shortages, etc are all a sign that the end is imminent.
however, a careful examination of the context seems to suggest that jesus was actually forewarning his followers not to draw such a conclusion from such events.
see this interesting article on the subject:.
After reading the original post link, I wonder the possibility of this becoming new light from WTBTS? and then they could claim that we've seen all this so we must be nearer than imminent.
is the united nations letter about watchtower's involvement from 1991 to 2001 still available on the united nations webpage?.
Oubliette, yes this is the very letter I was looking for. Thank you. I was not able to find it on the UN website, I wanted to show it to someone but I didn't want to necessarily use JWFacts as they might object. I thought they might accept it easier if it were on the UN website.
