@SouthCentral "There were witnesses who were gang members. What an interesting mix."
Make that a 12 inch mix and you've got yourself some Kool-Aid and the Gang:
tiffany haddish, comedian.
"life in south central los angeles in the 90's, "there were gang violence, crack heads, drive by shooting and jw's".
how interesting she associated all the bad things in south central and jw's.....door to door work in south central can be a little dangerous, my hat off to those folks.
@SouthCentral "There were witnesses who were gang members. What an interesting mix."
Make that a 12 inch mix and you've got yourself some Kool-Aid and the Gang:
i was wondering what is the most interesting or the strangest fact you've found out since leaving the jws about:.
the bible.
god .
That my parents don't really love me unconditionally.
tiffany haddish, comedian.
"life in south central los angeles in the 90's, "there were gang violence, crack heads, drive by shooting and jw's".
how interesting she associated all the bad things in south central and jw's.....door to door work in south central can be a little dangerous, my hat off to those folks.
Paging @jwfacts. He and his family covered some territory in the Bronx back in the 90s.
As for Haddish lumping in JWs with drug addicts and gang violence... I do see the criminal link. Think of Witnessing as masturbation - only JWs enjoy it, and they should be arrested for doing it in public.
when @brian j’s “bullet in the head” thread went live (https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4747450574176256/session-8-bullet-head) those written shots echoed in my mind.
a week later while overhearing a bible study, the conductor was asked if god really has given us “free will”.
but if someone ever put a gun to my head and asked me to renounce my faith as a jehovah’s witness, i would die.”.
When @Brian J’s “Bullet in the Head” thread went live (https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/4747450574176256/session-8-bullet-head) those written shots echoed in my mind.
A week later while overhearing a Bible Study, the conductor was asked if God really has given us “free will”. The illustration was put to her that, suppose she was held hostage with a gun and her kidnapper said, “you are free to disobey me. But if you do, I’ll shoot you in the head. Could you honestly say you had free will in that situation?” The analogy fell on conditioned ears. The conductor stared blankly for a moment and blinked a few times before responding, “No. But if someone ever put a gun to my head and asked me to renounce my faith as a Jehovah’s Witness, I would die.”
Most people would pull a hamstring trying to find a conversational segway like the one above. But this study conductor did it with such fluidity and with what I can only describe as a Pavlovion reflex. The words “gun to your head” was enough neural stimuli to trigger the sister’s proclamation of WT martyrdom in a picosecond.
Do you remember thinking this as a fully-fledged Witness? I do. In fact, I have a memory of being just ten years old and randomly asking my 15 year old sister what ever would she do if a swarm of “army police men” were to kick down the front door and ask her if she was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses (perfectly normal pre-pubescent angst to have, by the way, right up there with “who stole my Lip Smacker?”). My sister paused before answering: “I’d say no. But my sister is.” She never really liked me.
All of this seemed like such normal behavior. Of course, it’s a whole different story once you’ve woken up and seen the value of your own life. And how our heart’s ache when loved ones demonstrate how cheap their lives are when they unflinchingly subject themselves to WT’s demands for blood to be shed. It’s as though the next best thing after leaving literature behind with people, is for individuals to leave behind a corpse as a “witness” to their executioners.
The reason I bring this up in a thread today is for this sudden realization I had: theocratic warfare and “untruths” (à la Rahab) are perfectly acceptable when the fate of your brothers is at stake. To preserve the lives of fellow Witnesses, brothers can lie to officials. But when death stares our brothers in the eye and they’re asked if they will renounce their faith, theocratic warfare suddenly cowers in the trenches of semantics. The brother asked to renounce his faith on paper can know full well in his heart what his faith is. After all, Jehovah is more interested in reading hearts than Governmental slips of paper, no? Why is the brother’s own life not shielded by the theocratic warfare strategy?
On an unrelated matter, and in typical WT folklore pageantry, Gerrit Lösh has infamously regaled audiences with the “true story” of a young man who suffered a debilitating mental disorder. To end the suffering, he put a rifle in his mouth and pulled the trigger to end his suffering. By freak chance, the bullet perforated the part of his brain that was responsible for his compulsive disorder. “He survived and managed to live a normal life,” Lösch concluded. It is my utmost hope for any future brother or sister facing execution that the same stroke of luck befalls them. May the shot fired completely dislodge the mental ailment known as undue influence so that the Witness in question may go on to live a normal, happy life.
i have been wanting to write a book for kids who grow up in the borg or near the borg.
it would be non offensive and factual.
i am putting the chapters together.
What a neat idea!
A whole section dedicated to the following may be of use:
Criticizing or Critiquing - what does critical thinking entail?
From there, perhaps identify with subheadings the various aspects of identifying fallacious claims, arguments and unreasonable demands for individuals to forsake the apparently dreaded "spirit of independence". Youths could be provided with examples in history where this "spirit of oneness" lead to society's detriment. Perhaps contrast this with individuals who truly did serve as the proverbial grain of rice which tipped the scale - Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Newton, Socrates, and yes - even Charles Taze Russell, who had the gall to fracture away from group-thinking and do what he believed was right. There is absolutely nothing reckless about standing up to the crowd (be it a political party, a social movement, or even a beloved religious organization) and saying "NO". That "no" will affect change. The future rests with the very youth reading this book. Ultimately, the book should demonstrate that there is much more truth, wisdom and hopefully happiness in taking the risk of thinking for oneself.
the wife told me "no valentine's gifts this year, too many holidays".
so what do i do, no gift for her but after i went for my walk guess what, a box of see's candies and a beautiful card.
now i feel like a ass.
@James Mixon Face the music, brother. Nothing a woman says actually means what she says:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be3jR8lBZx7/?hl=en&taken-by=brockpierson
my turning point: serving on a child abuse judicial case.
.
Attending the Remain Loyal to Jehovah convention in 2016 and watching the bunker and shunning dramatizations.
conversation with my 3yo this morning:.
me: hey, it's <friend in her nursery> birthday in a few days.
her: jehovah doesn't like birthdays.
@WingCommander Mama Wake Me is here - I'll take care of you.
Now drop your pants.
conversation with my 3yo this morning:.
me: hey, it's <friend in her nursery> birthday in a few days.
her: jehovah doesn't like birthdays.
Conversation with my 3yo this morning:
Me: You ready for school?
Him: Ja!
Me: How do you feel?
Him: Hap-py!
Me: Why?
Him: Caca.
...He'd sh*t his pants. Looks like Jehovah favors the wise and intellectual ones like your daughter, Pale.
just wondering if anyone has gone back to a meeting out of curiosity?
(perhaps to an area far from your old khall where you know no one).
with all the changes from 2012 onwards (videos, tv screens, new meeting format, new songs etc) it would be an odd experience to be in attendance!.
@stuckinarut2 I don't know... this guy kinda looks familiar to me (almost as much as that KINGDOM HALL, omg).
Do you recognize him?