Posts by wisdomfrombelow

14

What is it like to have that one true friend?

by My Name is of No Consequence in

what is it like to have that one true friend?

growing up in the org, i never really had friends.

i had many acquaintances, some of which were worldly.

wisdomfrombelow

Having one true friend is awesome. Having more than one is even better. There are over 7 billion people on the planet...if your wife doesn't want to be the kind of friend you need then go out and find a friend. Being a "spiritual mate" might be what she dreams of but you can also dream of her being an "awake JW". The reality is that perhaps you should not have religious discussions and just agree to disagree on that.

If you need to "vent" about things JW, then find a friend for that. I have some friends who are good for that but not good for talking about sports. There is usually not a "one size fits all" perfect friend or perfect spouse. That is an unreality that is perpetuated by so many. I can advise a good marriage counselor as he might help you both learn to communicate more effectively and more successfully. Or a good therapist who might advise you on how to make new friendships now that you are older.

Just my 2 cents...

3

jw.org - online Bible - New World Translation - Study Edition

by Esse quam videri in

i went into jw.org to look up a scripture in the nwt and clicked on new world translation - study edition.

i wanted to go into the book of malachi.

the different bible books were laid in a grid pattern and i clicked on malachi.

wisdomfrombelow

They are releasing the multimedia bible in stages. All those pictures take a long time to animate :)

21

'Seek the Kingdom First' Economics

by Tornintwo in

jw
friends

has anyone else's family finances been victim to the 'seek the kingdom first' economic policy?.

for years, my husband and i have had our own business, my husband is not the most proactive guy, prefers to go in field service than to work, but he has always encouraged me to 'rely on jehovah and all these other things will be added to you', 'seek the kingdom first' etc etc.

there have been times, such as when i was heavily pregnant and we lost a big deal, that i have been begging jehovah on hands and knees to honour that promise, wondering why he wasn't helping us.

wisdomfrombelow

Hindsight is 20/20 but what could have been said to you to have prevented this from happening? Some people have put off getting married or having children because they wanted to "seek the kingdom first". Once you can see that you have choices then you can start making your own. Maybe start to separate your finances from your husbands and do what you can to get out of debt and live your life the way you want to.

4

"You don't go to the platform to say nonsense."

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

second in a series of reminiscing disappointments that cut me off this religion one string at a time.... actually, i had a one week break which i spent quite poorly: not sleeping at night, so i could catch up on my favorite shows, eating crappy foods the whole day, booze and hangovers.

i'm an introvert and really, this for me is an ideal holiday :).

but...all the above, coupled with having too much free time has brought back some demons who had been sleeping...and snoring.. back to the topic.. in my former congregation, there's one wannabe-elder-no-education-hates-his-job-envies-others-mysogynist-ministerial servant.

wisdomfrombelow

Tempest, why are you in a foreign language congregation? Is it because that is one way to keep your brain working in a mind-numbing meeting?

31

Should I be mad?

by kairos in

jw
friends

i've been df'd for about six weeks now.no one has broken the obligation to "honor the disfellowshipping decree".that's the way notorious co paul kohler describes the "loving arrangement" that is jw shunning.

( just "serving" napa ).

so, my wife's family has been "loving me" ( barf ) when out of nowhere, one of them sends home homemade soup for me.... well, i got super pissed.

wisdomfrombelow

If you want to eat the soup, eat it. If's just food and don't worry anymore about it. I've eaten cake from weddings I wasn't invited to. You didn't ask for the soup so if they want to know how if you liked it then they can ask your wife or they can ask you. You don't have to do anything.

54

What would you do if the Society Declares Bankruptcy

by Quarterback in

jw
friends

special pioneers let go.

bethel workers laid off.

construction halts, what's next?

wisdomfrombelow

I read about a situation that might compare to the Borg going bankrupt. What happens when a church goes bankrupt

It could be done to reduce a huge payment. Each country has laws regarding what is legal in it's jurisdiction. In Singapore some church officers got convicted of "Breach of Trust" for mismanaging money and could happen also. The Kingdom Halls are not assets that they can sell directly so closing branches and selling other real estate is something they can do.

The Society have smart lawyers and probably have structured themselves that they can survive any "attack" and have conditioned the faithful to listen to them no matter what. Rutherford was in prison along with his associates and that didn't deter him. Bankruptcy and other such problems won't deter them either. They will lead and there will be those who are willing to follow because people like the fantasy of living forever and never dying, of growing younger and healthier instead of older and no other religion is offering that.

71

Doing the Right Thing, Making a Choice (shunning)

by Simon in

jw
friends

continuing a topic that is dear to my heart because of my experience as both a shunner and a shunnee .... some people seem to get very agitated when i talk about the responsibility people have to make the right choices and that despite all the wrongs within the wts, people themselves have a role to play and some personal responsibility for the experience.. notice i said "some" responsibility, not "complete" - this doesn't absolve the wts for the things they do wrong in any way shape or form.

so please don't get argumentative about possible meanings and absolutes - of course the wts has a significant role to play but we need to decide what we're trying to achieve here and why the personal choice is so important.. i'm also not talking about actual crimes that the wts should answer for.

if they cover up child abuse for instance, they absolutely should be reported immediately.

wisdomfrombelow

Most witnesses consider the treatment of "untouchables" in India to be cruel and unfair. But they can't see the same thing in their own behavior. They would revolt if the Society demanded that they give them their entire paycheck and the governing body would give them whatever they think is needed to live from that. But when something similar is announced to the congregation's money, they instantly obey and don't complain. If members had wider interaction with non-witnesses they would see that they create the monster they fear.

Apathy would squelch shunning. Reporting everything you see and do to the elders would stop and then there would be less people disfellowshipped and hence less shunned until it stopped being relevant. If people realized that if they hide there sins for a few years then they elders don't even have to form judicial committees per the Shepherd the Flock book the elders might go towards a don't ask don't tell policy.

If people realize that they have the control then things will be much different. But that realization is hard for some people to grasp.

112

Did an EX-JW wake you up to TTATT or did you put the effort to wake up yourself?

by John Aquila in

how many of us were woken up by some apostate yelling false prophets at a convention?.

how many of us were woken up by someone holding a sign and yelling, what happened to 1975.

how many of us were coerced to investigate the wt because some ex-jw pulled up a bunch of old watchtowers magazines and told us to read the false predictions?.

wisdomfrombelow

As a born in, it was many things. Having access to old publications and reading them helped me see that things weren't right in the old days. Being friends with "spiritually weak" and "questioning" JWs also helped. I also got help while in the ministry by getting questions from people in the field that I couldn't answer from the bible but had to use "the Society says" as an authority.

Most people don't listen to someone who they are adversarial to so it is unlikely that EX-JWs would influence a JW because even talking to them could get the JW disfellowshipped. Everyone has to think and put some effort into making such a huge change as that but I can say that I was definitely not close minded and I enjoyed finding out things even if they were negative.

44

It's not the same religion anymore.

by punkofnice in

that was a quote from a dyed in the wool jw recently.

it was a complaint.. we all know that with 'new light(tm)' that the watchtower corporation's version of 'religion' has kept changing for a long time.

since i remember.....and i go back a long way too.

wisdomfrombelow

Those disgusting popes in Brooklyn are only after money and power.

I sometimes wonder which is more important to them, money or power. I know they go hand-in-hand and the corporation needs money to survive but I could see them being less "hands on" controlling if it was accompanied with sufficient increase in funds. I wonder how that would play out...

29

me and my new girlfriend

by justthenorm in

you see ive started dating this girl and her family is of strong jehova belief.

now i am not i do see certain things in there studie that is true in my opinion but ive never really been a religion type of person.

i think i want to marry her but i am not a jehovas witness and am not looking to be anytime at all she says that is ok and we can still get married but i dont know how its possible or where we would even do it please i need advice

wisdomfrombelow

I have to wonder why you are asking a group of strangers about who you should marry. We don't know her and we don't know you. We know the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses but that is it. Having a religious incompatibility is a HUGE problem for many people. But there are a lot of other things that are just as big or bigger issues.

I have known some Jehovah Witness women who would not convert you or would leave the religion for their husband. A lot of it depends on how she feels about you and what are her individual priorities. But that is for you to find out. We can give you "hypothetical situations" and give you things to ask her or ponder over but it is your decision and if you are not sure then you probably already have your answer.

I know Jews who work on the Sabbath, Muslims who eat pork, Catholics who use birth control and Jehovah's Witnesses who don't preach. Find out who she is and how she feels and then make your decision. And know yourself and understand that even if she was the same religion as you or if you converted that still won't assure success in marriage.

Good luck but it is your decision and we don't know her or know you so make sure you are ready for marriage before you marry anyone.