Posts by NotFormer

42

What would happen to a JW for celebrating Christmas?

by Vanderhoven7 in

mark jones writes:.

if they were spied upon and it was reported to the elders they’d be “invited” to a judicial committee whereupon they’d be cross examined in a locked backroom by three men acting as judge and jury to decide if they are guilty.. .

if the elders decide that they are guilty, they’ll then decide if the person is sorry.

NotFormer

jwundubbed, that's an interesting situation, that a congregation got so tired of the constant pressure to perform that they all pretty well gave up on applying the mutual self-enforcement that JW discipline depends upon.

I was going to say that it's a pity that you don't know how things panned out, but then I realised that leaving them and losing contact was probably a part of your own healing process. That they sound like they were a "less bad" congregation still doesn't mean that hanging around with them is better than not. I imagine that Bethel eventually brought its forces to bear. Especially if there was an overseer already sniffing around.

34

Jehovah's Witnesses came by today.

by 3rdgen in

this morning i was in our front yard sitting down pulling weeds when i saw 3 people slowly walking on the sidewalk in my direction.

2 of them were young, handsome, clean shaven, wearing nice crisp white shirts and perfectly tailored black slacks.

they could have been mormons except.... there was a 60ish portly woman wearing a frumpy dress and ugly sandals.

NotFormer

"apathy cart"

Probably true in many places. But in my town, the trolley witnesses seem to be fairly engaged in the whole thing. I've never seen them talking to passersby, but their conversations with each other seem to contain a fair bit of interest.

38

Questions about WT illustrations

by Beck_Melbourne in

jw
friends

when i was a kid....i used to look at the wt illustrations of paradise conditions and would day dream about life in the new system....i later used this same technique (shame on me) to brain wash bible students.

however...as i grew up lol (apparently!

) the illustrations changed....and became more modern.

NotFormer

"Stanley Tape Measure. They will still be making tools in the new system."

I feel sorry for poor Brother Stanley 😞. He really has his work cut out, producing the tools to rebuild the entire planet!

"The Bananas must have arrived from Central America on the "Big Sailboat" my mom claimed we would have in the New System."

Cue "The Banana Boat Song". 🙄

34

Jehovah's Witnesses came by today.

by 3rdgen in

this morning i was in our front yard sitting down pulling weeds when i saw 3 people slowly walking on the sidewalk in my direction.

2 of them were young, handsome, clean shaven, wearing nice crisp white shirts and perfectly tailored black slacks.

they could have been mormons except.... there was a 60ish portly woman wearing a frumpy dress and ugly sandals.

NotFormer

"Still, sometimes a question can be posed that can cause a "Honest Hearted" JW to google. If they already have a doubt or something just doesn't sit right, they might look it up -even if it's just to try to prove it wrong. That's what happened to me so I figure it could happen again"

You never know what might trigger something in someone, especially if the conversation is handled respectfully and kindly.

34

Jehovah's Witnesses came by today.

by 3rdgen in

this morning i was in our front yard sitting down pulling weeds when i saw 3 people slowly walking on the sidewalk in my direction.

2 of them were young, handsome, clean shaven, wearing nice crisp white shirts and perfectly tailored black slacks.

they could have been mormons except.... there was a 60ish portly woman wearing a frumpy dress and ugly sandals.

NotFormer

"Dressed as she was, its a wonder the elders didn't address that"

None of their damned business! 😡

18

First Church Service at 55 years Old

by SouthCentral in

jw
friends

i went to a christening at a church today, a black church.

it was an incredible experience!!

women were an active part of the service, and the people were very welcoming.

NotFormer

"As a witness, the evilest thing in the world is a CHURCH!! It's incredible how at a church there is much love and forgiveness"

"Love and forgiveness is for sissies!" - Diamond Joe Rutherford (probably 🤷)

42

"We're in the last days!"

by BoogerMan in

not just jw's, but countless others (evangelicals etc.

) are claiming that we're in the "last days.".

but........bible students/jw's have been spouting this fake message since the 19th century!!!!!!.

NotFormer

"Hey Jan, check out the FREESAT channels after No. 600 +.

"When they're stop talking about "the last days," they start asking for your cash. Sound familiar?"

Those "Christian" channels are inhabited by para-church and independent "ministries" that funnel funds away from the local mainstream churches and into the pockets of the promoters, more often than not. Jan's point still stands: you're not likely to hear the "time is short; give money!" message in your local Catholic, Anglican, Baptist or Presbyterian church. Those denominations have been around long enough to know better than to be date-setting. Even the Pentecostal denominations are steering clear of that sort of thing, these days.

ETA: I didn't realise Jan said this: "As far as l know we , the British don't have these religious satellite channels. Brits don't go in for that kind of " give us your money for a blessing " stuff".

That she is unaware of that rubbish is to her credit, IMO*. Every country has those sorts of channels. We have a couple here in Australia, mainly programmes piped in from the USA. But you're not likely to find mainstream church goers knowing about them or paying them any heed.

*In this case, ignorance is bliss! Kenneth Copeland and his ilk make my blood boil; not knowing that they're out there would be great!

20

Did your witness family have a 'Thanksgiving' that wasn't on Thanksgiving?

by SydBarrett in

jw
friends

my family had several elders, ministerial servants, auxillary pioneers etc, so it certainly wasn't one of those 'barely in' families.

but in certain small ways, i think mine were slightly less hard line than some other families i've heard stories about over the years.

one example was the 'fall dinner'.

NotFormer

"Every country has it's autumn celebration. Does the southern hemisphere have a harvest time festival in April or may?"

Not really. In Australia and New Zealand we have ANZAC Day on the 25th of April, but it's not a harvest festival; it's more like Veterans Day.

People have tried to get Christmas in July happening, to have the Christmas style festivities at a time of year when the temperature makes sense. (Have you ever tried eating a hot roast dinner in 40°C [104°°F] heat, with a side of high humidity?)

10

How the JWs Handle a Member Visiting Another Church: What Is Your Experience?

by LauraLynn in

i grew up a jw but my parents were not regularly attending services at a kh.

they used to, and were thoroughly indoctrinated though.

as is the jws habit of visiting non-attenders, 2 sisters came to my mom and dad's door one day to inquire of our well-being.

NotFormer

If that sort of thing can happen, then how can anyone feel safe?

Is there always a background sense of fear in a Kingdom Hall?

34

Jehovah's Witnesses came by today.

by 3rdgen in

this morning i was in our front yard sitting down pulling weeds when i saw 3 people slowly walking on the sidewalk in my direction.

2 of them were young, handsome, clean shaven, wearing nice crisp white shirts and perfectly tailored black slacks.

they could have been mormons except.... there was a 60ish portly woman wearing a frumpy dress and ugly sandals.

NotFormer

Sounds like you got some good points out there without causing her to head for the hills. Top marks! It probably wouldn't have worked out so easily if the two young blokes had hung around. They probably were relieved to get away and let the two "old ladies" talk. Little did they know... !

I guess that it's almost a rule that there can be no more than two JWs at a door; I imagine that would be overwhelming for the householder. When the car group is uneven in number, I guess you'll get a solo witness doing doors, without the "protection" of a second JW ensuring that no honest conversations break out.