Posts by Skepsis

12

How did you overcome feelings of lost time in the Org?

by Skepsis in

jw
friends

i'm a very positive person who always try to focus on the good side of things.. however, my fading is becoming increasingly painful and i'm starting being shunned by some i thought were friends.

i'm missing some meetings so the rumour is spreading to neighbouring congregations where i'm known that i'm not as spiritual as i used to be.

elders want to have a shepherding meeting with me.

Skepsis

Thank you everyone for your messages and advices!

Well, I'm not in the USA, I live in a southern European country and that's the answers I'm getting here. That's in part why I'm moving abroad in September but mainly it's because I want to fade quicker.

Anyway, I'm not expressing doubts openly, it's the fact I'm doing less than in the past and starting missing some meetings what is annoying some people. So, I assume that except for the family, fading, DA or DF are the same in practical terms.

There's another reason behind elders' attitude: I'm moving to another country soon and they see it as a materialistic goal. Well, I don't really mind. Maybe I could have done it in a softer way but after quitting pioneering I just couldn't stay as MS, giving public talks and having parts every week knowing the TTATT.

It was my purpose when I joined the board but I just don't want to waste more of my time and my mental health in this cult. So I told them I'm stepping down as MS in August.

12

How did you overcome feelings of lost time in the Org?

by Skepsis in

jw
friends

i'm a very positive person who always try to focus on the good side of things.. however, my fading is becoming increasingly painful and i'm starting being shunned by some i thought were friends.

i'm missing some meetings so the rumour is spreading to neighbouring congregations where i'm known that i'm not as spiritual as i used to be.

elders want to have a shepherding meeting with me.

Skepsis

I'm a very positive person who always try to focus on the good side of things.

However, my fading is becoming increasingly painful and I'm starting being shunned by some I thought were friends. I'm missing some meetings so the rumour is spreading to neighbouring congregations where I'm known that I'm not as spiritual as I used to be. Elders want to have a shepherding meeting with me. Last meeting one of them was asking me personal questions like if I'm getting along with bad associations or if I'm hidding something.

At the same time, things outside the Org are not going exactly as I had planned. I'm doing job interviews to move from where I live and I'm being asked many times why I got my degree so late. Got some feedback from one of the companies I was interested and told me I was not selected because of my age (almost 30) and not having enough experience despite having done it well in the process.

Regarding meeting new people, I find it so hard. I keep trying to go to different activities but I'm starting to feel a bit alone recently. Yesterday I went to have dinner with some brothers but that feeling of loneliness was even greater, sitting there and having to listen to JW conversations about how fast the Ends is approaching or how incredible the JW.ORG videos are.

I hadn't experienced that feeling until now but it's quite depressing to look back in your life, when you were in your 20s and wasting so much time instead of doing something useful for your future.

I guess I just needed to rant about it.

23

2017 International Regional Convention, Toronto – Entertainment at Sony Centre

by SAHS in

jw
friends

i’ve been hearing from several very reliable sources that there will be an exclusive elite gala entertainment event hosted by the watch tower organization, featuring specially chosen jehovah’s witnesses of outstanding talent as well as spiritual reputation, at the sony centre (formerly called the o’keefe centre) in toronto, ontario (canada) as a special “after hours” addition to the 2017 special international convention.. those chosen have to meet very strict criteria, including, not so much technical and popular talents, but, rather, their spiritual maturity which can be easily and practically related to by the audience (i.e., degree of conformity – you know what i mean!).

a notable and very well-known professional “super star” from some other country (i don’t know which one) who has achieved highly recognized and popular talent was surprisingly not chosen to participate in the extra entertainment program, whereas other performers with rather ho-hum musical abilities ended up being selected, ostensibly for their altruistic and “theocratic” qualities.

(something tells me that there is going to be some jealousy and indignant, hard feelings over this rather authoritarian, arbitrary selection process.

Skepsis

It seems quite cultish. I mean, yes, it's ok to spend additional time with local brothers having some fun but why can't you spend part of the time visiting the city on your own whithout complete control from the Org? Do you really need to train brothers to be your tourist guides when there are real tourist guides?

In fact, those events organised by local brothers are a charge to them in terms of work and money and in the way they described it, looks like a commercial event to raise funds.

16

Human origins pushed back further into the past

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

science is a self-correcting journey.

any error in thought will be corrected by later research or discoveries, so the common concept that we humans (homo sapiens) developed something like 200,000 years ago is undergoing a major correction.

the discovery of fossilised bones of at least five individuals have been recovered from an old mine in morocco.

Skepsis

How would a JW think when listening to this kind of news or at a History class in highschool when teacher explains about last Glaciation period 12000 years ago or Paleolithic and then reading the Bible and being tols Adam was created 6000 years ago?

I could never reconcile both things. I couldn't deny that it was nonsense what Bible says and tried to interpreted it for myself as approximate dates. But then I wandered: if God couldn't get correct numbers about it in the Bible, how do I know the rest of the book is literal and correct? Could it be an inspired human point of view?

It was a source of concern for me so I tried hard not to think about it.

33

Wanting Less Involvement (long newbie story)

by DepthsResounding in

i was raised a jw and am currently pioneer in a foreign language congregation.

i have been unhappy on and off with my involvement in this religion and am ready to step back again.

growing up i was always active but extremely reserved and a low hour publisher.

Skepsis

Hi DR,

I started reading your OP and notice my story is quite similar: pioneer, have gone to college, serving in a foreign language congregation... I am also a MS for the moment.

I think you could do it step by step. First of all, quitting pioneering was of great help for me as I had suddenly plenty of time to think, dedicate to my career and do non-JWs things.

Then, I stopped doing the trolleys and started missing some meetings now and then.

Now I'm at that point. At first, I have to tell you that you'll disappoint brothers when you stop being a spiritual pillar of the congregation but it's a matter of time (less than you think) until they come to terms with it.

I'm planning to move to another "normal" congregation after summer as you'll know it's hard to fade in this kind of zealous congregations filled with pioneers and zealous witnesses.

Hope all will be fine in your fine. Just try not speak too much because elders and others will try to ask about your reasons and motivations. Don't explain just tell them you need time or are busy and you don't have circumstances to keep serving at that pace.

41

48% Capacity at Kingdom Halls - A post on reddit

by berrygerry in

there was a letter read this week, followed by a talk about all the changes that are coming in the next couple of months regarding merging congregations in the area (va/md/dc) - the letter said that the kh's in the area are only being filled to 48% capacity.

this was music to my ears as i have noticed the decline in attendance in all the neighboring congregations.

they will sell some kingdom halls and merge some congregations.

Skepsis

Crazyguy:

Yes, in fact they made a huge U-turn when Bethel in Spain annouced they were going to enlarge their facilities because the GB had give them the task of printing more stuff and translation so they made an announcement in all congregation for donations and contributions with a nationally produced video.

Just some months later, they annouced they stop printing even for Spain, most bethelites quit Bethel and all would be carried out from London except for basic administration.

The men in charge of Bethel in Spain were completely humiliated.

41

48% Capacity at Kingdom Halls - A post on reddit

by berrygerry in

there was a letter read this week, followed by a talk about all the changes that are coming in the next couple of months regarding merging congregations in the area (va/md/dc) - the letter said that the kh's in the area are only being filled to 48% capacity.

this was music to my ears as i have noticed the decline in attendance in all the neighboring congregations.

they will sell some kingdom halls and merge some congregations.

Skepsis

Its the same here in Spain and Southern Europe, folks.

Most congregations are full of people in their 60s and 70s but not many young ones. Body of Elders with many who would like to step down because of their age but are not allowed to do so as there are no replacements.

Those brothers under their 40s are mostly Witness In Name Only who sit there in meeting but don't show up at field service or doing something for the congregation.

There are a limited number of convinced young witness with more responsabilities each day and who as consequence are burnt out.

There's a lack of prepared brothers with skills at congregational and regional level.

I could see that when I was a truly believer and was very worry as many of them are. But now, I realise they're getting what they deserve if we consider how they've mistreated the young ones in the past: no education, only pioneering, put the Org first... And then at their 40s and 50s suffer the consequences.

People are learning from older generations.

14

guess what watchtower, books are making a comeback!

by nowwhat? in

now that the org.

has gone 90% digital, it would seem most people now would rather read a good old fashioned book than a tablet!.

way to show insight oh fearless leaders!.

Skepsis

What is great about digital publications from WT perspective is that they can delete them once they realise it's old light.

When a publication needs to be updated, they only have to make the changes online and next time a publisher consults it, he/she will never really know if a change was made.

Forget about stickers like in the Revelation book or having books and magazines stored at home with old light. They're even abandoning CDs!

Welcome the Organisational Cloud when the concept of time disappear and you can enjoy always from the last fresh glass of the Truth(tm) and where past does not exist!

44

2017 Convention Video Remember The Wife Of Lot

by pale.emperor in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0qpoelk2r4.

the dad in this is a total douche.

i dont know if the videos have become more judgemental and culty in the year since i left - or maybe im just noticing it more?.

Skepsis

As JWs are growing mainly in Africa and Latin America, what would a Latin American or African brother think while watching this video?

They're out of touch with their own demographics. Don't know how they want to appeal to real Witnesses with this stuff, just in case they really care about them and not only about first world Witnesses who can contribute funds to the Org.

10

So, you want to become a Jehovah's witness?

by nowwhat? in

ok your bible study wants to get baptised.

make sure he is aware of what's involved.

here is a checklist.

Skepsis

What I see is that brothers and sisters don't preach as enthusiastically as before.

I can't remember the last time they knocked at my door. I recall 10 or 15 years ago that we invited to have coffee to brothers when preaching in the neighbourhood.

When I visit my mother's congregation where I grew up, I see the same brothers that have been there for years.

They're always speaking about the importance of preaching at WhatsApp groups but none of them are really preaching. Many are walking during weekend mornings, having breakfast until they get their 2 or 3 hours to report but that's not the way to convert someone.

Not to speak about carts! At first they were all volunteering and now they have problems to find brothers.