i've just finished putting together an article that attempts to articulate the frustrations faced by those like me in the "apostate" community who are increasingly frustrated by the watchtower's use of dirty tricks in its fight against them.. http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/secrecy-and-deception-watchtower-fights-dirty-in-its-war-against-apostates.
ordinary witnesses are unaware that the watchtower is not fighting apostates on a level playing field.
i highlight three key areas in which this is so.... 1. the huge disparity in how information is presented (i.e.
Well done, Cedars; a masterpiece! Two tiny nit-picky suggestions: In the third paragraph under "a difference in tactics" there is what appears to be a mixed metaphor;" "raises an alarm bell," which is probably better expressed as "sounds an alarm bell." Then, an apparent typo in the Shepherd The Flock of God commentary: " on tops or desks" should probably read " on tops OF desks"
Thanks for all you've done, and continue to do, to sound that alarm bell!
today i was doing some research for a new article, and i came across the following quote which succeeded in raising my eyebrows.... "the obligation to hate lawlessness also applies to all activity by apostates.
our attitude toward apostates should be that of david, who declared: 'do i not hate those who are intensely hating you, o jehovah, and do i not feel a loathing for those revolting against you?
with a complete hatred i do hate them.
What else can one expect of an organization whose worldview prepares its followers to trod over the violently dispatched cadavers of "the others" - 7-plus billion men, women, infants, neighbors, relatives, workmates - on their way to paradise?
long time lurker, first time poster.
i'm really glad i can join your community because i've been in the wts for the last 14 years and now i'm on my way out and it's great to meet like-minded people!.
about me: i started learning jw ways when i was in my teens.
Welcome, Julia! I give your husband high marks for being so understanding of your present state of of spiritual development; you must know that this is an atypical attitude for most JWs who face newly awakened misgivings on the part of their mate, so count your self lucky in that regard; good luck with your journey.
has anyone noticed the recent deterioration in the quality of wt's contents lately?..
the spiritual food seems to be getting more and more shitty these days.
i have given a thought to what could really be going wrong, and if it is likely that some on the wiriting committee is consciously dishing out those nonsense to facilitate more poeple seeing ttat.
"The religion is dead, it just hasn't fallen over yet." well said, Jeff T
has anyone noticed the recent deterioration in the quality of wt's contents lately?..
the spiritual food seems to be getting more and more shitty these days.
i have given a thought to what could really be going wrong, and if it is likely that some on the wiriting committee is consciously dishing out those nonsense to facilitate more poeple seeing ttat.
"The religion is dead, it just hasn't fallen over yet." well said, Jeff T
i wonder whether any of you took note of the article in the 12/15 study edition wt "the simplified watchtower .. why introduced" i couldn't believe they actually had the temerity to put such tripe into print and onto the record.. i was flat-out astonished with its put-down of vocabulary building and self-improvement:.
one egregious example: " the time spent looking up words and explaining expressions (ostensibly from the "smart people's" watchtower) is now spent gaining an understanding of the scriptures and how they fit into the lesson.".
one jw cited in the article actually blames her college education for causing her to fall into the bad habit of "speaking and thinking a way that was more complicated than necessary.
I can't imagine them publishing these statments in the "for public consumption" WT or Awake!
i wonder whether any of you took note of the article in the 12/15 study edition wt "the simplified watchtower .. why introduced" i couldn't believe they actually had the temerity to put such tripe into print and onto the record.. i was flat-out astonished with its put-down of vocabulary building and self-improvement:.
one egregious example: " the time spent looking up words and explaining expressions (ostensibly from the "smart people's" watchtower) is now spent gaining an understanding of the scriptures and how they fit into the lesson.".
one jw cited in the article actually blames her college education for causing her to fall into the bad habit of "speaking and thinking a way that was more complicated than necessary.
I wonder whether any of you took note of the article in the 12/15 study edition WT "The Simplified Watchtower .. Why Introduced" I couldn't believe they actually had the temerity to put such tripe into print and onto the record.. I was flat-out astonished with its put-down of vocabulary building and self-improvement:
One egregious example: " The time spent looking up words and explaining expressions (ostensibly from the "smart people's" Watchtower) is now spent gaining an understanding of the scriptures and how they fit into the lesson."
One JW cited in the article actually blames her college education for causing her to fall into the bad habit of "speaking and thinking a way that was more complicated than necessary."
Unbelievable; a paean to simple-mindedness.
the reason being:.
"all of our teachings are based on the bible, not on the writings of some religious leader in the united states.
" 1 thessalonians 2:13.. (item #3 on jw.org web page).
Of course they are, however stridently they argue to the contrary....
have you ever wondered why the gb do not have open, honest discussions with other religious adherents?
have you ever pondered over the reasons that rank & file dubs are told not to debate their beliefs with a householder?
certainly if someone's life depended upon your 5 minute presentation at their door, you would be eager to discuss your beliefs.
Deep down, JWs, especially the leadership,must know that many if not most of their beliefs are untenable, and that any open-forum, freewheeling public debate would expose them to ridicule.
finally we have the society's expectations of elders in print.. this is from page 9 of the may 15th study edition.... "as indicated by the experiences of the apostle paul, our ministry may result in sleepless nights and times without food.
(2 cor.
6:5) these expressions paint a vivid picture of self-sacrifice and may well remind us of pioneers who give their ministry first place in life while supporting themselves financially.
" I've known and seen many examples of ones who constantly and relentlessly call the elders, bugging them for the most asenine and trivial matters."
If the elders, at the behest of their Brooklyn/Patterson overlords didn't short-circuit their flock's reasoning faculties and self-reliance by incessantly demonizing "independent thinking" and nurturing the unthinking, uncritical acceptance of everything they say, these calls would stop.
