(this recent forum post about a letter of disassociation encouraged me to post this new topic.
it's been sitting in my drafts folder for a little while, but now is as good a time as any.).
my suggestion would be, try not to go down the route of disassociation.
Giordano,
I agree. Only be truthful about your feelings and beliefs to your spouse.
Spouses deserve to know the real you.
Even if they run to the elders, that's only 1 witness out of 2 needed.
No need to write a DA letter, just stop going, walk away and never meet/talk with 2 or more elders.
i don't know how the fellow who made the resolution from stage to send 80% of the congregation funds to the indian branch as an outright donation made it with a straight face.
and all the sheeples nodded like they understood the shit he were spewing.
i'm so mad at this cult .
Don't blame the Indian government.
This is Jehovah setting up a perfect way to show whether JW are backed by him.
If they are, JW in India will surely have rapid expansion. The little one will grow into thousand (or something like that).
Or....no God is backing them and they can't survive without HQ money...
awake!
november 2015. is religion dying out?
millions of people with differing viewpoints have chosen to take an identical action.. .
About the perceived paradox between atheists having a low retention rate but are still growing: these are USA statistics.
Atheist are only a very very small % of the population. This group grows quickly because of all the believers turning atheist, not by forcing their kids to not believe.
Besides, there is a difference between being raised an atheist ('here are arguments to not believe in any gods') vs not being raised as a believer ('...'). The last group might be easy prey for religious smooth talk.
And... guess what happens if you were raised without getting an aversion against religion, and you find a nice significant other with strong religious feelings who asks you to join their church? (Which is a likely scenario as almost whole population is religious).
Thank God I live in Europe where much more people are unaffiliated and/or atheist :-)
my new year resolution is to invest more of my time with my family and friends.
also, as i approach retirement ( i am 50), i need to make sure there's enough to keep me and my wife going beyond our eighties.
i want to thank all of you because my time here, posting and reading, have been a great learning experience.
Wasn't 2016 already started Down Under when you posted this? :-D :-p ;-)
Have a good year!
this is the singlemost best watchtower article i have ever read.. it almost brought tears to my eyes (please note the almost ;-)).
"what is truth?
"this question is one which every sincere christian should ask and seek to answer.
This is the singlemost best Watchtower article I have ever read.
It almost brought tears to my eyes (please note the almost ;-))
"WHAT IS TRUTH?"
This question is one which every sincere Christian should ask and seek to answer. We should learn to love and value truth for its own sake; to respect and honor it by owning and acknowledging it wherever we find it and by whomsoever presented. A truth presented by Satan himself is just as true as a truth stated by God. Perhaps no class of people are more apt to overlook this fact than the Christian. How often do they in controversy overlook and ignore truth presented by their opponents. This is particularly the case when arguing with an infidel. They feel at perfect liberty to dispute everything he says on religious subjects. This is not the correct principle. Many infidels are honest— as anxious to speak and believe the truth as are Christians— and if in converse with them we ignore truths which they may advance, we not only fail to convince them of our truths, but put an end to all hope of reaching them; for our failure to admit the evident truth which they advance begets in them contempt for the one who is not honest enough to admit one truth because he does not see how it can be reconciled to another. Accept truth wherever you find it, no matter what it contradicts, and rely for ability to afterwards harmonize it with others upon "The Spirit of truth, which shall guide you into all truth," as Jesus promised.
Truth, like a modest little flower in the wilderness of life, is surrounded and almost choked by the luxuriant growth of the weeds of error. If you would find it you must be ever on the lookout. If you would see its beauty you must brush aside the weeds of error and the brambles of bigotry. If you would possess it you must stoop to get it. Be not content with one flower of truth. Had one been sufficient there would have been no more. Gather ever, seek for more. Weave them together as a garland —"Bind them on thee as a bride doeth." "Bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Prov. 3:3.
C. T. R.Zion's Watch Tower, July 1879
If only more Witnesses would be really looking for truth, instead of instantly rejecting everything that is not written in JW literature....
If only the WTBS would treat 'infidels' as C.T. Russell wrote: engage in conversation with them, and really listen. Accept facts and truth, regardless of the source.
PDF scan of the original issue
Full (searchable) text of this WT on archive.org
i have been lurking here for about 6 months, and being the last day of the year, and ready to start the new one afresh, i want to share the story of our exit from the org.
i have found the personal experiences of others of immeasurable value, (and its been a while since a good exit story has been posted) that i hope this can be of benefit to at least someone.. .
my mother became a jehovahs witness when i was about 9 or 10. i remember initially hating all of the new sanctions put on our lives (no birthdays and christmas anymore) but for some reason i soon after joined her in attending the meetings and eventually got baptized at the age of 14. my staunch catholic father converted a couple of years later.
Sorry , wrong reference. Last one is from Asleep! June 2013.
Can't edit my post on Android.
December 2015 WT:
Manipulation. Some use the silent treatment as a means to get what they want. For example, imagine that a husband and wife plan a trip and the wife would like to take her parents along. The husband objects. “You’re married to me, not to your parents,” he says. He then gives his wife the silent treatment, shunning her in the hope that she will break down and concede to his wishes.
But when it is used as a means to retaliate or manipulate, the silent treatment not only prolongs conflict but also erodes the respect [people] have for each other. How can you prevent that from happening to you?
The first step to ending the silent treatment is to recognize it for what it is—a tactic that, at best, works only short-term. True, not talking may quench your thirst for retaliation or compel [the disfellowshipped person] to give in to your wishes. But is that really how you want to treat someone whom you have vowed to love? There are better ways to resolve conflicts.
The silent treatment runs counter to the Bible’s admonition: “Let each one of you individually so love his wife as he does himself; on the other hand, the wife should have deep respect for her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33) Why not make an agreement with your spouse that the silent treatment is unacceptable in your marriage?
(Isn't the congregation compared to a marriage in the Bible? If shunning is bad in a marriage, why is it good within families or between friends?)
And then they have the courage to say something about people who react strongly when a loved one might end up in this cult:
July 2009 Awake article “Is It Wrong to Change Your Religion?”
“No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family.“
Awake 2003, 11/08, “When Loved Ones Do Not Share Your Faith”
“Many who are not true Christians love their parents and other relatives and communicate regularly with them regardless of their religious affiliation. Should Christian Witnesses do any less?”
Watchtower 2002, 01/01, “All True Christians Are Evangelizers”, $15
“Pressuring people to change their religion is wrong. Certainly, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not act in such a way.”
Used these quotes in a letter to relatives who decided to shun me without me being marked or dfed. They probably won't read it, or don't see the hypocrisy.