She googled Jehovah's Witnesses.
Rule 34 was invoked.
She didn't look back.
this sweet older sister needed help and while trying to download the clm on her tablet, the history showed some porn pictures.
how does someone overlook that and carry on?.
She googled Jehovah's Witnesses.
Rule 34 was invoked.
She didn't look back.
again, i'm a decade removed from the faith.
i'm catching up now, and can't believe what i'm seeing.. i get that jw leadership faced a dilemma.
there is no intellectual apparatus within the faith.
Again, I'm a decade removed from the faith. I have not kept up with any of the changes. I'm catching up now, and can't believe what I'm seeing.
I get that JW leadership faced a dilemma. There is no intellectual apparatus within the faith. No scholars or universities, theologians or full time clergy. The requirements to being a minister for the group are minimal, and mainly rest on having a generic public image and repeating JW dogma. So to grow from within would be tough, I guess too tough.
So rather than building anything useful, they latch onto the governing body producing videos as their way forward. I never was actually ashamed to have been part of this group. Irritated, upset, and frustrated are words I might use, but never ashamed. These videos change that. If somebody sees these videos and thinks I was part of what is being portrayed, its embarrassing.
I feel as if their entire faith has been turned into a circus.
We live in a media saturated culture. Unless you are sophisticated at what you produce, people can see right through it.
Bottom line, you cannot produce content as poor as what is contained on JW Broadcasting and think it helps anything. It's doing more harm than good. I cannot believe this project of theirs is yielding tangible results. It is down right awful stuff. There is a part of me that reasons the WTS knew that people on the internet were destroying their religion, and they decided they should just destroy it themselves instead.
Being on video is a performance. There are those that are good at performing, and those that are not. Poor Mr. Stephen Lett was so awful I couldn't believe it. To speak into a camera in the same condescending tone those magazines are written in results in an entirely different meaning. His tone is a book on tape. His facial expressions as insincere and as forced as they can get. On paper, those words feel commanding because of the voice in your head saying them. From his mouth It's a Colbert sketch.
Had this group been producing media like this back in the 90s when I joined, I never would have. A guy like Stephen Lett asking for money? No way.
Same thing goes for the kids videos. I will add that back in 2010 the mormons did a series of videos for kids called Matt and Mandy. Not saying its a copy, but if you compare the two the difference in approach is staggering. Hint, even LDS didn't sink to guilting kids to give them money, and instead focused on their typical generic stuff.
There are also whiteboard videos. You know, those shitty amateurish "animation" videos they use to sell erection supplements and get rich quick pyramid schemes? They have one 5 minutes long that tells people how to act at conventions. Talk about beating a dead horse.
After 10 years and stopping back to take a look, what they've done with broadcasting is showcase what a joke of a religion they have. Their appearance is on par with any other crappy tv religion paid advertising.
This religion is desperate. The videos reek of it. I never thought the WTS would actually go away in my lifetime. I assumed it would find ways to adapt. Now I'm not so sure. They are stupider than I ever imagined.
i pass along this advice as a new topic, to get it past one off comments that may not get as much attention.. i exited the jehovah's witnesses about a decade ago.
like many, my personal situation felt to restrained to act on my impulse and get out quickly.
i took about a year and a half to two years to leave via da.. i empathize with anybody leaving the watchtower who finds it difficult to falsify dedication, interest, and belief in both their personal and public life.
Another important thing about field service:
Just about every JW hates it.
If you have the power to fill it up with a bunch of time wasting bs all of the "True believers" are going to be right there to support you.
i used to be a member of this site, but jumped off a good number of years ago (08?).
i don't have access to my old email, so i'm using a new account.. anyway, i was baptized jw in late 90's.
da'd mid 2000s.. when i left there were three meets a week plus field service.
The prominence of the JW.org logo is striking, as if they are attempting to tap into current tech startup branding tricks.
It is also striking because the prominent iconography for the Witnesses for decades was the Watchtower itself. That seems like it is on the way out.
Watching JW tv right now.....starting another thread....can't believe how insane it is....
i pass along this advice as a new topic, to get it past one off comments that may not get as much attention.. i exited the jehovah's witnesses about a decade ago.
like many, my personal situation felt to restrained to act on my impulse and get out quickly.
i took about a year and a half to two years to leave via da.. i empathize with anybody leaving the watchtower who finds it difficult to falsify dedication, interest, and belief in both their personal and public life.
Fist I lied, and wrote whatever I needed to on those time sheets.
In service, I played to loose. Bad presentations, light knocking, and using the word "bible" as the first thing out of my mouth with a long pause to give the householder the window to shut me down. It worked 90% of the time.
In fact, there was a family guy joke a number of years ago where peter becomes a JW and does exactly that. Enjoy it, it's the instructions:
i pass along this advice as a new topic, to get it past one off comments that may not get as much attention.. i exited the jehovah's witnesses about a decade ago.
like many, my personal situation felt to restrained to act on my impulse and get out quickly.
i took about a year and a half to two years to leave via da.. i empathize with anybody leaving the watchtower who finds it difficult to falsify dedication, interest, and belief in both their personal and public life.
I pass along this advice as a new topic, to get it past one off comments that may not get as much attention.
I exited the Jehovah's Witnesses about a decade ago. Like many, my personal situation felt too restrained to act on my impulse and get out quickly. I took about a year and a half to two years to leave via DA.
I empathize with anybody leaving the Watchtower who finds it difficult to falsify dedication, interest, and belief in both their personal and public life. After mentally migrating from conviction to non belief in the group's divine favor, it can feel extremely humiliating and defeating to publicly demonstrate faithfulness to the group.
That said, I think that the process of surviving "in between" belief and non belief in the group, especially while still remaining active within the community, can be easier navigated by following some of the following hard learned advice:
1. Each jw/ex-jw has their own journey. Don't take on the added burden of feeling the need to speed anybody else's up unless you've determined it to be an absolute last resort necessity (I think spouses fall into this category). This is because...
2. Your conduct probably will have the most lasting impact anyway. From speaking with many ex-jws over the years, a common theme I've always heard is that honest friendship and empathy are what people remember. If you get DF'd at some point down the road, it is harder for people to swallow if they liked you and you always demonstrated intelligence.
3. There are JWs that are descent people. They may believe some absurd stuff, but so did you. Yes, there are also some rather obnoxious JWs. But failing to remember the decent people you know means falling into the good/evil mindset trap. The good people will probably always been good people, and may also stay JW for the rest of their lives. I still see JWs 10 years later that say hi and act like I never left.
4. Do your guts turn into a pretzel every time you go to a meeting, feel like you have to give a comment, or lead a group prayer? I'm here to let you in on a little secret. It's OK to lie through your teeth, and it's ok to be a hypocrite. The idea of remaining "true to your personal convictions" is a concept the WTS has rammed down your throat. This is their ideal, but it doesn't have to be yours. You are dealing with some extremely heavy psychological forces. Do yourself a favor and learn to lie.
Any by learn to lie, I mean learn to push the words out of your mouth without feeling guilt, shame, or humiliation. Recognize that language is powerful, and by communicating to JWs what they need (not want, need) to hear, you are the one in control. Start brining up 1914 or something else most JWs only casually understand anyway is of no help for you.
5. Don't worry about being right or proving a point. It will only come back to bite you. Instead...
6. Figure out and write down the ways you can lower your commitment without consequence. What you contribute to the group, including time, money, and energy, is what the group is taking from you. This is what you need to correct above all else. So start to figure out how you're go about getting your life back, one step at a time. Sometimes it can start by just acting like a lousy JW. Know those people that don't study for meetings or keep up with the materials? Well that can be you. Rather than reading through all this stuff and getting worked up about it, you have the ability to just say no! I think I read more Watchtower literature while I was leaving than when I was actually active. That wasn't necessary! Just start to figure out how you can win something back for yourself, especially your personal time.
6. Choose your path. Are you looking to fade? Then you definitely need to learn how to lie. Looking to DA or just get DF'd? Write all the consequences on a piece of paper, look them over, and accept them. Deciding to remain partially active, or even fully active? Again, figure out your rules and stick to them. At any point you can switch your goals. But if you decide to start smoking and claim your trying to fade your basically not taking your fade seriously, so why even fade? Now your jeopardizing the fade, something you claim to want, and will be stuck depressed for getting DF'd and loosing things you put off accepting could be taken away. You're in a serious situation and choices matter. You typically can't have it all, you need to pick and acknowledge what can go bad, because it just might.
What I'm saying is that you should step back and realize that just because the JW leadership layers everything as a battle between good and evil doesn't mean you need to accept those terms. I think that by accepting, you make the situation more complicated and difficult than it may need to be. I know personally, a good bit of stress during my exit was self induced because I got wrapped up in the either/or drama than I should have bothered with.
I say this all knowing that most JWs, including Elders (maybe even especially Elders), arn't as serious about the faith as you think they are. At my hall, I could list 20-30 people that floated in and out of regularity that most folks paid little attention to. Possibly gossip about how inactive they are, but that is par the course. You're trying to survive, not worry about gossip. In fact, the serious/nasty behavior typically only comes out when they feel threatened.
Focus on winning back for yourself, it's worth it.
it looks like i'm going to have to take the watchtower study for a while so i thought i'd seek help.. i wont be outing myself or stating anything too controversial, but so far i have come up with the following tactics : 1) ask questions which will get people thinking even if it is about something insignificant - developing a questioning mind is the key to discovering ttat as far as i am concerned.
2) highlight any extreme points so that some might realise they are extreme.
3) highlight any good points - helping others in need for example - just because it is the right thing to do.. if anyone has any general comments which could help, please post them here.
I have little information regarding your motivations for remaining an Elder with these sorts of privileges. I would imagine there is some part of you that wants this task? I'll try and peek at your back story.
Personally, I say either do the job your asked to do don't do it at all.
In fact, I would argue that if you simply make the job your own and do better than the WTS want's it done, it would have more lasting impact with people. Ditch the probing questions and instead just try to be funny and likable. Use charisma. If you ever leave the group, they will remember you more fondly. Somebody who they looked forward to hearing talk.
Those meetings are less about the beliefs than you think. Just my 2 cents.
i'm at the water park with my five year old in green bay.
she was so happy to be spared another boring day like she endured at thursday's propaganda feast with her mother.
after breakfast we drove by the convention site.
i was in a close relatives house yesterday and she was having angry and resentful at the push to use electronic devices at the meetings.
she was talking to another relative of mine who has just got an ipad to use.
this relative of mine is very elderly and obviously prefers to use her bible and other books.
I've been gone from JWs a good while. Please clarify. Do you mean to say that the practice of brining a printed bible to a meeting, and following along by flipping to scripture is not being done? What are the mechanics of this? Is it really "frowned upon" to be using paper literature?
They want you to use a tablet, open up a magazine pdf or something, and the probably just "look up" scriptures by hitting a hyperlink or something?
They way you all describe it, I almost want to go to a meeting to see how it goes down.
A side thought. Honest to God, in this world of technological overflow, digital phones, people on the sidewalks heads down texting, unfocused conversations with people when face to face distracted by their phones, non stop selfies, an overflow of video content in every place you go, and other ubiquitous digital bs (just my opinion), the idea of the JWs still slugging away by actually READING as a group with real books, however goofy the books, at least felt like they where sticking to some sort slower paced distraction free value set. To hear they are just going along with the technological overflow has to be a nightmare for older ones.
every year in dozens of cities where conventions are being held, newspapers typically write an article about the event.
there are exceptions, but usually it is like the articles above.
i would love to see more newspaper articles that did some actual objective reporting, rather than puff pieces.
Local newspapers, hard on cash and low on resources, are not going to look at a rather boring and non controversial convention brining in tourism bucks as an avenue for investigative journalism.
JWs are a group the general public cares little about. Unless they take an active stance in support of Donald Trump, nobody's going to care about them this year.