i"m listening to the 2013 dc green bay saturday talk on false gods.. the speaker says no one would knowingly worship false deities.
but could we inadvertantly give jehovah less than exclusive devotion he deserves.. he said:you have not allowed this deception power of sin to sensual desires, material comforts, pets, technology, entertainment or food to become objects of devotion to you.. anything that interferes with our spiriutal routine has the power of eroding or weaking our relationship with jehovah.. .
my dogs can erode my relationship with jehovah.
After more than 25 in this shitty club called a religion I got myself a cat. Yes it is true, the CO critized my mother because she got us a cat back in the day.
From all what I have learned about WT$ and Jehovah, I come to the following conclusion:
I would rather knee down and literally worship my cat than this scumbag of god, even if he existed!
My cat is my god!!! There you have it! Governing Body pieces of shit.
Picture of her:
please post your comments on this youtube video... it's from the 2002 wt video "respect jehovah's authority" but it was uploaded recently... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7gzcfesnui also see this thread... http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/77356/2/cult-fear-and-indoctrination-service-meeting-respect-jehovahs-authority
DNCall that is quite interesting. I'm sorry if I missed your introduction, but you where at Bethel? I am a former Bethelite too. Worked at many branches (they kept shuffling me around, because of my job there).
as my second post on this forum, i want to share this with you guys!
this is the official branch organization manual (updated 2003) of jehovah's witnesses:.
http://jhonlemos.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/branch-organization-watchtower.pdf.
Yeah, I remember these manuals well to good...also you can thank JWN member Elsewhere for the publication of these manuals. He got into a real fight with the WT and it was through his undercover action that it was possible to get them out and into the public. Unfortunately he is not posting as much as a couple of years ago. As I remember it was a pretty heroic move, but thanks to some now this is available for you to learn more about the WT$.
The Branch Organization Manual might sound boring, but it says more about the Borg than you might think. The right combination of information, used in the right way...
They don't need people that know Greek or Hebrew. They need absolute die hard loyalists. They do the technical work with software programs, that have everything at their fingertips (evolvment of the old MEPS System, they added more and more modules for this, also a complete Watchtower library CD that goes back to the volumes published around 1920's). THAT is why they need foremost company men to do this kind of work. They will read a whole lot of damning information.
alshello.
i'm a practicing jw.
finally decided to create an account to see whether you could all help me.. so i am engaged to this wonderful wonderful man and in three months time we'll be married.
seasickbumblebee, your relationship is not a "normal" relationship. It started within the JW community, regulated by extra rules that have nothing to do with falling in love for another person. I don't know you, your future husband or anything about the circumstances, but fact is:
> his decisions are not his alone. He is taking into consideration what 8 men in Brooklyn tell is right or wrong. You received very good advice here - even biblical one! (Joseph and Mary is a very good example). Your future relationship will depend on what these men publish in their magazines.
> instead of following HIS thinking you decided to write on an ex-JW forum and ask ex-JW for advice. This should tell you a lot about yourself. I am not critizising you here, to the contrary: it took you courage to do so and I applaud that, but what is now a small doubt in your mind WILL grow over time. Now you are freshly in love and looking forward to the bliss and harmony of a nice Witness wedding, but the pressure and lunatic ideas of the WT WILL get to you. Others have been there. I was an elder and married for over 15 years and the result is a sad and painful divorce. I am not saying that this will happen to you, who knows, there are so many variables and no one can foresee the future, but you are indeed starting on a shaky ground.
One last thing. You wrote: "my jw family is going through a very difficult time and i think they're all going to be depressed even suicidal if they deal with the shame." This is exactly what my family used to blackmail me for YEARS. IF someone is suicidal than it is NEVER because of you. Everybody is responsible for their own actions. This may sound harsh, but if they take dumb decisions because you are taking your OWN Life into your hands, then so be it. Not your problem. You only have one Life to live, if you want to waste it because of other peoples opinion, than you're in for a hellish ride.
I left "the truth", and yes my family went through a crazy, crazy phase, but guess what? Nobody committed suicide and they are all still the brave, little Witnesses that they always were. On the plus side I AM FREE. Freedom can be painful but at the same time it is sweet.
based on your experience of judicial committees, how would you advise someone who is due to meet with the elders and has asked for the best way to avoid being disfellowshipped?
is denying everything ever a successful strategy?
does addressing a letter to the elders threatening legal action if they disfellowship ever work?
punkofnice: You are correct that there are many wildcars in a JC. I've been to JC where the elders had decided to DF the person even before he entered the KH. Because they disliked the individual for a long time and this was the "golden opportunity" to get rid of a "troublemaker".
I was part of one JC where one elder had all night long fingered his fiances p***y (he slept at her parents house, kept cloting on) and was not even reproofed, they wanted to keep him in the body of elders! It was like a 3:1 voting and strong discussions. This was one of the younger "star elders" and also the work mule of the body, so he had to stay no matter what.
Another JC that I remember. The girl was pretty, incredible popular and a regular pioneer. Had multiple times sex with different people - got only a "slap on the wrist" > private reproof. She could flirt with anybody. Very sweet.
Heck, even one apostate stayed in, eventhough his activities where beyond "talking badly" about the Borg. He was popular as well.
So: it really depends on the people sitting on these kangaroo courts and the agenda that they are following.
You are giving them way too much credit if you think that they follow the manual to the t and also read the Bible & pray. You have to know the men on the bench, THAT will dictate your strategy.
Good luck to you.
based on your experience of judicial committees, how would you advise someone who is due to meet with the elders and has asked for the best way to avoid being disfellowshipped?
is denying everything ever a successful strategy?
does addressing a letter to the elders threatening legal action if they disfellowship ever work?
You are all correct, that depression alone is NOT enough to get you off the hook. You have to combine it with other stuff (Marvin Shilmer and confusedandalone: great show!!! ) It just complicates things for them, you have to say that you've been reading about David when he walked the shadows of darkness, or some similar crap.
What I wanted to say is that you can "mix" depression into the explanations (especially if you have "gaps" > things you cannot explain). It is difficult to make a correct assessment without knowing more details.
In my experience depression worked out better than legal threats (elders and the Society will interpret this as an act of rebellion and that the person trusts "worldly" courts more than "spiritual" courts). Believe me the Service Department will interpret legal threats as > keep him in until dust settles, THEN: kick out as soon as possible, maybe for another "sin".
based on your experience of judicial committees, how would you advise someone who is due to meet with the elders and has asked for the best way to avoid being disfellowshipped?
is denying everything ever a successful strategy?
does addressing a letter to the elders threatening legal action if they disfellowship ever work?
slimboyfat: very good advice here. They all seem to be Pro's
I served in well over 40 JC (lost count). Adding to the excellent counsel (hahahah) given on this thread, I would say that the most "irritating" thing for most elders (if they are complete utter Nazi-arseholes, there is nothing you can do) is to throw in depression. Man that works like a charme. Most JC I've participated get puzzled and side-tracked (they are dealing with a "sick person", they fear legal repercussions, suicide attempts, and lots of shit that can go wrong). I would say in 80% of the cases this worked out well for the wrongdoer(TM). But it must look real - if you are the most fun guy to be around and suddenly start to sobber, than they might not buy it.
But as others have said: it depends on the circumstances, who you are, who is on the JC, what proof there is, etc.
Best luck!
http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/andre_sprog/english/2013/07/25/132435.htm.
and today in another newspaper, they addet this picture .
http://jyllands-posten.dk/opinion/?dt=true&articleid=5767677.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yldwe_6jsu.
.
cedars.
Cedars my friend, I don't know how you pull this off but: Well made.
I am against organized (and unorganized) religion, but I like the cathedrals and churches for historical purposes. Some of them have great pieces of art and are part of human development (for the better or worse). The crutch has done its purpose, but no need to throw it away.
there wouldn't have been any good way to hear the news i suppose.
it's just so strange to recall the conversation yesterday.
my "still in" parents are with me and my inactive sister having a pleasant conversation.
Good for you braincleaned! I am happy that you and me have now the opportunity to write on this board. We "dodged the bullet". Now it's time to live Life to the fullest. Also very well said: "most dispicable small group of mind-controlling motherfuckers on this planet." Amen to that.
