so i was observing an online conversation between a jw and a former-jw.
the non-jw pointed out that wwi cant have had anything to do with satan supposedly being "cast out of heaven" because wwi was already well under way in oct 1914.. the jw proceeds to explain that satan was actually thrown down to the earth in 1915 and that he started to wreak havock on the earth from heaven knowing he was about to be cast out.. so 1914 is officially old light now?
does anyone have a source for that or was this brother lying through his teeth?.
Oddly, this is something I realized before I was even baptized, but it still didn't hold me back... yes, I'm apparently a complete moron.
Even the WT literature, if you look deeply enough, acknowledges that satan was cast out DURING WWII, not before, and yet still pushes the claim that satan's casting out was what CAUSED WWII. it's one of those "mysteries" that they never explain.
the speaker at my wife's meeting: "a discouraging word can lead to inactivity, apostasy and death.".
i mean, what the...??????
.
Later in the talk: "Please remember that apostate literature is dangerous to our spiritual health. It exists only to deceive us, and should not be looked at under any circumstances."
Makes me wonder how anyone in the org can be trusted to know what "apostate literature" is all about if they're not supposed to be looking at it...
I've never seen The Village, but I'm familiar with the story. It seems that the dear JW spiritual paradise is a secondary fulfilment of that movie's twist ending.
the speaker at my wife's meeting: "a discouraging word can lead to inactivity, apostasy and death.".
i mean, what the...??????
.
The speaker at my wife's meeting: "A discouraging word can lead to inactivity, apostasy and death."
I mean, what the...??????
i understand it’s a cult.
but what makes an intelligent person actually believe they have the “truth” as taught by jehovah’s witnesses??
?.
I think Carmichael has this thread on lock, so I'll just add some commentary to what he has already laid out.
If we were to list the top 100 reasons why human beings come to have beliefs, whether religious or otherwise, missing from the list would be that the belief is true. It's simply not relevant to our survival whether or not what we believe is actually true, but whether or not our general responses to that belief are conducive to our well-being- most especially our collective survival.
The reason why religious beliefs persist despite evidence to the contrary is because, until very recently in history, it was next to impossible to survive without having unwavering loyalty to your tribe and deep suspicion of outsiders.
To understand just how well this works, take note of something that I only recently came to realize, despite having it thrown in my face for nearly 2 decades of being physically in with various levels of being mentally in-and-out. Watchtower constantly conflates the factuality of belief with the morality of belief. That is to say, they claim that their faith is objectively based on evidence, but also claim that whether you agree or disagree depends, not on your efforts to examine the facts, but on whether or not you are a good person. It's not even a subtle trick that they pull, but it's still easy to overlook because we are psychology primed to make that connection.
Disagreeing with one's religious beliefs has, again, until very recently had a near perfect correlation with being either a rebel or an outsider of one's tribe, indicating that the person should be looked at with suspicion. Watchtower capitalizes on this fact better than most religions in the developed world by rather cleverly intertwining their religious activities with every single possible aspect of the life of an adherent. The farther you stray from absolute conformity with belief in Watchtower creed, the closer you get to losing your membership to the tribe.
It may not be anywhere near as dangerous as it used to to be cast out of your tribe, but our unconscious brains don't know that, since they were evolved to live under much different conditions than what we currently experience. Thus, our cognitive faculties work desperately to prevent us from changing our minds.
2020 convention of jehovah’s witnesses: “always rejoice”!.
in this problem-filled world, true happiness can be found.
learn how to rejoice constantly!
Nita and Jade were both hot af. A lot of the young women they use in the videos over the years have been easy on the eyes. Not a coincidence, I'm sure.
during covid-19 crisis our hall decides to double the amount sent to hq from our local account.
the resolution is unanimously supported, no questions asked.
has anyone else had this happen?.
My wife's congregation just gave a $7k lump sum to the Branch. They were doing so well with donations and keeping under budget that they had saved enough for 6 months of expenses rather than the recommended 3 months. Ergo, ZOINK, Watchtower just snatches it from under them and nobody makes a peep.
Let's review.
If an individual JW has extra funds, SHAME ON HIM! He's not depending on Jehovah.
If a congregation has extra funds, SHAME ON THEM! They're hoarding and need to share.
If the Watch Tower Society has an abundance of funds because they shamed everyone else's money into their own pockets, PRAISE JAH! Our Heavenly Father has certainly blessed our efforts!
sometimes i forget how small-minded, petty, provincial, mean-spirited ignorant and judgemental it was and still is.... then i sit down with a jw relative, hoping to have a normal conversation and realize there is literally nothing to talk about.. nothing..... current events?
hobbies?
your job?
@GrreatTeacher
I've come to the realization that my experience was far from universal.
I'm still in one-foot-out mode. I know what direction I'm headed, but it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm soon to be an outsider.
All the great memories I had with all the great people I knew, now completely tarnished by the fact that it was all based on the Watchtower's lies and my own desperate delusions.
I still wish it was all true. I might always have to struggle with that.
sometimes i forget how small-minded, petty, provincial, mean-spirited ignorant and judgemental it was and still is.... then i sit down with a jw relative, hoping to have a normal conversation and realize there is literally nothing to talk about.. nothing..... current events?
hobbies?
your job?
Where I'm from, it wasn't quite like that. Sure, there were those who couldn't think or do anything but Watchtower business, but even the local elders and pioneers would think those people were creepy and mentally ill. I knew one guy who spent 4 hours every single day on his "personal study." Nobody liked being around him, not even his wife.
If anything, I think we were all too happy to talk about something other than the same damn thing we were instructed to listen to, read, meditate, and speak about every single day of our lives.
Our conversations in service we're usually about entertainment, hobbies, news, humor etc. Rarely intellectual (I tried sometimes with little luck...), but also rarely boring.
It's part of what kept me going in the religion for so long. It's also part of why I sometimes defend JWs from the most absurd of accusations against them. I couldn't see how bizare it really was because I really did have some cool friends who somehow remained normal-ish despite how much of their lives they gave up to WT.
There were always some people who treated it like a religion and some who treated it like a cult. One problem was, those who treated it like a religion wouldn't ever want to moderate those who treated it like a cult. Who were we to interfere with someone else's "zeal"?
knorr, franz, henschel et al must be spinning in their graves....https://www.jwstuff.org/.
And, before anyone says I have contradiccted myself between this thread and another thread... ok, fine! I realize I might have contradicted myself between this thread and another thread... a little...
Just remember- I'm not inspired, just guided by spirit. I'm not a prophet, just God's channel of communication. I'm not a leader, just one who takes the lead. Etc
knorr, franz, henschel et al must be spinning in their graves....https://www.jwstuff.org/.
