Level, that is the problem with the Bible, not all of the Bible writers had the same attitudes. Paul has always seemed mean spirited to me. I think he had his own extra ideas, to add to Jesus'.
Spiral
JoinedPosts by Spiral
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19
Help me with the disfellowshipping topic, how is it NOT scriptural
by LevelThePlayingField inmany have said that jesus never shunned anyone.
yet it seems that the apostle paul said to shun an unrepentant sinner, "stop keeping company" and "not even eating with such a man" 1co 5:9-12. it seems like shunning is what paul wanted us to do.
but honestly, it doesn't seem right to me.
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"You owe Jehovah humility and HONESTY" - an email from a JW
by Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho inhey forum goers.
i'd like your opinions on constructing an email reply to this shocker below.
bit of background about the sender: she is a middle-aged, cheery uberdub whose siblings left when a schism occured in her congregation in canada way back when.
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Spiral
I would say that these righteous types are "getting their reward in full" now, trying to lord it over all of us "spiritually weak" types.
"OK?" (ugh)
No, it's not ok.
I'm sure you'll get a few of these, as I did. I always want to ask why God created everyone just so he can test them constantly. Doesn't the greatest being in the universe have anything better to do with his time? Apparently not. So, if you "please him" you look forward to eternal life constantly trying to stay on his good side, because that is all we are created to do.
I ignored emails (or texts) like this when I received them, and they stopped coming.
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J.W's Brain LOCKDOWN
by Phizzy ini know we often talk of the mind control and how jw's believe what they are taught because they are controlled as to the information they receive, but i think the mind control goes frighteningly beyond simply keeping information away from them.. the jw mind is in lockdown.
it simply cannot accept facts, evidence, reasoning or whatever that goes against what they believe.
they cannot assimilate and consider an argument, it is not that they are being awkward, or willfully blind, their minds are so shut down they are incapable of taking in what is being presented.. i am aware of how, in common with other cults and high control groups the j.w org achieves this state among its members, but how on earth do we open such a solidly closed mind ?.
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Spiral
sparrowdown4 hours ago4 hours ago
JWs like to get "reactions" then, they can judge you based on the reaction. They like to think just their very presence causes admiration and guilt from onlookers. Admiration at their being so good and guilt at not being as good as them. Because of course everyone is watching them - very narcissistic!
I find indifference to their beliefs and their culty social games really gets to them. They really have no idea what to do with indifference. As I said they need a reaction any reaction so they can interpret it and label you as either "guilty" or "bitter" or "pathetic loser" or "weak and ashamed" etc etc. If they are met with smiling indifference to their religious beliefs combined with calm assertiveness ie giving them nothing they can "read" it's like they become genuinely intrigued with why you are immune to their guilt-inducing superpowers.
I'm with sparrowdown on this one. For our relatives, "living well is the best re[sponse]". Mr. Spiral and I just don't care any more and it's been noticed..... but funny thing is, no one argues with us any more. I also guess our JW relatives gave up on expecting our lives to explode, so now they don't know how to respond. We hear from them from time to time and we are responsive, but they don't bring up JW dogma to us any more. Their brains are still on lockdown, yet they have to see that there's another way of looking at the world, and it's working for us. We don't give them any resistance, but we don't try to engage in any JWisms (is that a word?) either.
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JWs studying with a neighbor: what should I do?
by john.prestor inso let me introduce myself first: i've lurked here for years because i'm working on a long-term research project concerning jehovah's witnesses and i've collected data from this site (seriously, you guys are awesome, i've learned so much from this forum i never would have learned otherwise).
i've also collected data at multiple kingdom halls and read scholarly works on jehovah's witnesses and non-scholarly works as well (e.g., crisis of conscience).
so i have a pretty good sense of jehovah's witnesses even though i was not raised in this faith nor did i ever join up.
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Spiral
Show her today's article:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/jehovahs-witnesses-sexual-abuse-children-beliefs-rules.html
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Major Article in Today's Philadelphia Inquirer on JW Child Abuse
by Room 215 inhttp://www.philly.com/philly/news/jehovahs-witnesses-sexual-abuse-children-beliefs-rules.html.
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Spiral
Excellent article! I hope other news sources pick it up.
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Withdrawing community support in the congs
by purrpurr ini've noticed in the past 10 years that the social support that used to be available in the congs, a shoulder to cry on, elders to help with family/marriage issues these seem to have been purposely withdrawn.
counsel is even heard from the platform that the elders are not there to help people with their problems.. so first in the 80s-90s they take away the congregation get to getters and social events and now they seem to be going one step further in taking away the emotional support for people too.. this will take away an aspect that i'm sure was keeping alot of people in the borg, the community support.
if that's not there and its just about meetings and ministry how many will start to get their emotional support elsewhere?.
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Spiral
AlexB, I do hear what you are saying. But I think the membership has shifted..... this congregation used to have 120 publishers, mostly hard working families with a bit of property, interests, extended family in the "truth", etc. Now it might be 60 people, older ones and ones on disability, etc. Stubborn ones that will die a JW because they've always been one. The town is growing (and SEVERAL new churches are being built) but the congregation is shrinking. I agree there will always be people who fall for scams and high control groups, but they can't even get a decent sized group together to fix up the hall and mow the grass these days. People just don't feel connected enough to care.
So if the GB doesn't add something attractive to what's on offer (you can't even have a companionable chat, a drink and a piece of cake after any of the meetings anymore) then people can find that and more at the church down the street.
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Withdrawing community support in the congs
by purrpurr ini've noticed in the past 10 years that the social support that used to be available in the congs, a shoulder to cry on, elders to help with family/marriage issues these seem to have been purposely withdrawn.
counsel is even heard from the platform that the elders are not there to help people with their problems.. so first in the 80s-90s they take away the congregation get to getters and social events and now they seem to be going one step further in taking away the emotional support for people too.. this will take away an aspect that i'm sure was keeping alot of people in the borg, the community support.
if that's not there and its just about meetings and ministry how many will start to get their emotional support elsewhere?.
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Spiral
It's like they are starving their members, and then they wonder why they are all dying ("spiritually") and financially. I don't see any real community feeling or support in my Mom's congregation, it's as if no one cares (haha, they really don't care!). How long can this go on before they have no membership? I was worried that when I stepped in to help my Mom, I would be overrun with zealous brothers trying to run my life. It certainly hasn't happened, they don't seem to care at all now that she's not counting time. (I refuse to help her send in 15 minutes of made up time a month just to please them.)
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Spiral
Electronic publisher card?
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Why NO bibles??
by stuckinarut2 ini know we have all said it before, but it simply blows my mind that the jws doing cart work do not have bibles on the cart to give out to interested ones!.
how can they say they are "bible students" trying to share the "bibles message" and not give out bibles!?.
other christian groups take the commission to share the bible seriously!
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Spiral
Back in the day (I mean the 60s, lol) seems like the green bible was proudly carried out in "service", and for a small donation. BUT as we know, that's not really practical today. Does anyone (in any church) actually read the whole bible today?
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Famous last words spoken by every jdub at one time or another
by nowwhat? in"oh i'm not going to worry about it, armageddon will be here by then!".
-including me.
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Spiral
We'll never get old, and w don't need to plan for retirement.
Plenty of regret to go around for this one.