Posts by Della Street

34

What would make an Ex-Jw go back to been a full in Baptized JW

by LOLS in

i was just wondering , why would my jw husband return to been a full blown baptized jw after 20 years of fading?.

he has spent 20 years of his life been a worldly person , with a worldly wife & kids & worldly friends .... to joining the borg full time , to getting baptized , to getting new brothers & sisters .... and to writing off most of his worldly friends (some his known his whole life ) , to trying to convince me & our children how wonderful this org is ......and anyone else who will listen :(.

has anyone ever experienced this ...... oh and he seems to be in it 110% and no-one can say anything about this crazy org or show him proof that it all bs...... his such a clever independent , successful guy , why on earth would he go back to this , after been out for so many years & change into this domineering , opinionated fool ..... oh and his entire family also went back ... father , mother , brother & sister .

Della Street

1) He wasn't attending, but he never really left.

2) Peer pressure. His family went back.

36

Faders Needing a Great One Liner

by Solzhenitsyn in

so our family fade is well under way.

we changed congregations as regular attenders and left in good standing with those giving hugs and kisses simply knowing we "needed a change".

we moved to a neighboring congregation that is out of our original region knowing we would see no one and the two boe's wouldn't really have immediate dealings.

Della Street

when people ask me what congregation I am attending, I say, "I'm not attending right now." If they press it, "I say it's complicated." and don't elaborate further. I remain silent, look away and or change the subject by asking something about them.

It's works. Sometimes its awkward, but it works.

20

Films with nudity

by neat blue dog in

i guess every jw has a different conscience on the matter, and i don't believe any jw publications have ever specifically mentioned nudity in film as being off limits.

of course genitals are out of the question because that's usually relegated to r movies which most good jws don't view.

female toplessness is condoned but not spoken about, as most jws i know have seen titanic and many own it.

Della Street

my JW family watched a lot of foreign films, and they had nudity in them. It depends on the context. Does it move the story forward? Is it someone taking a bath, or is it porn? It's a continuum. I'm hard to offend, but I still don't like gratuitous sex or violence just for the sake of it. It needs to be part of the story and in the appropriate degree.

Europeans in general have a more relaxed view of nudity than Americans. We do come from Puritans and that has carried through to the general immaturity and repression Americans display around the subject.

Whenever I talked about it to any JW that was offended, I'd always ask, "you know you're naked under your clothes, right?" that usually made them stop and think...

22

What does 'populist' mean?

by LoveUniHateExams in

so yeah, i've been encountering the word 'populist' quite a bit recently.. e.g.

trump's a populist president.. what does it mean?.

does it simply mean popular?.

Della Street

I'm not sure how a "billionaire" is not considered elitist. He may be outside the established political system, but he is not "every man". Frankly, I don't think poor whites look at Trump and identify with him, I think they identify with the fear, distrust and prejudice that he uses to get votes. Caravan, anyone?

As far as "not being able to be bought" - I think his dealings with Putin and Saudi Arabia demonstrate that he has been bought...He's out for personal gain and he's allowing himself to be used as a puppet for a global agenda orchestrated by Bannon et al.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/21/steve-bannons-rightwing-europe-operation-undermined-by-election-laws

32

Reminder:Leah Remini Expose on J.W.'s airs Tuesday Nov.13 on A&E channel.

by StoneWall in

jw
friends

thought i'd post this since the date is almost upon us for those who want to see it as it premieres.hope it turns out really good and that she can help many to see the watchtower for what it really is like she did about the scientologists.here's a link to a small preview of it:https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/leah-remini-scientology-aftermath-jehovah-s-witnesses-special-event-trailer-1153594

Della Street

It's tomorrow. I can't wait!!

15

Thank you F&DS @ the Watchtower Corporation! Thank you! Thank you!

by Solzhenitsyn in

this sundays 11/18 wt p.18 pp.3.

/ happy are those who serve "the happy god".

"stressful events-such as when a loved one dies or is disfellowshipped...".

Della Street

That article is messed up!

Under "Qualities of Happiness" - the first quality is mourning....their ability to twist the scriptures is worse than I remember....

"Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matt 5:4

Jesus did not have in mind all who mourn for any sort of reason. Even wicked people bemoan the distressing difficulties that characterize these “critical times hard to deal with.” (2 Tim. 3:1) But their self-centered mourning does not draw them closer to Jehovah; hence, it does not lead them toward happiness. Jesus must have had in mind people who are conscious of their spiritual need and therefore mourn the appalling spiritual conditions that prevail. They may recognize their own sinful state and the heartbreaking circumstances that have resulted from human sinfulness.

So we can be happy because we are sad that we are sinful? It really demonstrates that underlying not just the JW dogma, but Christian dogma is the belief that people are innately bad.

Not a point of view I support. Imperfect? Of course. Bad, nope. They really feed off people feeling like POS and having a low opinion of themselves. I remember how that felt and I'm SO HAPPY I don't feel that way any more. Everything with them is so dark and depressing and desperate. And we wonder why people get trapped in there... it's emotionally sticky. UGH.

Thanks for posting this so I can remember why I left. Congrats to all of us who are out and free.

54

What Do You Think Will Be The Next Big Change In The Watchtower?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think there will be a change in the 144000 belief.

too many witnesses think they have a heavenly hope.

maybe 1914 will be discarded too.. what is your watchtower prediction?

Della Street

I just talked to my mom yesterday, and she mentioned some major changes in how they are doing their ministry.

Not offering literature
Bible only - share an encouraging verse
Visit 2 - 3 minutes at each door
Bible Study Lessons online

There is less and less for them to do it seems. And with the WT cutting down on the amount of magazines they are writing every year - I could see them make these changes: meetings once a week on Sundays, giving up 1914 (100+ years after the fact, it gets harder to justify), being more vague on who has a heavenly hope...

I think they hang on to the blood issue for a bit longer and they are going to have to get slammed some more on how they handle reporting child abuse before they change.

It would be nice to see them become more like any other Christian religion and less cultish. Focus on personal development; less conforming to arbitrary rules that are not in any way reflective of what is scriptural; more social support less judgment,...

so we'll see. If they give all that up, what is left?

92

Montana jury awards two women $35M in sex abuse lawsuit against Jehovah's Witnesses

by AndersonsInfo in

https://missoulian.com/news/local/montana-jury-awards-two-women-m-in-sex-abuse-lawsuit/article_1bcabb7c-7381-574b-a2ba-e011cc0250a6.html.

montana jury awards two women $35m in sex abuse lawsuit against jehovah's witnesses .

a jury in northwestern montana awarded two women $35 million wednesday in their lawsuit against the local jehovah’s witnesses congregation and its worldwide headquarters.. .

Della Street

Are there any states where Mandatory Reporter Laws were successfully amended to include clergy or spiritual advisors? I'm in Oregon, and I'm thinking I'd like to see what can be done here to include even "lay" clergy like the Elders. Any ideas what the language for that would look like?

25

Elders' new direction.

by lastmanstanding in

there's been a change.

a rather big one.

and the kevin bunkers of the world beware.. jw elders no longer need to "turn the other cheek".. in the governing bastard's desperation, they have given a new directive to elders.