Posts by john.prestor

5

Nigeria: JWs boost pidgin language

by betterdaze in

jehovah’s witnesses boost pidgin language devt.

ota—the advancement of pidgin english received a boost recently at ota, ogun state at the nigerian pigdin convention series of jehovah’s witnesses which held from december 20 to 23, 2018.. this was the seventeenth in the series of the 2018 “be courageous!” regional convention of jehovah’s witnesses .

recently there are clear indications that jehovah’s witnesses are seriously using pidgin as tool to reach the heart and they have risen beyond the general stereotypical description of it as ‘pidgin english’ or ‘broken english.

john.prestor

"The purpose of the Christian Congregation is not to learn English nor is one elevated if he speaks English."

That's just not true, if I remember correctly, and correct me if I'm wrong guys, you need to speak and write English fluently to attend the Gilead school, and you practically need to attend Gilead if you want to become a CO, Branch Committee member, those kind of high-ranking, highly-sought after positions..A lot of Governing Body members went to Gilead too if I recall, and Governing Body members speak English, and so do Governing Body helpers. Sure looks like English gets you places. I mean credit where credit's due, Jehovah's Witnesses do translate their teachings into a lot of really obscure languages, they want to get their message out. But then somebody wants to make a blatantly false statement like this trying to show off. Also, "the most organized organization on earth"? I mean really, come on.

10

Assistance to Assist Board Member!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

if we could locate the items listed below it would be a great help to one of our members.

i don't seem to have it in my files.

if you can help send me a pm or just post download links below.

john.prestor

Thanks man, can do. Please keep us posted. We will make these people protect children, and if we can't, we'll bankrupt them into oblivion, and raise so much awareness that we'll even shame the Governing Body.

13

Family reunion

by smiddy3 in

jw
friends

my wife and i just enjoyed a family reunion with both my sons ,one wife and one grandchild 10 years old ,where they stayed at our house for a week .. the best week we have had for many a year .

the couple live only 2 hours away by car and the other son and his child live 2 states away 2 hours by plane.. and thankfully they are no longer associated with the borg that i now regretfully brought them up in , so the borg will never get their children.. it was a happyfying time .

john.prestor

Sounds happifying indeed. I'm happified on my end too.

But seriously, I'm happy for you man. Glad you got to see them, glad they're living their own life for them, glad you guys get to be part of it.

10

Assistance to Assist Board Member!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

if we could locate the items listed below it would be a great help to one of our members.

i don't seem to have it in my files.

if you can help send me a pm or just post download links below.

john.prestor

Atlantis, your perseverance is inspiring. Never stop fighting, ever. I know you won't, but I know on my end it's good to hear that from time to time anyway.

16

Reinstatement

by Pinky in

what questions do the elders ask you when you are in your meeting requesting to get reinstated ?.

john.prestor

What floridaborn is getting at Pinky is this: to get reinstated you need the Elders who disfellowshipped you to reinstate you, you can't go to another Body of Elders at another congregation or even different Elders at your same congregation, it's gotta be the committee that threw you out to begin with. So if the Elders who disfellowshipped you don't serve as Elders anymore because the organization dissolved their congregation or sold their hall, what do you do?

6

Another day, another run-in

by john.prestor in

so a couple days ago i ran into a colleague of mine coming back from the mall, let's call her lianne for the story.

we started talking about our research and when lianne asked about what i'm working on these days i told her about a paper i'm drafting where i argue the culture of jehovah's witnesses is collectively narcissistic, which just means they (typically, most often) think they're special and that their faith is better than others, and i cite a lot of evidence to that effect, things witnesses said to me in conversation, videos i watched on youtube of antiwitnessing, study articles and book chapters, things i heard cos say ("this is the greatest organization in the universe") so a lot of data from a lot of different places that really drives the point home and shows i didn't just invent this after some cranky old man went on a rant one day in when they commented in the watchtower study or something.

lianne seemed interested, i kept it brief, but i noticed this older woman across the aisle staring at me, not glaring, just sorta staring at me blankly or almost in surprise, and lianne and i moved on to another topic for a couple more minutes and then went back to reading our books, we each had one on us and put it down to chitchat for a few minutes, it was nice running into someone i knew, i got the same vibe from her.. after i read a few pages the older woman got my attention politely and said something like, i wanted to tell you that i'm one of jehovah's witnesses (i wondered that when she started staring at me) and i don't agree with what you said, and i'm wondering where you got your information.

john.prestor

Oh Jesus, I just looked back and yep, I didn't say I was on a bus until the end. Thanks for the heads up.

6

Another day, another run-in

by john.prestor in

so a couple days ago i ran into a colleague of mine coming back from the mall, let's call her lianne for the story.

we started talking about our research and when lianne asked about what i'm working on these days i told her about a paper i'm drafting where i argue the culture of jehovah's witnesses is collectively narcissistic, which just means they (typically, most often) think they're special and that their faith is better than others, and i cite a lot of evidence to that effect, things witnesses said to me in conversation, videos i watched on youtube of antiwitnessing, study articles and book chapters, things i heard cos say ("this is the greatest organization in the universe") so a lot of data from a lot of different places that really drives the point home and shows i didn't just invent this after some cranky old man went on a rant one day in when they commented in the watchtower study or something.

lianne seemed interested, i kept it brief, but i noticed this older woman across the aisle staring at me, not glaring, just sorta staring at me blankly or almost in surprise, and lianne and i moved on to another topic for a couple more minutes and then went back to reading our books, we each had one on us and put it down to chitchat for a few minutes, it was nice running into someone i knew, i got the same vibe from her.. after i read a few pages the older woman got my attention politely and said something like, i wanted to tell you that i'm one of jehovah's witnesses (i wondered that when she started staring at me) and i don't agree with what you said, and i'm wondering where you got your information.

john.prestor

Hey steve2, thanks for the compliment man. To be fair the bus is pretty small, I mean I just turned around in my seat to talk to Lianne who sat just behind me (I didn't know that when I got on, worked out nicely) and the woman sat just across the aisle so she might have overheard without trying to, although we tune people out on a daily basis, particularly on the bus. But you're right, it wasn't her conversation and she didn't have any reason to get involved, I didn't think of it like that. They don't really see boundaries, do they? Some of them approach mourners in graveyards, I met Witnesses at one congregation who intentionally approached people pumping gas at a gas station (so they couldn't get away...), or write letters to family members listed in an obituary, that kind of thing happens often enough that it shows a pattern of thought, a pattern of disregard.

Giordano, that quote is relevant. That's Jehovah's Witnesses, that's how they see themselves, that's how they see their doctrine, that's why they call it 'the truth,' and we all know what happens in most circumstances when you question that doctrine.

6

Another day, another run-in

by john.prestor in

so a couple days ago i ran into a colleague of mine coming back from the mall, let's call her lianne for the story.

we started talking about our research and when lianne asked about what i'm working on these days i told her about a paper i'm drafting where i argue the culture of jehovah's witnesses is collectively narcissistic, which just means they (typically, most often) think they're special and that their faith is better than others, and i cite a lot of evidence to that effect, things witnesses said to me in conversation, videos i watched on youtube of antiwitnessing, study articles and book chapters, things i heard cos say ("this is the greatest organization in the universe") so a lot of data from a lot of different places that really drives the point home and shows i didn't just invent this after some cranky old man went on a rant one day in when they commented in the watchtower study or something.

lianne seemed interested, i kept it brief, but i noticed this older woman across the aisle staring at me, not glaring, just sorta staring at me blankly or almost in surprise, and lianne and i moved on to another topic for a couple more minutes and then went back to reading our books, we each had one on us and put it down to chitchat for a few minutes, it was nice running into someone i knew, i got the same vibe from her.. after i read a few pages the older woman got my attention politely and said something like, i wanted to tell you that i'm one of jehovah's witnesses (i wondered that when she started staring at me) and i don't agree with what you said, and i'm wondering where you got your information.

john.prestor

So a couple days ago I ran into a colleague of mine coming back from the mall, let's call her Lianne for the story. We started talking about our research and when Lianne asked about what I'm working on these days I told her about a paper I'm drafting where I argue the culture of Jehovah's Witnesses is collectively narcissistic, which just means they (typically, most often) think they're special and that their faith is better than others, and I cite a lot of evidence to that effect, things Witnesses said to me in conversation, videos I watched on YouTube of antiwitnessing, study articles and book chapters, things I heard COs say ("This is the greatest organization in the universe") so a lot of data from a lot of different places that really drives the point home and shows I didn't just invent this after some cranky old man went on a rant one day in when they commented in the Watchtower Study or something. Lianne seemed interested, I kept it brief, but I noticed this older woman across the aisle staring at me, not glaring, just sorta staring at me blankly or almost in surprise, and Lianne and I moved on to another topic for a couple more minutes and then went back to reading our books, we each had one on us and put it down to chitchat for a few minutes, it was nice running into someone I knew, I got the same vibe from her.

After I read a few pages the older woman got my attention politely and said something like, I wanted to tell you that I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses (I wondered that when she started staring at me) and I don't agree with what you said, and I'm wondering where you got your information. I turned and looked at her and I said directly in more or less these words, I went to services for years and I heard Witnesses say those kind of things. She asked me, Every day? meaning, did I attend services every week, I said No I didn't attend them every week, what does that have to do with anything, I went to 50, 60, 70 services. Then I went on the offensive and asked her, Don't you think you're in the one true religion, you know, you've got the sacred secrets others don't? She said, Well that's a scripture, meaning the term sacred secrets term comes from the Bible (it does, yes...), so I pressed her, Yeah, but don't you think that? She waffled and said Well they're not secrets, they're available to anyone

Just as an aside: then what do you Witnesses call them secrets for, lady? Doublethink at its finest, maybe she doesn't use the term but she recognized it obviously so she knew what I meant. But secrets aren't secrets suddenly so she could try to win the conversation, just... Jesus Christ.

So I responded to that, Yeah, but don't you think you have them and we don't, Witnesses attack other groups at services, she denied it, I said Come on, Christendom, worldly people, we're all gonna die at Armageddon? She scoffed and said she didn't think that and I said I wish people could just own them, I see myself as special for different reasons (most of us do, let's be honest, it's not a bad thing as long as we don't take it too far and condescend to others or treat them like garbage) and I'll admit that, you see yourself as special but you won't own it.

The conversation went on a bit longer but I'll cut it short because I've made my point and it just went back and forth, she started ad hominem attacks soon after that, was I "exposed" to the faith as a kid and came out "jaded," was I an "opposer," that kinda thing, and I just denied it outright and turned back in my seat so I was facing forward and got off the bus after a few more stops and told her a little too earnestly on purpose, Peace out.

These people drive me nuts sometimes. i know it isn't all of them but look, we all know most Witnesses see themselves as special, they sell you on that in the Bible Teach book, we know "the truth" and they don't, I mean Christ the very title of the Bible Teach book is comparative,What Does the Bible Really Teach? in other words, Others don't know what the Bible teaches, we do, we'll teach you (and yeah, a lot of groups believe that too, it's not just Witnesses, but many other groups don't seem to... get off on it like many Witnesses do that I've run into or got to known). The French sociologist Bourdieu says that every hierarchy of readings assumes a hierarchy of readers. Exactly. Exactly.

So if she just said to me when I asked, Yeah, I do see myself as special, and I believe Jesus will kill everyone else on this bus at Armageddon I would have been appalled but I would have stuck out my hand and shaken hers and said, Thank you for being honest, thank you for owning you, most people won't do that, I disagree with you and I find your views disturbing, particularly the last part, but at least you stand on it, at least you're honest with me and with yourself and the other people on this bus.

Some bold witness she gave. Why hide "the truth" about your faith? Hell, she could even just say Yeah, some of us feel that way but I don't. But she didn't. These people never fail to amaze me.

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