Posts by john.prestor

35

Should I do this?

by CivilServant79 in

hi there this is my first post as i’m not sure what to do.

my family (both sides) are well known in our circuit and very dedicated to the truth.

but we’re relatively normal people and i love them all so much.

A committee requires two witnesses or a confession in the presence of the committee. Your uncle only counts for one, but if you tell him you don't believe in god, and you tell another family member later, even though you told both individually that counts together as two witnesses if they both run to the Elders. Keep that in mind. Your uncle doesn't need to run to the Elders. He is one.

Look, you're getting a lot of advice and I'm giving you advice too but here's what it comes down to, you need to trust your gut because you actually know the guy but also think ahead about what you want to come out of this. Are you looking to feel better? Most likely if you're honest with the guy he's gonna make you feel worse. Are you looking for affirmation? He's not going to give it to you. What do you hope to come out of the conversation with him?

15

Jephthah's daughter : A shining example of singleness

by Diogenesister in

really watchtower?

jephthah's daughter as an example of what a girl wants to be when she grows up??.

a burnt offering?!!.

john.prestor

Half banana, wish I could agree with you but ever since Rutherford published 'Children' (which encouraged Witnesses not to have kids) the organization's leadership thinks they can and should tell Witnesses what to do as far as refusing to procreate or marry. And I'm sure it goes back a lot longer than that, probably into Russell's time, I'm just not familiar enough with his writings.

9

We enter the dark world of the Jehovah's Witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides Accusations of pedophilia

by Not_Culty in

we enter the dark world of the jehovah's witnesses: abuses, subjected women and suicides.

accusations of pedophilia, rejection of homosexuals, "social death", theft of personal data, suicides ... .

spanish interviews 15 former members of this "sect" in spain who denounce all kinds of situations.

john.prestor

I'm surprised... but at the same time not... they asked Mikel the 'sex positions' he and his lover liked, I know Elders ask women questions like that, thought men got more of a free pass. It's so obviously voyeuristic, i mean Jesus Christ it's like the Elders want to imagine the two of them going at it in lurid detail.

15

'Spiritual food' and the global south

by john.prestor in

i'm watching john cedars rebuttal of the annual meeting, and right at the start stephen lett starts going on and on about spiritual food, how nutritious it is, how filling it is, it comes across as weird but it doesn't help admittedly that the guy looks like bozo the clown forgot his act.

but the thought just came to me as i'm eating dinner.. not everybody gets dinner.

not everybody gets three meals a day.

john.prestor

Spoletta, blessed are the hungry, right?

15

'Spiritual food' and the global south

by john.prestor in

i'm watching john cedars rebuttal of the annual meeting, and right at the start stephen lett starts going on and on about spiritual food, how nutritious it is, how filling it is, it comes across as weird but it doesn't help admittedly that the guy looks like bozo the clown forgot his act.

but the thought just came to me as i'm eating dinner.. not everybody gets dinner.

not everybody gets three meals a day.

john.prestor

Xanthippe, couldn't agree more, hard work only gets you anywhere if you're in the right context... People work their asses off on plantations, in factories and fast food restaurants and fhe homes of the rich where they work as servants, and still live in abject or relative poverty. And coming from men who sit around a state park all day, talking about quote-unquote spiritual realities (questions which boil down to how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, I mean how does Gog and Magog factor into any practical everyday reality lived by any Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide) makes that kind of pull yourself up by your bootstraps line sound all the more hollow and feeble.

It's not like the Governing Body doesn't work at all: they meet with the entire body and whatever committees they sit on, they edit or approve documents, they visit and audit branches, they give speeches, but in doing all of that they enjoy a pretty cushy lifestyle with frequent visible and invisible perks, international travel, good liquor, green handshakes, that kind of thing. At times I get the sense that this work really just gives them an opportunity to see the world and enjoy it in moderate style.

35

Should I do this?

by CivilServant79 in

hi there this is my first post as i’m not sure what to do.

my family (both sides) are well known in our circuit and very dedicated to the truth.

but we’re relatively normal people and i love them all so much.

john.prestor

I get it, he's your uncle and you want to trust the guy. And I'm not saying you shouldn't trust him. But if he's an elder and the elders want to meet up he's acting on their behalf unless you know otherwise. I wouldn't do it, but I get why you might.

If you choose to I would do what some other posters suggested: don't be direct with your criticisms, come across as weak, confused, that kind of thing, or even just play the I'm busy I'm depressed card. Do you know about the 'loyalty question'? One of the other posters mentioned it. If he asks you, Do you believe that Jehovah is using the faithful slave to lead this organization, or something like that, he's giving you enough rope to hang yourself by seeing if you'll out yourself as an apostate. Don't answer honestly.

The other thing to keep in mind is that with the two witness rule I think if you tell your uncle you don't believe in God, and then you tell somebody else that and both come forward a Judicial committee has the two witnesses they need to disfellowship you. Can any posters confirm that?

42

Ignorance of Watchtower doctrine among young JW's

by nicolaou in

i've been having a conversation with a young jw on twitter and have, once again, come up against beliefs that do not match up with official watchtower doctrine.

if you like you can read the full thread here (you'll need to click on some comments to open it all up).. anyway the upshot is that this jw, and many like her, believe that only truly wicked people will be killed at armageddon - not innocent babies and children or anyone who "didn't know better" perhaps because they didn't get a witness.

it's as though they cannot accept the obvious injustice of jehovah's morality.. this jw teenager believes that all these non-jw's who survive armageddon will get their chance to prove their loyalty during the 1000 year reign of christ - again, not a watchtower teaching.. i don't really have a question to ask, this is just an observation.

john.prestor

Just keep in mind that this is only one person so it's not clear if what they said comes back to their age or something else entirely. I think most young Witnesses who lose interest just leave, they lose two-thirds of kids based on the most recent Pew survey, so I'm guessing going off that the ones that remain are actually pretty zealous.

Could younger people care less about doctrine? Definitely. Could this person just lie because they know 'You'll all die at Armageddon sounds pretty fucked up? Definitely

8

Therapist can help

by Leopold theseconed in

hey everyone my nice new friends.

i had my first visit with a therapist today.

i was totally open with everything.

john.prestor

I see a therapist too, it really helps to sit down with somebody once a week and just talk about what I'm going through or what I've gone through. I'm glad you took that step, a lot of people won't, they think there's something shameful about it or that they don't need the therapist to begin with. You're strong. Stay strong.

13

Could/should JW Lawyer be punished for deceiving the Judge?

by The Fall Guy in

in an attempt to disparage a faded jw and to obtain their personal details, he deceptively partially quoted a statement from the jw.borg web site to the new york judge when he wrote, .

"disfellowshipping does not cause family relationships to be permanently lost: "the religious ties he had with his family change, but blood ties remain.

the marriage relationship and normal family affections and dealings continue.

john.prestor

Yes, if the man knows he's lying and lies anyway about something like that he should be punished. And if this man is a Jehovah's Witness, particularly an older, senior member (I'm sure they don't let Joe Publisher represent them in court), he knows he's lying.

15

'Spiritual food' and the global south

by john.prestor in

i'm watching john cedars rebuttal of the annual meeting, and right at the start stephen lett starts going on and on about spiritual food, how nutritious it is, how filling it is, it comes across as weird but it doesn't help admittedly that the guy looks like bozo the clown forgot his act.

but the thought just came to me as i'm eating dinner.. not everybody gets dinner.

not everybody gets three meals a day.

john.prestor

A necktie? Damn how generous, what's next, a free hug?

Yeah, all of that comes across as cold and callous, what, the first thing you tell the refugees is you won't feed them, what a dick move in and of itself. I'm sure they love needing to pass some kind of sincerity test before you'll talk to them.