Under No Illusion

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Posts by Under No Illusion

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  25

  JW.org's new miserable picture

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the new article about the international convention in manila, the picture of the crowd is pretty telling.

  they look so drained and miserable!.

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  Under No Illusion

  It's actually at a modern indoor venue, so lack of AC isn't the problem.
  

  Really? The TV screens must be on the ceiling.

  Nothing about it looks comfortable.
• 
  25

  JW.org's new miserable picture

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the new article about the international convention in manila, the picture of the crowd is pretty telling.

  they look so drained and miserable!.

  .

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  Under No Illusion

  not sure a snapshot tells the story
  

  You have a point, and I did think about not making judgement based on 3 moments in time.

  But I'm equally sure that the mood and expression of these people didn't change much throughout the day.

  Outdoors on most likely a warm and humid Manila day. Seemingly endless talks and videos. I'd wanna be somewhere else as well, not that they would admit that.
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  25

  JW.org's new miserable picture

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the new article about the international convention in manila, the picture of the crowd is pretty telling.

  they look so drained and miserable!.

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  Under No Illusion

  The Faux Cowboy is absolutely checking the football scores.

  I know that look.
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  4

  Merging kingdom halls in the Netherlands / local media attention

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in a local newspaper attention for the merging and sell of a kingdom hall in a dutch village.. the funds are being used for building in other country's.

  (: (: (: .

  https://zuid.zenderstreeknieuws.nl/nieuws/algemeen/788011/ijsselsteinse-jehova-s-getuigen-samen-met-nieuwegein-.

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  Under No Illusion

  It can be paralleled to the Army moving recruiting centres around.

  Overall, it's declining. But they are shutting down stores where recruits have dried up, and setting up shop where there is a fresh, naive market for their one true religion.
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  9

  Can nonreligious people go to service?

  by Thisdude in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have no idea if im doing this right.

  i'm an atheist but i'm curious about the religion.

  theres a service(?

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  Under No Illusion

  Every meeting I went to had at least one non religious person there - me.

  How will you 'act' is the right terminology to use, because you will need to hide your disbelief. What you see and hear will be a mixture of the surreal and fantastical.

  Get your reasons ready for being there. 'Research' will probably arouse some suspicion, even if they are not obvious about it. And I wouldn't mention any higher education you have.

  Watch Tower day will be best for just 'blending in'. Midweek will very much feel like you're in a classroom and that more eyes are on you.

  Be prepared to sing, or pretend to. Someone will share their tablet with the lyrics with you. The tune is immaterial and usually indiscernible.

  Turn your phone down or off, unless you want a ready made excuse to dart out the door.

  Get your reasons ready not to have a bible study with someone, unless you want to of course.

  Clear a big space at home - near your recycling bin is best - for the literature you will be given.

  The urge to run will come. if it doesn't. return here for regular deprogramming.

  It's possible to fake it for a long time. I could still be there if I wanted to. They want new recruits. You won't get thrown out, even if they suspect you're not fully in. It's just a matter of how long you can keep up your story and motivation.

  Despite the initially-interesting strangeness of the 'JW life' to an outsider, it is, at its heart, very mundane and monotonous.
• 
  25

  JW.org's new miserable picture

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the new article about the international convention in manila, the picture of the crowd is pretty telling.

  they look so drained and miserable!.

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Under No Illusion

  Robotic singing of truly awful songs can be very draining.

  Love the look of the girl giving the camera daggers in the first pic.

  "Yep, I really wanna be here at the - what's this convention called again?"
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  4

  the watchtower--the more i think about it.

  by stan livedeath in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i grew up in the cult.

  mom converted first--then dad..i was just a kid--what did i know.

  dad and i got dipped together.

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  Under No Illusion

  You can get a mighty headache trying to work out why people insist on wasting their lives trying to please invisible forces that are a product of the imagination.

  Religion began, in a very general sense, to explain things that were beyond the scope of man - eclipses, floods earthquakes, the seasons, etc etc.

  Science came along and pretty much explained all of it, with evidential and logical reasoning, but a big percentage of humans still mistrust it, or find some kind of comfort in belonging to various groups that insist on giving supernatural powers to completely unproven entities. It seems to me driven these days by a lack of knowledge of 'what there is' after death, but I would suggest that as this is an unknown thing, it kind of proves that what there is after death, is nothing.

  Or - people are just bored and lonely.

  Unscrupulous people will always come along and take advantage of both groups, as long as they exist.
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  49

  If I was still PIMI, I'd be terrified

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just looking at the pictures in tomorrow's wt study makes me think of the nightmares i used to have as a child.

  and nowadays the pictures are sometimes more realistic, so for any who are truly mentally in, this has a terrible effect on them and even their life choices.

  looking in as a pimo or pomo it seems almost comical that adults would believe in this sci-fi bible fan-fiction, but it's not funny when we remember that all ages of the r&f are being manipulated by the gb by these cheap and evil means.. .

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  Under No Illusion

  BTW, it sure is taking a lot of angels to rescue that government-threatening prayer meeting from being broken up by the pizza delivery SWAT Team.

  I count 11 of them. I thought they were supposed to be powerful. Clearly someone has been skipping Armageddon training.
• 
  49

  If I was still PIMI, I'd be terrified

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just looking at the pictures in tomorrow's wt study makes me think of the nightmares i used to have as a child.

  and nowadays the pictures are sometimes more realistic, so for any who are truly mentally in, this has a terrible effect on them and even their life choices.

  looking in as a pimo or pomo it seems almost comical that adults would believe in this sci-fi bible fan-fiction, but it's not funny when we remember that all ages of the r&f are being manipulated by the gb by these cheap and evil means.. .

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  Under No Illusion

  As many have intimated, this is pure propaganda.

  To define further, it is deliberately crafted to achieve a goal of blind loyalty using classic techniques.

  Pictorial - most effective form of propaganda,

  Us vs Them. Them naturally being a personification of Evil.

  Unthinkable consequences of losing - fear mongering.

  The non adherence to the doctrines of Team Good = Losing, and it will be YOUR fault

  The danger to 'innocents' ie children - playing on another emotion.

  Prospect of Victory with the credit going to an element of Team Good that only unswerving loyalty to Team Good will bring about, in this case - 'Angels'

  Well, at least the Nazis didn't have winged angel warriors swooping down to ethnically clean the Fatherland, so I think this may be worse.

  To be circulated to members in the first place is abusive. To be aimed at children as well is reprehensible.

  This cult getting backed into a corner is bringing out some truly perverse, manipulative and morally bankrupt behaviour.

  No benevolent god, if one exists, would sanction this.
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  21

  cart witnesses

  by stan livedeath in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i drove through a nearby seaside town today.

  it was starting to rain.

  it was cold.

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  Under No Illusion

  Over the last couple of years I have had two vacations to the US and stayed in beachside communities.

  Most recent visit - stayed in Carlsbad Village - clean, upscale quaint touristy town. No homeless in sight. Never saw a cart anywhere in a month, though there were some great 'set up' places - railway station, weekly village farmers market etc.

  First visit - Oceanside - perfectly ok place to stay but definitely had a seedy side. A few homeless around, street drinking etc. I was tripping over carts. At one point I saw 3 within a few hundred metres of each other. One set up at the Farmer's Market every Thursday. Never saw them talking to anyone, Ignored the homeless, sat looking at their phones. (Pretty sure the homeless didn't want a relationship with Big J either). One was ALWAYS set up at the start of the pier. I talked to the guy a few times. Nice enough, but clearly bored, worn down, kind of gave off a dispirited vibe. But he was there every day.

  I asked why so many carts together and he explained it was an 'intersection of territories' or something. More like poor management from higher up I say. What a waste.

  And damn could they pack up those carts fast.