Posts by TMS

4

Jehovah's Witnesses are Politically Correct

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

call this a really big deal as far as i am concerned.

at the very least, a connect the dots moment.

below is a link on political correctness.

TMS

I understand Jeff. lol Actually, finding common ground to build upon is not a bad approach without the subsequent manipulation as in trying to convert to JWism. It can be a bridge to whatever you want to say. Nothing more. Nothing less. Ok. . In my case, I became a political activist sort of accidentally. Admittedly, it was an extension of my moralistic JW bent because I wanted government leaders to be nudged toward honesty. Every single day, JW habits and techniques reinforced after 50 years a JW, 30 as an elder come to the surface.

Yesterday, I jumped a guys battery in the downtown area while wearing a shirt with our groups activist slogan. I got an immediate flashback from the JW days of doing a good deed and handing a person a tract to connect the deed with the belief system. I also find myself a far better listener than most, a skill acquired at the witnessing doorstep, the judicial hearing or just hearing out a "brother" or "sister" with a problem in bygone days. I spent an over an hour today with an influential lawyer who wanted to vent about city politics. I listened keenly, asking viewpoint and rhetorical questions. He felt refreshed after doing most of the talking saying it was a welcome change from his normal "shoveling coal" daily routine.

When I blockwalk with petitions, give a speech at the city commission or check with the Elections Director about a matter, I can't escape my JW background. If it were for me, I would never reveal my background. I'm embarassed by it. My wife is more forthcoming and will frequently reveal why such activities seem to come naturally to us.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we were salesmen. We no longer believe in the product. But we still know how to sell if we so desire.

tms

16

I Was a Practicing Idiot

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

the older i get, the more i see that the collective intelligence of people isn't too high.

i lump myself in on that.. when i first left, i was so conflicted.

do i try to help others by bringing down the wtbts?

TMS

I won't concede superior idiocy to any of you guys. Did you stay in 50 years like my wife and I? I rest my case. . . . . . . . ..After spending a few years daydreaming about what could have been, should have been, we began looking around for opportunities in our community. We were thinking about such things as serving turkey dinners to the homeless on Thanksgiving, etc., but never did.

Meanwhile without the shackles of JW neutrality I enjoyed commenting in the online version of our local newspaper on a variety of issues. Based on that we were invited to a political event. We had no political interest but the meet and greet was being held in a historic building that we had never been inside. We took numerous pictures of the building but also documented the event on Facebook. My wife videotaped while I took pictures and wrote a short synopsis of the occasion. We began to be invited to all events and became sort of the official online journalists for our city of 200,000 on the Mexican border. We branched out to attending all sorts of events, covering them for our Facebook blog.

I began to also comment on a social activist internet site, becoming aware of certain issues affecting our city. The commenting back and forth led to face-to-face meetings and action. We spoke at the city commission meetings and blocked a corrupt deal. The mayor challenged us to a public debate that was also videotaped locally. Our group grew to 5,000 members online but with a smaller active core. We tackled other local issues after research and pooling our skills.

It is almost eery to be using public speaking skills, engaging in group discussion, even block walking for certain candidates. Of course, some are baffled as to why such things seem to come so naturally to us. Only a few know our actual background, although they can't possibly understand. This is of course a very personal solution not fitting everyone's values. We have found camaraderie, some fulfillment and an outlet for a few skills we just happened to acquire. As with any group there are personality conflicts, hurt feelings, ego management, etc. But the judgementalism, the hypocracy, the pressure to do more is absent. We are self-scheduled, cherry picking what interests us. Our social contacts include the full spectrum of ages, ethnicities and economic wherewithall.

It almost feels like we didn't waste fifty years but we did.

tms

btw: Because of our association with social activists, we got connected to CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates. This group advocates for children placed in foster care. We've recently become ad litem representatives for the children which means we stand up for them in court, giving a report of what we feel in in their best interests.

33

Where is Farkle?

by God_Delusion in

jw
friends

i miss the old fella....

TMS

He was hurt by some gentle, but contructive criticism.

36

The whole NGO thing.

by shakyground in

jw
friends

i was just thinking today at work about the whole ngo thing and got pretty deep in thought about it.

i remember reading about it and i remember reading on a pro jw site i think it was jehovah uk or something like that.

on the pro jw site they said that when the society signed and joined as an ngo there were no requirements to pledge that you will uphold the ideals of the un etc etc.

TMS

Yes, shaky. It's hypocritical, indefensible from a doctrinal standpoint. Think about how the same organization views such things as joining a YMCA or working for a company that is a defense subcontractor. Years ago an elderly sister was seen through the window at a Christian Science reading room. She was approached about it and stated that she couldn't see the conflict. She viewed it as a library close to her home. She was eventually DF'd for this very thing.

"Quit touching the unclean thing!" they tell us. lol!

38

Why are Pantsuits not appropriate according to The Watchtower?

by VM44 in

why do the jws consider pansuits worm by women not appropriate attire?.

pantsuits are considered appropriate attire in the conservative business world.. secretary of state hilary clinton wears pantsuits quite often.. would pantsuits be considered appropriate for a visit to bethel?

if someone showed up at bethel wearing them, would be be asked to leave?.

TMS

18

Bonham, TX?

by mizpah in

does anyone have any information on what occurred after the society dropped its suit in the bonham kingdom hall dispute?

the last i heard was the society built another kingdom hall.

what ever happened to those in the congregation that sued the society?

TMS

I believe David Bercot was the attorney who worked the case. He's an expert in Texas title searches. He went on to become a prolific writer of books on the history of early Christianity. I knew him when he was a young pioneer in Harlingen, TX. http://davidbercot.com/news-david-bercot

tms

101

The Danger of Credulous Research of Jehovah's Witnesses on the Internet

by Spade in

http://www.watchtower21.org/2011/02/danger-of-naive-and-credulous-research.html.

it's been my experience so far, that anything a person wants to find out about jehovahs witnesses, they can find out from jehovahs witnesses.

any and all information ever published by jehovah witnesses is accessible to all.

TMS

"It's been my experience so far, that anything a person wants to find out about Jehovah’s Witnesses, they can find out from Jehovah’s Witnesses"

This is ineffective trolling, at best. How much does the average JW know about the history of the religion or the developing beliefs?

72

What is difference between Black Congregations and White Congregations

by Pitchess Co-Gen in

i'm from south los angeles and been to black congregations all my life, but i moved 70-75 miles north from where i grew up.

i just want to know the difference ..

TMS

a short anecdotal account posted 9 years ago: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/7391/1/Tale-of-a-Black-Congregation-Part-I

tms

8

Legend, Etta James in sad decline of health

by BluesBrother in

only 72, it is a shame when relatives haggle over your money..but this woman could sing in a way that made your hair stand on end..i only wish that i could have seen her in live concert.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12189910.

TMS

about twenty years ago, Memphis in May, the traditional blues stage, one of 4 stages, up against the Mississippi River at Tom Lee Park, a warm wind blowing off the river. . . . . . Etta sang "Damn Those Eyes". . . . . .. about 50 of us standing in the audience. She picked me out to sing the hook "Damn Your Eyes" She knocked me back a bit every time, plus I could actually feel wind from the two enormous on stage speakers. . . .

tms

44

The Phasing Out Of The Public Watchtower Magazine

by dontplaceliterature in

i've been thinking about this for a while now.

it seems to me that the wtbts is taking steps towards phasing out public editions of the watchtower.. here are a couple of points of evidence to see there is a real possibilty for a move in this direction:.

1. the monthly "start bible studies on the initial call service day" is evidence of a more direct drive to recruit new members.

TMS

"Let's see- One million JWs in north America will want one of those WT Epads= a good market for a handheld tablet- if they sell 500,000 of them the first year with a profit of $200 each that gives the WT a $100 million profit!! Plus, 1 million digital books sold at the summer conventions for $5.00 each- that is a lot more profit than they would get from printing books and they can furlough even more Bethel workers back to their home KH's. They can just print cheap paperback books for the Bible studies-

The WT WiFi 3G Internet for $50/mo can be a real cash cow for them, too."

Moshe. . . .ur dangerous. You're bringing the GB into the 21st century kicking and screaming! WT headphones, WT Epad cover and keyboard. These are all special order items. The cover and keyboard alone sell for $150 in "the world". The WT headphones are suitable for listening to Kingdom Melodies by the Society's orchestra. Windle, the Watchtower version of Kindle available to publishers only for a suggested contribution to the worldwide work of $150.

tms