i believe that the older you are the harder it is to leave the watchtower.. .
i am attempting to get a list of ages people learnt the "truth" and what age they left.. .
uun.
We were raised in. Both our parents began studing before we started kindergarden. We were both baptized as teenagers.
We married the 'proper' way and raised kids in this thing. We've all pioneered, had responsibilities and are well known in the area. I began to research and fade in my early 40's. After slowly sharing my discoveries, we all - at different paces - went inactive.
One heck of a journey.
ginger
we found some people who were happy to welcome us into their homes, even offering us food and drink.. sometimes, they would flag us down and ask for the magazines, walk miles to the kh meetings, come to our defense if someone got ugly or rude.. now, jw's are either routinely ignored or outright vilified.. no one respects them anymore.. sad.. .
When we are young or new in the 'truth' we see this religion through rose colored glasses.
We thought we now really understood the Bible. It was explained to us so 'clearly'....and everyone in the congregation is great. We were part of a revolution - a new government that would right all the wrongs in the world. We were never going to die. We would see all our loved ones resurrected...soon.
We had no clergy. We took no collections. Everyone in the organization was equal. We were one big happy family.
The 'system' was ending - so there wasn't any need for the organization to build "storehouses" in this system. Funds were used to spread the good news of God's Kingdom. We were simple, kind, honest-hearted folk.
How things have changed.
ginger
pure speculation for several reasons.. "friends, it has been 100 momentous years since christ arrived as king.
in the last 100 years a great shout of praise has gone up to jehovah.
technology has greatly changed the way people live and communicate and jehovah has made sure that his organization is on the forefront of these changes.
As long as members think that they'll find interested ones in the territory, the door-to-door practice won't go away.
The "field ministry" is the single identifiable characteristic that makes Jehovah's Witnesses unique. For the baptized JW, going out in service is a lifelong commitment. The form will change - this organization prides itself on change.
What a better way to get individuals to stand up for their faith than by putting them next to a cart or table in a highly visible public area.
If you don't have much money to give they want your time. People with limited incomes gladly trade hours and hours of service instead of 20.00 a month. If you have money, you just write a nice monthly check and you can skip service guilt free. And the elders won't give you any crap about low hours.
ginger
i have noticed that some of us are a bit too eager to label new posters as trolls.
while it is clear that there are some posters who just like to stir up trouble or are out and out apologists there are others who are witnesses starting to have genuine doubts and so ask questions but then when they see the responses the cognitive dissonance kicks in and they push back and argue with what they are being told.
this can lead to very negative reactions from jwn members and accusations that the person is a troll.
What is awesome about JW.net is that anyone can join in the conversation.
This isn't an exclusive "closed" group. I don't want to be part of a high control group anymore. So I say the more the merrier!
Sharing experiences and opinions is the most productive way to understand the exit process.
ginger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=potrr2qxhue.
.. if armageddon is "imminent", why is wt focused on sight-seeing, entertainment, travel, etc.
instead of preaching and saving people??.
HAHAHAHA !
Welcome to Georgia y'all ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=potrr2qxhue.
.. if armageddon is "imminent", why is wt focused on sight-seeing, entertainment, travel, etc.
instead of preaching and saving people??.
This video raises a lot of questions.
It's obviously a promotional video targeted at area Jehovah's Witnesses. Why do they need to be sold on the idea that this event will be the "time of their life"? Has the masses of "publishers" become so unruly that they habitually ignore "theocratic order"? The closing though is to listen, obey and be blessed. How many are deciding not to attend these big conventions; especially the large numbers of older ones?
Can you imagine an older couple from rural Georgia, Tennessee or Alabama catching the MARTA for the first time in their lives? If their children no longer attend or won't be there, they have to rely on other members of the congregation. The MARTA is fairly safe - unless someone missed the Georgia Dome stop and heads in the wrong direction.
ginger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=potrr2qxhue.
.. if armageddon is "imminent", why is wt focused on sight-seeing, entertainment, travel, etc.
instead of preaching and saving people??.
This is another example of the organization's rebranding into JW.org - the 'new' Jehovah's Witnesses of the 21st century.
"Who needs vacation? Just listen, obey and be blessed by the Governing Body at the Atlanta International Convention!"
This is a business deal with the city of Atlanta. The city of Raleigh, North Carolina PAYS the branch to have the conventions there!
it has been commented here that "soon" the do's will be history.
the co level will be "retired" at age 70 and the latest development was that the cobe can not serve after age 80. it would seem that there is a "cull" of top management.
in secular companys that would signal a radical change of directions ???.
We have been close to a number of Circuit Overseers in the past couple of decades. A few years back they all began to share the sentiment that the WT was being run much more like a 'business' - more than ever before.
The Watchtower is rebranding itself into JW.org.
A "new" 21st century Jehovah's Witnesses is emerging.
ginger
http://www.eqi.org/invalid.htm.
of course, being in a cult and the shunning that comes from leaving it is invalidating.. but how many times have we heard "move on" or "get over it"?
that is a prime example of invalidation.. sometimes this forum, as well as others, can be a mixed bag of validation and invalidation..
I see both sides of the argument. This site is very helpful to most by providing an open place to discuss and debate. JW.net members are VERY supportive of those who have been through the WT meat grinder (judicial process).
Bad things happen to good people. That's just a fact of life. Bad doesn't discriminate.
What matters is how we, as adults, deal with the bad in our lives - and on whom we place the blame. That is our choice. By "moving on" we accept the responsibility of our future and personal freedom.
Depressed people live in the past. Anxious people live in the future. Happy people live in the present.
ginger
just found out that my little sister is getting df'd next week.
her husband left her about a year ago got df'd and recently got a girl pregnant.
my sister has had a hard time with the whole situation as you can imagine.
Can you provide practical help for your sister?
Could she move in with you?
She needs some time and a neutral space to reorganize her life. This is the best opportunity for her to make some positive changes.
Your help could change her world forever.
ginger
