Posts by gingerbread

56

Who REALLY believed in the idea of living forever on earth??

by stuckinarut2 in

seriously.....even when you were 100% in "the truth", did you really believe in living forever?

?

gingerbread

The Adventists developed this belief (before the Civil War) and C.T. Russell & Nelson Barbour adopted the doctrine when they began publishing the Watchtower (1880's).

When we studied with or were raised in "the truth", we weren't told about the origins of this belief. Most JW's have no idea about the shaky scriptural underpinning - and Jesus never said "hey, when I become King I'm going to turn the earth back into a paradise". Most JW's think of the paradise hope as a Watchtower exclusive....

This carrot hope (that includes resurrected parents, grandparents, kids, etc.) is the primary reason questioning JW's remain in "the truth".

51

What JW's are afraid of~

by kairos in

just putting together a mental list:.

jehovah .

jesus.

gingerbread

I tell friends and family that are still active : The only "fear of man" I've ever felt was from those in the Kingdom Hall.

I usually finish that off with "It feels so much better now not having to be around people who are depressed, tired, sick and afraid."

ginger

38

University Application Personal Statement dilemma - Should I mention my jw past?

by will-be-apostate in

jw
friends

i am applying to chemical engineering course in the uk through ucas (a lot of things changed since i've posted last time).. i have a lot of skills i developed while regular pioneering, like public speaking skills, ability to reason (even if it's bs), presentational skills etc.. i feel it would boost my personal statement a lot, but i'm also afraid they would say "this guy beleives in god, and loves science, he must be creationist.

away with him".. how could i mention that i gave interviews front of thousands of people and did voluntary work in my hometown without giving a bad impression?.

i don't want to go into details and start explaining myself that "however i don't beleive in god", or something like that.

gingerbread

You are facing the personal dilemma that many of us that were raised in deal with (or not) - wearing multiple "masks", being careful to only reveal parts of our personality, seeing our job and our 'life' as separate entities, learning not to be 'ourself' around 'worldly' family/schoolmates/workmates/neighbors etc.

You're struggling with honesty - because we are trained as JW's to be dishonest.

This probably won't help you with your immediate situation - but it's something to think about it as you continue your exit.

ginger

52

TV.JW.Org - WTF is Wrong With This Guy? - CAPTION THEM

by passwordprotected in

jw
friends

i've heard about his bombastic, overly patronising, cartoon-ish delivery before, but i'd never actually seen it...until now.

and i should add, this religion bears little to no relation to the one i left 6 years ago.. .

.

gingerbread

The next steps for TV.JW.ORG will be crying and praying for all the brothers and sisters being persecuted. And continual reminders for the need for support the 'kingdom'.

ginger

41

How Much Drinking Is Too Much?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i have seen that some say if a man has 3 beers per day or a woman has 2 glasses of wine per day, that they may have .

.

gingerbread

Visit : www.aa.org/pages/en_US/is-aa-for-you-twelve-questions-only-you-can-answer

ginger

35

How many born ins actually stay?

by lostinthought in

jw
friends

i was wondering if anyone know sany statistics of the amount of born ins that actually stay in the orginization.

i think i have read it before on here but i can't really remember what it was.

.

gingerbread

Robert - You have a plan. Excellent! My son did the exact same thing you speak of - and it works.

Have a goal and make it happen.

I still advise not to 'destroy' your family in the process. Understand where their minds are at and show them how you can be independent and happy.

35

How many born ins actually stay?

by lostinthought in

jw
friends

i was wondering if anyone know sany statistics of the amount of born ins that actually stay in the orginization.

i think i have read it before on here but i can't really remember what it was.

.

gingerbread

RobertT18 - My advice is don't 'leave' your family behind. Just drift out of the WT control. If you're a 'floater', just use the same methods you've learned as a kid to get by - be good and pleasant, be non-committal. Your mom will go a bit crazy for a while but will come to accept your (non)decision. In fact, to others in the congregation, she'll make excuses or tell them she's 'washed her hands' of you.

Don't be confrontational or argumentative. Just fade...

7

Flip-flops: Should we blindly obey?

by Splash in

just reviewed the cd-rom to get the historical view on blind obedience.. suprisingly, the wt has had some flip-flopping ideas on this.. should we 'blindly obey'?no - w63 2/1 p. 73 par.

3 conduct "worthy of the good news".

and as we consider these commands of god, it is not just blind obedience that is required but, rather, seeking with 'our whole mind and heart' to understand and appreciate why god tells us to do this or that, or not to do a certain thing, so that we may serve him with understanding.

gingerbread

This is why we are told to attend EVERY meeting.

Complete control of a person's thought patterns are achieved through repetition. Over time flip-flops are expected ... and actually looked forward to with great anticipation.

"What NEW light will we receive at the convention (or annual meeting) this year???"

35

How many born ins actually stay?

by lostinthought in

jw
friends

i was wondering if anyone know sany statistics of the amount of born ins that actually stay in the orginization.

i think i have read it before on here but i can't really remember what it was.

.

gingerbread

The WT org is very clear that it wants young born-in JW's to commit to membership by baptism before they become teenagers. Depending on the family situation, pressure is put on parents (by their parents and others in the congregation) to get their youngsters baptized.

As these kids become adults many stay 'active'. But these folks are very different from when my generation was that age. I call them 'floaters'. They get dressed and make the meetings and are sorta regular in field service. They've learned to stay under the radar - play by the rules and keep out of judicial trouble. They know the rules. They don't know the Bible.

They believe the major WT doctrines - but the end times dogma is downplayed to a 'maybe the end will come sometime soon'. They're all into social media, the new music, hipsterisms and psudo environmental awareness. They pose as the 'cool' Witnesses with edgy clothes, iPads & video games. They have limited education and minimal earning power. They continue to depend on their parents for emotional and/or financial support. They marry each other and have babies. The cycle continues.

ginger

17

Goal for new service year

by Daniel1555 in

the secretary of the congregation said in a talk, what the congregation should have as goal for the new service year: attend field service meetings!.

he explained in a sad tone, that he visited all of our 3 or 4 service groups.

and what happened at the field service meetings.

gingerbread

I've known many "full time" pioneers that just showed up for the meeting for service and then made 'calls'. This is a common practice - supporting the meeting arrangement with your suit and tie or dress on and then running personal errands.

When CO's are visiting, they always asks for everyone to attend the mid-week meeting before service - even if you're not 'going out'.

It reinforces the structure : what's important is how you appear to others in the congregation.

ginger