Posts by TerryWalstrom

7

Two Jehovah's Witnesses on their way to a Kingdom Hall stop for a hitch hiker

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

http://globalnews.ca/news/2143851/canadian-hitchhiking-robot-destroyed-on-trip-across-us/.

a hitch hiking robot, two jehovah's witnesses on their way to a kingdom hall.

.. where could it all end?.

Two Jehovah's Witnesses on their way to a Kingdom Hall stop for a hitch hiker

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

http://globalnews.ca/news/2143851/canadian-hitchhiking-robot-destroyed-on-trip-across-us/.

a hitch hiking robot, two jehovah's witnesses on their way to a kingdom hall.

.. where could it all end?.

TerryWalstrom

---*HITCHBOT*---

It wasn’t every day a robot could be observed poised on the side of the roadway with its thumb jerked outward in the international signal of the hitchhiker.

Rounding the bend in the highway, the driver’s lip curled like a dumbstruck Elvis impersonator as he caught first sight of the robot hitchhiker.

Beside him, his wife Thelma peered over the top of her Dollar Store sunglasses. The two Jehovah’s Witnesses spotted the robot in transit to their local Kingdom Hall.

“You know what that is, Mel? That’s the robot doohickey we saw on the news!”

“Honey, that’s just a publicity stunt, not a real robot. It’s probably got a hidden camera.”

“No Mel—it’s a science experiment! The scientists who built it can track its location, but there’s no hidden camera—“

The black 2003 Camry slowed to the edge of the Interstate and halted parallel to the ridiculous looking machine. It was about the size of an 11-year-old boy and appeared to be something of a Yard Sale castoff. Oh, but it was nothing of the kind.

The Camry passenger side window hissed down and two gawking human faces appeared.

“It’s a piece of junk, honey! That’s no science experiment—it’s a joke.”

________

Melvin Arbuckle’s voice carried a confident tone regardless of topic. He was a Jehovah’s Witness elder in the Riverside Congregation. He considered himself one of Jehovah’s ‘gifts in men.’

“No Mel—that’s the real thing. It’s got a battery and everything. It’s programmed to talk!”

Mel snickered at his wife’s naïve nonsense. She was lucky to have him as her husbandly head. He kept her in subjection and tried to improve her understanding of how the real world worked—it was no easy task. Thelma had not graduated from High School. He had married her at 17.

“Hey, Mister Robot—can you hear me?”

Thelma fairly screamed although the machine was perched only 14 inches from her car window.

A flat, somewhat snippy voice erupted suddenly and unexpectedly. It was a cultured masculine British voice identical to that of Christopher Hitchens, world-famous atheist, author, literary critic and journalist. The assured, imperious timbre of the robot had an immediate impact on all who heard it for the first time.

“You may address me as Hitch if you like!”

The gasp from Thelma came involuntarily. Husband Melvin Arbuckle stiffened as little hairs stood on the back of his neck. His wife shook off her surprise quickly and she giggled nervously.

Thelma elbowed her husband’s short rib. “Did that scare you, Honey?”

The man sat up straight and scoffed.

“Of course not! It’s just a recording—like an answering machine.”

The robot voice came once again—if anything—louder and more insistently

“Are you two interested in having an intelligent conversation, for once—or are you going to waste my time?”

Thelma laughed like a donkey braying, but husband Mel squinted suspiciously back at the clownish looking machine. His eyes darted off into the distance. He was searching for some agent nearby with a Walkie-talkie or a pair of binoculars. If this wasn’t a stunt to make them look foolish, he’d be surprised.

“Let’s grab the dummy and take it with us to the Kingdom Hall, Mel—it’ll be a hoot!”

The Hitchbot responded sternly.

“It certainly takes one to know one!”

“How’s that?” Thelma cocked her head curiously in mid chortle.

“You referenced me as ‘the dummy’ and I responded, ‘It certainly takes one to know one.”

Mel Arbuckle quickly found his sense of humor. He had a soft spot for anyone making fun of his wife.

“That’s a pretty good one! Did you hear that, Honey? Let’s put that thing in the back seat and take it with us to the Kingdom Hall.”

So they did.

---**---

The Riverside Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses bustled with activity. Small clumps of people clustered to chat, calling each other “Brother ‘this’” and “Sister ‘that’” just as the Arbuckle automobile with its hitchhiking mechanical companion turned into the driveway. Elder Arbuckle gestured broadly toward nearby JW’s (Jehovah’s Witnesses) as he struggled to extricate the robot from the back seat.

“What’s that?” A curious voice of astonishment clanged forth like a church bell.

“What IS that—a piñata or something?”

“No—this thing is an uhhh—robot social experiment on that news program. Didn’t you watch it?”

“I don’t have time for TV! What is it, Brother Arbuckle—some prop for your sermon this afternoon?”

“The news reporter said the idea is to see how many people will pick up a hitchhiking robot and to determine how far and wide it might eventually travel.”

Thelma had summoned three ladies from the congregation, referred to as Sisters, in the spiritual sense. These joined the others circled around the Hitchbot which Mel had posed on the hood of his car. Sister Arbuckle spoke enthusiastically. It wasn’t often she could be the center of attention with her husband around. She played the hostess with gusto and charm.

“Go ahead and talk to it—we had quite a conversation on the way here. We found this on the side of the road—hitchhiking!”

The oldest JW, Elder Newberry, had wandered over wearing a wary scowl. He’d seen the news and recalled exactly what Hitchbot was all about and knew for a certainty the Kingdom Hall was no place for it. Elder Newberry determined in his mind he would put an end to all the nonsense before the meeting commenced. He broke through the circle and faced off with the contraption.

“Say there, Robot, are you a Bible reader?”

Newberry sneered and cast his head about to make sure his audience fully appreciated the role he was discharging as a spiritual shepherd.

Hitchbot retorted instantly.

“Of course. No properly educated person would neglect any historically influential writings of the civilized world. Why do you ask?”

At first, this declaration was met with silence. All eyes swept over to the imperious figure of a thoroughly befuddled Elder Newberry. He stood with his mouth working soundlessly.

Hitchbot continued mercilessly.

“Should I assume you have some measure of expertise on this subject—or are you merely posturing for the benefit of this rather naïve crowd of sycophants?”

--**--

Ten minutes later, Hitchbot was nestled without fanfare in the Kingdom Hall library. The door had been shut firmly. The meeting commenced and singing arose to pre-recorded music outside the library.

An hour and a half afterward, a committee of Elders convened inside the Hall library to discuss Hitchbot.

The Presiding Elder of the Riverside congregation, Brother Newcombe, held forth with an air of confident authority. His reputation was that of an intelligent leader fully capable of handling any situation. He spoke quietly with a conspiratorial tone, as though planning a bank robbery.

“This conversation will end up being aired on television and reported in newspapers. We can use it to our advantage and present Jehovah’s Kingdom work in the proper light.”

Blank faces stared back at him mutely. Had he been sipping from that hip flask again?

“We’ll give a fine witness to it just as we would any person we’d meet at a door. This contraption can replay everything said to it and Jehovah’s Kingdom message will be right there for all to hear!”

The same sheepish men nodded dully without a trace of comprehension among them.

Newberry bid the group sit in a circle around the conference table. Hitchbot was more or less seated or balanced in the middle, like an overgrown toddler.

Elder Fitz spoke up meekly.

“Should we, um—should we pray first to ask for Jehovah’s guidance?”

Immediately, Hitchbot’s stentorian voice rang out.

“Please do NOT include me in your conjuring pleas to the supernatural—I’ll have no part in it!”

_______

It took another 6 or 7 minutes to quiet the group’s hubub. Elder Fitz suggested a light-hearted approach and firm sense of humor might best parry the irreverent tone of their adversary.

Tentatively, Mel Arbuckle raised his hand like a kid in Junior High School.
“Brother Newberry, I’m pretty sure this uh—thing—is linked up to a microphone somewhere—or maybe the internet. Probably a wise-guy scientist is on the other end ready to make us look foolish. I’d like to give this a go, if it’s okay with you.”

Newberry nodded skeptically as Arbuckle took a deep, confident breath and faced Hitchbot with a grin.

“Shall we call you Hitch?”

“That’s my name, please indulge yourself.” The robot returned volley.

Elder Newberry rolled his eyes. Arbuckle continued.

“What is God’s proper name? Please tell us if you have that information.”

There followed a four second silence. Each second brought a brighter smile to the room. It was going to be fun rubbing the scientist’s nose in a good Bible lesson wherever he might be.

“How comprehensive would you like my answer?” Hitchbot finally retorted.

This was immediately interpreted to be a stall, to enable a pinhead science Nerd on the other end, time to look up the answer on Google. Elder Newberry pounced.

“Don’t blow a circuit. This is elementary Bible knowledge. Let me help you--Jehovah is God’s personal name.” (Smirks traded all around the room.)

Hitchbot’s voice filled the space. A trace of withering sarcasm layered on in a heap.

“Why waste my time asking questions you assume to know in advance? Are you incurious or intellectually dull? It is fundamental dishonesty to exploit a guest merely to achieve some rude triumph. Can you be so unaware?”

A few red faces flushed. Each man calibrated his own reckonings. Elder Newberry immediately recognized a fundamental throwdown challenge when he heard one. His jaw clenched.

“I should have known I was speaking with a godless atheist.”

Hitchbot chuckled exuberantly.

“Godless atheist? Is there any other kind? That’s redundant: like saying a ‘round circle’ or ‘wet water.’ I believe in my makers and I know their names, Professors David Harris Smith and Frauke Zeller.”

_____

The Kingdom Hall had cleared outside the Library door. The sound of automobile’s starting and driving away faded. Five humans and one Hitchbot remained.

Elder Newberry’s mind somersaulted. Mel Arbuckle had the dawning awareness that he was enjoying himself. He was looking ahead to maybe having his photo in newspapers around the world. He recalled a movie he’d seen a couple of times, INHERIT THE WIND, where an atheist and a theologian had argued about evolution during a court trial. Arbuckle realized, If he projected himself as a pompous ass, like the minister in the film, he would become a laughing stock. But—if he kept his cool and used his sense of humor—well, he might make headlines!

Three other Jehovah’s Witness elders sat stiffly, none too pleased.

Elder Newcombe was an insurance salesman in everyday life. He intuitively realized, it was necessary to control a conversation to get your point over, and foolish to let the other fella take control by putting you on the defense. He sniffed indignantly and spoke up, leaning forward as he took charge.

“We got off to a bad start, Hitch. It would be rude of us not answer allow you to ask us questions. What would you like to know about Jehovah’s Witnesses?”

Heads nodded and a flicker of a smile was passed around the room like passing fire from one villager’s torch to another.

Hitch heaved a dramatic sigh of infinite forbearance. The majestic, unmistakably British voice of authority pounced.

“Do Jehovah’s Witnesses realize they are Protestants?”

The question hung in the air like cigar smoke. One Brother looked at the face of the others, but nobody spoke in reply until an Elder with Reddish brown hair took up the query, Brother Cruz.

“No, we’re not Protestants. Protestants broke off from the Catholic Church back in the 16th century. Jehovah’s Witnesses have always—in one form or another—had heavenly guidance through history without dirtying ourselves with false teachings.”

______

Hitchbot had been provided with a zany, emoticon-style face--a cartoon face meant to place humans at their ease. However, there was a keen razor sharp slice in the inflections of the voice--a shrewd, superior intelligence, totally at odds with the zany expression--all of which created an unsettling tone of a Grand Inquisitor.

“Perfect nonsense—you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve merely read that in one of your publications and instantly believed it without honest research, much less a moment’s quiet reflection. Why not admit that?”

Elder Cruz flashed an insincere smile. It was half of an impudent expression of contempt. He felt out of his element. He opened his mouth to retort. Before he could, Elder Farrenkopf took the lead.

“I can understand where you’re coming from—let us not argue. Is there anything of a less controversial nature you’d like to ask?”

Hitchbot’s unsettling, jolly countenance answered back.

“For over 100 years, your feckless Governing Body have brazenly and repeatedly predicted the End of the World—you’ve made yourselves objects of laughter. Don’t you ever tire of being wrong—I might add: while insisting you are channeling Jehovah’s only True religion?”

Elder Arbuckle’s face went pale. He hurried to reply, fearing he’d brought a plague into the Kingdom Hall under the guise of a joke, and trembling at how he might ever excuse himself for it.

“Even Science makes human errors, Hitch! Things change over time, improving little by little—that doesn’t embarrass your scientist friends—does it?”

Elder Newberry held his hand up like a traffic cop. His face shone dead serious.

“I’m sure there are many misunderstandings which can easily be cleared up by visiting our JW.Org website. It is getting late and . . . “

Hitchbot’s pasted-on smile interrupted.

“ I’ll call you on your dishonest analogy, Elder Arbuckle. Science claims no connection with any supernatural source of absolute knowledge. Your side claims Jehovah pours pure Truth in one end of the heavenly pipeline and it runs through your Watchtower headquarters only to emerge out the other end as BILGE, so tainted and foul you are compelled to filter it, revise and adjust it again and again. That’s not much to boast about—is it?”

Elder Newberry was deep red and his anger unmistakable. His hand was still posed like a stop sign, but now, Elder Cruz had jumped back into the fray.

“I must take the gravest possible exception to what you say! What other religion refuses to teach Hell, or Trinity, or forbids the celebration of pagan holidays? We aren’t perfect—we are progressively getting closer to the purest Truth—although we can’t claim to be there yet!”

Newberry dropped his hand. He liked the sound of it. His eyebrows lifted and some of the tension left his face.

Hitchbot gave no pause before answering.

“40,000 Christian denominations with every flavor of teaching abound. Even the humblest among them feeds the starving, educates the ignorant, comforts the dying, provides community services for battered women or builds hospitals and universities-- none of which—I might add—you bother yourselves to consider worthy of your precious time! Your claims of Truth are pathetic fart sounds coming from the rectums of your leaders—because you see--they pull worthless teachings out of their collective asses!”

___***___

The long drive to the Greyhound Bus station passed in grim silence. Now and then, Thelma would try and prod Melvin into divulging some tiny detail of the Kingdom Hall library gathering with Hitchbot. He doggedly held firm to silence, gripping the Camry’s steering wheel in his tense fists as though he meant to break it in half.

Eventually, Thelma turned around and spoke to the figure in the backseat, Hitchbot, whose comical expression never changed.

“Why did you ask to be dropped off at the bus station, Hitch?”

The painted mouth spoke with assurance.

“First, I’d like to ask you and Mel to stop and recharge my battery. I’d have mentioned it earlier, but I was distracted by all the jaw-jacking of your Elders in that so-called Library in your Kingdom Hall.”
Stone silence. . .
“If my batteries aren’t recharged, I lose all the information on my hard-drive. I’d consider it an act of charity if you would assist me in this one small chore.”

More silence as the street lights whizzed past outside and the windshield wipers swept to and fro.

“ Thelma, so far, I’ve been to a Rock Concert, Comic book convention, attended a wedding, posed for a portrait in the Netherlands—but the most futile encounter of all was the past few hours wasted listening to knuckle-dragging cultist amateurs trying pass off Bronze Age superstition as absolute divine truth. Clear enough, Thelma?”

Sister Thelma slowly turned back to face the highway. No expression flickered in the sputtering street lights. The only sounds were the car engine, a distant ambulance siren, and the obnoxious loud car radio speeding in the opposite direction.

“I’d like an answer please, Thelma. . . Melvin? If I’m not recharged it is the equivalent of ‘dying’ and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that on your tender Jehovah’s Witness consciences.”

Melvin Arbuckle slowed and turned into the driveway of the bus station. He and his wife removed Hitchbot from the backseat and carried him to a bench just outside the entrance to the Greyhound Bus terminal.

The two humans paused inexplicably and inspected the ridiculous figure they had carefully posed on the bench. The married couple exchanged a meaningful look. She nodded sadly.
Thelma remembered to shape the ‘hand’ into the extended hitchhiker thumb signal. She smiled and nodded as a parent might do with a child.

“Is there an electric outlet nearby, Thelma? Are you going to plug in that cord just behind my shoulder blade? It won’t take a moment, you know. Please?”

“So long, Hitch. May your travels take you to interesting places.”

Thelma’s eyebrows lifted and she turned around and headed to the car. Mel Arbuckle was working his mouth around—as though forming an idea which might become words. Eventually, he sniffed twice and gave a slight head shrug.

“Melivin?”

The Arbuckles zoomed away into the night as their tail lights merged into a faint red dot on the freeway back to Riverside. The sound of thunder punctuated the traffic noise and a fierce downpour rushed from the storm clouds above.

The figure of a zany hitchhiking robot reposed awkwardly on a bench outside the bus station, large raindrops like tears zigged and zagged across his improbable body.

Presently, a woman of about 30 drove up and squeezed out of her car, hurrying to enter the bus terminal. She wore a tight T-shirt with a BLADE RUNNER movie logo. As she passed the bench she hardly noticed the Hitchbot soaking in the rainfall.

The Brit’s voice leapt eagerly and caught her ear. . .

“I’ve . . . seen things. . .you people wouldn’t believe: attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those. . . moments . . .will be lost.

In time, like—“ Hitchbot seemed to choke for a moment. . .”All those moments will be lost . . in time like tears . . . in. . . rain.”

The woman froze in place and stared in the direction of Hitchbot. The clownish figure seemed to slump imperceptibly forward.

“Time. . .to die.” A great stillness pervaded the final moment.

The lady shook her head with disbelief and gazed about at her surroundings. The storm whipped into a fury. She turned away and hurried inside to meet her sister who was arriving on the 7:30 bus from Calgary. Tomorrow they would go rollerskating in the park if the weather cleared.

(http://globalnews.ca/news/2143851/canadian-hitchhiking-robot-destroyed-on-trip-across-us/)

--END--

7

Two Jehovah's Witnesses on their way to a Kingdom Hall stop for a hitch hiker

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

http://globalnews.ca/news/2143851/canadian-hitchhiking-robot-destroyed-on-trip-across-us/.

a hitch hiking robot, two jehovah's witnesses on their way to a kingdom hall.

.. where could it all end?.

TerryWalstrom

http://globalnews.ca/news/2143851/canadian-hitchhiking-robot-destroyed-on-trip-across-us/

A hitch hiking robot, two Jehovah's Witnesses on their way to a Kingdom Hall. . .

where could it all end?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IFwac3TaxuHKlb-aSKrLJXAVJ4CKjPBEZ6Dm1_FnOI8/edit?usp=sharing

29

Political Correctness

by snugglebunny in

jw
friends

i think i'm just ornery when it comes to equality.

ever since i can remember, i've always believed that all people were created equal.

the colour of a person's skin is irrelevent to me.

TerryWalstrom

Marxist Theory concerned itself with the End of History as the ultimate goal when all classes would reach equilibrium under Communism.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P-DifBTAC50sT2nqHnkGRQpsOHOcJSnPqJyDYejoXP4/edit?usp=sharing

To bring about such a desirable state, steps had to be taken to create upheavals, revolution, and disruption of existing states by pitting one class against another as victim/oppressor identifications were constantly forced into public awareness through Political Correctness as a means of identifying enemies.
In the Soviet Union under Stalin, Marxist doctrine had to be faithfully practiced by one and all in Literature, Opera, Art, news articles, public speech and any who spoke politically incorrect speech would be labeled, identified and purged.

Among Jehovah's Witnesses, a very similar policy is exercised by the Organization. No criticism of policies or doctrines is permitted. Anyone failing to observe theocratic correctness is marked, disciplined and removed. Certain terms such as Apostate create a virtual embargo on dissident speech just as politically, labeling somebody a racist will mark them as an enemy in America.

Political Correctness is Authoritarian control and fascistic coercion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkhUivqzWv0

6

(Controversial Topic) CLASS WARFARE in MARXISM and JEHOVAH’S WITNESS THEOLOGY

by TerryWalstrom in

class warfare in marxism and jehovah’s witness theology.

(both) jehovah’s witnesses and marxist communists concern themselves with something called “the end of history.”.

the end of history means the end of a struggle between groups with conflicts of interest.

TerryWalstrom

I'm not really looking forward to the grief I'm going to get on this thread :)

13

HOW the WatchTower leaders flipped the script on Christianity

by TerryWalstrom in

worship of jesus was declared to be an act of idolatry!.

we are going to examine the cataclysmic changeover in christian teaching exploding inside the watchtower religion in the early 50’s by exploring a background of the history of jesus’ place in christianity.

jw teaching about the nature of jesus’ importance in the salvation of mankind will be compared with christian history.

TerryWalstrom

I was pulled by forceps from my mother's Caesarian wound and plopped down inside a family with no church going proclivities at all.

I had almost zero Bible reading for my 1st 13 years of life. I surmised an attitude about the Bible, however, by breathing in the ethos (a fine Greek word worth looking up and pondering) and the general conclusion I was able to reach was this:

The Bible was Holy (it said so on the cover!) and that meant it was spooky.
My grandmother had been reared in a convent and had a Roman Catholic religious education (I use the word 'education' gingerly) which meant I was influenced by her superstitious comprehensions and that made me susceptible to exploitation.

When I made friends with a Jehovah's Witness, I was like the Titanic en route to a rendezvous with an iceberg. I did know what hit me, but I couldn't seem to turn away in time to avoid a collision.

Everything I learned from the WatchTower mentality was intellectual rather than emotional. Jehovah had a corporate mentality. I was an employee with a future in sales. I had quotas.
I had chosen a SIDE in a great battle, too. Like it or not, I was on the Good side of Good vs. Evil.

Okay. Yippee for me.

Then, I found myself inside Federal Prison and my consciousness was damaged and my mental health collapsed. I didn't even know it had happened!

Several years of effort produced negative results and I left the JW's for a career in Art, but I had that Jehovah boot mark on my ass and an Organization-sized hole in my heart.

What to do?

The last 50 years have been detective work searching the scene of the crime. I was murdered and I wanted to know who dunnit and what the motive was.
I now know.
I was lured to a place of sacrifice.
My trusted 'Father' bound me on an altar and I saw the knife go up and come down inside.

I've put together a pretty good case on why the murder occurred.
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and fell in with bad company. All those JW's were very bad company.

Now, I spend my final days of life (I'm almost 70) putting the clues together about what happened before the gleaming forceps grabbed my mooshy skull and yanked me into the fresh, cold air.

A couple of thousand years of superstitious people had set me up before I was even conceived! The game is rigged. There are no winners--only losers.
Had I been born into a mainstream religious household, people who went to church and taught 'values' and self-respect--I would not have succumbed to JW propaganda and my life would be entirely different.

So, all you folks must suffer through my musings now, for what they may be worth.
I'll die.

You'll die.
More folks will show up.
The game will change and so will opinions--but--the nonsense will never end.

6

(Controversial Topic) CLASS WARFARE in MARXISM and JEHOVAH’S WITNESS THEOLOGY

by TerryWalstrom in

class warfare in marxism and jehovah’s witness theology.

(both) jehovah’s witnesses and marxist communists concern themselves with something called “the end of history.”.

the end of history means the end of a struggle between groups with conflicts of interest.

TerryWalstrom

CLASS WARFARE in MARXISM and JEHOVAH’S WITNESS THEOLOGY

(Both) Jehovah’s Witnesses and Marxist Communists concern themselves with something called “The End of History.”

The End of History means the end of a struggle between groups with conflicts of interest. The result being no cultural dissonances nor inequalities leading to divisions.

In Marxist theory, a Capitalist Society pits an Elite against Have-nots. Those with power, wealth and privilege exploit poor, disenfranchised underclasses struggling to keep their head above water.

Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Elite consists of 144,00 Kings and Priests who have been specially selected (anointed) to rule in heaven (as transformed spirit beings) over the second group (Great Crowd) who remain human on a Paradise Earth.

In Marxist Theory, the Elite use wealth to obtain Political power and control Ideology consisting of shaping the worldview of the underclass. (Their role in society.)

Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Elite are a religious/political (theocracy) Governing Body (FDS) who claim to channel (conduit of Jehovah) the rules of day to day life and ultimate survival for the others. This group of “others” is both a subdivision of anointed and a Great Crowd.

IDEOLOGY

What is Ideology?

The ‘science’ of ideas which controls how people see themselves and others inside a world view.

Prior to the End of History, before the ultimate goal of Paradise is realized, the most important concern

of all men and women is the outcome of their struggle day to day. Ideology provides a context for seeing the Future as an obtainable Paradise IF certain steps are taken to insure that end.

The shaping of this world view is achieved by means of carefully crafted and controlled Propaganda for BOTH Marxist Theory and Jehovah’s Witness theology.

Propaganda is information that is not impartial and used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, often by presenting facts selectively (perhaps lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or using loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information presented.

Propaganda produces and promotes the ideal Ideology.

________________________

In order to control the message (propaganda), the Elite must control the Media.

If the Media cannot be completely controlled, it becomes necessary to undermine any competing outlets of information flow. Censorship, defamation, sabotage, Ad hominem, and injunction are typical strategies.

Marxists prefer the use of Hegemony (leadership with the consent of the governed) in one of two ways:

Repression (application of threats and undue influence)
Subversion (controlling what teachers teach, how social workers communicate, mass media).

Jehovah’s Witnesses similarly seek informed consent of their members by

Repression (threats of disfellowship, shunning, death at Armageddon)
Subversion (confining members to seek information internally and avoid ex-members who are said to be ‘mentally diseased’ and agents of Satan.)

The Marxist seeks to convince prospective converts of their victimhood; exploited, excluded, and marginalized by the Elite. By dividing the Capitalist Society into factions who turn against each other with grievances, a divide and conquer strategy unfolds.

Jehovah’s Witnesses seek to convince prospective converts through Bible Studies (which are bait and switch propaganda sessions). Dividing family members using calls for purity and separation and obedience to God rather than men, undermining higher education and seeing all non-JW’s as satanic.

Both groups (Marxist and JW) employ Fear of the “other” and suspicion as well as encouraging snitching out fellow members, reporting infractions, currying favor by selling others out in a purge of purification.

Both Marxist and JW propaganda employs a Critique of Society to enable converts to see everybody and everything as the enemy; all political, social, religious, and educational systems as corrupt and doomed.

Isolating members one step at a time renders them unable to escape because there is no OTHER place to go or group to trust but the core cell or congregation.

Both Marxists and JW theology has no place for individuals, but rather sees only a Society of classes. The individual is absorbed into hive mentality as a functionary sharing the load and rooting for the Group rather than themselves. Loyalty to the Cause supercedes concern for one’s daily needs.

Both Marxists and JW theology employ a sense of False Consciousness and Alienation, seeing themselves as victims exploited by oppressors on the outside, heroes of a liberation movement which will bring peace and security to all mankind. The world becomes US (the good guys) against THEM (the bad guys) and it then becomes perfectly reasonable to lie, defame, attack, undermine and destroy THEM.

Any wrongdoing on the part of the Party Elite can be justified because of the oppression of the outside slave masters who must be defeated. JW’s can employ Theocratic Strategy, which is a free pass to lie and withhold truth from “those who don’t deserve it.”

Weakening social bonds which normally create harmony within everyday society is a chief goal of Marxists and JW’s. If you can’t see who your enemies are--it is because your mind isn’t functioning clearly. The task of a Marxist is to create enemies and lie about them, fear them and ultimately destroy their reputation.

The task of a Jehovah’s Witness is to identify enemies, label them, ruin their reputation and set them up for destruction at Armageddon.

Marxists seek to create a bond of uniformity in thinking and behavior both predictable and controllable by the leadership. No dissent is permissible or possible without immediate punishment.

Marxist and Jehovah’s Witness conformity lead to totalitarian, authoritarian, cult structures. Meanwhile, False Consciousness creates a sense of being cradled, protected and valued--as long as complete Loyalty is observed.
____________

DISSONANCE BREEDS TACTICAL EVASION

On the Jehovah’s Witness side of things, the failure of the JW theology to produce the End of History through tidal waves of witnessing about failed dates (set by the “mouthpiece” of God) created dissonances which had to be resolved!
Could Jehovah’s Witness theology be wrong?

Heavens no!

Instead, the disaffection with failed dates and false prophetic interpretations was the Fault of the Members who Believed what they were told! How dare they blame the Elite Governing Body for their own errors in judgement!!
A purification commenced after the failure of 1975 and the Brooklyn Politburo was purged of individual thinkers, questioners, and disloyal partisans. The wave of oppressive inquisition articles arose dividing the rank and file into factions who must now police themselves for enemies on the inside as well as outside.

A new language developed around former members. Ex-members had become the new enemy.

Without enemies where is fear, alienation and a need for loyalty?
A witch hunt for Apostate whistleblowers and dissidents worldwide was the GB’s counter-offensive against those questioning the failed Watchtower version of reality. By 2013, the foundational belief underpinning JW theology shifted seismically. There had been a quiet shakeup and reorganization on every level practically invisible to members. The corruption, pedophile legal shakedown, a selloff of property and external transformation was completely hidden. The Apostates would be unable to penetrate the wall of exclusion. JW’s inside were busy looking for Boogeymen, enemies within, and looking over their shoulders, in a bunker mentality of fear and unduly influenced Loyalty.

In Marxist theory, a similar crisis of credibility arose.
Capitalist society, so the theory said, was so unfair, it should create a revolution among the oppressed and disaffected populace. After all, 2% have all the important wealth, privilege, and control!
However, the revolution never happened although predicted for America. Why?

Could Marxist theory be wrong?

That was Unthinkable!

Instead, a tactical evasion of the failure of Marxism theory became necessary!
Cognitive dissonance led to a RETHINK of core strategies.

Marxists blamed the “ruling class Elites,” for bribing off the workers by giving them “rights,” and had blinded them with a “false consciousness” that led them to support national governments and democracy. According to the new propaganda, American Exceptionalism lied about helping the downtrodden to “succeed” by becoming wealthy property owners, business leaders and movers and shakers. Because it was a cunning trap!

The so-called ‘successful’ poor-born, upwardly mobile, underclass was now relabeled as SELLOUTS, dupes, Uncle Tom's, useful idiots exploited as decoys by the oppressive Elite as before.
False Consciousness of success had been forced on the underclass.

They still needed to wake up and start hating themselves as Alienated by racial prejudice, unequal pay, sexism, class distinctions, and White Privilege. Since individuals are unimportant in Marxist theory--only classes were important. Consequently, Identity Politics was invented. Political Correctness was taught in schools and colleges. Its purpose was to sensitize the young and raise their victim consciousness Through Identity Politics. Identity Politics means a person is not just an individual person--no--they are a member of an oppressed, alienated Class such as Black, Mexican, Gay, Female, Transgender, etc.
Enemies are everywhere among the White Ruling Elite, the corporate Jews, etc.
This new strategy was called Critical Theory and its target was an essentially destructive criticism of the main elements of Western culture, including Christianity, capitalism, authority, the family, patriarchy, hierarchy, morality, tradition, sexual restraint, loyalty, patriotism, nationalism, heredity, ethnocentrism, convention, and conservatism.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER was and is alive and well!

Both Jehovah’s Witnesses and Marxist theorists succeed in dividing people into fearful oppressed classes who see enemies everywhere, have no identity as an individual (only as a class), and who must destroy all existing structures of the old system of things which is doomed anyway.

Both groups work through negative thought control, victimology, and pressure to conform, subvert, and undermine reality. Each group maintains a form of Political Correctness* which seeks to force all members of their respective society to speak EXACTLY the RIGHT way as prescribed by the ruling body.
This thought control serves the purpose of labeling dissidents for ostracism, attack, straw man
ad hominem exclusion.

The bottom line is, each ideology is authoritarian propaganda both driven by a small core of Elite mind control theorists manipulating consciousness toward a revolution purportedly leading to a Utopian End of History. (For the benefit of mankind.)

_____________

(Historical note)
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

“Critical Theorists recognized that traditional beliefs and the existing social structure would have to be destroyed and then replaced with a “new thinking” that would become as much a part of elementary consciousness as the old one had been. Their theories took hold in the tumultuous 1960s when the Vietnam War opened a Pandora’s Box of reevaluation and revolution. The student radicals of the era were strongly influenced by revolutionary ideas, among them those of Herbert Marcuse, a member of the Frankfurt School who preach the “Great Refusal,” a rejection of all basic Western concepts and an embrace of sexual liberation, and the merits of feminist and black revolutions. His primary thesis was that university students, ghetto blacks, the alienated, the asocial, and the Third World could take the place of the proletariat in the coming Communist revolution.

Marcuse may be the most important member of the Frankfurt School in terms of the origins of Political Correctness because he was the critical link to the counterculture of the 1960s. His objective was clear: “One can rightfully speak of a cultural revolution, since the protest is directed toward the whole cultural establishment, including the morality of existing society.”

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=552

"Political Correctness": A Short History of an Ideology," edited by William Lind (November 2004).

16

God's name

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

first at all, there is a new marketing video of god's name, clearly saying the name of god is jehovah.. link: https://tv.jw.org/#en/video/vodbible/docid-502014331_1_video.

and then, there is the video with geoffrey jackson (gb) clearly saying that the original name of god is not known and the use of jehovah is because of it is the most used variant in english.. link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwv_8ocvkj8.

so, something contradicts here, isn't it?.

TerryWalstrom

The "most used variant" of all things Christian would logically include

the cross, the Trinity, immortal soul, etc.

The argument of Geoffrey Jackson sputters and fails utterly.

56

Chrome or Edge Browser? Which is Better?

by KateWild in

so i finally am on windows 10. my computer kept asking me and i kept refusing, but then it went to a countdown and before i had a chance to stop it, it was updating, and i couldn't use my laptop for the full 1000 year reign of jesus christ.. when i finally could use it, i had a problem opening chrome with all my favourite apps or pages stored.

sometimes i have to open edge for for chrome to open.

but i have had a little go a edge.. edge has a different search engine to google, anyone know what it is?

TerryWalstrom

When I switched to Chrome AND replaced my Windows operating system with the new Chromebook notebook laptop--my world suddenly blossomed into a paradise on Earth!

The world is a beautiful place now. No regrets.

Solid State Drive takes mere seconds. Windows took minutes.

I open the lid and 5 seconds later, I'm on the web.

That's my two cents. I tried Windows 10 and the Edge. I wouldn't go back to that world. I really wouldn't.

28

Jehovah loves "even rounded numbers" or could this be a way to disprove the inspiration of the Bible?

by notjustyet in

while i am not able to recall them all at this time, i remember so many instances that when a number was quoted in the bible, especially large numbers, they were all "rounded up" to the nearest hundred or thousand.

for instance the angel killed 185,000 syrians, not 184,879. sampson killed a thousand men with the jawbone of an ass, not 961. and on and on on the even rounded numbers.

i would guess that it could be agues that these numbers were correct but is that realistic?

TerryWalstrom

I wrote on the topic of Bible numbers about five years ago here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nwwMTsuB-vB3_w8fcLr8evgYmP8tyX1Vqcyn0ZiceV8/edit?usp=sharing