here is an obituary from my local paper.
i have removed all personal info before posting.
her loving husband thanks jehovah god that he had x .
It's obvious the deceased was dearly loved by her husband. I'm sure the bereaved husband wanted to express how great she was.
However, as in all things JW, an oppurtunity to express love and admiration for an individual has turned into a commercial for the organization.
bit of background.
i grew up as a jw i left the church when i was 14 because a ministerial servant who was conducting a one on one baptism study with me said that i couldn't ballance my dreams of being a professional singer with the so called "truth".
i stopped the study and told my mom i no longer wanted to be a witness.
I felt the anger, bitterness, resentment, etc as everyone else....
but I also felt relief.
Relieved because for years I knew I wasn't living up to everything that was expected of me.
Relieved because that some of the things that I had been doing and feeling guilty for weren't so wrong after all.
Relieved because I kept having doubts, and we all know that in the Watchtower World, doubts are sins, so I was relieved when I realized that my doubts weren't because I was bad but because there was something wrong, something to give me doubts.
Relieved because I hated field service and know I don't have to feel guilty about not sharing in it.
Relieved because I'm not dying at Armageddon.
so mrs. kwin, like myself, has started the fade.
she's getting visits or calls 2 to 3 times a week from jw's in the hall.
what do you do when you get these visits?
So Mrs. Kwin, like myself, has started the fade. She's getting visits or calls 2 to 3 times a week from JW's in the hall. What do you do when you get these visits? What do you say when they call?
Why not react according to how the act? If they are sincerely concerned about you and are friendly, return the kindness and friendliness. Remember, they are still "in". They will equate meeting attendance with spirituality. But some of them may be sincere in that they hope you aren't ill or depressed. I have remained friends with a few from the hall, because they were more than cult-mates, they were friends I grew up with. Admittedly, these are few and far between, but I didn't throw the baby out with the bath water. I give each individual a chance to show their true colors.
If they are just "checking up" on you and you sense hostility or if your being judged harshly, temper your friendliness with wariness. These types it's best to avoid. If the elders didn't put them up to it, then they are looking to gossip and tattle on you. Unfortunately, it seems that there are more of these types than the others.
is helping people get out a goal of yours??
do you make any special effort to tell the truth about the "truth"?
If our posts help lurking JWs( and I have to agree, they probably do) then I guess in some small way, I have helped some. If someone is lurking here, they already are having doubts or questions and our experiences and new ideas(to them) will hopefully help them see that they are being deceived.
jehovah's witnesses teach that when we face persecution, it's a good thing!
if we're "persecuted for righteousness sake", we should be "happy".
i've seen some jws that actually seem to enjoy the thought of persecution, as if they were martyrs for the cause.
Used to walk into the Kingdom Hall ( Hell) with my black eyes my hubby gave me.Was commended by the elders.... After all they said. "Look at all our brothers & sisters in concetration camps, Jail etc. At least Grace your free to move around & go preach the word"
Another memory flashback...
You're persecution reminds me of a faithful older sister in my hall when I was a kid. Dear old woman had a terrible husband. He hated JWs and did everything he could to stop her from going to meetings and service. I was scared to death of that guy. I thought he might try to hurt us kids. She was in our book study and our families took turns picking her up for meetings. Her husband would sit on the porch and watch. We'd come home and her clothes and books/mags would be in the yard. Who knew what went on behind closed doors after we left. Thinking about that, all we did was drop her off. Didn't do anything else. Just left her to deal with it. What great people we were.
This dear old sister put up with this abuse for decades. The elders gave her the same dribble that you quoted. Remembering back, I remember the elders always giving her "encouragement". No doubt it was to tell her she had to stay with him. When the old bastard finally did die, the congregation actually rejoiced. The friends actually congratulated her for remaining faithful to Satan's persecution. It was as if she had just won eternal life on a paradise earth or something. Of course, outside of picking her up for meetings and service, none of the friends really did anything to help all those years. And then we rejoiced when he died. I guess because now she could drive herself to the meetings.
jehovah's witnesses teach that when we face persecution, it's a good thing!
if we're "persecuted for righteousness sake", we should be "happy".
i've seen some jws that actually seem to enjoy the thought of persecution, as if they were martyrs for the cause.
Yes Undercover, you were an idiot (then).
Still am. Especially after a few
i avoided the dentist for about six years.
no insurance and two small kids seemed like a really good excuse.
so i finally wenttoday.
Some of the worst pain I've ever felt in my life was from a toothache. I had a bad tooth that needed a root canal and the dentist put a temporary filling on it. The pain quit and I ignored it for months, ya know, no pain, no worries. Then, after the temp filling had worn off and had exposed the open tooth(unknown to me) and it got infected. The pain hit late one night....OMFG....I thought I was gonna die. The worst pain had ever felt up till and since then. I hope to never go throught that again. $1500 and a root canal later, all's well. Now I go twice a year for a cleaning and checkup.
is helping people get out a goal of yours??
do you make any special effort to tell the truth about the "truth"?
I don't for the most part. While I believe the WTS and JWs are no better than any other religion (worse actually), people have the freedom of religion. If one is happy in that religion then it's none of my business. If they are not happy and let me know they are in doubt, I'll help them somehow. If they challenge me and my position, I will defend myself. But as an inactive person who hasn't been in a KH for over a year, who doesn't go to assemblies, who hasn't been in service for 5 years, they rarely have a chance to speak to me let alone challenge me. The sheparding elders seem to have given up. They can't answer my questions. So they don't get themselves into a position where they are stumped.
The downside to my position is that even though I don't begrudge JWs their religion, I know that they begrudge me not being an active member of the congregation anymore. It really is a double standard. But I'm not going to stoop to their level and hate them or speak ill of them (as individual members) as long as they leave me alone.
jehovah's witnesses teach that when we face persecution, it's a good thing!
if we're "persecuted for righteousness sake", we should be "happy".
i've seen some jws that actually seem to enjoy the thought of persecution, as if they were martyrs for the cause.
I remember having the police called on our car group one Saturday morning. A couple of older sisters were quite upset as was another MS. I (an MS at the time) was enjoying it. I really thought that since I was doing what Jehovah wanted us to do that even if we were arrested(we were in a private, gated community that forgot to close the gate, lol) that I had no reason to feel guilty or ashamed. It was like a badge of honor.
I had forgotten about that experience until I read the name of this thread and that whole memory came flooding back. I'm embarrassed now that I ever thought that way. How stupid could I have been? Proud to be arrested? God, what an idiot I was. Of course we weren't arrested, just kicked out of the community. It was the typical good cop, bad cop scenerio. One was nice and just asked us to leave and go somewhere else. The other one was irritated by us. He wanted to charge us with trespassing. I guess he had experience with JWs before, lol. And the really stupid part was that since we were in there illegally, the WTS would not have lifted one sorry finger to help. I didn't know that at the time, but knowing now makes me feel even more ridiculas for trusting in that despicable organization.
Mind control is a very real thing with this organization. You really see it once you're out.
i just discovered something i have not seen anywhere before.
i was looking at my old "all scripture inspired" book, and i say old because it was the first edition from 1963 and i had used it for years.
according to the wt cd there were revisions in 1983 and 1990. i came across this little goodie under the book of daniel.
I see a lot of armchair experts, but where can you use the bible and show scriptures to back up what you say. come now show me the scriptures and your reasoning on them.
1. The WTS says that Jesus returned in 1914, well originally they said 1874 then 1914. How does the Society know this? What does the Bible say? What does Jesus himself say?
Matthew 24:23-26
23 ?Then if anyone says to YOU , ?Look! Here is the Christ,? or, ?There!? do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will give great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones. 25 Look! I have forewarned YOU . 26 Therefore, if people say to YOU , ?Look! He is in the wilderness,? do not go out; ?Look! He is in the inner chambers,? do not believe it.
So, if I believe the Bible, then when anyone claims to know when Christ is returning I am not to believe them.
2. The WTS has for over 100 years predicted the end of the world, or Armageddon. Every predicition of Armageddon has proven incorrect. Even now they claim that Armageddon is imminent. What does the Bible say? What did Jesus say?
Matthew 24:36
36 ?Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
It's quite obvious that if only God knows the day and hour, not even angels or Jesus, then there's no way men on earth would know.
3. The WTS says that Jesus is not mediator for "all" men, but only for the anointed. What does the Bible say?
1 Tim 2:5
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus
No amount of rationalizing or doublespeak changes what the Bible itself says. If one chooses to accept the Bible as the word of God, then one cannot accept a teaching that goes against what the Bible clearly states.
There ya go.
