'the dog that didn't bark' is an expression from a sherlock holmes mystery.
it was an important clue that led to identifying the criminal.. it seems that the killer entered and left the estate grounds one night but without the guard dog barking an alarm at the intruder's presence as expected.. from this nonevent holmes reasoned that the dog must have known the killer and that clue led to solving the case.. .
jehovah's witnesses are "the dog that didn't bark.".
"NOT celebrating.
NOT saluting.
NOT pledging.
NOT voting.
NOT transfusing.
NOT this-ing or that-ing..."
In the past, when I'd explain jw teachings to non-jws, it occred to me that we were a religion of NO...we didn't really DO much of anything; we just AVOIDED everything.
this is another cut and paste, but i make no apology (unless it has been posted on here already), as it is very informative.
evolution is one of the best supported, most elegant, and most powerful theories in all of science.
as it stands, it is the best explanation that we have for the diversity of life on earth.
Nice post by cantleave. Every jw should read it - it's a concise, simple explanation for what evolution theory is and is not. Of course, jws would turn their eyes in aversion as their mind remained closed. A shame.
awake!
nov 2011 - on page 29 'watching the world' section.. they love pointing out the shortcomings of others but never do they look in the mirror!.
an extensive new survey by the pew forum on religion & public life details statistics on religion in america:http://religions.pewforum.org/reports.
Robert17...I'm glad you verified, because I was about to do the same. I can't believe that picture. Has Awake! been dumbed-down so much that it is now the equivalent of Highlights For Children?
i was just glancing at the back of the october 15th watchtower and the questions from readers.
the question under discussion is "what should i do when i have a question about something i read in the bible or when i need advice about a personal problem?".
the article goes on to discuss how we should consult the watch tower publications index among the many 'tools' that have been provided by the faithful and discreet slave whenever we have a question that is not directly discussed in the publications.. one statement really caught my eye, because it's the first time i've ever seen the society actually dissuade people from writing in with questions.
Cedars,
What I'm pointing out is that I'm sure they get a lot of questions that I'm quite sure are either redundant or downright strange. They've printed a lot of material over the years, so why would they want to reiterate something they've already stated?
When I was an elder, there were some folks that asked some really strange questions. While I made a sincere effort to answer questions, there were times I could tell that people simply didn't bother to do a little research on their own.
But as I said, the WTS has cultivated this dependency, and so the common jw is often afraid to make a decision without consulting them first.
As the saying goes: "There's no such thing as a stupid question. Just stupid people that ask questions".
the current kool-aid watchtower has a life story by a guy named fred rusk who grew up in the 1930's.
notice his understandable response to being forced to attend the baptist church.. .
the watchtower, october 15, 2011, p. 18. .
They never see the irony, do they?
i was just glancing at the back of the october 15th watchtower and the questions from readers.
the question under discussion is "what should i do when i have a question about something i read in the bible or when i need advice about a personal problem?".
the article goes on to discuss how we should consult the watch tower publications index among the many 'tools' that have been provided by the faithful and discreet slave whenever we have a question that is not directly discussed in the publications.. one statement really caught my eye, because it's the first time i've ever seen the society actually dissuade people from writing in with questions.
Looking at the QFR Blondie posted, in regard to treatment of apostates, it might well be better if the WTS didn't want to answer questions. Let's face it, when they do, by and large, they end up writing something that grates people - active jws included - more than having had simply let the matter alone in the first place.
And not to turn this around and play devil's advocate, but I'm not all that bothered by that quote from the Oct 15 WT cited by the OP. One can only imagine the questions they get bombarded with. But they, in fact, have fostered a dependency on the Society on the part of jw rank and file. They tell us to consult them before making a decision, then turn around and in effect say 'figure it out for yourselves' on other questions. They've created a society of people that can't (or dare not) think for themselves.
we always know when the gb or wt leaders are nervous and worried about potential alleged " threats " to jehovah's witnesses - because they repetitively keep mentioning these perceived " threats " in talks at assemblies or in wt articles constantly.. the " witness only " august 15th wt is no different.
in a non-study article entitled " the internet - making wise use of a global tool " once again the wt society instills doubt and fear into witnesses by " warning " them about use of the internet.
3 " while the internet can provide valuable information, save us time, and serve a useful function, it can also misinform us, consune an inordinate amount of our time, and corrupt us morally.
"Today, anyone with an Internet connection can become a desktop professor, pretending to be in the know, without even revealing his name. And there are no rules on who can publish ideas, information, images, and suggestions. "
And for the past 120 years, those with access to printing facilities have done the same thing. Irony indeed.
elder body removed watchtower letter.
an elder body was removed last year in california.
most folks have never seen a watchtower letter breaking this news.
Fascinating thread. Bookmarked accordingly.
stop asking decide for yourself!
today i uploaded a new article highlighting the method of choice by watchtowers current governing body for dealing with problematic details haunting its doctrines.
moving forward the current governing body will expand on this theme.
You might want to re-read your blog post and correct the spelling errors.
the lack of intellectually stimulating material within the jw religion right now is astounding.
there is clearly a lack of spiritually dense material and a surplus of ridiculous, childish babble.
the regular "food" that jws are being fed is illustratively equivalent to pureed baby food.
Good summary. As far as playing nice goes, I was often astonished at how often jws were exhorted to 'play nice'. One would think that people exposed to constant Bible "education" would get it through their thick skulls to treat others more kindly. The amount of ill-treatment of jws toward one another was disturbing.
