Posts by cookiemaster

29

I need your advice

by cookiemaster in

i need some advice.

actually my friend needs some advice.

a few years ago i moved about 50 km (30 miles) away from the nearest congo and have since tried to live a normal life.

Thank you so much everyone for your advice! It's quite helpful. About the meeting with the elders. They asked if they could meet with him. He said they could come to his apartment on Saturday at 7 PM, and they agreed. It doesn't sound like a judicial meeting.

He was seen a few months ago in town with his worldly girlfriend, holding her hand. If my mother, who lives 160 km (100 miles) away from where he lives, heard the rumors, the elders probably have too. Still, I don't think it's likely this is a judicial meeting just yet. As far as I know, it's not a sin to hold a girl's hand. Anyway, he's the kind of guy who likes to be honest about stuff. He just tells things like they are, but in this case I don't think it's the best course of action.

They recently had the CO's visit, so the elders probably want to visit him because the CO gave them a hard time about not visiting him. It's funny because three elders live in the neighboring apartment buildings, and they did make any visit for a long time. Now, all of the sudden they want to visit. Since he lives in a city with something like 15 congregations, and JW's are on every corner, I don't think getting disfellowshipped unnecessarily would be a good option. Seeing how he's not fond of lying nor is he any good at it, per the advice given by most of you, I think the best option is to just avoid meeting them. That way, there's nothing they can do.

29

I need your advice

by cookiemaster in

i need some advice.

actually my friend needs some advice.

a few years ago i moved about 50 km (30 miles) away from the nearest congo and have since tried to live a normal life.

cookiemaster

I need some advice. Actually my friend needs some advice. A few years ago I moved about 50 km (30 miles) away from the nearest congo and have since tried to live a normal life. I still submit some time, usually an hour, so I won't be officially inactive and they leave me alone. I also go to the meetings once every few months to keep up appearances. Anyway, my best friend stayed in the city. He's in a neighborhood with two congos. He hasn't been to any meeting in almost a year and has been inactive since. Back in July the elders called to meet with him, so he made up an excuse. Now, they've been at his workplace to look for him, and have called him again. They set up a meeting this Saturday. He told me that he wants to tell them he doesn't believe in God anymore and doesn't wish to go to the meetings anymore either. However, this will probably mean to them that he's disassociated. His mother is still a JW. She's not too faithful either, but would still dislike such news. It would also mean that we'd have to talk and meet in secret. So, this option might not be the most optimal one. Another option would be to tell them his faith is weak and he wants to go to the meetings but he can't or doesn't feel like it. This would make them want to study with him again, which he is determined to avoid. Basically, there isn't a good lie or other type of good reason he can offer which would explain his inactivity, other than the fact that he doesn't believe the God bullshit anymore. The third option would be to miss this meeting too. None of these are optimal. Have any of you been through this kind of situation? What would you advise?

33

Funny story about dumb JW rules

by cookiemaster in

some years ago (the year when i got baptized), i was at a district convention (or whatever they call them these days) with my best friend.

he had a part in one of those acting parts at the convention (i have no idea the term jw's use for them in english).

anyway, we were both seeing through the bullshit of the borg but weren't aware at the time of this forum or other "apostate" groups, nor of the full extent of the perversity of this religion.

cookiemaster

Also, I remember they actually wrote an article sometime ago about people investing too much time and effort into their pets and treating them like idols, LOL.

33

Funny story about dumb JW rules

by cookiemaster in

some years ago (the year when i got baptized), i was at a district convention (or whatever they call them these days) with my best friend.

he had a part in one of those acting parts at the convention (i have no idea the term jw's use for them in english).

anyway, we were both seeing through the bullshit of the borg but weren't aware at the time of this forum or other "apostate" groups, nor of the full extent of the perversity of this religion.

cookiemaster

Rebel8 - I see. Well, now I feel like a moron for not realizing it was a joke, but honestly it's too hard to tell the difference these days. Most of the things they write seem to be a joke.

33

Funny story about dumb JW rules

by cookiemaster in

some years ago (the year when i got baptized), i was at a district convention (or whatever they call them these days) with my best friend.

he had a part in one of those acting parts at the convention (i have no idea the term jw's use for them in english).

anyway, we were both seeing through the bullshit of the borg but weren't aware at the time of this forum or other "apostate" groups, nor of the full extent of the perversity of this religion.

cookiemaster

Brandnew, they truly have filled this religion with one idiotic rule after another. In your case, it's funny to see how they were all A holes about it and wouldn't give the sister with the kids a ride, but wouldn't let you give her one either, even though it's not like you could have crushed her faith or something in the time it would have taken or get her home.

33

Funny story about dumb JW rules

by cookiemaster in

some years ago (the year when i got baptized), i was at a district convention (or whatever they call them these days) with my best friend.

he had a part in one of those acting parts at the convention (i have no idea the term jw's use for them in english).

anyway, we were both seeing through the bullshit of the borg but weren't aware at the time of this forum or other "apostate" groups, nor of the full extent of the perversity of this religion.

cookiemaster

Morpheus, you are right of course. It's truly ridiculous!

Rebel, I didn't know. I thought it wasn't a big deal. Obviously, I was wrong. And LOL what? That article is hilarious! Is it for real? I know they're morons about everything, but how could they possibly write such an idiotic thing?

Village Idiot, that must have been awkward, both for you and the person she was studying with who must have thought afterwards that JWs are weirdos.

33

Funny story about dumb JW rules

by cookiemaster in

some years ago (the year when i got baptized), i was at a district convention (or whatever they call them these days) with my best friend.

he had a part in one of those acting parts at the convention (i have no idea the term jw's use for them in english).

anyway, we were both seeing through the bullshit of the borg but weren't aware at the time of this forum or other "apostate" groups, nor of the full extent of the perversity of this religion.

cookiemaster

Morpheus - Actually, no. It was the other kind of drama, without beards. A modern drama. But he wasn't even supposed to be a JW in it, so I don't see what's the issue.

33

Funny story about dumb JW rules

by cookiemaster in

some years ago (the year when i got baptized), i was at a district convention (or whatever they call them these days) with my best friend.

he had a part in one of those acting parts at the convention (i have no idea the term jw's use for them in english).

anyway, we were both seeing through the bullshit of the borg but weren't aware at the time of this forum or other "apostate" groups, nor of the full extent of the perversity of this religion.

cookiemaster

So, here it is. Some years ago (the year when I got baptized), I was at a district convention (or whatever they call them these days) with my best friend. He had a part in one of those acting parts at the convention (I have no idea the term JW's use for them in English). Anyway, we were both seeing through the bullshit of the borg but weren't aware at the time of this forum or other "apostate" groups, nor of the full extent of the perversity of this religion. But we didn't care much for the idiotic rules. So, he shows up the day he had the acting bit with a beard. You should have seen the face of the overseer and the elders in our congregation. They were MAD! They almost forcibly took him to the bathroom, gave him a razor and made him shave. They rushed him so much he had cuts all over his face. I found the whole thing hilarious.

In the same day, I was going to be baptized. I did it due to the emotional manipulation from my family, to please my friends and the get everyone to lay off my back. I don't regret it because just a month later I moved far away from any congo and basically live like a normal person now. Anyway, I had to get baptized. They only said to dress decently. So I did. I got a white T-shit and some shorts. The only problem was the shirt had something like 4 medium size black letter on them. It wasn't fuck, or anything obscene, just a company logo or something. When the elders responsible for the baptism area saw it, they said it's a big problem. At first they wanted to make me borrow a shirt from a different brother but then changed their mind and had me wear it with the inside on the outside. LOL, it was ridiculous. I looked ridiculous and found it extremely funny. These are truly, silly, silly people.

15

If you are having problems or lacking joy, then the flow of Holy Spirit in your life is lacking!

by stuckinarut2 in

yes, this comment was just made by the speaker today!:.

"if you find that you are lacking in joy or experiencing problems in life, this is evidence that jehovah's spirit is lacking or being blocked in your life".

i sat there thinking "are you kidding me brother?...

cookiemaster

Funny! We had exactly the same talk last week and the speaker said the same thing. This is coming from the WT. Completely nonsensical and illogical as always.

23

The best way to debate JW's without being labeled an apostate

by cookiemaster in

hey guys!

here's what i found to be the best way (for me at least) to debate jw's without earning the laber of apostate.

this is mostly valid when debating jw's that don't know you personally, but it could help with those that do too.

cookiemaster

WOW, you guys are brilliant. So many great approaches. You all have great experiences to share and I think we can all learn a lot from each other.

Blondie - Not so much in my experience. Especially if they don't personally know you and approch you on the street or something. You don't have to say atheist right from the bat but express doubts or concerns about God, the bible, etc. They're usually trained to scream apostate as soon as someone criticizes the WT and their beloved GB. Any questioning of JW doctrine, especially in a way revealing you have inside knowledge, makes you instantly an apostate. Questioning god, religion, holy writings and stuff like that might do that too (it's very possible) but not to the same extent as questioning the borg.

AndDontCallMeShirley - Hahah, you are very corect. Even when you give answers at the WT Sunday study, if you don't use JW vocabulary but synonym words that aren't present in their publications, they almost freak out.

NAVYTOWN - Those are brilliant questions I'll certainly try to use.

RedVip2000 - Your approach is very sneaky. And you're right. Thing is, I don't necessarily say outright that I don't believe in God. It depends on the person you're interacting with. You can take a more moderate approach and say you have your doubts about God (due to all the evil stuff from the bible), the bible, that you found certain scientific innacuracies in the bible, concerns about the bible's origin, God's morals, that sort of stuff. You know, trying to be tame and non-confrontational. More like, asking their assistance in getting help with these questions.

Breakfast of Champions - Thanks! That's exactly my experience too. You can say stuff about God, the bible, whatever but don't you dare say anything about the almighty WT, Governing Body, or their saints (Russel, Rutherford, Knorr).

Greener - With people you know that won't immediately turn you in as an apostate (family for example) it's a good approach. Most JW's have no idea such despicable things are allowed to happen, so it's really shocking to them.

Oubliette - I did now know this approach and I have to say, it's pure genius. Seriously, it's much better than my idea. This is something you can actually use with family members without getting into a huge fight. Brilliant.

StuckInARut- You got big cojones man. Seriously, you're a hero for having the balls to do this. It's great. I can only imagine the look on their faces, and then trying to somehow justify in their minds what you just told them. Like, Jehovah has ordered many atrocities and genocides, but, but, but those people were sinners, and those babies deserved to die because they would grow up to be sinners.

JWdaughter - Yes, exactly. The biggest possible threat you can present is challenging the organization. Having doubts about God or the bible is seen nowhere near as dangerous. It's almost like nobody cares. Since you're not having any problem with the authority of the elders or governing body, it's all good. You're not an apostate, just a troubled individual.

SparrowDown - I'm one of those baptized post 2010 and you couldn't be more right. I did not know any bible verses, I didn't read the WT or anything. I barely knew enough to get baptized to please my family and friends. What a fool I've been.

GodSendConspirator - Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury because my family are JW's and I can't abandon them in this wretched cult.

Kaik - That's a good technique too. Certainly has a shock value about it. Problem is, it's a bit too confrontational and aggressive and they're mentally conditioned by the GB to immediately dismiss such attacks as apostate.

WallsofJerich- Great advice. Thanks!

CrazyGuy - Very well thought out. I agree entirely.

Phizzy - You're right. I might have been a little too aggressive in my original post. It's indeed very important to take things slowly and not be too confrontational.