Posts by cookiemaster

3

How does Life expectancy by Country affect JW growth?

by dropoffyourkeylee in

here's something i haven't considered before.

below are the average life expectancies by country (male and female combined), which i found at:.

http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/life-expectancy-country.html.

cookiemaster

Average life expectancy does not mean people in Malawi don't live longer than 60. It's just the average length of a human life in that country. Being an average, it can be dragged down severely by those dying young and dragged up significantly by those that reach old age. People in Malawi can too die of old age at 80 or 90 naturally, like everyone else, but huge infant mortality brings the average life expectancy way down. You'll find plenty of people over 60 there.

24

Embellished assembly interviews/"experiences"

by ab.ortega in

oh how wonderful those experiences at assemblies and "schools" are - not.

at times it seemed as if these "experiences" were scripted.

the speaker gets criteria in the outline regarding what the experience or interview has to be about.

cookiemaster

I've known a few assholes that really enjoyed lying in these interviews. I'm sure the CO or whomever was in charge was fully on board with this. Thing is, these people were arrogant and saw these interviews as the perfect opportunity to brag in public with their spirituality and so they came up with all sorts of bullshit pioneering stories that were a little too incredible. Oh, the richness of 'spiritual food' in Jah's organization.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, I have a more rebellious friend who's now faded. In our teenage years he had an interview at a convention. Pretended to be totally on board with it, but hated it. On the day of the convention, he came there with a beard. LOL, the CO and the elders were pissed as hell. They basically dragged him to the toilets and shaved him by force. Such a hurried shave that he had cuts all over his face. I couldn't stop laughing. Good times!

57

Did you participate in a Drama?

by Hecce in

i am bringing this up because even it was a lot of work, for the majority of the friends this was a rewarding experience.

camaraderie, joking, costumes, props and when the time came the celebrity status of being in the drama.. back in the 50s and 60s, conventions could be as long as 8 days and from about 1966 the dramas became an integral part of the program.

we had one per day and the brothers looked forward to their presentation.

cookiemaster

Nope, but my best friend was. He was just a kid. Now he has a large beard, long hair and looks like a viking. He also doesn't want to be a JW anymore. Oh, how the times have changed.

As for the dramas themselves, they were always my favorite part of the conventions, because they were the least boring. Sadly, nowadays are aren't any more dramas. Just stupid videos that they make us watch over and over again.

14

Changes in the last 7-ish years?

by FinchAndWeston in

what has changed in the last 7 years?

just curious .... 1) do they still shun?

what's the policy on da's, df's and a?.

cookiemaster

I think to sum it all up in a few words I'd say the JW religion is now much more about show and much less about substance. Basically, they're all about how they're perceived. Fancy magazines and publications that contain little to no substantial religious dogma. Lots and lots of videos that give the illusion they're a "modern" religion, but again there's no substance in them, just cheap indoctrination for the feeble minded and small children. Fancy stands and carts for the public to see. The JW logo plastered everywhere. Using all kinds of media. Even fancy looking store like places in some countries. To put it differently, if in the past the JW cult amounted in their religious dogma to the equivalent of a pie, now they amount to a really small, apparently fancy and expensive cookie.

13

Can a DFed person donate?

by Lostandfound in

rereading a post re the shunning wt in feb made me think, do the wt accept money from the dead?

not inheritances but from the "living dead" as they perceive df and da people to be.. personally i think they accept or more correctly badger members who are really brain dead into giving.

or do attendants guard contribution boxes to stop such non existent people from putting money in.

cookiemaster

I don't think they have any limits when it comes to money. They'd accept money from the Catholic church if offered. Quietly, of course.

30

My mother has nervous breakdown because we missed the memorial.

by cookiemaster in

my parents insisted that i'd take them to the memorial.

my cousin said he'd come too and another brother who doesn't have a car begged to join.

i was dreading having to go through exactly the same thing again.

cookiemaster

TakeOffTheCrown - LOL, do what? I didn't do anything. I didn't create a blizzard that made driving nearly impossible. It just happened. Of course I wasn't too joyful about going to the memorial. But since it so obviously meant the world to my parents (especially my mother), I agreed.

Even though I've made my "apostate" and even atheistic views clear to them, I don't want them to think that this changed me into some rude monster. I presented them with all the rational arguments that exist against this cult. They still can't come to grasp with it, probably because they wasted their entire lives pioneering.

Our views on religion now clearly differ and while we don't agree, we're tried to remain civil about it and maintain good personal relations. We're all adults and free to make our own choices. I didn't forbid my mother to attend the memorial or put any obstacle into her doing so.In fact, I even agreed to provide transportation. But it just wasn't possible in the end, and there's no point in risking our lives needlessly.

30

My mother has nervous breakdown because we missed the memorial.

by cookiemaster in

my parents insisted that i'd take them to the memorial.

my cousin said he'd come too and another brother who doesn't have a car begged to join.

i was dreading having to go through exactly the same thing again.

cookiemaster

Brandnew - Thanks for understanding! It was a lose-lose situation, but all things considered it turned out okay. But what amazes me is how strong the brainwashing can be in my mother's mind. She nearly died because of the blood policy. Took blood and is considered DA'd since. Everyone shuns her. I've shown her slowly and steadily TTAT. Yet, she still believes in Jehovah, the borg and the importance of attending the memorial. Honestly, it's baffling.

30

My mother has nervous breakdown because we missed the memorial.

by cookiemaster in

my parents insisted that i'd take them to the memorial.

my cousin said he'd come too and another brother who doesn't have a car begged to join.

i was dreading having to go through exactly the same thing again.

cookiemaster

dbq407 - So sorry for your loss. It was indeed the right decision to make. Today I've learned that multiple semi trucks went off the road due to the weather conditions and blocked the entire mountain pass for the rest of the night. So, if we would have went, we would've risked not only a huge fine from the police, injury or death from a possible accident but also remaining stuck for the entire night on top of a mountain pass. At least at home we had comfort and security and today my mother managed to got over her "loss" of not being there for the memorial. So, yes, she had a terrible tantrum because of it, but overall we've all been much better off this way.

30

My mother has nervous breakdown because we missed the memorial.

by cookiemaster in

my parents insisted that i'd take them to the memorial.

my cousin said he'd come too and another brother who doesn't have a car begged to join.

i was dreading having to go through exactly the same thing again.

cookiemaster

Brandnew - If I had done that she would've had her nervous breakdown right at the news of my refusal. I explained to them all the problems with this cult but they still wanted to go. Had no other way to get there other than with me, so I thought I shouldn't be and asshole and force them not to go. They would've hated me for it. Now they can hate Jehovah for giving us crappy weather.

30

My mother has nervous breakdown because we missed the memorial.

by cookiemaster in

my parents insisted that i'd take them to the memorial.

my cousin said he'd come too and another brother who doesn't have a car begged to join.

i was dreading having to go through exactly the same thing again.

cookiemaster

TakeOffTheCrown - English is my second language, so probably I wasn't too clear. Yes, I was the one supposed to provide transportation for them. This is a rather remote mountain area with few people. There's no public transport. I'm the only one among them with a car because all of them wasted their time pioneering instead of working. The only way to the KH is through a 20 mile winding mountain pass that is very dangerous during blizzards.

Everyone else - Thank you for the encouragement! She wasn't only crying. She started screaming insanely. Her blood pressure went up. Tried to calm her down but she was getting even more hysterical. Gave her a Xanax and some blood pressure medication. It was like a crazy, full-on mental breakdown. She's more calm now but still acts like she just attended a funeral. This brainwashing stuff leads to crazy things, I'll tell ya!

And yes, extremely funny how there wasn't a single day with snow in the past month but today. It literally hasn't snowed for months except today when we're having a huge blizzard like the Snowmagheddon is coming. I hope at least some JWs will see the irony in that. Is this Jah showing his disappointment? Where's his blessing? Surely many in the congregation had to miss the memorial this year because of the blizzard. Or is this Satan messing with the weather? I'm sure they'll find some excuse...