stuckinarut, I finished reading the link you provided. Thank you for sharing it with me, great thread.
What I'm learning is nothing in a cult is supposed to make any sense almost as though it's the motive to confuse the members further.
why are jw's not allowed to do certain things because they have "pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with pagan origins on it?
pagan symbolism is all over money.
so if the wt leaders are so against paganism, why are they insisting "jehovah's" earthly organization needs pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into paganism?.
stuckinarut, I finished reading the link you provided. Thank you for sharing it with me, great thread.
What I'm learning is nothing in a cult is supposed to make any sense almost as though it's the motive to confuse the members further.
why are jw's not allowed to do certain things because they have "pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with pagan origins on it?
pagan symbolism is all over money.
so if the wt leaders are so against paganism, why are they insisting "jehovah's" earthly organization needs pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into paganism?.
A lot of great points.
Dunedain, something came to mind when reading your comment. Holidays are a time for everyone to get together and celebrate life, family and friends. If you take away holidays, JW's are left with occasions such as the conventions to look forward to, further grouping them up into the cult and linking them to one another. The conventions are their holiday.
I see the picking and choosing taking place. If it benefits the leaders/who ever's behind them and their agenda, then they make excuses. If it doesn't benefit them, there is no allowance. The bottom members are disfellowshipped and destroyed.
What I'm having a hard time understanding is if the leaders truly believe, why are they begging for such "worldly" things in order to expand "God's will"? I'm just your regular person with more of an agnostic viewpoint. However, if I am passionately against something and classify it as part of an evil association, there's no way I'd want any ties to it in any form.
why are jw's not allowed to do certain things because they have "pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with pagan origins on it?
pagan symbolism is all over money.
so if the wt leaders are so against paganism, why are they insisting "jehovah's" earthly organization needs pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into paganism?.
Ironically, their approach of not celebrating holidays, joining the military, etc, etc. isn't anything new. There are many groups, cultures and your regular every day person who doesn't care to do these things.
From an outsiders perspective who's aware of the cult inside out, they are actually very "worldly". To call yourself spiritual, and consider yourself a chosen one, yet have the foundation of your spirituality set up like the corporate world, I don't see how you could get any more "worldly".
why are jw's not allowed to do certain things because they have "pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with pagan origins on it?
pagan symbolism is all over money.
so if the wt leaders are so against paganism, why are they insisting "jehovah's" earthly organization needs pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into paganism?.
I am not saying they are wrong for using money, I am saying they are being ridiculous for making any of these things an issue, and hypocritical for pretending they are being so pure, when the ignore the origins of a practice when it suits them.
Yes, thanks for placing the words I intended to. It's insane to disfellowship and harm people with standards they consider Pagan, yet beg for money with outright occult symbolism and use "Jehovah's" name in it.
It's incredibly sad how the members don't bat an eye to such hypocrisy.
why are jw's not allowed to do certain things because they have "pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with pagan origins on it?
pagan symbolism is all over money.
so if the wt leaders are so against paganism, why are they insisting "jehovah's" earthly organization needs pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into paganism?.
I understand what each of you have stated, especially what you mentioned jhine regarding the cult tactics used to create separation.
However, between a wedding ring and money stamped with the occult symbol of the pyramid with the all seeing eye, I'd say money is far more "Pagan" then a wedding ring or other things they place into their forbidden category.
What's most distasteful, ironic and contradicting is how they tell their members to have no part of the world, yet beg for money which has symbolism that's associated with "false worship" in order to expand "Jehovah's organization". Why would Jehovah need help from Satan in order to grow his earthly organization?
why are jw's not allowed to do certain things because they have "pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with pagan origins on it?
pagan symbolism is all over money.
so if the wt leaders are so against paganism, why are they insisting "jehovah's" earthly organization needs pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into paganism?.
why are jw's not allowed to do certain things because they have "pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with pagan origins on it?
pagan symbolism is all over money.
so if the wt leaders are so against paganism, why are they insisting "jehovah's" earthly organization needs pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into paganism?.
Why are JW's not allowed to do certain things because they have "Pagan origins", yet the very same roof over their head and the the food they place into their mouth is purchased through money with Pagan origins on it?
Pagan symbolism is all over money. So if the WT leaders are so against Paganism, why are they insisting "Jehovah's" earthly organization needs Pagan money to sustain itself, yet disfellowshipping members if they cross the line into Paganism?
when i first learn ttatt i started telling every one.
ttatt will not help him, it will destroy him.
all his family are jws.
we talk a lot about most jws being uneducated, uninformed, and that they lack critical thinking skills, but in my area there is a lot of jws that went to the university, medical school, law school, and came back to the organization.
in my circuit, that i know of, we had two electrical engineers, one computer engineer with a ph.d. eight teachers with a bachelors degree and three of those with a masters in education.
we had two medical doctors, one was a pediatrician who closed his business about 3 years ago and went to bethel.
if jws did the following, i believe they would grow exponentially and become one of the largest 'religions' on earth : .
1. no more dfing or shunning......its up to your conscience who you like or don't like.
in the same way if i was catholic living in ireland, i wouldn't hang out with my neighbor if she was a drunk fornicator, just had an abortion, had a taliban boyfriend and also supported liverpool soccer club.