tell me i'm not overly thinking this.. i'm 39 years old...still youngish...but i worry about getting old.
i look in the mirror and it depresses me.
i suppose i still cling to watchtower utopia when no one would age over 25.. i used to look forward to paradise earth because it meant all the evil in the world, nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks and sickos would be no more, but we are deep in the 21st century with no end in sight.. appreciate your comments.
Tell me I'm not overly thinking this.
i'm 39 years old...still youngish...but I worry about getting old. I look in the mirror and it depresses me. I suppose I still cling to Watchtower Utopia when no one would age over 25.
I used to look forward to Paradise Earth because it meant all the evil in the world, nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks and sickos would be no more, but we are deep in the 21st century with no end in sight.
appreciate your comments
Truthseeker
having watched the prodigal son returns movie produced by the organization and a recent mini-clip of a brother in london who is shown jogging and doing normal everyday things while wanting to "reach out" it occurred to me that the organization is trying to normalize their bizarre lifestyle and beliefs for the benefit of non-witnesses.. what do i mean by normalization?
they try to make the witnesses look like just another christian denomination who are reasonable while their members live and enjoy normal lives that appear to be within the mainstream.. they do this by not mentioning anything to do with higher education, armageddon or the urgency of the end of the world nor is their discussion or mention of the blood issue.
these are things mentioned often at kingdom halls and in study articles.. watching the prodigal son returns, the family appears to live a normal life, going to meetings and studying.
What I am trying to say is to the outside, the movies make JWs out to be reasonable people living ordinary lives. There is nothing about them that appears radical or different.
It's only when you become a JW that you know the truth about them, the discouragement of higher education, the blood issue, reaching out to pioneer after high school, the stressed urgency of the times we live in, "are we giving Jehovah our best?" and the kicker, "we may have to obey direction that is not reasonable from a human standpoint."
The movies give a sanitized view of witness life.
having watched the prodigal son returns movie produced by the organization and a recent mini-clip of a brother in london who is shown jogging and doing normal everyday things while wanting to "reach out" it occurred to me that the organization is trying to normalize their bizarre lifestyle and beliefs for the benefit of non-witnesses.. what do i mean by normalization?
they try to make the witnesses look like just another christian denomination who are reasonable while their members live and enjoy normal lives that appear to be within the mainstream.. they do this by not mentioning anything to do with higher education, armageddon or the urgency of the end of the world nor is their discussion or mention of the blood issue.
these are things mentioned often at kingdom halls and in study articles.. watching the prodigal son returns, the family appears to live a normal life, going to meetings and studying.
@Dozy,
I grew up in West Sussex.
The kind of lifestyle shown in the Prodigal Son movie is out of the reach for most, though to be fair, in the What Is True Love movie, Liz and her parents are living in an apartment. I presume this movie is filmed in New York?
My hall was a mix of well-to-do families who had nice homes and money and manual blue collar workers plus the assortment of pioneers supported by middle class parents and then there were the welfare mums.
Given the housing situation in the UK right now, it is almost out of reach for anyone to buy a home. Most do the shared ownership thing and pay a subsidized rent in addition to their mortgage to be able to afford anywhere half decent.
having watched the prodigal son returns movie produced by the organization and a recent mini-clip of a brother in london who is shown jogging and doing normal everyday things while wanting to "reach out" it occurred to me that the organization is trying to normalize their bizarre lifestyle and beliefs for the benefit of non-witnesses.. what do i mean by normalization?
they try to make the witnesses look like just another christian denomination who are reasonable while their members live and enjoy normal lives that appear to be within the mainstream.. they do this by not mentioning anything to do with higher education, armageddon or the urgency of the end of the world nor is their discussion or mention of the blood issue.
these are things mentioned often at kingdom halls and in study articles.. watching the prodigal son returns, the family appears to live a normal life, going to meetings and studying.
@NittyGritty
I didn't have a normal life growing up in the "troof".
Yes, JWs do normal things, I have no issue with that. What I have issue with is that all the controversial beliefs that make JWs "unique" are missing from these movies.
There is no discussion of the time of the end or the urgency of the times we live in. Many times, there has been counsel from the platform to talk about "spiritual things" after the meetings.
I did see the movie What is True Love - it is very professionally made and it's easy to see the cult-indoctrinated thinking processes used to make this movie.
If one was not a JW, then one could get the appearance that JWs are reasonable people with high moral standards.
What is missing from this movie is that even when a brother or sister gets baptized they are still not considered approved to date a baptized member in the congregation and they cannot sit next to them at the Kingdom Hall until they are engaged. Everything has to be done in groups yet you see Liz and Zach having coffee together by themselves.
The movies are impressive and so is the psychological manipulation.For example, in an effort to appear reasonable, Zach asks Liz what does she want to do besides pioneering. She responds that she would like to take a few classes. I don't know anyone who says they want to take a few classes. Usually, at the very least, someone wants to work towards an associates degree, if that is permissible, depending on their parents view and whether there dad is an elder or nor. Some might go the full course and get their bachelor's degree. I know of noone who took a few classes in anything. The whole point is to be qualified in something where it's vocational or academic and at the very least certificate programs take about a year to finish and are full time.
Loyalty conjures up a three part symposium on apostates.
Will Korah, Dathan and Abiram get a mention?
having watched the prodigal son returns movie produced by the organization and a recent mini-clip of a brother in london who is shown jogging and doing normal everyday things while wanting to "reach out" it occurred to me that the organization is trying to normalize their bizarre lifestyle and beliefs for the benefit of non-witnesses.. what do i mean by normalization?
they try to make the witnesses look like just another christian denomination who are reasonable while their members live and enjoy normal lives that appear to be within the mainstream.. they do this by not mentioning anything to do with higher education, armageddon or the urgency of the end of the world nor is their discussion or mention of the blood issue.
these are things mentioned often at kingdom halls and in study articles.. watching the prodigal son returns, the family appears to live a normal life, going to meetings and studying.
Having watched The Prodigal Son Returns movie produced by the organization and a recent mini-clip of a brother in London who is shown jogging and doing normal everyday things while wanting to "reach out" it occurred to me that the organization is trying to normalize their bizarre lifestyle and beliefs for the benefit of non-witnesses.
What do I mean by normalization? They try to make the Witnesses look like just another Christian denomination who are reasonable while their members live and enjoy normal lives that appear to be within the mainstream.
They do this by not mentioning anything to do with higher education, Armageddon or the urgency of the end of the world nor is their discussion or mention of the blood issue. These are things mentioned often at Kingdom Halls and in study articles.
In the other movie clip, they show a young brother going through his normal routine, jogging, working out etc while another brother encourages him to reach out.
I wonder if this is damage control?
Perhaps they are trying to change hearts and minds by trying to make the witnesses seem reasonable, everyday people who study the Bible and talk to others about it?
Truthseeker
i'm watching the jw movie the prodigal son returns.. it is a masterpiece of indoctination and what i would call a "cult" classic.. it's about two brothers who work for their father's construction firm.
the older one is the most spiritual and the younger one isn't.
he befriends al, a weak brother, who persuades him to take a job in the city and move there.. it shows the "world" in the worst possible light.
i propose that we make pintrest accounts and start openly challenging this crap.. .
seriously.... any suggestions?
this crap cannot be left unchallenged.
Data-dog,
Your post gives a whole new meaning to "The Game of Life"
i'm watching the jw movie the prodigal son returns.. it is a masterpiece of indoctination and what i would call a "cult" classic.. it's about two brothers who work for their father's construction firm.
the older one is the most spiritual and the younger one isn't.
he befriends al, a weak brother, who persuades him to take a job in the city and move there.. it shows the "world" in the worst possible light.
I'm watching the JW movie The Prodigal Son Returns.
It is a masterpiece of indoctination and what I would call a "cult" classic.
It's about two brothers who work for their father's construction firm. The older one is the most spiritual and the younger one isn't. He befriends Al, a weak brother, who persuades him to take a job in the city and move there.
It shows the "world" in the worst possible light. Granted (I hate that word), some of what happens does happen in real life but it's not always the case.
What's laughable is that the father tells his son he's noticed he doesn't underline his Watchtower anymore.
http://tv.jw.org/#en/video/VODMovies/pub-ivpro_1_VIDEO
There movies are getting slick. They know exactly what message to give. They are masters at deception and indoctrination. Never forget that.
Truthseeker
this is a much simpler chart and replaces the old one which was getting too difficult to maintain.. direct link: http://oi68.tinypic.com/voy2qs.jpg.
.
This is a much simpler chart and replaces the old one which was getting too difficult to maintain.
Direct link: http://oi68.tinypic.com/voy2qs.jpg
