last night one of the pioneers stopped by on her way home from the pioneer meeting.
she has always been very kind and i believe she is acted out of concern, however her visit was unsettling.
she mentioned that all the pioneers were counseled to invite everyone they know inactive or those who has had life has got them down to come to (a special?
This is a seriously funny thread.
I look forward to hearing about this stuff at my hall.
They are really laying it on thick with the whole 100 year anniversary thing. They want to "call all the prodigal sons home".
They are in an all out P.R. BLITZ to turn this embarrassment - 100 years of failed predictions - into a huge sales drive.
"More Urgent than Ever!" "Time is Running Out!" "A Year of Special Activity!" "The Last Memorial - Maybe!"
so awhile back, during our last circuit overseer visit, vic and i decided to bite the bullet.... there seemed to be very little support for the mid-week lunch plans for the co and his wife, so we signed up to host.
we definitely didnt want it to be awkward, so we invited a few others along, as a nice little group affair.
they were excited, and offered to do the cooking, so i said i would play along.. just some background.... this particular co is kind of a tool (big surprise right?
I feel your pain Tech49.
My wife and I fed a CO and his wife once a few years ago. We fixed the house up nice, had it sparkling inside and out, fixed one of our special dishes, and really rolled out the red carpet. They came, ate one serving, never complimented our home, never complimented the dish, did not thank us for the meal, and then left.
There was a funky energy the whole time they were there. There was a self-rightoeus air about them. He didn't hit us with any counsel, but we felt like they were judging us for having a nice house and probably for both of us working and not pioneering.
Instead of being thankful we could afford to provide them a nice meal in a nice setting, they sat in judgement. They preach "Jehovah provides" and then scoff at the vessel Jehovah used to feed them that day.
It's amazing how some of these guys get so out of touch with reality, presumptuous, and self-righteous.
as many of you know, whom have been in the org for a while.. the wt is hard coded into your mind.
sometimes, i will read a wt, to make sure that i hadn't imagined all of the ridiculousness... and then i read a wt like this : http://m.wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2004168 (is linking to this legal?).
i especially enjoyed this section : .
I agree with Phizzy all the way.
You don't just accidentally fall into this manipulative, propagandizing, deceptive, cult-speak.
It is written with an agenda. Often the agenda centers around fear, guilt, and control.
this is difficult for me to discuss.
i love my wife and i live my family.
but since i became a jw i feel like ive lied more than when i was "worldy"...is it stress and the relentless pressure to do more?
I do feel that way also. I don't take it quite as hard as you seem to be describing though. I feel like I am forced to take the cautious position I do. It is not because of any dishonesty on my part, but because of the childish, black-and-white world the org has created that my wife is bought into most of the time.
I am happy to know now what I know, but the knowledge comes with a large responsibility. I honestly look at it like not telling a child Santa Claus isnt real. I mean at some point you have to, but it would need to be at a point when the timing is right and they are ready.
That analogy speaks more to the childishness of it all and to the emotional immaturity it promotes. I know it's more serious than that.
I wish you well. I am still very much in the journey myself. I will say though - just when you think you are cracking - the mind has a way of moving to the next level of acceptance.
at the meetings i've noticed over the past 2 years or so brothers asking for 'special blessings' for the governing body.
it was everyonce in a while at first.
now it is almost at every single meeting!
Jw07, funny stuff with the teen - text reference. It really is that way for some, and they are completely oblivious to how stupid they look drooling and fawning over these marketers.
it seems like at least once a month he is brought up as a good example in the study wt.
it seems like he is given more praise than jesus.
have you noticed this?
Thanks BU2B ...
i commented about how the 2008 yearbook gives the story of a girl who is on estonia idol and gives up an opportunity to progress to further rounds because she has a talk on the theocratic ministry school.
when jws started to study with her, that is the day the music died.. .
while watching the grammys, though most was trash the music from the 70s was great, i thought, what if paul mccartney's parents studied with jws and paul didn't become a musician.
Dis,
A world just as you described but completely dedicated to the GB. As disgraceful as that would be - to both society and God - The GB would have it no other way.
at the meetings i've noticed over the past 2 years or so brothers asking for 'special blessings' for the governing body.
it was everyonce in a while at first.
now it is almost at every single meeting!
Yeah I do see it.
One elder literally said he would follow them off a cliff.
This brother checks the website for new letters from the branch every few hours throughout the day. Everyday.
That kind of devotion is sick and dangerous, but is NEVER looked down upon in the org. It is seen as evidence of faith.
it seems like at least once a month he is brought up as a good example in the study wt.
it seems like he is given more praise than jesus.
have you noticed this?
Firstly they see themselves in David for sure.
"He may have murdered some people and gave in to some fleshly indulgences, but deep down he was a decent guy and Jehovah still approved of him."
That storyline gives a blank check to the GB. So what if a few thousand people die from their playing around with organ/blood doctrine - that's no deal breaker. If they give in to a few secret fleshly indulgences - meh - no big thing. They can just repent since God knows they're good guys deep down - just like David.
jgnat,
I definitely say that the GB on some level fantasize about being God's chosen people like the ancient Israelites portrayed in the OT. It may be the one thread that connects the modern GB all the way back to Rutherford. They all are special to God in their own minds.
Now that I think about it, it may be some mental illness that convinces them of this. I'm sure it has been discussed here before.
The delusion is scary.
i came across this concept a few days ago.. it is is the story of your life or some part of it told in just 6 words.. you can check it out here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/six-word_memoirs.
thought it might be interesting to connect with life as a witness.. my thoughts:.
beware the theological tar pit trap
