Posts by TTATTelder

27

For those who still attend- When was the last time you had a Congregation Picnic or Get together?

by BU2B in

jw
friends

it seems that in my neck of the woods there is no social interaction between jws outisde of fs and the kh.

the last get together was 3 summers ago.

other than that there is no bond.

TTATTelder

BU2B,

No real rules that I can think of. Everybody was just wearing the normal ultra conservative attire. Also it was a windy, overcast day and had just recently rained, so the normal fun-in-the-sun wasn't in play.

My experience overall has been a reduction in these congregation events though. I think Blondie made some good points about why that may be.

I observe a general zombie-like feel to the friends overall. People are just going through the motions. The old confidence of the Franz 80's that I remember as a kid is long gone.

The cong is also such a mixed bag of education, financial means, personalities, and even mental/ emotional health. People usually find those they can deal with and associate occasionally with them.

27

For those who still attend- When was the last time you had a Congregation Picnic or Get together?

by BU2B in

jw
friends

it seems that in my neck of the woods there is no social interaction between jws outisde of fs and the kh.

the last get together was 3 summers ago.

other than that there is no bond.

TTATTelder

We actually had one late last summer. We are by a beach so beach volleyball was main activity.

83

Heard a rumor: Guy Pierce died this morning

by respectful_observer in

jw
friends

didn't see any other threads, apologies if one already exists.

apparently died of a massive stroke this morning.. r_o.

(completely unconfirmed.

TTATTelder

Adios con artist.

One less charlatan in the world.

15

Will the Governing Body ever show a ' broken heart?'

by LogCon in

psalm 51:17 says, my sacrifice, o god, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, god, will not despise.. .

as the evidence mounts, and fingers are pointed at the governing body for their complicity in the 'child abuse cover ups' ,.

...will they ever get down on bended knee and show truly broken hearts?.

TTATTelder

Their mission is to preserve the organization at any cost and if human beings are sacrificed on the way it's just the cost of doing business. - Nancy Drew

Nicely put...Guy Pierce certainly served that mission...what a legacy.

8

It is legally an "assault" to point a gun. The Watch Tower assault: the SHUN GUN

by Terry in

the insidious bind the watchtower religion places on their members is unconscionable.. holding family and friends "hostage" as an extortion strategy may be their most potent weapon of enforced conformity.. .

in effect, like an armed criminal who points a gun at you and threatens "your money or your life", the watchtower leadership.

holds the power to separate dissenting members from those whom they most cherish.. the "gun" is the shun.. pointing the shun at you and threatening to cut you off from your loved ones is a psychological brutality.. absolute obedience is required.. .

TTATTelder

I think a slow fade to "weak" is probably best.

That way you avoid the drama/shunning of DF or DA which is essentially the same now. I know it's hard for some because of the disgust we feel toward the org and many of their practices, but contolling our impulses is best for us in the end. It preserves our name and family connections.

I am also of the opinion to use the "theocratic warfare" tactic of telling the elders whatever you need to in order to remain in "good standing". It's done in the legal profession everyday.

Claim "discouragement", "depression", "health issues", etc. Play whatever card you need to to get them off your back. Do your protesting anonymously (in forums like this one) and watch your mouth in front of dubs.

There are a lot of moles out there that would love nothing more than to run to their favorite COBE and be the teacher's pet ratting you out. We have an entire family of moles in our hall that constantly have their eyes and ears open and troll social media.

If you do say something that comes out later and bites you, never admit to anything. Say "they must have misunderstood me, I would never say such a thing..."

Never Ever Ever Forget the Two Witness Rule. I can't overemphasize how big this "two witness" thing is. I have seen people get away with big acts of wrongdoing that happened in front of 6 people. This was because only 2 people would come forward and then they couldn't keep their story straight when the accused started getting nasty and throwing the "slander" word around. People crawfish big time when the heat is on them. If there is only one witness and you deny it, it can't go anywhere to begin with.

Honestly unless you plaster your face all over the internet screaming against the GB, it's hard to pin this stuff on you without your admission/confession.

So in other words lie. Lie your little head off. These goofballs don't deserve the truth and can't handle the truth.

Also despite what you hear on this forum from some, many elders are lazy and stressed out and don't have the desire or energy to chase you all over town to try and DF you. Now granted some will, but not as many as you might think.

Oh, and I am currently still serving as an elder. I am doing a surgically slow fade because of the wife.

10

False premise/ self-contradiction / intellectual dishonesty / Willful stupidity = Watch Tower anointing

by Terry in

we've all heard the true story.. william miller, a baptist lay preacher and war hero, carefully worked out the 2nd coming of jesus using the bible and chronology.. he was invited to speak and explain his warnings and proof in many churches.

tens of thousands heard and believed and waited.. nothing happened.

the great big nothing was called "the great disappointment.".

TTATTelder

Well put Terry. The spin, half truths, and out and out lies are shameful.

The double standard is absolute arrogance. They act as if they are above the law, above accusation.

.

The Watchtower is a work of fiction. They just can't keep the plot straight.

76

Bizarre comment about jw.org at SAD

by sir82 in

jw
friends

recently attended a sad.. bethel speaker was gushing about the wt's embrace of new technology, in the part of his talk warning about "apostate" web sites.. a loose summary of his comments:.

"and the brothers at headquarters have made it very safe for you to go to our website.

in fact, the brothers talked to the folks at google, and they made a special arrangement so that when you type in 'j w period' into the google search engine, it automatically shows you the jw.org website.

TTATTelder

Dangerous... Dangerous game they are playing...They are swimmimg in shark-infested waters on the internet.

The GB is encouraging their members to use the internet more and more. This of course to save money on printing and use the net as a marketing medium. But every time their little guppies go online - there lies the slim chance that they stumble onto an apostate shark that will devour them in a moment's notice!

They will probably continue to expand the app's capabilities to avoid people going on the wild worldly internet.

76

Bizarre comment about jw.org at SAD

by sir82 in

jw
friends

recently attended a sad.. bethel speaker was gushing about the wt's embrace of new technology, in the part of his talk warning about "apostate" web sites.. a loose summary of his comments:.

"and the brothers at headquarters have made it very safe for you to go to our website.

in fact, the brothers talked to the folks at google, and they made a special arrangement so that when you type in 'j w period' into the google search engine, it automatically shows you the jw.org website.

TTATTelder

"Isn't that a loving provision for our safety?"

That line alone absolutely nauseates me. - ShirleyW

I totally agree. It's like they are saying:

"Isn't it nice Big Brother/Mommy is taking care of us...since we are so helpless and stupid on our own."

44

The purpose of changing JW names, titles and terms

by gingerbread in

during a discussion over the weekend, we exchanged ideas about recent changes in terminology related to assembly days, conventions and new titles for the higher-ups.

i commented that for years in 'security' at larger meetings we were told to talk to any that seemed out of place and ask questions that would indicate if they were apostates - antiquated terms like 'overseer' or a reference the 'truth' book.. another in our group brought up the character in the orwell book 1984 and how his job was to separate new and approved terms from old words.

this was called doublethink and blackwhite.

TTATTelder

If they write " Governing Body" they are a loyal JW;

if they write "governing body" they are an apostate. - ADCMS

I guess "governing booty" would get you executed!

56

ALL JW's to be at the meeting this week...

by Newly Enlightened in

.

we asked this person if it could be aqbout the terminology change and they said that was already read last week...... we remember the last time they did this.

got everyone all excited thinking the big "a" was coming and all it was about, was the literature would now be donated instead of charging for it.. .

TTATTelder

no new letters issued since the "terminology" one in the U.S.