Posts by TTATTelder

146

Why I remain one of Jehovah's Witnesses

by Brother Jeramy in

allow me to begin with a clarification: when i say i am one of jehovah's witnesses, i don't mean that i am an advocate of the watchtower society or a devotee of some of its more controversial false teachings.

i mean that i am a christian, a disciple of jesus christ dedicated to jehovah god, and who remains in union with my brothers and sisters who make up the family of faith that globally refers to itself as jehovah's witnesses.

some totally understand the distinction between the family of brothers and sisters and the corporate organization known as the watchtower society (wts).

TTATTelder

The problem is you are addicted to the thought of being one of "God's Chosen People" and frankly you don't want to give that up. Most of us here understand that feeling. You make up these distinctions in order to hang on to that label.

Unfortunately the truth is - this isn't and never was "God's Organization"- you and I and the rest on this thread were never "God's Chosen People". Bitter pill I know.

The next thought-stopper is "Where shall I go?". The truth about that is - nobody has all the answers. JW's are used to thinking in terms of someone or some group having all the answers. That was never the case. I don't know what's up - you don't know what's up - the GB also doesn't have a clue. One thing that helped me at the beginning come to terms with suddenly being aware of so many unanswered questions was the thought "The GB doesn't know either". This made me feel better. I was now equal to the overlords. Equally clueless.

The question instead of "Where shall I go?" should instead be "In what direction should I move?".

The answer is always to move away from those that abuse and toward those that empower, encourage, and inspire.

It is my opinion that if God wants to be found, he won't be wearing wolf's clothing.

-TE

18

How Soon Will We See 9-Year-Olds in Committee Meetings?

by TTATTelder in

that teddy bear baptism video was shocking.. if you haven't seen it yet.

check it out on this thread:.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/271170002/on-subject-child-baptism-video.

TTATTelder

paulmolark....totally agree

I too was baptized as a pre-teen in the 80's, but it has never been pushed with GB approval like it is now. I think it will be 10x more common going forward and thus will present opportunities for authority abuse and general confusion organizationally. Up until now, with only a few rare exceptions,the "baptized" designation, with all of its commitments and consequences, has been for consenting adults or those at least old enough to somewhat know what they are getting into. It is one thing for an occasional outlier to get baptized "too early". It is another thing altogether to have it become the expected thing and the norm.

There is no section in the elder book for "baptized children". Little do the kids know, they are entering an adult marriage to a high control organization, and it is not a marriage of mutual respect or voice.

-TE

18

How Soon Will We See 9-Year-Olds in Committee Meetings?

by TTATTelder in

that teddy bear baptism video was shocking.. if you haven't seen it yet.

check it out on this thread:.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/271170002/on-subject-child-baptism-video.

TTATTelder

That teddy bear baptism video was shocking.

If you haven't seen it yet. Check it out on this thread:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/271170002/on-subject-child-baptism-video

Consider this........If 7 and 8 year-olds are getting baptized now, then that means young children can be pulled into a committee meeting and accused of everything from sexual sins to slander to apostasy. They also can be privately reproved, publicly reproved, marked, or disfellowshipped.

Now before you go dismissing this as "Ohhh that would never happen"...... take a moment and think about the backbiting, power-hungry, competitive nature of some elders out there. Some of these men will stop at nothing to knock a fellow elder down. Attacking a fellow elder's baptized child, (given the chance, such as after the child's confession of something) is definitely on the table for some of these socio-pathic, delusional men.

With the GB encouraging child baptism at every turn, there is going to be a much larger pool of baptized 7,8,9,10, etc year old children running around the organization. These kids are going to feel obligated now to confess things to elders.

I am just bringing up this subject in general and posing the question in the title. What do you think?

-TE

29

outside consulting firm used for JW building site , to be complete in 2019.

by brandnew in

jw
friends

crofton wins key role on jehovah's witnesses campus.

6 may 2015 | by yoosof farah.

engineer lands role on scheme that will predominantly be designed and constructed by volunteers.

TTATTelder

Well one thing is for sure. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

Also money is not a problem despite what we hope. If you are waiting for the WT to go out of business, you are holding on to a pipe dream.

There will always be people that can be manipulated by guilt and fear. There will always be men looking for a title. There will always be the disenfranchised that need a place to belong. There will always be people of a weaker disposition that need strong leadership from someone else to feel secure. All of these will donate when goaded.

Add to that they have 100's of millions stashed as head-start money. All I am saying is, if any readers are holding on to a fantasy deep down that the WT will go away and thus make the problem disappear, unfortunately for all of us, it won't happen.

-TE

59

On the subject of Child Baptism - Video

by cappytan in

so, the latest "kids" kingdom melody video is out.. here are some screenshots:.

.

yep, that's right, they showed a kid with a teddy bear getting baptized.. here's the video in full for documentation, if you can stomach it.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ellrtyj_maq.

TTATTelder

First of all .... I can't believe they have the nerve to draw a teddy bear in the boys room. This is a minimalist style cartoon without a lot of detail, so that bear was strategically drawn to emphasize a young, young boy got baptized. Like 8 years old prob.

After watching the video a couple of times, I think the walking-the-dog scene is just showing a good little witness girl doing her chores after praying. Taking the dog out must be her chore.

I will say this. It looks like her house is either water-front property or very close to a very nice beach area. Much like the prodigal son video/drama, the homes they portray witnesses living in are complete fantasy. The Pew study shows American JW households making over $100,000 at 4%. It takes more than just 100,000 to live on water front property usually.

Why don't they show "modest" witness families living in trailers and tiny houses in the rurals? That would be much more realistic.......

I guess the truth isn't very important in marketing.

-TE

5

Trolley Witnessing Saves Money?

by TTATTelder in

i was just wondering, do you think the trolley cart stationary witnessing is to slow down the literature distribution at not-at-homes?.

it basically traps several shifts of pioneers to a cart or table and keeps the placement count way down compared to leaving something at every door in a neighborhood.. is money the main motivation here?

(besides staged facebook pics lol).

TTATTelder

I was just wondering, do you think the trolley cart stationary witnessing is to slow down the literature distribution at not-at-homes?

It basically traps several shifts of pioneers to a cart or table and keeps the placement count way down compared to leaving something at every door in a neighborhood.

Is money the main motivation here? (besides staged Facebook pics lol)

-TE

14

2014 Pew Research on US Religion

by adjusted knowledge in

jw
friends

the pew survey i've been reading is quite lengthy, but filled with interesting information.

it really explains a lot of the social issues.

impact of little education, donation issues, the issues of women finding marriage partners.

TTATTelder

Who knew the pyramid-loving, miracle-wheat-selling, failed prophets of yesteryear would one day grow to be the poorest, dumbest religion in all the land........I'm so proud.

-TE

72

Specific Comments By R&F About May Broadcast

by freemindfade in

i know there are many posts discussing the may money requesting televangalism...er... broadcast i mean!

but i wanted to start one where anyone can put what they have heard any non-exjw, non-apostate witnesses say good or bad about the broadcast.

i don't see how it can't rattle followers... but then again i might be surprised how they can twist things (2+2=5).

TTATTelder

Sorry driving force..... That sucks. Hopefully reason wins out with her in time.

-TE

13

WBTS / JW views never quoted as good source of information

by menrov in

not sure if my title is correct.

what i noticed is that in say secular bible research documentation, books, lectures etc, one never (or at least i have never read it) reads a quote from one of the former or current wbts leaders nor do i ever see a reference to one of their publication (unless it is article about the jw/wbts itself).. for example, if you read a book on a bible theme or topic written by a scholar or other bible teachers/professors from prof xyz, you will find often in these books a reference to publications / statements / quotes from other scholars or professors.

but never have i seen a reference to say a wt publication or quote / statement from one the leaders of the organisation.. so, despite the million page printed or conferences organised by the wbts, the material apparently is never considered of value to others or to use as reference material.. in my view, that says a lot..... or am i wrong?

TTATTelder

giordano and doc made me laugh...

Like any used car salesman in a plaid jacket, the GB have an answer for everything. If they ever were quoted by scholars, they would brag about it from the rooftops:

"Even the 'World' has to acknowledge the WISDOM of the Faithful Slave!"

If they get mocked by scholars, then it's just Satan "blinding the minds of the unbelievers" or some reference to "Man's Wisdom" vs "God's Wisdom".

In their fantasy bubble, its the middle ages and they own the printing press. No reply allowed. Nobody to answer to.

-TE

25

So Why Do They Need The Money?

by konceptual99 in

so, as well reported, the latest jw broadcasting show is all about giving money.

as far as the wt society goes they have been pretty candid about there not being enough funds to meet the expenditure.

there are plenty of views on if this is really the case or not but underlying this is why are they spending so much money?.

TTATTelder

LOL Outlaw.... good stuff!

-TE