Posts by TTATTelder

55

Should I Make My Wife Watch the May Broadcast?

by TTATTelder in

jw
friends

for some background, i am still in.

still an elder.

very much awake.

TTATTelder

Thanks for the good advice everybody. I would like to give individual responses but I can't right now.

I like the subtle approach mentioned and generally the outside take on things. It helps give me perspective.

Joe, to answer your question, it's borderline psychological torture if I'm honest. Not healthy. Can't do the elder thing much longer. I've planted some seeds so she knows it's coming. Just about timing and when I'm comfortable to take on the reactions and such.

Xanthippe, I thought about how some could take the title of the thread. I thought it made a catchier headline, though, if you will. I'm not that guy lol. Not by a long shot.

-TE

55

Should I Make My Wife Watch the May Broadcast?

by TTATTelder in

jw
friends

for some background, i am still in.

still an elder.

very much awake.

TTATTelder

For some background, I am still in. Still an elder. Very much awake. Still trapped by family, spouse, employment, yada yada. I am trying to gently wake my wife up so she doesn't freak out and divorce me to stay in the Truman show.

(btw Wayward Pines is a new TV mini series that is eerily like being a JW)

Anyhow, we haven't watched a broadcast yet. She has barely mentioned them. I have, up until now, thought this was a good thing (which it is). Now, though, with this Lett money-grab episode, I'm thinking it may be a better move to get her to watch it to see what they're up to. I'm torn because I see the broadcasts as additional indoctrination sessions, so part of me doesn't want to go there.

Any thoughts? Your help is appreciated.

-TE

PS - Admittedly it will be hard for me to sit through it without pointing out the lies and deception. Hell I can print off the letter that has the additional instructions for elders concerning the new "no mortgage" program.

75

Rumor about the Imitate Jesus Convention

by FusionTheism in

i saw a rumor a few weeks ago on reddit that the new imitate jesus convention is supposed to present new light and clarified understandings on the disfellowshipping/disassociation practices.. supposedly, if this rumor has any truth to it, there will be a talk given at the convention about how we should not be strict like the pharisees in how we shun people, loosening up some of the jw rules about this practice.. has anyone here heard anything about this or have more info on it?.

TTATTelder

I realize that the left hand may not know what the right hand is doing, but the elders school (end of 2014) was about disfellowshipping quicker and reinstating slower. They had videos of staged judicial committee meetings and everything.

This hope for the regional seems exactly opposite of what was taught to elders in my area just 6 months ago.

-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

Brokeback,

That's what bothers me the most. I thought about mentioning it in the OP. What happens when a baptized 8 year old gets molested? Now you have an arshole adult brother in the back room denying the charge and accusing the baptized child of slander.

It's ugly.

So obvious that the "baptized" realm of this cult is not a place for children. So yet again.... the WT leadership sets a course - not in the interest of protecting children - but sacrificing them for their selfish corporate agenda.

-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

BU2B,

Sorry to hear that. Hang in there. It is incogitable what they are doing to kids. Right is right and wrong is wrong. One day our families are just going to have to open their damn eyes to that.

-TE

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