Posts by TTATTelder

44

I Need Help Getting My Head Straight.......

by TTATTelder in

one of the things i have been wresting with mentally is unraveling the "us vs. them" mentality that has been driven into my skull in the organization.. i am starting this thread seeking advice on how others have come to grip with this.. this is what i struggle with:.

i like the feeling/thought of being among people that live, or try to live, or at least know they ought to live by higher standards of conduct (maybe it is just what i'm used to...).

when you walk out of a convention of people dressed up, clean-cut, shaven, non-smoking, less-profanity-speaking, fairly orderly etc and see what greets you in the streets outside, it is a big contrast.. i am also still trying to understand how a religion that has conned people (so is morally wrong) could also be so well organized and have a lot of truly decent folks among their ranks.

TTATTelder

Thanks Jgnat.

You make some really good points.

The pics are cool too.

-TE

44

I Need Help Getting My Head Straight.......

by TTATTelder in

one of the things i have been wresting with mentally is unraveling the "us vs. them" mentality that has been driven into my skull in the organization.. i am starting this thread seeking advice on how others have come to grip with this.. this is what i struggle with:.

i like the feeling/thought of being among people that live, or try to live, or at least know they ought to live by higher standards of conduct (maybe it is just what i'm used to...).

when you walk out of a convention of people dressed up, clean-cut, shaven, non-smoking, less-profanity-speaking, fairly orderly etc and see what greets you in the streets outside, it is a big contrast.. i am also still trying to understand how a religion that has conned people (so is morally wrong) could also be so well organized and have a lot of truly decent folks among their ranks.

TTATTelder

One of the things I have been wresting with mentally is unraveling the "us vs. them" mentality that has been driven into my skull in the organization.

I am starting this thread seeking advice on how others have come to grip with this.

This is what I struggle with:

I like the feeling/thought of being among people that live, or try to live, or at least know they ought to live by higher standards of conduct (maybe it is just what I'm used to...)

When you walk out of a convention of people dressed up, clean-cut, shaven, non-smoking, less-profanity-speaking, fairly orderly etc and see what greets you in the streets outside, it is a big contrast.

I am also still trying to understand how a religion that has conned people (so is morally wrong) could also be so well organized and have a lot of truly decent folks among their ranks. Are they just duped?

Any thoughts?

.

P.S... I just went to a convention this weekend (3 days of constant indoctrination), so I know that has a lot to do with this post. I could write an essay on all of the BS spewed from the platform (it was outrageous). I will probably write a post on that soon, but just wanted to address this first. Thanks in advance for any of your help.

-TE

45

Resurrection talk at convention

by innerpeace in

i didn't go to the convention but have family who did, all are going on about the resurrection talk, how there wasn't a dry eye in the arena.

and apparently a video was shown too on it.

we lost a family member some years back and they are on fb talking about the resurrection and new world coming soon.

TTATTelder

I was at the convention this past weekend and while I prob have quite a bit to say about it all, this video was just as pronomono said - " pure, unadulterated, emotional propaganda."

I actually did start to laugh before I realized it. I was, at the time, surrounded by African-Americain witnesses and made a joke to myself that "I guess only white people get resurrected" LOL. (white people were in the video of course)

Many people were crying. It was a pathetic, cheap ploy. The organization has no conscience. They keep feeding this bible fantasy to stir up emotions in their followers to keep them trapped.

Shameless control tactic. Up on the jumbotron no less. Very 1984.

-TE

37

I saw a trolley (cart to you cousins in the U.S.A.)

by punkofnice in

yes.. peterborough city center u.k. ''what does the bible really teach'' displayed on it.. a family of 3 i know were sitting on the bench just behind it.

i'm not going to say anything derogatory about them as they are nice folks even if they have to shun me now i bear no malice.. as predicted not a single person was paying any attention as they walked by.

i noticed some other canvassers (non religious), were actively approaching people and handing out leaflets.. on the market i saw the jw charity stall and again not a single soul was interested or even near it.. i'm glad this 'urgent never to be repeated work(tm)' is being vigorously carried out by god's chosen people.

TTATTelder

What's hilarious or sad, depending on your perspective, is all the stats they brag about in connection with the carts and website.

They do this with shameless ceremony. It is as if God himself is directing people to these carts and website.

Thousands of pieces of literature placed.... Millions of hits on the site..... Hundreds of languages translated etc etc.

.

But the proof is in the pudding.

2% growth.

Nuff said.

Where is the "speeding up of the work"?????

If these new preaching projects are so wonderful and God-backed, where are the results?

.

It is obvious that the org is purely interested in "works" they can brag about and keeping people busy and dazzled by "new" stuff.

Of course, in the bragging department, if they actually had results to brag about they would.

-TE

37

I saw a trolley (cart to you cousins in the U.S.A.)

by punkofnice in

yes.. peterborough city center u.k. ''what does the bible really teach'' displayed on it.. a family of 3 i know were sitting on the bench just behind it.

i'm not going to say anything derogatory about them as they are nice folks even if they have to shun me now i bear no malice.. as predicted not a single person was paying any attention as they walked by.

i noticed some other canvassers (non religious), were actively approaching people and handing out leaflets.. on the market i saw the jw charity stall and again not a single soul was interested or even near it.. i'm glad this 'urgent never to be repeated work(tm)' is being vigorously carried out by god's chosen people.

TTATTelder

Blondie,

The instructions are to not approach people until they approach the cart and even then subtly. I think it is part of the arrangement they have with these locations - not to disturb anyone.

Its all quite silly really.

-TE

9

We love to be dazzled by the bullshit: The Magic of the Watch Tower Society

by Terry in

there is an implicit pact between the magician and the audience.. .

i should now like to discuss this pact and use the bond between performer and audience as the premise of something else i will reveal at the end.. .

shall we continue?.

TTATTelder

A salient fact is . . .

when you expose a false teaching or counterfeit claim to a true believer you have told them "how the trick is done."

You temporarily take the fun out of believing it. - Terry

Good Stuff. That is absolutely true. It's like telling a kid there's no Santa Claus.

.

I like the whole OP comparison. Sad that a person's worldview would be based on such simplicity. But people don't want to think. They just want to believe and shake hands with Brother Bob.

-TE

74

Breaking News :Charity Commission takes Wathtower to Tribunal in Britain

by raymond frantz in

breaking news :charity commission takes watchtower to charity tribunal in britain.

two weeks ago we run an article about the abuse case in moston manchester congregation .it would seem that the coverage from the main local newspaper manchester evening news and two national newspapers has alarmed the charity commission the official regulator for charities in england and wales and now for the first time !

they opened an official investigation on both charities ,the local one ,moston congragation and the central one jehovah's witnesses of britain indicating that in their eyes these two are connected and liable for any misconduct .this is the time for a concentrated campaign from all of us to inform the charity commission why the watchtower should not be a called a charity .the article above has a link for the charity commission complaint page .follow it!.

TTATTelder

Of course the simple thing for the Org to do is tell BoE's to report pedophilia accusations straight to the police, and deal with the accused - if necessary - after the police/court have done their job. - Searcher

Since they are not doing the simple thing, doesn't that in itself tell us how prevalent the problem is in the congregations?

The only reason to not do this is for PR reasons. They wouldn't worry about the PR unless it was a widespread problem.

So they choose what's best for "appearances" instead of what's best for the children - instead of doing the right thing. Obviously they are not confident in their God's blessing if they just do the right thing. They are not leaving things in Jehovah's hands.

They put their faith in lawyers instead of their supposed God Jehovah.

2 Tim 3:5 NNWT - " having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power, and from these turn away."

-TE

16

Who Will the Circuit Overseers "Report" to Now???

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

i still do not understand the new structure at this point.. there has to be something between thousands of co's and the gb.

i know there were zone overseers that the do's reported to.. i have spoken to a couple of elders i can talk to frankly and they both said they have no idea.. rub a dub.

.

TTATTelder

While the CO will have more perceived power and thus be treated differently and may even throw his weight around more because of the new crown, I actually think it's not much different than it has been for several years.

Here is what I mean. For probably the past 10 years or more, decisions about appointments have been 100% by what the CO decided in the congregations I have attended. This has been the case even on occasions where the entire body wanted to appoint a man. The CO said no. He didn't get appointed.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but 99% of the time this is the case all over from what I have heard.

In other words the branch has been rubber stamping the appointments for years.

DO's have just been basically on tour putting on circuit assemblies. CO's rarely had interaction with them.

-TE

15

I want to know. Don't you?

by Old Goat in

some of you are probably a bit tired of me promoting these history books, but im doing it again.

1. nelson barbour: the millenniums forgotten prophet.

de vienne is not.

TTATTelder

I bought the Nelson Barbour book. Looking forward to digging in to it soon. Thx.

-TE

23

FAITH is another word for OPINION

by Terry in

i strive to understand things by standing in a different spot and looking again.

i like to recontextualize things everybody seems to accept automatically and comfortably.. why?

to be able to see it for the first time, again.. .

TTATTelder

As a side point, where I am from in my corner of the U.S, when people say "So and so is a man of faith or a women of faith" they typically are saying that he or she is a religious person with morals or ethics. It is their way of saying that the person is a good/decent individual.

Personally I think saying "So and so is a person of true character or ethics" would carry more weight.

In many circles religious people are assumed to be more ethical because the person supposedly answers to a prescribed moral code.

We on this forum typically know that a person can be far more ethical as a non-religious person, but that is not necessarily the norm.

I think people assume (especially religious people) that if they dont know what your "moral code" is then you either must not have one (heathen) or have one that is inferior. This is ignorance at its best of course, but there are a lot of ignorant people out there.

Interesting post Terry.

I get what you're saying about "Person of Opinion" in actuality meaning more than "Person of Faith" because at least opinions are real. When I read "Person of Opinion", though, I hear "Opinionated" and my feeble little brain can't get past it. LOL. Oh well maybe I'm just tired. Night Night.

-TE