willyloman

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Posts by willyloman

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  136

  ...but I happen to like the JWs/WT.....

  by ScoobySnax in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jehovah's witnesses.

  the organisation.

  i love 'em both still.

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  willyloman

  It would take more time than I have in order to list examples, but IMO this post:

  A. Is a must-read for everyone on this journey of ours, and

  B. Contains three or four of the best written posts in forum history
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  46

  Preaching Slowdown

  by cornish in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  .

  i can remember numerous talks and study articles about how the preaching work would get more and more intense as we near the end.. one so called prophetic illustration that stands out in my mind was when joshua and his men marched around the city each day and then just before the city fell they marched seven times signifying a quickening of the preaching work.. it seems starkingly obvious that the preaching,is in decline amonst jw's,the jw's are seen less and less often in my neighbourhood,it is very rare to see them out street witnesing around the town centres and railway stations,the average jw spends far less time preaching than a decade ago.. it seems like their chief brag is definately on the wain,in favour of other recruitment methods.

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  willyloman

  Jay: Your timeline is right on; you nailed it.

  Time actually spent in field service 1 hour maybe.

  One hour's a stretch and this is precisely the reason so many JWs still go out in service. It doesn't require much, nothing bad's going to happen, and there's a payback. It's a waste of time, sure, but no more so than going to work at a job where you aren't required to do much. It fills the time, and you get paid. FS is the same way; the paycheck is psychological; you are relieved from guilt.

  Your timeline left 35-55 minutes open for actual field service, but even THAT may be too liberal. Most of that time is spent standing in front of the door of an empty house, bookbags in hand, chatting about mundane things and whiling away the moments, followed by the slow shuffle to the next door while hoping no one's home there, either. On the rare occasion someone answers, the conversation is brief: not interested, thanks, close door. Next thing you know you're at the end of the block and there's a crowd of witnesses surrounding the car, impatiently waiting to move on to someplace with coffee and food.

  As for those return visits from 11:30 to 12:00? Phantom service. "We're going to make some calls" is the JW equivalent of "have a nice day."
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  14

  How Do You Feel About Watchtower Enablers???

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  enabling has been defined as "taking responsibility for the destructive behavior of other people so that they do not have to deal with the consequences of their own.

  it is also enabling to pretend that the destructive behavior is not occurring.

  such enablers often deny and minimize.

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  willyloman

  Enablers deflect the accusations of bad conduct, placing blame on the victims, and thereby allowing the corrupt system to continue unchecked.

  Nina, you said it all right there. Just a few examples within the borg:

  The 1975 debacle, in which "some" brothers and sisters came up with the date all on their own.

  The current mental health philosophy that goes, If you are having problems it's because YOU aren't doing enough.

  The Dateline and related abuse stories in the media, many of which have been well documented and carry the ring of truth, which are all subject to blanket dismissal as product of Satan's lying media.
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  26

  Have The Elders Ever Told You They Needed To Speak 2 You After The Meeting?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i wonder how many times an elder approached you before the meeting to say, "after the meeting, we would like to talk to you about something".

  you know that feeling-----remember???

  the entire meeting you tried not to think about whatever it was they needed to talk to you about.

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  willyloman

  Elders like to do this so that you can be in fear of them. It's obvious that it will get a person nervous or sick to their stomach....It's all about CONTROL!!!!!!!!!!!

  Actually, this is not always the case. I think the main reason for asking people to meet after the meeting is so that the person didn't leave immediately after the final song... in which case it would be three or four days before you have a chance to talk with them at the hall (of course, you could go over to their house, but elders hate that and convenience rules). Many times, publishers the elders wanted to discuss some problem with were the kind who didn't always come to the meetings and almost always made a beeline for the parking lot during the first syllable in "Amen." So the heads-up prior to the start of the meeting was by way of making an appointment. And, yes, it did create stress for them, but, hey, elders know better than to let feelings get in the way of process!
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  46

  Preaching Slowdown

  by cornish in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  .

  i can remember numerous talks and study articles about how the preaching work would get more and more intense as we near the end.. one so called prophetic illustration that stands out in my mind was when joshua and his men marched around the city each day and then just before the city fell they marched seven times signifying a quickening of the preaching work.. it seems starkingly obvious that the preaching,is in decline amonst jw's,the jw's are seen less and less often in my neighbourhood,it is very rare to see them out street witnesing around the town centres and railway stations,the average jw spends far less time preaching than a decade ago.. it seems like their chief brag is definately on the wain,in favour of other recruitment methods.

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  willyloman

  I remember a shepherding call we were assigned to make on a sister who reported 60 hours one month (back when that was the aux pioneer goal). The problem was, none of the elders remembered ever seeing her out in service. Reviewing her cards, she had reported 60 hours about 8 times in the past two years. All the other months she reported 1 hour. We spent a very interesting hour at her home, trying to get her to explain how she got in the time. She just said she wasn't sure. We urged her to be more balanced and to try to do more (!), and she NEVER reported 60 hours again, so I guess we took care of that problem! (I am so ashamed...)

  Oh, and, no, we did not go back and revise her cards and correct the congregation records. Multiply that kind of #$%^ times 94,000 congregations!
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  33

  Last Meeting

  by Nosferatu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those who have been out for a while, was there anything special about the very last meeting you attended (excluding memorials)?

  was there anything incredibly memorable about it?

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  willyloman

  I stuck my finger down my throat, left at the lunch break, walked out into the Texas scorching sun

  Best case ever made in favor of bulemia.
• 
  46

  Preaching Slowdown

  by cornish in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  .

  i can remember numerous talks and study articles about how the preaching work would get more and more intense as we near the end.. one so called prophetic illustration that stands out in my mind was when joshua and his men marched around the city each day and then just before the city fell they marched seven times signifying a quickening of the preaching work.. it seems starkingly obvious that the preaching,is in decline amonst jw's,the jw's are seen less and less often in my neighbourhood,it is very rare to see them out street witnesing around the town centres and railway stations,the average jw spends far less time preaching than a decade ago.. it seems like their chief brag is definately on the wain,in favour of other recruitment methods.

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  willyloman

  Very insightful posts here.

  As a former Secretary in the Congregation who used to collect time over the phone, I can assure you the hours are as phony as a $3 bill. Publishers turn in time the way some householders accept literature, the ones who take the magazines just to get rid of you. When you come back, it's obvious they not only haven't read the magazine, they don't even remember your earlier conversation. Taking literature is just a polite way of saying, "Now go away."

  Collecting time from the 30-40% of the congregation that does not proactively turn it in on schedule is a lot like that. You call, they make up some numbers, you go away.
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  13

  Lurkers! What Happened to the Puritans?

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yes, what ever happened to the puritans?

  in the us, these were the guys with.

  the funny belt bucket hats who ate turkey with the indians (oops, native americans).. they were religious fanatics who thought the end was soon, just like some folks.

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  willyloman

  Wow, great thread, excellent posts (euphimism in particular). I'll limit my comments to one thing:

  Jehovah's Witnesses have reached a point of stagnation in most of the Nations they have been preaching in for the last 75 years. This is a sign that their work is finished - NOT that THEY are irrelevant.

  So now the work is finished? I vividly recall a CO telling me 25 years ago that they best was yet to come. I had told him an awful lot of really nice, intelligent, moral people were not remotely interested in the truth and asked why God wasn't calling them to his organization before the end came? He said these words: "We're beginning to see a large number of quality people coming into the organization."

  He defined "quality people" to mean people with educations, jobs, whole families, who had their heads screwed on straight and were physically and emotionally healthy. He said this was all part of Jehovah's plan for the new system, because we were "obviously" going to need engineers and scientists and many other skills to rebuild the earth.

  I'm still waiting for this influx, and now you're telling me it's over? I must have blinked.
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  19

  Did the Watchtower Society Construction Crews in Brooklyn Bury Some Bodies?

  by Gamaliel in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  well this isn't exactly what you might think, but i have the following information based on what i consider good authority.

  still, it's without a shred of hard evidence.

  i am bringing it up now before the watchtower society tries to sell off the particular building in question.

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  willyloman

  Well, this is fitting. The Watchtower is no stranger to slave labor, so a monument seems appropriate.
• 
  97

  MY SWAN SONG

  by northern girl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  about seven weeks ago i posted here for the first time.

  in that post i said i'd like to be reinstated but felt it likely wouldn't happen because the shunning was too much for me.

  well, my prayers have been answered and i am reinstated.

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  willyloman

  Elders are agents of Jehovah and carry out his work under his direction.

  Sweetie, when you've been an elder for any length of time, call me and we'll talk. Then you'll understand why this statement has ex-elders here rolling on the floor, laughing. The fact that you could read Herk's essay and not be cut to the quick speaks volumes about you, and about the organization you joined. I suggest you print it out and keep it in a drawer someplace. Someday when you are older, you will appreciate it more.