Posts by Oxnard Hamster

45

List of things banned to JWs

by AllAlongTheWatchtower in

my wife is involved with jws, and i want to find out what they believe, things they do or will not do, that i can present to her in the hope that it will convince her that the jw lifestyle is not for her.

i found out a few things already, like blood and yoga which i told her about, but she was unphased.

("i've never needed a transfusion before anyway, and besides, they told me that doctors have blood substitute now".

Oxnard Hamster

"Shop at the Salvation Army" Actually, my old congregation did just that. However, they didn't like the fact I had volunteered for them once, even before I started studying with them.

2

Dystopia?

by Oxnard Hamster in

we all agree that the jws are a cult, but are they also a dystopian society?

do the two go hand in hand?

i found some characteristics about dystopian societies, which usually appear in fiction.

Oxnard Hamster

We all agree that the JWs are a cult, but are they also a dystopian society? Do the two go hand in hand? I found some characteristics about dystopian societies, which usually appear in fiction. The link is

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/dystopia

- a hierarchical society where divisions between the upper, middle and lower class are definitive and unbending

- a nation-state ruled by an upper class with few democratic ideals

- state propaganda programs and educational systems that coerce most citizens into worshipping the state and its government, in an attempt to convince them into thinking that life under the regime is good and just

- strict conformity among citizens and the general assumption that dissent and individuality are bad

- a common view of traditional life, particularly organized religion, as primitive and nonsensical (JWs
shun many "wordly" ideals.)

- a fear or disgust of the world outside the state

- a penal system that lacks due process laws and often employs psychological or physical torture (You could count disfellowshipping, or even the fear of it, as psychological torture.)

- the banishment of the natural world from daily life (In some ways, such as holidays, etc.)

- insistence by the forces of the establishment that

- it provides the best of all possible worlds

- that all problems are due to the action of its enemies and their dupes

This isn't all of them listed on the site, but I think these are the most applicable items. Some of them are dead on matches, while others may be a bit of a reach. I'm convinced their society is definately a dystopia.

21

Why cant JWs celebrate Holidays again?

by Mary Phooty in

what is the dumb reason behind that?

is it satanic too like horoscopes and thanksgiving?

Oxnard Hamster

Now the hard question is, did they purposely do this? Or was it just a natural consequence of dumb bible exegesis?

It's on purpose dude.

But they do use their usual Bible tricks of taking passages out of context and reading way too much into individual scriptures. While I was studing, I was told by my teachers that the reason they don't celebrate Birthdays is because in the two instances in the Bible in which somebody celebrates a birthday, someone is killed.

It sounds like the same logic parents use to blame video game for violence when one kid out of millions who play the same stupid game shoots up a school. Oh wait, I've seen the JWs use that same asinine arguement in "Awake."

So essentially, since two people, out of all the multi gazillions of birthdays there have ever been in the history of the world, killed somebody, birthdays are hereby "displeasing to Jehovah."

16

I can't shake em!

by Oxnard Hamster in

hey, what's up everyone?

i have a little problem.

you see, one jw keeps trying to recruit me.

Oxnard Hamster

Hey, what's up everyone? I have a little problem. You see, one JW keeps trying to recruit me. However, I'm too polite to tell him I'm not interested, so I've been passively putting him off, but he doesn't seem to get the message. I still want to be friends with this guy, because he is a cool person, but I want to make it clear I want no part of their religion anymore. Any advice?

24

Graduation is okay?

by Oxnard Hamster in

as you all know, jws avoid celebrating all major holidays because they are "worldly" and "worldly" things displease jehovah.

however, i remember some jws talking about celebrating certain kids' high school graduations.

so it's not okay to celebrate christmas, thanksgiving, easter, birthdays, etc, but it is okay to celebrate someone's graduation?

Oxnard Hamster

Anniversaries are okay also?

So essentially, anything that the bigwigs don't whine about is okay? The more I learn about how this organization really operates, the more frightened I become I almost joined them. I wonder if Mr. Lucas was referring to JWs when one of his characters said this about the Clone Troopers in Star Wars Episode II, "They will obey orders without question."

24

Graduation is okay?

by Oxnard Hamster in

as you all know, jws avoid celebrating all major holidays because they are "worldly" and "worldly" things displease jehovah.

however, i remember some jws talking about celebrating certain kids' high school graduations.

so it's not okay to celebrate christmas, thanksgiving, easter, birthdays, etc, but it is okay to celebrate someone's graduation?

Oxnard Hamster

As you all know, JWs avoid celebrating all major holidays because they are "worldly" and "worldly" things displease Jehovah.

However, I remember some JWs talking about celebrating certain kids' high school graduations.

So it's not okay to celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays, etc, but it is okay to celebrate someone's graduation? How so? Aren't graduations a wordly function, the same as birthdays? Why is this one exception okay, when JWs are adamant about having nothing to do with anything else?

37

Field Service is a Farce

by swiftbreeze in

i touch on this subject in another post but i felt the need to take it further...back in the day jw's went out in fs but i don't know about today.... i live in a big city....the territory my congregation has is small because there are so many cong.

here.. our bookstudy only had maybe four blocks at the most to work.

my ex husband and i would go to the meetings and hear talk about fs and all the wonderful and experiences and the joy oh joy in being out in the ministry.

Oxnard Hamster

At my old congregation, we had pretty decent turnouts for field service. True, not everyone was involved all the time, but the turnouts weren't bad.

I forget the term for it, but what may be happening in the big city is this: There are so many congregations, and thus so many potential witnesses, that everyone assumes someone else will take the job. There is a term for that sort of thing, but I just can't call it to mind right now.

25

What does a PO do?

by Shawn in

what exactly does a po do?

what is he resonsible for?

does he have any part in dfing?

Oxnard Hamster

Have you noticed PO sounds phoenetically similar to BO, as in body odor? Is it because they stink, in both senses of the word?

7

UN temporarily relocates to Brooklyn

by littlerockguy in

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/un_renovation

Oxnard Hamster

Keep on the lookout for any favorable articles on the UN in upcoming Awake! magazines. Think of how much money they could make renting out this space to them. There could be some "New Light" coming up very soon.

Oh boy! New light? I just can't wait! I better start attending the meetings again so I don't miss this special "spiritual food." I better bring a doggy bag so I can take some home.

15

is it ilegal to DF someone for voting?

by Pleasuredome in

i was wondering, does anyone here know if there are any countries or states that would make it ilegal for a religious group to ex-communicate someone for voting or voting for a particular party?

Oxnard Hamster

How would they find out if you voted? Unless another JW happens to be at a place where voting takes place. However, that begs the question: what is that person doing there in the first place?