was talking to a good buddy of mine a couple days ago (we pioneered and were in bethel together and have both left the cult a few years ago), about the current cart and d. and the consensus was that it is now a complete joke.
was watching a couple witnesses last week sit at a table with their literature display.
no approaching people for conversation, no initiating stimulating dialogue with passerbys, as was encouraged when i "pioneered" back in the day.
My dyed-in-the-wool pioneer JW mom had a shift on the cart witnessing and telling me that you've got to be approved by the service committee in order to be qualified to sit there aimlessly for hours, which is just stupefying to me.
Cults typically set up ways to "reward" or give "privileges" to subtly elevate certain ones above others to make their meaningless tasks seem more prestigious. Much like when one kindergartener gets a gold star, the others are envious and try harder.
Perhaps the Watchtower is printing these as a sideline for additional income since the Watchtower isn't doing so well.
the remarkable sister pettifog.
this morning i arrived on my bicycle at the local starbucks early, before the intensity of the texas sun boiled to full blaze rendering me a soggy, wrung out mess.. i took up my perch on the outdoor patio in the shade, eager to work on my book of short stories.
this will be my 3rd book and i’ve been enjoying the process daily.. .
Interesting story...thanks for sharing it. It goes to show you how dismissive they are of the elderly and of women within the congregation. If you're not young, you don't matter much so they don't have to take you seriously or worry about your personal power. She was able to fly under the radar and "undo" some of the "good" she though she was doing in her younger years.
flood 2304 bc (http://creation.com/the-date-of-noahs-flood).
neolithic 8500-1500 bc (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_neolithic_cultures_of_china).
egyption dynasty 4 2613 to 2494 bc, dynasty 5: 2494 to 2345 bc, dynasty 6: 2345 - 2181 bc (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_ancient_egyptian_dynasties).
There is a lot of debate about the accuracy of secular history and the dating of the pyramids for example but the question remains even if you strictly go by the Bibles chronology, how did the eight survivors of the flood, repopulate the world so quickly from the time of the flood to the time when the pyramids and great cities and civilizations came to be?
"it was so beautiful, we are truly blessed!
now, they also plaster these affirmations all over social media, "this is the best life", “so blessed”, “best convention”.. why the gushing?
have you ever heard anyone say, “mmmm it was ok”?
Why the gushing? Have you ever heard ANYONE say, “mmmm it was ok”?
The gushing that JW's engage in after assemblies (and other common traits) is pretty much a Textbook example of what goes on within a Religious Cult.
http://www.prem-rawat-talk.org/forum/uploads/CultCharacteristics.htm
a couple weeks back my husband got a phone call from his brother, whom he hasn’t spoken to in nearly 17 years.
well i take that back, he did speak to him at the family reunion, asking him to leave.
my husband basically told him to f off, he would leave when he’s darn good and ready, but he didn’t use the word darn.
I've had a few situations where I've encountered former JW's I used to know, who's
opinions were supposed to matter to me. One time I was dressed nicely for a summer evening out at party at my bosses house. I ducked into a store to pick up some wine ran across a couple that my wife and I used to be close with. For a half second I couldn't place who they were and once I did, I could tell it annoyed them that the person who they were working hard at punishing, didn't even notice all the trouble they had been going through. Once I did recognize them, I went so far as to not use their son and daughters names when I inquired about how they were doing. " How are the Kids doing?" I asked, to which they replied "Ann is married and David is engaged". Then I said in a puzzled forgetful way "That's right...Ann and David...well congratulations....now you guys just had the two kids right??" I could tell it bugged them that I had moved on and wasn't even thinking about their little drama and that my life obviously wasn't the train wreck they'd hoped for.
If I were you Tameria 2001 I'd go looking my best and I'd have a calm contented expression with a gentle smile on my face that conveyed that I was at peace with my life and it mattered not, what happened in the past nor what anyone there thinks of me and in fact I barely even remember anything about them.
If something controversial comes up, just be very vague, have a subtle knowing smile on your face and convey through your body language and demeanor that you haven't the foggiest notion of what they're talking about.
well i just got back from 3 days in hell, and geez was this convention strange or what?
im sure someone's probably made a topic about this already but i can't believe that there weren't any new releases besides the movies.
has that ever happened before?
The International Conventions of 2 years ago with all of their "historic significance", fan fare, festivities and entertainment programs for the visiting delegates, have already faded into a distant memory. So too will this years conventions with their sappy shunning and end times bunker videos, become a thing of the past and will in 5 years time, be laughable and outdated to anyone who cares enough to look back on them and may even serve to wake people up when they realize that they've once again been lead down the garden path .
(ring ring) Hello... Day old news department ?? Yes, I'd like to cancel my subscription to your publication the Watchtower. From now on I'll be giving my business to "Behind the Times Quarterly". Their information is just as inaccurate but I find it a lot more fun and interesting to read.
hello everyone, it's been quite a while since i was last on this forum.
originally i was under a different user name, but lost all that information when i moved to a different state.
anyways, i had left the jws back in 2001, after being raised up in it most of my childhood life.
Unbelievable......what an insult...talk about bad etiquette and tacky behavior !
This is as bad as being invited to a party and finding out you were only invited over for drinks while everyone else would be staying for dinner. I can't imagine why non JW's would do this to you and jump through such hoops for the JW's especially if they are in the minority of attendees.
If it were me, I'd tell the host that I'd love to attend but can't abide by having my family treated like a bunch of Lepers simply because we stopped attending a certain church. I'd tell them that I left such nonsense behind years ago and the only way I'd attend is if the invitation was without these insulting time limits and these ridiculous shift changes. That or I'd say nothing and stay as long as I pleased....let the JW's make a scene about it if they want.
it really stands out to me just how phoney the bonds of forced brotherhood are.
the smiles are paper thin when they see each other in hotels.
the laughs forced.
A person can understand how there would be a certain amount of forced politeness during structured occasions but the trouble is, JWs are lead to believe that this forced politeness is real friendship and are disappointed when the thin veil is dropped whenever someone goes off script or anything too real happens. They are told that if they are not feeling the warmth of the brotherhood, they are lacking Jehovah's spirit, thus they ignore their inner voice and go on for years wondering what's wrong with them.
has anyone seen one of the new design kh's and taken pics?
i'm curious to see.
The new style buildings will be easier to sell for use by businesses. The old style were to house like and too specific and were not as easy to sell. This new trend tells me that the " Bible and Tract Society" is now more of a real estate investment society who profits by using free labor to improve properties that are intended to be sold in the future.
