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Jehovah's Witnesses are a small but fascinating part of the religious culture. Formed in the late-19th century, the group has grown to a decent level, affecting and impacting countless lives across the world. It has also gained notoriety for its hard-lining rules and harsh treatment towards former members, gaining a reputation as a cult. I grew up with JW parents and spent almost my entire life entrenched in the religion. I got out of it almost the moment I turned 18 and moved out of my parent's house, but my experiences in and out of the religion have done a great deal towards shaping my life. I'm not here to be bitter or drop truth bombs, but JW remains a very compelling religion and I hope to provide answers to misconceptions, while explaining why I tried to escape the whole thing. We'll start with a basic FAQ and I'll go ahead with answering questions later ITT. So what are Jehovah's Witnesses anyway? Simply put, they are a religious organization that has rejected long-standing interpretations of the Bible and struck out to preach their version. The core belief in JW is a prophecy that the current world will end in an apocalypse, with the wicked-doers eliminated and the God-fearing people surviving, to build a new world of prosperity. This is called "Paradise," in which the faithful dead are risen up and reunite with their loved ones, while everyone enjoys an eternity of peace and happiness. The other core belief is preaching their word constantly. This is where you get the door-to-door people bothering you on Saturday mornings. JWs follow Jesus' edict in Matthew, where he implores his followers to preach the word. So JWs do that, a lot. If you ever saw an awkward 13-year-old in an ill-fitting suit offering Watchtower issues in 2000, that was probably me. I heard something about 144,000. What's that all about? The 144,000 is exactly what it sounds like. Dating from Jesus' Apostles all the way to the present day, there are these people who believe they will ascend to heaven upon death, rather than joining in the Paradise that awaits all resurrected faithful people. Today, those people are called "The Anointed" and are the only ones allowed to partake of bread and wine at the annual Jesus Memorial day. I don't believe it's been clearly explained why some people are The Anointed and some aren't, but okay. What's their deal with blood? JWs do not accept blood transplants of any kind. They base this on Bible scriptures which state that any transfer of blood is a violation of godly law. This has become a big enough deal that JW won a Supreme Court battle over religious freedoms, so you can at least thank them for standing up for their 1st Amendment rights. Other than basic sanity issues, I got nothing. What about R-rated movies? Nope. What happens if someone gets kicked out? You're in for a world of pain. JW has this thing called "disfellowshipping," which is kinda like ex-communicating. If the elder committee finds you guilty of wrongdoing, you're out, just like that. No more meetings, no more talking with people in the congregation. Even your family members are discouraged from speaking with you. This is by far the most controversial part of JWs, and the biggest argument towards them being labeled a cult. If you don't fall in line, you're out on your rear end. That sounds awful. Can you leave on your own? Yup, just by "disassociating" yourself, which is basically a disfellowshipping with more agency on your end. Prepare for the same bullshit. How does the congregation hierarchy work? Glad you asked. There is a specific ladder you have to climb if you want to get anywhere in JW. Publisher The most basic level. This just means you have to be baptized, attend meetings and turn in field service hours. Ministerial Servant Kiss enough rear end and you'll get to this level. The servants live up to their name, helping out the elders and doing a lot of the backstage stuff in meetings. If you attend a random Sunday meeting and see some dude in a cheap suit running around with the mics, that's probably a ministerial servant. On occasion, they also get to sit in on elder committee meetings. Elder Only get here if you're willing to kiss enough rear end to make porn stars blush. The elders run the whole congregation, get the most respect and are treated like kings. Despite the scripture instructing them to be humble, you'll have a few elders who act like their poo poo doesn't stink. Based on my experience, there some genuinely good men in power, but for the most part, if you've seen any "church leader gone bad" headline, you've probably seen an elder, except he hasn't been caught yet. Got any more details to add? Yup, but I think the OP was general enough to get a good idea. Feel free to ask more ITT.
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Mar 17, 2015 07:10
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So in addition to blood transfers, should I assume any type of organ transfer is verboten? What about if it is a child that is in need, can the parents legally say no if it meant the child would likely die? Also what's the logic behind no rated R movies? I assume it would apply to all "mature" (for lack of a better word) sorts of media? Also why did you leave and what are your current interactions with your family like? Really interested in this subject, looking forward to following the thread.
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Mar 17, 2015 08:06
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Do you celebrate birthdays now that you're out?
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Mar 17, 2015 13:32
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If someone is disfellowshipped, is that the end of their relationship to the church? Is it seen as desirable for such a person to rejoin, or is that even possible? I'm thinking of how Mormons can apparently be very insistent about lapsed or former members rejoining and keeping in contact with them, this sounds like the opposite. My first thought was "at least they leave you alone" but i'm sure that's not how it feels. I'm also curious about the 144,000 and the taking communion thing. These are people in the JW who attend services like anyone else and just do an extra part of it by ceremonially taking bread and wine once a year or what? Do they have any kind of formal or informal leadership position or responsibilities? I'm assuming that these are people who are well known in the community already- some rando publisher couldn't just get up and say they're anointed- or is that wrong? e: What kind of things did your church emphasize that Witnesses should do in life? Was there mention of things like feeding the hungry, etc or is it 100% proselytizing? That is, is there any value of good works in life or is the only thing that matters warning people about armageddon? Kellsterik fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Mar 17, 2015 |
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Mar 17, 2015 13:57
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Would a Witness accept a transfusion of artificial blood? Is it still tampering with gods will or is it Ok because its not from another person?
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Mar 17, 2015 14:14
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I once attended a JW wedding and the priest (or whatever he was called) told the groom in his homily to not beat his wife too much. Is this a common attitude in JW households? Also, it seems like Witnesses are in constant panic mode believing the apocalypse is just around the corner. Wouldn't this belief diffuse somewhat after the first 100 apocalypse dates turning out to be flukes?
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Mar 17, 2015 15:32
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I know from ex-Witnesses that they're really unfriendly to college education. How did they convey this growing up?
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Mar 17, 2015 18:18
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That Jerk Steve posted:So in addition to blood transfers, should I assume any type of organ transfer is verboten? What about if it is a child that is in need, can the parents legally say no if it meant the child would likely die? Also what's the logic behind no rated R movies? I assume it would apply to all "mature" (for lack of a better word) sorts of media? Also why did you leave and what are your current interactions with your family like? --Organ transplants haven't really come up in my personal experience or local area, but I've heard it's a thing on occasion. Basically it's more of a "case by case" thing where they're willing to overlook it if, say, a beloved elder needs a new kidney. --Parents have and will refuse blood for children even if it means their death. This is a hard-loving-line issue. If there's one silver lining, JW's stance is a big enough deal that there have actually been some interesting medical science advancements in non-blood transfusion alternatives. Around the early 00s or so they put out a DVD with a bunch of alternatives that I thought was worth pursuing. I don't know if they actually work, but it's something. --R-rated movies mean cuss words, blood and boobs so that's an obvious no-go. Yes, I'm that weird kid who had to wait until he moved out of his parents before finally seeing The Godfather or Pulp Fiction. I knew some families who didn't even let their kids see Disney movies because they had magic. As a result, JWs have loving awful taste in movies. --I left like any 18-year-old kid eager to express themselves: I was not happy, did not believe this religion was the right way to go and didn't even believe in God (though I was drat good at faking it while my family kept up the pressure.) My family interaction depends on how they feel: No talk with parents, but my sister also left and we are closer than we ever were as kids. That's not a uniform thing, obviously. Anoia posted:Do you celebrate birthdays now that you're out? Kinda, but with no childhood connection it just doesn't feel the same. I feel like a weirdo every time I try celebrating holidays with no obvious idea of how they're supposed to work. Kellsterik posted:If someone is disfellowshipped, is that the end of their relationship to the church? Is it seen as desirable for such a person to rejoin, or is that even possible? I'm thinking of how Mormons can apparently be very insistent about lapsed or former members rejoining and keeping in contact with them, this sounds like the opposite. My first thought was "at least they leave you alone" but i'm sure that's not how it feels. --Disfellowshiping is treated like a death: If you're out, you're out cold. One of the elders will go up to the stage during a meeting, say "So and so has been disfellowshiped" like he's Cronkite announcing JFK's death, and then he just sits down with dead silence. Nobody can speak or even look at that person again. However, they treat it like some half-assed motivation plan, where if you work hard enough and kiss the right asses you can get back in. This is where JW feels most like a cult -- stay in the family, we'll love you forever. Leave, and we'll pretend you never existed. Come back tail between legs, and we'll love you again. It's a really weird process. --Honestly, I'm still not sure how the gently caress The Anointed (c) is supposed to work. We're banged in our heads that only 144,000 will go to heaven, that most of those people are already dead, and the few alive are anointed because, uh, reasons. I've attended lots of Memorials and could never tell why Decrepit White Guy #1 is so much more special than Decrepit White Guy #2 that he gets to take the bread and wine. And no, they're not treated any more special. --When I was fast-tracked to publisher, got baptized at age 14 and was being groomed for a ministerial spot, I heard a shitload about the scripture "good works are better than good faith," or however it went. JW does some good charity work (I heard amazing stories about the help they did after 9/11 and Katrina) but for the most part the "field service" (what we called it) is about getting more Watchtower subscribers. I will say this, as much as I disagree with JW: They do emphasize doing good works on this planet and being an asset to your community. It may just lead to a promise of Paradise that may never come, but that's a way more convincing strategy than saying "Accept Jesus ... Saved!" Arnold of Soissons posted:Would a Witness accept a transfusion of artificial blood? Is it still tampering with gods will or is it Ok because its not from another person? See the point I made above. It's not there yet, but non-blood alternatives could definitely be a thing soon. System Metternich posted:I once attended a JW wedding and the priest (or whatever he was called) told the groom in his homily to not beat his wife too much. Is this a common attitude in JW households? --You're talking about a religion most popular in red states. What do you think? --If they didn't panic about the apocalypse, then they wouldn't sell Watchtower subscriptions. Groda posted:I know from ex-Witnesses that they're really unfriendly to college education. How did they convey this growing up? My parents actively discouraged me from going to college because of the "worldly" influences. Everybody else in the congregation did this. It is very much a thing. Benne fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Mar 18, 2015 |
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Mar 18, 2015 04:00
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A few years ago when I lived in a largish city I had some visits from a JW. She came by my apartment and tried to proselytize to me. She seemed nice so I was reluctant to be rude and I just explained that I was atheist but to get her to leave, she was welcome to leave some literature. She gave me a pamphlet that I chuckled over for five minutes and threw away. The problem was she came back several more times. The second time I saw her she was by herself, and I told her that I was sorry but she was wasting her time. Basically I said that I understood it was very important to her spiritually to witness to people, but that I had a pretty solidly defined life philosophy and I just wasn't a good prospect for her. The third time she came by with another woman for support, and we had much the same discussion. She visited one more time, with a man who seemed much more confident and authoritative, like he was in charge of her, and finally I felt like I just had to be blunt and told her to stop coming around, it was never gonna happen, use your energy on somebody who will go for it, good luck, don't come back. So I guess my question here is, what was going on, on her end? Maybe I was sending mixed messages the first time, but from her second visit I felt like I was very clear that I had no interest and she was wasting her time with me. Why did she come back with more help? Is there some kind of system where you mark down prospects and you come back with a supervisor? I was kind of worried that I was screwing her up with her church elders or whoever, by not being bluntly clear from the beginning that I wanted her to leave me alone.
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Mar 18, 2015 04:34
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EvanSchenck posted:A few years ago when I lived in a largish city I had some visits from a JW. She came by my apartment and tried to proselytize to me. She seemed nice so I was reluctant to be rude and I just explained that I was atheist but to get her to leave, she was welcome to leave some literature. She gave me a pamphlet that I chuckled over for five minutes and threw away. The problem was she came back several more times. The second time I saw her she was by herself, and I told her that I was sorry but she was wasting her time. Basically I said that I understood it was very important to her spiritually to witness to people, but that I had a pretty solidly defined life philosophy and I just wasn't a good prospect for her. The third time she came by with another woman for support, and we had much the same discussion. She visited one more time, with a man who seemed much more confident and authoritative, like he was in charge of her, and finally I felt like I just had to be blunt and told her to stop coming around, it was never gonna happen, use your energy on somebody who will go for it, good luck, don't come back. Stepping in the girl's shoes, since I've been there before: You accepted literature, so there's a hopeful sign that you saw the light and wanted to talk more. That's why they keep coming back. Field service is about more than knocking on doors -- we had to make "return calls" to groom a potential convert and boost our stock in the elder's eyes, and believe me, there is a lot of loving pressure on you to return to a door that took literature. Here's a cool insider tip: JWs have a "Do Not Call" list, where they list every address that firmly states they don't want them knocking again. Believe it or not, they will actually respect this list, especially on houses with "No Soliciting" or "Beware of Dog" signs. When I left, I got a knock from a nice group and told them "put me on your Do Not Call list, nothing personal, thanks" and have had no problems since then.
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Mar 18, 2015 04:45
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If they've already started coming to your door, will the No Soliciting sign work, or do you have to explicitly tell them now? I have the same problem EvanSchenck did, I'm just too drat nice to turn someone away  I really tried the last time (today, coincidentally!) but apparently this dude thinks he's got inroads with me so he told me he'd take his chances that I'd still be unemployed next week and available for yet another literature drop-off.
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Mar 18, 2015 04:48
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oldskool posted:If they've already started coming to your door, will the No Soliciting sign work, or do you have to explicitly tell them now? This isn't rocket science -- JWs are on the same level as Mormons when it comes to graciously turning down offers. We were conditioned to answer any animosity with "okay, you have a good day, Jehovah loves you" without escalating the situation one bit. Frankly, most JWs would love to get rejected, because spending 3 hours on a weekend in field service loving suuuuccckkksss. We spent more time figuring out our lunch break than trying to convert people. It was actually pretty awesome if you had that mindset.
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Mar 18, 2015 04:57
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I remember a couple of years ago, I was just about to pull out of my parking space, when a 50-something year old woman yells something and runs up to me. I assumed that there was an emergency and pulled over. She then hands me a copy of cultist scripture. I considered a theological debate, but I was tired and wanted to get home, so I just took it and left. A question: What is the most violate rebuff you have ever seen as your time as a cultist? EDIT: And what religion do you now follow, if any? Sic Semper Goon fucked around with this message at 05:37 on Mar 18, 2015 |
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Mar 18, 2015 05:34
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Benne posted:This isn't rocket science -- JWs are on the same level as Mormons when it comes to graciously turning down offers. Part of my problem was I used the same techniques I had previously used to turn down Mormons, but the Mormons hosed away off while the JWs kept coming back.
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Mar 18, 2015 05:59
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EvanSchenck posted:Part of my problem was I used the same techniques I had previously used to turn down Mormons, but the Mormons hosed away off while the JWs kept coming back. You can thank bad paperwork for that. No really -- the congregations keep a meticulous map of territories and which groups worked those territories, and how long they were worked. The idea is to keep each map fresh with new groups rotating the calls, and they shouldn't work the same route over again with the same groups. Of course, things fall through the cracks, and you're cranky on a Saturday morning and thinking "God, didn't I just work this loving road a month ago?" Trust me, it's not any easier on the JWs than it is on the residents.
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Mar 18, 2015 07:04
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You mentioned worldly influences from college. Has there been an approach to restrict smartphones and the Internet? Has social media been utilized as a means of reaching out to potential new members?
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Mar 18, 2015 10:33
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System Metternich posted:I once attended a JW wedding and the priest (or whatever he was called) told the groom in his homily to not beat his wife too much. Is this a common attitude in JW households? Question for OP: how's the dating scene?
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Mar 18, 2015 15:26
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When you went around to people's houses, did you get anyone that had a genuine interest in learning more/converting? How often does that happen?
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Mar 18, 2015 15:55
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We used to have these two women come around every loving Saturday to speak to my mum. She used to hide and tell me to tell them she wasn't home. "Muuuummm, two ladies are here to see you" and she'd give me devil eyes as she went to talk to them. I had a two hour theological discussion with a nice Canadian lady who was in Australia to convert the heathen Australians once. I don't know why she stayed so long once it was obvious I had no interest beyond talking like an idiot atheist. Two walls banging against each other I guess.
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Mar 18, 2015 18:23
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How do they respond when confronted with factual evidence that proves their beliefs wrong? Like for instance, they insist Jesus was impaled on a "torture stake". This is just flat out wrong and can be easily refuted by referring to the Bible, which mentions "two spikes" being put in his hands (I haven't read it in a while but it's a scene in Matthew I believe when the Disciples check Christ's wounds to confirm it is him). I cannot fathom the mental hurdles one must go through to ignore this kind of evidence, it's astounding how naive some people can be. And no I'm not a fedora-wearer atheist- I'm actually a liberal gay Christian- but there is literal evidence what the JW's preach is harmful bullshit and little of them seem to care.
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Mar 18, 2015 18:30
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What was the breaking point where you realized this whole thing was a sham and you needed to get out? I'm always interested in this stuff. I was raised in a roman catholic household but my dad's side of the family was lutheran. A lot of the roman catholic rhetoric bothered me and having heavy exposure to the Lutheran Philosophy that you arent going to hell for every little thing you do wrong didn't help and by my teen years it just became impossible to reconcile the differences despite being based on the same book so I just gave up religion altogether.
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Mar 18, 2015 18:34
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How is divorce viewed among JW? How rare is it? Would a divorce be encouraged if a spouse became 'disfellowshipped'
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Mar 18, 2015 22:34
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Poolparty posted:You mentioned worldly influences from college. Has there been an approach to restrict smartphones and the Internet? The Watchtower Society is deathly afraid of the Internet, for all the reasons you'd expect. Beyond just poking holes in the doctrine, there are tons of stories about the child abuse scandal that was a massive PR hit in the mid-00s. I wouldn't say the Internet killed off the group, but there's a reason their numbers have stagnated over the past decade. I left before smartphones and social media really caught on, so I can't say how they feel about those. Outside of a token website and Youtube channel, JW doesn't seem to have much of an online presence. The Macaroni posted:Question for OP: how's the dating scene? Not really existent, though 20-somethings going to dinner with a chaperone was a thing (don't want them doing the dirty deed before marriage). Teenagers loving around behind their parents' back was also a thing, but you'll never hear anything concrete, especially if the dad was a powerful elder. For a religion with such strict standards, there is a lot more "don't ask don't tell" than you'd expect. Choose Deth posted:When you went around to people's houses, did you get anyone that had a genuine interest in learning more/converting? How often does that happen? Yeah, we got some real interest. Mostly from people who had genuine faith in God and wanted to do the right thing, but were feeling disillusioned with their church and wanted to hear something different. The agnostics and atheists were an obvious non-starter, as goons like to remind themselves ITT  JW's favorite tactic is targeting people with the message of "you want to worship God the right way and we have that right way, also you get to live forever." It's a slick and easy selling point for those kind of people. Some might even call it cultish. Captain Mog posted:How do they respond when confronted with factual evidence that proves their beliefs wrong? Like for instance, they insist Jesus was impaled on a "torture stake". This is just flat out wrong and can be easily refuted by referring to the Bible, which mentions "two spikes" being put in his hands (I haven't read it in a while but it's a scene in Matthew I believe when the Disciples check Christ's wounds to confirm it is him). I cannot fathom the mental hurdles one must go through to ignore this kind of evidence, it's astounding how naive some people can be. May be different for others, but in my group we mostly met that with a shrug and "eh, we're not here to debate you." I will say that the torture stake is an important stance in doctrine because the cross is an ubiquitous symbol of Christendom (read: the "evil churches") and JW will do anything possible to separate themselves from Christendom. That feeds into their 1914 prophecy but that will require a whole different effortpost to explain. 1500quidporsche posted:What was the breaking point where you realized this whole thing was a sham and you needed to get out? I wouldn't say there was any one breaking point. Just a gradual realization that this whole thing is bullshit, and talking to my teenage friends and them agreeing it's bullshit. Of course, you had to still put on a good face while plotting to escape, and for us that escape was "18th birthday, moving out of parent's house." We got real loving good at pretending to still care. I wish I could GIF the elder's face when he showed up at my apartment asking why I stopped going to meetings, and me saying "I'm done with the whole thing." Dr.Caligari posted:How is divorce viewed among JW? How rare is it? Divorce is discouraged, but they use the biblical exception of allowing it if adultery occurs. If the husband is disfellowshipped, it becomes this weird thing where the wife is expected to keep going to meetings and keeping the faith, all in the name of "perseverance" in the wake of her now wicked husband. Same if the genders are reversed.
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Mar 18, 2015 23:54
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Benne posted:and JW will do anything possible to separate themselves from Christendom. Wait, what? Also, can minors be "disfellowshipped"? Like, if a 17 year old child of two Jehovah's Witnesses pulls some unforgivable stuff, what happens?
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Mar 19, 2015 00:42
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Captain Mog posted:How do they respond when confronted with factual evidence that proves their beliefs wrong? Like for instance, they insist Jesus was impaled on a "torture stake". This is just flat out wrong and can be easily refuted by referring to the Bible, which mentions "two spikes" being put in his hands (I haven't read it in a while but it's a scene in Matthew I believe when the Disciples check Christ's wounds to confirm it is him). I cannot fathom the mental hurdles one must go through to ignore this kind of evidence, it's astounding how naive some people can be. The Bible is not really a factual, unbiased source dude. It's like "clearly your unsourced anecdote from 2000 years ago is wrong, this OTHER unsourced anecdote from 2000 years ago says so!!!!!!!" Benne posted:Some might even call it cultish. Now who would say such a thing?
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Mar 19, 2015 01:03
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icantfindaname posted:The Bible is not really a factual, unbiased source dude. It's like "clearly your unsourced anecdote from 2000 years ago is wrong, this OTHER unsourced anecdote from 2000 years ago says so!!!!!!!" Pretty much this. Despite what any religious person might tell you there's no definitive version of the bible known to exist. The whole protestant movement started up due to the fact that people found versions of the bible older than the vulgate (the offical roman catholic version) and that there were discrepancies when translated, it didn't help that somebody determined the vulgate was revised as late as the 5th century and the printing press proliferated at that time. I sort of quietly chuckle to myself when you hear a pastor/preacher claiming the King James is the only version you should read and all others are sent to by the devil. Thought up another question though I don't know how much you can elaborate on it. Do you know anything about Prince's conversion? Was he a sort of celebrity in the JW community and/or held up as an example of the power of door knocking?
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Mar 19, 2015 01:18
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Also the wording used in the bible is a little ambiguous on exactly what the crucifixion took place on, so claiming that they're stupid for thinking it was a stake rather than a cross is a bit silly.
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Mar 19, 2015 02:17
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Captain Bravo posted:Wait, what? You know how a lot of people say organized Christianity is materialistic, hypocritical, obsessed with money and power, and doesn't actually follow Jesus' teachings? Jehovah's Witnesses agree with that. They, on the other hand, are actually doing it right.
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Mar 19, 2015 03:48
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I am curious about the 144000 thing, because I heard the number was 12000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Which is fine, whatever. But then I get JW's of clearly non-abrahamic descent knocking at my door. Do they just rationalize that away, or what? Also, is it cruel to play with them if they are persistent? I figure if they don't leave after I say "Oh, I'm an atheist, so thanks but no thanks" in a nice voice, they become fair game for...interesting questions. But if it's because they're forbidden from leaving me by church rules, even if they're personally not into it, then I feel bad.
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Mar 19, 2015 05:20
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Domus posted:I am curious about the 144000 thing, because I heard the number was 12000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Which is fine, whatever. But then I get JW's of clearly non-abrahamic descent knocking at my door. Do they just rationalize that away, or what? The 144,000 are preordained members and includes people like John The Baptist. So it's basically like a sports Hall of Fame -- people get inducted if they're old enough. There aren't many of The Anointed left alive and they pretty much shut the door on new entrants. quote:Also, is it cruel to play with them if they are persistent? I figure if they don't leave after I say "Oh, I'm an atheist, so thanks but no thanks" in a nice voice, they become fair game for...interesting questions. But if it's because they're forbidden from leaving me by church rules, even if they're personally not into it, then I feel bad. Speaking purely from my JW mindset, just tell us to put your address on our "Do not Return" list and we'll leave you alone.  More serious answer: The JWs, as flawed as their doctrine and standards, are human beings too. We hated working the same routes as much as you hated seeing the same people every week. Sometimes that can't be helped, since the more influential pioneers and elders hang on to the same territories and the rest of us were forced to work the same loving addresses month after month. I mentioned this upthread, but countless Saturday field services have gone like this: "What's our territory?" "This same one we worked 3 weeks ago and nobody wants us back" "....when's the lunch break?" But we worked it, because field service hours is more important than actually winning converts. Gotta prove how much you love Jehovah, after all. So to all the snarky types who love coming up with witty ways to reject JWs: You didn't actually hurt them. If anything, they wish you'd reject them harder so they can go on a lunch break sooner. There's a good chance they take this less seriously than you do. Be nice, firmly tell them to put you on the "Do Not Return" list, and move on.
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Mar 19, 2015 06:45
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Benne posted:My parents actively discouraged me from going to college because of the "worldly" influences. Everybody else in the congregation did this. It is very much a thing. Did they have any particular tall tales of what went on at college (or educational films, or books), or do accusations of worldliness suffice among JW's?
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Mar 19, 2015 06:45
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Groda posted:Did they have any particular tall tales of what went on at college (or educational films, or books), or do accusations of worldliness suffice among JW's? Nothing that I heard first-hand, so sorry about the non-answer. My stepdad was in the Navy and served in the Gulf War before converting to JW. He kept teasing me and my siblings as kids about all these state secrets he knew but couldn't tell us, and how much Jehovah saved him. Last time I saw him (about 2 years ago) he was still ranting about all the things he knew but couldn't tell us. Paraphrased:"I know things about this country that would blow your mind, but I love Jehovah more, and if you won't serve him then we can't see each other any more. By the way, I was in the Navy and know things you wouldn't believe. Your sister is getting married to a 'worldly' man so I refuse to go to her wedding. Did I mention I was in the Navy?"
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Mar 19, 2015 07:08
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The regular missionary activity reminds me of being in Scouts as a kid. I almost never enjoyed going to weekly meetings or fundraising or whatever, spent the whole time looking at the clock and wishing it was over already, but I kept going every week because that's what was normal in my family and social group. Would you ever go out solo, or always as a group? I imagine more than a few disenchanted people would just hang out for a few hours and fill out a fake report if no one else was there to watch them. I always wonder how often two slackers get paired together in Mormon missions and just blow it off and cover for each other.
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Mar 19, 2015 07:11
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Kellsterik posted:Would you ever go out solo, or always as a group? I imagine more than a few disenchanted people would just hang out for a few hours and fill out a fake report if no one else was there to watch them. I always wonder how often two slackers get paired together in Mormon missions and just blow it off and cover for each other. Oh yeah, this happens. Basically every Saturday morning we'd gather at an elder's house, read a scripture to inspire us, say a prayer, then we'd get split up into groups. The strongest preachers get paired together, then the lazy assholes would just go and take the easiest route, because even the elders could smell bullshit and just write us off. So we'd go and do our 2 hours, pray for empty houses, and be terrified if someone actually answers our knock. This is probably where you get most of the Internet "I TOTALLY OWNED A JW" stories, because it's useless fuckers like us who don't even want to be there. Benne fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Mar 19, 2015 |
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Mar 19, 2015 07:38
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To what degree would you consider JW to be predatory on people with emotional problems? Like is the average JW member noticeably desperate for community / belonging or otherwise codependent with the organization?
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Mar 19, 2015 09:35
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Any cool stories about Prince, or Larry Graham?
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Mar 19, 2015 13:39
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Kellsterik posted:The regular missionary activity reminds me of being in Scouts as a kid. I almost never enjoyed going to weekly meetings or fundraising or whatever, spent the whole time looking at the clock and wishing it was over already, but I kept going every week because that's what was normal in my family and social group. I came to skepticism and atheism pretty honestly in my teenage years (The internet was barely a thing people had so I couldn't even say I was doing it to be cool on facebook). If I was in a hyper-religious family that required I annoy people on their days off I'd have probably just gone to a movie/arcade/skate park then lied about it later.
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Mar 19, 2015 15:55
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I've read a few things, but what is the JW stance on voting and lobbying? Like, participating in political processes? I've heard they're pretty down on it. I know Xmas and birthdays are out; is there anytime when it's okay to celebrate as a JW? Or is it more of a "Jesus hates happiness" kind of thing? Benne posted:--Organ transplants haven't really come up in my personal experience or local area, but I've heard it's a thing on occasion. Basically it's more of a "case by case" thing where they're willing to overlook it if, say, a beloved elder needs a new kidney. Ham Equity fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Mar 19, 2015 |
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Mar 19, 2015 17:54
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When other kids at school brought in cupcakes for their birthdays, did you have to sit outside in the hallway?
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Mar 19, 2015 18:46
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What's the story with international prostyletizing and the JW? I was in the Peace Corps living in the middle of nowhere in the Dominican Republic, a really lovely poor rural town on the border with Haiti. I was surprised to find that there were other gringos in town: a variety of JWs: a German, American, Canadian, and Norwegian. The ones I talked to seemed pretty laid back and honestly didn't bring up their faith. They seemed to be financing their own missionary work through savings and side jobs. There were local Dominican converts as well. It seemed like lots of small towns in the country had a JW meeting hall (or whatever it's called). Despite the really lovely buildings and shanty towns everywhere, you'd often see a perfectly maintained, identical JW building when passing through a town. I was impressed by their grass roots work, organization, and level of integration with the local community. That Watchtower magazine gets around--there weren't many printed materials in the area, but there were always shiny Spanish and Haitian Creole copies of their magazine (I'd cut the pictures out to use in activities with kids.) Those dudes were sharp dressers, too. They seemed fairly successful in getting converts, which I imagine is a lot easier in a poorer, more chaotic area. They went out of their way to learn Spanish and Haitian Creole to win people over. Everyone assumed that I was some sort of missionary, which was kind of annoying, but at least the JW foreigners had a good reputation. Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Mar 19, 2015 |
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Mar 19, 2015 20:01
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