A Few Snippets From The Golden Age Magazine.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
"The Always on a Saturday" blog has an interesting article titled "Things No Jehovah’s Witness Will Ever Tell You". Here are two examples listed in that article.
Flattery is one of our favorite tools we use to win you over. We like to make you feel special, so that you continue to feel good about listening to us. When it is your turn to preach, we will expect you to use this same tool on yet others.
We would have you believe that the brothers love each other. In actuality, rivalry is widespread amongst congregation members, as each tries to out-do and outshine the other. After all, there are 'privileges' on offer, and these will only be yours if you tow the Watchtower line.
Link to the full article here.
Flattery is one of our favorite tools we use to win you over. We like to make you feel special, so that you continue to feel good about listening to us. When it is your turn to preach, we will expect you to use this same tool on yet others.
We would have you believe that the brothers love each other. In actuality, rivalry is widespread amongst congregation members, as each tries to out-do and outshine the other. After all, there are 'privileges' on offer, and these will only be yours if you tow the Watchtower line.
Link to the full article here.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
HOW THE ORGANIZATION HAS LASTED THIS LONG?
By Mary From The JWN Site.
For decades, the Organization rolled along, safe in the knowledge that they had an 70 or 80 year window with which to rule a pliable flock. The entire religion was built on the notion that The End was imminent and they were lucky enough to have World War I, then the Great Depression, then World War II and the Holocaust to help bolster their claims of how rotten the world was.
From the 1870s onward, Charles Russell was not unlike many others of his day who had an interest in the bible and the fact that he was rich enabled him to start printing his own literature and distributing it to the masses. Many of those that joined him were most likely pissed off at ‘mainstream religion' for one thing or another and some of Russell's views were so crazy that I supposed many of the Bible Students figured he must be right. Hey-didn't they call Jesus a crackpot in his day? Boy oh boy were these people ever going to be sorry when Armageddon shows up in 1914. Jehovah was going to arrive from the Dagobah System Pleiades and smite all of Brother Russell's accusers dead and we're all going up to heaven end of story.
*drums nails while sitting on top of a hill* Free Smiley Face 'Soooo, Charlie, um, where's Jesus? I thought he was supposed to be coming to take us home tonight?' 1914 was the first of a long line of failed prophecies and disappointments in the Organization and Charles Russell----while nowhere near as dogmatic as those that came after him----set the precedence when he failed to apologize for, or even acknowledging the fact that he totally screwed up and obviously hadn't a clue what he was talking about. Instead, he clapped his hands together on the day that he had promised everyone they'd be going to heaven and simply claimed that Jesus returned invisibly.
This didn't wash with a lot of Bible Students though, and approximately 25% of his followers left the religion. Those that remained were disappointed but gullibility covers a multitude of false prophecies and if they couldn't see the pink elephant in the middle of the room, they were obviously lacking in faith and had better straighten up lest they be case out into the outer darkness where they would weep and gnash their teeth.
The next date for The End was 1925 and Judge Rutherford was foolish enough to write all kinds of crazy ‘truths' about the date. The most memorable and infamous was that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be resurrected immediately or sooner and would need a really nice place to live and bought Beth Sarim for them. Being the thoughtful soul that he was, Rutherford even offered to live there until they showed up which of course they never did. As the world sunk into the Great Depression, Rutherford lived in a style more on par with Al Capone rather than a humble servant of Christ. If there was one true thing written in all their literature, it was when Rutherford admitted "I made an ass of myself." Free Smiley Face
World War II erupted and renewed excitement for Armageddon reached new heights of fanaticism. Witnesses were told to put off marriage and having children for the ‘remaining months' until the New System arrived. Which, despite the assurance of the Watchtower, did not arrive as predicted. What a huge surprise.
When The End didn't show up at the end of WWII, they were still lucky enough that no one was questioning their claims because at that time, people in general still obeyed anyone in authority and after what they had just witnessed on the world scene was enough to convince most Witnesses that they had 'the Truth' and that The End was still nigh. Plus, the 1950's were about 40 years after Jesus supposedly returned and was within that 'generation' and every Witness at that time knew that there was also about 40 years from when Jesus gave the signs to his disciples, and when Jerusalem was actually destroyed. The parallel time frame between the last days of Jerusalem before her destruction, and the aftermath of WWII was too coincidental (in their minds) for them to ignore.
The 1960s of course was when Uncle Freddie came up with the brainiac idea that 1975 would be 'The End' and the articles and assemblies during that time all confirmed it: ‘Stay Alive Til '75' was probably the most repeated phrase amongst the Witnesses at that time and it gave some of the older Witnesses who had been around during WWI and II, renewed hope that they would never have to die and would indeed, live on into the New System. The Organization witnessed an increase in the early 1970s unlike any other time before or since and it was all because they had more or less promised that 'soon', all our problems would be gone----within a matter of months, or a few years at the most. (I specifically remember one elder telling my parents that they might only have to wait 5 years to see my sister who died in 1970 of a brain tumor).
1975 of course turned out to be an April Fool's joke gone bad and numerous Witnesses left the Organization. Although this was hugely embarrassing for them as a whole, there is nothing to indicate that Freddie Franz himself was the least bit embarrassed or humbled himself for promoting this farce of a date in the first place. A half-assed 'apology' (if you can call it that) was issued in a 1980 WT article and the men at the top were eager to put the whole sordid mess behind them. Nothing could have prepared them for what was about to happen.
In 1980/1981 several of the Bethel family (and even some who weren't living at Bethel) realized (through reading the bible apart from the Society's literature) that many of the teachings being put forth as 'truth', were nothing but lies. This of course, did not go over very well with several members of the Governing Body as they simply weren't used to having anything they say, questioned. After decades of ruling a fictile flock, they had come to ‘believe their own press' and to question anything they said, was to question God Himself. Free Smiley Face
The fall out and disfellowshipping of these ones, including Ray Franz was the beginning of the clamp down on any dissent in the Organization and the paranoia that ensued gave the Salem Witch Trials a run for its money. Disfellowshipping practices and loyalty to the Organization were top priority and for the most part, worked. We all heard that 'something' bad had happened at Bethel and that a member of the Governing Body had been disfellowshipped for 'apostasy', was mentally deranged and in the clutches of Satan. There was general agreement that Ray was the Judas Iscariot of JWs and the sooner Armageddon came and destroyed men like him, the better off we'd all be. Very few outside of Bethel really knew what had happened and since the GB still controlled virtually all information that Witnesses read, most of us were left in the dark.
Crisis of Conscience of course, blew the lid off all the Governing Body's dirty little secrets and the only thing that saved Ray's life as a human being is the fact that capitol punishment is the one punishment the Borg was not allowed to enforce in this country. Even so, with 1975 forgotten and the 'great apostasy' pushed to the background, the Organization carried on but not with quite as much boasting and bragging as they had in years past. Now they had some egg on their face, even though the vast majority of Witnesses never read Crisis of Conscience and would be facing a 3 Man Kangaroo Court if caught with a copy.
1984 marked 70 years since 1914 and since a generation at the most was 70 or 80 years, Armageddon surely must be right around the corner now right? The late 80s had a couple of incidents that raised the hopes of Witnesses everywhere: 1986 was declared the International Year of Peace and so shouldn't 'destruction be instantly upon them' at any time now? Plus, Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan (the Kings of the North and South) seemed to be on pretty friendly terms.....gosh, doesn't this fulfill bible prophecy about them 'sitting down at one table' and speaking lies?
Nothing of course happened and the next few years rolled along fairly uneventfully until the early 1990s. 1994 was 80 years---the official cut off for a 'generation' and where the hell was Armageddon? Why was it taking so long to get here? Aaaaah......here's why: The November 1995 Watchtower, (written directly by Jehovah), explained that the phrase "this generation" didn't really mean 70 or 80 years after all----it really doesn't mean anything and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Wait a minute-no we don't apologize.....we take that back. Don't worry---Armageddon is reeeeeally, really close now so don't give up!! And for all you brothers and sisters that made life decisions based on Armageddon coming within ‘this generation'-----oh well, too bad, so sad. I guess we can "thank the Lord, even for the mistake."
This was too much for some Witnesses and a slow but steady stream started making their way towards the Exit door. And if that wasn't enough, there was this new form of communication out called 'the internet' which allowed people to access all kinds of information from the privacy of their own homes. Wait a minute! That's no good!! How can you control peoples lives and minds if they can read things that you don't want them to see?! Rrrrrgh.....Articles starting coming out in the WT and Kingdumb Ministry about the evils of the internet but it was too fascinating a tool to ignore and their warnings were, for the most part, ignored.
With the 'generation' doctrine in the toilet and unlimited access to support groups and information about the religion available to anyone around the world, the GB members have panicked right into the 21st century and still try feebly to give stern warning about the internet but it's like closing the gate after the horse has bolted. The internet has exposed the religion as not being from God, but a mish-mash of failed predictions, luck and bizarre theories.
No, they do not have quite the swagger they used to have. Zero percent increase in most developed nations shows that when they now say "jump", more and more are asking "why?" not "how high?"
By Mary From The JWN Site.
For decades, the Organization rolled along, safe in the knowledge that they had an 70 or 80 year window with which to rule a pliable flock. The entire religion was built on the notion that The End was imminent and they were lucky enough to have World War I, then the Great Depression, then World War II and the Holocaust to help bolster their claims of how rotten the world was.
From the 1870s onward, Charles Russell was not unlike many others of his day who had an interest in the bible and the fact that he was rich enabled him to start printing his own literature and distributing it to the masses. Many of those that joined him were most likely pissed off at ‘mainstream religion' for one thing or another and some of Russell's views were so crazy that I supposed many of the Bible Students figured he must be right. Hey-didn't they call Jesus a crackpot in his day? Boy oh boy were these people ever going to be sorry when Armageddon shows up in 1914. Jehovah was going to arrive from the Dagobah System Pleiades and smite all of Brother Russell's accusers dead and we're all going up to heaven end of story.
*drums nails while sitting on top of a hill* Free Smiley Face 'Soooo, Charlie, um, where's Jesus? I thought he was supposed to be coming to take us home tonight?' 1914 was the first of a long line of failed prophecies and disappointments in the Organization and Charles Russell----while nowhere near as dogmatic as those that came after him----set the precedence when he failed to apologize for, or even acknowledging the fact that he totally screwed up and obviously hadn't a clue what he was talking about. Instead, he clapped his hands together on the day that he had promised everyone they'd be going to heaven and simply claimed that Jesus returned invisibly.
This didn't wash with a lot of Bible Students though, and approximately 25% of his followers left the religion. Those that remained were disappointed but gullibility covers a multitude of false prophecies and if they couldn't see the pink elephant in the middle of the room, they were obviously lacking in faith and had better straighten up lest they be case out into the outer darkness where they would weep and gnash their teeth.
The next date for The End was 1925 and Judge Rutherford was foolish enough to write all kinds of crazy ‘truths' about the date. The most memorable and infamous was that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be resurrected immediately or sooner and would need a really nice place to live and bought Beth Sarim for them. Being the thoughtful soul that he was, Rutherford even offered to live there until they showed up which of course they never did. As the world sunk into the Great Depression, Rutherford lived in a style more on par with Al Capone rather than a humble servant of Christ. If there was one true thing written in all their literature, it was when Rutherford admitted "I made an ass of myself." Free Smiley Face
World War II erupted and renewed excitement for Armageddon reached new heights of fanaticism. Witnesses were told to put off marriage and having children for the ‘remaining months' until the New System arrived. Which, despite the assurance of the Watchtower, did not arrive as predicted. What a huge surprise.
When The End didn't show up at the end of WWII, they were still lucky enough that no one was questioning their claims because at that time, people in general still obeyed anyone in authority and after what they had just witnessed on the world scene was enough to convince most Witnesses that they had 'the Truth' and that The End was still nigh. Plus, the 1950's were about 40 years after Jesus supposedly returned and was within that 'generation' and every Witness at that time knew that there was also about 40 years from when Jesus gave the signs to his disciples, and when Jerusalem was actually destroyed. The parallel time frame between the last days of Jerusalem before her destruction, and the aftermath of WWII was too coincidental (in their minds) for them to ignore.
The 1960s of course was when Uncle Freddie came up with the brainiac idea that 1975 would be 'The End' and the articles and assemblies during that time all confirmed it: ‘Stay Alive Til '75' was probably the most repeated phrase amongst the Witnesses at that time and it gave some of the older Witnesses who had been around during WWI and II, renewed hope that they would never have to die and would indeed, live on into the New System. The Organization witnessed an increase in the early 1970s unlike any other time before or since and it was all because they had more or less promised that 'soon', all our problems would be gone----within a matter of months, or a few years at the most. (I specifically remember one elder telling my parents that they might only have to wait 5 years to see my sister who died in 1970 of a brain tumor).
1975 of course turned out to be an April Fool's joke gone bad and numerous Witnesses left the Organization. Although this was hugely embarrassing for them as a whole, there is nothing to indicate that Freddie Franz himself was the least bit embarrassed or humbled himself for promoting this farce of a date in the first place. A half-assed 'apology' (if you can call it that) was issued in a 1980 WT article and the men at the top were eager to put the whole sordid mess behind them. Nothing could have prepared them for what was about to happen.
In 1980/1981 several of the Bethel family (and even some who weren't living at Bethel) realized (through reading the bible apart from the Society's literature) that many of the teachings being put forth as 'truth', were nothing but lies. This of course, did not go over very well with several members of the Governing Body as they simply weren't used to having anything they say, questioned. After decades of ruling a fictile flock, they had come to ‘believe their own press' and to question anything they said, was to question God Himself. Free Smiley Face
The fall out and disfellowshipping of these ones, including Ray Franz was the beginning of the clamp down on any dissent in the Organization and the paranoia that ensued gave the Salem Witch Trials a run for its money. Disfellowshipping practices and loyalty to the Organization were top priority and for the most part, worked. We all heard that 'something' bad had happened at Bethel and that a member of the Governing Body had been disfellowshipped for 'apostasy', was mentally deranged and in the clutches of Satan. There was general agreement that Ray was the Judas Iscariot of JWs and the sooner Armageddon came and destroyed men like him, the better off we'd all be. Very few outside of Bethel really knew what had happened and since the GB still controlled virtually all information that Witnesses read, most of us were left in the dark.
Crisis of Conscience of course, blew the lid off all the Governing Body's dirty little secrets and the only thing that saved Ray's life as a human being is the fact that capitol punishment is the one punishment the Borg was not allowed to enforce in this country. Even so, with 1975 forgotten and the 'great apostasy' pushed to the background, the Organization carried on but not with quite as much boasting and bragging as they had in years past. Now they had some egg on their face, even though the vast majority of Witnesses never read Crisis of Conscience and would be facing a 3 Man Kangaroo Court if caught with a copy.
1984 marked 70 years since 1914 and since a generation at the most was 70 or 80 years, Armageddon surely must be right around the corner now right? The late 80s had a couple of incidents that raised the hopes of Witnesses everywhere: 1986 was declared the International Year of Peace and so shouldn't 'destruction be instantly upon them' at any time now? Plus, Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan (the Kings of the North and South) seemed to be on pretty friendly terms.....gosh, doesn't this fulfill bible prophecy about them 'sitting down at one table' and speaking lies?
Nothing of course happened and the next few years rolled along fairly uneventfully until the early 1990s. 1994 was 80 years---the official cut off for a 'generation' and where the hell was Armageddon? Why was it taking so long to get here? Aaaaah......here's why: The November 1995 Watchtower, (written directly by Jehovah), explained that the phrase "this generation" didn't really mean 70 or 80 years after all----it really doesn't mean anything and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Wait a minute-no we don't apologize.....we take that back. Don't worry---Armageddon is reeeeeally, really close now so don't give up!! And for all you brothers and sisters that made life decisions based on Armageddon coming within ‘this generation'-----oh well, too bad, so sad. I guess we can "thank the Lord, even for the mistake."
This was too much for some Witnesses and a slow but steady stream started making their way towards the Exit door. And if that wasn't enough, there was this new form of communication out called 'the internet' which allowed people to access all kinds of information from the privacy of their own homes. Wait a minute! That's no good!! How can you control peoples lives and minds if they can read things that you don't want them to see?! Rrrrrgh.....Articles starting coming out in the WT and Kingdumb Ministry about the evils of the internet but it was too fascinating a tool to ignore and their warnings were, for the most part, ignored.
With the 'generation' doctrine in the toilet and unlimited access to support groups and information about the religion available to anyone around the world, the GB members have panicked right into the 21st century and still try feebly to give stern warning about the internet but it's like closing the gate after the horse has bolted. The internet has exposed the religion as not being from God, but a mish-mash of failed predictions, luck and bizarre theories.
No, they do not have quite the swagger they used to have. Zero percent increase in most developed nations shows that when they now say "jump", more and more are asking "why?" not "how high?"
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Shunning, A Study In Punishment.
Source - http://web.archive.org/web/20060821084019/users.uniserve.com/~renford/shun.htm
The punishment levied against Jehovah’s Witnesses who by the judgment of men are unrepentant sinners. Sinners deserving of a social and spiritual death. It is said that such punishment is a loving gesture to teach the sinner that they are wrong and that shunning will bring them back to God. Is such a teaching or practice truly a loving gesture, what purpose does it really serve? Is this the way Jesus would have treated fellow humans? A person must ask oneself, if indeed a person is so wicked and evil, why would it be necessary for a ruling of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses to cut such people off. Surely, if a person did not want to be a part of the religion they would cease associating with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. And on the other hand if one is a true Christian and lives by the principles of the Bible, would not their own conscience tell them not seek out and associate with such evil and wicked people?
Furthermore one must accept the premise that because of the imperfection of men, and the misuse of power, many mistakes in judgment are bound to take place. Meaning that many who are truly repentant are disfellowshipped needlessly, causing tremendous emotional upheaval and mental trauma. Moreover as history and documentation can testify this has happened thousands of times, and in many cases has contributed to the emotional breakdown of such individuals, leading some to suicide, it has also contributed to the breakup of many families. Why is this hard and fast regulation enforced upon people who claim to have the truth of Christianity, when there is so much room for abuse and misjudgment.
The following is an examination into this practice and why it is used, and the effects it can have on human lives. This is a story of some one who was disfellowshipped because they refused to treat their mother in such a manner. They could not bring themselves to shun the person who brought them into the world.
shun - to keep away from; avoid scrupulously or consistently. (Webster’s New World Dictionary) - to keep clear of; avoid. (Funk and Wagnalls Standard Desk Dictionary)
Why It Works
Why would I be afraid of someone who threatened not to talk to me unless I behaved a certain way? Why would I punish someone by not talking to them? Why would people try and try to gain the acceptance of a group who would look right through them without speaking or even acknowledge them when they chance met? What are the rewards for the shunners? What are the rewards for the shunned?
As one who once was associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses, I have shunned and been shunned. I believe many, maybe most, people when exposed to shunning are not attracted to or by it. When the disfellowshipping doctrine is explained to people who are not familiar with Jehovah’s Witnesses practice of shunning they can not believe that such a thing is practiced, they stand there in disbelieve. When I was associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses I remember once a disfellowshipped woman with small children had attended a Thursday night Kingdom Hall meeting that ended about 9:45 PM. She was required to sit in the back and she could not speak to or be spoken to by anyone there. When we left the meeting this disfellowshipped woman was still there after 10:00 PM deep in a residential neighborhood with small children and a broken down car. We all did our duty to the Watchtower and shunned her. We did not offer to help her. I never saw her again.
Why the threat of shunning helped to keep me in line is clearer to me today.
I believe that very night we “freed” the woman with the broken car, but we further enslaved ourselves to the teachings and doctrines of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society :
For two reasons:
(1) We reinforced each other by participating in a crime. In order for me to accept my own (truly un-Christian) behavior I had to approve, reinforce, accept, and condone the behavior of all the other members of the group. Shunning gave me the illusion of power. The illusion of power to a powerless person is a drug.
(2) The group members modeled for me what they were willing to do in keeping the commands of the Society. For a moment I put myself in that woman’s place, and I knew I didn’t want to be there. Raised by Witness parents and taught by the Society since age seven, all my real security was tied up with a Watchtower ribbon. The thought of leaving the group was unthinkable. Regularly scheduled portions of Kingdom Hall meetings were discussions on disfellowshipping, shunning, and the consequences of leaving “Jehovah’s Organization.”
Shunning means those whom we used to call brothers and sisters we would now pass in the market or street without acknowledging. When I practiced shunning while in the company of another Witness the act of shunning would, in my own eyes, be a witnessed proof of my loyalty to Jehovah. I was on spiritual high ground (a sort of religious “high”). While alone I was less bold when a shunning opportunity would arise, but if I thought that there may be even a chance that another Jehovah’s Witness might be watching I would “play the part” all the way. If it was a private situation, however, I might feel somewhat uncomfortable and maybe even make eye contact and nod.
Why it is Done
As mentioned earlier the reason that this is practiced is to bring people back to their senses as it were. To bring them back to God. However a close study of the practice suggests another reason why this is practiced. It appears that the reason is, control. Anytime you want to control a person or a group of people, the most effective method, is the use of fear. In the case of shunning, because of the fear of the effects shunning can have on people, the individual or group of individuals will submit to the controlling parties, in this case the Governing Body. Absolute control can then be exercised over the people involved. Thus, would this not indicate that this practice is unchristian? For the Bible says that the truth will set you free. How can a person be truly free and exercise ones own conscience if one is made to live in fear of being shunned. Would not our reason to avoid wrong doing be the fear of displeasing God. In all the cases I have observed in 30 years of association, the individuals that were disfellowshipped, were not wicked people, they were imperfect people who had weaknesses.
Shunning as Spiritual Abuse
Recently, during a conversation with another former Jehovah’s Witness, the subject of abuse came up. The question was asked, “Is there any context of involvement with Jehovah’s Witnesses that is not direct abuse, indirect abuse, or a set up for abuse? We batted this around for a couple of hours and concluded that in every situation we could come up with involving Jehovah’s Witnesses there is a real or potential victim. Real or threatened, physical, mental, emotional, and verbal abuse is their power over members and often former members. Fear, guilt, shame, hatred, and later resentment and anger kept me with them selling Watchtowers on street corners, and from house to house.
Shunning is probably the ultimate rejection of anyone as a person and maybe the cruelest mental, emotional, and psychological form of abuse. The results of the shunning by Jehovah’s Witnesses done to people was substantial pain and suffering but only as long as it is allowed to continue.
Shunning is a Drug... ..and drug users need enablers. I've noticed a few things about abusers of people and things. A person who abuses other humans does it for a reason. It is the same as any addiction to a substance or behavior. The addict gets something out of it, a "reward." I have done research on the subject of addiction and have reached some interesting conclusions.
Addicts need a drug , abusers need a victim. Shunners are playing a mind game and they need a playmate who will follow the rules. Shunning is their drug. Abusers need help to carry out their abuse. They need enablers (victims). Without their victims they can not continue to abuse. Watchtower rules for shunning must be followed by both shunner and VICTIM or shunning doesn't work! Shunning is a show. To best work it needs an arena to be played in, and an audience. Emotional abuse hurts just as bad as physical abuse even though the scars are not on the outside.
SUMMARY
It is true that many who have had just thoughts different from the Society have been expelled. Many tried to quietly slip away from the organization, only to be pursued and expelled because their views differed from that of the organization. There are literally thousands of such experiences worldwide. The emotional and mental anguish brought about by such actions have had a tremendous human toll. A toll of helpless anxiety, and emotional stress to the point where many have taken there own lives. Many have been victims of injustice, and are told to wait on Jehovah, and they wait and wait and wait. Many keep asking themselves, if the very ones that God has presumably put there to shepard and protect, do nothing to correct the injustice, how possible can God bless or even support such an arrangement? Many more go onto to ask, are these the actions of true Christians, and is true love evident? The love that identifies true Christians.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
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