Maybe because you can’t move out of the house either?
Just a guess …
well, strictly speaking, the only allowed reason for divorce is adultry - so the fact that the divorce is allowed/accepted would be evidence that the other has already been fornicatin’.
I assume this particular ‘rule’ is only in the case where there might be some other reason for the divorce ( aka - the ‘other’ was a non-believer and did it to get away) - at some point, this rule will get ‘glossed’ over or they will just assume that the other party has been fornicatin’.
Glad to see pot’s not on the list!
Many of those ‘rules’ the organization has broken on its own - but for this last one -
I have a copy. I’ve read it - and no - I am not now, nor have I ever been, a JW - much less an elder. But you are correct - it is not a book that most of the ‘flock’ are even aware of.
The current version is entitled “Pay attention to yourselves and all the flock”
I also have an older copy of the “Branch Organization” book - it contains the writing guide and other details - its admittedly probably a little out of date at this point.
Darnit - I got that backwards - the previous version was “Pay attention…” - the current version is “shepard the flock of god”
From the “Letter” that accompanies the book -
To Annie-Xmas: I would be very interested to know where you got that list.
I have served on a jury ONCE, and intended to do so to improve my skills in the legal profession. As I noted, it’s not too likely I ever will again.
My experience with the Salvation Army is rather anecdotal and unpleasant: My brother and sister and I had been attending their Sunday school when I was about 10, and our family had hit the skids financially; the church promised us food and other things around Christmas in 1959. They never came through.
To return to my first point in this post, I have noticed one thing in common with the replies I get (the negative ones): invective. For some reason, Dopers who criticize me don’t do so unless they can in the most boorish, ill-mannered fashion. I cannot claim to be perfect in this regard, but I don’t use a hateful or scornful tone as a criterion. When people reply to me thus, it impresses me as NOT objective. (I had a teacher who, writing a critique of my compositions, said: “Document what you say, or it becomes invective only, and loses effect.”)
(Underlining hers.)
I have been on this message board for nearly 10 years and I cannot remember a Pit thread blowing up in the face of an OP as much as this one has.
Just curious. How did you swing that one? It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you can get on Amazon.
Just curious. How did you swing that one? It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you can get on Amazon.
Yup. Here’s a cite:
WHile I was researching the JW history and beliefs about a decade ago - I found a nice network of other people doing the same thing (some X, some family members of members, etc) . One of them got it and made it available. It was produced in PDF format (not a physical book) so it is fairly easy to ‘share’ if needed.
<bolding mine> - what difference does it make? is it accurate or not?
Eh. Truth be told, there were a couple of posts that were surprising in their tone to me, and dougie isn’t melting down any more than usual. He’s always been a bit of an odd bird - there was a thread a few years ago about how a Venture Brothers spoof of Scooby-Doo was immoral or some such.
For it to blow up in his face, I’d expect a much bigger kicking and screaming reaction. This thread mostly just never launched.
You missed the time BigT pitted his mom and the grocer for giving him the wrong cheese?
That’s a good one. There have some memorable ones over the years.
The ex JW networks online are heartbreaking. If it weren’t for people like you who bothered to provide research and cites, it would be hard to believe the insanity this sect practices. It’s hard to read through discussions and pleas for help from recently disfellowshipped JWs without tearing up. Someone posted a copy of a 1994 Watchtower dedicated to kids who died due to refusing transfusions. The cover is plastered with their photos. Dead kids, proudly displayed. Jehovah's Witness magazine proudly showing the faces of children who died by refusing a blood transfusion (pic) - Imgur
That’s horrid. Sick.
and its a perfect example of thier cult like control -
On one hand - they’ll tell you “its up to the individuals concience” on these matters - then they’ll plaster the magazines with stories of “strong kids giving up thier lives in service by refusing - ‘don’t you want to be like them’ ?”… they will further the ‘evils’ of blood transfusions with tidbits about ‘contaminated blood’ and ‘how its a big business’ and reported stories of how ‘x survived without it’ - all which are half truths or poorly researched, but since the WT has demonized all sources of information BUT the WT - especially when it disagrees with the WT -
From the elders manual -
They consider ‘any’ taking of blood as being ‘willing’ - even if done against the persons will (as by court order) - thats the “extreme pressure”.
The “Committee” referred to here is the “judicial committee” - meaning that this is a disfellowshipping offense.
This shows how much the “individual’s conscience” is allowed to play a role in it - re: disfellowshipping vs disassociationis a distinction with out a real difference - they just place the blame differently -
Note that in the cases of disassociation - it is still the elders in most cases that make this decision .
CLee, forgive me, but attention to detail has never been my strongest personal characteristic, and if you’ve covered this elsewhere I’ve missed it.
Anyway, you come off as pretty well-informed about this issue. Are you yourself a disfellowshipped or apostate JW, or do you have a personal relationship with someone who is?
No, but my dearest friend dated a brilliant but lost ex JW for years. He was a fixture in my life for a long time, a very smart guy. It took years to work through the brainwashing and it was a mighty struggle for him. Several members of his church left and shared his home and I was fortunate to befriend all of them, too. The stories he and his roomates told me were just tragic. I did a lot of reading and poking around to help him connect with others in his position, he really had no idea of the volume of ex-JWs out there. They really are terrified of being accused of apostasy (sp?) and rarely stray from approved reading. Research like Simster has provided were the only useful tools to help undo the years of abuse and intimidation.
You would think you could just hand wave much of that nonsense away and say “No, that’s ridiculous, you can’t possibly believe that’s true” but it isn’t that easy. It took years of programming to get the Witnesses in lock-step, and it takes years to deprogram the fear and shame. Last I heard his own parents still turn away from him at the store, and his ex wife turned their two children away from him. I don’t know how he manages to live in the same town with such people and he was bitter for a long time. But today he’s happily married and deeply involved in a Baptist church of some flavor with two step teenagers and a toddler of his own, runs a business. Sales, of course, and he’s good at it. His smiling face and family are on billboards around here and I’m happy to see him successful and at peace.