official elders letter

Dove08

Well-known member
memorial talks. I remember back in the 90s getting admonished for using the term funeral one time. They told me that funerals were supposedly a Christendom thing. So memorial talks it was. Now it’s funerals. ok.
Ok thanks, I never even noticed!
 

Dove08

Well-known member
@Nomex

I agrée 100%- there was never anything wrong with “funeral” yet i was pulled aside (not to a struggle session room, but by the water fountain) and given the theorcratic finger wag for the exact reasons you stated above . . Now we don’t say funeral, we say memorial talk- that’s a good Christian.

It’s something that stuck with me for decades, thenceforth developing a strange fear of words.

Back then, “the truth” was very different from today’s truth. The version i learned relied on words, phrases, and was just on the cusp of divesting itself from the 1935 sealing of the anointed teaching and this generation by no means will pass away teaching.

Perhaps I was amongst the last of the Mohicans, the last adult recruit in my congregation before those monumentous changes would take place. I wonder.

Thinking back to that time is uncomfortable.
When did you join? My mom started studying around 1988 when I was 4, and they were baptized in 1992. She was contacted door to door.
 

Carl

Well-known member
I agrée 100%- there was never anything wrong with “funeral” yet i was pulled aside (not to a struggle session room, but by the water fountain) and given the theorcratic finger wag for the exact reasons you stated above . . Now we don’t say funeral, we say memorial talk- that’s a good Christian.

It’s something that stuck with me for decades, thenceforth developing a strange fear of words.

Back then, “the truth” was very different from today’s truth. The version i learned relied on words, phrases, and was just on the cusp of divesting itself from the 1935 sealing of the anointed teaching and this generation by no means will pass away teaching.

Perhaps I was amongst the last of the Mohicans, the last adult recruit in my congregation before those monumentous changes would take place. I wonder.

Thinking back to that time is uncomfortable.
Once while out in service I remember being snapped at by a kid half my age because I pointed over at the other people in our group who were down the street. He said "don't point!" I let it go because I knew it wasn't his fault... he must have learned this rude behavior from someone else. I did NOT like the nit picking by elders either, but I kept my mouth shut. I found it rude, controlling, and very unloving behavior.
 

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
Once while out in service I remember being snapped at by a kid half my age because I pointed over at the other people in our group who were down the street. He said "don't point!" I let it go because I knew it wasn't his fault... he must have learned this rude behavior from someone else. I did NOT like the nit picking by elders either, but I kept my mouth shut. I found it rude, controlling, and very unloving behavior.
omg i was told not to point too. And yes i was also nitpicked by kids. It was awful. You always had to suck it up. I never did that to people, ever! I guess i was unChristian in other ways. haha

Yes i wanted to add- it’s not the kids fault. when someone does that, as rude as it is, there is this intrinsic understanding that they’re just doing what other controls freaks taught them. It’s not worth the trouble.
 

LifeLearning

Well-known member
Once while out in service I remember being snapped at by a kid half my age because I pointed over at the other people in our group who were down the street. He said "don't point!" I let it go because I knew it wasn't his fault... he must have learned this rude behavior from someone else. I did NOT like the nit picking by elders either, but I kept my mouth shut. I found it rude, controlling, and very unloving behavior.
I remember attending meetings and being back room admonished that my hair was too long. It was like being hit in the head with a bat. I had no idea that I was bringing reproach to Jehovah because I had a thick head of hair. It was not that long, but I'm sure I needed a haircut. They probably did not realize that it was difficult for outsiders to assimilate.
 

יהוה_saves

Well-known member
I remember attending meetings and being back room admonished that my hair was too long. It was like being hit in the head with a bat. I had no idea that I was bringing reproach to Jehovah because I had a thick head of hair. It was not that long, but I'm sure I needed a haircut. They probably did not realize that it was difficult for outsiders to assimilate.

That makes me feel physically sick to hear they said that to you. But i don’t doubt it for a minute. I was told by a sister that i shouldn’t braid my hair so much. I know another sister that was told to go home and change cause her dress was cut too low and could therefore stumble a “breast man” in the congregation.
 

Sunshower

Well-known member
That makes me feel physically sick to hear they said that to you. But i don’t doubt it for a minute. I was told by a sister that i shouldn’t braid my hair so much. I know another sister that was told to go home and change cause her dress was cut too low and could therefore stumble a “breast man” in the congregation.
We had one like that in our former congregation. Why is it always the woman stumbling the man instead of the man keeping his eyes where they belong? Up there, buddy 👀
 

LifeLearning

Well-known member
That makes me feel physically sick to hear they said that to you. But i don’t doubt it for a minute. I was told by a sister that i shouldn’t braid my hair so much. I know another sister that was told to go home and change cause her dress was cut too low and could therefore stumble a “breast man” in the congregation.
It is a tough position for them to be in. I'm sure I looked like a hoodlum with my thick hair and wearing a suit that was too big for me. There is a fine line between acceptable and go get your hair cut.

I think my point in posting this was that some things seem pretty trivial in context of what is happening. From one vantage point there are hoodlums at the kingdom hall, from another vantage point there are elders whacking teenagers with bats. The truth is somewhere in the middle, and what really matters is that we have love for one another.
 

Sunshower

Well-known member
please, don’t make excuses for them. It’s just not right what they did/said.

i was listening to a Peter Gregerson interview yesterday- they did this and worse to brothers that came home from vacations with beards.
My husband has had a beard ever since we got married. He has gotten so much slack for having one. But now it’s fashionable and you see brothers with beards popping up left and right.

I told him never to shave it off for them and he hasn’t. He’s my hero 💪😊😁
 

The God Pill

Well-known member
At this point they'll start using the terminology church & clergy. The changing of the language should not to be taken lightly. It has me wonder if we are going to see the Org become part of Protestantism.
When we recognize that 1. The bible students were essentially an adventist group that parted ways with Barbour's group and they and there jw successors gradually absorbed nearly all adventists that weren't the 7th day ones 2. That the organization has a prophesied expiration date where it will meet divine judgment that it will be the followers of the annointed in the two witnesses ministry that will make it through the end not those worshipping a corporation that won't even last to the end than I see no problem in saying it's a protestant denomination while acknowledging it's members are recognized by Jehovah as his people. Idk pretending we're not protestants has always come across to me as needlessly divisive and reinforcing the perception of those in christendom that were a cult.

You're right it's very possible the society will gradually adopt that lingo and go a "cooperative" or interfaith-y approach partly out of a desire to be mainstream/have mainstream approval partly because of the goal of the Vatican and some globalist elements in wanting protestant denominations to defracture homogenizing doctrine and merging until there primed to be reabsorbed by the catholic church or a globalist successor. I heard that Kissinger said in one of his books a little under a decade ago that protestantism is the only significant obstacle to world government.
 
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יהוה_saves

Well-known member
My husband has had a beard ever since we got married. He has gotten so much slack for having one. But now it’s fashionable and you see brothers with beards popping up left and right.

I told him never to shave it off for them and he hasn’t. He’s my hero 💪😊😁
Good for him. I like hearing stories like this.

i know a brother who got flak for a just mustache! he shaved it off, too.
 
N

no way

Guest
You said it. It is revolting.

Hey, yeah didn't they always say "memorial services" or something like that? Anyway, yeah, they have gone full NWO and they also repeat NWO catchphrases, one being "living with Covid19" or "learning to live with covid" I seem to recall a few mentions of "stopping the spread" during announcements when I was still attending meetings on zoom. "Get vaccinated" got popular for them too..(not to mention having to sit through talks where brothers would use the "insurrection" as an example *sigh*) Lots and lots of little catchphrases.

Who else would do that? Idk maybe someone who is "in the club" so to speak?

What were we being told all those years?

And the thing that gets me is their sign offs.." we offer our warm wishes" and "we love you brothers SO much" on the broadcastings and in their letters. I think back about that and my skin crawls..
Very well said..
 

Nomex

Well-known member
I remember attending meetings and being back room admonished that my hair was too long. It was like being hit in the head with a bat. I had no idea that I was bringing reproach to Jehovah because I had a thick head of hair. It was not that long, but I'm sure I needed a haircut. They probably did not realize that it was difficult for outsiders to assimilate.
Dude you have no idea. Go look at the hair styles in the 80's and imagine growing up in the truth back then. Once when I was about 14, my dad got mad that my hair was too long on my neck, yes my neck, and forced me submit to him cutting my hair. He cut the hair on the back of my neck, even with the bottom of my ears. It was winter time and and left the collar up on any jacket or whatever until it grew out. I was mortified. I actually might have been older now that I think about it, because I was getting my hair cut, up until then my mom cut it. I rebelled and told my Dad if he ever did that again he'd have to kick me out. It was so embarrassing. My Dad grew up in the 30's and 40's and us kids were all forced to wear 50's hair styles. It was horrid. The funny thing is, this is when we all wore skin tight jeans, and for some reason he never noticed that. And I mean skin tight! Watch an episisode of Magnum PI and you'll know what I mean. But not "skinny jeans" or these tight pants suits people are wearing now. Us kids always thought though it was a good thing my parents never had any girls.
 

LifeLearning

Well-known member
Dude you have no idea. Go look at the hair styles in the 80's and imagine growing up in the truth back then. Once when I was about 14, my dad got mad that my hair was too long on my neck, yes my neck, and forced me submit to him cutting my hair. He cut the hair on the back of my neck, even with the bottom of my ears. It was winter time and and left the collar up on any jacket or whatever until it grew out. I was mortified. I actually might have been older now that I think about it, because I was getting my hair cut, up until then my mom cut it. I rebelled and told my Dad if he ever did that again he'd have to kick me out. It was so embarrassing. My Dad grew up in the 30's and 40's and us kids were all forced to wear 50's hair styles. It was horrid. The funny thing is, this is when we all wore skin tight jeans, and for some reason he never noticed that. And I mean skin tight! Watch an episisode of Magnum PI and you'll know what I mean. But not "skinny jeans" or these tight pants suits people are wearing now. Us kids always thought though it was a good thing my parents never had any girls.
lol ! Yes... it was something that happened in 1986. I grew up in a family that had no knowledge of God at all, and my father sent me packing at 18. Found faith on my own in 1984 and went to many churches and talked to many people before I landed at the hall in 1986 at 19... sort of a secular kid who wondered in off the street. I heard about JWs from a friend that was older and had studied at some point also. My hair was not the stumbling block though. There were other things that I could not reconcile about the doctrine so I did not last long.
 

BagdadBill

Well-known member
Good for him. I like hearing stories like this.

i know a brother who got flak for a just mustache! he shaved it off, too.
I heard an elder at a book study say that mustaches were "a no-no" for MS. My next congregation was a more western style town in Arizona. At least half the elder and a few MS had mustaches and handlebar no less.
 
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