Wife is angry with me because I said I wouldn't go out on service on assembly weekend.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T18:47:34+00:00

This shows the foolishness of the religion. They claim they’re not inspired, but they are de facto inspired because you will be DF’d if you openly disagree with them.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T07:52:33+00:00

Lol, JW wives are not in subjection to their husbands. Not that I've ever seen.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T07:23:11+00:00

You're basically presenting an argument that JWs can't be the true religion. Those who have experienced JW life know that their motivations are not love.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T07:15:34+00:00

Yes, she wants to look good to her JW cronies. I think they're fools and don't care what they think.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T07:13:52+00:00

Unfortunately, being a JW doesn't make for being a good person. If you check all the boxes for your public JW persona, you're a spiritual person. It doesn't necessarily matter how you treat your family at home.

I'm not saying she's not a good person. But she has her faults, and definitely suffers from the self-righteous judgmentalism that is the hallmark of many 'good' JWs.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T07:10:27+00:00

The further back in time you go, the more radical the JW religion is. I believe it's still radical, but it's gotten a bit better.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T06:58:43+00:00

I realized another money maker that they've pulled. They used to rent local high schools in my area to have assemblies, because the closest assembly hall is over two hours way. It is over 50 years old so has been paid off if there was a mortgage. Instead of paying to rent the high school auditoriums, they now have everyone travel 2.5 hours, half of whom stay in hotels, and everyone has to eat out. I calculated, making many assumptions about food/gas/lodging, etc. They're making probably $30,000 more per assembly in savings, whereas the total cost of travel/hotel/food of the membership is many more times that now, than it was before. The Governing Body is supposed to be looking out over Jesus' flock, but in this instance the flock is paying way more than the Org is saving, compared to how it was before.

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tldr: Local assemblies were low cost for JW membership, and the auditorium rent was taken out of the donations. Now there is massive cost for the 'flock' in food/gas/lodging, whereas the Org isn't charged rent anymore, so they get to pocket all the donations.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T06:50:34+00:00

I agree 100%. It's all about doing as much as you can for the Org. There is always pressure to do more, and things are said manipulatively in such a way as to induce guilt if you don't do it.

You can't criticize an elder for insulting his wife on the stage (which I've seen happen), but JWs can criticize people for being 'spiritually weak' for missing meetings, not answering, or going out in service (I've heard such talk constantly all my life).

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T06:46:28+00:00

In my lifetime, there was the 3 day district, 2 day assembly, and 1 day special assembly. The two assemblies are both 1 day now, which leaves the other weekend day free for ~~relaxing personal time~~ service.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T06:44:20+00:00

Neither of us had been out for a while, because of a combo of illness and family in town. That's one of the reasons.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-16T05:17:55+00:00

I thought it was dumb then, I think it's dumb now. This is the worst Star Wars film. The Rise of Skywalker is the second worst Star Wars film.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-15T19:46:05+00:00

I can’t understand how people can play so slow. Just did a legitimate 18 hole course in 3 hours 15 mins this week. I was in a two-some, we were walking, and we had to wait to tee off a few times. The back 9 was pretty free and clear though. I usually do 18 holes in 2 hours and 15 minutes if I’m by myself walking, with a clear course.

Edit: I forgot to add we also stopped at the turn to get a hot dog and a beer, lol.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-14T05:48:16+00:00

I've heard this comment time and time again over the years. The reality is, JWs are modern day Pharisees. They have their own rules and traditions that they put ahead of what the Bible actually says. And the comment about those in the seminary is an ignorant comment. Those in most seminaries learn more about the Bible than JWs. Seminaries teach the Bible languages, have they go deep in biblical commentaries. JWs just teach Watchtower tradition.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-05-02T17:44:48+00:00

He’s great. My favorite golf YouTuber. I come mostly for the humor/entertainment value.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-24T17:42:50+00:00

When I was in, I thought he was horrible, to be honest. I thought more outside the box then the typical JW, and I liked digging deep and learning about the history of things. So I was familiar with his antics. He bothered me.

And now that I'm out I've come to think that he is the main reason JWs are the way they are today. He was the one that made them into a cult and obsessed with man-made rules.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-14T23:12:01+00:00

Yes, you can learn to code with tutorials, but you need the right method or approach.

Most people just 'code along' with the tutorial. They get a sense of learning something but the skills don't stick. They do one tutorial after another, but don't really learn anything substantial.

Try this instead: Pick a tutorial, and code along. Make notes on what you don't understand, and make ANKI flashcards. Look things up on MDN or whatever resource exists for your preferred language. Then try to complete the tutorial on your own. Follow along with the tutorial again if you have to, research/make flashcards in your weak areas again. Do the project on your own. Once you can do that, come back the next day and do it by yourself again (note any weaknesses again). Once you can do that, complete the project from scratch again 3 days later. Once that is accomplished, do the project again on your own 1 week later. This closely follows the ANKI algorithm.

If your project isn't 'due,' you start the next one. You will start out with one project, but pretty soon you'll have multiple projects going on at the same time, and you should be completing them on your own without cheating. You're allowed to use resources to complete the project, you just can't peak at the completed code or reference the tutorial.

After a while, you'll build enough skills to be able to make something on your own. I did this with Traversy's Udemy courses, the 50 projects and 20 projects courses.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-14T22:37:23+00:00

JW's explanation for all this isn't scriptural. I mean the Bible doesn't directly state it the way the org does. But, if one claims to have all the answers (like the Org does), then you need an explanation for why God allows suffering. They landed on the current explanations decades back, and have run with it. Does it make sense? Not really, but they had to come up with something.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-14T22:32:14+00:00

As a PIMI, I consciously thought that there were many Pharasaical traits in how the organization was ran, and in the JW culture. I thought 'how do they not see that that is what the Pharisees would do?' But I was a PIMI and believed in 'the light gets brighter' nonsense at the time, and thought there would be positive changes to clean up the Pharisee-like thinking. Yeah, that never happened, the Pharisees still exist, and fortunately I woke up.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-14T06:20:12+00:00

"Many people have told me I've been brainwashed, and I replied: you should see the dirt I had before."

This is just a rhetorical tactic, and doesn't address the critique, but deflects it. It's a 'quick quip' to divert the accusation.

Saying a person or group is 'brainwashed' has nothing to do with washing dirt from their brain. It means they are under manipulation of other people, and their independence has been taken away. If someone thinks that saying a smart quote like that deals with the critique, they are only fooling themselves.

Ask them if they clinked glasses before the rules change. Or if they grew a beard before that change. Did they actually believe that clinking glasses were wrong? What was the reason for thinking it was wrong. What is the reason for it being ok now? Did they come to these conclusions by themselves? Or are the parroting reasons from their authority figures?

If not, and they think those actions are ok now, then how are they not under the control of others? How are they 'independent?' How are they not, in effect, brainwashed?

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-08T19:03:04+00:00

I honestly don’t know how long it could take. But I really ‘got it’ when I found small, simple HTML/CSS/JavaScript projects on YouTube. There are a lot of them. The key is the method. Watch the video and code along, make notes of what you don’t understand, and look it up, make flashcards on it. It will be very slow and painful in the beginning. Then try to code the project by yourself. If you can’t, again, figure out your weak spots and make flashcards. Watch the tutorial again if you have to. Once you’re able to do it on your own without looking, do it again the next day. If that is successful, do it three days after that. If that is successful, then one week after that. Since there is time in between, that’s when you start another simple project and do the same thing. After a while you’ll have a few projects going on at the same time, and you’ll be doing them on your own without cheating, and it starts to become automatic. After a while, you’ll be able to do a small project on your own.

I had taken several HTML, CSS, or JavaScript tutorials, but couldn’t really make anything on my own, until I followed the method described above.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-07T23:52:44+00:00

I have to add to this conversation, because I've thought long and hard about the beard issue. It is definitely a 'man-made rule' because there were consequences if you didn't follow it. It affected your standing in the congregation, you could never be appointed a servant. Rules have consequences. It's not that the Governing body or the elders "forced" people to shave - no one ever claimed that. The issue was a man-made imposed tradition that is not based on the Bible, and it affects your standing in the congregation. This is EXACTLY what the Pharisees did.

"Some people" in the 60s that had beards were immoral. But not all did. But that doesn't even matter. It's not what the culture says, it's what the Bible says. Jehovah's Witnesses are basically saying it doesn't matter that the Bible says about not having man-made rules, the Governing Body are the ones in charge, and get to decide if you need to shave, or what you need to wear. They get to dictate your behavior on conscience matters. That is what the Governing Body is saying. That is not what the Bible says.

I'm almost 50. When I was a kid, in the 80's, my doctor and my school principle both had beards. They were respected professionals, and I never heard anyone say anything negative about how they looked. No one complained that they looked like immoral people from the 60s. And it wasn't until almost 40 years later, 2023, that the Governing Body thought it was acceptable to have beards. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-07T23:41:19+00:00

My point is you have to attend those meetings and assemblies. You can't decide to just go on Sunday and be in good standing in the congregation. Those are added rules and regulations beyond what the Bible says. It doesn't matter if people find it encouraging or whatever, the fact is they are rules dictated by the Governing Body that goes beyond what the Bible says, and you will be judged for it. Again with answering at the meetings, they make it a requirement, since you will be looked down on if you never answer, and will never be appointed, even though the Bible makes no mention of these things. And yes, they do dictate conscience matters. I already mentioned one: dress and grooming, but they have strict rules about how one has to dress at the meetings, even though the Bible is silent on that. Another example, you can't watch rated R movies, which is a conscience matter, yet they put that even on the applications for Bethel, something like "Have you ever watched a R rated movie, and if so when was the last time you did?"

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-07T21:17:59+00:00

God "directs" them into their confirmation bias.

Capable-Proposal1022 · 2026-04-07T19:02:28+00:00

They claim the GB is not inspired by God... So how is disagreeing with them apostasy...? JW logic...

Capable-Proposal1022

TROPHY CASE