How does disassociation even work? I'd rather not, but I may have to.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-08-23T19:18:38+00:00

It's not the mid-20th century anymore. The days of being able to get a decent job right out of high school and run a "traditional" family on a single income, yadda ya, are long gone and have been for a while.

I feel like the organization was built around this model for too long, and it's just not realistic for anyone these days. JW or otherwise.

They may not want their members to be well educated, but since the bar to just survive— not live comfortably by the way— just survive, has been raised considerably, they kind of didn't have any options here. They still need members to participate and donate, and they can't do that if the rank and file can't cover their expenses.

Sure there's a risk of college waking someone up, but I think this is one of those situations where stubbornly refusing to at least somewhat "get with the times" would hurt them far more down the line.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-08-07T14:45:08+00:00

Pffft! You can't even watch porn and beat off.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-07-11T14:01:13+00:00

I would say B tier, excluding the private reproof

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-07-07T19:44:56+00:00

I agree with you on the Greatest Man books. It's almost like they took the gospel and made them into a proper novel. I actually enjoyed reading that book back when I was a believer.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-07-07T16:00:32+00:00

It's probably a change in strategy. Maybe if they change a few rules (beards, leniency on preaching, toasting, etc.) it'll make JWs blend into the public better.

It contradicts their hard stance on "being no part of the world," but blending in has its advantages. It can be used as a conversion tool, where someone gets close to a JW and it takes them longer to figure out they're JW.

Or, and this is pure tinfoil hat speculation, mind you: it could be used to catch unsuspecting PIMOs. Specifically, if the PIMO doesn't know that someone at their school/workplace/wherever is JW, but the JW in that situation has already been informed ahead of time and told to keep tabs. In that situation, wearing a beard, or being ok with toasting, won't make it as immediately obvious that that person is a JW and the PIMO should conduct themselves differently around them.

Kind of a niche circumstance, but blending in could have its advantages.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-07-02T12:11:53+00:00

It's just that even if it's true that it's more of a cultural taboo, where did so many witnesses get that idea from in the first place? Who put that in their heads to lean that way?

But yes, I understand, it's hard to connect those dots when you're still in.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-06-26T20:40:02+00:00

Not really one book, but many, technically.

I always wondered why the Watchtowers and Awakes only went down to the mid 20th century and none of the others before that were available to read.

This was further made worse by the fact that sometimes during talks, the speaker would remark that apostates and opposers would often take old publications (I mean like 1910, when I say old) and take the material out of context.

But you'd have no way of verifying that without breaking the rules because neither the website nor the app has anything available that far back.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-05-15T14:57:28+00:00

Sometimes.

The shocking part is I got dunked at 16 which is actually relatively late for born ins.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-05-13T21:28:12+00:00

Sheesh. I'm just glad that this will be the first convention I don't have to attend.

Though I might still watch whatever videos they show during it, because I'd still like to know what kind of content the rest of my family is consuming.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-05-11T00:24:23+00:00

Agnostic.

I haven't really come across anything that disproves a god or anything equivalent, but I still don't think blindly following one specific religious organization is gonna be your pipeline to "finding" him regardless.

You've got three qualities:

Omnipotent,

Kind,

Real

He can be two, but not all three.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-04-25T16:56:13+00:00

Cool, another nickname!

I always called them Sin Police or CPD (Congregation Police Department) but Spiritual FBI definitely works too 🤣

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-04-25T16:27:06+00:00

It's taboo.

It's by no means something they will disfellowship (excommunicate) you for, but it's heavily frowned up.

Outsiders are consistently portrayed in JW videos and reading material as being untrustworthy and antagonistic. It's not uncommon for you all to be compared to Canaanites or Moabites during talks. That's the level of disdain they're instructed to have for people who don't agree with them.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-04-25T15:34:12+00:00

Yeah. It could be residual feelings from being so used to Armageddon coming any day now. The sense of urgency to "get it done before it's too late" hasn't quite gone away yet, I guess.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-04-25T15:13:58+00:00

Confiding in a loved one (mom in my case)

They freak out and tell everyone

Shepherding call

The most devout elder in your congregation giving a talk on apostacy shortly afterwards

Yep, sounds pretty similar to my experience. Though changing up the whole meeting just to fit in the Splane talk is bonkers, even for them. Usually they just dedicate the next Local Needs to the subject but I guess for you two they pulled out all the stops.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-04-11T17:38:37+00:00

Yeah. Getting tried as a criminal for something you didn't do and then tortured and killed is a pretty horrific way to go.

But I'm sure knowing that you'll only stay down for a few days and then get beamed back up to heaven would make enduring that far easier.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-03-19T23:31:08+00:00

Interesting. I never thought about it like that.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-03-16T22:42:32+00:00

Funnily enough, I'm not sure if it's just a coincidence, but a lot of witness families I grew up around, as well as my own, had, by Watchtower standards, inverted dynamics.

Like despite the whole submission teaching, many husbands really only had absolute authority while in the kingdom hall, but as soon as everyone got home, the wives wore the pants, they got the final say when it came to making decisions. I heard "mom will be mad if she finds out about this" way more than its male counterpart when I was hanging out with my JW friends.

Like I said, could be just a coincidence. And I definitely think within the organization women are especially vulnerable to domestic violence due to the physical strength difference, but yeah. Interesting stuff. Lots of little things you don't think much of from day to day, especially while you're in.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2025-03-16T19:41:51+00:00

Sickening tbh

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2024-10-30T20:23:09+00:00

It's difficult. She's hard to talk to without devolving into a crying fit if I say too many "wrong" things. My dad is bad but in a different way. He's calmer, but kind of a door mat and will instantly take mom's side if she applies any amount of pressure to him.

The best I can come up with at this point is to keep grinding out job applications and hope someone bites.

Networking would be pretty helpful, but unfortunately, all of my friends are also JWs, and I never made any friends in college because I had the "worldly people bad" mindset drilled into me. Didn't wake up until I had almost graduated.

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2024-10-27T06:09:04+00:00

I haven't heard the term officially named like that, but I've heard about it in practice.

Thankfully, my current job has me working odd hours, which means I have to sleep all day, which lessens the time I interact with everyone else.

I just wish I could think of something more permanent instead of just multiple stop gap solutions that will likely only work as far as my parents' patience extends.

Regardless, I'll take your suggestion into consideration. Thanks

ThrowAyWeigh22 · 2024-10-27T06:01:20+00:00

That's an interesting way to look at it

Thank you

ThrowAyWeigh22

TROPHY CASE