Anna

@derek1956 Derek, I don't think anyone is squabbling here. Jack made it clear that he no longer believes the Bible and JW organization, so listening or not listening to any instructions big or small is irrelevant to him. As for me, I had legitimate reasons for not wearing my badge twice. What I was trying to point out was that it is up to each individual whether they wear one or not, just like it will be up to each individual whether they listen to some directive in the future. We are not robots, no one is going to MAKE us do anything now, or in the future.

That's an easy one. I did not wear mine two out of the three days. And guess what happened? Absolutely nothing! I think you are a little misguided there Jack. Do you really think that some elder is going to hunt someone down for not wearing a badge? If you really think that, then you have been damaged more than I thought. I am sorry and wish I could help.

I am truly sorry you had that experience. I can see it has damaged you. You must realize though that most Jehovah's Witnesses have not had those kind of negative experiences and are well balanced and useful members of society. Also, most of them do not discuss these "issues" on forums like this, (notice there are only a handful on here) if they discuss them at all. Neither do they spread hate for apostates. Each human being is entitled to live the kind of life they believe is right, this includes Jehovah's Witnesses. And since they believe there is a creator who has given instructions on the best possible way to live, (since he IS the creator) they want to show him gratitude, and follow his advice.

As Srecko mentions, it is a recommendation (not a MUST) Soooo.....where's the problem?

Hey critical thinker, why are you on here?

I did have a good childhood. My mum was baptised when I was 6. I still remember celebrating our last Christmas and birthday. Since then I didn't miss either of them one bit. I guess I was lucky to have a mum who although very spiritual, was also very balanced, and had her own mind. We never missed one meeting unless sick. We were regular in service. We really lived the "truth" which included having fun. So yes, my childhood was pretty cool. Of course when I hit teenage-hood I balked at some things, and the only thing that worked was not what my mum said, it was not what the elders said, but it was what the Bible said. I could not argue with the Bible. Mum figured it out real quick so as long as she could support anything with scriptures, I was good with it, albeit a bit reluctantly sometimes. As regards very strict upbringing, I guess you mean where the parents are unreasonable and rule the house in a kind of dictatorship rather than a Christian way. Most of the kids brought up that way are no longer JW's. And in some cases neither are the parents. The funny thing is, they blame the org. but the org. has never endorsed unreasonable parents, on the contrary, all the publications out there, for children and teenagers and parents encourage reasonableness and are full of excellent advice. In fact here is the latest magazine about rearing children. If you find anything wrong with it let me know: https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/awake-no2-2019-jul-aug/

You have evidence for that?

Good observation there TT

"That is if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again have food debris in my beard"

It's not so much about the traditions of men but more about not stumbling someone, the principle of which Paul spoke about in 1Cor 8:13. "That is why if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat at all, so that I will not make my brother stumble". Some communities really have something against beards, and others do not. Therefor it is up to the elders in each congregation and country to discern if a brother wearing a beard could somehow stumble someone, whether a JW or not. As Space Merchant said, a lot of it is down to culture and also down to respect for others. JTR shaved his beard off to make his dad happy. Nothing wrong with that. It's all about unselfishness really, and putting the other persons interest first. That is a Christ like trait.

"But the one who has endured to the end will be saved". ( Matthew 24:13)

OMG, you two stop!

But John, we are not discussing the big wide world out there. We are talking about JW parents chucking their underage children out of the house. And again you have confirmed that there is safety within Jehovah's Witnesses, since as you say "it's like a jungle out there", in the big wide world, and that we are all deluded not knowing the "real" life that's out there, because our life.......ahem.....must be pretty calm in comparison. Like I said, there are always two sides to a story. In any case, the mind boggles as to why a teenager would prefer living on the streets and sofa surfing to living at home abiding by a few rules until they are able to leave home and fend for themselves properly.

Just piping in here. You might think it's an insulting question, but who taught you the TRUTH about the Trinity and hellfire? I sure know it wasn't any of Christendom's religions....

"Would you chuck you children out on the streets to live like that" ? As has been mention already on here, it's not that simple and there are always two sides to a story. Always. 99.9% of the time both sides have a choice. The parent has the right to set ground rules. He is not going to chuck anybody out just because of some trivial triviality or argument (unlike what I've seen in the world). Plus, it's illegal to toss out a minor, which in most civilized countries means no younger than 16/17y. In a JW household, in most cases, the young adult is given an ultimatum, and chooses to leave or stay on that basis. If they choose to leave, most immature young adults will call that "being chucked out". Of course there is the occasional 15 year old that runs away, and also calls it being "chucked out"

😅

Yes, I read a brief synopsis and I see where you are coming from. It sounds like the kind of movie I would enjoy. Have to see if Netflix has it...

No, I didn't see the movie. Is it a must see?

Of course, I never denied any of this, if you read my reply....

Hope your wife isn't reading this!

Why would you want to re-live that? (Even if it was a dream or you made it up).

What's this about allowed/not allowed to have a beard? You can do what you want. You will just be limited in what privileges you get in some congregations. So it's up to you. Thankfully sisters don't have beard restrictions. A sister with a beard can still pioneer 😀

I am sure the speaker wouldn't argue with you on that. But the main point remains: animals were not created in God's image, whereas humans were.

Thank you for supporting the point I was trying to make. Yes, the majority of mankind, which includes many, many JWs, love the things in the world. So as you see, it's not enough to I am sure you will agree that anyone who is concerned about this situation is moved to frequently remind the brothers and sisters of the urgency to keep on the watch. Hence the magazine "Why we must keep on the watch" https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-study-july-2016/why-keep-on-the-watch/

Seems pretty reasonable to me.