Damn Professor, to say that sucks would be an understatement! It sounds like some of the stories my dad told me of now ex-JW's that he dealt with as an elder over the last 50 years. Those kind of people eventually fall apart completely. In his experience, sometimes it takes a few decades.
](https://www.pcenginefans.com/forum/Smileys/default/eusa_wall.gif "Hitting head on wall")
There's even some now that I'm suspicious of, but, I can't read minds, though, sometimes I'd like to be a fly on the wall to take these types down.
From personal experience, the few I know involved in abuse were totally taken care of, & the bastards responsible for said abuse are rotting in prison. One friend of mine in particular, she was being abused for several years by a "JW" I'd say at the time, was in his mid 40's? In general, I always had a bad feeling about the guy, he came off to me as arrogant & mean spirited. Even still, it was shocking to find out what he was doing to my friend. But, the police were called, he was jailed away, & he was disfellowshipped.
Offhand, my dad knows personally of an abuse case back in the 80's that turned out to be totally false. So, unfortunately false charges happen too. It's completely screwed up, but it doesn't seem to matter what organization a person is involved in. One way or another, there's going to be perverts that either work there way in, or develop a perversion while a part of that organization. No matter what, I personally look forward to a time when none of us are plagued by any kind of abusers, rapists, etc.
Infact, someone close to me, who will remain nameless, was raped years ago by guy(not a JW) who likes young looking girls in general(usually goes after underage girls). He was stalking her for months, & manipulating her. He raped many young girls, most of which were afraid to come forward because of his threats. Even now, he's still not away forever for the crimes he commited. I went with her to court a few months ago, because he's playing games, trying to get out the where he's been holed up. I think the case is going to resume again next week, but, he keeps finding way to stall it. While at the courthouse, I found out he was temporarily there, & a large part of me wanted to rip him a new one! I don't know how I would've reacted if I had to walk past him, but, he was in a special area isolated from other prisoners.
Nulity, to answer your question. I don't feel like it has, but, we all make decisions. I'm sure there are JW's that wouldn't bother to be a part of a forum, or make games music etc. Ultimately, we are taught to be careful with association whether it be in or outside the congregation. I would say that all humans are an amalgamation of everything we experience in life(aside from genetics), both good & bad. Everything we taste, touch, smell, hear, see, I think it's all in the back of our minds, forever a part of us. And even then, everyone's reaction to things in life is going to be different, due to the various experiences that differed from one person to the next. Personally, I think everyone, JW or not, should be careful with their association, though it's obviously up to each individual to make that choice.
I made some bad choices in association back around 96, & based on my actions....was not a JW for a while. The stuff I ended up getting into, well, I don't think I'd be alive today if I continued on that coarse. I was removed from the congregation, & I found that to be beneficial, as it really woke me up!
As for JW's in general, some parents allow some after school activities, some don't. Sometimes it's just a matter of how much time it takes up, & not just from spiritual activities. But there are also parents that are just plain stricter(or slightly nuts) than others. I don't want any kids, but I can see, it's like a balancing act in many respects, which is one of the reasons I don't want kids. As for JW kids reading computer books, well, we do read them. A few of my friends do programming for a living, I went to ROP & learned to built PC's(I did "ok" at it, but I wasn't awesome possum).
Yeah, as far as isolationism, I'd say it seems the same to me in general over 38 years of life. I asked my dad, he felt like it's the same as it was back into the late 40's when his parents became JW's. I feel like if we were true isolationists, we'd be living in caves or maybe on some special island drinking our own special blend of Kool Aid or something
I'd say we're like the first century Christians, who still lived & worked, etc. amongst the Jews, Romans, Greeks, etc., but also preached about the kingdom.
For me, I was always raised with what I call a "prepare for now & later" attitude. You keep yourself spiritually & physically in shape as if Armageddon was coming a month from now, or 50 years from now. We gotta earn a living, take care of our families, but also be capable to help others, whether they are JW's or not. We're all capable of getting ahead of ourselves, partially do to wanting the world conditions promised in the Bible, & are told to watch for the "season" of when the end would be. But, Jesus also said no one knows the day or the hour, not even him(at least not at that time while on earth). So to me it, like a lot of things in life, requires balance. Honestly, if we knew the year/month/day. I feel like there could be a tendency to slack off spiritually until the last minute, at least in my case. I feel I would probably slump off & be like "Armageddon is coming next month, I better get my act together & look busy because Jesus is coming!"
Anyways, the "prepare for now & later is how my parents raised me & my bros, & others I know were raised the same way, but then there are ones that I feel weren't raised with the "prepare for now, prepare for later" mentality.
NightWolve, you have female LDS missionaries in your area? I knew they existed, but, always thought they were just an urban legend
Seriously though, I've never seen one in my life, so that's kind of a trip! As for charisma, I think I understand your point, but, it's really about all of us, young & old, etc. we all do the preaching work. I'd guestimate roughly 40% of us are not people that were raised JW's. At least that seems to be the case in general when I go to church in various area's. We're all formerly Catholic, Lutheran, Atheist, Buddhist, Wiccan, etc. So far, the door to door work, as difficult as it can be, stills shows signs of people interested in our beliefs. That'll probably change someday I'm sure as this world continues. However, personally, studying the media, & the way things are in regards to religion as a whole, I just can't imagine religion lasting another 10-20 years. I know for some 100 years, we've been saying there will be an attack on all religion, but, back then, practically everybody went to church every sunday. Now, in general seems to be drying up.
As for us being charismatic, I have a tendency to not trust people that are charismatic. I just always have a funny feeling about them, so I can't totally relate to that. And there are definitely times when some of us just don't get it when no means no. There's probably times when we rely more on facial reactions & body gestures. Plus though, there are people who have initially said no, but then changed their mind, whether it be recent, or years & years later, so to say the least, humans are intriguing in regards to what appeals to them at different stages in life.
