Contamination

[Colin Browne]

Has anyone heard of the following:

To avoid passing on sicknesses to others, or as a precaution, when someone holds offers their hand to greet us, we in return should put our hand on our shoulder then hold out an extended elbow to indicate that we are avoiding contact with our hands.

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

Infinite variety ...

I have been considering putting an index finger from each hand under my lower eyelids, and pulling down while crossing my eyes.

I am fairly certain this will discourage any handshaking.

[Colin Browne]

1 hour ago, Colin Browne said:

Has anyone heard of the following:

To avoid passing on sicknesses to others, or as a precaution, when someone holds offers their hand to greet us, we in return should put our hand on our shoulder then hold out an extended elbow to indicate that we are avoiding contact with our hands.

Being in an old age home, I thought it worthwhile telling workers about the 'elbow' method of greeting to avoid touching with the hands. While doing so, one of them said that they had been doing this for some time. In fact, they even added another method. (Perhaps to avoid all bodily contact.) Each would thump the inner side of their right foot against that of the other person. Well, well, well, we learn new things nearly every day.

[Melinda Mills]

4 hours ago, Colin Browne said:

Has anyone heard of the following:

To avoid passing on sicknesses to others, or as a precaution, when someone holds offers their hand to greet us, we in return should put our hand on our shoulder then hold out an extended elbow to indicate that we are avoiding contact with our hands.

Saw one of the governing body members doing it on a platform yesterday.  I think it was Bro Lett.

[TrueTomHarley]

It took no time at all for the anti-cult crowd to latch on to that recent Stephen Lett video about how the brothers are doing worldwide in the face of Covid 19. (6 have died in Italy). Of course, he made remarks about being ‘deep in the last days’—and they were all over that. He was declared ‘oppontunistic’ and exploitive of current events so as to maintain control over members. Sheesh!

Now, Stephen Lett is a very unusual figure—Witnesses love this guy—but there is no one who over-emotes like this fellow. Sometimes I think a spokesman less ‘polarizing’ in his mannerism would be better suited, but who can say? He shows love for the friends, and maybe that overrides all else. I wrote up a post on him previously.

At any rate, I posted a few tweets of my own to kick back at some of these accusations—if that be what they are. As to the ringleader of the anti-cultists, who does not specialize in Jehovah’s Witnesses but also does not exclude them, I do not treat him as an enemy, and I am neutral as to his overall mission. To the extent he notices me, he doesn’t treat me as an enemy either, and if he does I take no offense. Mutual respect works here.

I posted:

A worldwide plague and concurrent financial collapse JWs do not dismiss as ‘one of those things,’ but their end-time words long precede this. Plus, they are nothing but cooperating with gov’t authorities in trying to contain virus

It is irrelevant to general society if it is accompanied by complete cooperation with govt authorities as they try to contain such, which is the case with JWs. After all, it is not them partying on the Fla beach.....1/2

Also, people cannot be buffeted about by such calamities as world plague & financial collapse and just shrug it off. An ‘end-time’ view is as good as any to cope. Few cooperate with gov’t containment efforts as JWs do. They promptly calledoff their door2door & are not the problem...2/2

The trick is to allow other viewpoints to exist besides your own. Tolerance. JWs in no way undermine govt efforts to control virus. Besides, until all chips in, who are you to say they are wrong? It has to be a ‘wait and see.’

[Patiently waiting for Truth]

But even in this horrific virus Tom you waste no time before you misuse it to your own gain.

You are a writer, a story teller. And now you are using this Covid-19 to throw more bricks at non JWs.

If the GB are also going to misuse the misery that people are suffering just to hype up their own viewpoint then you must expect criticism.  The Org, in one form or another, has been misusing world events to proclaim the 'last days' since the late 1800's. And according to JWI the last days started in 33 C. E.  Nearly 2,000 years of last days. 

It's very sad if your brothers have died. It's very sad that anyone should die before reaching a good old age. But millions of people have been dying in lots of disasters for thousands of years. This is just one more disaster. Only the fact that each and every day is one day closer to Judgement time matters, not misusing disasters to make a false point. 

And as for JWs being more obedient to government requirements, well here in UK they have still been meeting in people's houses. Small groups maybe, but still meeting. 

Quote "The trick is to allow other viewpoints to exist besides your own. Tolerance. "

Although you write this I don't think you believe it or practice it