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DO SOMETHING
by ArtfulDodger 58 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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MidwichCuckoo
I believe there are support groups and charities to assist ''VICTIMS'' of the WTBTS .......but to STOP it claiming more victims (real ones, not the willing ones), action ought be taken at the R&F/baptism level. Yes Danny - too many have lost their future and livelihoods because of FALSE PROPHETS.
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MidwichCuckoo
I believe there are support groups and charities to assist ''VICTIMS'' of the WTBTS .......but to STOP it claiming more victims (real ones, not the willing ones), action ought be taken at the R&F/baptism level. Yes Danny - too many have lost their future and livelihoods because of FALSE PROPHETS.
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AuldSoul
And gets far more readers than posters, every day.
Which says to me that we are helping lurkers who read but don't post, or who post very infrequently.
The posters on this forum prove every day that all who leave the org DO NOT fit the labels the Watchtower Society slaps on our asses on the way out the door. The posters also prove that outside JW-land generalization labels are pretty much useless. They need to get used to that concept if they are ever going to leave the bOrg.
As far as "doing something" goes, maybe you should be aware that many Jehovah's Witnesses have been economically and socially crippled as a result of believing and acting in harmony with the counsel of the Governing Body. For such ones, the avenues through which they can "do something" are severely limited. Many others who post here regularly are heavily involved in their communities, they just don't "blow their horn" about it.
I happen to know quite a number of posters volunteer for hospitals, are leading support groups for various purposes, help out with both local and national charity organizations, are very involved in community efforts through their churches, are actively campaigning for various social reforms or environmental reforms, and in many other ways are active OUTSIDE this forum.
This forum is not a "Charitable Work Discussion Forum," it is a "Jehovahs-Witness Discussion Forum." Huh, that last name seems familiar for some reason. While people are welcome to post what they might be involved in as far as local or national charitable work, this is not where you would expect to come and find out about it.
Unless you believe posting on a forum precludes involvement in other activities, I suggest you get off your ass and substantiate your inference that people here should do MORE than they are to help out charitable causes. Either that or apologize for your ignorant insults to the many very active posters this site could boast about.
I've had a lifetime of "Do more, or you aren't doing enough" and I won't take that mindless, ignorant crap from you or anyone else.
AuldSoul
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bikerchic
Do something?
Well thank you ArtfulDodger for your perspective of JWD. It is valid if not only for you I'm sure others have view this forum and felt the same way, however may I suggest that might be an indifference or a lack of understanding in just how the journey out of a high control cult should go for others.
For you (and others) it may have taken less time or you may have taken a different route as your user name suggest you became artful at dodging the impact this cult has had on you. Good for you, however please don't underestimate those of us who have needed a support group to make our exit, our journey real and livable for us. Many of us have been in the cult for decades, many of us have given up or been forced to give up our families our livelihoods our homes and our community of support. JWD offers us this.
For some of us this is a slam dunk and we can grasp the concept of moving on easier, faster and have been able to rebuild our lives at a faster pace. Others of us have a harder time and have fallen back on our teachings of the cult we were raised in and even resisted rebuilding our lives outside this cult for fear and we have a greater need to be here if only to see day after day that others have somehow succeeded where we cannot grasp or even force ourselves to move on.
Healing, growing, learning new better ways comes slowly for us the term baby steps has a great meaning, but we will get there eventually gradually and at our own pace as we make this new concept of moving on part of our daily lives. Patience and understanding of ourselves and of others is a must just as encouragement and support is for others. You see by offering our stories, our experiences and showing our own pain and struggles we are offering help and encouragement to others, for by helping others we help ourselves in ways we often don't even understand but we see the attitude shift and little by little we chink away at our own fears.
I've shared this before and I'll post it again because it seems appropriate to do so now and I post it to offer help to those who are struggling with their own healing processes. You can replace the words dysfunctional family with cult family systems it's all the same:
Typical Stages of Recovery For Dysfunctional Family Systems
Phase 1 Status quo
Familiar This is where we start. Dysfunctional
Certain but simi-comfortable with our controls.
Control Not really aware of what we do to ourselves
or those around us.
Phase 2 Awareness
Information Typically reading all kinds of self-help
Education and psychology books. Trying to get
Health better by thinking ourselves better.
(but finding it doesn't work for long)
Phase 3 Chaos
Outbursts Most people when they get here want to
Hysterics jump back to phase 2 because this phase
Panic is so frightening. For true recovery this
phase has to be gone through. Need some
support especially here.
Phase 4 Practice
New patterns Using healthier ways of handling things but
Uncertain it doesn't feel familiar and is not really
Not familiar comfortable yet.
Phase 5 New Status
Have integrated new ways of coping into our
lives and starting to feel much more comfortable
with it.
Sometimes people can stay stuck in the first 2 phases and not progress much beyond that.
It's usual for people to make a jump back to phase 2 when they start to feel the chaos of phase 3,
depending on the issues, people may do this several times before they can safely allow the chaos
phase to happen.
A person may go through all these phases, all the way through to phase 5, yet they will probably
continue to jump back and forth through the phases throughout their life. Again, it depends on the
issues and the person. Jumping back and forth does not mean that no progress has been made.
Recovery does not happen in a straight line or only in one direction.
Rather than simply go on moaning and whinging about the big nasty Org why don't you all put your efforts into something POSITIVE ... DO SOMETHING.
OK - the Org is evil .. but it exists ... and simply whining on about it doesn't change that. With your efforts directed at something positive, you could do wonders for . . well . .for anything you choose.
Hundreds of REAL charities could do with your support - to help the really needy . .or you could band together and set up your own Charity to raise money for a cause of your choice. Seems you lot waste all your time and energy moaning about the JW-Org ... what a waste.
DO SOMETHING.
ArtfulDodger those words are valid but I hope you understand for many of us the process takes longer and there is no shame in taking as long as it takes, it's the journey, getting there which teaches us the valuable lessons we NEED TO LEARN.
Stick around if you choose and by all means offer what you have to offer which can be helpful, but please don't condemn us for taking our time and doing our journey the best way we can. We've had too much condemnation in our lives we don't need more.
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blondie
Not everyone advertises here what they DO.
It's not necessary.
Some have started donating blood for the first time although many JWs will and are allowed to accept hemoglobin-based products made from stored blood donated by non-JWs; JWs cannot donate blood.
Some have started working in food banks, donating food and money and time; while some JWs go to these food banks to supplement their pantries but do not donate.
Some have started educating the public at large regarding concealed child abuse in the WTS organization, working to change the laws regarding clergy reporting and increasing the statutes of limitations.
Some have started helping people learn English as a second language helping people with practical things such as how to read the labels at the supermarket, getting a driver's license, even becoming a citizen.
Some have opened their homes for ex-JWs and their families to meet others and be encouraged.
Some have starting voting and getting involved in their neighborhood issues.
Some have joined organizations that help the elderly get to the doctor, eat good meals, have a friend to laugh with.
I haven't even scratched the surface of the things people on JWD do and are doing.
Blondie
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whyamihere
LOL....Oh this made my day. I sit here to take a break from the Charity work I have been doing this week(almost done), and I get to see this post.
Not trying to be arrogant or self righteous, and tell people what to "DO" with their time. I got enough of that being a JW.
Anyway, before someone tells me I am lazy and not doing anything I must remind them why I am sitting down.....
I raised my 3 younger brothers, now raising my own 2 children. Went through life participating in a ton of Charity work in my community. Remodeling my house with my husband....as he works full time and goes to school part time. Putting in 14 to 16 hour days on my feet doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, doing errands, and taking my daughter to preschool. Not to mention the 3 surgeries I had last year, and yet was able to do everything I do.
So, if I want to sit on my ASS and take a 5 minute break and post I will.....
Well back to the coal mines!
Brooke
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AuldSoul
band together and set up your own Charity to raise money for a cause of your choice
You are fairly new here, so you might not have caught on yet. Giving you the benefit of the doubt that you are just ignorant and not an arrogant, self-righteous blow-hard—you should be aware that this forum represents a very broad cross-section of society at large with really only one common theme amongst us.
Whether or not we are still JWs, whether or not we ever were JWs, whether or not we still actively believe JW dogma, ALL of us have been affected in some way by Jehovah's Witnesses.
For us to band together for a cause would require some commonality beyond that one singular factor and—as you apparently haven't figured out yet—there is no other commonality among us.
I hae a suggestion: Why don't you start a movement to whine and complain about the existence of support groups?
Has it not dawned on you that without support for coping with real trauma that has occurred in many people's lives as a direct or indirect result of some connection to this religion most of us would be particularly ill-equipped to be a meaningful part of any charitable effort?
(1) Have you ever been a Witness? If so, for how long and when?
(2) Are you still a Witness? If so, why?
(3) Do you believe people should be able to start a new life as soon as they leave the religion? If so, why?
(4) Do you believe that there are legitimate claims to harm resulting from the doctrines of this religion? If so, do you believe that harm requires time and an environment conducive to healing before healing can occur?
I suspect that the following is true:
(1) You have never been a Witness, although you likely studied with Witnesses or have had lengthy conversations with coworkers or vistors who are Witnesses. I base this on your first question regarding John 1:1 and your second post regarding TOTA and the need to "reread your bible from the beginning because of that word" (which by the way is total crap that person went off the deep end over).
(2) No, and you aren't because it seems like a crackpot religion to you.
(3) I don't know whether you believe that people should immediately be able to start a new life after leaving Jehovah's Witnesses, so I would really like your considered response.
(4) Again, I don't know what you response would be, but I am very curious to find out.
Here is what I find odd about the people who post this type of thread. You came here WITH A QUESTION, then you asked another. If no one posted here, there would be no Web site here. You would not have had a Web place to ask your question. You would only be able to ask the people who came to your door. And in answering your question, they might have successfully perverted your ability to think rationally.
We exist to answer your questions, for one thing. If posters didn't post here, this Web site wouldn't be here. In five years you might be an experience on an Assembly part where the person who contacted you explains to the audience that you got very curious about the explanation of Tote and John 1:1, and the rest is history. And today, ArtfulDodger is with us and getting baptized in symbol of her dedication to the Corporation behind Jehovah's Witnesses.
So, I find it particularly crude of you to criticize my involvement here AFTER you have availed yourself of my presence and benefitted from my involvement here. If you didn't mean to be insulting, maybe you should apologize for the insult.
AuldSoul
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ArtfulDodger
lol AuldSoul . . have to admire the style of your response ... if not the content.
No, I have never been a JW - nor indded have I spent much time with any who are in preaching-mode . . . but I do recognise the "religion" as a cult - and an evil one at that.
As you've taken the time to read one or two of my previous threads you might like to consider whether those ones were serious ... or just mild mickey-taking ... read them again and I think you'll see :-) This one, however, was not taking the mick - I was simply stating my views. And I believe I am allowed to do that . . yes ?
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Gill
ArtfulDodger - You most certainly are entitled to state your opinions and they are welcome, however it doesn't make them right, and it doesn't mean that we can't state ours back.
