You Who Have Been on the Board For Awhile - What Are your Concerns ?

by flipper 176 Replies latest jw friends

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  flipper

  Good comments everybody.

  SHAMUS- I don't get sea lice- but get worms occasionally ! LOL! Have you been wormed lately little monkey ? LOL!

  PALMTREE- It does seem like we get lots of repetitious threds. But what is cool is everybody has their own angle and twist on how they may present a similar subject - which is great ! It's called " freedom of expression". When we were in the JW cult we were only allowed ONE version of expression and interpretation. So we get a good amount of different takes and views which I feel really adds to the board .

  ALLTIMEJEFF- It would be great to meet so many here. I've enjoyed your takes- bet you would be cool to have a beer with . Maybe someday at an apostafest. I've been to a couple of them now and I highly recommend it to meet others who have been through similar challenges as us. My wife and I have made good friends that way.

  STILLAJWEX- The personality has changed on the board. But I think we have a great crop of newbies who have come on in the last year. Great personalities and solid takes on things.

  TROUBLED MIND- I hear what you're saying. When I read newbies posts I realize how far I've come too. Being Ex-JW's we all have a lot of mental and emotional baggage rattling around in our heads - but I've found by reading and educating myself about cult mind control was a real turning point for me in lessening the looking back at being in the witnesses in a way which hindered me from moving forward. Steve Hassan's books " Combatting Cult Mind Control" & " Releasing the Bonds- Empowering People to Think for Themselves " did me more good than ANYTHING the witnesses ever spewed out to me in the 44 years I was in it. Helped me to think for myself and eliminate JW cult jargon out of my lingo . Helped me to understand HOW and WHAT caused me to be mind controlled. Then I got over the guilt and fear and moved on. I highly recommend reading those books if you haven't. Hang in there. It gets better, I promise.

  OPEN MIND- I agree awareness is 75% of the battle. Once aware we can move on from stagnant and deeply ingrained views
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  undercover

  You Who Have Been on the Board For Awhile - What Are your Concerns?

  My concerns as regarding the board itself (I'll save you from the concerns for myself and all my personal baggage which is boring anyway):

  While the board is a support group that many of us need (and I am grateful for that aspect) it does seem over time there has come a more social aspect to it. Lots of fluff threads and lighthearted stuff to entertain us is nice and I don't want to downplay the signifigance they can play as we learn to put JWism behind and move forward...but I'm concerned that the board could become too much of a social networking site while the research/scandal aspect of it takes a back seat.

  We still need the Maximuses, the Farkels, the AlanFs (just to mention the first ones to pop in my head - not to leave anyone out that also contributed to that degree), that gave us essays and deep research that exposed the falseness of the doctrines of the WTS.

  I personally learned a great deal from those that took the time to do all that work. It was the starting point for me to learn how to do real research when it came to WT doctrines and teachings. Before I could join in the "fun" threads, I had to muddle through the scandals and the falsehoods of the WTS. I had to know that what I was doing was the correct thing. Once I knew it was, it made it easier to really become part of the board instead of just using it as a research tool. I'd hate to see the influence of all that research diminish or disappear over time.

  Newbies come in every day with the same exact fears, questions, doubts that we came in with. They need to be able to quickly find serious information by serious people that can help them see the man behind the curtain quicker.

  Okay...that was my deep post for the day...now back to the "who's your favorite B-movie character actor" thread...
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  tjlibre

  Well…I’m one of the newbies here. So monito (little monkey) SHAMUS…I hope my opinion matters. LOL

  Since I’m fairly new, I don’t know what the spirit of the board was, 5 or 7 years ago. However, from the day I decided to join, I have benefited immensely. When you realize that you gave so much of your time to a corporation the deceived you, it’s hard to figure out where to go for support. In here I have found excellent advice from posters like openmind, onthewayout, cantleave and others. The experiences and comments from posters like alltimejeff, winstonchurchill, paulapollos, inbetween and other former bethelites, elders, co, etc helped me realized that doubts can strike any JW regardless of “privilege” or place in the WT’s hierarchy. And I don’t forget all the others that are walking on this path to recovery, finding out that current and former JW like you exists is comforting…its not such a lonely place after all.

  This board provides a channel for me to vent, and that has helped me a lot because I get to rant about the BS that goes on in the org…that’s therapy!! I’ve the opportunity to help others see the truth about the truth by collaborating with people like Randy and Besty –Paul…by the way… guys…I have not forgotten about those translations, the good ones take time and I’m investing most of it in helping me and my wife in getting to know the real message in the Bible and God.

  So for now…keep up the good work all of you, don’t leave just because you think you are not moving on…the new ones like me still benefit a lot from the experienced ones.

  undercover.

  Newbies come in every day with the same exact fears, questions, doubts that we came in with. They need to be able to quickly find serious information by serious people that can help them see the man behind the curtain quicker.

  I agree.
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  flipper

  UNDERCOVER- Good points you make. I too agree that we need the more seasoned posters like Maximus, Farkel( whom I've eaten lunch with before ) , and Alan F to supply much needed information involving research for newbies to be informed of the history of the WT society's errors. I like lighthearted threads too, but it is important to keep the pedal to the metal in exposing the WT society's scandals.

  TJLIBRE- You are right- this board is like therapy for many of us, not just the newbies. I'm glad you are benefitting from all the variety of posters here. Lots of info to digest and lots of experiences too
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  flipper

  Going through my archive threads . Thought this one was interesting. Bump to the top for those who want to comment
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  Scarred for life

  I agree with Undercover. There are new people coming to this board everyday. There needs to be a mix of "serious" topics along with the "fun" topics. Lots of people have been helped by this board. We need to keep doing it.
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  flipper

  SCARRED FOR LIFE- Very true. I agree there needs to be a good mix and balance of topics assisting newbies on the board. Serious threads to help them see the scam of the WT society- yet upbeat fun topics to see that we as ex-witnesses can be very enjoyable to be around ! It will help them see we aren't the demonic Satan worshipers they were told we are when they were JW's ! LOL ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper