Rants and raves

by Chia 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  Chia

  I may have mentioned this incident before. Please bear with me...but it's one of the things that really showed me the lack of love and concern.

  Shortly before my mom kicked me out of the house, someone that I had trusted (my foolish mistake) turned me in to the elders, saying I was "espousing apostate ideology". Never mind that this person constantly complained about the elders and went to less meetings than I did...but anyway...their "encouragement" consisted of telling me, "The reason why you're becoming so bitter and angry is because you're not doing enough in field service. Attend all the meetings! Keep yourself busy!"

  So I said to them, "But you haven't addressed the issue. How can I go out preaching to people, telling them this is the truth and this is where they should be, when I don't even feel confident of that myself? Isn't that lying? How can I convince myself it's the truth first?" Their answer to that was that as I prepare to go out preaching, by reading and studying the Bible, and then declaring it to others, my faith will get stronger and stronger, and God will help me. Does that even make any sense? It didn't then, and it doesn't now.

  To add insult to injury, one of the brothers said that the more I remained stagnant in theocratic activity, the more I would be tempted to do the things of the world, "and we know you've had problems with this in the past. If all your workmates take 3 hour lunches and they all get fired, do you need to do it in order to know that you'll get fired?" Then he had the nerve to use that brilliant analogy in a talk the next Tuesday. I was so p%$$ed that I walked right out of the Hall.

  To them, the answer is always to keep running on the hamster wheel, so you'll be so caught up in mindless activity that you won't have time to stop and find out the truth about "the truth".
• 

  candidlynuts

  i hear ya.. its the main reason i quit going. i was giving my ALL , every effort, all the meetings, fs, personal study, reading the bible every night , reading the text.... all the while my world and my marriage were falling apart and all i heard was DO MORE DO MORE DO MORE DO MORE

  no constructive help AT ALL.

  just realize the lack of love is systemic thru the entire religion and your not alone.

  hugs
• 

  RichieRich

  If all your workmates take 3 hour lunches and they all get fired, do you need to do it in order to know that you'll get fired?

  Even the Pentagon couldn't come up with some of the crap that the brothers do...

  But really Chia, You should be careful posting on this board... I hear there's apostates on here .... shhh!!
• 

  rebel8

  But you haven't addressed the issue. How can I go out preaching to people, telling them this is the truth and this is where they should be, when I don't even feel confident of that myself? Isn't that lying? How can I convince myself it's the truth first?" Their answer to that was that as I prepare to go out preaching, by reading and studying the Bible, and then declaring it to others, my faith will get stronger and stronger, and God will help me. Does that even make any sense?

  Yes, it actually does make sense...if you're a brainwasher, that is. Saying something over and over again eventually leads to you believing yourself (most of the time). Tell yourself the sky is green and go knock on people's doors telling them the same thing. After a while you'll believe yourself.

  This is what was done in Jonestown. They kept telling themselves "kills" were ok and eventually they believed themselves.

  It is not the appropriate thing to do if you want to be an honest or thinking person, of course.
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  Check_Your_Premises

  Their answer to that was that as I prepare to go out preaching, by reading and studying the Bible, and then declaring it to others, my faith will get stronger and stronger,

  Actually prosteltyzing is probably the most power aspect of their mind control. Humans have a need for consistency. If we make a commitment to something, we have a natural need to make our other actions/thoughts consistent with that commitment.

  To go around and PUBLICLY announce something is a more binding commitment than a private thought/action. That is why weddings and baptisms are public.

  Then coginitive dissonance theory comes into play. Our thoughts/actions/emotions have to be consistent. By performing the act of field service, it is necessary for our thoughts to rationalize that act.

  Your situation is that your thoughts are not consistent with the action of going out in field service. They are hoping to compel you into an action that will alter your thoughts and bring you back into the fold.
• 

  Why Georgia

  Chia,

  I am sorry that those dumb elders treated you that way.

  Apparently field service cures any problem. After I had my first son they told me that going out in field service and making all the meetings would cure breastfeeding problems and colic.

  I'm surprised that it was never an awake article...such earth shattering medical breakthroughs should have been put up as nourishment for the rest of the flock!

  So glad I'm not at the KH anymore.

  WG
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  Chia

  But really Chia, You should be careful posting on this board... I hear there's apostates on here .... shhh!!

  Gasp!!! No!!! You can't be serious!

  After I had my first son they told me that going out in field service and making all the meetings would cure breastfeeding problems and colic.

  That's just ignorant. But a lot of them are. Every problem you have, it's either because Satan is making things difficult for you, or God is allowing it to happen to you because you're failing in some way. Either way, the answer is always to do more.

  No wonder people have nervous breakdowns.
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  tetrapod.sapien

  sorry you're having a hard time chia. it sounds like you are approaching a cross roads. well, at least you're young and you have your whole life ahead of you to make a good life for yourself.

  and then declaring it to others, my faith will get stronger and stronger, and God will help me. Does that even make any sense?

  no it doesn't. it's called magical thinking. glad i'm not a zombie anymore.

  good luck,

  TS
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  melmac

  Check your premises:

  Humans have a need for consistency. If we make a commitment to something, we have a natural need to make our other actions/thoughts consistent with that commitment.

  I liked this so much I copied it onto the book I am reading...
• 

  Chia

  Your situation is that your thoughts are not consistent with the action of going out in field service. They are hoping to compel you into an action that will alter your thoughts and bring you back into the fold.

  Good point, CYP. I never thought about it that way. Well, it didn't work. Failed miserably actually. I just feel angrier and angrier toward them.