Confession: after leaving I felt more than a little unmoored. I looked into all sorts of things. I was taking wiccan classes and reading tarot at one point (after all, my mom had drilled into my head that I had a genetic predisposition to the occult because my paternal side was into it and predicted the future etc -insert eyeroll-) And yet I was a person that once interviewed James Randii for a project. I'm not saying I was actually seeing things... I believed I was. I started feeling really stupid when I started finding out the causes of my "supernatural" events... and they were never supernatural. Therapy sessions for other things helped me realize the reasons why I was looking to it, and it was pretty simple. I had never been in control of the things and events in my life. I had no say over anything about me. I felt out of control of my own life, and believing in the supernatual and a belief system that could control and direct those things made be feel like I was in control of my life. The problem is that I wasn't, and pretending that I was only made problems get worse because I wasn't doing anything that actually solved any problems.
dynamiterose77
JoinedPosts by dynamiterose77
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68
The paranormal.
by Lost in the fog ini know that a lot of the people on here have turned their backs on the idea of a deity deciding that god does not exist.
but what about the unseen spirit world generally such as poltergeists, jinns, voodoo, etc.
if you have become agnostic, atheist, or just don't care since leaving, do you think that there are spirits out there or have you decided that is also hokum?
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dynamiterose77
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41
Getting Remarried after a spouses death & then they are resurrected after Armageddon ?
by LOLS inhi guys .
i was wondering about the above , if a jw is allowed to remarry if a spouse has died, then what happens when they are resurrected at armageddon, do u land up with two wives/husbands ,,,,,,, makes no sense to me & can the jw's be so dumb not to think about this or have i got it wrong ?
and i will not be asking my uber jw husband , don't have the energy.. thanks.
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dynamiterose77
This oddly came up between the girls my age at the hall. One elders daughter explained that if we die and come back, we couldn't marry... so after that every girl I knew went into panic mode about getting married. This was tricky for them since there weren't a lot of guys our age in our hall. I didn't want to rush into getting married just to get married, and I thought maybe the girls were mistaken or misheard, so I wrote the society. A while later I got a letter back that confirmed it.
I remember being somewhat horrified at the idea that a loving god would just take the emotions out of me so that I wouldn't feel bad... I think I'm sensible enough to understand that the marriage bond ended at death and that my husband has the right to move on. I don't need to be stripped of emotions so I can be content.
This was one of the factors in a bunch of girls getting pregnant, or getting married as soon as they turned 18... they were afraid of the end coming before finding anyone, and then never experiencing love because god would make them not want to get married.
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I am an idiot..
by zeb ingoing past a 'new-age' shop today i stupidly said to my most 'uber' wife, do you want a reading?
" ..not a good idea.. oh dear.. she opened up correcting my every other word and brought in a stream of jw speak and now many hours later is still steaming under an acute cloud of sol.. oh god keep me from being so stupid; cut out my tongue, glue my teeth together.
aaarrgh!
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dynamiterose77
This reminded me of how my mom kept telling me to stay away from anything "occult" because my paternal family was into it and that would mean I was more prone to demon attack (no really... I once had a complete panic attack over an OCD type episode where I couldn't get a word out of my head) But she would read horoscopes in the paper because it was "Just fun. It's not like it's real"
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Can someone help me figure out something, dealing with paganism?
by Tameria2001 inthe watchtower and quite a few other religious groups don't do certain things because of pagan origins.
they go on about the different holidays, certain traditions, and say they don't do those things because of pagan origins.
yet they turn right around and do other stuff, which does have pagan origins.
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dynamiterose77
@truth_b_known I remember realizing some of this but not thinking anything of it. I don't know why.
Also
Wedding cake was a fertility rite... and I remember reading somewhere that so were eclairs and cream puffs and were given to young newlyweds. And the tossing of rice was originally guests crumbling the wedding cake over the bride and grooms heads as a fertility thing.
Bouquets, by some accounts, were more of a charm to keep evil away... and some sources say it would then be burned within the brides new home to clear it from any spirits.
It just goes on and on...
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kingdom halls
by pepperheart indo you think the watchtower will sell off any more kingdom hall after the 3,000 have been sold of and why do you think that.
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dynamiterose77
I would say more will be sold off. With, as others pointed out, some sort of statement about things being held in private homes. It's a good way to hide your actual numbers and stats as people fall away. Also, if people are in smaller groups it can be more of a deterrent to people that may consider "drifting" as they would be easier to notice as missing. Propaganda machine would probably invoke images of "family." Elders as benevolent parental figure, RF/brothers and sisters... say something about wanting to make sure that everyone gets all the personal attention and spiritual whatnots they need in "this time of the end."
"We elders need to humble ourselves and focus our personal attention on our brothers and sisters." I can hear it now.
Its like some big box stores... they put a store in a small town, then when they feel they have less competition, they close the first store and open a mega store further out of town that services several towns. So, in like vein, shut KHs and have everyone travel further once a week (or longer in rural communities to make it sound like a favor) to a bigger assembly hall. If my propaganda studies are right, as people are less likely to drift in smaller groups/easier to keep in check by elders, they will at least keep a certain level of numbers and APPEAR like there are more when everyone goes to one of these assembly style halls. It will keep larger numbers of RF from seeing people leaving, deter gossip and mumbling...
At least, that's me putting on my writer hat and asking "well, if I were an evil org. with dropping numbers, what would I do to minimize that?" I'd also probably send extra people to the assembly hall, just in case, make sure there are no empty seats.
I could be wrong. But, would you put it past them?
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What’s the big deal with birthday cake?
by Addison0998 inhow strict were the jehovah’s witnesses you knew about birthday cake?
i knew a girl who saw a few pieces of cake in the break room at her work, and ate a peice, then found out later that it was left over birthday cake.
she felt so guilty and was scared about a bad impression she left on her work mates.
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dynamiterose77
I remember being told that it would be the same as participating in the party itself, or holiday if it was christmas cookies, even if you waited until well after. It was compared to people purposely getting disfellowshiped to date an unbeliever.
In third grade a teacher really took pity on me and let me make a construction paper basket with the rest of the class, before easter. I put the basket in my desk so it wouldn't be confused and I wouldn't get easter candy put in when we went to recess. I figured it was JUST a basket if there wasn't any candy. A volunteer parent must have pitied me too, because they took it out of my desk and filled it up. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to insult people that were just being nice, didn't want things to be wasted, and hoped that if I explained the situation to my mom I would at least get to keep my basket...
I got into the car, mom saw the basket, I told her what happened... she grabbed the basket, marched into the school, SCREAMED at my teacher. So then I was grounded AND in trouble with my teacher.
good times.
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Regional JW "Culture" - Did you experience any differences that surprised you?
by Diogenesister inso this particular comment on another topic got me thinking about "regional" jw cultures.
things that were acceptable in one area you lived in, that were absolutely verboten in the jw hall/circuit you perhaps grew up in etc.
never met jws that cared if people played chess, and i knew a number of people who did play chess.
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dynamiterose77
We actually played chess at get togethers, I remember one older person say that it wasn't a good game to play, but no one thought anything of it...
Now I really need to teach my kids chess...
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The December Broadcast... OMG- what the heck was that?
by Sliced in"of course not- we want to eat from clean dishes!
dishes that have been cleaned thoroughly inside and out.
" we have to be sure the things entering our minds are clean... rejecting exciting fun stuff that features sex.
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dynamiterose77
"inside".... ?
Also, who makes a metaphor about dishes (which would be brains) getting washed with a straight face???
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Why Do Witnesses Promote A Unhealthy Lifestyle, My COBE weighs 340lbs (5ft 7in).
by BucketShopBill inplease don't take this the wrong way if your battling weight problems, that's not what this thread is meant to talk about.
i am asking this question because jehovah's witnesses claim they have "the best way of life", "god's blessing", "the truth" and are trying to change the habits of healthy people by turning them in to their own makings.
i watched people who were great athletes turn all their muscle in to fat because we would get a elder or circuit overseer make remarks they were spending too much time "working out" and "bodily training is beneficial for little".
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dynamiterose77
This is true. There does tend to be a lack of education among JWs. Low income and depression as well...
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Why Do Witnesses Promote A Unhealthy Lifestyle, My COBE weighs 340lbs (5ft 7in).
by BucketShopBill inplease don't take this the wrong way if your battling weight problems, that's not what this thread is meant to talk about.
i am asking this question because jehovah's witnesses claim they have "the best way of life", "god's blessing", "the truth" and are trying to change the habits of healthy people by turning them in to their own makings.
i watched people who were great athletes turn all their muscle in to fat because we would get a elder or circuit overseer make remarks they were spending too much time "working out" and "bodily training is beneficial for little".
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dynamiterose77
I had a complicated relationship with food myself... opposite of over eatting. It's complicated because I know it didn't stem from one thing. My mom grew up exceedingly poor, and though she didn't realize it I think that when we asked for a snack and she'd always say "Those are for lunches" or "Thats dinner" "I was saving that"... kind of made food off limits. At the same time she had body image issues and was always dieting (not eating) so... for a long time it was just what I saw. Then somewhere along the line it became a way to attain a type of perfection... I was convinced that god hated me because I did everything wrong, even though everything I was doing wrong was out of my control... at least I could have food under control. I somewhat remember wondering if I could survive on water and raw veggies like shadrach meshach and abednego... Then as time went on, not eating became my reaction to any stress.
Even after I left... when things got bad with my ex I stopped eating... and started adding drinking alone into the mix.
All of that nonsense, I'm pretty sure, wrecked my system... I have a hard time losing weight now that I actually have to.
Anyway... the JW stuff definitely played a part in my depression/stress and that figured into my eating habits for sure.
I also had a huge sad moment when someone in the thread mentioned illness and pioneers... I knew several that died of cancer... One of them, like was stated, wouldn't slow down and go to the doctor even though she was clearly sick. Instead she started drinking mushroom tea when her hair started falling out and she swore by it. She was diagnosed with bone cancer, finally, and died only a few days later. Several others wouldn't go have things checked until it was too late too.
With mental illness, I think it is true that many JWs just ignore it, which causes things to go rampant. Depression particularly... "What do you mean you're sad? PARADISE!!!! BIBLE!!!"
No... sorry... I'm sad because I'm sad. It is a valid emotion. Making me feel bad about it just gives me more issues.