Posts by dynamiterose77

32

Hidden Doctrines

by jhine in

" religions do not volunteer their most offensive doctrines to newcomers ".

the above sentence was posted on another thread as part of a quote taken from jwfacts .

l commented that this was a sweeping generalisation of the kind often made about all religions .

Many religions gloss over their own histories and cherry pick doctrines. Some are more blatant. Obvious cults are blatant. Scientology makes members pay for the next level of information, and hides the information from the public and their own members by legal means (their lawyers are notorious) and by claiming that if you aren't ready for the information it can be dangerous. By the time members learn about Xenu, it's a sunk cost issue. They are less likely to leave at higher levels because they've invested a lot of time and money (they also collect collateral on members to control them)

However other groups are pretty open about every belief regardless of public offense, like Westboro.

It is a pretty broad brush to paint with, but it's hyperbole and shorthand on a site about a cult, written by someone volunteering their time to an effort to spread information about that cult. I wouldn't read too much into it past its purpose to talk about JWs.

23

Did you enjoy your visit to Bethel?

by Addison0998 in

i recently had to take a trip with my family to bethel.

it was a bit torturous for a secret apostate as you can imagine.

but mostly just so boring.

dynamiterose77

As a graphic designer I kinda love printing presses and the process, but it isn't for everyone. I'm a nerd around them because I understand the process of everything and getting colors right/balanced etc. That being said, I also studied propaganda, so I think I'd be more horrified once seeing the scale of everything in person.

68

The paranormal.

by Lost in the fog in

i 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?

dynamiterose77

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.

41

Getting Remarried after a spouses death & then they are resurrected after Armageddon ?

by LOLS in

hi 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.

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.

18

I am an idiot..

by zeb in

jw
friends

going 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!

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"

18

Can someone help me figure out something, dealing with paganism?

by Tameria2001 in

the 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.

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...

41

kingdom halls

by pepperheart in

do 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.

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?

27

What’s the big deal with birthday cake?

by Addison0998 in

how 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.

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.

11

Regional JW "Culture" - Did you experience any differences that surprised you?

by Diogenesister in

so 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.

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...

34

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.

dynamiterose77

"inside".... ?

Also, who makes a metaphor about dishes (which would be brains) getting washed with a straight face???