I went through a rather odd arc in my beliefs. For the last 10 years or so, I've essentially been an atheist that had the aposta-phobia that kept me from disproving JWdom completely in my mind. Basically I was hedging and couldn't be bothered to prove it to myself because there was too much else going on in my life that I couldn't handle the realization that I was trapped in a cult too. Once I woke up, I was immediately a full-blown atheist.
OneEyedJoe
JoinedPosts by OneEyedJoe
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What did you become after leaving Jehovah's Witnesses?
by Garrett inhey guys,.
so, since my leaving i have been doing so much research on so many topics that it's been extremely enlightening.
not only have i learned a lot about the organization and what motivates it, but i have also learned a lot about the bible, god and most importantly, myself.. currently, i'm not quite sure where i stand, but i'm having some real issues with the bible and god.
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JW's use UN to condemn South Korea for imprisonment of Conscientious Objectors
by cappytan inalthough the organization condemns the un as a satanic organization that will turn on jws and try to destroy them, they're not above using the evil satanic image of the wild beast for personal gain.. link to article on jw.borg here: http://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/south-korea/human-rights-violations-conscientious-objectors/.
pasting text below in case you don't want to click through:.
south korea guilty of arbitrary detention of conscientious objectors.
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OneEyedJoe
Meanwhile, if you're a conscientious objector to the blood doctrine, not only do they exile you but they hold your family and loved ones hostage.
There's so many layers to their hypocrisy!
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Isn't shaving beards a pagan practice?
by EndofMysteries init's funny that in ancient times the jews had beard and had to grow their hair and the egyptians were the ones who shaved.
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so shouldn't shaving be considered just like birthdays and holidays to the jws?
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OneEyedJoe
You'd think.
One elder I knew years ago once grew a beard and went on a rant about shaving being pagan and how greeks did it so that they could look more feminine, and there was a lot of homosexuality that was related to that. I don't know how accurate that is, but it was entertaining to watch the other two elders try to calm him down and reinforce the cult's rules while having absolutely no scriptural ground to stand on.
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Advice needed on Crisis of Conscience
by cappytan inso, some of you may have seen my thread from yesterday about my wife waking up.. we had further discussion yesterday evening after i sent her the pbs video on the abuse scandals plaguing the watchtower.
she was so furious and pissed off at wt hq.
apparently a close relative of her's was abused by an elder and the only reason he was reproved and removed as an elder was because he confessed.
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OneEyedJoe
Steve2 - you make a good point. I have to constantly remind myself that time is on my side. Even knowing that on a rational level, it's very difficult to get it to sink in. Being stuck in the cult, you just want out NOW. Getting out feels urgent because every cult meeting, every bitten tongue when the in-laws use the term "the truth" for the hundredth time and every cold glare from your normally loving spouse all feels like an imminent threat to your sanity.
I guess the key is finding an outlet and playing the long game. It's tough to do, but oh so rewarding to see people beat this cult at their own game.
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The Watchtower organization's crime against humanity
by TerryWalstrom inwho are the real heroes of society?.
are they not the people who are doctors and nurses and teachers and firemen and policemen and counselors and humanitarians?.
because of the watchtower organization, we are missing generations of those kinds of heroes who will not exist (but could have) because jehovah's witnesses destroyed them by convincing millions of it's members those professions are meaningless and unimportant for them to pursue.
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OneEyedJoe
Well to be fair, at least in my area, fireman is a pretty popular gig among JWs that don't want to be janitors. You're right on the mark with the others, though. I'd also add to the list scientists and engineers. -
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Advice needed on Crisis of Conscience
by cappytan inso, some of you may have seen my thread from yesterday about my wife waking up.. we had further discussion yesterday evening after i sent her the pbs video on the abuse scandals plaguing the watchtower.
she was so furious and pissed off at wt hq.
apparently a close relative of her's was abused by an elder and the only reason he was reproved and removed as an elder was because he confessed.
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OneEyedJoe
I would send it to her via email and tell her you'll let her decide if/when she's ready to read it. That way it'll be sitting there itching at her curiosity and she'll eventually have to read it.
Take that with a grain of salt, though....I've certainly made no where near the progress with my wife that you've made in such a short time.
Good luck!
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Introducing myself! Come say hi!
by Sparlocks_Apprentice inhello all you wonderful people on the "evil" interwebs.
i'm joining this site once again because i forgot my old username and such.
i like the new layout!.
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OneEyedJoe
Ever seen Mulan? The song "reflection" I think fits well with lots of witnesses hiding their true selves... especially born-ins. The pressure to be perfect and "fit in" with the rest of God's "sheep".
I don't think I ever saw that one. At the time, as I recall, the elders in my congregation were busily demonizing that particular movie for one thing or another haha. I think I've seen other people on here reference the same thing, though. It's amazing how many songs and books take on a whole new meaning to you once you wake up from the lies of the cult.
There's a girl I work with that I think you'd get along with. She makes a yearly trip out to some anime convention and always makes her own costume.
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Introducing myself! Come say hi!
by Sparlocks_Apprentice inhello all you wonderful people on the "evil" interwebs.
i'm joining this site once again because i forgot my old username and such.
i like the new layout!.
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OneEyedJoe
And I get to go to Anime Conventions now... if you know what that is.
Haha, while I'm not really into all that much, I'm certainly enough of a nerd to know what that is. It's ridiculous all the trivial rules in this cult that seem designed only to rob you of all of life's little pleasures and all of your individuality.
It's always great to see another person who's able to escape and life a genuine and guilt-free life out of this cult. Living well is the best revenge!
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Introducing myself! Come say hi!
by Sparlocks_Apprentice inhello all you wonderful people on the "evil" interwebs.
i'm joining this site once again because i forgot my old username and such.
i like the new layout!.
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OneEyedJoe
Welcome! I wish I had the presence of mind to see this cult for what it was at your age. Would've made a whole host of things easier. When you're only starting to build your life, it's much easier to start over from scratch than when you've already got one with some momentum behind it. Well done!
If you ever need a listening ear, feel free to PM me.
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Hot topic in congregations: having a beard/goatee
by nevaagain ini am starting this topic because i was wondering, i see many who leave "the truth" are glad because they can finally have a beard.
is having a beard really a no go in congregations?
how is / was it in your congregation?.
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OneEyedJoe
It definitely depends on the congregation. It seems the only hard rule that they pass down in writing is that a bearded man cannot give parts on conventions/assemblies. Some elders take this to mean that a beard isn't acceptable at all. That's not surprising since much of JW doctrine is developed based on the formula of 'this rule applied to this small group, so it shows the principle that it should be applied to everyone.'
When you grow a beard, you'll inevitably get compliments from the guys who want to grow one too but don't have the balls, and you'll get passive-aggressive statements ("did you forget to shave?" "it looks like you have some dirt on your face." etc) from everyone else. If the elders are the iron-fist type, they'll probably try to make an example of you, but if you have a few elders that are sympathizers, it's possible that nothing will happen.
If you do grow a beard, memorize Mark 7:13 - "You make the word of God invalid by the tradition that you have handed down." Encourage anyone who challenges you to read the full account and find out who Jesus was talking to, and come back when they can state that they're not behaving just as those men were.
On a related, but slightly off-topic note, it's my theory that rules such as this are in place specifically to identify potential apostates. When someone starts to wake up to TTATT they're bound to start wanting to think for themselves a little. Even if they're not fully awake, but just see that the cult is making unscriptural rules, it's dangerous - those faithful in what is least will be faithful in what is most. If they start breaking the small rules they'll break bigger ones. The beard thing has the advantage that it takes active effort not to grow a beard, so it's natural to let it happen when you no longer have a strong reason to do it. Also, if someone stops going or fades, the beard is a sign to any friends that might otherwise think they're just going to a different congregation. In a sense, it's like an unofficial DA that most will recognize and will cause them to avoid you. It's all about maintaining the virtual cult compound - separating those that are in the cult from those who are out by means of small cues like dress, grooming and language. You don't have to physically separate people from the outside world if you can create the walls in their minds.