OneEyedJoe

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Posts by OneEyedJoe

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  47

  "Make a list of people you want to meet in the New System!" (New September Watchtower)

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  watchtower september 2015 study edition, "stand firm in the faith," paragraphs 16 and 17:.

  following jesus example, we must read the bible daily, study it, and meditate on what we learn.

  along with general bible study, dig into topics about which you may have questions.. you can imitate jesus by meditating on the wonderful promises jehovah has made to you.

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  OneEyedJoe

  One more trick cults use to bypass critical thinking skills - telling you to imagine something. Imagination operates completely independent from logical thought and critical thinking (which is part of what makes it so useful to is) but it still can create the same emotion as a real event.
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  9

  Do you impose your views on others?

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the irony!

  when i first saw this picture i thought they were holding the bible teach book!

  ha!

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  OneEyedJoe

  JW's don't impose their view on others. They impose the GB's view on others!
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  8

  Hierarchy of Needs Revelation

  by freemindfade in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in my quest to always understand why jws get so f%$@ed up (yes oubliette, lets review lol) i discovered something today.

  in speaking with one of my fellow heathen friends from this site i was talking about maslov's hierarchy of needs in an unrelated subject but i had an epiphany.

  witnesses are held at the third level and never make it to the oh so critical top two sections.

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  OneEyedJoe

  Yep...I suspect this is a large part of how cults control people - keep them from getting comfortable enough that they feel like they can reach out to satisfy their needs on a higher level. For me, it wasn't until my life had settled down significantly and my other needs were met that my discomfort with the cult was a big enough problem that I felt like I needed to do something about it (and at the same time, I felt safe enough to do something about it).
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  14

  A checklist for Lurking JW's.

  by cappytan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  dear lurking jw's:.

  if you were in a cult, how would you know?

  cults don't call themselves cults.

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  OneEyedJoe

  One problem is that there is scriptural support* for most of the super-culty stuff that they do. It can take a while before you can get to the point where you can really trust your own interpretation of things. They systematically destroy your self-confidence with their constant talk of not leaning upon your own understanding and not putting your trust in the son of earthling man (which includes the GB).

  To that point, for a lurking JW, I would point out two things:

  First, it's important to remember that we are all individually accountable before god. If something doesn't make sense to you but you go along with it anyway, god isn't going to stand for the "I was just following what I thought was your organization" excuse. Hundreds of thousands of isrealites died following corrupt kings that ostensibly represented Jehovah's organization on earth, what makes you think you'd fare better? This fact alone should be enough to convince any JW (or any christian, for that matter) to investigate any doubts they might have.

  Second, I would focus on the ban on seeking outside information. Is this really a scriptural stance, especially if there is any doubt about the correctness of the JW organization? First of all, there are numerous scriptures that encourage one to test things before trusting them, and making the point that truth need not hide from lies (1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11; 1 Thes 5:21; Job 12:11; John 1:5) so, again, is it really scriptural that you should simply trust what you're told by the GB? Is it also scriptural to avoid ALL information from a source outside the JW organization? Why is it not acceptable to examine multiple opinions and settle on the view that you yourself can live with? Going back to the earlier point - we're all individually accountable to god, so it is very important that you're completely comfortable with your beliefs and actions. If something is true, it will defeat any attacks made by it. If something is false, then it will crumble under scrutiny. If the JW organization is true, then there is nothing to fear (your faith will only be strengthened) by examining it's doctrine, if not then you will be personally accountable to god for not examining it.

  Applying this latter point to the topic of "apostate" information. For a long time I avoided apostates because it was not worth the time to examine the ravings of a bunch of bitter, angry, vengeful people. The problem is that there's two possible scenarios here - either apostates are bitter and angry and led by satan as is claimed by JWs, or they are justifiably upset and angry at the organization that lied to them and misled them and in many cases took lives and families away from them. How can you tell the difference? The only way to know is by examining both sides of things and examining the organization itself to see if they have indeed lied to you, too. Again, if it's all true, just imagine how your faith will be strengthened once it passes this test. The bible states that tests help you to endure, and that can be applied to your faith as well.

  *I mean scriptural support in the sense that scripture is taken out of context and misapplied, but in the minds of a JW (even myself at one time) this is enough to justify the behavior/doctrine of the cult.
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  10

  Type and Anti-Type, the killing of the Faithful and Discreet Slave. Whats thier angle and how do they spin out of this one?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it would seam that the changing of the type anti-type teaching kills their claim as the faithful and discreet slave class as it is only a parable according to peter at luke 12:41. obviously i don't think they will ever come out and actually say that the f&ds is just a parable, so when one asks what will the answer be, to spin out of this obvious problem?.

  also what do you think is the reason for the change in this teaching?

  is it more to do with getting rid of doctrine that can be criticized or could it be that they are trying to make it as though they are really not in control of the congregations so as to say we aren't responsible when the prosecution comes knocking over future pedophile case?

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  OneEyedJoe

  Sometimes I think they just change stuff to keep people interested. The meetings are so dull and the conventions are worse, so they have to throw in a little new light every now and again to spice things up a bit. They don't really care if the new light undermines a core doctrine that they still hold (as is the case with the abandonment of the types/antitypes as it relates to the FDS and 1914) because the R/F are, for the most part, willing to accept things as they're told. The few that do leave because of changes are easily demonized and provide an enemy to rally against and it pulls those who remain closer together. It has nothing to do with doctrine, it's just about looking busy.
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  23

  need clarification: i told my wife the type and anti-type abolishment made the FDS a parable and not factual. boy did this piss her off

  by goingthruthemotions in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  let's just say i sometimes don't know how to keep my trap shut.

  i really need to learn to keep well enough alone when she attacks me.

  keep in mind i never start the fights about the borg.

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  OneEyedJoe

  Yeah it sucks, man. I know how it feels. The other day, not 10 minutes after my wife defended the cult and said it wasn't a false prophet, we were talking about how the WTS says not to read anything that's not from them and I asked her "would you go to a restaurant if the owner invited you, but cautioned you not to read any negative reviews because they're all written by liars. Her response was something about all the warnings in the Bible to be on the watch for false prophets. When she said that, I had an uncontrollable burst of laughter which definitely didn't elevate the level of discourse.

  I have to remind myself how blind I once was. I was never as indoctrinated as she was, but I, in the past, have made some of the arguments she makes with me. That's also, I think, part of why it's so frustrating. Sometimes it feels like I'm arguing with my past self, and it's difficult not to get angry at that person because I'm so angry that I didn't see through the lies sooner. It's really difficult to keep from taking it out on her, but being aware of the source of much of that anger helps me to keep it under control. Venting here and to a friend or two helps too.

  Keep trying and it will get better one way or another. I don't pray to Jesus much these days, but I'm sending lots of good vibes your way for whatever that's worth. So many have been right where you (we) are and beaten the cult, so it is possible and there is reason to remain hopeful.
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  26

  Want to share your thoughts on JWs?

  by punkofnice in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, it's been a long while since i last visited here.

  i've been doing this and that...you know....lugubrious life and all.. i am interested in collating views from all types of people about jws, albeit non jws, ex jws....anyone associated with jws who wants to share their viewpoint.

  later on i'd like to self publish these collected interviews but cannot offer any money as the project is more about giving people an opportunity to speak, help, whatever, rather than make a best seller.

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  OneEyedJoe

  I'll play. Not sure what you mean by gathering unbiased opinions. On a topic like that, I'm pretty sure that's roughly impossible. I suppose you could get an unbiased opinion from someone that's never encountered JWs, but that'd be worthless.

  JW Interview.

  • Name/Pseudonym: OneEyedJoe

  • Gender: M

  • Country: USA

  • Were/are you a JW? I was a JW, but no longer consider myself to be one.
    
    

  • How were/are you associated with JWs

  Born in

  • How long were you a JW? (If applicable) 28 years.

  • What drew you to the JWs? My parents required it.

  • What do/did you enjoy about being a JW? The only thing I can say I truly enjoyed was when I was young (~8-15) I enjoyed feeling as if I knew more about the bible than the adults I would talk to in the ministry.

  • What is your best/fondest memory? I don't have any fond memories of being a JW, but I do have a few good memories with JW friends.

  • What is your funniest memory? When a half-wit was invited to give the closing prayer for the mid-week meeting and at one point said "we're sorry for all the shit...er..stuff that we do wrong..." Apparently one of the two elderly sisters sitting directly behind me didn't hear what had been said and asked the other for clarification. It was pretty funny hearing an 80+ year old woman say in the most timid voice possible "he said shit"

  • If alive in 1975 as a JW, do you remember it? What are you memories as a JW? Wasn't alive then.

  • Can you think of anything positive or good to say about the watchtower organisation? There's nothing positive about the organization itself. Individual JWs can be quite good people in spite of this, though.

  • Do you believe the JWs have the ‘truth’? Absolutely not

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  • Would you recommend being a JW and why do you answer thus? I would recommend strongly against becoming a JW. This is not a religion as such, it is a cult that offers no benefit that cannot be found elsewhere in a much healthier way. It is a system designed to put people in a mental prison and enslave them to a corporation run by what must either be half-wits or completely morally bankrupt men.

  • Please tell us what you want us to know about being a JW. It's a harmful cult that has cost more lives than heaven's gate, jonestown, and the branch davidians combined.
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  15

  Being lied to by parents

  by What is Truth? in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i mean pretty much all parents lie to their children at some point about something and usually it was to protect them or just wasn't something important and it normally doesn't affect the relationship between them and their child.

  but how does a person reconcile and recover their appreciation for their parents after finding out almost everything they taught them was an evil lie?

  i don't mean going back to the same relationship as i know that is gone, especially if the parents are still deceived.

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  OneEyedJoe

  As others have said, in most cases when parents raise their kids in a cult, they're just doing the best they know how to do. It just happened that they were victims themselves.

  The only thing I hold against my father for my cult indoctrination was the way he manipulated me into getting baptized. What he did couldn't be excused even by JW rules since I wasn't driven to do it by love for Jehovah but by his manipulation. I can't imagine that such a baptism would be considered as being enough for forgiveness of sins and entry into paradise.
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  16

  2015 Regional Conventions Baptisms

  by Gayle in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since this is the first weekend of rcs, anyone going that can give estimates of how many are getting baptized, how many appeared about that were jw youth, and what attendance figure is at these rcs?.

  i know u.s. baptisms are declining.

  can any keep a running report?

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  OneEyedJoe

  I would bet that a large portion of the US baptisms last year were because of the international conventions. Anyone holding off might've seen it as an opportunity that they would later regret missing out on, and parents no doubt used it to manipulate their kids into joining up. They'd get to walk on the field where their favorite football players played, they'd get to brag about being dunked at an IC, etc. It seemed significant.

  This year I expect we'll be right back on the trend line, if not a slight correction below it.
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  27

  Assembly today, Survival Tips and Recommendations Please!

  by Blackfalcon98 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so there's an indoctrination session tomorrow......any tips for getting through with my sanity intact?

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  OneEyedJoe

  Whiskey in a flask?

  I always spent as much time as possible out of the seats and surfing the net or reading ebooks.