Posts by OneEyedJoe

80

My Experience and how I finally let myself see the truth

by OneEyedJoe in

first off - for those lurkers who feel guilty just for being on this site and reading this (even if you don't read any further, as it is your right to choose that course) i want you to know that you're not alone in what you're going through or in what you are feeling.

if you read on, i hope my experience may be of some small help to you.. this may be long, but i'll try to organize it in a way that doesn't make it painful to read.

to start, i feel it is most beneficial if i'm upfront and honest with my goals from posting this, which are (in order of the degree to which they motivated me):.

OneEyedJoe

Thanks for your tale, jgnat.

Ignoranceisbliss- you're too kind. I never thought of myself as being a particularly skilled writer. Perhaps having everything go unsaid for so long allowed it to become more organized as it came out. It was certainly cleansing to finally say it "out loud." You're a good man, putting the needs of your wife ahead of your own. I can't imagine how I'd react if I had a kid on the way when I learned TTATT. I suspect I'd find it difficult not to rush things and ultimately cause more harm than good. Your composure speaks volumes to your character, and I wish you nothing but the best in your journey. Do keep us updated as things progress.

7

Neurophoton Consciousness Theory

by EndofMysteries in

for nobody who has heard of it, it would be a huge post to explain the whole thing, but i was just curious of the thoughts of anybody who has learned about it.

since consciousness is very debateable and still unknown this theory based on what is known so far sounds very plausible.

for those who don't want to look it up, here is an attempt to very quickly summarize the theory.

OneEyedJoe

Sounds like pseudo-science being used to give people a warm-fuzzy feeling once they become athiests. Is there any evidence in support of it or is it just wishful thinking like it sounds?

Edit:

Skimmed some of the info and found this gem:

In the world of science, we don�t get something from nothing. If we can�t get something from nothing from a scientific perspective, and consciousness is clearly something, then where does it come from and where does it go? Consciousness cannot be a product of the brain. If so, the Law of Conservation of Energy (which says energy cannot be created or destroyed) must be discarded. If consciousness is not the product of the human brain, then what is it, and what is its source?

This shows a clear lack of understanding, or an intentional desire to spin things to back up the argument. consciousness is not "something" in the sense that it is, in itself, energy or matter. Therefore if the matter that supports consciousness is re-arranged, it violates no known physical law for that consciousness to disappear. Conscioiusness is just a tool to describe something without fully understanding it. Trying to get an abstract idea to play by the rules of observable phenomena often results in failure.

10

Baal the rider on the clouds.

by Crazyguy in

i have been reading the original texts from the city of ugarit about the god el and his created gods mostly about baal.

baal is described as rider on the clouds, defeated the seven headed serpent litan.

he then demands a palace be built for him on mt zaphon,a palace over a ten thousand fields built with the finest cedars from lebanon.

OneEyedJoe

it does ring a bell...but I sure can't place it.

No wonder the isrealites kept getting in trouble for worshiping Baal. They couldn't tell him apart from Jehovah!

44

New video release at district convention. Do Jws live like this?

by solomon in

i just got back from the district convention and watched the new video.

can't remember what it is called but the main family live in a million dollar home and there teenage daughter drives a red convertable sports car.

probably worth about 50000$.

OneEyedJoe

InquiryMan - Maybe it is a difference in the states. I won't say that all witnesses here are poor, but the ones that aren't usually own their own business. Most of the rest are idiots in blue collar dead-end jobs.

The window cleaner or janitor comments definitely reflect my experience. For some reason, there has always seemed to be a disproportionately high number of brothers or sisters who work in some sort of cleaning type job. My mother is one, there's a brother in my current hall who owns a janitorial business of some sort and I've known several others who have worked for other brothers who owned some sort of janitorial business. It always seemed like an odd coincidence to me until i got here and saw that it was apparently part of a very wide-spread trend.

I'm not sure if it's because the jobs offer flexibility to pioneer, or if it's just because most converts tend to come from lower-income families where such jobs are more common. Probably a combination of the two.

14

OUTRAGEOUS statements that teach TATT, out of the WT BOX thinking, do you have one or two?

by prologos in

the bible is scientifically right saying that.

the sun was standing still.

in joshuah's day in the sun.---.

OneEyedJoe

Claiming that the bible is scientific based on the "circle of the earth" comment always seemed suspect to me. Without knowing the mythological origin of it (thanks, crazyguy, that was interesting) I always had two problems with it. One, if the writer's goal was to be scientifically accurate, why not call it a sphere, or a ball, or something else that's 3D? It's entirely possible that the writer thought the earth was a flat circle. The second issue was, if the writer had instead said something like "all the lands of the earth lay flat before him" would we accept that the bible had some unscientific views, or would we suddenly realize that the text there is poetic and the author was using symbolism? It's just another case of pointing out the hits and ignoring the misses.

18

Sneaky introduction advice from Dec KM

by Splash in

it says on page 1 par.

3 in the q&a item.

"where people belong to a non-christian religion, or to no religion at all, it may be better to mention the bible on a return visit, rather than at the outset.

OneEyedJoe

I wonder if they'll ever go to completely denying they're a religious group until people are hooked. Apparently that's how the moonies got steve hassan in.

Now that I'm thinking about it, denying that we were there to convert people was one of my first WTF moments. I just could never wrap my head around it. I remember asking my father about that point when I was like 10, after watching him say "we're not here to convert you" to someone at the door. He said, no we're just here to talk to people about the bible and help them gain understanding. Once they understand the bible they'll want to get baptized on their own. Then the next meeting they're up there preaching to us to get out there and make disciples. Of course I pressed down my confusion like a good boy, but I never once was able to tell someone I wasn't there to convert them, and anytime someone said it, it bothered my conscience.

23

How Did "Shepherding Calls" Go For You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

did you loath them?

did you feel it was a "privilege" to have the elders care deeply about your spiritual well being?

if you were an elder or ministerial servant, did you enjoy going to the homes of the sheep?.

OneEyedJoe

Phizzy - no idea if it's an ongoing thing, but like most special initiatives I suspect it'll fizzle out after a while. At the very least, the elders will get tired of calling on the ones that don't respond at all and they'll give up. My question, though, is who on earth would hear that they're being invited back by the GB and be encouraged? I can see telling people that jesus/jehovah is calling them back, but the GB wants you back? That just screams cult. It almost seems like they're trying to goad inactive ones into DAing.

80

My Experience and how I finally let myself see the truth

by OneEyedJoe in

first off - for those lurkers who feel guilty just for being on this site and reading this (even if you don't read any further, as it is your right to choose that course) i want you to know that you're not alone in what you're going through or in what you are feeling.

if you read on, i hope my experience may be of some small help to you.. this may be long, but i'll try to organize it in a way that doesn't make it painful to read.

to start, i feel it is most beneficial if i'm upfront and honest with my goals from posting this, which are (in order of the degree to which they motivated me):.

OneEyedJoe

Thanks for sharing your story, problemaddict. It's one thing to know that there are happy endings out there, and quite another to get a first-hand account of one. Hopefully it's just a matter of patience and persistence. I've been stressed out about a bunch of other unrelated stuff I've got going on, and I think that's been making it more difficult to be patient, but everyone's support here in the last day has helpped a lot.

Open mind - I was actually just thinking along similar lines. I might try signing us up for a couples class of some kind...

80

My Experience and how I finally let myself see the truth

by OneEyedJoe in

first off - for those lurkers who feel guilty just for being on this site and reading this (even if you don't read any further, as it is your right to choose that course) i want you to know that you're not alone in what you're going through or in what you are feeling.

if you read on, i hope my experience may be of some small help to you.. this may be long, but i'll try to organize it in a way that doesn't make it painful to read.

to start, i feel it is most beneficial if i'm upfront and honest with my goals from posting this, which are (in order of the degree to which they motivated me):.

OneEyedJoe

Apognophos - you make some good points. I guess it's easy to see leaving as an urgent need...especially with all this listen, obey and be blessed crap combined with the obey even if it seems illogical stuff that's been ramping up lately. Visiting this site daily, with all the speculation probably doesn't help.

I'd be lying of I said my desire to get her out isn't partially motivated by my own desire to get out ASAP. It's difficult listening to all the bs and going recruiting with no outlet for my frustration. I guess that's part of why I post here, to purge a lot of it. I appreciate your viewpoint, it gives me something to think about. Thanks.

Jgnat - she's kinda difficult to get to open up on her hopes and dreams type stuff. I'm terrible at social interaction (aspergers) so I never really pushed. I guess I've got some work to do. Yes, a big fear is losing my wife. I have waves of insecurity, and that thought really compounds things.

Antioch - thanks for your words of encouragement. I'm sorry to hear about your situation, but know that it wasn't your fault or some failing on your part that caused it. Cults are designed to create no-win situations for their victims, and that's just where you found yourself.

Thanks again to everyone for all the suggestions, support, opinions, etc. It's all truly appreciated.

80

My Experience and how I finally let myself see the truth

by OneEyedJoe in

first off - for those lurkers who feel guilty just for being on this site and reading this (even if you don't read any further, as it is your right to choose that course) i want you to know that you're not alone in what you're going through or in what you are feeling.

if you read on, i hope my experience may be of some small help to you.. this may be long, but i'll try to organize it in a way that doesn't make it painful to read.

to start, i feel it is most beneficial if i'm upfront and honest with my goals from posting this, which are (in order of the degree to which they motivated me):.

OneEyedJoe

Jgnat -

She obviously likes the fact that she doesn't have to go to work.... She like chores and running errands to a certain extent (as I'm writing this, I'm realizing her ability to enjoy mundane, repetitive tasks is probably one thing that either came from the cult or helps keep her in it) and shes always got some projects going - either some painting or some remodel project around the house. I suggested the other day that she take an art class, but she didn't seem very interested.

JWdaughter - excellent point! Thank you.

Emery -

Sorry, I guess I was ambiguous...she's not in because the scriptural gymnastics of the WTS make sense to her, is more the emotion behind wanting to "live forever in a paradise earth." There's no way I could ever reach her with a scriptural discussion.